October 25, 2023 - colour: dark cherry red with red-brown brightening on the edges
nose: dark licorice notes, mint and blackberry, ripe cherry tones, cowberry, fruit in rum, sweet and fine barrique notes in the background.
palate: starts with a basket of ripe red fruits, succulent cherry, cassis and licoric notes, sappy and full-bodied on the palate, firm structure, long and fine aftertaste, this is a wine of great figure and presence, much potential and expression. The wine is very fresh and vivid at the moment, but can mature at least for further 5 years.
July 28, 2021 - Dark and red berries as well as vanilla and eucalyptus in the bouquet. On the palate dark and red berries, firm and round acidity and tannin, good bitterness and a pleasant touch of sweetness, eucalyptus. Well balanced wine. Young maturity stage now.
March 3, 2021 - The quality of this wine send to cone from the oak. There is no increase in fruit intensity. The oak is delicious though, be French but not overbearing. Long, fresh finish.
January 6, 2021 - Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; South America (@ RW): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, coffee, sweet spices, tobacco and some rustic flavors. On the palate dark berries, chocolate, oak, beautiful and mild acidity and bitterness. Afull bodied and lush wine.
October 30, 2020 - Well made wine, perfectly drinkable now. New world with a bit of oak, but well balanced and developing secondary layers of complexity.
October 2, 2020 - Spicy and very good, with black currant, fruitcake, chocolate, molasses, cigar box, roasted plum.
September 17, 2020 - Inky black. Massive nose. At 8 years old, this is a baby still. Welch's grape jelly, black licorice, brown fig, wet iron, axle grease/machine oil.
Massive on the palate. Oh my God, I opened this way too young. Tannins are absolutely stacked.
I have one more bottle of this and I'm putting "do not open before 2040" on it. I would advise you to do the same.
Addendum: Did a little experiment by pouring the bottle into a decanter, letting it sit for 3 hours and then putting it back in the bottle and letting it sit for 3 days.
Interesting results. It definitely helped the wine evolve a bit. Definitely no more of that super young Welch's grape jelly anymore. Instead, it developed this really crazy funky note that I could only describe as "feral." By that I mean, a combination of wild black berries along with a note that reminds me of male feline spray. Yeah you read that right. Normally that would sound like a flaw but I find it to be an intriguing complexity that will likely evolve over time into some cool savory notes.
Lots of interest here!
March 3, 2019 - Oinorama Wine Fair 2019; 3/2/2019-3/3/2019 (Zappeio): 80% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot
The wine shows smoke, tobacco, spicy, earthy, nutmeg. The palate is soft, alcohol heat, ripe red fruit, medium body, elegant, smooth, medium finish. Thought it would be more impressive, an off bottle ?
December 24, 2018 - This wine needs at least 2 hours in the decanter for the flavours to settle down and harmonise. There are classic notes of black fruits, ripe gooseberries, earthy and vanilla nuances. Very Chilean’s bouquet. Palate echoed the nose, smooth and rich with overtones of gooseberries and a dash of eucalyptus. You will not missed this signature character of a Chilean Cabernet. The structure is still quite tight and transition to finish is still somewhat tannic. This is after 3 hours in the decanter. I would wait for another 3-5 years before tasting it again.
Retasted in June 2021, still going strong with distinct cassis and gooseberries. The mouthfeel is softer and richer now with extended and lingering finish. This has improved on the palate. To increase by 2 points to 92.
March 23, 2018 - Eðalklúbbur, vínsmakk #3 vor 2018 (Marbakkabraut 12): Mjög dökkur litur. Lítil öldrunarmerki. Í nefi dill, saggatimbur, dökk kirsuber, mikil brennd eik, konfektkassi. Á tungunni mjög mikil eik nánast planki, rosalega þurrt. Ekki mikil vídd í þessu víni. Þetta vín olli miklum vonbrigðum. 7.000 kr. vín og það er ekkert varið í það! Skamm, Montes!