November 16, 2023 - Decanted for 4 hours before consumption. I guess I missed the garden spot last year. What this bottle presented was a mild representation of Mourvedre but with impressive minerality which began only in the finish but ended up attaching itself throughout the experience. This was my third bottle and they all ranged from meek to sedate. Strange from this producer.
July 4, 2022 - Decanted for 2.5 hours. Not sure it improved in that time. Still young but enjoyable now. I think top Bandol Rouge is more enjoyable to me FWIW.
May 2, 2022 - In a word: Wow. Spicy, leathery, meaty, smoky, all wrapped in abundant black fruits. Decanted for three hours, I wish I’d have let her sit for another two. This is a spectacular expression of Mourvèdre. Indeed, this is a big wine. But it’s so impeccably balanced that, sip after sip, it never becomes ponderous. Beautifully done. Outstanding!
January 24, 2022 - Wow, an amazing bottle. Aroma that hits you in the face of leather, tobacco, and wood. Extremely dark berries, thick and rich. A real treat.
April 5, 2021 - Decant for several hours. Jim Binns has a masterpiece with this one. At first, a little tight but then it opened up beautifully. A real treasure!
November 27, 2020 - Annual Friendsgiving Gathering (TLV's): Courtesy of tlv. Opens with aromas of black fruit, black cherry, cured meat and pepper. Full-bodied. Firm, sweet tannins. Well-balanced. Abundant black fruit on the palate, with a spice-tinged finish. Really impressive.
November 27, 2020 - Opened by Lostverse. Deep purple color. Notes of iron, tobacco and blackberry. Not as heavy as the Third Twin. 92 points.
April 5, 2020 - Smoke and fruit on the nose.
First sip, fresh fruit like a fine Echezeaux, than gets heavy, pinot on steroids.
Taste like top shelf, but teases more than it delivers.
Little heat at the close that warms but not so much that you need a sip of water.
March 29, 2020 - Very big wine, huge structure with laser focused and very fine tannins. Great fruit concentration. Still young but definitely enjoyable even right out of the bottle, though clearly will improve with age, this has a long life ahead of it... but no reason to wait either, I’m loving this right now.
January 12, 2020 - A stunner. Up there among the best Mourvèdre offerings I’ve ever had. A two-hour decant opened her up but only slightly, revealing a split personality of meaty/savory and fruit forward. Bacon fat fused with black cherries. Two hours in the glass revealed a blackberry and cocoa bouquet with a bowlful of black fruits and hillside herbs on the palate. A long, lusty finish.
Day 2 smoothed out the edges and presented a much more friendly, harmonious wine. Lots going on in the glass. Black olives, bay leaves, sultry fruit, road tar, menthol, more hillside herbs. Make no mistake; this is a huge wine. But beautifully balanced.
This promises decades of pleasure, if you can keep your hands off it. Drink 2025-2040. What a thrill.