Community Tasting Note

Monday, January 30, 2023 - Note is based on how it’s drinking today. This is undoubtably a brilliantly made wine. It is absolutely blasphemous to drink this now (Jan 2023). Initial pop & pour; tighter than the Feds current monetary policy. Did a four hour aggressive decant, and it opened up slightly but still super taut. It is nowhere near ready to drink now. And it certainly wasn’t doesn’t seem as if it was crafted for early drinking.
(The next morning it drank slightly better. Don’t waste bottles popping this before 2026. It will be a brilliant wine in the upper 90s in its stride.)

Appearance: Clear Pale Purple / Ruby. Not an ink bomb in the glass.
Nose: graphite, minerality, red & black fruits.
Palate: tart red and black fruits. Racing acidity.
Body: Medium Plus
Color:
Acid: Medium plus trending towards high
Tannin: super grippy & super fine tannins.

This one’s built for the long haul. It’s elegant and graceful but in an awkward dumb young phase. It’s definetly in the style of a young Ridge, Mayacamas, or Heitz Cabernet. In winemaking style, you can tell that this one was sent to a Bordelais finishing school. As such, patience will be rewarded and will be an absolute knockout for a long time once it hits its window. That window just doesn’t look like it’s anywhere close.

91 points now. Potential for 97-99+ in future. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to load up on this one.

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8 comments have been posted

Comment posted by Mark1npt:

1/30/2023 12:53:00 PM - This one is always in the Old World Bdx style and built solely for aging. I learned my lesson years ago with this one. I'm thinking 10 years of age minimum.....
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:

1/31/2023 3:02:00 AM - Thanks for the early preview and confirms what I have heard about this producer. I only have one so it will be locked way
Comment posted by AGELVIS:

2/2/2023 4:13:00 AM - I think two or three years will be sufficient. The ‘15 is drinking fine now, although is likely still improving. That’s a big admission from someone like me. ;)
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:

2/3/2023 3:05:00 AM - Lol Jaime. But also means even if it was drinking well at ‘15 it would have been drinking young!!!!!
Comment posted by sfwinelover1:

4/22/2023 12:09:00 PM - Helpful note and appreciate the comments. I’ve never tried this, but it’s always sounded like something I’d likely appreciate, although I do confess to being somewhat scared off by the lengthy fuse, particularly at this point in my life. Interesting that it’s relatively stubborn, as my perception is that Messr. Molieux’s star property, Dominus, has been making wines increasingly approachable close to straight out of the chute.
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:

4/22/2023 2:15:00 PM - sf is that true about Dominus? I haven’t tried any young ones and the ‘05 and ‘06 are perfect for me right now. I didn’t realize there had been a shift
Comment posted by sfwinelover1:

4/22/2023 2:38:00 PM - I had the ‘16 16 months ago and it was drinking beautifully (96+++, which was the same score I gave the ‘04, without so many plusses) about a year earlier. I seem to remember having the ‘15 at a tasting sometime prior and also being surprised how giving it was, but even if I’m right, it was at a larger event, and I don’t seem to have written a note. I think that the ‘16 is likely to develop more depth and length, but the deliciousness factor was tremendous (caveat: it was brought by CT friend Aaron_Maxwell, and I’m not sure of his decanting ablutions). Fwiw, the subsequent notes are equally outstanding, so it appears it hasn’t closed up, as some ‘16s have, although of the 4 of us on the thread, I’d know the least about that, as we represent a good section of the bottle aging continuum, I think, with Jaime on one end, me the other and you and Mark more or less equally in between, and I’ve barely begun drinking any ‘16s, mostly drinking ‘14 and earlier including frequently the aughts!
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:

4/23/2023 4:45:00 AM - Ok good to know, thanks sf. I have not been buying younger Dominus for the same reason you are likely to stay away from
The Ulysses! But if one of these 15 or younger Dominus come along I will give it a try