Community Tasting Note

vanpe003 wrote:

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - Looking back on my notes, while I've had the '05, '06, and '07 Continuum, I only took notes for the '05 and '07. The '05 struck me as straddling traditional and contemporary Napa styling, while the '07 was much more full throttle and fruit forward.

So where does the '08 fit in the Continuum? For my tastes, it might be the most balanced Continuum I've had to date, much closer to the '05 than the '07. Initially opens with a strong whiff of black olive, which ultimately blows off a bit and yields to a pleasant if somewhat reticent mix of dark fruits and perfumed leather. On the palate, "balance" is the operative word for me at this point. Good fruit against a pleasantly acidic backbone, finishing with fine tannins that become more pronounced with time in the glass.

Like another reviewer, I would say that this bottle is a bit out of sorts at present (mine were just delivered this afternoon). However all the raw ingredients seem to be present in well-concieved proportions. I also agree that this seems to have a lot of promise down the road. Discipline would suggest another 10 or so years before popping the next one. Probably 90-91 points now given its current disjointedness, but I agree with an earlier reviewer who suggests this has 95 point potential. Maybe even higher for me as my tastes migrate from "fruit bomb" to wines that are better behaved and more flexible with food.

Update: I'm wrong about the current drinking score. The longer this is open, the better it gets. Probably closer to 93-94 points now, but lesson learned - a decant for a couple of hours would be the ticket.

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