Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Saturday, January 14, 2023 - Typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (2/3) and Merlot (1/3) with a little bit of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in the mix. Aged for 18 months in French oak barriques (50-75% new). 13% alcohol. Tasted blind in a 1996-themed tasting.

Evolved yet still almost fully opaque blackish-red color with a developed dried-blood color rim. The nose feels brooding yet attractive with slightly sweet-toned aromas of chokeberries and black cherries, some tobacco, a little bit of old leather, light phenolic smoky nuances, a juicy hint of bilberry and a cedary touch of oak spice. The wine is firm, textural and quite open-knit on the palate with a medium body and complex, layered flavors of ripe blackcurrants and wizened dark berries, some crunchy notes of fresh dark plums and bog bilberries, a little bit of smoky phenolic character, light woody notes of pencil shavings, a hint of fresh blueberry and a faint barnyardy touch of brett. The overall feel is pretty structured and sinewy yet not aggressive, thanks to both the high acidity and the firm medium tannins that slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is long, firm and moderately yet not aggressively tannic with an intense aftertaste of ripe dark fruits and juicy bilberries, some wizened blackcurrant tones, a little bit of leathery funk, light notes of tobacco, a smoky hint of phenolic spice and a touch of cedar.

A beautifully harmonious, vibrant and quite intense Bordeaux that shows some age, but at the same time still retains a remarkable amount of structure and relatively youthful fruit, making it feel like it is just past its adolescence and slowly entering its middle age. There's also a teensy bit of brett that seems to come and go, but always stays nicely in the background, letting the classic Bordelais aromatics and flavors stay nicely on the fore. This wine is by all standards an excellent 1996 St. Julien that is drinking really well right now and doesn't really call for any additional aging, but I'd say the wine's plateau of maturity is quite long way off and this wine will not only keep but evolve and improve for years more. It is really built for the long haul. Very highly recommended. With my guess I went with Bordeaux immediately, but for the appellation I went for Graves instead of St. Julien. Oh well.

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