Community Tasting Note

sweetstuff wrote:

Sunday, January 13, 2013 - SHORT-FORM TASTING NOTE

AP 3 561 083 5 00. 7.5 pabv; $60/375 ml after buyer premium; WineBid.com. Imported by Rudi Weist Cellars International, San Marcos, CA. Cork-finished. Rich, gold-green; thick in texture; harmoniously delicate nose; shy and self-contained aromas; pungent sawn-pine and mountain strawbgerry.

Aromas are of early-flush estate Darjeeling tea; painful razor-edge acidic and cutting sharpness; needs more integration to reach a higher score, which undoubtedly will occur with proper cellar-aging. When tasted, the primary note is again of fine estate tea, with an orange and mountain strawberry flavor of great clarity, length, and optical-laser precision. Needs more integration at sides of tongue and at midpalate to gain that lasst point or so. F

A wine with which Barbara and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, a truly golden era for both of us, and worth a stunning bottle. Shared at Hawthorne Suites in Cincinnati.

Color is rich, polished, adamantine gold over medium green tea. A thick, unbroken coating of extract. harmoniously delicate nose, like a Haydn quartet. It is a wine that for now is contained within itself, waiting to be coaxed from its shyness, but the shyness seems something of a game. There is a sawn-pine pungency waiting in the background to spring to life, and hints of mountain strawberry.

The opening palate impression is of first-flush Darjeeling tea of the highest quality. The acid and sugar are bound up in a razor-edge that at first is painful to taste. The primary note is again of a fine tea, with an orange and strawberry flavor of great clarity, length, and with the precision of an optical laser. The only thing holding this wine back from a higher score is a need for it to integrate a bit more in the mid-palate or to the sides of the tongue; after some time it may be worth another point. Barbara, who is fascinated with the way these wines change over time, will be following this with me over the next several days, too. Given more air and a few days, , the botrytis becomes more evident and 'thicker;' pure nectarine-juice impressions, flashes of coumarin and curing hay; somewhat vanilla-like Eventually less punch but without the tongue-dissecting acidity.. 97-98/100. Drink 2012-2013; then hold untill 2018 through 2050.

Post a Comment / View sweetstuff's profile
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue (4,018 views)