Ripe cassis fruit, leather and spice and some tobacco, tar and black olive. It is mid-weight and fresh, has some earthy/savoury nuance and finishes with bright acidity.
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Very tertiary, medicinal herbs, leather, smoked meat. Dried berries were the fruit, while not abundantly present still present. A distinct iron minerality shining through.
It was thin and lacking concentration, but very interesting.
Tasted side by side 2012
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Tasted blind next to the 1996. Nose has some rotten meat, dried herbs and red fruit, but on the palate it’s flat and watery, lacking structure and flavor. Disappointing.
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Lovely classic Pauillac. Not going to comment on taste/nose as others have that nicely covered. Bought on release, cellared well. Still in a very nice place, however no real need to wait, don't really see much room for improvement.
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An excellent bottle with an opaque deep red color. A well maintained bottle, the cork dry for the upper 2/3's. Aroma of bundled blackberry, strawberry and currents with notes of leather and cinnamon at the edges. The flavors held through the mouth and left me wanting to go back for more.
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Obtained this single bottle about a year ago as part of a much larger cellar contents purchase. This wine is still drinking very well but is probably 5-7 years past prime with the fruit now dropping off making it more acidic and vibrant then expected but beautiful 2nd flavors are present. Time to drink up any remaining holdings. Last glass was best so even though initially I thought that a decant was not needed in retrospect a short 30 minute splash decant with some swirling probably would have been beneficial. Reddish purple, bricking present, soft mouth feel and medium length aftertaste. Muted nose with kirsch, coffee and cedar. On the palate oak and tannins all gone with cedar, much to my surprise sandalwood which I may never have tasted in a wine before, kirsch, leather and coffee present.
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Warm leather, cherry, green pepper, earth on the nose. Palate still holds some fruit, as well as more leather, minerals, crunchy spice. Medium+ weight, still a little tannin, good balance and long peppery finish. Structure says Pauillac to me. After 20-30 minutes opening up to reveal more allspice, cinnamon and and dark fruit. A classic Bordeaux and good demonstration of how beautifully these 1989s age. Yum.
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Agree with Lordswood note on this bottle. Dense color, subtle nose of green herb, loads of cigar, some dusty berry notes. Very smooth. Clearly at its peak or beyond but nonetheless very well made. Pontet is worth the hype
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I love Pontet-Canet, but this bottle although deep on color, had a dustiness like 200 year old books on both the nose and palate. It did wane some, but the fruit never really showed much over several hours. It never really fell apart, either. I drinkable wine, but not an enjoyable one. I wouldn't be as hard if the 82/86 didn't show much better for their age - and within the last year or so.
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Absolutely perfect old Bordeaux. Loads of slightly smokey dark fruits both on the nose (plus cigar box and other I identified bits!) and on the palate. Fully resolved tannins and wonderful balance. This was pretty much the perfect Bordeaux for me.
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Vibrant color with no signs age. Nose is classic old school- dominated by green pepper, herb, and some red fruit. On the palate the wine is hard and tough with easily identifiable notes of green veg, iron, blood, tart cherry, and scorched earth. Not for the new world wine drinker - if you love old style bordeaux this is a classic example. Drink now.
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After an not entirely convincing encounter with PC from the "blockbuster" vintages 05 and 09 during the week-end, I felt like trying another 80s vintage of PC on a Monday evening. PnP. Dark garnet with a translucent rim, looking good at 25 years of age... Seemingly initially very thin, the wine gains weight after about 1h in the open bottle. Cedar, forest floor and dark fruit, but also some burned and bitter notes. Medium (-) tannins. Short to medium finish. 88-89 Having had now several PC vintages from the 80s and early 90s, my take on this Chateau during that time is that they were operating with fairly heavy extraction regardless of vintage. So what worked well in say 91 or probably also in 92-94 (have not had those PC vintages however), was not really the right approach in top vintages like 86 and 89 (and likely also 85). By 96 they had obviously figured out how to get good results from a very good vintage, so curious to try the 90 and 95, but also the 94.
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Somewhat austere and closed down. Nose was very light with predominantly stone and gravelly aromas, secondary notes of unripe cherry. Palate moved along the same vein with more grey earth, mineral and green notes. Can't see this improving with more time.
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An excellent bottle - carries impressive depth of taste while the tertiary aromas that soar out of the glass point to a wine that is in peak drinking condition. Black fruits, mushrooms, spices, cinammon. Long, impressive and years ahead of it.
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Great bottle. The filling level was perfect (high into the neck), the cork was in very good condition (1.5 cm of the cork were soaked). We decanted the wine for twenty minutes before we poured the first glass. It looked young for its age - medium to dark ruby with small brackish edges – and threw fine sediment. The wine offered a mature Bordeaux nose of dried berries, juniper berry, some leafy black currant, forest floor, mushrooms, leather and chocolate. On the palate the wine showed dried dark berries, black currant, mild pepper (green), mushrooms and balsamic notes, paired with round tannin and good acidity. I also liked this Bordeaux’s slight leafiness as it added to the overall complexity. The wine was very balanced and the aftertaste lingered on the palate for minutes. A well-aged Bordeaux with a Cabernet-driven profile. I loved it. Preferred it to the 82. It should hold up for another few years, but no further upside potential. Great wine. Drink now.
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Tight nose, hints of fined red fruit, ox blood and earth. Palate opens up over time, with a tight green element, followed by secondary favors of dried fruit, mint, and iron. Drink now.
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Immediately upon opening a nice Bordeaux nose. Decanted an hour and drank over 2 hours. Clear rim but dark ruby color. At first there was little fruit but it opened as the evening went on. Tobacco, tar, dark fruit. Drying tannins on finish. Mature but likely to be fine and perhaps even improve for the next couple years.
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Been waiting to open this - decanted it for about 3 hrs before serving blind at dinner. The nose was interesting and typical Bordeaux. On the taste, wow dusty attic and dryyyy. Smooth but disappointingly almost no traces of fruit. Wondered if this was always the case or if its the age showing. Plenty of secondary flavours but the dustiness reigns supreme.
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The wine starts off with tobacco, stewed fruit, and tea notes. The fruit is not fully ripe and the finish has drying sensations. The wines being produced today at the chateau do not resemble this wine, for they are sublime.
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Color was deep and clear to the edge of the glass. This tasted like what you want and expect from a mature Bordeaux. The nose, the mouthfeel, and the tastes were all there to let you know that this was the genuine article. Tastes of earthy red and dark fruits, cedar, pepper and spices. One of those wines you can have sitting in front of you for a very long time; satisfied just to stick your nose in the glass and draw a deep breath. This was decanted at the restaurant and sat while we drank a pre-decanted '95 Leoville-Barton that this greatly surpassed. I'm not sure that more air time would have changed much as the evolution in our glasses was not major.
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Youthful dark purple with a hint of magenta at the rim. Very powerful dark fruit nose dominated by pencil shavings and steel. Hints of bitter chocolate, cedar and leather. The palate is still rather closed having only been open about 1.5 hours. However, the tannins seem well resolved and there is no harshness typical of these older versions when in their youth. The wine is opening up very nicely. Fruit supports a medium-weight palate with plenty of secondary classically Pauillac nuance. Though not a big wine it is very well balanced. I would consider this fully mature and inside its optimum drinking window. Very pleasnt.
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Maybe not as good as the 2000, but this is spectacular. It showcases how long lived this wine is. Mocha, pencil led, strawberry, toast, and a long long finish. No thin spots in this wine, might be better in 10-20 more years.
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Auction in Seoul (Lotte Hotel): Not a hint of lightness at the edges, still deep and dark throughout. Nose had a relatively seductive vanilla character that did not mask or distract from the size of the fruit, which included not just the normal black fruit but what seemed to me to be a rich note of chocolate covered cherry – by that I mean sweet chocolately red fruit. Early on it was all vanilla and fruit on nose, but with a little time, other aromatics – cigar box, even herbal came out. Wine was big and viscous and tannic on entry and remained so for the 30 minutes or so it was open, but the tannins couldn't mask the fruit, which seemed to have more of a plum-type character in the mouth than berry or currant. It's a crime that this one didn't have time to open up. Despite the heavy and relatively one-dimensional fruit in the mouth, I really liked it and think it would have begun to show its complexity. What a crime that the tasting wasn't better organized.
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2/19/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Ripe cassis fruit, leather and spice and some tobacco, tar and black olive. It is mid-weight and fresh, has some earthy/savoury nuance and finishes with bright acidity.
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2/3/2024 - Bostonwino28 wrote:
At a class in Boston-
Very tertiary, medicinal herbs, leather, smoked meat. Dried berries were the fruit, while not abundantly present still present. A distinct iron minerality shining through.
It was thin and lacking concentration, but very interesting.
Tasted side by side 2012
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12/25/2023 - Rani Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Tasted blind next to the 1996. Nose has some rotten meat, dried herbs and red fruit, but on the palate it’s flat and watery, lacking structure and flavor. Disappointing.
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12/1/2023 - moguls Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely classic Pauillac. Not going to comment on taste/nose as others have that nicely covered. Bought on release, cellared well. Still in a very nice place, however no real need to wait, don't really see much room for improvement.
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10/31/2023 - Gonzo91 wrote: 90 Points
Past its prime
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5/7/2023 - doug374 Likes this wine: 93 Points
An excellent bottle with an opaque deep red color. A well maintained bottle, the cork dry for the upper 2/3's. Aroma of bundled blackberry, strawberry and currents with notes of leather and cinnamon at the edges. The flavors held through the mouth and left me wanting to go back for more.
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6/29/2022 - ikkaariainen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Obtained this single bottle about a year ago as part of a much larger cellar contents purchase. This wine is still drinking very well but is probably 5-7 years past prime with the fruit now dropping off making it more acidic and vibrant then expected but beautiful 2nd flavors are present. Time to drink up any remaining holdings. Last glass was best so even though initially I thought that a decant was not needed in retrospect a short 30 minute splash decant with some swirling probably would have been beneficial. Reddish purple, bricking present, soft mouth feel and medium length aftertaste. Muted nose with kirsch, coffee and cedar. On the palate oak and tannins all gone with cedar, much to my surprise sandalwood which I may never have tasted in a wine before, kirsch, leather and coffee present.
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4/10/2021 - Burgnick wrote: 89 Points
The 89 Pontet Canet still has some fruit on the palate but a bit too green on the palate. It still retains good freshness and vibrancy.
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8/6/2019 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 92 Points
Warm leather, cherry, green pepper, earth on the nose. Palate still holds some fruit, as well as more leather, minerals, crunchy spice. Medium+ weight, still a little tannin, good balance and long peppery finish. Structure says Pauillac to me. After 20-30 minutes opening up to reveal more allspice, cinnamon and and dark fruit. A classic Bordeaux and good demonstration of how beautifully these 1989s age. Yum.
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1/18/2017 - T.E.D. wrote: 91 Points
Agree with Lordswood note on this bottle. Dense color, subtle nose of green herb, loads of cigar, some dusty berry notes. Very smooth. Clearly at its peak or beyond but nonetheless very well made. Pontet is worth the hype
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5/7/2016 - portman63 Does not like this wine: 85 Points
I love Pontet-Canet, but this bottle although deep on color, had a dustiness like 200 year old books on both the nose and palate. It did wane some, but the fruit never really showed much over several hours. It never really fell apart, either. I drinkable wine, but not an enjoyable one. I wouldn't be as hard if the 82/86 didn't show much better for their age - and within the last year or so.
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3/1/2015 - Lordswood wrote: 93 Points
Absolutely perfect old Bordeaux. Loads of slightly smokey dark fruits both on the nose (plus cigar box and other I identified bits!) and on the palate. Fully resolved tannins and wonderful balance. This was pretty much the perfect Bordeaux for me.
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8/17/2014 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
Vibrant color with no signs age. Nose is classic old school- dominated by green pepper, herb, and some red fruit. On the palate the wine is hard and tough with easily identifiable notes of green veg, iron, blood, tart cherry, and scorched earth. Not for the new world wine drinker - if you love old style bordeaux this is a classic example. Drink now.
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6/9/2014 - pavel_p wrote: 88 Points
After an not entirely convincing encounter with PC from the "blockbuster" vintages 05 and 09 during the week-end, I felt like trying another 80s vintage of PC on a Monday evening. PnP. Dark garnet with a translucent rim, looking good at 25 years of age... Seemingly initially very thin, the wine gains weight after about 1h in the open bottle. Cedar, forest floor and dark fruit, but also some burned and bitter notes. Medium (-) tannins. Short to medium finish. 88-89
Having had now several PC vintages from the 80s and early 90s, my take on this Chateau during that time is that they were operating with fairly heavy extraction regardless of vintage. So what worked well in say 91 or probably also in 92-94 (have not had those PC vintages however), was not really the right approach in top vintages like 86 and 89 (and likely also 85). By 96 they had obviously figured out how to get good results from a very good vintage, so curious to try the 90 and 95, but also the 94.
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3/12/2014 - nytiger wrote: 89 Points
Seemed to be a little thin
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2/2/2014 - T.E.D. wrote: 89 Points
Somewhat austere and closed down. Nose was very light with predominantly stone and gravelly aromas, secondary notes of unripe cherry. Palate moved along the same vein with more grey earth, mineral and green notes. Can't see this improving with more time.
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9/3/2013 - pjaines Likes this wine:
An excellent bottle - carries impressive depth of taste while the tertiary aromas that soar out of the glass point to a wine that is in peak drinking condition. Black fruits, mushrooms, spices, cinammon. Long, impressive and years ahead of it.
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4/7/2013 - PSPatrick wrote: 92 Points
Great bottle. The filling level was perfect (high into the neck), the cork was in very good condition (1.5 cm of the cork were soaked). We decanted the wine for twenty minutes before we poured the first glass. It looked young for its age - medium to dark ruby with small brackish edges – and threw fine sediment. The wine offered a mature Bordeaux nose of dried berries, juniper berry, some leafy black currant, forest floor, mushrooms, leather and chocolate. On the palate the wine showed dried dark berries, black currant, mild pepper (green), mushrooms and balsamic notes, paired with round tannin and good acidity. I also liked this Bordeaux’s slight leafiness as it added to the overall complexity. The wine was very balanced and the aftertaste lingered on the palate for minutes. A well-aged Bordeaux with a Cabernet-driven profile. I loved it. Preferred it to the 82. It should hold up for another few years, but no further upside potential. Great wine. Drink now.
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4/6/2013 - T.E.D. wrote: 89 Points
Tight nose, hints of fined red fruit, ox blood and earth. Palate opens up over time, with a tight green element, followed by secondary favors of dried fruit, mint, and iron. Drink now.
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2/1/2013 - nytiger wrote: 91 Points
fine aged bordeaux
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12/1/2012 - fdusonchet Likes this wine: 95 Points
Souple soyeux un beau vin
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11/18/2012 - fdusonchet Likes this wine: 94 Points
Vin droit avec encore un peu de fruit! Nez de cendre froide de cuire de bois noble. Bouche soyeuse et parfumée tannin fin
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4/28/2012 - Thellie wrote: 89 Points
Immediately upon opening a nice Bordeaux nose. Decanted an hour and drank over 2 hours. Clear rim but dark ruby color. At first there was little fruit but it opened as the evening went on. Tobacco, tar, dark fruit. Drying tannins on finish. Mature but likely to be fine and perhaps even improve for the next couple years.
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12/10/2011 - InVinjeVeritas wrote: 86 Points
Dark ruby in colour. Quite fruity, but tight . Quite sharp tannins for a 22 year old. OK standard bordeaux. Might open more up in a few years.
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11/4/2011 - nytiger wrote: 91 Points
deep blood red, nose, tobacco and smoke,fine flavors and finish
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2/3/2011 - nytiger wrote: 91 Points
fine color excellent bordeaux nose with hint of mint, fine body, fine flavors with tobacco on the finish
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3/13/2010 - JeremyQ wrote: 88 Points
Been waiting to open this - decanted it for about 3 hrs before serving blind at dinner. The nose was interesting and typical Bordeaux. On the taste, wow dusty attic and dryyyy. Smooth but disappointingly almost no traces of fruit. Wondered if this was always the case or if its the age showing. Plenty of secondary flavours but the dustiness reigns supreme.
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6/19/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 83 Points
The wine starts off with tobacco, stewed fruit, and tea notes. The fruit is not fully ripe and the finish has drying sensations. The wines being produced today at the chateau do not resemble this wine, for they are sublime.
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12/31/2008 - nytiger wrote: 91 Points
Great bordeaux nose, plenty of tanins with fine flavors and long finish
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8/23/2007 - nytiger wrote: 89 Points
good color nose and flovors
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5/10/2007 - MRichman wrote:
Pontet Canet Vertical with Alfred Tesseron (Triomphe Restaurant in NYC): Full bodied, big & strong. Lots of licorice. Some tannic structure. Tobacco.
B+
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3/15/2007 - nytiger wrote: 88 Points
a little rustic for me, perhaps a tiny bit corked,
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2/11/2007 - grapist wrote: 94 Points
Color was deep and clear to the edge of the glass. This tasted like what you want and expect from a mature Bordeaux. The nose, the mouthfeel, and the tastes were all there to let you know that this was the genuine article. Tastes of earthy red and dark fruits, cedar, pepper and spices. One of those wines you can have sitting in front of you for a very long time; satisfied just to stick your nose in the glass and draw a deep breath. This was decanted at the restaurant and sat while we drank a pre-decanted '95 Leoville-Barton that this greatly surpassed. I'm not sure that more air time would have changed much as the evolution in our glasses was not major.
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12/17/2006 - KellyW wrote: 89 Points
Youthful dark purple with a hint of magenta at the rim.
Very powerful dark fruit nose dominated by pencil shavings and steel. Hints of bitter chocolate, cedar and leather.
The palate is still rather closed having only been open about 1.5 hours. However, the tannins seem well resolved and there is no harshness typical of these older versions when in their youth.
The wine is opening up very nicely. Fruit supports a medium-weight palate with plenty of secondary classically Pauillac nuance. Though not a big wine it is very well balanced. I would consider this fully mature and inside its optimum drinking window. Very pleasnt.
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6/29/2006 - MRichman wrote:
Pauillac Fest (Les Sans Coulettes, NYC): A bit young. Nice profile with good fruit and herbs. Good structure with a nice core.
B+
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6/9/2006 - mmyette wrote: 93 Points
Maybe not as good as the 2000, but this is spectacular. It showcases how long lived this wine is. Mocha, pencil led, strawberry, toast, and a long long finish. No thin spots in this wine, might be better in 10-20 more years.
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3/22/2003 - jrufusj wrote:
Auction in Seoul (Lotte Hotel): Not a hint of lightness at the edges, still deep and dark throughout. Nose had a relatively seductive vanilla character that did not mask or distract from the size of the fruit, which included not just the normal black fruit but what seemed to me to be a rich note of chocolate covered cherry – by that I mean sweet chocolately red fruit. Early on it was all vanilla and fruit on nose, but with a little time, other aromatics – cigar box, even herbal came out. Wine was big and viscous and tannic on entry and remained so for the 30 minutes or so it was open, but the tannins couldn't mask the fruit, which seemed to have more of a plum-type character in the mouth than berry or currant. It's a crime that this one didn't have time to open up. Despite the heavy and relatively one-dimensional fruit in the mouth, I really liked it and think it would have begun to show its complexity. What a crime that the tasting wasn't better organized.
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