Improving and still improving. Used wine to introduce friends and family to what a merlot could be. Beautiful, inky purple in the glass. Aromas were not jumping out of the glass like my previous pour, but was extremely dense and rich. Lots of cassis and ripe plum were forward on the nose, then bloom into violets, rhubarbs, raspberry, tobacco, pencil, balsam and mint and surprisingly gardenia. Frankly, the nose was a little awkward and angular, particularly due to the balsam and mint hits, but on the palate, the qualities are much more balanced and integrated. Bright fruit becomes dark, perfectly ripe fruit on the mid-palate, picking up capers and chocolate on the long, sweet tannic finish.
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Rustic -- "wild" was the first word I associated with the experience. beautiful, deep, clear, garnet. Needed a good vigorous swirl to unleash the aromas, a wild melange of mixed berries, briar, licorice and tobacco, with echoes of violet and mixed floral bouquet. On palate, it begins with a tannic hit that unfolds into big bold claret flavors of black and red fruits and olives, and finishes long, strong, woody and briary. tannins were dusty and pleasant, but the wine definitely has big, sizzling and sassy character. Seems to be an identifiable shift in philosophy -- not ripe, not vanilla-y, not toasty, lower alcohol.
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This wine was certainly made to be aged and still have many years to go; in my mere 15 years of wine hobby this is my most extraordinary wine experience thus farsurprising not so much with novelty but with classic qualities superbly expressed. Kept in my cellar since the beginning of my wine collecting, the wine did not have the brick edge or other signs of aging, showing great clarity in luminescent ruby. Classic claret aroma billowed out when opened and poured, and when savored showed a core of rich cassis presented on an elegant platter of dozens of classic components. Smokiness was no longer detectable, in its place were the secondaries, leather, figs and even banana peel. Unexpected were dried rose petals that all four of us noticed. On the palate the silkiness, richness and balance was unequaled and satisfied my high expectations. Tannin expression was clearly tamed and glycerin like but hitting the back palate with a little crispness for the lingering and relatively bright finish. May have ruined my appreciation of other wines especially the concept of exquisite balance.
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2008 Long Shadows Wineries Merlot Pedestal
11/28/2013 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 93 Points
Improving and still improving. Used wine to introduce friends and family to what a merlot could be. Beautiful, inky purple in the glass. Aromas were not jumping out of the glass like my previous pour, but was extremely dense and rich. Lots of cassis and ripe plum were forward on the nose, then bloom into violets, rhubarbs, raspberry, tobacco, pencil, balsam and mint and surprisingly gardenia. Frankly, the nose was a little awkward and angular, particularly due to the balsam and mint hits, but on the palate, the qualities are much more balanced and integrated. Bright fruit becomes dark, perfectly ripe fruit on the mid-palate, picking up capers and chocolate on the long, sweet tannic finish.
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2007 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve
11/28/2013 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rustic -- "wild" was the first word I associated with the experience. beautiful, deep, clear, garnet. Needed a good vigorous swirl to unleash the aromas, a wild melange of mixed berries, briar, licorice and tobacco, with echoes of violet and mixed floral bouquet. On palate, it begins with a tannic hit that unfolds into big bold claret flavors of black and red fruits and olives, and finishes long, strong, woody and briary. tannins were dusty and pleasant, but the wine definitely has big, sizzling and sassy character. Seems to be an identifiable shift in philosophy -- not ripe, not vanilla-y, not toasty, lower alcohol.
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1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia
10/1/2012 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 98 Points
This wine was certainly made to be aged and still have many years to go; in my mere 15 years of wine hobby this is my most extraordinary wine experience thus farsurprising not so much with novelty but with classic qualities superbly expressed. Kept in my cellar since the beginning of my wine collecting, the wine did not have the brick edge or other signs of aging, showing great clarity in luminescent ruby. Classic claret aroma billowed out when opened and poured, and when savored showed a core of rich cassis presented on an elegant platter of dozens of classic components. Smokiness was no longer detectable, in its place were the secondaries, leather, figs and even banana peel. Unexpected were dried rose petals that all four of us noticed. On the palate the silkiness, richness and balance was unequaled and satisfied my high expectations. Tannin expression was clearly tamed and glycerin like but hitting the back palate with a little crispness for the lingering and relatively bright finish. May have ruined my appreciation of other wines especially the concept of exquisite balance.
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