6/7/2019 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Nice surprise. Wasn’t sure what to expect based on previous notes. Nose of dark red cherry and a bit of eucalyptus. Lightning at the rim...looking like a well aged CDP. Great mix of fruit and earthiness. Hold it in your mouth for a while and you feel the acid and remaining tannins. Medium weight with a relatively nice, long finish for what it is. At $40, I’m thinking a great QPR. Love what Eric is doing and will look for more of these.

10/21/2018 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Impromptu gathering to salvage Saturday night plans gone sideways.
Open 6hrs +. This juice is the real deal. What a treat. I was actually surprised how relatively elegant it was. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of structure and power here. Nose is captivaging. Super complex in every way. It wraps its arms around you, hugs your palate and take you on an amazing journey. Can't wait to find me some more.

10/21/2018 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Opened 6 hours+. Nose of black fruit. Opaque. Great texture on the palate. Consensus was this is a super slutty wine...not unusual for SQN. Rich and chewwwy stuff. Tannins are resolved for the most part. The brilliant acid is what saves it from becoming cloying. So much going on here upon first tasting it and then the acid kicks in about mid palate and lightens it up. Bright finish that just goes on and on.
Day 2 (stored w argon in the fridge) - even better. The over the top fruit is now in the background allowing this to become a bit lighter and more complex. Give it plenty of time and you'll be rewarded.

12/27/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Shared with friends before the holidays over 1.5 hours. Base neck/vhs fill. Cork was half soaked, but intact.
This bottle was an impulse buy as a single bottle lot at auction. Honestly, it exceeded my expectations as it showed really well. PNP after opening without a decant. Surprised to see minimal sediment when the bottle was drained.
I do love an older Bordeaux! Nice bit of funk on the nose that blew off after a bit with forest floor and wet leather. Wonderful brightness from the acidity with a solid core or plum, blackberry fruit still showing. This also had a nice streak of mint and mild green pepper that kept things interesting. No real tannin left and it had a medium finish. Lovely wine that confirms my view that Lynch Bages needs time before it's more sophisticated personality shows through. Will be on the lookout for more.

12/7/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

60% Roussanne and 40% White Grenache

My first bottle from a case bought through Grapes TWC in White Plains NY...for $10/btl.
Nose is light, green apple, lemon, wet rocks
These grapes produce a wonderful, mouth coating texture that reminds me of a Ermitage L'Oree with a bit of a brighter edge to it.
Clearly not for Chard lovers.
Taste is a bit of citrus, under ripe pear (not sweet), mineral.
Finish has a bit of grip to it that's not exactly acidic...trying to decided if it adds or detracts.
Great QPR!

5/27/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

From mag. PNP.
First taste was a bit odd, but this changed as it opened up quickly to be a really wonderful experience. Good red fruit still present with an acid backbone and showing lots of secondary notes. Well structured with a bit of an old world style and some oak that's perfectly integrated. Aged Cali cabs are proving to be so much more interesting than the fresh fruit bombs of more recent releases. Really delicious.

5/12/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Bought on release and still going strong! Lots of dark, black fruit. Silky, rich texture and tasting much younger than it is. Even a bit of spice on the finish. Needs a grilled red meat like hanger steak...which is what we had tonight. One more bottle. No need to wait as I don't see it evolving further.

4/26/2017 - Rackit wrote:

Bought on release. Tag said it was $3.99.
Good fill. Cork split in half when opened. Dark Carmel burnt orange color. Subtle nose.
This was really fun to try. Nice peach, apricot, mandarin orange. Much lighter and alive than it looks. Fair acidity. Just enough sweetness to keep things interesting.

4/6/2017 - Rackit wrote:

Tasted the '14 lineup with Eric Fullerton at The Spread in Norwalk.
Very interesting profile. Quite tight at the moment and air didn't really help it unwind. Not a traditional PN. Will haave to retaste as I can't decide if I liked it or not. tBD.

4/6/2017 - Rackit wrote:

Straight forward PN. Simple and very enjoyable especially for the price. Well made. Low alc. cherry, cranberry. Great QPR.

4/6/2017 - Rackit wrote:

Tasted at The Spread with Eric Fullerton.
Much more complex than the straight forward Three Otters bottling. More mushroom, truffles, forest floor...PN "dirt" tones along with cherry, cranberry. Almost Syrah like without the spice. Also has a brightness like one of the Rayas wines like the '11 La Pialades. Bought some of this.

4/6/2017 - Rackit wrote:

Nice enough chard for the price point. More my wife's style with a bit of a rounded, buttery texture. Decent acid and fruit.

4/6/2017 - Rackit wrote:

Tasted with Eric Fullerton. Not really my style. Simple stuff.

3/31/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Brought this to dinner at Union Square Cafe in NYC and shared with Doubled1969, one half of mc2wines and our friend Dave.
After reading other reviews, I didn't know what to expect here. Bottle had an into neck fill, so I figured we'd give it a shot.
Boy was this great. Far exceeded my expectations. Perfect cork, dark crimson color, slight lightening around the rim, but very slight. Looks way younger and darker than I thought it would based on my experience with Borgogno barolos of similar age. Only a hint of browning.
Nose is of intense dark fruit, forest floor, tar with a fair amount of brett funk to start. This blew off after a while...maybe an hour. Although it kept changing over the 3 hours, we all agreed it was intoxicatingly good.
On the palate, there was the typical rose petal nebbiolo profile with lots of body and an acid backbone that kept things really bright. So much going on here and it kept changing with each sip. At about hour 2, the dried fruit, cranberry, rose really stepped forward. Super stuff. In the hit and miss reality of bottle variation that exists with these old wines, tonight's showing was extra special. Felt like we won the Barolo Lotto.

3/13/2017 - Rackit wrote:

Haven't had this in 6 months so thought it was time to see how things are developing.
PNP and enjoyed over 5 hours...where it was still going strong and maybe even better than the first sip. Cork was in perfect shape and there was very little sediment, so no need to decant.
Nose is really terrific. Tannins are fully integrated with just a hint of grip on the back end. On the palate, there's lots of bright cherry with a little mineral mushroom, forest floor with a hint of meatiness. This is medium in body and very easy to drink. Maybe not the most intellectually engaging experience, but very yummy and a great QPR.
Not sure it's going to get much better over time, but don't see it fading at all. Glad I have a few more.

3/11/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

PNP and enjoyed over a few hours. First from a lot bought at auction after loving this at one of our quarterly tasting events (Thx NYCCABLOVER for bringing).
Nice to taste again on it's own...and great to see my love of this juice is still strong.
Initial nose is like an old world bdx. with lots of poopy funk, forest floor and dark red fruit. Just the way I like my 20 year old new world merlots.
Texture is super silky, but the acid backbone gives it nice grip and keeps things interesting and engaging. There's still plenty of fine, well integrated tannin here as well which means this wine has a long life ahead.
Love the balance of fruit, tannin and acid. Well made!
On the palate, there's lots of earthiness, chocolate, cassis, dark berry. Pretty complex due to the secondary flavors that come with some age.
Would be interesting to see how this performs in a tasting against some fine Pomerols.

3/5/2017 - Rackit wrote:

Similar to previous notes. One of the best $30 bottles of wine I've had in a long long time. Will only get better too.

2/2/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Tasted with the '11, '12 and '13. Found this to have the most interesting texture as the glycerin feels higher. Nice fruit, but light in style. Bright, but still has some wood, earthy nature. Enjoyed, but see the upside to time in the bottle.

1/25/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

PNP and enjoyed over a few hours. Big nose of dark fruit, leather, a bit of mint or menthol and a touch of tar. On the palate, there's cassis, glycerin, coffee, chocolate and mushroom. Tannins are soft, a touch dusty and well integrated at this point. There's also a good backbone of acid that keeps it bright and interesting. Finish is quite long with a lot of secondary flavors. Love a well made Cali cab with some age. This has the structure and substance to be good for many years. Might even get better over time but enjoyable now for sure. Paired it with some strong stinky cheese and sausage. Yum.

1/7/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

PnP and enjoyed over 4 hours. I've had this wine a number of times over the years and love where it's at right now. Suspect this will only get better though.
Nose is of dark fruit, tar, eucalyptus. Medium to full body with a 30+ sec finish.
Palate is blackberry, casias, glycerin, silky well integrated tannins with a nice bit of acid and grip that makes it interesting. Big, but bright. Definitely new world in style, but not over extracted.
Well done and great QPR

1/4/2017 - Rackit Likes this wine:

First of a case. Decanted and sampled over 5 hours.
Initially, this was WAY to tannic and dominated by bordeaux bret...pretty typical for younger GLs. Took 2 hours to calm down a bit so the fruit and other flavors could show. Nose, like others have noted is really terrific. Palate is full of dark fruit, mushroom, leather and pencil shavings...a bit of eucalyptus and a long finish. Maybe missing a bit of sweetness that I've found in older vintages. Much more interesting after 4 hours but still very dark. I think this has a long way to go and will only get better.

12/23/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

From mag. Double decanted 4 hours prior to dinner. For many of us lucky people, this was our WOTN. Great right from the start, but got way more complex and interesting over the next 4 hours. There's a brightness here that just kept me intrigued. Not exactly sweet, but more like clear red berries with a bit of spice. Super nice stuff.

12/23/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

My first experience with Ch. Canon. REALLY loved the cedar, cigar box, leather profile. Great classic BDX nose of darker red fruit and forest floor. This is a bigger style red that just got even better after a few hours in the glass when the fruit came forward more and secondary flavors receded a bit. Paired well with the rare sliced steak. I'll have to search this out to try again...and again.

12/23/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

From 3L. Decanted and tasted over 4 hours. I was surprised how much bright red fruit this was showing right from the start. Classic BDX nose of cigar box and leather. A beautifully aged wine that's at peak (considering the format). Seemed to gain some weight and complexity over the first two hours. Paired well with both the salt crusted snapper as well as the roasted chicken. Stayed fresh and enjoyable the whole time. More veg. and green pepper came forward after 3+ hours. Nice experience overall.

11/25/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Short notes.
My first Togni. Very impressive.
Opened and decanted as there's a bit of fine sediment. Plus, this needs at least an hour to really show its stuff. Beautiful nose of roasted dark fruit. Tannins resolve and take a step back after a while so richness and secondary flavors can shine. Just keeps getting better in the glass. Don't know if there's bottle variation out there, but this is by no means past it's peak. One left and will hold for a year or more. Well done.

11/21/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Private tasting event at our house along with the 2014 lineup of The Withers wines with owner Andrew Tow.
Although I really loved many of the wines poured during the evening, this 2008, Andrew's first vintage released, was my favorite. The Mr. Burgess, named for a favorite horse of theirs, is 47% Syrah, 27% Mourvedre, 26% Grenache. Age has done wonders for this as the tannins are integrated and many secondary notes are showing. Dark crimson in color, slightly lightening around the rim, no sediment to speak of. You can PNP or decant. Up to you. I saved half a bottle for the next day and found it even more enjoyable. Palate is more dark fruit, a bit of charcoal (in a good way), chocolate, clove and grilled meat. Many layers here and much more complex than the recent releases. Suspect they would develop if given the time. Medium finish and nice acid makes this much more old world in style than you often get from today's modern cali pinots. Quite a nice QPR.

11/13/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

What a great surprise. This is drinking wonderfully right now. PNP, opened and enjoyed over 3 hours. Dark cherry, cola, chocolate. Great nose, medium to full bodied, long finish, well integrated and balanced. My palate has shifted to prefer more old world wines these days, but Cali syrahs like this with a little age are really nice. Glad I have one more bottle. Suspect this will be good for up to 5 more years. Don't think it will get any better though.

11/1/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Brought this to dinner and decanted, poured and enjoyed over an hour or so. Haven't had one of these in a while and think it's drinking great right now. Has plenty of life left and will probably be an awesome old wine someday. A bit of sediment, so decanting was a good move. Nose is dark fruit, forest floor, meat/game. Palate is rich cassis, blackberry, current with a fine, dusty soft tannin and a nice level of acidity that keeps it all alive, gives it a bit of grip. Not over extracted. Just really well balanced with a medium to long finish. Glad I have a few more. Drink window seems right.

10/26/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

PNP over 4 hours. First bottle from a case.
Agree that this is drinking very well now, but will only get more interesting as it ages a bit more. Very enjoyable juice and certainly a great QPR. A bit of lightening and browning at the edge, but overall a classic deep dark brownish cherry color. Nose has a bit of rose, dark fruit and cedar. Nice fine grained, silky, soft tannins with a bit of acidity to keep it fresh and engaging. Palate is classic, old school Barolo. Tasting the rose petal, dried orange peel, dusty dark cherry. Really unwinds to show it's fruit and complexity after 3-4 hours. Medium weight with great balance. Suggest trying one if you've got more than one and watching it evolve. Drink window is probably 5-7 years and maybe longer for those that appreciate older vino.

10/23/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Haven't opened one of these in a while. Happy to see it's evolved a bit to show some secondary characteristics rather than just the primary bright cherry, kirsch that dominated previously. Alch is still a bit more than I like, but it's in balance with everything else and certainly enjoyable. Still very red cherry, but with some forest floor, shitaki mushroom showing through. Hoping this gets more pronounced with more time. Suggest an hour decant. Still lots of life left. Glad to have one more stashed away that I'll hold for a bit to see where this goes with some age on it.

10/22/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

What an interesting, enjoyable wine. Opened and poured out a bit from the bottle to the shoulder so it could slow ox for an hour before dinner. Probably could have gone longer as the sweet spot now is closer to 2-3 hours after opening. The nose is mostly dark berry fruit with a bit of eucalyptus and bell pepper. No bret detected, so more of a modern style...kind of the opposite of say a Gruaud Larose. Sweet dark cherry on the palate, but not too sweet or over extracted. Also sensing some hints of mushroom and chocolate. Great mid palate with a medium to long finish. Tannins are definitely there but are silky and fine. Quite dusty, even after being open for 3 hours with a good bit of grip on the back end. Will be interesting to see how this develops. No rush to drink...other than to follow the evolution over time.
NOTE: 6 hrs in and things are feeling/tasting much more integrated. Less dusty grip and more fruit showing through. Lots of life left in this.

10/10/2016 - Rackit wrote:

I was genuinely surprised that this bottle (as compared to others from the same case) was still going and actually improved over an hour or so. That's saying a lot since we ended up dumping the last 2 bottles down the drain after opening. Perfect fill. Perfect cork. Decanted. Starts out a bit sour and odd. Opens up to reveal its fruit after a half hour and develops to show subtle red currant, strawberry on the palate after an hour. No tannins, just smooth and pretty enjoyable. Not going to knock anyone's socks off...but fine for an everyday drinker. Certainly need to drink up the rest if they're like this one.

10/7/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Hidden in the cellar. I see most say this was uninspiring, but I actually found it opened up after a half hour to be quite enjoyable. Darker fruit, nice sense of earth and "place". Smooth on the palate with little tannin. Medium finish. Not bad for $14 back in the day.

9/26/2016 - Rackit wrote:

Tasted this a few weeks ago at the Q3 tasting with MC2 and friends. At the time, I agreed with others that it was showing well, had a Bordeaux profile, a nice level of acidity that makes it a great wine with food, but probably didn't live up to expectations in terms of complexity. That said, I now realize how tough the competition was that night.
Popped a bottle from my cellar tonight to pair with some juicy burgers. Maybe there's some bottle variation, the change in context or differences in storage because tonights experience was pretty different.
Started out with a nose of dark cassis fruit and a touch of bordeaux bret. On the palate, the fruit is still big and bold. The tannins are resolved and the acid is at a very enjoyable level...especially with the burgers. My tipping point came at hour 2.5 where the wine seemed to come together a bit more. I suspect this will evolve to be an even more interesting and enjoyable wine with a few more years in the cellar. For me, tonights bottle was a bit better than what I had a few weeks earlier.

9/25/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

My palate has changed a lot over the years and I've been lovin' a lot more old world pinot lately. This, however, really exceeded my expectations. Wonderful nose of red fruit and forest floor. Palate is bright with well integrated, polished tannins, medium body, a nice bit of acidity and a fairly long finish. Unlike many fruit forward, heavily extracted, high alc Cali pinots, this has elegance and complexity. It is by not means "light". A beautiful wine that is at it's peak right now. Can hold for a bit, but why wait.

9/1/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

First bottle from a case. Into neck fill. Perfect cork. Decanted and tasted along the way. Found this to have a bit of bret on the nose upon opening, but still plenty of red fruit too. It took about a half hour for the bret to blow off and for it to open up a bit more. Love well aged Rhone wines like this. Such an intoxicating nose and complex palate. Found this to be more fruit forward early on and then evolved to be more terroir driven after an hour. That's really where the magic happens, so if you're a bit patient, you'll be rewarded. Silky, well integrated tannins with lots of fruit and body. Actually turns a bit darker in style as it sits out (2 hours). Very enjoyable.
Suspect the drink window between now and 2020 is about right. Based on previous reviews, I suspect this is still evolving. I'll have to open another and see where it goes after a few more hours or even the next day.
Really great QPR here versus the more highly rated vintages.

8/6/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Sourced from my father's cellar and purchased upon release. High shoulder fill with a cork that looked completely funky and soft. Thank goodness for my Durand which extracted it in one piece. Color is brown brick reddish with considerable lightening toward the rim. Still had good depth of color though, so I was hopeful.
Nose is a bit muted upon opening but develops a bit more cherry and forest floor after a half hour. Smells like old wine, but not musty/bret like a Bourdeaux. More like old Cali than Spain.
Very surprised how much fruit this still had. Nice bit of cherry and eucalyptus. Smooth and well integrated with a bit of refreshing acidity on the finish. Very enjoyable. Glad I have one more bottle.

8/1/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Trying this for the first time. Sourced from my father's cellar where he purchased it upon release.
Decanted and enjoyed over 3 hours. A ton of sediment lining the bottle. Color is dark cherry with browning around the edges. As you'd expect, the nose is initially very much raisin, prune, stewed fruits with a bit of must that blows off quickly. After a half hour, other fruit...fresher red fruit flavors came through. Nice bit of acidity on the finish which is medium in length. Even tasting a bit of cola and forest floor. Get's more complex as the raisins recede. Reminds me of a '50s Burg. Enjoyable and a great example of what used to be in Cali before the Fruit Bomb epidemic.

7/29/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Splash pour...wish I had decanted. Initially, the nose is blackberry and blackcurrant. Consistent with the rich, meaty, cassis and blackberry flavors and subtle black pepper on the back end. Big bold stuff...not for the faint of heart. The wine is full bodied, has a juicy texture and a long finish. After a couple of hours, I was enjoying it even more as things settled down and became a bit more integrated/approachable...dare I say more friendly. Will pop the next bottle in a few years to see how it develops. Scores will be higher for sure.

7/21/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Brought to the beach for an evening of fine food and wine. PNP...cause we don't decant at the beach.
Have not had this in a long time and was really impressed by the beautiful nose, dark bordeaux fruit and long, long finish. Barton is something I usually don't think of as awesome, but this bottle exceeded expectations. Still a big, young tasting wine with fully integrated, silky tannins. Will search out more bottles because I'm really interested in seeing how this develops.
Thanks Mark and Susan!

7/7/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Pale yellow color. Tropical fruit, grapefruit and a bit of green grass on the nose (in a good way). This is much weightier, fuller in the mouth and a bit waxier on the palate than it looks. A bit surprising to be honest. Nice acidity. Nice complexity. Nice value overall.

6/17/2016 - Rackit wrote:

PNP - Loved this right from the start. Beautiful Cali Cab that continues to impress. Probably a bit less oak and tannin than other vintages I've had. In a really good place now. Dark red fruit, crushed rock, round, silky tannins, with just a bit of grip on the finnish. Enough acidity to keep it from feeling heavy or over extracted. Don't think it will be getting better, but certainly has time left.

6/16/2016 - Rackit wrote:

2002 Ramey Jericho - Still going strong! I've been working through a case of this purchased at auction and it just keeps getting better. Amazing how much this evolved over 3 hours. Started out with a palate of dark fruit, cola, tar. Love a Cali cab with a bit of age. Well integrated, smooth, fine tannins and a bit of grip on the back end. Super long finish with just the right amount of acidity. By the last glass, the wine had become a bit softer and rounder which allowed the fruit to shine more. My wife said the first sip kind of slapped her in the face while the last glass was a sweet caress. Hmmmm....time to turn in for the night.

6/14/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Bottle #8 of 12 paired with two kinds of paella, one seafood one carne. As noted by others, this style of well aged, slightly oxidized white wine is not always to everyone's liking. Tonight, however, it was a big hit with all. Compared to previous bottles, this exhibited more complexity - orange blossom, hazelnut and caramel on the nose with a bit of petrol oxidation... just enough to make it interesting, not offensive. The waiter actually thought this was a rose as the color is a bit more golden orange than chard yellow. Palate was round and full with a bit of a sherry among the fruit. Nice bit of acidity helped it from becoming too heavy. This evolved nicely over the next few hours and only got better. Looking forward to my next few bottles as this is drinking very well now. Will probably hold back one to see if it gets much better with a bit more cellar time.

6/6/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Decanted this on a random Monday night and enjoyed over 5 hours. Nose is initially muted at first and takes a good hour to evolve into something really extraordinary. Hour 1: cola, red currents and light bordeaux must...just how I like it. Tannins are smooth and silky but definitely pronounced at first, delivering a nice grip on the extra long finish. Shows there's a long life ahead for this vintage. The wine evolves over the next few hours and ends up in an even better place as tannins recede and the fruit becomes more pronounced. Great acidity to pair with food...we had stinky, ripe French cheese, grapes and hard salami. Life is good...so glad I have more of this.

6/4/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour and enjoyed over the next 3 hours. Intoxicating nose of light Bordeaux funk and red fruit, forest floor and a bit of mushroom (?). The wine looks crimson-brick colored with just a bit of lightening at the edges. Suggest decanting as there is a moderate amount of sediment in the bottle. Initially, it tastes like red currant and mineral with a somewhat hollow mid pallet. This changed over time as the fruit started to show better after an hour or more. As others have noted, the wine has satin-like texture...almost to a fault. Depends on what you like. For me, I'd prefer a bit more body. The acidity is on point and this paired well with juicy burgers on the grill and chicken sausage. After 3 hours+, the fruit is more pronounced...as is the acidity. So, so smooth.

5/20/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Had this with cheese watching sunset at the town beach on our first really nice day this spring. Drinking really well right now. Super juicy stuff without feeling heavy or tasting over extracted. Red, ripe strawberry, currants and raspberry with a medium to full body and nice, long finish. Probably at it's peak with lots of life left...but won't be getting any better than it is right now. No reason to delay enjoying if you've got some stashed away.

5/20/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

After reading the couple of notes from others, I had very low expectations for this. The bottle I opened came from my dad's cellar, had into neck fill, and was purchased upon release. The bottle actually had the price tag on it...$5.50. Ha! Used my Corivan to draw a glass and the cork seemed solid. Color reminds me of liquid apricots...a beautiful, light to medium golden hue. Honey, butterscotch and more apricots on the nose. A bit viscous but not really as heavy as it looks. Silky. Flavors are...apricots, burnt sugar and ripe cantaloupe. Overall, very enjoyable. Perfect late nite sipper while watching the Yanks whoop the Oakland A's out in SF. Come to think of it, the A's uniforms kind of match this wine pretty well. Glad I have a few more bottles.

5/3/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Picked up a pristine bottle from Total Wine on my way home on a random Monday night. Perfect cork. Into neck fill. Decanted for 30 minutes and tasted over the course of 4 hours. Agree with MC2 that this is one to drink up as I can't see it getting better than it's showing now...and probably on a slight decline. Super Bordeaux funk and dark red fruit on the nose upon opening. Very enjoyable classic style dominated by cigar and leather. Great sense of terroir. The clean, slightly acidic finish that others have mentioned makes this a perfect wine to pair with something like grilled hanger steak (which is what we had that night). The terrific dark fruit and Bordeaux funk dominated the first two hours then mellowed in hour three where this became a bit lean...almost tart. Things settled down considerably in hour 4 and this became a very different wine. Would be interesting to see where this goes in a few years if you have the patience and willpower to hold on to a few bottles. Personally, I'll drink whatever I can get my hands on.

3/26/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine:

Yum! My first bottle of a case bought at auction. Decanted and enjoyed over the course of 6 hours. Closed at first but opened up after an hour to reveal red fruits and licorice, silky well integrated tannins and a long finish. The evolution from decanting to empty was remarkable. A great value worth seeking out. Can't wait to share with friends.