OLIVER CONTI 1998 (Empordá) 13,5% Alc. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc 6m in French oak (Merrain)
Not exactly disappointing, but either this was entering a dumb phase or my patience is not what it used to be. I properly ENJOYED the last 1/3 of the bottle, the first two were a mixture of curiosity and concern. This is an incredible bodega in the heart of the Empordá (Ampurdán in Spanish) region of Catalonia (just south of the Pyrenees), of unbelievably mineral soils and strong winds. I loved the 1997 and was crazy to try this. Bought it online for $17. I decanted it for 30’ before repouring into the bottle for another hour. Initially (Saturday night) I drunk it from the Spiegelau Authentis Cabernet stem. On Sunday I moved to the Vinum Tempranillo glass (416/31). The fruit plays only a supporting role here. Initially there was a strong animal nose of leather and fur that eventually receded and allowed the mineral core to express itself. Terroir driven, as it was remembered, this showed only a marginal amount of fruit in the first night, but its delicate perfume was engaging enough to be sure: not your everyday Cab-Merlot blend, but a range of aromas that has little to do with ordinary expectations. Very distant cherry, bone fruit, lanolin, mocha, wet turf, and the finest imaginable cedary notes in the nose. In the palate it’s still tannic but perfectly ready, perhaps with less definition (but from the start it was more expressive than the rather shy nose). Good balance and persistence. The second day it had received some four hours of air, and it was very much the same but with more definition and intensity. Hard to tell whether the change of stems had anything to do. A shame that it has finally appeared on the shelves here… for $30. VERY hard to rate, due to high expectations. RP90.
