opened last night to enjoy as a sipper. I certainly could have finished the bottle but thought it wise to wait and see what today would show.

THis wine opened soft and uneventful, then began to unfold after about twenty minutes. A wonderful consistency and well rounded mouthful of chocolate, cassis and black cherry. It was an enjoyable wine to let sit in your mouth with a tongue tickling black pepper and spiced finish. Only complaint was that the finish did was softer than the build-up. While there are many opportunities for pairing this wine, I thoroughly enjoyed this one on its own. WS rated it 91 and although I am hesitant to rate wines, I would have to say that this
rating was too low and would score it a 93. Looking forward to this again tonight and other bottlings over the next several years.

escape,

I've had this wine twice, and agree with your notes. Interestingly, this wine contains a small percentage of Sangiovese which makes for some additional complexity. I was eyeballing my last bottle last night, and will pull it soon! Thanks for the motivation!

PH

Edited to correct yet another idiotic spelling error....

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PurpleHaze,

You're right, the bottle actually labels the blend as 80% Merlot, 11% Sangiovese and 9% Cab Franc. I am certain this would have been a beautiful wine if the cab franc was 11% and the Sangiovese the 9%. This would have given it the bold finish I was expecting from the start. Still, a wonderful drink.