2007 Custodi Orviéto Austero - Italy, Umbria, Orviéto (10/30/2012)
-- decanted immediately after opening --
-- tasted non-blind over 8 hours --
-- 100% Merlot --

NOSE: chalk; cherry Twizzlers; slight notes of charred beef and menthol; moderately expressive; not leathery or funky.

BODY: magenta-tinged garnet color; medium to medium-full bodied.

TASTE: bitter purple fruits (maybe over-extracted?); chalky; pencil lead; tannins are medium-fine and moderately drying; acid is on the low side; 14% alc. can be tasted --- bit of a vodka flavor; gets me thinking Bdx., but not quite all the way there (although, if I would have tasted this blind, I probably would have reluctantly guessed right-bank Bdx. from ’07); last glass gave a slightly “warmer”/oxidized purple fruit profile; doesn’t seem like this would age very well, so I’d say drink now through 2015. I’d like to score this lower because this really is the very definition of a good-but-boring wine, but it’s not technically flawed, and it has a very nice bouquet to it.

B: 50, 5, 12, 13, 6 = (86 pts.)

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