(From Bennett Valley, northern California)
Opened yesterday with dinner - I found it less initially yielding than previous bottles have been. With a few hours in the decanter this opened out to show the gorgeous aromatic profile that I always expect from this; strong black and white pepper with dark fruits, smoke and meaty aromas leading into a lovely mouthfeel combining both power and balance with more ripe fruits and meaty notes lifted by good acidity and firm tannins on the back end.
Drinking the few leftovers tonight (with Beethoven's 6th accompanying, thanks for that one David!) and it's gotten even better. The fruit's taken a step back on the aromatics and the nose is all spice and meat - pepper, cumin, more pepper and some beefy elements. Mmmm. The tannins are still surprisingly firm and noticeable (even though the leftovers sat overnight in a decanter in the fridge!), though not overbearing as there's plenty of fruit, spice and other savoury meaty and earthy flavours that dominate in the mouth. Only quibble would be a touch of heat on the finish on day 2 (it's 14.5% alcohol for those who keep track), but that doesn't detract much from this - this is really a delicious wine and with the structure and balance here, I'm really looking forward to seeing what it will develop into.