Aroma assembly…Red plum, licorice, coffee, compost
Palate presence…This is a recent addition to my local Costco; priced quite nicely at 14 dollars it is a quite inviting buy. I picked up a bottle at the same time I purchased the Los Carneros Pinot Noir. This emits more complex and inviting aromas and shows colors that are intensely dark in the glass. I immediately assumed that this would be of superb quality but might suffer from youthful tannins and an overabundance of alcohol. Upon the first sip I wasn’t quite far off in my assumptions. The attacks is concentrated dark berries and stone fruit, mingled with coffee grounds, burnt sugar and leather and floating along the top of those flavors a slight texture of creaminess. The mid-palate is relatively young featuring silky yet playful tannins, not a lot of alcohol heat but definitely a tingly, acidic alcohol presence and a slight sour cherry flavor as the mid-palate melts into the finish. The finish itself is medium-long, warm and made up of very dark, heavy flavors; licorice, wet earth, blackberry/cassis jam, black plum skins, chocolate and wood smoke co-mingle throughout the finish dancing in merry couplets and triplets as the finish fades away. This is a full bodied wine with a wonderful aftertaste of grapes and brown sugar.
Overall, this is an excellent wine though at times it can feel a little young. I would still recommend this over most 14 dollar Cabernet Sauvignon and rate this firmly in the good QPR category. With a few extra years of cellaring, I imagine this could reach all the way up to great QPR. I am looking forward to drinking a bottle of this in 5 more years just to see how it ages. I plan on putting a bottle of this away to cellar you should do the same, but only after you enjoy a bottle or three with dinner or all by themselves.
Cameron Hughes Wines
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