Superb. An immensely drinkable wine - subtle in its strength, yet quietly dripping with quality. The nose was very pretty - reminiscent of the straight 2002 in its touches of buttery biscuit, strawberry cream and apple purée, and then a garland of floral aromas - yet somehow both deeper and more subtle at the same time. Richer and more buttery than one would normally associate with a Dom we thought. The palate was still a little tight at first approach, but there was a real tensile strength to it even from first pour, with a steely minerality woven through subtly, quietly powerful flavours of red apples and berry flesh. A really sleek, polished mouthful, with a tremendous sense of focus and definition to it. With time, the wine slowly opened up as well, showing an increasingly plump, fleshy midpalate, with just a hint of honey leading into the beautifully long, mineral finish. Absolutely pitch perfect balance, and lovely mouthfeel, with a creamy mousse and a deep beautifully integrate seam of lemony acidity. Awesome stuff, drinking so beautifully now; but one should really resist succumbing to its gulpability - it really opens up with time in the glass, and will definitely continue to open up in the next few years in the bottle. Bravo.
Thanks. Agree with your assessment about richer and more buttery than a typical DP. I wasn’t super impressed, but it was a PnP pre-dinner bottle, so I think perhaps we didn’t give it enough air time to come around as you suggest.