It seems like Bob Hudak and I are the only ones who appreciate these beauties so I should probably just send him a PM of this note. Nonetheless, I will post it here as well. This has been in my cellar for a long time and probably would have been opened years ago if not for the fact it got lost in a box at the bottom of my cellar. I love when that happens (sans the half-case of 2002 Fleurie Beaujolais I found last week).
Upon opening, this seems like it still needs time. The color shows no discernible signs of age and the nose offers up intense notes of cola, dark cherry and the traditional RRV spice box. The wine is well-structured, still mildly tannic and broad with a brambly quality in the mid. This is much more intense and concentrated than I expected and I am loving it. I wonder if '96 was a ripe vintage for Hank as my experience has been that he allows the vintage to express itself regardless of his personal preference of making pinots in a more elegant and structured style.
Regardless, this is a beautiful wine of depth and character and impressively complete. This was the third Skewis vintage to roll off the bottling line. I have also tasted the 1994 Floodgate (incredibly fresh and very similar to these notes) in the past year and based on these two wines, I would assume the Skewis wines can age very well. I don’t think I would choose to age them this long but if they do get lost in your cellar, it will not be a lost cause.
And now that it is gone, I am bummed as my next oldest Skewis is the 2004 Reserve (an amazing bottle of pinot, I might add). Off to WineBid to find more…
Regards,
Steve