In my cellar since release. Really singing tonight. The cork was in pretty good shape but did not come out intact. The color gradations are very attractive here: watery at the very rim, then a slight ring of rust the quickly gives way to ruby, then a crimson disk at the core. Decanted roughly 90 minutes, perhaps a slight bit linger. There is some minerality here, and some salted caramel, but really it tasted like nothing so much as mature Bordeaux.
My sixth and final bottle. No notes on the first one. Second one in 98 was tight, pitch black and giving little aromatically or on the palate. Third one in 2003 was better, but still youthful (I mentioned soy sauce in that note, and there is a hint of that today as well.) Fourth time, later that year, was disappointing. My note asks “where did the fruit go?” In retrospect, I wonder if this was TCA tainted. Fifth time was coming along nicely, but lacked the depth of maturity present now.
Well-stored bottles are in no danger of imminent demise. But if tonight’s bottle is an accurate measure, there is no reason to defer gratification. This is a beautiful and harmonious wine.