I know, I know. Total infanticide. But it was the tail end of my birthday weekend, we were having a wonderful, fresh roasted free-range chicken bought at the farmer’s market in Roxbury, NY, I had six in my cellar and what the hell - life’s short.
The color is deep, deep ruby. Really gorgeous. The wine is definitely tight and not giving up much, even with an indelicate decant and an hour of air. On the nose, I got deep, rich spices, blackberries and floral (violets?) elements. But still a pretty “masculine” nose even with the floral hints. On the palate, to borrow a phrase from Ben Sherwin, an inch wide and a mile deep. Fantastically rich, almost decadent, without being over the top. Even with being pretty closed, the richness without weight is impressive. A bit of a tannic bite. Spicy black fruits with a little bramble. The oak is not obtrusive at all. Very well-balanced at this young age and not disjointed - just very tight as I remarked earlier.
The finish was the killer part of the wine at this stage. It went on forever. I will probably not revisit for a good three to four years, but will eagerly await the next one.