TN: 2005 L'Aventure "Optimus" Paso Robles

WINE TALK
1

51% Syrah, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, & 5% Petit Verdot.

My second bottle. This opened sort of rough, stinky, vegetal. Opened up some the first evening but never got overly pleasant.

Night 2 this began to sing. Very rich, soft tannins, dominant flavors of rich dark chocolate. Delicious fruit that kept saying “Taste me, taste me!” Fairly ripe, black fruits. Blind I would not have been able to name a dominant grape, i.e., didn’t really taste like a Syrah or a Cab blend. Nice medium long finish. The empty glass smelled lovely.

I would say this wine could get a bit better over the next couple of years as the tannins mellow and some of the vegetal blows off. I wouldn’t want to wait too long though and lose the really delicious fruit.

Fair value at $45. [cheers.gif]

2

i decanted mine for about an hour. here are some impressions:

  • 2005 L’Aventure Optimus - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (12/5/2007)
    51% Syrah, 44% Cabernet, 5% Petit Verdot. 15.52% alcohol. Decanted for 1 hour. A very young wine with a lot of upside potential. Aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate, peppercorns, and brioche. Intense blue and black fruits on the attack, cassis in the mid-palate, and espresso, dark chocolate, and a dash of pomegranate tartness on the finish. Tight and angular now, but should improve with more time in the bottle. 90+ (90 pts.)
3

I wish I had decanted mine too but I was lazy and wanting instant gratification! I got some comments on Squires about the off aromas. Here’s how I responded:

For clarity, the funkiness started to blow off the first night (2nd glass) but the wine remained pretty tight and unforthcoming (is that a word?) I didn’t pour it out because I’m too cheap but in this case I’m glad I didn’t! I did not get the funk on an earlier bottle and given the comments it appears to be a single bottle issue.

It was just recorked and left on the counter overnight (probably 2/3 of the bottle left). Boy did it sing that 2nd night. Decanting or airtime is definitely recommended.

4

Here’s an update on this wine.

  • 2005 L’Aventure Optimus - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (9/7/2013)
    51% Syrah, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot. Give this wine a little time to open up. Warm aromas of ripe plums, blackberries, roasted figs, and dark chocolate. Rich and generous on the palate yet backed by a rather sharp acidic spine. Some aged character around the edges and on the finish, but I don’t see this wine getting much more complex; personally, I thought it drank better when it was younger. The alcohol clocks in a whopping 15.32% but the heat is not as noticeable as I would have expected. Pair this with a nice grilled steak. 88-89 points. (88 pts.)

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