This year’s tasting program kicked off wonderfully with this terrific Etna tasting we had in early January. Originally we had yet another Etna there in the middle, but it was replaced by an Envinate red from the Canary Islands on the last minute because the original bottle turned out to be horribly corked.
All in all, this was pretty great stuff. It was fun to see how very different the styles of the vintages we tasted were compared to the wines of mainland Italy. In most parts of Italy 2016 was a legendary vintage of impeccable balance, whereas 2017 and 2018 were too hot and 2014 was miserably wet. Conversely (based on these examples), in Etna the 2016 wines seemed to be quite light and delicate - some even underwhelming - whereas 2014 has consistently been simply superb. 2018 wines seem to be surprisingly fresh, lively and balanced in nature . 2017 shows some obvious warm-vintage qualities, but in Etna the wines don’t seem to suffer much from it; the wines are quite substantial and noticeably darker-toned than usual, but they retain such freshness and finesse that you don’t often see in 2017 reds from other parts of Italy.
All these points are just sweeping generalizations, of course, but still something that I’ve been pondering and wondering for some time now - and this tasting seemed to only support and/or confirm my observations.
(We also had an extra blind white - Domaine de Chevalier - in the end, but unfortunately the bottle didn’t make it to the lineup photo!)
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2018 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
A blend of young-vine (5 to 50 years) Nerello Mascalese (98%) and Nerello Cappuccio (2%) sourced from all the Terre Nere vineyards. Fermented spontaneously, aged for 12 months in large (1000 to 3000-liter) French oak foudres. 13,5% alcohol.
Luminous, translucent ruby red color with a slightly evolved brick-red hue. The nose feels sunny and slightly sweet-toned with attractive aromas of strawberries and dusty, sun-baked sandy soil, some cherry tones, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light crunchy apple nuances, a hint of peppery spice and a fragrant touch of dry woody spice. The wine feels ripe and enjoyably balanced on the palate, being enjoyably dense yet still quite light on its feet at the same time. The overall feel is medium-bodied with savory flavors of blood and red meat, fresh cherries, some brambly notes of black raspberries, a little bit of earth and gravelly minerality, light licorice tones, a hint of savory wood and a balancing touch of chokeberry bitterness. The overall feel is pretty harmonious, thanks to the rather high acidity and firm, moderately grippy yet not aggressive tannins. The finish is dry, somewhat grippy and quite savory with a medium-long aftertaste of brambly raspberries, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of licorice root, light earthy tones, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of crunchy red apple.
A nice, balanced and harmonious Etna Rosso. Not a particularly complex or memorable effort in any way, but has all the pieces at the right places. Sort of sitting midway between Cru Beaujolais and Barbaresco, stylistically speaking. Good stuff that is drinking well right now, but will continue to evolve and improve for a handful of years.
(90 points) -
2017 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
A blend of young-vine (5 to 50 years) Nerello Mascalese (95%) and Nerello Cappuccio (5%) sourced from all the Terre Nere vineyards. Fermented spontaneously, aged for 12 months in large (1000 to 3000-liter) French oak foudres. 14% alcohol.
Deep, luminous and moderately dark ruby color with an almost colorless rim. The overall appearance seems very slightly more youthful than that of the 2018 vintage sitting in the neighboring glass. The nose feels fragrant, characterful and very attractive with aromas of black cherries and sun-baked earth, some garrigue, a little bit of balsamic richness, light dark-toned fruit notes of dark plums and boysenberry jam, a hint of licorice and a touch of blackcurrant wine gum. The wine feels surprisingly ripe, sunny and rather powerful on the palate with a rather full body and dry, moderately umami-driven flavors of black raspberries and earth, some licorice root tones, a little bit of smoky volcanic character, light savory notes of game and meaty umami, a hint of rubbery reduction and a ferrous touch of blood. The wine is pretty high in acidity, but the structure relies mostly on the ample, grainy and quite assertive tannins. The finish is dry, moderately grippy and somewhat warm with a long, juicy aftertaste of crunchy cranberries and brambly raspberries, some earthy tones, a little bit of meaty umami, light ferrous notes of blood, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of garrigue. The red-toned fruit flavors fade away surprisingly quickly, but the other, more savory non-fruit flavors persist on for quite a while.
A surprisingly stern, powerful and dark-toned vintage of Terre Nere Etna Rosso that packs more punch than your typical vintage of this label. The fruit profile is markedly dark-toned, the body feels bigger and weightier and the tannins come across as much more assertive than in other vintages. However, even if the wine seems to have more stuffing, it hasn't increased in intensity and while the wine isn't low in acidity, the bigger size means that the wine could use a bit higher acidity. Although this seemed more impressive than the lighter, more Burgundian 2018 vintage at first, I ultimately preferred the 2018 vintage (marginally) as this vintage seemed to be just bigger without any increase in substance. The story is completely different for the 2017 Moganazzi, which was very similar to this basic Etna Rosso, only showing more intensity, density and acidity - ie. all the elements I found wanting in this vintage. All in all, this is a fine and delicious wine - even if a bit burly than what is typical for this label - but nothing too thrilling, at least for now. The wine does show good potential for future development, so most likely it will get better over the following years.
(89 points) -
2016 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
A blend of young-vine (5 to 50 years) Nerello Mascalese (98%) and Nerello Cappuccio (2%) sourced from all the Terre Nere vineyards. Fermented spontaneously, aged for 12 months in large (1000 to 3000-liter) French oak foudres. 13,5% alcohol.
Translucent, youthful and wonderfully luminous pale raspberry red color. The nose feels youthful but also somewhat volcanic and reductive, dominated by aromas of struck flint and gunpowder while having lighter nuances of fresh redcurrants, some meaty tones, vague spicy notes and a hint of garrigue in the background. The wine feels youthful, quite lively and somewhat solar on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full-bodied on the palate and clean, somewhat sweet-toned flavors of juicy raspberries, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of crunchy cranberry, light smoky notes of struck flint, a candied hint of strawberry jellies and a savory touch of meaty umami. The wine is medium-to-moderately high in acidity with supple medium tannins. The finish is somewhat understated with some tannic grip and a bit light, medium-long aftertaste of raspberries, some stony mineral tones, a little bit of crunchy redcurrant, light savory notes of meaty umami and a hint of dry woody spice.
A nice and tasty but also a bit linear and somewhat mellow Etna Rosso. A pleasant wine as a whole, but even if the wine shows a bit more weight and ripeness than the 2018 vintage, it doesn't match its intensity and freshness. After the precise, delicate 2018 and the bigger, darker-toned 2017, this 2016 feels a bit lesser wine in comparison. I guess the somewhat modest acidity is the biggest culprit here - with a bit more acidity the wine would have the necessary freshness and intensity it now lacks. However, the wine surprisingly seemed the most youthful of these three vintages, so perhaps it will both open up and develop some interesting tertiary complexity as it ages?
(88 points) -
2017 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Moganazzi - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
100% old-vine (70-80 yo) Nerello Mascalese sourced from vineyards in contrada Moganazzi, totaling to 1,5 hectares / 3,3 acres. Fermented spontaneously, aged for 14 months in French oak barriques and tonneaux. 2017 was Terre Nere's inaugural vintage of this particular contrada. 14,5% alcohol.
Very deep, dark and still remarkably youthful dark ruby color. The expressive, somewhat sweet-toned nose feels very attractive with fragrant aromas of black cherries and dark plums, some licorice root tones, a little bit of peppery spice, light juicy notes of ripe blackcurrants, a balsamic hint of VA, a floral touch of violets and a whiff of boysenberry jam. The wine feels quite ripe and juicy, yet still at the same time enjoyably dry, firm and savory with a medium body, nice sense of density and concentrated, rather umami-driven flavors of crunchy cranberries and sweet black raspberries, some sour red plums and fresh cherries, a little bit of earth, light meaty tones, a hint of balsamic richness and a touch of savory wood spice. The wine high in acidity with firm medium tannins that feel quite supple at first, but slowly turn the wine more grippy and sinewy. The finish is ripe, juicy and slightly warm with concentrated flavors of tart cranberries and red plums, some sweeter notes of ripe black raspberries, a little bit of pouch tobacco, light ferrous notes of blood, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of savory wood spice,
After three vintages (2018-2016) of Terre Nere Etna Rosso, you can instantly notice the step up in quality. This isn't a bigger wine per se - actually I feel the 2017 Etna Rosso felt "bigger" and weightier than this same vintage of Moganazzi - but it packs noticeably more depth, intensity and concentration. Furthermore, I feel this wine is still super youthful at the age of 5 years, whereas the entry-level reds had developed a tad further. Comparing to the bottle of 2017 Moganazzi I tasted 3½ years ago, I feel this wine has lost some of the sweeter primary fruit qualities but hasn't really developed any tertiary qualities yet. All in all, this is an impressive, balanced and very promising Etna that is still quite young and will improve gracefully for years more, but is very accessible and enjoyable already now. I'd say this wine was slightly better than the bottle I had in 2019, so it's safe to say this wine seems to be aging in the right direction. Solid value at 27€.
(92 points) -
2016 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo Il Quadro delle Rose - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
Feudo di Mezzo is the biggest "1er Cru-level" contrada in Etna and Il Quadro delle Rose is considered to be one of the best sub-parcels within the contrada (think of it like the best plots within the large Grand Cru Vougeot). The grapes are sourced from 40-80 yo vines. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. Aged for 16-18 months in barriques and tonneaux, followed by a 1-month maturation period in stainless steel. 14% alcohol.
Quite deep and moderately translucent dark red color with a slightly evolved blood-red hue. The nose feels quite fruity, rather aromatic and moderately red-toned with aromas of cherries and ripe raspberries, some pipe tobacco, a little bit of savory wood spice, light volcanic smoky tones, a hint of alcohol, a touch of withered flowers and an evolved whiff of wizened dark berries. The wine feels quite firm, savory and enjoyably textural on the palate with a medium body and quite focused, umami-driven flavors of redcurrants, game and raw red meat, some brambly black raspberry tones, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light smoky volcanic nuances, a hint of tobacco and a touch of sour cherry bitterness. The overall feel is enjoyably structured with the high acidity and quite firm yet moderately supple and silky medium tannins. The finish is lively, clean and slightly grippy with a long, clean aftertaste of crunchy cranberries and tart lingonberries, some sweeter raspberry and wild strawberry tones, a little bit of tobacco, light smoky nuances, a hint of game and a ferrous touch of blood.
Tasting this side-by-side with 2017 Moganazzi, this wine feels slightly more evolved and perhaps packing slightly less substance, but at the same time coming across as more fresh and delicate with less ripe and more savory fruit flavors along with an enjoyably umami-driven streak of non-fruit flavors. I feel the wine has gained a bit of finesse and developed into a more red-toned direction since the last time I had this wine (3½ years ago). Even though the wine feels it isn't young anymore, it doesn't come across as particularly evolved, either - there's still a good deal of potential for further development here. It's hard to say which wine was ultimately better, this or 2017 Moganazzi. They were a bit different, but both were pretty darn enjoyable and qualitatively at the same level. A fine wine, solid value at 28€.
(92 points) -
2017 Passopisciaro Passorosso - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
Made with fruit harvested from 80-110 yo vineyards in mid-to-late October. Fermented and macerated with the skins for 15 days in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 10 months in concrete vats and large, 2500-liter old oak casks. Bottled in April 2019. 14,5% alcohol.
Translucent, medium-deep raspberry red color that doesn't look young nor evolved. The nose feels dark-toned, maybe a bit polished, but also slightly stuffy with aromas of skunky reduction, some crunchy notes of cranberries, a little bit of gunpowder smoke, light sweeter notes of ripe cherries and raspberry jam, a hint of pipe tobacco and a touch of wilted flowers. The wine feels ripe, focused and quite intense on the palate with a medium body and dry flavors of juicy black cherries and fresh sour cherries, some tart lingonberries, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light smoky notes of reduction, sweet hints of ripe, marmaladey red fruit and even some red licorice and a touch of vague floral character. The overall feel here is quite structured, thanks to both its rather high acidity and moderately assertive tannins that slowly coat and grip your mouth. The finish is long, dry and rather grippy with some alcohol warmth and a rather intense aftertaste of tart cranberries and brambly black raspberries, some wild strawberry notes, a little bit of tobacco, light stony mineral notes, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of licorice.
At first the wine didn't promise much - the overall feel was rather stuffy and seemed a bit closed after five Terre Nere reds that were noticeably more expressive. However, on the palate the wine is nothing short of impressive, showing great sense of structure, wonderful intensity and surprisingly dry and precise fruit - despite all the ripeness and moderately high alcohol. Just as 2017 Terre Nere was more concentrated and darker-toned in character compared to the surrounding vintages, this Passorosso was very similarly styled in character - only showing more intensity and sense of structure in comparison. I'd say this was on par with the 2017 Terre Nere Moganazzi we tasted - and probably would've been even better, hadn't the wine suffered from the reduction. Maybe it will just blow away with further bottle age? At 25€, this was a great purchase.
(92 points) -
2013 Passopisciaro Passorosso - Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane (6.1.2023)
Made with fruit harvested from 80-110 yo vineyards in mid-to-late October. Fermented and macerated with the skins for 15 days in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 10 months in concrete vats and large, 2500-liter old oak casks. Bottled in April 2019. 14% alcohol.
Quite pale, translucent pomegranate color with a rusty reddish hue. The nose feels somewhat evolved and slightly meaty with aromas of wizened red plums and faint raisiny tones, some beef jerky, a little bit of smoky volcanic character, light sweeter nuances of balsamic richness, hints of game and blood, a touch of gravelly minerality and a whiff of syrupy tertiary character. The wine is textural, moderately evolved and relaxed on the palate with dry flavors of meaty umami and tamarind paste, some crunchy cranberry tones, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light sweeter notes of wizened red plums, a hint of beef jerky and a touch of developed balsamic character. The structure relies more on the high acidity than on the tannins that have turned quite supple and mellow with age - especially if one compares this to the noticeably more grippy 2017 vintage that we had at the same time. The finish is dry-ish, somewhat evolved and gently grippy with a long aftertaste of wizened red plums, some meaty notes of game and blood, a little bit of stony minerality, light balsamic tones, a hint of tamarind paste and an aged touch of syrupy or raisiny sweetness.
An evolved and gamey Etna Rosso that has resolved and softened up with age. A pleasant and enjoyably nuanced effort with good depth of flavor, although lacking maybe a bit in intensity. Getting close to its plateau of maturity, but there might still be a little bit of further aging potential here. Good stuff.
(91 points) -
2020 Envinate Migan - Spain, Canary Islands (6.1.2023)
100% Listán Negro from two plots; the younger La Habanera at 600m above sea level (60%) and the older San Antonio at 350m above sea level (40%). The plots are vinified separately, La Habanera in whole bunches and San Antonio mostly destemmed. Both lots are foot-trodden and fermented spontaneously in large concrete vats, then aged for 11 months in old 228-liter pièces and 600-liter demi-muids. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 12% alcohol, 3 g/l residual sugar and 5,8 g/l acidity.
Youthful, translucent cherry-red color. The nose feels quite reductive, dominated by smoky volcanic tones, followed by piquant aromas of crushed peppercorns, some brambly raspberry tones, a little bit of crunchy cranberry and redcurrant, light nuances of tobacco, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of old leather. However, the overall impression is very smoky and quite reductive, even if some of the reduction blows off with air. The wine is fresh, lively and lightweight on the palate with a rather lithe body and somewhat linear yet enjoyably bright flavors of crunchy redcurrants and brambly raspberries, some smoky volcanic tones, a little bit of tobacco, light stony and slightly salty mineral nuances, a crunchy hint of crowberry and a touch of tart bog bilberry. The structure relies mostly on the high acidity as the light, supple tannins remain pretty much in the background. The finish is dry, gentle and quite acid-driven with a medium-to-moderately long aftertaste of tart cranberries and bog bilberries, some smoky notes of reduction, a little bit of stony minerality, light ferrous notes of blood, a hint of ripe raspberry and a touch of salinity.
A nice, fresh and sophisticated Canary Islands red. The overall feel is a bit too reductive at first, but the wine turns out perfectly fine with enough aeration. However, the wine never loses all of its reduction, so in that sense I'm pushed to say the wine is maybe a bit too young for now. Most likely the wine will get better with age - in the expectation it loses the reduction over the years. All in all, this is a nice, light and delicate food wine. Perhaps a bit lightweight compared to the lineup of Etna Rossos that we tasted at the same time. Feels slightly pricey for the quality at 27,89€.
(90 points) -
2014 Pietradolce Etna Archineri - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
100% Nerello Mascalese sourced from two Contrada: Rampante and Solicchiata. The 80-90 yo vines are prephylloxeric, growing ungrafted on their own root systems. Macerated with the skins for 18 days. Aged for 14 months in French oak tonneaux. 15% alcohol.
Very deep, dark and somewhat evolved blackish-red color that permits a little bit of light through. The nose feels dark-tones, slightly evolved and subtly sweet-toned yet not particularly ripe with layered aromas of wizened black cherries, some dark plummy tones and even sweeter plum jam, a little bit of tobacco, light balsamic tones, a hint of tamarind paste, a touch of earth and a whiff of smoked game. The wine feels dry, firm and sinewy on the palate with a medium body and savory, complex flavors of tart cranberries and redcurrants, some beef jerky, a little bit of wizened red plum, light sanguine notes of iron, a hint of gravelly minerality, a touch of balsamic richness and a sweet'n'sour touch of tamarind paste. The wine feels pretty structured with its high acidity and rather assertive tannins. The finish is long, somewhat warm and quite grippy with a dry and intense aftertaste of cranberries and sour cherries, some ferrous notes of blood and rusted iron, light sweeter notes of ripe strawberries and wizened red plums, a little bit of tobacco, a hint of baslamic VA and a touch of gravelly minerality.
A serious, tightly-knit and sinewy Etna Rosso that feels moderately evolved yet not particularly tertiary, letting the age show just fine - without compromising any of the vibrant fruit. Great sense of intensity and remarkable structure here. Aromatically the wine is in a great spot, although there is some potential for further evolution, whereas structurally this wine could easily take another 8-12 years. A terrific, very structure-driven and unapologetic, un-polished effort. There's lovely sense of roughness and rusticity here, in the best possible sense. I'm loving it! Fine stuff.
(94 points) -
2013 Pietradolce Etna Archineri - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
100% Nerello Mascalese sourced from two Contrada: Rampante and Solicchiata. The 80-90 yo vines are prephylloxeric, growing ungrafted on their own root systems. Macerated with the skins for 18 days. Aged for 14 months in French oak tonneaux. 14% alcohol.
Moderately deep, quite translucent and rather evolved pomegranate color with a tertiary maroon hue. Odd and somewhat unclean nose with some vaguely green overtones along with aromas of hot rusty iron, a little bit of wizened dark fruit and a hint of stone dust. The wine feels dry, austere and quite neutral on the palate with a medium body and understated flavors of stony minerality, some sour cherry bitterness and a distant hint of redcurrants. There's very little fruit here and not much more anything else - except for high acidity and moderately grippy medium tannins. The finish is warm, somewhat grippy and quite understated with a short aftertaste of crunchy redcurrants, some stony mineral tones and a little bit of unripe apple.
There seemed to be something off here. The wine didn't come across as having any TCA, but still many people wondered if the wine was corked, because it was so unlike Archineri 2014 and 2010 we tasted at the same time. In my opinion the wine wasn't corked - or at least not corked by TCA but, perhaps, with some other compounds responsible of cork fault - but there was badly off here.
(NR/flawed) -
2010 Pietradolce Etna Archineri - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
100% Nerello Mascalese sourced from two Contrada: Rampante and Solicchiata. The 80-90 yo vines are prephylloxeric, growing ungrafted on their own root systems. Macerated with the skins for 18 days. Aged for 14 months in French oak tonneaux. 14% alcohol.
Moderately deep, translucent and quite evolved pomegranate red color with faint maroon highlights. The nose feels dark-toned, somewhat evolved and subtly sweet-toned with attractive, layered aromas of wizened dark fruits and dried figs, some gamey tones, a little bit of pouch tobacco, light ferrous notes of blood, a hint of old leather and a volcanic touch of dry, smoky character. The wine feels dry, crunchy and somewhat sinewy on the palate with a silky texture, a medium body and moderately developed flavors of sour cherries and tart lingonberries, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of game or red meat, light ferrous notes of blood, a hint of tobacco and a touch of earth. The taste doesn't really have any sweet elements - not even any evolved dried-fruit tones. The overall feel is pretty structured, thanks to its high acidity and moderately grippy medium tannins. The finish is dry, firm and quite acid-driven with a long, layered aftertaste of crunchy redcurrants and lingonberries, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of tobacco, light gravelly mineral nuances, a volcanic hint of vague smoky character and a touch of game.
A nice, serious and sinewy Etna Rosso. Tasty and firm, although not as tough and aggressive as the 2014 vintage. The overall feel is somewhat evolved, but not really old in any way. Not as intense and impressive as the 2014 vintage, but very close. Excellent stuff made in a positively unapologetic, structure-driven style. Terrific.
(93 points) -
2010 Tenuta Scilio di Valle Galfina Etna Alta Quota - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (6.1.2023)
100% Nerello Mascalese from very old (avg. age 90 yo) vineyards located at very high altitudes (approx. 900 m above sea level). Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts over a lengthy maceration period with the skins. 14% alcohol.
Quite dark, almost opaque blackish-red color that permits a little bit of light through. The nose feels savory, moderately evolved and quite fragrant with layered, subtly sweet-toned aromas of wizened black cherries and tamarind paste, some leathery tones, a little bit of balsamic richness, light volcanic smoky tones, fruity hints of redcurrants and black raspberries and a hint of tobacco. The wine feels sinewy yet texturally silky on the palate with a medium body and surprisingly understated flavors of black cherries and wild strawberries, some leathery notes, a little bit of tobacco, light smoky nuances, a hint of game and a touch of stony minerality. Although the flavors are both nuanced and quite typical for the region and the variety, they are lacking quite a bit in intensity - as if the flavor department was equipped with -15 dB dampeners! The high alcohol lends a little bit of warmth to the palate and the overall feel is pretty structure-driven, thanks to the rather high acidity and moderately grippy, assertive tannins. The finish is dry, rather noticeably grippy and slightly warm with a juicy, somewhat extracted aftertaste of black raspberries and wild strawberries, some leathery notes, a little bit of tobacco, light volcanic smoky tones, a hint of meaty umami and a sanguine touch of iron.
A nuanced, tasty and attractive Etna Rosso that is surprisingly youthful for its 12 years of age, not really showing any obvious tertiary qualities. However, the wine was surprisingly understated, lacking in intensity - especially compared to its quite assertive structure. Honestly, with these tannins I wouldn't be surprised if I would identify this wine as a Barolo if somebody served it to me in a blind tasting! I don't know if this bottle was representative of the vintage - meaning if the wine is starting to fade away and the flavors are losing their intensity - or if there is just some bottle variation going on. Seeing how youthful the wine is, I could see it improving further with additional aging - but that means the wine really shouldn't lose any more of its intensity. Priced according to its quality at 24€.
(91 points) -
2004 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (6.1.2023)
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc (88%) and Sémillon (12%). Fermented and aged for 18 months in oak barriques (35% new). 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Pale lemon-yellow color. Creamy, somewhat evolved and very complex nose with interweaving aromas of sweet exotic fruits and juicy Golden Delicious apple, some canned pineapple, a little bit of crunchy nectarine, light oaky notes of dusty wood and vanilla custard, a toasty hint of smoke and a touch of peanut butter. The wine feels dry, firm and evolved on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and vibrant, focused flavors of fresh yellow apple and sharp lemony citrus fruits, some oaky notes of creaminess and vanilla custard, a little bit of pineapple, light nutty tones, a hint of browned butter and a touch of overripe peach. The wonderfully high acidity lends great sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The finish is long, complex and structure-driven with intense, evolved flavors of lemony citrus fruits and sweet yellow apples, some oaky notes of vanilla custard and creaminess, a little bit of nutty wood, light pineapple tones, an aged hint of damp wool and a touch of steely minerality.
A beautiful, harmonious and complex Bordeaux Blanc that is in a terrific spot right now. The age does show, but the wine doesn't feel too old (or, heavens forbid, premoxed) in any way. Most likely the wine is now at its plateau of maturity, meaning it won't improve any further from here, but it will keep here just fine for years more. The combination of fresh, vibrant fruit has intermingled beautifully with the more evolved tertiary notes and matured oaky nuances and the brisk acidity manages to keep the wine wonderfully precise and structured. Superb stuff, highly recommended.
(94 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
