Nose has ripe plum, crushed dark chocolate, moist fig, slight vanilla and dried violets.
Palate has dried blackberry, eucalyptus, ripe plum, blueberry/cinnamon, dehydrated cherry with mostly resolved tannins. Long finish.
Decanted +4H at the time of notes, but improving with more time...a delicious bottle still.
Paired with Chuck Eye steaks from Kinderhook Farm (Valatie, NY); honestly the best (local) beef source in the Berkshire (MA) / Columbia (NY) County areas. Grilled in a mere 12m to perfect 135° centers. I think the Chuck cut for a steak is quite under rated; it's incredibly moist and tender with it's incorporated fats that just fall apart under high heat.
I fell to the same fate on this bottle as the prior a few years back, perfectly clean cork but extracted in 3/4 & 1/4 status. Should use the Durand for subsequent bottles.
Nose has ripe plum, crushed dark chocolate, moist fig, slight vanilla and dried violets.
Palate has dried blackberry, eucalyptus, ripe plum, blueberry/cinnamon, dehydrated cherry with mostly resolved tannins. Long finish.
Decanted +4H at the time of notes, but improving with more time...a delicious bottle still.
Paired with Chuck Eye steaks from Kinderhook Farm (Valatie, NY); honestly the best (local) beef source in the Berkshire (MA) / Columbia (NY) County areas. Grilled in a mere 12m to perfect 135° centers. I think the Chuck cut for a steak is quite under rated; it's incredibly moist and tender with it's incorporated fats that just fall apart under high heat.
I fell to the same fate on this bottle as the prior a few years back, perfectly clean cork but extracted in 3/4 & 1/4 status. Should use the Durand for subsequent bottles.
Oct 3rd, 2021Happy Thanksgiving Eve 2018.
Top 3/4 of the cork was just great, bottle 1/4 was extracted in dozens of pieces, screened aerating funnels are awesome for managing this mess. Nose appears fine, hints of green pepper initially.
Post decant, nose has ripe plum, black currant, dark chocolate shavings, black tea, distant floral and faint oak notes.
Palate is lightly cooked plum, blackberry, eucalyptus, mashed black cherry, oak sawdust, faint caramel sauce and a blueberry cinnamon aspect. Tannins are fully resolved, none left at all, beautiful bottle.
We purchased these in 2004, just getting to pulling the first cork tonight...life gets busy sometimes. A couple bottles remain in the cellar, likely need to be enjoyed before ~2023 before decline may be quite evident. I'd really like to see how this fruit fades in the next couple years, expected to still be interesting at that juncture.
Happy Thanksgiving Eve 2018.
Top 3/4 of the cork was just great, bottle 1/4 was extracted in dozens of pieces, screened aerating funnels are awesome for managing this mess. Nose appears fine, hints of green pepper initially.
Post decant, nose has ripe plum, black currant, dark chocolate shavings, black tea, distant floral and faint oak notes.
Palate is lightly cooked plum, blackberry, eucalyptus, mashed black cherry, oak sawdust, faint caramel sauce and a blueberry cinnamon aspect. Tannins are fully resolved, none left at all, beautiful bottle.
We purchased these in 2004, just getting to pulling the first cork tonight...life gets busy sometimes. A couple bottles remain in the cellar, likely need to be enjoyed before ~2023 before decline may be quite evident. I'd really like to see how this fruit fades in the next couple years, expected to still be interesting at that juncture.
Nov 21st, 2018
A lot of sweet vanilla. Tasted younger than it was. Concentrated, red fruit, smooth tannins. Moderate alcohol
A lot of sweet vanilla. Tasted younger than it was. Concentrated, red fruit, smooth tannins. Moderate alcohol
Jun 22nd, 2015
Napa Valley, California, USA
