Valle de Guadalupe Cabernet Sauvignon

Green and pink peppercorn dominates, and then lots of herbs start to sneak through - fresh sage, bay leaf, and tomatillo. Fresh blackberry, plum, coffee, and cocoa. Ripe cherry and graphite on the palate. Medium-bodied with fine-grained sandpaper tannin structure.

Cherry beef jerky, standing outside a leather shop, lavender and hints of five spice powder on the nose. Very soft, smooth, and polished mouthfeel, thick but subtle legs with kirsch, amaretto, blood orange with under layer of summer berry compote and hints of five spice powder comes out on a long finish at the end. Really really nice.

Black cherry, prunes, blackberry bushes, cocoa powder, burnt toast, and firecracker smoke on the nose. Similar notes on the palate, short juicy finish but slightly chalky tannins linger quite a while. Had more the next day, it’s changed quite a bit. Smoke smells are tempered, cherry smells are stronger. Same with the palate - stronger fruit, softer wood influences. Mouthfeel is still juicy but more polished, astringent fruits and spicy tannins on the finish decrescendo more slowly and skillfully, and a touch of Szechuan peppercorns linger a long time. Had to bump up my rating. Definitely recommend opening the bottle a day prior to drinking