This wine has a mysterious, opaque core with a tiny maroon rim. The nose boasts ripe scents of black cherries and cola along with many developed aromas. Supple and polished on the palate thanks to gossamer tannins, this wine surprises as, given its appearance and aromas, one might have awaited a tannic monster. Generous in body, with copious notes of minerality, freshly-turned soil and roasted figs, it has definitive streaks of exoticness. A leathery note and a modest finish suggest it won’t have much additional room for improvement drink now through 2016.

— Published (1/11/2016)