This wine is pitch-black at the core, with a purple rim. The nose is fresh and aromatic in sweet spice and black cherry fruit. The medium-bodied palate is ripe in fruit expression yet counterbalanced by a pleasantly aggressive minerality. The tannins are streamlined and the acidity is bustling, but the two make the palate feel somewhat sharp. Still, there’s a lovely, medium-plus finish and decent layering of flavors to give this wine some additional potential to merit a bit more aging. Drink now through 2017.

— Published (2/29/2016)