I found this wine in a “two-year-hold” box I had been saving, it’s two years were up and decided to lug it over to mom and dad’s place for Easter … why not, it’s always fun to play “g
uess what I brought with mom.” In the end, mom called this wine “busy” and I’d agree. The aromas were all over the map: there was a grassiness that accosted the nose, I thought it more green peppery at first, but it developed a bitterness in the smell that lent it more to the grass family of vegetation; that was followed by a mocha note of sorts. Once you got past that, and swirled it around in the glass a little, there was ripe blackberry and eucalyptus … but at rest the wine returned to the original bitter smells. As it remained open longer the smells became coffee bean and then bitter, strong coffee. In the mouth, things got even busier – there was an oaky-minty taste, then smooth, soft vanilla with herbs and spices showed up. Give it a little air in the mouth and there were plums and cloves – then dried leaves lead the way to a juicy yet dusty finish – which as mom put it, “was not unpleasant at all.” Again, as it stayed open longer the coffee from the nose began to poke through on the palate, and within an hour it was fully dominant. Maybe a few years left here, but once opened drink quickly. Lost & Found rating: Tolerable+
uess what I brought with mom.” In the end, mom called this wine “busy” and I’d agree. The aromas were all over the map: there was a grassiness that accosted the nose, I thought it more green peppery at first, but it developed a bitterness in the smell that lent it more to the grass family of vegetation; that was followed by a mocha note of sorts. Once you got past that, and swirled it around in the glass a little, there was ripe blackberry and eucalyptus … but at rest the wine returned to the original bitter smells. As it remained open longer the smells became coffee bean and then bitter, strong coffee. In the mouth, things got even busier – there was an oaky-minty taste, then smooth, soft vanilla with herbs and spices showed up. Give it a little air in the mouth and there were plums and cloves – then dried leaves lead the way to a juicy yet dusty finish – which as mom put it, “was not unpleasant at all.” Again, as it stayed open longer the coffee from the nose began to poke through on the palate, and within an hour it was fully dominant. Maybe a few years left here, but once opened drink quickly. Lost & Found rating: Tolerable+
2 comments:
So who is the wine expert here - you or your mother??? First of all, year after year, vintage after vintage,this wine is sold out within 6 months of release date!! Secondly, it's clearly sat around for more that two years! It's an 02, you would have purchased it in 04 sometime, so therefore, 2006 would have been the 2 year mark. Yet, you just opened it now -- in 2008. Surely you are aware that not all reds have a 'whenever you feel like it' shelf life.
Because '02 was such a bountiful year some '02's were available well into '05.
Sometimes my two years stretch into three - but a wine of this caliber and from such a good year should have been able to age longer than two years. This wine should have been able to last 5 years easily.
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