A hypnotic, maturing nose of dried herbs, spices, raw meat and tar. Then on the very focused, full-bodied palate, there\'s incredible energy for a wine that\'s 14 years of age. Huge finish that\'s precisely balanced. The longer you look into the well of minerality in the finish, the deeper it gets. Drink or hold.

Tasted in two components: #1: Intense raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors, with an array of spice and floral notes adding complexity. Sappy, penetrating and pure, with excellent back-end thrust and slow-building tannins. #2: Sexy, floral-accented aromas of blueberry, cassis and cola, with a strong mineral accent. Displays impressive energy and focus, with a powerful and tenacious finish.

Ruby. Red fruits, blackberries, spices, nuanced, bright, detailed, vanilla and spices, detailed nose. Minerals behind. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, nuanced, retailed, bright and lovely, such a lovely fruit and balance, long finish.

Opaque purple. Spicy, highly perfumed aromas of cassis, blueberry, candied violet and smoky minerals. Densely packed, fresh and delineated, offering energetic flavors of black and blue fruits and floral pastilles. Shows a restrained sweetness on the finish, which features slow-building tannins and a strong echo of minerality. This wine was scheduled to be bottled about a week after I tasted it from its holding tank. JR