Medium-plus yellow colour. The nose had plenty of struck match and savoury elements – even intruding on the (quite) big flavours. Initially seemed a little too fat. I decanted and returned after 3 hours. Smooth interesting and fruit driven aromas, the struck match is gone and the balance is better – or maybe my palate is better! It’s a concentrated and ripe impression – high quality.
The 2001 seems the more muscular and dense. The 2002 has a little more barrel vanilla and dimension in the mid-palate – it seems a little riper – perhaps that’s just the sweetness of the barrels(?) Both bottles were drunk over 3-4 days, left unstoppered in the refrigerator each night – the 2001 really did seem bullet-proof. Today I have a very slight preference for the 2001, tomorrow, who knows?
Medium, medium-pale. The nose is oh-so scented, an obvious note of stems is intertwined with floral aspects over warm, red fruit – raspberry. Smooth and balanced, with an almost ethereal melting flavour impression. Like the nose it’s a warm red ‘comforting wine’ impression. It’s very ‘giving’ but that’s far from the same thing as ‘mature’ – tasty now but will live and growfor many years in the cellar…
Medium colour. High-toned, slight pickle aroma over a meatier base. The acidity is to the fore and like the nose, it’s not the finest type, it has a balsamic aspect. Whilst the acidity dominates, there are hints of what this wine was, and what it could have been – a long, long old-vine creaminess. It retains some drinkability, but that drinking window is almost closed. Day two it’s certainly better. the volatile element mainly gone – but that’s the nature of volatility
Medium ruby-red colour, still a hint of cherry-red. There’s a little herb and an undercurrent of red fruit – everything is quite tidy. In the mouth this is barely medium-bodied, very slightly acid-forward (but that’s its age) but smooth overall. A little tight, but not unrewarding. Actually far better than my first bottle of this some years ago…
Medium golden colour. The nose has some high tones of green-skinned fruit that balances a honied base enough to retain a fresh impression. Width and a little sweet fat – the acidity is fresh though from time to time nearly spiky. The flavours are mineral, a little baked bread and a final salty tang. The finish is quite long and totally savoury.
Medium-plus colour. The nose starts like coal with a thin red-fruit coating – in the glass the fruit becomes ever stronger and the coal, fainter – really, really pretty. There’s not the punch and concentration of the ’99, but the flavour and density are really super. Good balance and a velvet texture, the acidity sucks you into a good, mouth-watering finish. Intense, slightly earthy, red-fruited velvet – super.
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