Bordeaux

Awesome levels of blackcurrants, darker cherries, roasted herbs, chocolate, and scorched earth all emerge from the 2022 Château Malartic-Lagravière, an incredibly concentrated, rich, layered beauty that has velvety tannins, a deep, layered mid-palate, and a blockbuster finish. It's easily the finest I've tasted from this château and is a riveting 2022 that deserves 4-6 years in the cellar and will keep for two decades or more. The 2022 is based on 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, with the élevage spanning 20 months in 60% new French oak. There are a little over 8,000 cases of this brilliant wine.

The 2022 Château Tronquoy is the finest vintage of this cuvée ever produced, offering fabulous aromatics of cassis, graphite, violets, flowers, chocolate, and earthy nuances. Full-bodied and beautifully rich and textured on the palate, with sweet tannins and a seamless, concentrated mouthfeel, it’s already hard to resist, and as I said from barrel, it shows the ripeness of the vintage while staying pure, balanced, and seamless. It’s going to benefit from just 4-6 years in the cellar and drink well for 25+ years.

A huge success in the vintage is the 2015 Château Suduiraut and this gem goes a long way towards showing how successful the sweet wines were in 2015. Offering a massive array of orange peel, honey, marmalade, flowers, and toasted nuts, this incredible wine hits the palate with a thunderous display of opulence, richness, and length, all while staying fresh, elegant, and seamless. It has a huge mid-palate and is reminiscent of the 2003, only with more freshness and delineation.

A blend of 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Laroque is deep garnet-purple in color. A little subdued to begin, offering subtle notes of crushed rocks and damp soil, it opens out to a core of ripe black and red plums and fresh blackberries, plus a fragrant waft of lilacs. The full-bodied palate is bursting with taut, muscular black fruits and amazing tension, framed by ripe, rounded tannins, and finishing with great length and depth. (LPB)

Château Canon has been taking off over the past few years, and here you see why. Just so much complexity, depth, power, interest in the whole thing. This buzzes with life, rises above the palate, full of gunsmoke, truffle, raspberry, blueberry, so delicious. Needs time but already showing it will be worth the wait. 45hl/h, 3.5ph, Harvest September 11 to October 4, 50% new oak. Thomas Duclos consults.

Wow! The nose on this 2009 Chadenne "La Fleur" Fronsac is gorgeous. Composed primarily of Merlot and hailing from a much-lauded vintage, especially on the Right Bank, it's still fresh and vibrant as it uncoils in the glass after being cooped up in a bottle for 17 years. This is exactly what I look for in a proper claret. It's sitting next to my mouse as I type, and I'm captivated by the wonderful aromas coming off the glass: juicy plums, blackcurrants, tobacco, soft spice, and earthy tones invite the first sip. It's all the more exciting given its ridiculously low price. On the palate, it's surprisingly reserved and refined, neatly structured with the refreshing snap of skin as you sink your teeth into a ripe plum. Cassis, blood orange, black tea, vanilla, and hints of iron oxide round out the mid-palate, while its blackcurrant core lingers on the finish alongside whispers of orange zest and sandalwood. It wears its age and opulent vintage well — don't we all aspire to this? The pricing is phenomenal for the quality, making it a solid case-buy candidate, whether for special events or simply to hoard all for yourself. I intend to do a little bit of both.

Readers will find a rich, flamboyant wine in the 2016 Barde-Haut. There is not a ton of subtlety here, but I am not sure that matters all that much given how immensely pleasing the 2016 is. Crushed rocks, graphite, lavender, blackberry, plum, and violet infuse a Saint-Émilion that offers tremendous textural richness as well as vibrancy. Most importantly of all, the 2016 is flat-out delicious. This is a decidedly opulent, dark Saint-Émilion with all of the elements impeccably balanced. I loved it. (AG)

An awesome Saint Emilion, the 2015 Château Barde-Haut showed even better on this occasion than on release. A huge nose of sweet crème de cassis, jammy blackberries, violets, leather, and dried herbs gives way to a full-bodied wine that has a great mid-palate, ripe, silky tannins, not a hard edge to be found, and a great, great finish.

The 2014 Tronquoy-Lalande is medium to deep garnet in color. Intense notes of Morello cherries, creme de cassis, and plum preserves spill from the glass, plus touches of mint tea, iron ore, and dried roses. The medium-bodied palate is taut with muscular black fruits and fantastic tension, framed by firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and fragrant. Simply beautiful! (LPB)

Capacious blackcurrant, blueberry and dark cherry fruit cradled in a coffee, cacao richness which fortifies the weighty structure and strident tannins. Oozing substance and charisma. (DWWA)

Juicy and drinkable, mint leaf, tobacco, savoury blue fruit, cumin and incense, creamy as it opens up. This kept on delivering, really holding up over several hours of being open and enjoyed. No Malbec in rhe more ecent blends of Gruaud Larose, but this was during the beginning of vineyard restructuring under Suntory (owners since 1989) and a reminder of the 19th century years when this was the dominant grape of the Médoc. Tasted out of magnum, Philippe Carmaigac cellar master, 35% new oak.

From the stellar 2016 vintage, we have the newest in our Discovery Series, this time highlighting the legendary Bordeaux appellation of St Estephe, home to some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon blends in the world (including the likes of Chateau Cos d'Estournel and Chateau Montrose). This wine is dark and brooding in the glass. On the palate, the mouthfeel is luscious and decadent. There's a nice acidity too, making this a great food wine, particularly red meat. The wine is earthy as well, with cedar, blackcurrant, and a bit of black pepper before ending with just a touch of tannin on the finish. This wine packs a punch and seriously over-delivers at this price point!

A pure and focussed nose full of ripe but cool black fruit with soft hints of violets and vanilla. This delighted during Primeurs and it's turned out excellently in bottle. Juicy, clean and crystalline with a perfect balance of fruit, tannins and acidity with plenty of underling power but delivered so elegantly. Great harmony and drinkability on offer. Ends salty with graphite and slate really putting the limestone terroir into the glass. Delicious. Another excellent bottle from this rising start estate under the helm of David Suire. (GH)

Coming from a vintage compared to 2016 and 2019 by the château, the 2020 Château Tronquoy-Lalande checks in as 52% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot, hitting 13.5% alcohol. Beautiful cassis, plums, damp earth, and chocolate notes all emerge from this beauty, which is a layered, medium to full-bodied, gorgeously textured Saint-Estèphe. The tannins are present yet polished, and it has a great mid-palate and outstanding length. I'd wager this is one of the finest vintages of this cuvée to date. It has the purity of fruit and opulence to shine even today, yet I suspect it won't hit prime time for 7-8 years, and it should have 20 years of prime drinking at that point.

At the core of the Discovery Series is a mission to showcase wines of impeccable quality, unmistakable regional typicité, and exceptional value. As I often say, we’re not just placing a label on someone’s latest release—we’re curating standout selections from our deep, trusted network of sources. Each wine must rise above its peers, often outperforming bottles at multiples of the price. Only those that meet this high bar make it into the lineup. And speaking of high bars, we just set the standard for remarkable value in the Discovery Series, with a delicious St-Emilion with over fifteen years of bottle age for under $15. Only a dollar a year, which is an incredibly high standard at any stage in the game. I adored this opportunity when we first tasted it, and through tough negotiations, and even after a round of tariffs, I'm still shocked that we're able to offer a wine this solid, with this kind of age, all for this price. It is a generous expression of St-Emilion, but the broad, delicious quality of the vintage also shines through. Approaching maturity with a long life ahead, it carries beautiful aromatics of red fruits, leather, and florals, with a palate that has a core of plum and cassis, wild berry, and a soft, easygoing finish. Everything is in place, and I'm certain there's not a better buy in today's market for a perfectly aged Bordeaux from a signature vintage.

A hidden gem of a wine that doesn't get the recognition it deserves, the 2022 Château Couhins Blanc is 93% Sauvignon Blanc and 7% Sauvignon Gris brought up in 18% new barrels, with the balance in used oak and tank. Bright citrus, honeyed lime, mint, sappy flowers, and chalky minerality all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with gorgeously clean acidity and a great finish. Savvy readers should snatch up this ripe, voluptuous, sensationally layered, textured, complex white. It's always hard to predict how these concentrated dry whites will age, yet this should benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it still drinking beautifully at age 20.

Another of the cru classé properties outside the big-name appellations, but rather better-known, and a long-term reliable source of good left-bank Bordeaux. The nose has real interest, with notes of grilled currant, leather, freshly pressed tea leaves and tobacco leaves, fragrant and perfumed. It does not suggest great concentration or richness here, perhaps a little surprising for the vintage, but it nevertheless has undeniable appeal. Texturally it feels very relaxed, yet precisely defined, lightly peppery, with evident threads of cigar box and tobacco running alongside the maturing fruit. A rather cool style, especially for this vintage, with a tightly grained structure of ripe and finely grained tannins, which sits within a finessed and delineated substance. The tannins only really show through after the finish, but they are there. Charming and fresh, full of tobacco and leather complexity, draped over a slow fade of tannins, this has a lot going for it, now and into the future.

The quality of the fruit and tannins are very pretty here. It’s full-bodied, with round velvety texture and a delicious finish. Very impressive.

This is a very classically structured Bordeaux with blackcurrant, walnut, cedar and hints of toasted oak. It’s reserved now, but shows very serious, polished tannins. Persistent and powerful with fantastic length. Very precise.

Big rich, powerful wine with pencil lead precision. This is a brilliant wine, I loved it En Primeur and it is delivering on expectations. It's big, as is Langoa in this vintage, with damson and black cherry fruits, and tons of gourmet notes from brioche to bacon rind to chocolate shavings. The tannins are going to need a good decade to soften, but when it is ready, this is going to be such a fun wine to share with friends.

The precision, hewn and cut tannins, wet stones, black tea, anis, liquorice root, bilberry and blackcurrant fruit, juicy tannins, understated power, settling in to itself at 10 years old, a superb wine that captures Margaux finesse with the more blunt power and concentration of the year.

It is hard to call Petrus a “sleeper of the vintage,” but the 2008 will merit more attention than most consumers would think. Low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare resulted in only 25,000 bottles of this beauty. A wine of great intensity (possibly the most concentrated wine of the vintage), this 100% Merlot boasts a dark purple color as well as a sweet perfume of mocha, caramel, black cherries, black currants, earth and forest floor. Deep, unctuously textured, full-bodied and pure, it will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and should drink well for 25-30+ years. (RP)

This is the essence of Le Pin with incredible silk texture and beautiful fruit. A berry, sweet-tobacco, chocolate and dusty undertone. It reminds me of many wonderful and underrated Le Pins of the 1980s like 1985 or 1986. What a wine. Better in 2018. But who can wait? Cystal clear. It’s like the 2001 that was always better than 2000.

Bright, lifted, so clean and smooth, silky almost but creamy too with a nice weight and texture to the fine, softly powdery tannins. Generous and well controlled with some savoury liquorice and wet stone tang that gives accent and nuance. Lovely acidity and just an excellent expression with delicacy, control and appeal. Really very drinkable, floral, fruity with a gentle salty, savoury undercurrent. A top buy. (GH)

Such a lovely nose even though I just pulled the cork. There's a really pretty bramble-cherry note right on the front, with a little touch of cocoa following and then something alluring and floral. Deeper into the nose there's a touch of developing tertiary, with a little bit of worn saddle leather, a hint of something mushroomy, and then a lingering oak spice. The palate is medium plus with just enough tannin to encourage you to think about laying it down for a few years, but soft enough not to demand it. There's a nice dusty blackberry and cherry, more cocoa than the nose, and then a firm hit of barrel spice towards the end. The finish is lingering and enjoyable with fruit, acid, and barrel mixing back and forth and the only one winning is me. This is so drinkable and accessible, and this wine absolutely deserves to be had with a nicely marbled ribeye and a fat potato. If you don't do that kind of thing, a mushroom stroganoff would absolutely be amazing with this as well, preferably on top of a fat potato. I really love how we're bringing in these wines at really cut rate deals compared to the producers price, but it never feels like we're bringing in a wine that someone didn't want, but instead they're wines we really saw something in.

Ripe and seriously fragranced on the nose, heady and inviting. A bit more strict and tight than the 2015, plenty of juice, but this has tension and is constricted a little bit by the frame and the saltiness. 2015 is more expressive, this is quiet and still hiding a little. Lovely form and structure, you can feel the sinew and the construction, graceful and shining. It's absolutely gorgeous, the clarity and the purity really transport you, beautiful, impressive, charming and characterful. Needs more time but with a good airing you could enjoy this today. I like the delicacy to the tannins, the integration with the fruit and the edges of sweet and savoury spice as well as the estate minerality underneath. Feels compelling. A fabulous wine. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. (GH)

Density, power, concentration, this is a full on Pauillac, with a ton of cassis and blueberry, liquorice, espresso, cocoa bean, with an intense muscular tannic frame. Precise architecture, it delivers on the promise that has been building for several years - muscular, ripped, will power for decades. 70% new oak.

Truly flavorsome, the blackberry, raspberry puree and rich black cherry fruits here are dense, generous and fully ripe, but manage to retain a savory rosemary, coffee bean and black olive edge. It makes you smile involuntarily, in that way that great wine does. You almost want to forbid people from eating anything with this wine, at least for the first glass, and certainly forbid them from putting it on a table with other trophy wines where its impact will be softened. It demands - and should receive - full concentration. Textured slate runs through the mid-palate and brings a jolt of minerality through the finish. You could drink this today after carafing but you just know that it's barely out of the starting blocks. (JA)

Bid on this bottle of 1982 Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac (100JD, 100JS, 100RP, 99DC, 99VN, 98TWI, 98WS, 96JA). Wine Advocate: "The 1982 Mouton Rothschild is drinking brilliantly today, soaring from the glass with aromas of cassis, dark berry fruit, charcoal, pencil shavings, espresso roast and loamy soil. Full-bodied, ample and enveloping, it's a layered, sumptuous wine that's remarkably seamless and complete, with impressive concentration, ripe but lively acids and fine, melting tannins. Long and resonant, this is a great wine that can keep company with the likes of Mouton's 1961, 1959 and 1955. (WK)" (12/2022)

Bid on this bottle of 2005 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac (100JD, 98DC, 98JS, 98RP, 98WS, 97VN, 95ST, 95WE). Jeb Dunnuck: "I think the 2005 Château Mouton Rothschild is pure perfection, and is has a ripe, powerful, yet weightless style not far off the 1982. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels, it’s just now starting to enter its adolescence phase and has sensational notes of ripe black fruits, smoky, scorched earth, pipe tobacco, and chocolate. Massively rich and opulent on the palate, with building yet sweet tannins and no hard edges, it’s one of those wines that needs to be tasted to be believed." (06/2024)

Bid on this 6-bottle lot of 1990 Trotanoy, Pomerol (98JA, 95WS, 94RP, 91ST). Jane Anson: "Thyme, mint, fennel, liqourice, cloves, dried herbs all spiral up out of the glass. The tannins are melted but still succulent, and this feels earthy and rooted, with concentration to the black cherry and cassis core even at 31 years old. A ton of colour still, this remains relatively young and shows just how impressive a wine Trotanoy is, with a creamy texture that makes you want to dive right in, with ash and hearth smoke as it opens. At the time Trotanoy was being made in a more traditional way than today - meaning there was less plot selection, and harvests would have swept from one side of the vineyard to the other - but it was being overseen by the supremely talented Jean-Claude Berrouet, and located on the same exceptional soils..." (09/2021)

Bid on this 2-magnum lot of 2003 Pichon-Lalande, Pauillac (1.5L) (95JS, 95RP, 94JD, 94WE, 93ST, 93WS, 91VN). Wine Advocate: Made from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, this spectacular 2003 hits all the sweet spots on the palate. A glorious bouquet of cedarwood, jammy black currants, cherries, licorice and truffle is followed by a dense, opulently textured, full-bodied wine with terrific purity and freshness as well as deep, velvety textured tannins. (RP) (08/2014)

Bid on this bottle of 2020 Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux (97JS, (95-97RP), 95TWI, 95VN, 94JD). Wine Advocate: "Sporting a deep purple-black color, the 2020 Malescot St. Exupery prances out of the glass with showy scents of ripe black and red currants, black cherries, raspberry leaves and ground cloves, plus wafts of lilacs and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black and red fruit layers with a firm, grainy texture and well-balanced acidity, finishing on a lingering fragrant-earth note. (LPB)" (05/2021)

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 1990 Pichon-Lalande, Pauillac (94WS). Wine Spectator: "Concentrated. Medium-ruby color, with ripe plum, cigar tobacco and smoke aromas. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Still closed, almost clumsy. Give it time. *Top 100 Wines of 1993* (JS)" (08/2000)

Bid on this 3-magnum lot of 2005 Pavie, St-Émilion (1.5L) (100JD, 100JS, 100RP, 100TWI, 100WS, 97VN). Wine Advocate: Gérard Perse believes this is the greatest Pavie he’s made to date, although certainly I would argue that list includes the 2000, as well as the 2009 and 2010, among his superstars. This wine, which I had both in the 2005 horizontal report in the Wine Advocate, and at a mini-vertical with Perse at the restaurant Maison Boulud in Montreal, looks to be a 75- to 100-year wine. Dense, opaque purple to the rim, with a gorgeously promising nose of blackberries, cassis, graphite and cedar wood just beginning to emerge, it tastes more like a three-year-old than wine that is already a decade old. This beauty is intense and full-bodied, with magnificent concentration, a majestic mouthfeel and a total seamless integration of tannin, wood, alcohol, etc... (RP) (08/2015)

Bid on this 2-magnum lot of 2013 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac (1.5L).

Bid on this 2-magnum lot of 2003 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac (1.5L) (94JS, 94RP, 94W&S, 94WE, 92JA, 92WS). Wine Advocate: A healthy, youthful dark plum/ruby/purple color is followed by a bouquet of smoke, barbecued meats, black currants and new saddle leather. With full body and sweet tannin, this 2003 is strutting its stuff. (08/2014)

Bid on this 12-bottle lot of 2002 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac (93RP, 92JA, 91WS). Wine Advocate: "The 2002 Lynch-Bages is showing brilliantly, after a four-hour double decant, wafting from the glass with an utterly classic nose of cassis and loamy soil mingled with hints of cedar and oak vanillin. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and layered, with plenty of rich, powdery tannins and lively acids, as its structure begins to melt, the wine's depth and length is becoming more and more apparent. Like the best examples of this vintage, the 2002 Lynch-Bages has proven a real sleeper. (WK)" (02/2022)

Bid on this 12-bottle lot of 2009 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien (98JA, 98WE, 96DC, 96JD, 96JS, 95VN, 95WS, 94RP). Wine Enthusiast: "A major success of the vintage. The wine exhibits extreme richness of the fruit, with all its sweet blackberry flavors. It also has underlying firm structure, density and solid tannins. Bring in the acidity at the end, and this is both impressive and ready for long-term aging. *Ranked #3 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2012, Cellar Selection* (RV)" (02/2012)

Bid on this 2-magnum lot of 2002 Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan (1.5L) (96WE, 93DC, 93RP, 93WS, 92ST). Wine Enthusiast: Surprisingly lively and fresh, this is still a seriously impressive wine. The high proportion of Semillon is now coming to dominate the Sauvignon, to give a wine that is finely shaped, full of creamy flavors of wood and some white peach. (RV) (06/2005)

Bid on this 2-bottle tasting lot; including 1-bottle of 1981 Raymond Lafon, Sauternes and 1-bottle of 1988 Rieussec, Sauternes (95RP, 90ST, 90WS). Of the 1988 Rieussec, Sauternes, Wine Advocate writes: "Tasted in Sauternes with Charles Chevalier, the 1988 Rieussec is a vintage that Chevalier himself claimed to be his favorite. I can understand why. It has an unerringly youthful bouquet with vibrant citrus fruit, wild honey, mandarin and mineral scents, a bouquet that seems to have electricity flowing through it. The same can be said for the palate that is full of tension and vigor, almost clinical in terms of focus with alluring viscosity and wonderful length. This bowled me over with its charm and breeding. Hunt a bottle down and share with your best friends—this is a superlative Rieussec, one of the best produced. (NM)" (01/2017)

Bid on this bottle of 2006 Pétrus, Pomerol (97WE, 96DC, 96RP, 94WS, 93ST). Wine Enthusiast: "After the fabulous 2005, Pétrus again has produced a magnificent wine in 2006, even if it doesn’t hit quite the same heights. It has an immensely powerful structure and concentration, always the hallmark of this wine. But this structure is almost masked by the superbly ripe and fresh fruit. And with all this weight, there is still a sense of proportion, the rich berry fruits, smokiness and light spice beautifully integrated. *Cellar Selection* (RV)" (03/2009)

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 1970 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac (94JG). John Gilman: "I used to drink quite a bit of Lynch-Bages back in the decades of the 1980s and 1990s, but I seem to seldom cross paths with the wine these days, as it was not one of the estates I bought for my own cellar (other than the 1982 and 1985 vintages, which I prematurely drank up cases of in their youth). The 1970 vintage here has always been very strong and this most recent bottle was showing beautifully, wafting from the glass in a complex nose of cassis, black cherries, a touch of petroleum jelly, cigar ash, gravelly soil tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely broad-shouldered in personality, with a good core of fruit, fine focus and grip, melting tannins and a long, complete and classic finish. Fine juice." (09/2020)

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 1975 La Mission Haut Brion, Graves (99DC, 97RP, 94JG, 94JS, 93ST, 93VN). Decanter: "Although it was not universally recognised as a great year, 1975 produced some outstanding wines. This example of La Mission Haut-Brion must rank near the forefront, with its superb depth of cedary flavours, hints of gunflint, smoke, truffle and tar. The texture is silky yet still elegant, balanced, and holding very well for just shy of 50 years of age. Although it is mature, it shows no signs of decline, and there will be no harm in holding this to its 50th anniversary or beyond. (CC)" (09/2022)

Bid on this bottle of 1979 Latour, Pauillac. The 1979 vintage in Bordeaux saw a wet spring followed by a dry summer and moderate temperatures around an abundant harvest.

One of the highlights of the vintage, the 2023 Coutet is exquisite, revealing aromas of pear, white peach, beeswax, pineapple and ripe apricot intertwined with spices and flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and concentrated yet without heaviness, it is fleshy and generous, built around an enveloping, vibrant core of fruit framed by racy acidity that extends into an endless, ethereal finish. Marrying the inherent vivacity of Barsac’s limestone terroirs with the concentration of the year, this ranks among my favorite renditions and may well be one of the finest wines produced here in recent times. (YC) 98+

The Discovery series continues in the world renown Right Bank (of the Gironde River) village of Pomerol, known for its rich, plush, Merlot based blends grown in gravel, iron rich clay, and sand. The 2019 K&L Discovery Series Pomerol is a traditional blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc from an epic vintage whose hot dry summer produced consistently excellent wines that are aging into classic old school Bordeaux that are round and luscious. On the nose, cigar box, olive tapenade, crushed stone, fennel, dark red berries. On the palate, coffee bean, sweet vanilla, red plum, chocolate, with subtle notes of bell pepper and herbs. This Pomerol continued to open up throughout the day, slowly revealing its historic pedigree and terroir. For a wine that is ready to drink, or can be cellared for another two decades, all for $29.99 this new K&L offering is a no-brainer!

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35.5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Rauzan-Segla has a deep garnet-purple color. It storms out of the glass with powerful notes of crème de cassis, juicy black plums, and Indian spices, giving way to fragrant touches of incense, dried roses, and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock-full of flavors of spicy black fruit preserves, framed by velvety tannins and impressive tension, finishing with great length.