Picked this up at auction recently and was very happy with it. Lots of sediment so I stood it up for a week or so. Didn't decant just poured carefully.
Popped and poured, it started out a little tight but softened nicely after about 45 minutes. On the nose, there were layers of blueberry, blackberry, overripe strawberry, cigar box, leather, black peppercorn, and a floral touch maybe Violet
The palate carried over the dark fruit—overripe blueberries, currants, and a bit of dark cherry—alongside clay-like minerality and tobacco.
The tannins were velvety and smooth once it opened up, and with air the wine revealed more depth: black licorice, cocoa nibs, and the blueberry pie came out more as it opened but not in an overly sweet way. Acidity was average but nothing to leave you thinking flat.
Overall, a well-aged Merlot that shows both fruit and earthy complexity. Plus some beautiful wine diamonds on the cork and surprisingly in tact cork. You can see the sediment stuck to the bottle from it being layed down for some time but the cork is barely saturated. Second photo of cork is after the diamonds dried.
by Historical_Stay_808
4 Comments
What a treat, nice notes!
Hmmmm what do the diamonds taste like though? Lol Im curious. Im not steeped in the science, you said the rest of that is sediment?
Im struggling to understand how old wines keep their integrity and dont let in oxygen with the breakdown Im seeing here, and from what Im reading is a natural harmless process with the crystals.
Great notes! Thanks for sharing!
Great color, and notes. 👍