What a spectacular bottle of wine. This will certainly be in the running for WOTY. Pop and pour, it took around thirty minutes to really open. Luckily, this was being share with just a couple of friends. This wine is no longer the port-like monster of its youth. It is still a big wine for Chave, but it is starting to have a certain control to it. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is amazing with black raspberries, violets, slight white pepper, minerals and earth. On the palate, this has tight layers that unwind in the glass. Black raspberries, white pepper and crushed rocks. Long finish. While this will go with typical Rhone style foods, this wine is so good that food is merely a distraction. The definition of a contemplative wine. It easily has decades left.
