A very nice showing for this wine that is just starting to come out of its shell. Pop and let breathe for 30 minutes (not decanted), it took about another hour to open up. A blend of 75% grenache, 10% mourvedre, 10% syrah and 5% cinsault. Deep ruby in color with some purple swirls. The nose is gorgeous with cherries, black licorice, roasted meats and herbs, black pepper and just a hint of dried flowers. On the palate, this is medium to full bodied. Medium tannins. Lots of black cherry fruit with char and earthiness underneath. A nice complexity as it unwinds in the glass. This may still improve slightly but either way, this will be great drinking for the next ten to fifteen years. It went well with a vegetarian chili and should work well with roasts or casseroles.
