Sitting in a wine bar in Charlotte, NC, I got up to peruse the shelves and found a single bottle of this for $80. Despite it's youth, the opportunity could not be passed up. It is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault from vineyards near the Bekaa Valley villages of Aana and Kefraya on gravelly soils over limestone. Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose seemed very clean with black cherries, cassis, slight char and vanilla. Medium tannins. Full bodied. Good balance. On the palate, cassis and black cherries with underlying spice and slight chocolate note. Deep. Long finish. This is great on its own and worked better with vegetarian food. It is quite young. There was a single glass left, so we stuck the cork back in and let sit on the counter for two days. At that point, there was overwhelming volatile acidity, not surprising, but a caution to check in on these while ageing. That said, this probably needs ten more years of ageing and should drink well for ten to fifteen after that.
