Andrew Jefford | Deep purple black-red, still just opaque at the core. Fresh fruits, though a faint grassiness, too, which doesn’t disconcert so much as underscore the freshness. Impressive on the palate, in this case more so than aromatically, with admirably textured wealth, depth, and drive for its commune cohort. Fine-grained palpable tannins and deeply fruity acidity: vigorous and long, but balanced. The acidity doesn’t have the upper hand here, nor is it over-lean; it’s a taste of winter, and of holly and ivy—sap-backed fruits. With a finer aromatic profile, indeed, this might have merited a further point. | 91

Michael Schuster | TCA. | NS