This bottle took a interesting journey to opening. A friend of my uncle recieved a sizable collection as part of her father’s estate. She ended up giving up drinking and eventually started gifting bottles to friends and family, including this one. Admittedly, she had no clue as to how it was stored before gifting and it’s since been sitting upright in my uncle’s bar for about 2 years.
Fill to base of the neck and a fairly long, but completely intact, cork. Some sediment, but nothing crazy. 10 minute decant and drank over an hour. Reddish-amber color.
Initial nose: earth notes, a hint of wet tobacco, a slight whiff of petrol that dissipated quickly. Initial taste: muted red fruit, medium body, soft smooth tannins.
This wine really built up at about 35 minutes before fading. The slight edge on the nose was gone. The fruit became more apparent and the flavors really opened up: cherry, soft tobacco, and a hint of vanilla.
Paired with roasted chicken and stuffed portobello mushrooms.
Over the hill, but this bottle definitely had some life left. Considering how neglected it was, everyone was pleasantly surprised. It makes me wonder how a properly stored bottle would have stacked up.