Nose: Mexican street corn with a light dusting of cotija, tobacco, and peach black tea. I was hanging in Armagnac recently and they were showing me jars filled with unripe mirabelle plums and young armagnac, maturing for a couple seasons. Unripe Apricots. Looking forward to the pairing. I can smell the sulfur, but it’s not freaking me out yet. But instead plays out as black canned olives. There is a lovely floral layer hiding behind all the big notes, lilacs and violets.
Palate: Heavy wood. Like an ogre’s club. That peach black tea is very much present. Sulfur is present, but I am fighting through it. The palate is syrupy, and reminds me of the fruit concentrates my grandmother had and would pour into sparkling water. She preferred cassis, I liked grossielle, and this palate is closer to the dark cherry spectrum. This is such an action packed mouthful.
Rating: 7 / 10 – I like big oak and a powerful pour and this qualifies on all fronts.
