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Domaine de Charron 2004 Bottled 14/09/2016 Cask #94

Nose: Cherry coke bordering on Mike & Ike’s cherry cola. This blossoms into a spicy heat that I henceforth dub this dram the hot tamale. A lovely dusty oakapalooza. I wish the floors of our new home would look like this pour smells, all deep warm cherry reds and well aged with vibrant grain. But we live in Europe and everyone here sells oak. Awesome in my barrels but not what I want covering my house. Still a bit scarred from the 80s/90s. Hints of sawdust and molasses. Honestly, this is an armagnac in bourbon trappings. No wonder the Americans love this shit.

Palate: Oak my goodness. This has oaky waves of grain throughout, although it absolutely dominates the finish. The cherry en bouche is more cough drop than fresh fruit. Sour red plums. There is a light hint of anise and a heavy herbal craft soda vibe. I became mildly obsessed with Cockta on our last trip through Croatia, which is a soda made from rose hips and a bunch of other herbs by the slovenian government. Sadly, not sold here in the Canaries. But I’m struggling to find much beyond the coke & oak tonight.

Rating: 6 / 10 – Delicious bruiser of a pour. Wish it had a touch of subtlety to it. My initial instinct was that I would gladly own one. But, I then didn’t bother googling or looking for one. I even tried to talk myself into it, and couldn’t. So in honesty, it’s probably a 7 on some night, but a 6 tonight.