Nose: Remind me of the first old marc de bourgogne I tried. It even has that brute orujo vibe on the first sniff; eau de paint thinner. Which quickly passes. Mom’s greenhouse after the season is done, and it’s mostly empty. Just a few desiccated tomato vines. Yellowed newspaper. Freeze dried mushrooms. And something green, alfalfa? Perhaps. Not a nose I’m particularly chasing but let’s see. Kinda scared this will just rip my face off although the nose doesn’t burn.

Palate: Wow. Not at all what I expected. Sure all the notes from the nose are there. But WHAT AN EXPLOSION OF FLAVOR. Sorry I doubted you Tom. The reference to marc is dead on. Blind I would have guessed a Jacoulot. I don’t even know where to start. I keep sipping and getting distracted by the gnarly kaleidoscope of sensations. Like the first time I ate a hashish cake in Biarritz. Let me warn you, eating large amounts of hash is definitely a good way to see the world in a different way, but it’s a rough trip if you aren’t prepared. An explosion of lemon sorbet with small swirls of lime zest. Walnuts. Dolmas, which are stuffed grape leaves filled with rice and a strong vinegar vibe. Juniper berries. Radish sprouts, with their bite, far superior to the more common alfalfa sprout. Chewing on peppercorns. Proof feels high, and almost estery, but I have no clue what we are looking at. Low to mid 60s? Asked Martin.

Rating: 6 / 10 – This blew me away. It’s unabashedly brazen on the palate, although I don’t think anyone should have more than a small pour at time. I asked M****n for some legit mountain dew. That back country shit that people trade like pokemon cards. He sent me a whole care package, each labeled with a name and year. Thanks for being the first one T0m, you do good work and set a high bar.