The wine is a beautiful bright ruby color in the glass, with great clarity. The nose is a sophisticated and layered presentation of ripe black fruit over some smoke which plays nicely off some mineral notes and a hint of leather, very reminiscent of a nice Tuscan blend. The taste a brief flash of ripe plum and tart cherry that subsides into some flavors of fresh herbs and just a hint of coriander and white pepper spice midpalate. The finish is very nice, with understated tannins providing a nice base for a long, mineral finish that is just daring you to take another sip.
Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8.5, it's a fine effort, but it just didn't blow me away like the '06 and '07 vintages (good think I have a bottle or two left of those!). Tonight I am pairing this with a nice winter comfort food dinner of stuffed cabbage, or Galumpkis as my Polish friends used to say (I make mine very simple, blanched cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and ground beef, topped with some San Marzano tomatoes, a touch of basil and some freshly grated cheese. The fruit and spice of this wine along with the earthy notes are a lovely complement to the sweet and spicy aspects of the stuffed cabbage, but this wine would also pair nicely with about any traditional Italian dish or a nice grilled steak. Cheers!
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