With the wine hoes at mine.

This came HIGHLY anticipated, following the astounding non-gold of the same vintage. The question was, what were the special touches given to the wine.

In the glass: dark maroon. Mid+ body.

On the nose: 1.5 hours in a decanter, it’s primarily a deep savory gaminess. Slight funk. Pleasurable, but lacking fruits. I was, disappointed? 2 – 3 hours in: YES. INTENSE blueberries. Hints of preserved olives?? HIGH alcohol. Extremely aromatic, with incredibly high intensity of fruits and spices of pepper and this flurry of other spices. It took about 3.5 hours for everything to come more into balance: less aggressive alcohol, and a better harmony of fruits, game and spices.

On the palate: just such high concentration and intensity of fruits. High alcohol that was a touch jarring. Dry. Long finish. Herbal on the exhale.

Like the Guado, this was far too intense and powerful for my palate. This is despite the recognition that this is undeniably well made, with great fruits.

Like the non-gold 2013, this needs a toonnnnn of air.
Unlike the non-gold, which drank beautifully even without food because of how amazingly balanced it was, I suspect this needed a bit more age, and some fat meat to go with it. My meek palate felt too overwhelmed by its intensity.