With Hart, YZ, Sloke, Liz, Malone and PT at the charming Nicolas.

My. God. If I had a case of these 2005s, I would have a painfully hard time trying to keep my hands off them. This is in PRIME drinking window.

I ordered this 2 bottles in advance, and asked the somm to uncork it and let it sit in the cold room the entire time. Maybe about an hour or so.

In the glass: deep ruby with just the tiniest touch of garnet around the rim. This is barely showing its age.

On the nose: oh. My. Lord. I was stunned from first sniff. Rich aromatic aged tobacco, deep blackcurrant and black plums. A sniff of sweet aromatic oak that’s just peeking at the background. Earth. This is just the absolute perfect blend of primary fruit and tertiary development.

On the palate: oh, a surprising amount of structure. Tannins are still very present, albeit smooth around the edges. Rich, almost opulent, palate coating, high intensity, but also still fresh. Midish acidity. Loooong finish.

This was a STUNNING wine.