Merlot (55%) and Cabernet Franc (45%) blend with fruit grown on the 37 million year old soils of the 45 year old Tapanappa Whalebone vineyard. Bottled under cork. 2019 was warm and dry and only recevied 72% of ‘normal’ growing season rainfall. Cool weather late saw hand harvesting at the usual time of late march for the Merlot and April 1st for the Cab Franc. Winemaker is the esteemed Brian Croser.
Medium deep garnet to ruby. Blackberry and dust, boysenberry swirl, dried mint, concentrated cassis, purple florals, cedary oak and obsidian mineral/earthiness. Goodness me, full flesh bound tight with meshy hyper fine savoury tannin. There’s a tomato sugo like spiced flow, topped with graphite-pencilly line and studded with umami. There’s black fruit, there’s earth. There’s elegance and seriousness. There’s class and depth. It’s nearly all there. Something to savour and ponder over now, or put it away for decades.
95 Points
