Bright, saturated ruby. Strong stony/chalky lift to the aromas of dark berries, graphite and bitter chocolate. Densely packed, dry and backward, with chalky energy enlivening the rather wild black fruit and herb flavors. Finishes with restrained sweetness, a sneaky whiplash of licorice pastille flavor, and explosive palate-saturating length. (Incidentally, these three 2016 Aluvional bottlings will not be in the marketplace until the end of this year.) This is ultimately the densest of the Aluvional wines and will also need some time in bottle. (from vines planted on chalky soil with very good sun exposure at an altitude of 1,360 meters, but the fruit is picked early as the vineyard is farther from the mountains than the cooler, wetter San Pablo vineyard, which is harvested at the end)
- Stephen Tanzer (06/2019)
