90 WA on release; 93 Winetex

This was a very dark ruby color with spices immediately apparent upon opening the bottle. I gently decanted this 30 minutes before serving. For 15 minutes it was tight as a drum and exhibited only a vague spiciness. WT very worried… At 30 minutes we poured it and started sniffing. Still not much fruit but the spices became exotic with a bit of dark fruit creeping in. The nose was just amazing on this wine.

At one hour it became exciting and showed some dark fruit, specifically blackberry and black cherry with some vanilla. The spices were Asian and subtle. It was not elegant but structured and still somewhat tannic. Unfortunately the finish was shorter and did not live up to the promise of the nose. If it had my rating would have been higher. It was probably ready to drink although one would have to have multiple bottles to know this for certain.

We opened this up when BH_Vineyard visited Houston 10/03. There is nothing like opening up a great wine like this for someone who appreciates Pinot Noir.

A very good summary from Ms. Winetex! Nothing to add to her review, and a very tasty treat indeed.

But more signficantly, Mr. and Mrs. Winetex were the most gracious of hosts, and we had a delightful dinner that she prepared. Knowing that Mr. Winetex likes "hearty" wines, and NOT knowing that Mrs. Winetex would graciously pull the cork on a DRC, I brought a '97 Solengo which was enjoyed by all AFTER the DRC was appropriately savored.

Truly a wonderful evening!

My Solengo TN is on the way soon. It was wonderful wine and I'm going to buy the latest release for our cellar. BH knows his Italians.

Nice notes Winetex, sounds wonderful