| 2007-05-26 09:01 |
WA: The 2004 Idus is made from fruit purchased from local growers cultivating small plots of old-vine Carinena and Garnacha. The wine consists of 45% Carinena, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Garnacha, and 10% Syrah, a rather atypical blend for Priorat. Fifty percent of the wine went through malolactic fermentation in tank and 50% in barrel. Forty percent of the wine was then aged in new French oak and 60% in second year. The color is saturated purple and the aromatics quite restrained. With vigorous swirling, elements of smoke, earth, mineral, and blackberry reluctantly emerge. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and tightly wound although the raw materials are all there. The fruit is layered and concentrated, the components in balance, and there is enough structure for long-term cellaring. Give this wine 4-6 years of further bottle age and drink it through 2027. Although this wine is certain to have a long life, the real question is how much pleasure it will ultimately provide. |