Very dark, dense garnet color with a bit of brown around the edges. Youthful & full-bodied on the nose, grapey at first then with lots of plum, cassis & blackberry. A hint of toasty oak & vanilla, dark floral note of violet, underlying spice & graphite. Just as full-bodied on the palate; plenty of juicy black berry & stone fruit along with vanilla, coffee & chocolate, supported by gripping tannins and lively acidity. An enjoyable mineral character kicks in mid-palate and carries through the lengthy, warm finish with sweet black fruit and a final linger of distinct plum. First off, the high quality of this juice is visceral, but it screams "young!" and still isn't as smooth & mature as I'm sure it can be.
