2016 Asterisk Proprietary Red
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Tasting notes
Starting with the 2016 Asterisk, which was bottled in March of 2019, it offers a medium to full-bodied, elegant yet nicely concentrated style as well as plenty of ripe plum, tobacco, sagebrush, and truffle-laced aromatics. It’s a rich, fleshy, beautifully balanced 2016 that has a touch of background oak to integrate, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s going to evolve for 20+ years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Asterisk is gentle, plush and alluring, with soft contours and plenty of raciness. Succulent black cherry, plum, chocolate, leather, licorice and menthol infuse the 2016 with striking layers of nuance. The 2016 is a very pretty wine, there is no doubt about it, but the oak is a bit prominent at this stage. My impression is that the lots that go into Sloan's second wine might not have the natural stuffing to stand up the oak, and in particular, the 32 months it spent in barrel, which gave the wine a slightly oxidative note that suggests the 2016 is best enjoyed sooner rather than later.
About the producer
Sloan’s 13-acre estate vineyard, composed of mineral-rich, fractured volcanic rock and sandy loam, is located high in the eastern hills of Rutherford. Their inaugural vintage was 2000 and since it has grown a tremendous cult following for those lucky enough to get their hands on a few bottles.