2010 Promontory

Bright ruby to the rim. Slightly wild scents of mountain blackberry and blueberry, licorice, minerals, crushed rock, violet and wildflowers. Fine-grained, dense and utterly seamless but powerful on entry, with a hint of almost port-like ripeness but also outstanding sappy energy to the juicy black fruit, floral, mineral and licorice flavors. As much savory as sweet, this wild yet suave wine appears to have the backbone for a slow and spectacular evolution in bottle. Very tactile and very dark but not at all austere, as the wine boasts underlying sweetness and wonderfully refined but serious tannins. With it superb flavor definition and rising floral/mineral persistence, this really saturates the mouth with flavor and stimulates the salivary glands. An utterly distinctive wine, made from vines planted in the 1980s and 1990s. (ST) 95+

The 2010 Promontory is rich, powerful and intense, with a core of inner sweetness that is compelling. Today the 2010 is quite exotic in its aromatics, but is less available and forthcoming on the palate. I would prefer to cellar it for a few more years.

A big, explosive wine, the 2010 opens with a captivating mélange of graphite, smoke, licorice, gravel and crushed rocks. Firm, incisive tannins give the 2010 much of its sense of gravitas and pure, unbridled energy. The 2010 still needs a few years to soften, as it remains massively structured and tannic, but it has long been a personal favorite.