2013 Palazzo Red

Given the fact that the 2013 had been in bottle only five weeks when I tasted it, some allowance should be made by readers that it may have been somewhat less expressive, but it certainly strutted its stuff. A blend of 68% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine has beautifully fragrant, fresh earth, coffee, chocolate, blackberry and cassis notes, a brawny, vigorous, uplifting mouthfeel, a tightly coiled texture, and moderately intense but sweet tannin. The purity, freshness and vigor are all there, but the wine still resembles a barrel sample, as one might expect. Forget it for another 4-5 years and drink it over the following two decades.