Carrying on here with our De Negoce picks from a recent six-pack case split between myself and my partner (I must admit her Cab picks have been outstanding), and today we examine a mystery bottle from Chalk Hill. One of my very favorite domestic regions for wine and I am thankful to live within a few hour drive where I can purchase at leisure.
Nose: Cherry cola and dark chocolate with a big hit of toasted oak running through it all on first pass. The cherry edges into the cocoa pretty quickly and some vanilla shows up on the secondary pass. Brooding and more floral with some rest in the glass. Decant for a good 30-45 minutes.
Palate: Pretty much as advertised by the nose but some blackberry jam and spice emerge as I swallow, along with a touch of garden herbs. On the second sip the herbs disappear and the blackberry jam and oak expand atop some slightly chewy tannins. Complex but never chaotic, and worth spending the time to savor.
Finish: Long. Very long with oak having the last word even as some violet emerges. With time the violet transitions to dark berries. There's a peculiar note towards the end that I can't quite put my mind to. Very earthy, but not mineral or dirt.
One of my very favorite rock songs of all time is "The Rain Song" by Led Zeppelin. It's symphonic, dramatic, romantic, and wistful all within seven minutes. And there's no gnomes or orcs or any of the stupid shit that usually plagues Zep tracks. This wine shares many of these attributes (including the absence of gnomes and orcs). Pick it up while you still can.
$24