Not quite ready for primetime on the French tip, and so we will stay here in Argentina for another set of reviews. But in the close enough department, we feature this bottle from esteemed Frenchman Michel Rolland. It's kind of hard to believe that after 100+ reviews, we never thought to put this one down in the archives. It's a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This won't be the first bottle we've tried from CdlS, and it certainly will not be the last. Putting on Side A of Sam Cooke's Mr. Soul and getting down to business.
Nose: Blackberry jam, roasted plum, blueberry. Below there's some light vanilla and just a slight touch of wood. After some time in the glass, the blueberry peeps through and gets brighter. A bit of roasted cashew, too. More vanilla with additional time and much patience was required not to indulge too soon.
Palate: Epic is just an overused and exasperated word that has lost its luster, but this is an ongoing exceptional experience. The blueberry and plum make the first move but then the cherry starts unfolding and keeps going. So much from what was on the initial nosing carries on here but with greater volume and velocity. On subsequent sips, there are appearances of black pepper and minerality, but nothing that detracts only enhances the complexity. Light acidity and balanced, smooth tannins.
Finish: Again...lengthy and pleasurable. Nothing which hasn't already made an appearance shows up here, but there's an oscillation between the darker fruit and nutty, earthy textures that maintains intensity, keep your attention and make you dread the final word.
It's hard to believe something this good exists at such a price point, but let's all give thanks that it does. Simply exceptional from start to finish, and at this point it deserves to be in your stock consistently.
$20