I know we've touched on this before. Still, there's a certain big box chain in the United States with overly eager sales representatives who tend to do suggestion selling, often advising people to pick up products based on their own private label releases. I tend not to follow the advice of their counsel, being able to -- at 42 years of age -- assess and decide my own choices independently in the wine aisle. They mean well and are trying to do their job, but more often than not their suggestions are just not reading the room correctly. I had another run-in yesterday evening when trying to pick up this bottle when they suggested a $13 merlot as a companion. We've been hearing good things about this winery in Luján de Cuyo from former contributors to this site, especially their higher-end Judas offerings, and we are looking forward to giving this a test run.
Nose: Raspberry and sugar plum. More cherry as it sits with some time. The sweetness of the raspberry backs off and the cherry becomes the main focus with additional passes. A mild bit of cocoa with more time.
Palate: The cherry and cocoa start things off nicely, with more baking spice and vanilla giving this a bit of complexity, but nothing that gets out of balance. A few minutes later, there's a note of pepper towards the end. Very nicely structured. It doesn't disappoint and never lets up.
Finsh: Long, with soft tannins and quite a bit of spice. Still heavy on the cherry throughout, but raspberry reappears as it evaporates. Very much a red fruit-forward experience all the way through.
This was a lovely introduction to Sottano's line, and a reasonable deal under $20. My interest is most certainly piqued, and I am looking forward to attempting to source other bottles from their estate.
$19