At some point, the excessive coverage has to end when it comes to Catena-related wines. We're just going to have to really throw ourselves out there and branch out a bit more. But the challenge is two-fold: availability and subjecting ourselves to the unknown while paying for a bottle. The fear of coughing up over $30 for a bottle from a vineyard with a potentially dubious output is real. It's like that in every varietal, but it sometimes it feels as if the risk vs reward situation is a bit more intense with Malbecs than say....Pinot Noir or Châteauneuf-du-Pape. But here we go with the second installment of Poors GTFO week.
There's a whole intense backstory/narrative to this which kind of reads like that series on HBO with the dragons and swords that everyone went crazy over. I don't quite follow it, but here is some inside baseball stuff:
20% whole cluster and 80% whole berry fruit is hand-loaded into 225-500 liter new French oak barrels for a 100% barrel fermentation for a period of 28 days, allowing seamless oak integration. The fermentation temperature is kept low, extracting intense aromas, and the cap management is done by hand to ensure soft, gentle flavors and tannin extraction. Wild yeasts. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrel leaves considerable lees and sediment. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.
Cool. I can't take much longer and I spent a lot of money on this bottle, so let's go.
Nose: A bit of mint leaf at first is a bit of a surprise turn. Mostly, it's a mix of blackberry, cassis, and rosemary which gets sweeter as it goes. With time, some eucalyptus appears on additional passes. However, the mint remains a most welcome treat.
Palate: As advertised on the nose, with blackberry and dark cherry coming in first and the other elements expanding on subsequent sips. Crisp acidity and light tannins keep this from becoming too overpowering, and the earthy elements offsetting the fruit give this balance.
Finish: Long. The sweetness from the berry pushes far beyond the anticipated length, and the mint continues to add some complexity without leaving too much of an unsavory impact.
I've never had a bottle this expensive before, so I can't speak to how it relates to other high-end offerings, but this was one of those moments to savor because they most likely won't come my way again. Well worth the risk and investment of time and money.
$125