2001 Marquis/Phillips S2 McClaren Vale

[newsguy]

i had been planning to wait until '05 to try my next bottle of this, but decided to pop one a little early as i had heard on another board that this wasn't ageing as well as expected.

still deep opaque blackish-purple. double decanted for an hour. rich nose of sweet vanilla, butterscotch, dark fruits (with plums in the lead) and hints of cherry and spice. full flavors of same. great concentration, a rich mouthfeel and very light tannins that only come into play after decanting a couple hours. perfect balance. 91 points.

while i certainly enjoyed this wine, i think i actually liked it a little better upon release. i have 3 bottles left and will drink one per year for the next 3 years. if you're sitting on multiple bottles of this, i'd suggest popping one now to see what you think. and please post here. personally, i'm thinking the joys of this wine in its youth are going to prove greater than that of long-term aging. parker gave it a drinking window through 2017. i don't think i'd take a bottle past 2010, based on last night's experience.