05 Loring clos pepe

[winophite]

Mmm, Now having finally tasted this juice, I see why you are all so complimentary to Brian! 14.1% abv Mom's cherry pie jumped out of the bottle upon opening. Poured half into the decanter to have a bit later and started in on the bottle immediately. Lovely dark ruby/garnet in the glass with nice clarity, I can see my fingers at the bottom of the glass on a 4 ounce pour. Nice spicey cherry nose with an interesting earthy element, perhaps a hint of petrol or something. Get the samre cherry and some plum up front nicely balanced with a bit of acidity. Soft mouthfeel leaning towards velvety with well integrated tannins. Finish may go a WW 3+lapper and lingures for several minutes.
A quick whiff of the decanter after 30 min yields a much more comlex aroma that I cant seem to describe.
If waiting for tannins to blend with the wine is cause for aging then this one was ready now for there was no harshness in it at all. I suppose another year may lend toward a more velvety mouth feel, but I'm far from the expert. Nice drink! WP