With the risk of building atmospheric pressure inside my body of all this Champagne drinking, I decided to have a red wine. One of my absolute favorites from the Tuscan IGT scene is the 100% Cabernet Franc from Le Macchiole, "Paleo". It starts off with a bit too much cheerfulness, meaning; the level of new oak, happy fruitiness, vanilla and even liquor is present. If you like that kind of style, well - just pour a big glass and smile. If you, like me, prefer and bit more edge - decant. Decanting Paleo will tone down a lot of these bold flavors and most importantly bring out fresh Tuscan herbs (mostly thyme). If it's the herbs, minerals or the coolness now breezing the wine - I can't pinpoint exactly, but its sure is nice. The linearity also rises, but I have to say that the 2001 vintage shows this better than the 2004. The 2004 is still, despite decanting and the herbal expression, overwhelming in fruit. This is off course a plus for cellaring aspect, but at this stage it's taken a bit away from the intellectual experience. This is pronounced on the palate and on the finish line, where it burns a bit of alcohol off. Overall I was quit happy with the wine; it's a healthy product - lots of potential and still a wine of great personality.
Tasted May-2009
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment