NOSE: Very Penfolds, very Barossa, very Grange! Scents, now five years in the making, weave their charm - this aromatic quilt's first-noted brightest colours are panaforte fig and quince paste alongside cured/smoked meats. Its fabric is meshed with spice - cinnamon, vanillin pod, nutmeg and black pepper - tempered by teppanyaki sauces, amaretto/almond. A dark thread connects - black liquorice, olive and fresh Arabica coffee-bean and soy. Background nutty oak (Brazil nut) beneath, yet barely noticed.
PALATE: Freshness and balance are welcomed, yet confuse... a few sips remind of the oft-used reference 'iron fist in a velvet glove'. All is not as it seems! Firm throughout and across palate - reverent tannins and oak convey & propel flavours of slow-roasted lamb (avec jus), dark chocolate, cola, maraschino, with a menthol/rosemary lift to finish. Alluringly, a plush satin/cashmere mouthfeel compounds the initial confusion - accessible, yet poised to evolve and complex over many decades.
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