Dark ruby, miserably staining, with no edge.  A blast of eucalyptus inundates all, dark sultry eucalyptus, tinged in deep eucalyptus humus and eucalyptus smoke.  In addition to possibly never getting my glasses clean again, it might be a few days before the eucalyptus blows out of the room.   It is quite impossible to delve further into fruit or spice or whatever might be available in the nose behind all of this.  A tiny burn follows a muddy cellar floor and stewed apple… maybe some licorice?  All minuscule and buried behind what eventually shape-shifts into a more Vicks Vapo-Rub nuance.

Decanted heavily, this thing still refuses to let go of the eucalyptus.  Strong, overpowering, unpleasant eucalyptus.  Now don’t get me wrong–I LOVE EUCALYPTUS.  I love wines with eucalyptus.  I also know the subject of “eucalyptus-flawed wines” comes up a bit in winemaking remedy manuals and ever since I studied into it a few years back, have weighed that pronouncement against every wine showing prominent amounts of it.  None of them have I considered crossing over into the *overt* category–until now.  I’m also guessing this bruiser is 15-oh or I’m a monkey’s uncle.  I’m not going to debate whether the two conflict or massage each other.  I really want to taste it.

In the mouth, Thick. Black. Burning. Syrup.  Consistency reaches granular proportions, and the tongue is paralytic from bitter and heat to re-distribute this angry liquid throughout the mouth.  This is concentration gone awry right here.  This is Napa Bling Bros going off the rails in the quest for the most lascivious brow-beater club-member will hand out credit-card numbers for.  This is not “fruit allowed to mature to its ripest potential”.  This is not “full-blown but enough acid to balance”.  This is not “a tannic monster that will go the long-haul”.  Stop me if any of this sounds familiar.  This is not fruit.  This is not acid.  These are not tannins.  This is a muddled, pathetic attempt at monstrosity, where everything is big except the wine.  The poor wine.  The wine got killed making this one.

2013 AJ PEARCE WINES Cabernet Sauvignon Massoumi Coombsville Napa Valley 14.9

www.ajpearcewines.com