A greasy, wet-shag nose throwing off Home Depot paint and alcohol that breathes out to gritty mineral. So yeah… Let it breathe, but any of that complexity is a long time coming around the warm banana and wet cardboard.
In the mouth, bright young fruit squished into submission by the extraction gods to form something suitable for residing under the Napa Valley banner. A tiny fleck of green for a split-second late-palate before the awkward hot tannins is the only compelling feature. Bitter and brash from start to finish, it doesn’t have the fresh fruit to qualify as a barrel sample, but the thinness of mid-section and personal attention to acid make a compelling argument for aging while the heat and off-putting nose argue against.
The 15’s are wide open for the taking: YOUR CALL.
2015 LIPARITA Red Wine Napa Valley 14-5
Stephen McConnell 