The oak hits pretty hard on this one. Rich an undiluted in the nose, a creamy vanilla plushness over-shadowing all other nuances to the point of flabbiness. The fruit doesn’t help: distilled, glycerin-y, riduclous ripeness and polish tempting toward oxidized. Pina colada brings all the brown banana and soggy pineapple to bear over Maraschino cherry and applesauce.
In the mouth, nothing changes. This is a Reserva by all means necessary. Thick and rich–syrupy, almost–but granular mineral does much to save the day. Porty and sweet, the oak crescendoing into a Zinfandel-finish with a bit of bitter burn. This is a wine that will make a lot of people happy, but for me it is just a bit much. Dessert-y in texture, it has crushed all viable fruit with overwhelming manipulated- tertiary and ripe concentration.
2017 DUBOST ‘Reserva’ SY/GR/Sangio 60/30/10 Paso Robles 15.7
Stephen McConnell 