My last bottle of this and oh man what a run it’s been. Bought a couple cases when the Mondavi/Byron colab went kaput on deep discount and it has brought nothing but pleasure. One of my best purchases. Bottle caked in sediment, the color dark brown with clear beige edges. Powerful nose rather exploding with deep ripe berry and murky funk. Almond paste and marzipan run along creases of cracked, dry leather and muddy hemlines leading to thick thighs of muscle and gorgeous curves. Roasted hot-dogs, split open and moist, greasy with polished spice and caramelized sugar.
An entry spiked with sweet syrup but almost all tertiary flows easily to complexity reduced to acid-tinged vegetal–the only sign of fruit-fade. Swollen and bitter black cherry and marmalade offer a still-vibrant middle before a slow fade to also still-vibrant tannin. It probably could go another 5 years.
2005 IO GSM 3/92/5 Santa Barbara Co. 14.8
Stephen McConnell 