Habrard Crozes Hermitage 2003

wildebeest

This nose on this juice defies my capacity to describe it. All I can say is that every sniff will give you some new marvel. Your first sip will overwhelm you with a blast of fine coffee and mocha. The tannins are as silky smooth as can be, and they subside into layers upon layers of rich fruit. Hints of pickled brussels sprouts float by in the mid-palate. My favorite moment is an intense shot of tree-ripened plum that reminds me of the consummate fruits I used to pick from my backyard during my youth in California. This stuff is DARK red in the glass, and as good as possible for this level of richness. I've had reds be slightly more polished and more concentrated than this, but I've only had ONE other wine that gave me more of the flavors I love. This just might be THE old-world bottle that could win over even the most obstinate fruit-bomb fan. Gary Vaynerchuk gave this hedonistic effort a 91, but that was about 6 months ago, and I like to think that this has evolved into something far more spectacular since then. In any case, I've had many wines rated 91 and better by all the major reviewers, and this blows nearly all of them away. When I crave red wine, THIS is what I want! A solid 94 points.

Tasting Tags: coffee hedonistic mocha old-world plum red-wine rhone