The first of my 2012’s. Opened for Christmas Eve Dinner, with rib of beef, roast potatoes, the ubiquitous Sprouts tossed with pancetta, and puree of carrot & turnip. I decanted it for 2 plus hours before tasting.
Absolutely perfect.
Bright ruby colour, aromas of cherry leaping out from the decanter as I poured into the glass. The full nose showed cherries, plums, oaky vanilla, and then onto the palate and my taste buds. The explosion of fruit, red berries, the cherries again, all in abundance. Good acidity held everything together, with the tannins mellowed with the ageing process, both from the Slovenian barrels, and latterly the bottle ageing. The finish was lengthy, with the aftertaste of ripe fruits lingering in the mouth, long after the glass had returned to the table.
I was fortunate to visit the winery in 2019, and have since started to build different vintages of their Brunello. This was the first of my 12’s, and although this was a perfect example, and drinking divinely, there may well be more to come, and I look forward to exploring further developments of this excellent wine.
The Long Wine Road 