Tarapaca 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)
10 Nov 2015- Details
- Category: Uncorked Tonight
(June 16, 2015) ... This is one of those great under $15 bottles I bought way back when - not sure why I have held on to it this long but I have so there's no need to chide myself for it. I popped the cork and poured ... Colour was still good. I stuck my nose into the glass ... dried fruit maybe a little too much on the sweet side, but still pretty good. Now it's time for the tasting, this is where things can go sideways in a hurry ... smoky-cassis and blackberry with a decent amount of acidity there's even hints of vanilla, chocolate and cedar; there's also lots of dried blackberry, cassis and black cherry with hints of mocha latte on the finish. Overall there's still some good 'wow factor' to this wine considering its price and its age ... Nice call to hold it on my part, now if ... I ... could ... just ... get ... my ... arm ... to ... reach ... (there) ... I'd pat myself on the back.
(June 14, 2015) ... I've said it before and I'll say it again, a good Zin is worth its weight in gold; what's even better is a good Zin with some age on it. This Mt. Eden came out at the LCBO in Ontario already with 5 years on it (I call that a 'lost in the warehouse selection') and it was released at under twenty bucks, so it was also a real bargain. The nose is full of spiced cherry and pepper, the palate shows much more complexity, still with the spiced cherry, but also joined by white pepper, cola, and vanilla bean. Good aromas, great flavours ... and it's all based on that spice and fruit, but the wine is starting to lean a little tertiary, so I'll be drinking the rest of my bottles sooner rather than later, I'd say within the year.
