A worthy successor to the ’15, though perhaps slightly less muscular, but conversely, incrementally more elegant. We have gotten particularly adept in allowing for the expression of a wonderful savoriness in Cigare, and a pretty nice mastery of tannins. Recent vintages seem to show more structure than years past, and we are convinced that this vintage will be capable of very long ageing.

This wine was definitely not open for business upon first opening, 1. so I’m taking another sniff and taste twenty-four hours later. What a difference a day makes! 2. the wine has darkened in color, immensely deepened in body, and the nose is just climbing out of the glass. Dark woodsy, fairytale nose, juniper berry and crushed pink peppercorns, licorice. It was in this vintage where we began using a substantially higher percentage of un-destemmed grapes (primarily Mourvèdre and Grenache) and as a result, as I conceive it, there is more gras or substance to the wine, and presence of a sort of dark, lower register, a basso continuo, if you will.