Soft, supple and structured, this wine is richly crafted in pencil shavings and cedar, with denser, fuller flavors of red cherry and raspberry. With a bite of burly power, it contains 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot.
Reviews
Garden herb and forest floor aromas make a case for this wine to be considered the producer's “Finest Selection” (the “FS” in “OFS”). On the palate, wild strawberry, black cherry and berry are the story, while powerful spice adds intrigue to the velvety texture, roundness and full-bodied concentration.
Slowly builds intensity and complexity, offering a taut range of spicy wild berry, raspberry, cherry, spice and crushed rock notes. Most impressive on the finish, where the flavors take on a delicate, supple charm.
Exhibits complex spicy cherry and raspberry flavors, with loamy earth details and a crushed rock minerality adding texture and flavor. Ends with a long, persistent finish.
Full, chewy, lively and fresh with notes of black cherry, blueberry, boysenberry, cedar and molasses.
Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. Gorgeous, nose-filling aromas of dark stone fruits, pie spice, vanilla and subtle toast. Delicious flavors of cherry, raspberry, pie spices and vanilla with a subtle savory note in the background. Bright and seamless, with a sturdy finish of welcome length. A real charmer.
Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. The aromas of black cherry, earthy flora, leather and toasty oak blend together nicely. Tasty flavors of black cherry, black raspberry and blackberry energize the attack and mid palate, persisting on the finish with lip-smacking goodness. A well-crafted wine with married tannins, deft oak integration and overall joy.
A new offering from the Sonoma-based producer meant to recall the estate’s original founding in the Napa Valley, this wine sources from across that appellation and impresses right away in its succulent and soft approach to the variety. With a backbone of cassis and vanilla, it’s expansive and lengthy, velvety in texture and very satisfying.
Powerfully extracted, this needs long exposure to air before the hard edges relent, moving from mineral oil, heat and black tannins to a smoother, softer feel. The texture becomes round and lush, while the mineral notes in the tannins keep it to an elegant line.
Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru was missing some complexity on the nose compared to the Bonnes-Mares from Bruno Clair, with sweet red cherries and a touch of kirsch. Yet it needs to show more mineralité and terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe red cherries and strawberry and showing quite a lot of structure towards the finish that grips the palate. I would just like more persistence to show through here. Tasted September 2016.