91 2010 Leon Barral Faugères (Languedoc) 8/2/14 ($30)
50% Carignan, 30% Grenache, 20% Cinsault 14% alc 40-70 year old vines, Biodynamic
Color: Deep black purple garnet. (3.5) Bouquet: Tangy wild black raspberry and black cherry with interesting gray clay and intense black truffle. Has a slight rotten egg (SO2) smell that clears with extended air. (3.0) Body: Light heavyweight with excellent acidity and fruit. Smooth tannins underneath. (3.0) Flavor: Smoke, game and root beer secondary nuances are compelling and nicely mixed into the fruit. More tasty and expressive than the bouquet. (3.5) Finish: Secondary nuances are long and persistent, but shows a little bitterness too. (3.0)
Overall: A very interesting wine, full of secondary complexity with the fruit to meet. It is also structured and balanced for aging (3-5 years). More restrained in fruit than the 2009 at this point, but it will be interesting to see which vintage comes out on top with time. (16.0)
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