Description: Body and complexity is the hallmark of this wine which we will produce only in exceptional vintages. A dense, blackcurrant hue carries enticing aromas of black and red fruits, leather and tobacco, which follow through on the richly textured and impressively broad palate. A thick weave of blackberry, cassis and cedar are layered with notes of graphite, spice and dried herbs. Big, ripe tannins and lots of spice mark a long, memorable finish.
Robert Parker: Wine Advocate # 180. Dec 2008. Reviewer : Jay Miller. The 2006 uNico Marchiori Vineyard is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Malbec. Opaque purple-colored, aromatically it has the complexity that a great vintage can provide. Notes of pain grille, crushed stone, lavender, black cherry, blackberry liqueur, and fruit compote are exquisite. On the palate, the wine is opulent, dense, intensely flavored, and lengthy. It will continue to evolve for another 4-6 years and offer prime drinking from 2013 to 2026. Drink: 2013 - 2026.
Jancis Robinson: Published : 06-May-2008. Not much on the nose at first. Fine dark and savoury. Rich, smooth but firm tannins. Really juicy and fluid but with great concentration and intensity. Lovely balance and more to come. (JH). When to Drink : 2009 to 2014.
Wine Spectator: Issue: May 31, 2009. A very dark, rich, toasty style, with layers of fig, mocha, blackberry and currant that pump through the broad, muscular finish, where loam and coffee notes fill in. Has considerable heft, but displays purity and balance as well. Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Best from 2010 through 2013. 314 cases made. –JM.
Stephen Tanzer: Jan/Feb 09. By Stephen Tanzer. (63% cabernet sauvignon and 37% malbec) Full ruby-red. Crushed berries, exotic spices, tobacco and musky oak on the nose. Fleshy, sweet and full, with a seamless texture to the thick flavors of dark berries, candied licorice and cocoa powder. With its solid underlying minerality, this shows more energy than the Marchiori Vineyard malbec. Really saturates the palate on the back end, finishing with lush tannins and superb breadth and sweetness.
Tom Cannavan,wine-pages.com, 95pts – “Quite tight, slightly smoky, with a chocolate and dark blueberry and blackcurrant fruit. The palate has lots of cedary, tight, smooth but focused and linear black fruit. This wine is all about laser-like, focused fruit character, with great length and refinement."Vinification: Fermented with selected and native yeasts in 8 to 15 ton closed-top stainless steel tanks. 4-to 5-day cold soak; 25 days total maceration. Native malolactic fermentation in barrel; 3 months to completion. Aged 20 months in 88% new Taransaud French oak
