Andthensome

John Duval Plexus '06

A Barossa Valley Shiraz.  My neighbor came over with is girlfriend to announce that they were getting married.  Good for them and good for me as it gave me a chance to open a bottle of something good. John Duval was a winemarker at Penfolds and decided he would break out on his own.  The results is a line of three wines, of which I open Plexus last night. 

I decanted, but suspect that I needed more time as the wine should probably sit for a good hour before drinking -  I did not have the time.  It was very tanic and felt more like taking a bit of an unrippened apple than a pleasurable sip of wine.  Short on the palatte,  Plexus lacked the fullness you would have from other Barossa Valley wines.  This wine needs to celar for another 5 years.

Bacio Divino 99

I like to call this wine "Jay's wine". Jay turned me on to it and we actually played tug-o-war on a case of it. Out of the bottle with no decanting it displays a brilliant ruby red color with a medium bodied nose. Ripe with tanins it still drinks young. Perhaps a little decanting would soften it up. Cab 62%, Sangiovese 28%, and Petite Sirah 10%.

1997 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages

I finally got around to opening a wine I had bought some time ago. Some years ago, my open gambit into wine enthusiasm was to buy a subscription to the wine spectator. One of their recommendations was to buy St. Jean.  And I did.  I talked myself down before opening it.  Robert Parker did not recommend or even write about this particular wine, so I figured I had goofed.  On opening, it presented a nice, meaty nose with plum and apricot overtones.  It drank well, and opened up after a while.  I needs cellaring.  Four more years would have been nice.  It turns out it is quite a nice wine and well respected.