Crisp and complexly cocoa-toned in aroma and cup, with a tart, pungent berry complication and a hint of lilyish flowers. Bright acidity; light but very silky mouthfeel. Clean, dry, cocoa-toned finish.

January 25th, 2012
Price: $23.95/16 ounces
Floral, strawberry-like sweetness in the aroma with a hint of dry, walnut-toned cocoa. Turns pleasingly bittersweet in the cup, with the cocoa coming forward and the flowers turning pungently lavender-like. Crisp acidity; lushly syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is deep and flavor-saturated when the cup is hot; dries toward walnut as it cools.
Striking, pungently tart, savory-sweet cup. Fir, roasted almond, zesty orange, cocoa, bitterish flowers in aroma and cup. Bright, fruit-toned acidity; syrupy mouthfeel. The zesty orange carries into a long, cocoa-toned finish.
Soaringly sweet, complexly layered aroma and flavor: melon, apple, cedar, flowers, brandy. The splendid aromatics carry intact into the cup where they are either complicated or shadowed by a slight salty savory note and drying astringency. Not a balanced cup, but certainly a complex, memorable one.