(NW) of this blog stumbled onto this wine at a local Boston shop where he figured the proprietor must have found a case in some out of the way place of the business and seeing the year of production, assumed it would be long past its prime so stuck a $5 price tag on it.
(NW) served this to me bagged and asked me for my thoughts. This wine was obviously old with a murky. garnet color but still holding to the rim. It's bouquet on opening was pretty obnoxious with traces of egg nog and wild grape but mostly acetone and a medicinal ucky smell. Still--there was something lurking below these awful odors that kept me interested. I had no clue about what the wine might be but I said, "It is 20-30 years old." (NW) just smirked.
As minutes passed by, the wine was changing and the hideous aromas on opening were dissipating revealing an amazingly nice, sweet wild cherry and evergreen beneath it all.
As I filled my mouth and swirled, the anticipated nastiness of a wine long gone was not forthcoming. Instead there was an intriguing taste of stewed prunes yet with lively cherry fruit underneath. It was fully integrated, balanced and all around superior. If I had to rate this wine I would give it a 94 and I rarely ever do that!
I was flabbergasted and as we allowed the wine to breath, it turned out to be one of the best wines I have had in several years!
So it was a risk and for $5 you would fully expect it not to even be palatable but sometimes life hands you a bouquet of roses. Raise a glass to this exciting and wonderful find!
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