L'Aventure : Estate Cuvée 2016

Aromas of asphalt, blackberry, blueberry and crushed stones, then it turns to grilled meat. Medium-bodied with medium, creamy tannins and a juicy finish with a lovely bitter-lemon note. 52% syrah, 32% cabernet sauvignon and 16% petit verdot. Drinking really well now.

Vivid purple. A highly complex bouquet evokes ripe dark fruit, exotic spices and flowers, along with suggestions of incense, vanilla, pipe tobacco and candied licorice. Stains the palate with deep-pitched dark berry liqueur, spicecake and rose pastille flavors sharpened by a late jolt of juicy acidity. Impressively concentrated but lively too, showing superb delineation on the floral-accented finish, which is framed by dusty tannins that are quickly absorbed by the wine's dense fruit.

A wine that flirts with perfection is the 2016 Estate Cuvée, which is 52% Syrah, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Petit Verdot, all of which spent 15 months in new French oak. Deep ruby/purple-colored, with a masculine bouquet of crème de cassis, graphite, liquid rock-like minerality, and lead pencil shavings, it reminds me of a top 2010 Pomerol with its opulence, power, and purity. Hitting the palate with full body, a layered, seamless, multi-dimensional texture, and present yet polished tannins, this beauty is one of the finest examples of this cuvée yet produced. Give bottles 2-3 years and it will keep for 15+.