2016 - Bodegas CARO

Bright, dark red-ruby. Captivating violet lift to the complex aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, cocoa powder and nutty, cedary, coconutty oak, with a pyrazine element adding complexity without overshadowing the wine's fruit. Then juicy, dry and tight in the mouth, showing less early sweetness than the 2017 Amancaya Reserve. With its inky and herbal notes and savory peppery tobacco leaf character, this very stylish but laid-back wine needs at least a few more years in bottle to unwind. Layered and complex but hard to taste today: I suspect this wine will ultimately merit a higher rating. This joint project of Lafite-Rothschild and Nicolas Catena is distinctly claret-like in 2016. (aged for 18 months in 70% new and 30% second-use Château Lafite barrels)