93 Points CellarTracker Member

This is a classic Ballard Canyon that manages to walk the fine line of being a big, full-bodied, wine that manages to retain a well delineated complexity. Very deep ruby with a nearly black core, showing some signs of age, but well short of what I would call bricking. The nose and palate are very much in line, both being med+ to pronounced intensity, with loads of blackberry, red plum, dark cherry, cured meat that almost has a tree bark vibe, light olive, graphite, cloves and nutmeg. Full bodied, high but not overwhelming alcohol (14.5%-ish?), med+ tannins that are nicely integrated and med+ acidity to keep it all together. There's a lot of everything, but all the components play their part and this isn't a screaming wall of sound. This drinks closer to a N. Rhone Syrah, from a hot vintage, than an clichéd Aussie, fruit bomb, Shiraz. This was better with an hour+ in a decanter. I've seen a lot of drinking window dates putting this near the end of its life and they're frankly incorrect. This has a lot of runway left and I think this could push out closer to 2030. 6/3/2022