by Andrew Chalk
The preamble to part one read…
“More people are coming round to the idea that Texas can make good wine as they sample more of it. But the ultimate test of gravitas in, at least red wines, is how they age. How does Texas do in that regard?
To find out, I am doing a series of tastings of Texas wines, all 10+ years old, and assessing how they are doing. I am choosing them based on how their peers in other parts of the world do at the end of their first decade.”
And later added
“Since this vintage is no longer available in the retail market I have helpfully indicated the price as ‘infinity’ in the title, above. ”
THE WINE
Magnus is 52% tempranillo and 48% cabernet sauvignon although, on a bottle this old, there was also broken cork. This is one of the earliest examples of winemaker Dan Gatlin’s “tiny yield” approach. Like a small number of California and European winemakers he started harvesting grapes at economically insane levels of 0.4 tonnes/acre. The objective being to get massive and complex fruit concentrations.
TASTING NOTES
The fruit is intense and vibrant, red plum and black cherry. It is surrounded by tertiary notes from the 14 years of ageing, especially charred wood and toasted bread. Chewy pronounced tannins provide texture and a healthy acid level keeps this wine lively. Drink now, but I suspect this wine would last several more years given the tannins and survivorship qualities of the fruit.
NAME: | Inwood Estates Vineyards 2011 Magnus, Texas |
COMMENTS | |
APPEARANCE | |
Clarity | clear |
Intensity | deep |
Color | garnet |
NOSE | |
Condition | clean |
Intensity | medium plus |
Aroma Characteristics | Red plum, black cherry, toasted bread, charred wood, vanilla |
PALATE | |
Sweetness | dry |
Acidity | medium plus |
Tannin | medium plus, chewy |
Alcohol | medium plus |
Body | full |
Flavor intensity | pronounced |
Flavor characterstics | Red plum, black cherry, toasted bread, charred wood, vanilla |
Other observations | Fruit is powerful and well-defined.Making the wine seem younger than its 14 years |
Finish | |
Quality Assessment | Very good |
Bottle aging | Suitable |
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