John G.

14 reviews · avg 78/100

Color: honey

On the nose: Heavy on fruits and light earthy aromas. Up front are medium and pleasant aromas of dried apricots, an assortment of berries, fresh peaches and apples. In-between are subtle and short rancio aromas of dried shiitake mushrooms, leather and something powdered and herbal. Ginseng comes to mind.

I left this to breathe for 15 minutes and noticed the fruity notes changed. I start to get persimmons, Thompson grapes and nectarines. Somewhere in there are also subtle notes of star fruits and pineapples.

In the mouth: Just as fruity as on the nose but no more rancio. Unlike on the nose, I get more black grape flavors here. I also taste some honey, dried apricots and apple chips. The sweetness here also reminds me of a Chinese snow fungus soup that’s said to be good for the lungs. In my house, it’s been made to help with cough and colds. It has white fungus, goji berries, dates and sometimes chestnuts. There’s a lingering oaky taste in the background which I assume is the French oak.