(Clos Marie) Metairies du Clos, VV, Pic St. Loup 2004

Purple/red.

Dried herb (oregano?), earth, suave oak spice - something Burgundian/umami too on the nose - fruit confection/underbrush/savory meat.

Really plush, but not sweet, in the mouth. Grainy tannic chew/flavor concentration start to finish. Another wine that seems to flow on two different tracks - Schildnecht's"interplay" of flavor/structure. Again - many would label this as a wine with a "mineral-laden" finish. Basically meaning this wine needs some time in the bottle to strut.

Very refined, deep wine from the Languedoc.

Day 4 - Much deeper than the Olivette. An integrated whole that is difficult to break into meaningful "pieces" the same way it is difficult to "deconstruct" a great Marcassin PN (at least aromatically). In the mouth oak toast dominates, with a strong tannin/acid synergy crimping the finish.

Talk to Eric at The Wine Consultant outside Sacramento.

$35