$155.00
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"The 2019 Collares from Viuva Gomes is a frail, fully transparent garnet to the eye tending ruby at the core with faint tawny and brick-dust tints towards the rim. Coiled and reticent, it is initially delicately fragrant, unspooling saline trimmed aromas of underripe strawberry, hung game, and iodine. Complexifying nuances of antique furniture (the Mahogany barrels!), crushed rock and white sand, and leather cure form a veil behind which latently powerful notions of cocoa, plums and dried roses bide their time. There is also a spellbinding and disarmingly precise analogue to aged, raw Pu Er tea present, eathen and elusive. Further aeration reveals subtle oxidative hints and faint citrus fragrances, especially dried mandarin peel. The palate is similarly tightly bound, with great skeins of acidity driving the presently high-toned flavours across the tongue; firm, severe tannins act as channel, fine but highly compressed. Time will be most kind here but presently orange peel and tangerine citrus abound, along with dried pale-red fruits. As in the aromatic profile, behind these lurk deeper pitched notions of dark fruits and bitter chocolate. The finish is very long and savoury, with highly stimulating inflections of mineral salts and ferruginous ore, bay laurel, and sweet strawberry. Most unusual, unique even. Excellent." — David