This was a gift from Richard Olsen-Harbich, winemaker at Raphael, when I visited a while back.  I kind of forgot about this after looking through my notebook of tasting.  I did taste this with Rich in the tasting room, he was gracious to let me take this home and taste further.

In the glass, this was a very dark red.  This was highly aromatic wine; I was picking up aromas of all kinds of berries.  More specifically, blueberries, blackberries, and a hint of juicy raspberry.  There were some earthy notes there to, maybe some tobacco.  I remember placing my nose in to the glass and having to take a step back, put the glass down, and have a moment to myself.  The aroma was just so intoxicating.  I told Rich, that this reminded me of comfort, being wrapped in a warm blanket in front of a fire.

The taste was even better.  All of the elements I picked up on my nose carried over onto my palate.  I was picking up some black cherry and some juicy plum, along some fresh mint leaves.

The finish was very interesting, and being the geek I am, I loved this part, there was earthy tones on the finish with a hint of gravel and slate.

This is available for sale on Raphael’s website for $30.99, now and again you may find it in your local wine shop.  And if you do, I highly recommend you pick this up.  You will not be disappointed, I was not.  But save it for that special occasion.