Deeply extracted, deeply colored, powerfully and exotically scented. A floral perfume overlaid with citrus rind, juniper, lemon balm, and other botanicals (think fine artisan gin), dark red fruit, leather, meat, and other animal scents, including formic acid. An immensely sexy glass of wine just to smell, but the palate overflows with astonishingly concentrated fruit, with citrus, animal musk, and resiny pine flavors. How Xavier Durand manages to pack such an array of scents and flavors into this wine is a mystery to me—but a beautiful mystery. Truly memorable. Hard to resist now, but a long keeper with an excellent balance of fruit, acid, and tannin. Perhaps not for everyone, but if you’re at all adventurous, don’t miss this one.
Food pairing: So uniquely flavored, that it seems a shame to draw any attention away from this wine, but likely to be delicious with duck; venison with juniper berries; or other game dishes with a pungent sauce.