Back To Posting - Stags Leap "Ne Cede Malis"

Back to posting after a long hiatus.

This was a wine that I had with our thanksgiving meal. The wine itself is a mishmash of grapes, with petite sirah chief among them.

The nose of the wine was a bit closed, but had enormous spice as a predominant component. We decanted it quickly to get it to open up, but it still was tight after the several hour meal. The complex spices were held up by a core of red berries, perhaps a bit on the underripe side. The spices were heady and beyond a predominant clove, it almost smelled like the mix at an indian restaurant.

On the palate it was a bit harsh, likely from a large amount of alcohol, but quickly gave way to a pleasing complex finish. Layers of cedar, vanilla, rose, perfume, cinammon and coffee. Overall a complex experience, with a number of unusual aromas. Not a wine I'd have every day, but very interesting. Also it might have gotten a bit better, if we'd decided to wait a year or two to drink.

The wine was around $50, so comparisons are relevant to other hugh PS wines. Given equal availablity, I'd choose a Turley or Sheafer Relentless over it. However, all of those are pretty scarce (as is this) and this is far better than most PS that I can find regularly. I recommend it with a slight reservation.