April 2, 2012 – Wine: 2005 Miner Family Vineyards The Oracle

Wow!  I remember this wine when it was young: rich, dense, fragrant, and promising.  After three years, this wine stands and delivers.  Upon popping the cork, this wine oozed an enchanting fragrance which persisted all evening.  After an hour of decanting, you are struck by the aroma simply by nearing the wine in its vessel.  The real magic is in the drinking.  Silky tannins carry flavors of juicy red currants, sweet prunes, and coffee in a palette saturating flow across your tongue.  While the finish can’t compete with the mid-palette, it is more than adequate.  There is tremendous balance, but a little intensity across the palette throws it off.  Still, given a couple more years, this wine will be an intensely elegant expression of my favorite (recent) vintage.  This wine embodies what I love about Bordeaux-style blends from Napa Valley.

2005 Miner Vineyars Oracle