April 7, 2014 – Wine: 2008 Saint Clement Oroppas

After tasting the 2005 vintage of this wine, I was eager to try the 2008.  Noting how many of the 2008’s are starting to come alive now, I thought I should open a bottle of this before it misses its peak.  Most of the Oroppas blends tend to peak after about eight to ten years after harvest, so I thought I should check in on this one.  Immediately after opening, the wine was expressive and tending towards fruits.  After an hour open, the wine was fairly soft, well balanced, but lacking any kind of wow! characteristics.  On the palette, I noted black fruits like blackberry, sweet prunes, leather, and minerals, and a note of lime on the finish.  This wine still needs more time in the bottle.  I’ll open another after a year or so.