January 12, 2014 – Wine: 2007 Bell Cellars Claret

This wine is reaching a wonderful stage right now.  This was my third and final bottle of the 2007 Claret and now I am going to miss it.  The first bottle I opened back in 2011 was a little premature.  I opened the next bottle in early 2012 and it was starting to show its merit.  Tonight I opened this wine to share with friends and the wow! simply poured out of the bottle.  The first thing you notice with this wine is its beautiful fruit-forward presentation.  This wine is superbly balanced, complex, and integrated, with vintage-typical flavors of blueberry, blackberry, baking spices, eucalyptus, and minerals.  I shall have to seek out more bottles of Bell Claret soon, as my stock of Bell wines is nearly depleted.