u/New_Cantaloupe_4908

The nose is generous and a little wild. Fresh chamomile, Brie rind, lemon peel, and a flinty thing that almost reads as chlorine. Underneath there’s freshly smashed honeydew, a whisper of petrol, and beeswax tying it together. The strangest note is something between lychee and Concord grape with a raw sugar cane sweetness to it. Not like tropical sav blanc type stuff, just this unresolved energy that the wine hasn’t fully worked out yet.

The palate is a different wine. If the nose is the flesh of the fruit, the palate is the skins. Direct, linear, almost austere. Lemon pith, lees-driven funk reminiscent of blanc de blancs Champagne, saline minerality, long cold finish. There’s a slight warmth at the core but the structure stays vertical.

I’m glad I have a few bottles of this to taste over the years.

2022 Enfield Waterhorse Ridge cab

Around $60? I can’t really remember what I paid but seen it for 60~70 bones out there.

Probably the biggest evolution I’ve ever experienced from opening a bottle to two hours later, so splitting these up.

On opening (poured straight from bottle):

Nose has a ton of that graphite characteristic you get out of Cab. Deep plum, blackberry, and this Red Delicious skin thing I kept coming back to, almost like the skin specifically. Green vegetal note jumps out right when you swirl it, with a little mint in there too. Also picking up that raw beef/iron quality I sometimes get out of Cab. Oak is there but not overdone, no vanilla bomb.

Palate is fruit-forward but not jammy. Tannins are surprisingly fine for a 2022, the kind of polished texture I usually get out of older wines. Acid is the real story, bright and persistent, nothing remotely flabby. Long finish, medium-plus body.

Two hours later:

Completely different wine. The graphite and mint have basically dropped out. Nose turned into cherry cough syrup but without the cloying sweetness, mixed with this malted milk ball thing. There’s also a real high-quality leather undertone, like the smell of the inside of a good leather handbag or walking into a boot store. Palate shifted to bright red fruits with that great acid carrying it, and the finish picked up baking spice depth.

The amount this thing changed in two hours is wild. Either it’s got serious aging potential ahead of it or it was a little reduced on opening and needed extended air. Either way, awesome drinking experience.

I’m someone who doesn’t drink a lot of cab so this was a real delight to come back to Cabernet after months of Gamay and Riesling