DRC La Tache 2012 750mL

Though this is by no means exuberant, it's clear that there is good ripeness to the spiced green tea, hoisin, soy, anise, sandalwood and rose petal aromas. The cool, pure and seductively textured medium weight plus flavors brim with both minerality and plenty of dry extract that buffers the extremely firm but not hard shaping tannins on the overtly austere if seriously persistent finish. This is perhaps best described as a block of stone at present and while the tannins are quite fine they are dense and coat the mouth. This is clearly going to need a lot of time and unlike several of the wines in the range, it's not likely to be a good candidate for early drinking. Despite the presence of plenty of volume and muscle, I would still describe 2012 as a vintage of finesse for this storied wine. In a word, brilliant.