Leviathan 2006
Leviathan
Red Blend
This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc. Made by Andy Erickson and Anie Favia. 14.5% Alsohol
Pop and Pour: Purple in color, not too dark. There are notes of wood, cedar, and a concentrated fruit (jam), but overall the nose is a little tight at first. On the palate, there are notes of vanilla and cherry. Very nice rich fruit on the front palate, with nice notes of acid on the mid palate. As the wine finishes the tannins definitely show structure. There is a really nice lushness to this wine. A really nice wine right out of the bottle, but time and air will really round this wine out nicely.
Fast Forward: Time and air have opened this wine and revealed a very pleasant experience. 45 minutes after the wine was opened the nose really began to reveal itself. Nice cherry cobbler on the palate, with a finish of condensed raspberry sauce. The finish is very very long and very enjoyable. Hours later, this wine moved a little further along revealing more complexities and stronger tannins.
Overall: This wine is really fun. It has the fruit for play and the tannin for structure. This would be an amazing wine to entertain a small gathering, as it has s little something for everyone. The price (50ish) is nothing to take lightly, but I found this wine had a good value for its overall experience. Time will help this wine considerably, but I do not think this is a long term cellar candidate. This wine should hit its stride in 2 years and should be consumed by 2014. If you are drinking it relatively soon (for my palate) 45 minutes of air is just about all this wine needs to get its engine going. Still relatively an under-the-radar wine considering its lineage, this wine can be easily found and shared with your more adventurous wine buddies. Certainly an ABOVE AVERAGE wine I would highly recommend finding. ABOVE AVERAGE