AMON-Ra by Ben Glaetzer

Saturated violet. Amazingly complex bouquet of creme de cassis, candied blackberry, fresh flowers, cocoa powder and minerals. Pulls off the feat of being dense and sweet but also bright and lively, with potent dark berry, kirsch and licorice candy flavors that deepen with air. The tannins, if you can find them under the mountain of flavor, are fine-grained and wonderfully supple. This wine’s purity of fruit, along with its precision and richness, made it one of the most dramatic wines of my tastings.

This dense ruby/purple-colored wine exhibits a sweet nose of vanilla, graphite, blackberry, and cassis. Full-bodied and pure, with decent acidity and a moderately tannic, silky finish, it is accessible enough to be drunk now, but will be even better in 1–3 years. It should last for a dozen years or more.

Ripe and smoky, a blast of cherry, dried blueberry, roasted meat and licorice flavors that power through the dense, ultraripe finish. A brawny wine that needs time to settle down. Best after 2010.