2003 Kruger-Rumpf Spaetburgunder 'R'

[SimonSaysDrink]

Pinot Noir. I'd forgotten this nut-kicker came in at a smashing 15% alcohol. In the glass, the nose was closed for business upwards of two hours. I've never experienced something so muted before (actually, a 1997 Leoville Las Cases never emerged after three days in a decanter. Fail.). Vigorous swirling left an impenetrable film of Pinot, with legs that fell slower than molasses. Once the aromatics began to let loose, all we got for a few hours was rich liqeur, spicy cinnamon and christmas cake. The alcohol was palette-numbing (and staining, if that can be believed), and what may have been assessed about the wine in the initial moments of pleasure was subdued by the prominence of ethanol. As the wine emerged from its cocoon, it was easier to identify the wine's current merits in the aromatics, as by that time my tongue had completely lost all ability to discern nuance and flavor. Not for the faint of heart, this one, but a wine I fell in love with in 2005, and a wine that I think will develop splendidly once the pieces integrate. I hope, however, that my initial perception of this wine hasn't clouded my current speculation on its future. Right now it's almost impossible to tell whether the fruit has been entirely cooked/oaked out of this wine. I really need a few more bottles with which to experiment, as this one disappeared in a single six hour span of Rock Band World Tour.