Castelmaure Corbières Cuvée No. 3 1998

Castelmaure Corbières Cuvée No. 3 1998: Moderately deep hue, showing a little maturity on inspection. An incredible nose; stony, minerally, charcoal, sooty, meaty, organic aromas, with just a hint of tar and flower petal. Clean, stone and soot-influenced palate. Medium bodied. Initially a lean texture and firm acidity, but it fattens up with some aeration and soon displays superb concentration married with a well defined texture. Stuffed with smoke, mineral and stone interest. Black olives and just a little red fruit to be found, backed up by some strong, grippy tannins. Delightful and complex. Drink over the next five to eight years. 18+/20 (20/9/04)