(December 9, 2015) … So tonight I took a visit back to 2005 with two wines, starting with a Frog Hill 2005 Rana, It started off very leathery and smoky added in some baker’s chocolate on the mid-palate then ended with a real leathery finish … not great but I thought I’d give it the benefit of the doubt and continue with it, but time was not the answer here: after an hour it’s super hard to drink, more liquid leather than anything else. That can only mean one thing, times to search out something else.
I stayed in 2005 and this time pulled out a Chilean blend, Veranda 2005 Cabernet – Carmenere, aromas of mint and cassis; palate had mild fruit flavour, along with mint and black cherry. Finish is minty, smooth with black cherry, but a short finish. It was drinkable but uneventful, better than the South African mess I had earlier in the evening, but that’s not really saying much.