2006 Sea Smoke Southing

Popped the cork about an hour and a 1/2 before drinking, but not decanted at Berserkerfest 2.5 at Peking Duck House in Manhattan.  Soft color in the glass, with a sweet nose of plum, raspberry, cola, spice, and a bit of alcohol.  On the palate, this was super tight at first, with some strawberry and cherry.  Definitely not as big as other Southing’s I have had, but still a big wine.  As the night wore on, some mint came out, along with some cinnamon and clove.  The finish still had some alcohol, and I wasn't overly impressed with this.  88 points.

As we went to leave, there was still a 1/2 bottle left, so I re-corked it, took it home, and put it in the fridge overnight with a cork in it.  On day two, this wine had mellowed out a ton, and transformed into the Sea Smoke that I have come to love.  It still however didn't compare to the '05 in my opinion, but was still a great wine.  Pretty much the same nuances as day two, with more cherry, and alcohol and oak that had integrated nicely overnight.  Many will say to drink the '06's now, but I tend to disagree, and think that these need another 2-5 years in the bottle before they get to the point at which we truly enjoy them.   This will definitely get better with time.  HOLD.  92 points on day two.