Shez,
I openned a 2006 last night - just ready.
Yep, A friend who resides in Italy for much of the year, was over for a rustic supper, he has been supping aged and rustic hand harvested Puglian wines, so I needed something with similar power and concentration for Summer solstice eve. Wine straight from the cellar was cool, with real structure and a fab streak of acidity to amplify the whole. We waited 20 minutes with third full glasses on the patio.
For me this 2006 Siete is the star Chilean rouge of the year so far, and with Michel Rolland in charge, the Malbec came through with real class - just as the profile in an expensive old vine Cahors would have done after some years in bottle. The Merlot 35% element was delicious, some cigar box and teak, the whole thing being lifted by a 10% Cab element (appeared like more of a %) that provided blackberry and eucaliptus as it does in Coonawarra. Excellent vanilla oak harmony, there is fine grained tannic elegance here as well as fruit power.
A wonderful mix, and IMHO close to Bin 389 if not a little easier on the tannins. The wine lasted over an hour, and was not hot on the palate at all.
Shez, you were spot on with that observation 2 years ago.
