A little musky on the nose with some early floral flourishes, followed by some nice, brushy elements as well. There’s a light lashing of vanilla oak with some walnut tones, all over slightly creamy smelling raspberry fruit and hints of pomegranates. A touch dull on entry, but this opens quickly in the mouth to unfurl lovely bitter cherry fruit in a soft but not unstructured package. There are some nice sharp mineral tones here, and the fruit is dense and firm, driving the cherry tones across the moderately long finish. The acidity pops after a bit of air, adding some more freshness and helping to read more...develop more red berry inner mouth perfumes. This does show a bit of heat on the finish. 89pts (hide)