CARONI 1998 High Proof "No Smoking" One of 3850 bottles.

Nose : lively, cheerful. The glass diffuses a feeling of youth. Just the right amount of aromas: butter caramel, bourbon vanilla with citrus fruits and exotic fruits. Perfectly blended together. Notes of ginger, cardamom and citrus fruit zest, a touch of mint and freshly cut grass enhances its fresh character. Honey and furniture polish make way for a very subtle minerality similar to the Alsace wines.

Palate : concentrated, rich. Very generous. Particularly fruity (very ripe orchard fruits) and aniseedy. Lovely bitter taste of liquorice sweets which expands into subtle notes of charred wood. An ode to the mellow characteristics of oak. Incredibly fresh.

Overall : endless. Offers a particularly elegant fruity/woody balance. Opens on a spicy register (cinnamon, cardamom). Its mineral character hits in fairly late, with notes of oilfields.