2009 Massaya Gold Red

The 2009 Gold Reserve is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon (from approximately 35-year-old vines), 40% Mourvedre (from approximately 25-year-old vines) and 10% Syrah (from approximately 12-year-old vines), all from the Hadath Baalbek region (North) of the Bekaa Valley, aged in various mixtures of new and used French oak. While the oak is overly prominent just now, this wine shows beautifully. Tightly wound, focused and powerful, it is built to age and evolve. It is not overly expressive at the moment. Give it a couple of years and we’ll see where it goes. This is a pretty good candidate for the best wine I’ve seen from Massaya, but it does need to prove in the cellar that it can absorb its oak, which, at the moment, is slightly annoying. Drink 2014-2025. Importer: Winebow, Inc., Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620