2009 Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon Darius II

Bright medium ruby. A bit more brooding and restrained on the nose than the Cabernet Sauvignon, offering aromas of cassis, black cherry, menthol and dark chocolate. A large-scaled wine with porty ripeness, but conveys a smoother texture to its dark fruit and roast coffee flavors, with notes of licorice and minerals adding some energy. Here the tannins arrive later and are more successfully integrated than those of the Cabernet bottling. But this is still in a rather unrefined style and more about size and sheer ripeness than shape or complexity.