2010 RdV Vineyards Lost Mountain

This 2010 Lost Mountain has been seen before, but it's worth a note because it has aged so well to this point. Aging is always one of my concerns with new wineries using relatively young vines—not that this is exactly old yet. This is one of the winery's finest vintages—I found it very impressive at the winery. Revisiting it now fulfills my hopes. It opens a bit sharp and thin. It needed about 30 to 45 minutes of air. Then, it just became beautiful. The sharpness resolved as the concentrated mid-palate here pulled in the hardest edges. That's not to say it wasn't still hard—it just seemed better balanced, even while the tannins asserted themselves. Unctuous in texture and seeming more concentrated every moment that it was open, this is certainly one of the best Virginia reds that I have encountered. It's a beauty. The only remaining questions are how long it will age and how much more it will develop. Right now, it seems young, so there should be no rush. There is not much track record, to be sure, but it doesn't even seem to be at peak yet. It's also still a bit tight. At this point, it is worth a small uptick, but it needs to continue to age and develop to merit that faith.