Original Tasting and Review:
By way of background: Trou de Bonde Roux (Red) from Santa Barbara County, CA, is a blend of 58% petite sirah, 35% zinfandel and 7% tempranillo, coming from Santa Barbara Highlands and Laetitia Estate Vineyard. The 2006 vintage is finished at 14.2% alcohol. This was acquired as part of an American Cellars Wine Club selection from Vinesse.
In the glass: Trou de Bonde Roux shows as deep purple in the glass, opaque to within an inch of the edge. On the nose: Poured with a brief decant and swirled vigorously, this California meritage sports a bold, beefy and complex nose. There are deep black cherries in there, violets, saddle leather, writing ink and men's cologne. Seems you could almost imprint any fragrance somewhere inside this heady blend.
On the palate: The first element on the palate is a pure prune essence along your tongue. It's somehow much simpler than the aromas would have suggested. Moving to your cheeks, the prunes show a bit of sweet-and-sour combo, along with some spiciness, lodging for a healthy stay.
And the wrap-up: The finish is held in your cheeks with solid acid and tannic grip.
In summary: Overall, a big, prune-based and bold experience. Rates three stars on the five-star Spirit of Wine scale, as I'd be intrigued to try it again.
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Following a five-day decant under vacuum in a partially-filled bottle: Aroma is still solid and complex. This time, the palate offers a bit more complexity too. Light to medium bodied, a red berry essence moves along your palate, bringing red raspberries and some mid-palate depth and sweetness too.
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