One wouldn't expect a wine with some much age to be lively and energetic, but one would be wrong here! 1998 is known for being a muscular vintage, and I think that shows here. Though clearly a mature wine in the glass, brick colored with a fading rim, the palate is still lively with acidity and red fruit. The predominant note I'm getting, though, is umami. This wine is full of mushroom and truffle, with a damp soil/earth throughline holding it together. This is a lively, easy-drinking wine with some nice development. Great for anyone looking to toe-dip into the world of aged wine, or for fans of mature wine that are looking for great value!

This is quite the compelling wine without even smelling it, it's a 1998 that you can get for less than a dollar per year and I've typically had good experience with Fronsac with age on it, so let's dive in. The color is pretty advanced, with a large orange ring, but no real tinges of brown yet in this bottle. The nose has a mélange of roasted peppers and leather, there's some darker fruit behind that, but the nose is very savory overall, and really pushing into tertiary, with some mushrooms working into the mix, there's fresh tobacco leaves, lots of forest floor. The palate follows along, with leather and a kind of stewed pepper note, but there's also touches of black cherry before the barrel spice and toasty finish come out. This is such a fun little bottle of wine, and definitely worth trying at this price, if for no other reason than to see how you feel about wines with some extended age on them.