Magnums have always possessed an allure, a fascination, and a sense of prestige. They tend to be much more rare, more expensive, and impress with their size. They are as noticed at the dinner table as if they were themselves a celebrity. They also age much more gracefully as was most distinctly noticed with the 2009 Huber Pinot Noir Magnum. The Bon Vivant Gourmets usually have a case on hand of regular sized bottles and recently just finished our last case of the '09's. When we opened the Magnum for a special moment, it was immediately clear that magnums do age better, more gracefully and are noticeably higher in quality.
All Huber Cellars' magnums are hand-made from their labels (because large formatted bottles won't fit on the bottling line) to their hand-dipped wax tops. This also means that they are in extremely limited supply and worthy of very special occasions. Sometimes, that special occasion is the magnum!
Upon gently removing the cork without the head-turning POP!, a wafting complexity of scents filled the room - emanating from its neck a bouquet of rich, dark red fruits. Using Riedel Sommelier series Burgundy Grand Cru stemware on a bright sunny day, we poured and let rest in the open air for half an hour. We then brought the wine indoors to a neutral environment and conducted a professional tasting. After several swirls in the glass and intense, concentrated inhalation, we were inundated with a beautiful bouquet of cranberries, cherries, and raspberries right up front. In the middle and back layers were subtle yet noticeable earth and herbed mushrooms. There were absolutely no noticeable past-prime elements in the magnum, indicating that it was perfectly peaking and had aged very gracefully.
There are many different kinds of silks in the world, from soft Thai silk often used in blends, to shiny heavier Indian silks used for shirts...and then there is the Chinese silkworm that produces the world's softest, most subtle silk. One variation of this silk is so soft it can only be used for lady's scarves and is very delicate. When the Huber magnum Pinot Noir passed our lips and glided over our tongues, it was like the silk used in the Chinese scarves - so soft, so delicate, so gracefully smooth. We immediately applied this to the magnum as the wine felt so much softer than the same wine in a regularly formatted bottle. Up front and immediately present was a gentle sweetness of dark fruits reminiscent of candied apple and Chinese Hawthorn candy. This was followed by dark bing cherries that remained present throughout the multiple layers. Dark earth notes followed and co-mingled with the dark fruits thereby providing the impression that this could be a Burgundian wine on steroids but the consistent fruit profile dismissed this. Very well balanced acids with a perfect harmony of earth and fruit combined with the graceful age of a magnum make this wine one of the most delectable we've had all year!
