Peyros 2001 Madiran “Vieilles Vignes” (Southwest France) – A half-hour’s decanting is really all that’s needed here, as the wine bursts forth from the container with deep, dark, only slightly brutal black fruit. There’s a hint of char and a good deal of forceful weight. After a while, everything appealing goes away and one is left with the expected mouth-puckering tannin, but what’s interesting (or disturbing, depending on one’s point of view) is that the hard tannin and the big fruit never take the stage at the same time; the fruit is the opening act, while the tannin is the headliner, and there’s no encore jamming. I think it will age, but something seems “off” about the fundamental conception of this wine, and so I’m not sure. (3/08)