The 2019 Novicium comes across as slightly darker-fruited than the impeccably balanced 2018, with a greater emphasis on black cherries and cassis and less on red fruit and delicate herbal nuances. Full-bodied and velvety in feel, it's a bigger, richer expression of this mountain vineyard, yet one that is also a touch warm and slightly coarse on the finish.

The 2018 Novicium boasts expressive grace notes of sage and bay leaf atop deep bass layers of dark chocolate and mixed cherries. Medium to full-bodied, it's nicely velvety in texture, with ample length on the finish. It's not your ordinary "second wine, " but it's not coming from an ordinary estate either.