The nose has that vermouth character to it with that bitter, fermented tartness and brininess. The palate has hat astringent vermouth character to it with some sweetness giving way to a sweeter, fruitier profile. Yeah, that brine is there on the palate too, lingering throughout. This is borderline sippable, but it falls just on the wrong side. I could drink it, but I'd prefer not to. It's kind of its own thing, but I'm not a big fan of the flavor profile and it isn't super complex (though it isn't totally bland either). I think I'll be giving it an 11 or 12. There's quite a pomegranate flavor and a little bit of raspberry and strawberry too. The nose is generally spiced with some sweetness and bit of fruit. The palate is similar, with some caraway and ginger flavors coming out amidst some cranberry and a faint hint of brown sugar. There's not a ton of fruit to it really though. The spiced flavor really does come through, but the fruit definitely doesn't have the fullness and depth of red wine. The palate is solid enough and this is great for mixing, but the complexity is not all that much - it definitely doesn't taste like a red wine was used. The amount of sweetness is pretty nice, but the canpari-oike bitterness could be a fair bit much for many. I don't think this is better than a 15, but it could be a 14 or lower. I'm dropping it to a 14 for now.