Color: A mixture of light olive and gold. Free of any sediment or haze. Attractive and natural looking.

Louche: Builds slowly from the bottom up, but lacks the trails and layering action that a superior louche provides. Doesn't get too thick, which I like. It was thick enough with an attractive milky green hue characteristic of a good verte. It doesn't obtain that opalescence though. Much like the Belle Amie, a slow drip and ice cold water is essential for getting a decent louche.

Aroma: Neat the aroma is wonderful. As soon as I opened the bottle I knew I was going to like this absinthe a lot. It possesses a delightful floral bouquet that dances all over your olfactory senses. It gave me deja-vu to a time standing in my great grandmother's garden in the spring long ago. The anise takes a back seat. Very clean, very floral. Not room filling, in fact it stays mostly in the glass. For this, and for the fact that I found the N-O and Belle Amie more complex I granted this a 4 instead of a 5.

Flavor: Delicious. That floral bouquet exploded onto your palate while that Italian Wormwood imparts a desirable bitterness. There is a strong "bite" in there that I enjoyed. I found that it contrasted some of the more delicate floral notes well. The only imbalance is that the anise plays second fiddle, but it works well in this absinthe. An offering like this makes me re-think my stance about the pre-dominant flavor in an absinthe having to be anise.

Finish: Long and enjoyable. The wormwood imparts a slight bitterness while that creamy fennel finally makes it's presence known. IMO that's how fennel should work in an absinthe. It imparted a slight numbing sensation, which I found desirable.

Overall: This is one of my favorite offerings to date. I have a feeling this stuff has good aging potential, if one has the willpower to do so. I look forward to trying more of Stefano's creations.