Tasting Notes 66 found

At a graduation party last weekend I brought four malbecs for a taste test. Of the four, this one was best liked by those who tried them all. (The others were Ruta 22, Graffigna, and Diseno old vine.) (1925 views)

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At a graduation party last weekend I brought four malbecs for a taste test. Of the four, this one was ranked third or fourth by those who tried them all. (The others were Ruta 22, Graffigna, and Trivento.) It was notably drier than the first two liked. I noted also a slight bitterness. Still, it was liked and was perfectly drinkable. (4364 views)

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Sweet, smoky caramel on palate (luckily not burnt caramel); pleasant and interesting new offering from Red Diamond. (2256 views)

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At a graduation party last weekend I brought four malbecs for a taste test. Of the four, this one was liked second best by those who tried them all. (The others were Trivento, Graffigna, and Diseno old vine.) (2410 views)

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At a graduation party last weekend I brought four malbecs for a taste test. Of the four, this one was liked about third best by those who tried them all. (The others were Ruta 22, Trivento, and Diseno old vine.) We had it with dinner--barbecued meats--and though it was notably drier than the two best liked, it went very well with dinner, I thought. (2845 views)

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Of the six new Grocery Outlet wines I brought on an extended-family camping trip over Mem. Day weekend, this one was the most satisfactory to my taste. A typical and tasty merlot, perhaps with a point or two thrown in for being 9 years old and still palatable. (Can't remember much more specific about it, as it was three days and several beers and wine bottles ago.) (1017 views)

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Bought 3 bottles for $8/per at grocery outlet. Fresh strawberry nose; very deep purple; at first musty, but whole bottle was very fruity, jammy goodness. Actually better without aeration. Very very mellow. Enjoyed with sausages and mustard, then chocolate around the first outdoor campfire of the season. Lots of sediment to chew on in this now 9-year old bottle. Just giddy to be able to give a 90 to a bottle I paid $8 for (and still retailing around the internet for $45-50). Thanks Grocery outlet. (2360 views)

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I was excited because our Grocery Outlet got this in and it scored high. Unfortunately the bottle I had appeared to be beyond shelf-life: as it says on the back label, can drink now or cellar for 8 years. We're now going on 9 for this one, which must be why Groc. Out got the remainder. It was drinkable over the evening, but right from the beginning it was full of funk, a bit oxidized and chewy, with a quite sour palate and bitter finish. Again, I was able to "enjoy" the rest of the bottle throughout the evening, but I won't be buying more.

--a short p.s.: I just saw the same exact bottle and year still selling retail ($12) at Cost Plus, which is probably why this is selling quick at our Grocery Outlet. Perhaps I got a bad bottle, and perhaps worth another stab.-- (3701 views)

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Drank bottle relatively quickly while engaged in other tasks; not much fruit, a bit bitter on the finish, but it was pleasant enough. Didn't write down notes soon enough so don't quite recall the details. (1107 views)

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2011 seems like another good vintage on a fairly consistently good ~$10 Chilean Carmenere. Dark, full-bodied red, nice strong tannins balanced by a complex dry but smokey, chocolatey, dark berry taste. I will watch this for sales and buy as a regular weekend treat. (Past years of it have a consistent average of ~85-86 on cellartracker. I give it a high mark for QPV: if you want an interesting and pleasing rich red for under $10, it's a best value.) (2357 views)

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I brought it on an extended family camping trip, knowing that my brother-in-law, serious wine drinker, loves S. American wines and Malbecs. I wasn't thrilled about this bottle, but he liked it and drank it. Something in the S. Americans that I've had recently has turned me off a bit--something a bit stinky in the nose. Maybe I've spent too much time getting aclimatized to current mid-range French wines, I don't know. I have one more bottle, I'll give it a try with him when we meet up again for a wedding in two weeks. (12733 views)

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After a bad experience of "nose of cat pee" with the Panilonco Malbec-Merlot, I decided to pop this one in my cellar too, just to see if it had the same problem. It did, though not to such a noxious extent, and without the comparison to the Malbec-Merlot to taint it, it MIGHT have been drinkable. But I was done with having the scent of cat pee in my wine glass, so this one is heading the way of its brother: down the sink, and onto my DO NOT BUY list.

[Update: OK, I corked it and let it sit for two days and gave it another chance. It was fine, funk was gone. Smoky caramel on palate was the prominent feature. I finished it and was happy.] (2724 views)

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If you like a strong nose of cat urine and fish, then this one's for you. If not--we did NOT--then don't buy this wine, unless you just want to pour wine down your sink, which is where this one went.

I gave it a day to let this nasty funk burn off--it did not (ok, it did a little), and I could not get the smell of cat pee out of my nose for the next two days. Sort of ruined the weekend for me. (5135 views)

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This Bordeaux showed up again at our Grocery Outlet, along with a couple others (Chateau Lafont and another one) so I decided to give them another try since my early notes were mildly favorable. Lafont (not listed on cellartracker) had a hint of kool-aid that did not go away. This one, Larkan, is definitely a daily drinking Bordeaux. Nice nose, acidic, nothing offensive on palate or finish. I had it with teriyaki BBQ-grilled pork chops. Will buy at least a couple more at $6. (2788 views)

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On first day, basic acidic effect, nothing great but nothing terrible. Second day (drinking now), nose is more vinegary, but taste is okay to a bit bitter. I'll pick a different Trader Joe's Bordeaux over this one (Haut-Sorillon?), but if you have it, drink the first day. (8695 views)

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