Tasting Notes 66 found

Ick. Got this to use a mail-in rebate, so only paid $4.50 for it, but it wasn't very good. Stewed plums, a sour-bitter back end (and/or front end) that just wasn't very enjoyable. I finished it off but wouldn't buy it again at any price. (1667 views)

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I hadn't tried Gnarly Head despite (and probably because of) its in-your-face wine shelf presence. But a mail-in rebate enticed me (so I got this bottle for a cool $5). This is just an awesome, tasty $5 bottle of wine. I will be buying more to max out the mail-in rebate and will definitely put the Gnarly Head Cab on my go-to list when it's on sale in the $8-9 range. (I also got the Authentic Red, but haven't tried it yet.) (2649 views)

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Not bad. Drank it well chilled. (3216 views)

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I got this one at Groc. Outlet, so obviously it was something its importer/distributor was dumping cheap on US market. It's likely past its prime or the bottle I had was gone south. Though not undrinkable, mostly sulfur and bitterness predominate (with perhaps some other funk, but I'm not savvy enough to identify their sources.) Tannins were still nice and puckery after 11 years, but otherwise this one's over the hill. (3433 views)

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A truly excellent low-priced Napa cab. (Note, this is a Napa-sourced cab, as the Irony shop is actually in Manteca.) I got this on sale for $10, and it was easily one of the best 10 bucks I ever spent on a wine. When I need a solid wine for a meal or party this one is now on my list. I concur with the tasting notes of Gogorson and Timbalimba. True, the heat does pack a whollop. (2541 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.) (2354 views)

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This bottle, shared with my brother-in-law over the weekend, was better than the previous one I had. We both thought it was fine--as we quaffed it rather quickly at a family event.... (2413 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.-- (3696 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. (4359 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. (2842 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.) (2408 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 best liked by those who tried them all. (The others were Ruta 22, Graffigna, and Diseno old vine.) (1923 views)

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The bottle I opened (bought at Walla Walla GO) was similar to the one described/reviewed here (http://grossoutwine.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/2003-louis-bernard-vacqueras-red-rhone-france-4-99/): super sludge on cork, pretty funky at the beginning. I took this camping and disappointedly set it aside when it was not a simple “crowd-pleaser” and moved on to something else. But I corked it and took it home, I tasted and drank from it over the next few days and it definitely became more approachable. I ended up drinking 7/8ths of it. But it’s still not something I’m dying to buy more of. Too bad, because the bottle is certainly attractive. (1286 views)

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Good qpv for $4-6: typical cab-merlot, on the new-world oaky side. (1113 views)

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What's not to like? Great chilled on a hot day outside; less dry than a champagne, when you just need some light fizz but don't want to go all the way to a brut. (6433 views)

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