| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.7 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 42 notes) |
| | Tasted by Hawk94 on 5/12/2018 & rated 92 points: A powerful wine! Great depth, complexity, good concentration, dark fruits, currants, dates, jammy, mineral, cigar box, very firm structure, chunky tannins, sweet, long after taste. (2004 views) |
| | Tasted by cuffthis on 2/1/2016 & rated 86 points: Antique brick red in color, this wine showed stewed and faded aromas of milk chocolate, espresso and red currant on the nose. The mouth feel was very soft with more red currant and little acidity. The finish was short in length with the dangling acidity holding the faded fruits in the background. 14.4% abv.
A recent gift from my Boss's wine cellar, this wine is past its peak and needs to be drank immediately. There were subtle hints of what once was but that's it. (3458 views) |
| | Tasted by rhanke on 9/15/2013: one of the best in a 2000 Merlot blind tasting out of 7. (5557 views) |
| | Tasted by affordableCollector on 9/15/2013 & rated 88 points: red, orange in color. sweet fruit, earth, oak, on the nose. cherry, blackberry, tobacco, cedar, tar, bitter cocoa, green pepper, on the palate. huge acid, medium tannins, on the finish. (5482 views) |
| | Tasted by Apschaefer@verizon.net on 12/31/2012 & rated 90 points: This wine is wonderful rounded with great flavors. After being stored in perfect cellar conditions since its release, the wine has aged perfectly.
Easy to drink. (6306 views) |
| | Tasted by Rudolf on 11/1/2012 & rated 87 points: At the end that is what ls at stake. Still now a beautiful taste, smooth and round. Ruby taste elegant and low at accidity. Drink now. (5481 views) |
| | Tasted by AlexHop on 4/3/2012 & rated 90 points: Really nice. Very balanced. I'm also tempted to say easy to drink but that might get interpreted the wrong way- it has some nice solid body, but its age is just about perfect. Some vegitable flavors, some leather, but not too much. (4870 views) |
| | Tasted by AlexHop on 2/20/2012 & rated 89 points: Fairly simple but with some nice dark fruit flavors. (3065 views) |
| | Tasted by uncle al on 11/21/2011 & rated 89 points: A very smooth and well balanced merlot. Not really passed its prime. I thought it was sort of fruit and complimented my filet very well (3284 views) |
| | Tasted by iamandyc on 8/28/2011 & rated 88 points: I think it is past its prime as the fruit is not able to balance out the structure and oak. Still very good with food but not a wow wine any more. Needed three plus hours to achieve this rating. (2634 views) |
| | Tasted by MAntonovich on 6/25/2011 & rated 87 points: Sadly, I've kept this one too long. Nice structure, supple tannins, but cloudy and murky. (2758 views) |
| | Tasted by mmontejano on 12/14/2010 & rated 92 points: Wow. Great. (3017 views) |
| | Tasted by slapsht007 on 12/12/2010 & rated 89 points: The cork broke as I removed it which caused me pause, but careful pouring into out of the decanter saved the day. Very well integrated wine, very rich and full. Nice dark berries present with subtle but balanced acidity. I was worried it was past its time, but no. Went real well with the beef tenderloin I pepared for dinner. (3062 views) |
| | Tasted by Yamadori on 5/2/2010 & rated 88 points: Consistent with previous TN. Gave this a short decant but it continued to improve over the next couple of hours. Smooth and refined with nice acidity and a medium body. Nice dark fruit with notes of chocolate and cedar. Medium length finish. Should last a while longer but probably best to drink these over the shorter term. (3482 views) |
| | Tasted by Anonymous on 3/26/2010 & rated 88 points: Cherry, blackberry and very smooth. A bit high toned, medium bodied and straightforward but still a nice drink. I'd drink them now. (3546 views) |
| | Tasted by Yamadori on 3/12/2010 & rated 88 points: Dark purple color with dark cherries, plum & a little oak on the nose. A little thin intially but over several hours this developed a rich, silky mouthfeel with dark fruit flavors and a little chocolate and cedar. Moderate finish. Very good and has a few years ahead of it still. (3556 views) |
| | Tasted by TannicBeast on 5/22/2009 & rated 91 points: Nice ruby color; alcohol, a little earthy, oaky, with good black fruit. Full- bodied but in a lighter style; tied for second at a blind tasting at yapa as a cab. (4007 views) |
| | Tasted by KeithAkers on 11/7/2008 & rated 92 points: Binny's California Night (Binny's, Highland Park IL): nose: very evolved and well balanced nose. More st emilion in style, but still retains some of its california roots with red cherries, roasted herbs, blueberries, and bits of cedar planks. Very good depth also
taste: Beautiful and well layered. Very smooth texture on the palate showing off how elegant merlot can be with Red cherries, BLueberries, Cedar, cassis, and some roasted herbs
overall: A very pretty merlot that has fully evolved. Velvety and elegant with a smooth red cherry attack and roasted herb finish. A really interesting wine to see how a good california merlot can evolve (4955 views) |
| | Tasted by iamandyc on 8/3/2008 & rated 90 points: Unfortunately was the third bottle of the night and popped and poured -- it needed time to round into shape as by the last sips, the structure softened and oak integrated to make it velvety. Early on, the fruit and the tannins collided. Deep black fruit on palate and nose. (4377 views) |
| | Tasted by rdorman on 11/10/2007: Very big for California Merlot. Shafer really does Merlot right. (5003 views) |
| | Tasted by Bunski on 10/10/2006 & rated 90 points: Nice aromas, consistent fruit and still some tannins left. (5244 views) |
| | Tasted by Mark on 6/17/2006: No tasting note. The bottle did not seem terribly interesting nor balanced, but I strpmg;u suspect my taste was impaired due to a migraine. (5522 views) |
| | Tasted by tomlbs on 3/6/2006 & rated 93 points: If this was a typical merlot, the movie Sideways would have had to have had a different script. This is a big brute of dark brambley fruit, spices, and mocha on the nose and ripe plums, cherries, cassis, and espresso in the mouth with a long long finish. At first, we noticed the dusty tannins but this wine continued to evolve for hours after opening , becoming more elegant and seductive as it sat. It is one of the best merlots that I have tasted and I am convinced that it will continue to improve if cellared properly over the next five to seven years. (5772 views) |
| | Tasted by ken-yyz on 11/29/2005 & rated 89 points: Decanted for two hours and consumed over another two hours. Deep, dark brooding colour. The nose has a nice mix of dark strawberry, cassis and leather. More than medium bodied the palate is silky smooth and the tannins are fully resolved.
I sipped a small glass before decanting and there was the tell tale 2000 green streak, but happily, it dissapeared in the decanter. What was left was a wonderful new world Merlot, just short of being exceptional. (5865 views) |
| | Tasted by zinslurpie on 10/16/2005 & rated 90 points: Decanted for an hour. Can see why decanting for 2 hours would be better. Quite nice. Tannins well integrated, medium bodied and nice balance of mocha and black cherry flavors. Look forward to having my last bottle in a year or so. Wow, year 2000! (5898 views) |
| | Tasted by Fookonson65 on 8/24/2005: Excellent, as always. Nicely integrated this time... nose was full right out of the bottle with cola, plum, mocha and spice. Drinks like a cab... med/full bodied, with cassis, espresso and slight earth, all nicely wound together. I would not hesisitate to pop this now. Missed out on the '02, but saw the '03 in stores recently. (6049 views) |
| | Tasted by festiva on 3/19/2005 & rated 92 points: I keep coming back to this wine as one of my favorite Merlots. Decanted 2 hours before drinking. Even though 2000 was a mediocre year for many Napa producers, Shafer got their Merlot right. Beautiful deep reddish black color, with very nice perfumed nose. No heat to speak of. Tannins really meshed well with the layers of dark fruit, tobacco and spice. Big, silky wine. Much better than the last time I tried it. 92 pts. (6234 views) |
| | Tasted by AlexHop on 2/13/2005 & rated 92 points: Wow, amazing for a 2000. Sweet with nice fruit and spice, and a great finish. Very balanced. Stands up nicely to the Harlan The Maiden 2000 I had last night. (6237 views) |
| | Tasted by JeffJo on 11/18/2004 & rated 92 points: Very tasty. Big berry nose with a hint of dusty tannins. Tannins are still present and not fully resolved. Big wide mouthfeel with dark fruit and spice. Long finish. Should be hitting its stride by mid-2005. (8226 views) |
| | Tasted by dbg on 11/9/2003: dark red, bit of tar and smoke in the nose, good fruit concentration,
medium body, very good (4131 views) |
| | Tasted by futronic on 5/13/2003 & rated 89 points: Dark ruby red to rim. Cedar, bramble, mocha aromas. Silky in the mouth with cassis, crushed black fruit and smoke. Good finish. (5109 views) |
| | Tasted by JeffJo on 11/21/2002: (Winemaker Elias Fernandez) The 2000 Merlot exhibits intense color with aromas of wet earth, warm herbs and spice. On the palate a core fruit of sweet plums and black cherry persists, ending with a coat of soft elegant tannin -- a delicious start to a new decade of wines to come! (5934 views) |
