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White

2018 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas

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11/23/2020 - Order66 Likes this wine: 95 points

As being a newbie to collecting, I tend to stash my current release flagship Tablas Creek wines away before I actually give them a bottle go. I’ve encountered a few 3-7 year old sleeping beauties that just didn’t strut like I had hoped and for the most part decided that I’ll drink them at their 10 year mark. That’s something I think I must change. Opened up this one because we couldn’t fit it into a case and ended up being the singleton at home. Dinner was to be a simple roasted herbed duck with a side of potatoes in a dill vinaigrette, and some cherry tomatoes.

5 minutes after we popped the bottle open, it was singing. SINGING.

Intense scents of rocks, honey, wax, thyme and rosemary, with globs of apricot, peach, tangerines, pineapple and mangoes. The scents of this wine, with tarragon, thyme and duck coming from the oven was a joy. A quick pre dinner sip showcased a gorgeous richness that gives way to heavy pineapple, pears, and limes. Insanely opulent while maintaining great acids. Fingers were crossed that it stayed that way throughout dinner.

Moving onto the actual pairing about 15 minutes later oh what a joy. By now the wine was even more open with beaming notes of flowers, quince, candied ginger, coffee, melon with an even richer texture that was matched with even more zingy acid. We were pretty much aghast at how open and flamboyant this wine was. I’m pretty sure temperature had something to do with it- it was (if this makes any sense) cold enough, but not enough to trigger condensation around the glass.

We followed this wine for another three hours or so and it did not want to stop- it just kept on caking Rainer cherries, walnuts, honey, more melon, a saltiness, lovely peonies it just felt like it could not stop.

The only wine that triggers an excitement like this is their 2009 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc. Two immensely different wines with different notes but the same classy elegance and stunning perfume. I have no shame in saying (and will die on this hill) that Tablas Creek is the best producer of Rhône whites outside of the Rhône Valley itself. I still love producers in WA/AUS/SB/Amador/Sonoma, but the 2018 Esprit Blanc (even in its infancy) is absolutely show stopping. I think a 95 is extremely conservative. I will not at all be surprised if years from now this performs better than the 2018 Beaucastel Blanc.

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Red

2016 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas

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10/9/2022 - apple1813 Likes this wine: 93 points

2016 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas was precise, vibrant and perfumed. The developing Rhône-styled blend was clear and medium ruby in colour with traces of fine sediments. Freshly corked, aromas of strawberry, blackberry, lilac and herbs de Provence jumped out of the glass. With two hours of in-bottle aeration, it gained complexities of iodine, liquorice and autumn leaves.

The mouthfeel was dry and verging full-bodied. Its relatively high level of acidity and medium level of polished tannin stood apart from the Mediterranean counterparts. Flavours of red cherry and red plum transitioned to crushed violet, black pepper, Ceylon tea and a touch of smoked game in a long, sleek finish. The 14.5% alcohol was well-integrated. The estate is certified organic and biodynamic. The empty bottle weighed 490 grams.

The blend is composed of 46% Mourvèdre, 31% Syrah, 18% Grenache and 3% Counoise. In the 2016 vintage, the relatively cool August allowed an above-average hang time for the grapes to achieve phenolic maturity while maintaining the vital freshness. The grapes are fermented in a combination of large open-top tanks, closed stainless steel fermenters and large upright wooden casks. After raising in barrels for half a year, the cuvée is blended and aged in large 1200-gallon French oak foudres for another year prior to bottling.

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Red

2012 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas

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10/12/2018 - tward Likes this wine: 93 points

Prior to decanting poured about 2oz and had over about 10 minutes. It was good to very good, but wound up, showing bright red fruits with a medicinal tone to it. Quite drinkable and if it remained like that it would be a respectable "88", but disappointing vs. price and expectations.

The bottle was poured into a decanter using a filtered funnel that "sprays" the wine out into the interior of the decanter. It sat 2+ hours prior to engaging again, with not much shaking to aerate.

What a difference that decant made. It lost the medicinal edge, retained the bright red fruits, but put on an ethereal weight. Now we're talking CdP! Plum, bay leaf, olive, baked earth, cocoa nibs were all there, all subtle on their own, making a complex, engaging wine. It entered "95" territory. After a couple of hours of drinking, including through the meal (*) it got a bit disjointed and dominated again by high notes and some varnish. The lesson is that this is a wine to decant right now! Further aging over years will build an excellent wine.

* We also had open a 2012 Pegau, which was noticably forceful on PnP with telltale funk, raw and roasted meats. Thus, with dry aged steaks, the Pegau dominated the sipping with the meal.

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Red

2010 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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10/27/2018 - tward Likes this wine: 94 points

This was an accidental open. Thought I was grabbing an upright 2007 Tablas Syrah. I even had several sips somewhat mindlessly ahead of dinner while watching a game on TV. Then I paid attention - "This tastes like Grenache!"... "but I'm getting some minty dark chocolate-y notes and roasted meat - This tastes like Mourvedre". So out to the kitchen and indeed, the big reveal! I've found the older Tablas Syrahs remind me of Northern Rhone renditions, while the Tablas blends are much more true to the Southern Rhone / CdP intentions.

This is drinking beautifully. It really manages to have that depth and complexity carried effortlessly, never heavy, complemented with a brightness on top and spices and garrigue that most of us want in a CdP.

Oddly enough this did not stand up well against a mild (not really rich) pressure-cooker beef stew. The wine's essence got kind of neutralized. I think this would be better with a more straight-on preparation of aged beef, lamb, or even duck.

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Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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9/12/2013 - kenhoeve wrote: NR

public service announcement. Tablas current vintage chart dated June 2013 lists the 07 Beaucastel as CLOSED. They are accurate, this wine always shuts down, and the recent notes would seem to corroborate. Do not open until Tablas reconfirms drinking chart. http://www.tablascreek.com/media/files/pdf/vintage_chart.pdf

just a happy TC drinker.

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Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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5/1/2018 - Hamersly wrote: 93 points

Needs several hours of air. Opulent and complex, drinking beautifully. Should hold at this level for a few more years but no reason to wait.

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Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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9/27/2017 - DaveZack Likes this wine: 94 points

I received this beauty from Tablas Creek’s (T.C.) wine club in October, 2009. The bouquet is very interesting, revealing herbaceous and earthy/soil elements of the wine. The wine pours VERY dark (about as dark/black as a Petite Sirah), not too surprising since this red blend consist of 44% Mourvedre, 29% Grenache, 21% Syrah, and 6% Counoise. This always fabulous red blend generally goes into its “closed” phase about five years after being bottled. This wine recently “exited” its closed phase and is drinking wonderfully/beautifully now. I’d imagine this wine was about a 96-point wine before it went into its closed phase around 2012.
The flavor profile is about 90% dark/black-fruited, such as black berries and plums and black cherries, along with 10% red-fruited elements, such as red currants, sour cherries, and raspberries. There are also delicious herbaceous elements as well, consisting of a huge variety of dried herbs. This wine is also slightly rich and creamy, along with food-friendly structural elements (tannins and acidity). This wine is super food-friendly and palate cleansing, along with an elegant and lingering finish. I paired this beauty with filet mignon tenderloins from CostCo spiced with Kosher salt, black pepper, and ground cumin. This wine paired beautifully/wonderfully with those tenderloins and would also pair well with chops and racks of lamb, as well as Beef Wellington, prime rib, and any other high-quality steak. This wine is structurally elegant and deeply/complexly-flavored, and would pair well with just about any red meat protein dish, along with pot roast, stew, etc……… Tablas Creek’s wines are ALWAYS fabulous/fantastic/delicious (all of their single-varietal bottlings, as well as all of their blends). If I were to win one of those massive Powerball lotteries, I would hire a truck driver that has a refrigerated “big rig” and go to Tablas Creek and buy probably 50-to-100 cases of their always-fabulous/fantastic wines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since their Esprit De Beaucastel (now named Esprit De Tablas) always goes through a “closed” phase about five years after being bottled, I’ve started drinking those red blends before they go into that phase. I recently finished all of the 2012s and will soon begin drinking the 2013s. This particular vintage is drinking beautifully right now and will probably continue to age gracefully/elegantly for another five years or so.

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Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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8/29/2018 - PSirah Tampa wrote: NR

The wine is not in a good place at this time. It has an effervescent quality and the fruit is funky. I'm hoping the wine is just too young at this point- I have 7 more of them. The Tablas Creek website says the wine is ready to go.... not for me.

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Red

2013 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas

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4/1/2018 - tward wrote: 88 points

I can talk about wanting wines with finesse and elegance all I want, but at the end of the day, I want "more" from the Esprit. Similar to my 2016 notes, this has a very nice nose and is seamless and refined. But it has a very short finish and comes off as a bit hollow or thin. It's nice, but I can only hope this digs deep and pulls up some "more" over time.

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Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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4/10/2018 - oldcorke Likes this wine: 94 points

Poured in a comparative CdP lineup with no decanting and tasted over 2-3 hours, this Paso Rhone Ranger, from Beaucastel vines, had a rich dark fruited nose with evident muscle from the Mouvedre (44%). Abundant blue and black fruits lead the way in tasting, backed by well balanced acid and tannin. This is very enjoyable now, and could easily go another 4-6 years in a good cellar.

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Red

2013 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas

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2/6/2018 - Motz wrote: 93 points

Tasted over two days. Lush bouquet, mostly of fruit, herbal teas, and incense. Loads of fruit, red and purple, all held in check by tangy acidity. Also offering notes of sous-bois, even peat bog, mincemeat, and coal. Uniquely balanced, opulent yet precise. The fruit receded slightly on the second day, allowing the wine's appealing substance, peat and coal in particular to show through.

At $60, I prefer Beaucastel for a few more dollars, but this was very enjoyable. The effusive ripe fruit held in check by excellent acidity made a great impression. The wine's open and forward style suggest that it should be enjoyed over the next several years. 92-93.

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Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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4/14/2017 - BVal wrote: 91 points

Last tried 9/16 from a flawed bottle (NR). Time to try another and hope for better things . . . .

Color: medium ruby core -> light ruby rim; still lighter in appearance than expected. And once again, quite the savoury bouquet of forest floor, sage, thyme, plums and tobacco. No spritz evident on this bottle; showing much better than the last with roasted game meat, anisette, plums and a minerally edge. Tannins still showing their presence but that's to be expected with '07 Paso wines. Long, savoury finish showing a touch more heat(14.5% per label) than I would like. Ultimately, far superior to the last affected bottle; perhaps a little room for improvement but given the bottle variation I doubt I will search out any more than the 1-2 bottles I have left in the cellar. Here's hoping the remaining bottles are in the happy camp.

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Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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3/20/2017 - jrkennedy37 wrote: NR

Some spritziness when first opened and poured. I was afraid this was going to suffer from secondary fermentation but with a few minutes of swirling (got my workout for the week) it opened up to a very brooding wine with a bitter finish that faded a bit with time. Not as remarkable or expressive as other vintages which I'm going to attribute to the spritziness. Of 3 bottles I've tried, all three have been affected.

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Red

2011 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas

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12/8/2016 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine: 91 points

Nice, well balanced GSM and a non typical Paso Rhone blend as it is more subtle and not the over ripe, over the top, high alcohol wines that are more typical. Definately more in the style of Chateauneuf Du Pape.

Very enjoyable and I always love Tablas Creek for the balance, soft tannins yet nicely extracted wine without being heavy handed.

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Red

2014 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas

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9/26/2018 - acidqueen wrote: 92 points

Amazing fruit straight out of the decanter. Lovely crunchy cherry, cranberry, raspberry. Nice balance. Definitely try one young, but save it for another 5-8 years as well as it will get even better. It will be hard to keep my hands off this one though.

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Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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3/20/2017 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 93 points

WIML93

Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about two hours.

Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Kirsch, soapstone, pepper and berries. Flavors of Bing cherries, raspberries and plums. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink over the short term.

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Red

2008 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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5/11/2016 - fingers wrote: 87 points

Notes after following for a day open. Color is garnet heading into brown, about 70% opaque with very minor sediment. Aroma is a bit lacquered and oxidative, hanging on to florals while the fruit is slipping away. The palate is mature and smooth with fully resolved tannins presenting a nice glycerin feel, but the fruit won't be much longer for this world. I can't imagine this is going to see a dumb phase like it's French counterparts.. I think it is just heading over the hill and needs to be consumed in the near future. The CT drink window is much too optimistic (and the Galloni window even worse) judging by my experience from my first bottle in January to this example. Both bottles had perfect storage conditions all along, yet the dropoff in a mere 5 months is substantial. 4+10+17+6 = 87

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Red

2012 Tablas Creek Panoplie

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12/23/2019 - dino_mike Likes this wine: 93 points

After reading on the wineries site that this vintage is ready I opened and poured: Great balance of dark and red berry fruit with very slight smokiness that tasted the same and was full bodied. Finish was smooth, long and complex with nothing feeling over ripe or over aged. Felt ripe and fleshy with almost a baked strawberry flavor mixed well with light forest floor notes. But do drink in the next year or 2.

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Red

2014 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas

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9/27/2019 - apple1813 Likes this wine: 93 points

2014 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas was elegant and complex, wrapping ripe cherries, herbs and meatiness with a generous silky mouthfeel.
The Rhone blend from Paso Robles was clear and medium-deep ruby in colour without any sediments. The nose was very lively and complex, with ripe red and dark cherries, strawberries, toffee and licorice, followed by savoury roasted beef with mixed herbs. With an hour of aeration, floral violets notes emerged, with subtle enhancing earthy and funky background. On the palate, it was medium-bodied balanced by medium-high acidity. The mouthfeel was very satisfying with medium level of silky tannin. Flavours of candied cherries, minerals and thyme lingered in a long finish.
The blend composed of 40% Mourvedre, 35% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Counoise.
It could be served at room temperature without decant, and let it evolve in glass. The primary characteristics were so irresistible right at this stage of evolution.
Compared to typical Chateauneuf du Pape, the Paso Robles wine was more fruity, elegant and fragrant, and the tannin was more polished. I was deeply impressed by the results of Perrin's work in Central California.

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Red

2014 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas

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12/30/2021 - Baron Slick wrote: 93 points

This is a showcase of elegance and power. Floral and earthy aromas of dark fruit, braised meat, herbs de Provence, and a beautiful array of spices. Full bodied, impeccably structured, classically meaty, with juicy notes of black raspberries, cool stones, and black tea tannin, all in perfect sweet and savory balance. Beautiful with a 1+ hour decant and plenty of bottle-age upside going forward.

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White

2018 Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas Blanc

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9/1/2020 - tward Likes this wine: NR

This might need a little more time in the bottle. On PnP and for quite a bit of time, it was quite good, but not particularly expressive, complex, or dynamic and even a bit thin. It seems to both perk up and add complexity and a bit of depth after a couple of hours. So the jury is out on this. Clearly a nice wine, very good, clean and high quality, but it was not engaging - I guess that is par for the course at the price point. But this wine might do better in a year or two and I've had Côtes de Tablas Blanc that drank better.

Aside: The Tablas Creek vintage chart is currently showing "Drinking Well: Youthful" with no indication to decant.

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Red

2013 Tablas Creek Panoplie

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7/7/2018 - azscot wrote: 88 points

Drank after a 2 hour decant. Not sure if this is in an closed phase but it seeems a bit ‘flat. Not a lot of body, very little finish. I wanted to give this a higher rating because of I anticipated more based on other community scores and tasting notes but it left me disappointed. Tried again on day 2 but no noticeable improvement.

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Red

2008 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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6/9/2013 - DaveZack Likes this wine: 92 points

This wine has a very nice, fruity, floral, spicy, earthy, ever-so-slightly oaky bouquet, with an emphasis on herbs and spices, dark fruit, violets, and that lovely Paso Robles earthiness/terrior.

This is a fantastic Rhone-style G-S-M/Chateauneuf-du-Pape red blend. The first thing that impresses me the most about this wine is its chalky/clay/limestone earthiness that practically jumps out of the glass. After the fabulous soil/”dirty” characteristics, wonderful red and dark fruit elements shine brightly, especially the plum, blackberry, black cherry, and raspberry flavors, followed closely by gorgeous herbs and spices (TONS of black pepper and acres of savory herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, and lavender).

This is a wonderfully well-balanced red blend, with smooth, sweet, silky tannins, the perfect amount of oak, acidity, and alcohol, along with a gorgeous, long, lingering finish. We actually drank a half bottle (375 ml.) of 2009 Domaine du Pere Caboche Chateauneuf du Pape before we drank this Tablas Creek bottle with dinner and it was VERY interesting how closely the earthiness, fruitiness, and spiciness paralleled each other. Paso Robles shares quite a few characteristics/elements with Chateauneuf du Pape, which is exactly why Robert Haas and the Perrin family founded Tablas Creek in Paso Robles, assuming/knowing/betting-on that Paso could produce world-class “New World” versions of Chateauneuf du Pape blends along with single-varietal bottlings. Boy-oh-boy, did their homework/assumptions/research pay dividends!!!

We paired this wine with Arthur’s fabulous rack-of-lamb, encrusted with panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, mustard, and spices. This wine paired PERFECTLY with the lamb and would also pair well with a well-seasoned ribeye, lamb chops, prime rib, and just about any red meat dish.

Tablas Creek’s vintage chart on their website (where every wine they’ve EVER made is categorized by the wine’s drinkability (too young, early maturity, peak maturity, late maturity, closed phase (hold), and past its prime)) lists this wine as “early maturity,” meaning this wine is drinking well right now but will continue to age and mature beautifully for another 10 to 20 years (TC’s Esprit de Beaucastel and their flagship blend “Panoplie” are famous for drinking well for the first few years after bottling and then during the bottling maturity process goes though a closed/shut-down phase about 3 or 4 (or more) years after bottling). This wine does indeed have the structure/backbone to age for decades, but at 5-years-old, it’s about to enter it’s “closed/hold” phase, so either drink this wine now or assume it will be in a “closed/hold” phase for a few years and won’t be “drinkable” until 2016 or so.

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Red

2017 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas

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10/14/2020 - wilypod Likes this wine: 93 points

Exuberant in the mouth with savory spice, supple textures and sweet tannin, dominated by Mourvedre and Syrah. The palate is balanced and not massive in contrast to the barrel tasting in Dec 2018. The color is less inky and the nose has brightened up beyond the dark marinade notes, showing a real Rhone Grenache kirsch and licorice patois. Unusual level of complexity in a very drinkable young wine. Decant a couple of hours ahead as it needs a lot of air to reveal itself and serve cool at less than 70 F, maybe 64-66 F. 93-95

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Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

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4/24/2017 - CWilliam wrote: 93 points

93+

Decanted for 2 hours - can't find my notes. My 5th of 6 bottles. 2 have been off, 3 have been great (at least with air time). This really needed some time but the VA that some bottles had was problematic. Drank over 2 nights and very good on night 2 - meat, iodine, raspberry, black cherry flavor profile. Medium+ body, medium+ acidity & medium tannins with a long finish.

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