Dark garnet with a slight brick color in edge. Requires 1-2 hours to open up, but don’t decant - it’ll ruin it. All vanillas gone in rose, instead replaced with forest fruit, cigar box, cedar, flinty compote, and indeed oak. Berry a bit tough to discern, but a bit liked baked fig and cocoa. Taste still bright in acids, nice to taste vanillas and tannins pulled back. Finish is cool but noticeably elevated in mouthfeel and persistence. Drinking near peak. Nothing flabby it sweet, trademark of high quality WW Merlot. You’ll love this, open a bottle if you still have one.
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Decanted for about an hour prior to drinking. Showed a little leather and spice on the nose but the fruit was late arriving until about an hour in. Palate was pleasant but subdued. Tannins are still present. Will come back in a year.
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Hazy notes from a couple of nights ago. The first day, after about 15 minutes this wine was dominated by extreme oak. Not at all pleasant to me. After leaving it in the fridge overnight, the next day the fruit surfaced and the oak had dissipated enough to be quite a nice wine. A Jekylll and Hyde experience for me, so difficult to score - 82 the first night and 90 the next? My only bottle, so I won't see if this wine will ever shed the oak.
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This wine starts with a peppery dark fruit nose. Decanted for about half an hour. This seems to be improving either with time or with dinner..or both. He thought it worked its way up to a 90, she was still at 88 so compromise won. Acids and fruit are well balanced, there is pepper, black fruit and earth on the palate. The first tastes were chalky, but that is gone now.
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ruby color, can see light through bottle. Alluring nose of sweet oak, tobacco and chocolate. Sweet oak, cherry, chocolate, and smooth light tannin persist on the sweet medium length finish. Delicious now, needs a few years.
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Brooding with dark fruits, backed by smoke, tobacco, leather, plum compote, cherry balsamic. Huge, pure Walla Walla fruit on the taste, maybe a touch sweeter than a WW Syrah, but straight up Merlot profile. Soft finish, long flavors that only extend with more time in the decanter. This should be unbelievable in a couple years.
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12/16/2017 - JasonG Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark garnet with a slight brick color in edge. Requires 1-2 hours to open up, but don’t decant - it’ll ruin it. All vanillas gone in rose, instead replaced with forest fruit, cigar box, cedar, flinty compote, and indeed oak. Berry a bit tough to discern, but a bit liked baked fig and cocoa. Taste still bright in acids, nice to taste vanillas and tannins pulled back. Finish is cool but noticeably elevated in mouthfeel and persistence. Drinking near peak. Nothing flabby it sweet, trademark of high quality WW Merlot. You’ll love this, open a bottle if you still have one.
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7/31/2017 - JMFWC Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for about an hour prior to drinking. Showed a little leather and spice on the nose but the fruit was late arriving until about an hour in. Palate was pleasant but subdued. Tannins are still present. Will come back in a year.
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6/24/2017 - JohnSh wrote:
Hazy notes from a couple of nights ago. The first day, after about 15 minutes this wine was dominated by extreme oak. Not at all pleasant to me. After leaving it in the fridge overnight, the next day the fruit surfaced and the oak had dissipated enough to be quite a nice wine. A Jekylll and Hyde experience for me, so difficult to score - 82 the first night and 90 the next? My only bottle, so I won't see if this wine will ever shed the oak.
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9/1/2014 - garygailkrivan Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is still a very solid WS Merlot, well balanced with the tannins really mellowing out, this is very close to arriving at it's peek.
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3/26/2014 - garygailkrivan Likes this wine: 92 Points
This one is aging well, soft tannins with great structure and well balanced.
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6/20/2013 - blabbott wrote: 89 Points
This wine starts with a peppery dark fruit nose. Decanted for about half an hour. This seems to be improving either with time or with dinner..or both. He thought it worked its way up to a 90, she was still at 88 so compromise won. Acids and fruit are well balanced, there is pepper, black fruit and earth on the palate. The first tastes were chalky, but that is gone now.
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5/24/2012 - MWZ wrote: 90 Points
Wonderful. Very solid, ruby color, good enough to chew.
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12/15/2011 - holly.m.house wrote:
Past its prime when I drank it.
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11/11/2011 - jmcmchi wrote: 91 Points
Lovely nose, nicely balanced with some residual tannins
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10/18/2011 - williamswhine wrote: 89 Points
Another winner from Northstar. Solid, fragrant nose, smooth well-balanced palate, enjoyable drinking wine with or without food.
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10/2/2011 - phantphant wrote: 86 Points
Very good deep, purple and aromatic. The intensity of previous Northstart tastings didn't come through, however.
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9/25/2011 - Matteo1 wrote: 92 Points
ruby color, can see light through bottle. Alluring nose of sweet oak, tobacco and chocolate. Sweet oak, cherry, chocolate, and smooth light tannin persist on the sweet medium length finish. Delicious now, needs a few years.
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12/29/2010 - JasonG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brooding with dark fruits, backed by smoke, tobacco, leather, plum compote, cherry balsamic. Huge, pure Walla Walla fruit on the taste, maybe a touch sweeter than a WW Syrah, but straight up Merlot profile. Soft finish, long flavors that only extend with more time in the decanter. This should be unbelievable in a couple years.
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