Decanted for an hour and smoothed out nicely. Was looking for a bolder wine to go with black bean turkey chili. Wasn't disappointed with this Grenache Syrah blend. Sweet and sour Cherry, blueberry and some vanilla.
Solid wine for being so inexpensive
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Aromas of cherry and black licorice. The palate confirms the aromas as well as adding a hint of leather. Light to medium body with very light tannins. I really enjoyed this and think it represents good quality-to-price ratio.
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Technically sound but does not appeal to me. This attempt at a big, intense 85/15 Grenache/Syrah reminds me of Hamlet's soliloquy, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." I like concentrated earthy flavors but this comes across much like over-salted meat, lacks fruit, and has no harmony in the mouth. Instructive in that this wine illustrates why Rhone producers often add Viognier to their reds to bring out the berry and add juiciness.
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color: light-to-medium purple; nose: oak and a little cherry; taste: medium-bodied mouth feel, musty vegetal slightly-tangy blackberry taste, chalky black pepper tobacco medium-length finish backed by good tannins; overall: decent everyday weeknight un-fruity Old World pour, falls short of special but it's probably a good pairing with grilled chorizo or Italian sausage
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Similar to previous notes. Needs 15 minutes for nose to come alive, hits peak at 30 - 45 minutes. Really love the nose and paired perfectly with Spanish fare.
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color: light purple x crimson red; nose: just a little blackberry and oak; taste: thinnish mouth feel, tastes more of green cinnamon spice than fruit, chalky green short-to-medium-length finish with lots of tannins; overall: presents a rustic Old World profile, greatly benefits from a couple of hours to breathe and open up, good QPR ($11) -- but the unnecessarily super-heavy glass bottle is an energy-waster.
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Good affordable Montsant. Classic Grenache flavors that are well developed and not over-oaked. Dry finish that lingers a decent amount of time. Good spice notes and white pepper from the Syrah on the finish. Very good QPR. Would swear you are drinking a good quality CdR, which makes this an excellent QPR play. Good food wine.
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Cherry color, earthy and spicy on the nose, not overpowering fruit or alcohol on the palate, great finish, good tannins. Pleasantly surprise as some Monsants have not been to my liking. Fairly valued, I would not say great QPR, but I really liked it.
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Tried two bottles two weeks apart. One reviewer called it baby priorat but it does not have the elegance and concentration of a good priorat. Also does not have the coarseness of some cheap priorats. It has gobs of flavor, neither curt nor lengthy, opens up nicely with an hour or two of breathing, and delivers. Garrigue herbals and mineral notes arrive before and dominate the dark red fruits, and there is a nice touch of cedary wood. By itself an 87-88, with cheese an 89, and with food (grilled chipotle/ancho/paprika seasoned chicken breast and rosemary garlic potatoes) it rises to a 90. We poured it after a nice sonoma fume blanc during the second tasting, and discovered that a teaspoon of the fume blanc gave the Mas Donis a refreshing roundness and lifted the fruit higher in the glass without changing the overall character. Quality Price Rapport is outstanding.
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Scents of red fruit, spice, pepper, and mineral notes. On the palate ripe red fruits and black fruits interwoven with clove, spice, and faint hints of cedar. Very good
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Clear crimson, interesting tomato paste and red clay nose, medium to full body, berries, garrigue, and currants on the palate, tannic, dry, long mineral and strawberry finish, despite the modern bottle appearance this has old-school rustic character at a nice price point
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Friends brought this when we grilled hotdogs on 6/20/11. It had aromas of black cherry, cola, spice, licorice, smoke and burnt toast. The palate was smooth, deep and balanced, but turned a little watery on the back end. The flavors followed the nose.
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Enjoyable, but not my favorite style probably due to the high amount of Grenache (85%) vs. Syrah (15%), i.e. too light bodied, however for those who enjoy lighter bodied reds this would probably be viewed as quite nice. Nose showed red fruit, front to back; soft fruit and floral notes. Finish very smooth and elegant. Silky smooth tannins. For me this is more of a luncheon/cocktails styled wine good for cheese and light hors d'oeuvres but would not fit well with heavier meals. All said, this is a nice value for the price (around $11-12)
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10/17/2015 - sojoknuckle Likes this wine: 89 Points
Enjoy this with a grilled steak and rice. Over all light but worked well with the steak and seasoned rice.
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9/16/2014 - Redrunners wrote: 88 Points
Nice wine for the money.
Decanted for an hour and smoothed out nicely.
Was looking for a bolder wine to go with black bean turkey chili. Wasn't disappointed with this Grenache Syrah blend. Sweet and sour Cherry, blueberry and some vanilla.
Solid wine for being so inexpensive
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1/14/2013 - Wine Gopher wrote: 87 Points
Aromas of cherry and black licorice. The palate confirms the aromas as well as adding a hint of leather. Light to medium body with very light tannins. I really enjoyed this and think it represents good quality-to-price ratio.
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9/30/2012 - Bob in NC wrote: 88 Points
Had decent depth and balance; thought the Syrah gave a nice roundness to this primary Grenache based wine. A good value.
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8/23/2012 - wilypod Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Technically sound but does not appeal to me. This attempt at a big, intense 85/15 Grenache/Syrah reminds me of Hamlet's soliloquy, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." I like concentrated earthy flavors but this comes across much like over-salted meat, lacks fruit, and has no harmony in the mouth. Instructive in that this wine illustrates why Rhone producers often add Viognier to their reds to bring out the berry and add juiciness.
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5/21/2012 - msaxton123 wrote: 87 Points
Average
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3/28/2012 - Epic Tale wrote: 85 Points
color: light-to-medium purple; nose: oak and a little cherry; taste: medium-bodied mouth feel, musty vegetal slightly-tangy blackberry taste, chalky black pepper tobacco medium-length finish backed by good tannins; overall: decent everyday weeknight un-fruity Old World pour, falls short of special but it's probably a good pairing with grilled chorizo or Italian sausage
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3/23/2012 - Decanthor wrote: 89 Points
Similar to previous notes. Needs 15 minutes for nose to come alive, hits peak at 30 - 45 minutes. Really love the nose and paired perfectly with Spanish fare.
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3/17/2012 - Epic Tale wrote: 84 Points
color: light purple x crimson red; nose: just a little blackberry and oak; taste: thinnish mouth feel, tastes more of green cinnamon spice than fruit, chalky green short-to-medium-length finish with lots of tannins; overall: presents a rustic Old World profile, greatly benefits from a couple of hours to breathe and open up, good QPR ($11) -- but the unnecessarily super-heavy glass bottle is an energy-waster.
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1/30/2012 - baseballvino wrote: 87 Points
Good affordable Montsant. Classic Grenache flavors that are well developed and not over-oaked. Dry finish that lingers a decent amount of time. Good spice notes and white pepper from the Syrah on the finish. Very good QPR. Would swear you are drinking a good quality CdR, which makes this an excellent QPR play. Good food wine.
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1/21/2012 - CabralesUSA wrote: 85 Points
Cherry color, earthy and spicy on the nose, not overpowering fruit or alcohol on the palate, great finish, good tannins. Pleasantly surprise as some Monsants have not been to my liking. Fairly valued, I would not say great QPR, but I really liked it.
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12/3/2011 - wilypod wrote: 88 Points
Tried two bottles two weeks apart. One reviewer called it baby priorat but it does not have the elegance and concentration of a good priorat. Also does not have the coarseness of some cheap priorats. It has gobs of flavor, neither curt nor lengthy, opens up nicely with an hour or two of breathing, and delivers. Garrigue herbals and mineral notes arrive before and dominate the dark red fruits, and there is a nice touch of cedary wood. By itself an 87-88, with cheese an 89, and with food (grilled chipotle/ancho/paprika seasoned chicken breast and rosemary garlic potatoes) it rises to a 90. We poured it after a nice sonoma fume blanc during the second tasting, and discovered that a teaspoon of the fume blanc gave the Mas Donis a refreshing roundness and lifted the fruit higher in the glass without changing the overall character. Quality Price Rapport is outstanding.
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11/1/2011 - STM82 wrote: 89 Points
Delightful wine with notes of cinnamon, clove, and all-spice.
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10/20/2011 - nzinkgraf wrote:
Baby Priorat and for under $15, this is great.
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10/7/2011 - Ceo wrote:
Just Bad
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9/24/2011 - Kirk Grant wrote: 86 Points
Scents of red fruit, spice, pepper, and mineral notes. On the palate ripe red fruits and black fruits interwoven with clove, spice, and faint hints of cedar. Very good
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8/6/2011 - Decanthor wrote: 88 Points
Tried at tasting. Nice nose, medium-full body, good fruit expression with a bit of earth and oak. Very nice for a wine at this price point.
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8/1/2011 - whits wrote: 88 Points
Clear crimson, interesting tomato paste and red clay nose, medium to full body, berries, garrigue, and currants on the palate, tannic, dry, long mineral and strawberry finish, despite the modern bottle appearance this has old-school rustic character at a nice price point
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6/20/2011 - garambler wrote: 90 Points
Friends brought this when we grilled hotdogs on 6/20/11. It had aromas of black cherry, cola, spice, licorice, smoke and burnt toast. The palate was smooth, deep and balanced, but turned a little watery on the back end. The flavors followed the nose.
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4/23/2011 - laxman wrote: 88 Points
Enjoyable, but not my favorite style probably due to the high amount of Grenache (85%) vs. Syrah (15%), i.e. too light bodied, however for those who enjoy lighter bodied reds this would probably be viewed as quite nice. Nose showed red fruit, front to back; soft fruit and floral notes. Finish very smooth and elegant. Silky smooth tannins. For me this is more of a luncheon/cocktails styled wine good for cheese and light hors d'oeuvres but would not fit well with heavier meals. All said, this is a nice value for the price (around $11-12)
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