The only thing consistent about this wine is its inconsistency. I've had a couple of bottles that I would score 85+ biut not this bottle. This wine has multiple personalities. Does it make the wine complex or are there other reasons (i.e., production, grapes sourced, etc) for this? The first night I aerated through a Venturi and had high alcohol content on the nose that drowned out any fruit notes. On the tongue was faint dark cherry flat taste with some spice. The finish left tones of licorice. Tonight I decanted the wine for an hour and there was no alcohol on the nose, and a raspberry earthy spice taste with a tobacco finish. If this was a blind tasting, I would have no clue it was a Merlot.
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Good smell and smooth taste, drink with food or on own. We had with pizza and was very good. Fruit mostly with hint of pepper. If your not a red drinker this one will be ok for you.
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Stemmy, licorice, and blackberry on the nose. The palate starts off flattering, presenting a litle sweet (oak), and easy on the tannins with the slightest of acidity to live'n it up, but the complexity is lacking. This is an easy drinking quaffer and nothing more... and quite frankly, at the price point, I don't think it is pretending to be. The palate gives way to flagrant capsicum at the end... and an off putting after taste I can't put my finger on- probably the biggest let down of this wine. Still-not bad for the money. I find the drinking window way off- hasn't got the structure or the fruit to go the distance. Drink now through one year.
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Potent nose of ground pepper, petrol volatiles and ripe plum. Tannins are present but controlled. Light to medium body. Finish is warm but moderated in time. Another great Washington being offered at a reasonable price.
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Very smooth, very very smooth: not much tannin at all, and what there is very fine. Very little acidity or any other kind of bite. (I get the velvet, but where is the devil?) Fruity: none of that green pepper you get so often with cheaper Merlots. Quite short. Overall: pleasant, but not that striking. (13.5%)
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Way to much oak not nearly enough fruit. A long lingering overpowering oak "flavor" lasts throughout the finish adding length to something that doesn't need it. Unbalanced simple wine.
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Surprised I didn't find any oak splinters floating in my glass while drinking this boysenberry frankenstein. It's not so much that it's disjointed as it is unbalanced. And as much as I wanted to attribute this lack of balance to its youth, I'm not getting enough good feeling from the midpalate (too thin) and finish (almost brackish). The saving grace is that it's a $10 bottle, so at least the price point is appropriate.
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Dark garnet with medium viscosity in the glass. Big points for the rich nose of dark chocolate, coffee, blueberry, game and flint. Brambly dark fruit, cocoa powder and coffee on the palate, along with pleasant, dusty tannin. Disjointed vegetal (bell pepper), oak and heat detract mid-palate, especially after opening up. Medium finish. Good effort and respectable complexity considering the QPR.
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Translucent ruby. Coffee cake nose. Not mich fruit on the palate either - dominated by chocolate and brown sugar (although not sweet). Low acidity and soft tannins. It's definitely merlot, which is nice. Med finish. Needs an hour or more out of the bottle.
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it was ok, not memorable and just a mite jammy. So-so nose, but after breathing for an hour, more than expected. Not one i would recommend. Just an experiment. Could have been better. Oh well, on to the next Washington trial.
Postscript: the second day I was prepared to pour rest down drain when I retarded. 24 hrs. later the jammy taste was much more palatable, the finish far more satisfying. Nose still nondescript but I changed my thoughts from don't like to neutral. Needed to be fair to Charles Smith.
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5/8/2013 - Wine_lvr wrote: 85 Points
Easy drinking merlot. Decent pvr for USD 13 the bottle
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4/24/2012 - Dave H. wrote: 87 Points
Better on day two with some real WA state character. Smooth and easy drinking, but not necc. a repurchase for me at $13.
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4/5/2012 - sjhoffman wrote: 79 Points
The only thing consistent about this wine is its inconsistency. I've had a couple of bottles that I would score 85+ biut not this bottle. This wine has multiple personalities. Does it make the wine complex or are there other reasons (i.e., production, grapes sourced, etc) for this? The first night I aerated through a Venturi and had high alcohol content on the nose that drowned out any fruit notes. On the tongue was faint dark cherry flat taste with some spice. The finish left tones of licorice. Tonight I decanted the wine for an hour and there was no alcohol on the nose, and a raspberry earthy spice taste with a tobacco finish. If this was a blind tasting, I would have no clue it was a Merlot.
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3/21/2012 - HSBender wrote:
Good. Somewhat dry. Peppery finish.
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1/23/2012 - eshor wrote: 80 Points
Used for lamb stew instead of Burgundy. Drank the other half. Stew was great. Single glass was average.
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12/24/2011 - chodur wrote: 89 Points
Good smell and smooth taste, drink with food or on own. We had with pizza and was very good. Fruit mostly with hint of pepper. If your not a red drinker this one will be ok for you.
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12/23/2011 - RandyC-Colorado wrote: 74 Points
Fruit bomb - use it for cooking maybe.
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12/5/2011 - Winekrupt wrote: 85 Points
Stemmy, licorice, and blackberry on the nose. The palate starts off flattering, presenting a litle sweet (oak), and easy on the tannins with the slightest of acidity to live'n it up, but the complexity is lacking. This is an easy drinking quaffer and nothing more... and quite frankly, at the price point, I don't think it is pretending to be. The palate gives way to flagrant capsicum at the end... and an off putting after taste I can't put my finger on- probably the biggest let down of this wine. Still-not bad for the money. I find the drinking window way off- hasn't got the structure or the fruit to go the distance. Drink now through one year.
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12/3/2011 - juneau bob wrote: 88 Points
Potent nose of ground pepper, petrol volatiles and ripe plum. Tannins are present but controlled. Light to medium body. Finish is warm but moderated in time. Another great Washington being offered at a reasonable price.
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11/28/2011 - Duncan wrote: 84 Points
Very smooth, very very smooth: not much tannin at all, and what there is very fine. Very little acidity or any other kind of bite. (I get the velvet, but where is the devil?) Fruity: none of that green pepper you get so often with cheaper Merlots. Quite short. Overall: pleasant, but not that striking. (13.5%)
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11/26/2011 - Bobmus wrote: 73 Points
Way to much oak not nearly enough fruit. A long lingering overpowering oak "flavor" lasts throughout the finish adding length to something that doesn't need it. Unbalanced simple wine.
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11/13/2011 - MrSnooty wrote: 80 Points
Very soft and over-extracted, no real structure or complexity.
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10/29/2011 - Mr.Overhill wrote: 82 Points
Surprised I didn't find any oak splinters floating in my glass while drinking this boysenberry frankenstein. It's not so much that it's disjointed as it is unbalanced. And as much as I wanted to attribute this lack of balance to its youth, I'm not getting enough good feeling from the midpalate (too thin) and finish (almost brackish). The saving grace is that it's a $10 bottle, so at least the price point is appropriate.
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10/24/2011 - Jack O'Brien wrote: 75 Points
Tastes like blackberry syrup that sat in a new American oak barrel for ten years. Pass on this wine….
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8/2/2011 - Empirate wrote: 82 Points
unbalanced fruit bomb. (tannins smooth as advertised).
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7/4/2011 - christophee Likes this wine: 85 Points
Dark garnet with medium viscosity in the glass. Big points for the rich nose of dark chocolate, coffee, blueberry, game and flint. Brambly dark fruit, cocoa powder and coffee on the palate, along with pleasant, dusty tannin. Disjointed vegetal (bell pepper), oak and heat detract mid-palate, especially after opening up. Medium finish. Good effort and respectable complexity considering the QPR.
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6/28/2011 - zacmccoy wrote: 75 Points
Tastes bitter and smells funny "like meat" according to Kate
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3/9/2011 - dkoontz wrote: 85 Points
Translucent ruby. Coffee cake nose. Not mich fruit on the palate either - dominated by chocolate and brown sugar (although not sweet). Low acidity and soft tannins. It's definitely merlot, which is nice. Med finish. Needs an hour or more out of the bottle.
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3/2/2011 - Musedir wrote: 87 Points
it was ok, not memorable and just a mite jammy. So-so nose, but after breathing for an hour, more than expected. Not one i would recommend. Just an experiment. Could have been better. Oh well, on to the next Washington trial.
Postscript: the second day I was prepared to pour rest down drain when I retarded. 24 hrs. later the jammy taste was much more palatable, the finish far more satisfying. Nose still nondescript but I changed my thoughts from don't like to neutral. Needed to be fair to Charles Smith.
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2/25/2011 - hcnate wrote: 88 Points
Bright cherry. Thinner body. Good value.
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2/14/2011 - corkscrews wrote: 83 Points
A nose of dark plums and some funk, dark purple in color. A full bodied Merlot, plum, berries, somewhat hot and a bit disjointed, expected more.
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2/7/2011 - ravbik wrote: 74 Points
Terrible wine, vanila, lactaic acid. Most of this went down the drain.
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1/1/2011 - Walters_cd wrote: 86 Points
Smooth
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12/26/2010 - hcnate wrote: 87 Points
Perhaps a bit young. Decent fruit.
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12/17/2010 - Quailjulia wrote: 79 Points
Did not leave any lasting impression.
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11/25/2010 - ravbik wrote: 78 Points
Nothing special, medium body merlot with hint of smokiness.
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