Opened and decanted an hour before dinner of seared pork loin. Needed about 1.5 hours to fully open up. Brambly blackcurrant, blackberries, red cherries, tobacco, and herbs on the nose. The palate is full, square, and concentrated, with a hard acidic frame, bringing blackberries, plums, dark cherries, dark chocolate, espresso, dried leather, mushrooms, and cherry cobbler into the finish, which is lengthy but still sharp and slightly hot. This was a lot more lively than expected so probably has a few more years yet. Best with air. Drink before 2020. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 93.
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Decanted for 1.5 hours prior to dinner of seared filet, grilled asparagus, and garlic/onion hash brown potatoes. Inky black color with a violet hue. Nose brings intense pipe tobacco, lush cherries, wild herbs, and caramel sweet baking spices. The palate is full, sweet, voluptuous, and extremely juicy, bringing black cherries, chocolate mocha, brambly blackberries, sweet cassis liquor, more tobacco, and dried leather. The finish concludes for 30-45 seconds with a nice quenching pucker of candied raspberries and elegant, soft tannins. This wine feels like it may be entering a peak window over the next 2-3 years, though I suspect it might age well further. Its strength is in the subtleties, definitely made in an old-world, finesse-type style. We really enjoyed it. Drink now through 2020.
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New World Blind Tasting Group $25+ (Bin 75): Dark core with garnet rim; currant, bay leaf, slight stewed cherry, spice, almost mushroom; soft texture, menthol, good structure; tasty; liked the complexity; the ripeness of the fruit says to drink sooner.
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Opened for "New World Wine Tasting" - blind wine event with min $25/bottle. Decanted at 6:15pm and tasted 8:30-9:30. Group reaction was that we had picked a bottle too nice for the min :-).
I actually didn't enjoy it as much as I had previously- probably due to paring. Wine could easily benefit from aging for 2-5 yrs.
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From a Tasting Room 50ml sample. Nose: Medium expressiveness, dark fruit, dark flowers, earthiness, and a little smokiness. Palate: Medium-full bodied, nice dark fruit attack with spicy undertones, nice mid-palate density and balance, back-end really comes together nicely. Finish: Medium-plus length sense of delicious spicy dark fruit and earthiness.
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Good nose, though rather subtle. Took quite a while to open up. Palate is well integrated and very smooth. Good balance of oak and spice with dark berry undertones. Reasonable complexity that leads to a finish that is a little too short. All in all, very good, but left me wishing for a little more length.
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Intensely dark ruby with garnet highlights. Spice, cassis, violet, and oak nose. Full boded, blackberries, tobacco, green olives, black cherries, integrated tannins, smoke, dark chocolate, and a dry medium finish. Well balanced and quite delicious.
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Love this wine. Wasn't going to open up my 2007's for a few years after the experience in aging my 2003 until 2011. Will improve with a few more years in the cellar but drinking very well right now.
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APPEARANCE: Beautiful magenta AROMA: Pencil shavings and graphite are obvious. Also get slight hints of currant. TASTE: Blackberries and black cherries with big tannins. Smooth and very nice on the palate.
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From a 50ml tasting bottle. Deep, deep maroon. Nose of tart cherry and blackbery, with some floral notes quickly overwhelmed with a huge dose of cedar, vanilla and a bit of coffee. On the palate, medium+ bodied with well... a two by four on the palate. I really had to pay attention to taste the fruit, which was there, and definitely mountain fruit, which I love. Cedar, vanilla, more cedar, toasty oak/chocolate, a bit of tart cherry and again coffee grounds, with a bit of a hollow midpalate since my tastebuds were just demolished by the oak. The acidity comes roaring back with soft, smooth tannins and a medium acidity driven finish.
Not my style, way too much oak covering up what could have been great mountain fruit.
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10/8/2017 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened and decanted an hour before dinner of seared pork loin. Needed about 1.5 hours to fully open up. Brambly blackcurrant, blackberries, red cherries, tobacco, and herbs on the nose. The palate is full, square, and concentrated, with a hard acidic frame, bringing blackberries, plums, dark cherries, dark chocolate, espresso, dried leather, mushrooms, and cherry cobbler into the finish, which is lengthy but still sharp and slightly hot. This was a lot more lively than expected so probably has a few more years yet. Best with air. Drink before 2020. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 93.
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10/24/2015 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 1.5 hours prior to dinner of seared filet, grilled asparagus, and garlic/onion hash brown potatoes. Inky black color with a violet hue. Nose brings intense pipe tobacco, lush cherries, wild herbs, and caramel sweet baking spices. The palate is full, sweet, voluptuous, and extremely juicy, bringing black cherries, chocolate mocha, brambly blackberries, sweet cassis liquor, more tobacco, and dried leather. The finish concludes for 30-45 seconds with a nice quenching pucker of candied raspberries and elegant, soft tannins. This wine feels like it may be entering a peak window over the next 2-3 years, though I suspect it might age well further. Its strength is in the subtleties, definitely made in an old-world, finesse-type style. We really enjoyed it. Drink now through 2020.
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10/11/2014 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
New World Blind Tasting Group $25+ (Bin 75): Dark core with garnet rim; currant, bay leaf, slight stewed cherry, spice, almost mushroom; soft texture, menthol, good structure; tasty; liked the complexity; the ripeness of the fruit says to drink sooner.
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10/11/2014 - spencermerrell@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened for "New World Wine Tasting" - blind wine event with min $25/bottle. Decanted at 6:15pm and tasted 8:30-9:30. Group reaction was that we had picked a bottle too nice for the min :-).
I actually didn't enjoy it as much as I had previously- probably due to paring. Wine could easily benefit from aging for 2-5 yrs.
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12/26/2013 - Our Cellar Jen and Gregg wrote:
Had this with Christmas dinner 2013, enjoyed by all.. Better than Domina Cab!
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10/11/2013 - prasm Likes this wine: 90 Points
From a Tasting Room 50ml sample. Nose: Medium expressiveness, dark fruit, dark flowers, earthiness, and a little smokiness. Palate: Medium-full bodied, nice dark fruit attack with spicy undertones, nice mid-palate density and balance, back-end really comes together nicely. Finish: Medium-plus length sense of delicious spicy dark fruit and earthiness.
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5/4/2013 - tmhouse Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good nose, though rather subtle. Took quite a while to open up. Palate is well integrated and very smooth. Good balance of oak and spice with dark berry undertones. Reasonable complexity that leads to a finish that is a little too short. All in all, very good, but left me wishing for a little more length.
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5/26/2012 - merryberry wrote: 91 Points
Intensely dark ruby with garnet highlights. Spice, cassis, violet, and oak nose. Full boded, blackberries, tobacco, green olives, black cherries, integrated tannins, smoke, dark chocolate, and a dry medium finish. Well balanced and quite delicious.
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2/25/2012 - spencermerrell@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Love this wine. Wasn't going to open up my 2007's for a few years after the experience in aging my 2003 until 2011. Will improve with a few more years in the cellar but drinking very well right now.
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6/8/2011 - bjecjohnson Likes this wine: 91 Points
APPEARANCE: Beautiful magenta
AROMA: Pencil shavings and graphite are obvious. Also get slight hints of currant.
TASTE: Blackberries and black cherries with big tannins. Smooth and very nice on the palate.
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6/8/2011 - Metanoia wrote: 86 Points
From a 50ml tasting bottle. Deep, deep maroon. Nose of tart cherry and blackbery, with some floral notes quickly overwhelmed with a huge dose of cedar, vanilla and a bit of coffee. On the palate, medium+ bodied with well... a two by four on the palate. I really had to pay attention to taste the fruit, which was there, and definitely mountain fruit, which I love. Cedar, vanilla, more cedar, toasty oak/chocolate, a bit of tart cherry and again coffee grounds, with a bit of a hollow midpalate since my tastebuds were just demolished by the oak. The acidity comes roaring back with soft, smooth tannins and a medium acidity driven finish.
Not my style, way too much oak covering up what could have been great mountain fruit.
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