This was in great adolescent shape. Still plenty of density and fruit, but with plenty of secondary notes. It was a touch sharp at times, but that seemed to smooth out with air as well. Should have at least another 4-5 years in the tank.
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Slightly brickish magenta. Blackberry, earth, and vanilla coke nose. Medium bodied, plums, black cherries, resinous tannins, eucalyptus, tobacco, and a nicely fruited, medium to long finish. Best on night 2. Plenty of time left on this one.
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This one has mellowed out tons. Strong taste of chocolate. I do believe it's time to drink this one if you haven't already. Great QPR and great per se. Pairs great with Netflix.
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Great QPR. It's drinking very well. That flavors have blended, tannins mellowed. Really nice blend - CS 84%, CF 15%, Malbec 1%. Not sure what the Malbec brings to the wine, but it must be in there for some reason.
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Garnet-tinged magenta, not particularly dark or inky. Blueberry, oak spice, and forest nose. Medium bodied, blackberries, cassis, pepper, leather, rustic tannins, tobacco, decent acid, and a medium length, black cherry finish. Good wine, great value.
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Seems more integrated than it was a year ago, glad I'm still sitting on most of them. Lots of spice on the nose, mostly pepper, backed by some cherry. The taste mirrors the nose well. Medium bodied. Not complex but also not disappointing. Overall a decent wine for a weeknight dinner.
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Bramble dark berries, pepper, and moderate tannins go well with steak. Not much nose, and the fruit flavors are faint, but the tannins and pepper are pretty clear.
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Turning into the decent weeknight drinking wine. Took about an hour to mellow. Initial tannins mellowed to nice fruit on the entry with a fair finish. Hole in the middle, but enjoyable wine
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This is really a disappointing Woot Cellars offering (actually Pedroncelli). Good but not up to standards... Way too much bottle variation. Some seem good and others not so good...
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Nose is much better than the actual taste. This is the first bottle of this wine I've opened in over a year. I don't think its getting any better with age, and in fact, I think its on the downturn. It may need to become cooking wine. But, I'll try opening another to see if its any different.
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This vintage is varied in its quality. A few have been corked. This bottle became better after being opened for 3 days. Not sure if this will get better in time with bottle age. Disappointed.
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Interesting combination of "commercial cab" flavor with an overlay of cedar, a touch of tobacco and a medium vanilla finish. It's like a guy in jeans and a tee putting on a sports coat. Stylish in the right places but not acceptable for a formal party.
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Just drank my first bottle (I originially bought a case from Woot). Love the varietals that make up this blend. As with most Woot Cellars branded wines, it is best to let them sit in the bottle for awhile. This first bottle has nice fruit balanced with acid. Only 14.1% alcohol. As with most wines made by Pedroncelli Winery, great QPR. This is very very good!
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Notes come from after letting it sit in the decanter for about two hours. Hints of dark fruits on the nose. Upon tasting, there is a lot of fruit here... especially raspberries, but I would definitely not call this a fruit bomb. After about two seconds the acid begins to hit and leads towards a decent finish. Not a ton of complexity, but I think that this is definitely a pretty solid QPR for $11. It definitely beats anything you can get at the local store for the same price.
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Big nose of pinesol and yeast. Mouth is full of flavors: bursting with black cherry, spice, and wood. Good acid, but not too much. Good alone, or with fatty foods. This may be drinking as good as it's going to get. Cheers!
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Color: Bright clear garnet Nose: Dark dark cherry/berry nose, not very prominent though. More spice and tart on the nose then anything Taste: Agree with previous notes, a little thin in the mouth. Taste of spice, tartness, light fruit, but not much sweetness here. Nice lingering finish with a little bit of warmth.
I haven't had many cabs to compare this to, but an overall decent wine, more of a everyday drinker to me. Will be interested to see how this turns out over the next year or two.
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Compared with the 1st, I was pretty disappointed with this, even at the price point. Very little depth out of the bottle and fairly thin on the palate. Improved somewhat for the second glass and overall okay QPR, but not nearly the effort of Monkey Prize.
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Big nose - grapey and a little forest floor. Taste - Nice acidity. Not terribly complex, the finish isn't amazing. Dark fruit, blackberry notes. Great QPR.
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Inky ruby. Oak monster and blueberry nose. Medium+ bodied, good dark fruit, dried spices, zingy black cherries, woody but not obtrusive tannins, bbq'd veggies, a little heat, and a slightly tart medium finish. Tasted better than the nose would lead you to believe. Looking forward to its further maturing.
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Checking in on the monkey. Still firm and a little green. I suspect the green isn't something that will resolve with more time, but there's good acid and some fruit in there to mix things up. Solid offer that I hope will present great after a little more time.
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Not bad but not sparkling. Better after being put back away in the fridge for a night or two. I think it may still be finding itself. Give it time. This will never be a 90 point wine but may be an 88
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Opened two bottles tonight. The first was bad and so was the 2nd. Both bottles get the same notes. Opened and ran through the vinturi. Almost no nose and slight medicinal note. Very little flavor and nothing distinctive enough to describe and then a bitter unpleasant finish.
Two hours in the decanter and the wine has lost a little of the harsh finish but the rest of the notes are still valid. The other half of the second bottle is in the fridge, I will try it again tomorrow to see if it has improved at all. I was a little congested so maybe the poor reception was due to that, we'll see tomorrow
The 1st bottle was poured down the drain.
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Extremely firm, and as others have mentioned, needs some time to straighten itself out. There seems to be plenty of fruit here, or at least the potential of it, but right now it's crushed beneath oak, a dry herbaceousness, and lots of tannin. There's good acidity, a little sweetness from alcohol, and an odd chocolate cake flavor on the finish. The nose, though, hints at a much purer future of cherry and cassis, which, in a year or two, should make this a really terrific specimen.
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Perfectly decent Cabernet. Reminiscent of a pleasant peasant French table wine. Nothing outstanding: simple muted nose, simple muted mouth, good balance... But at $10/bottle this could be a regular table wine for life if there were enough to go around. Gotta love the label too! ;-) Perfect Tax Day celebratory wine.
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Clear, medium plus intensity, purple, pale rim. Nose of smoke, cedar, ripe, red, jammy cherry, and a green note underneath of green bell pepper. Hint of vanilla & sweet spice as well. Also an odd rubber/plastic note in the mix. Palate is dry, medium acidity, medium plus tannins, alcohol and body. Flavor intensity is medium, flavor characteristics same as palate except the toasty oak is much more pronounced on the palate. Length is medium minus. Good value but needs to age to integrate. The structure is here, this needs to soften.
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Seems to be very similar to the Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley Three Vineyards 2008 http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1094808
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3/9/2023 - klezman wrote:
This was in great adolescent shape. Still plenty of density and fruit, but with plenty of secondary notes. It was a touch sharp at times, but that seemed to smooth out with air as well. Should have at least another 4-5 years in the tank.
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2/13/2016 - merryberry Likes this wine: 89 Points
Slightly brickish magenta. Blackberry, earth, and vanilla coke nose. Medium bodied, plums, black cherries, resinous tannins, eucalyptus, tobacco, and a nicely fruited, medium to long finish. Best on night 2. Plenty of time left on this one.
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2/23/2015 - ericclem Likes this wine: 86 Points
This one has mellowed out tons. Strong taste of chocolate. I do believe it's time to drink this one if you haven't already. Great QPR and great per se. Pairs great with Netflix.
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3/16/2014 - hcnate wrote: 87 Points
Fruit bomb, for sure. Good wine, good value. Pedrocelli makes good stuff.
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12/21/2013 - Wicked Panda wrote: 90 Points
Great QPR. It's drinking very well. That flavors have blended, tannins mellowed. Really nice blend - CS 84%, CF 15%, Malbec 1%. Not sure what the Malbec brings to the wine, but it must be in there for some reason.
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9/13/2013 - merryberry Likes this wine: 88 Points
Garnet-tinged magenta, not particularly dark or inky. Blueberry, oak spice, and forest nose. Medium bodied, blackberries, cassis, pepper, leather, rustic tannins, tobacco, decent acid, and a medium length, black cherry finish. Good wine, great value.
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8/30/2013 - cmaldoon wrote: 87 Points
Getting better with age. Has lost most of its commercial aspects.
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8/7/2013 - MerlynXLII wrote: 88 Points
Seems more integrated than it was a year ago, glad I'm still sitting on most of them. Lots of spice on the nose, mostly pepper, backed by some cherry. The taste mirrors the nose well. Medium bodied. Not complex but also not disappointing. Overall a decent wine for a weeknight dinner.
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1/15/2013 - grdnbrrtt wrote: 84 Points
Bramble dark berries, pepper, and moderate tannins go well with steak. Not much nose, and the fruit flavors are faint, but the tannins and pepper are pretty clear.
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11/16/2012 - Wicked Panda wrote: 87 Points
Turning into the decent weeknight drinking wine. Took about an hour to mellow. Initial tannins mellowed to nice fruit on the entry with a fair finish. Hole in the middle, but enjoyable wine
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10/29/2012 - BlackIce wrote: 83 Points
This is really a disappointing Woot Cellars offering (actually Pedroncelli). Good but not up to standards... Way too much bottle variation. Some seem good and others not so good...
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10/23/2012 - foobarski wrote: 88 Points
Really seems to be hitting its stride now. Lots of fruit and spice notes.
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10/12/2012 - mncellar wrote: 85 Points
Nose is much better than the actual taste. This is the first bottle of this wine I've opened in over a year. I don't think its getting any better with age, and in fact, I think its on the downturn. It may need to become cooking wine. But, I'll try opening another to see if its any different.
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10/10/2012 - trifecta wrote: 85 Points
Getting better. Still going to wait another 6 months or so for the next one.
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10/1/2012 - BlackIce wrote: 87 Points
Wide variation in bottle quality. This one was quite good.
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9/26/2012 - BlackIce wrote: 83 Points
This vintage is varied in its quality. A few have been corked. This bottle became better after being opened for 3 days. Not sure if this will get better in time with bottle age. Disappointed.
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9/15/2012 - Wicked Panda wrote: 87 Points
Took an hour to open up. Still hot, with alcohol on the nose. Tobacco and sour cherry notes?
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8/14/2012 - cmaldoon wrote: 85 Points
Interesting combination of "commercial cab" flavor with an overlay of cedar, a touch of tobacco and a medium vanilla finish. It's like a guy in jeans and a tee putting on a sports coat. Stylish in the right places but not acceptable for a formal party.
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7/29/2012 - BlackIce wrote: 88 Points
Just drank my first bottle (I originially bought a case from Woot). Love the varietals that make up this blend. As with most Woot Cellars branded wines, it is best to let them sit in the bottle for awhile. This first bottle has nice fruit balanced with acid. Only 14.1% alcohol. As with most wines made by Pedroncelli Winery, great QPR. This is very very good!
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7/15/2012 - jdhart306 wrote: 87 Points
Notes come from after letting it sit in the decanter for about two hours. Hints of dark fruits on the nose. Upon tasting, there is a lot of fruit here... especially raspberries, but I would definitely not call this a fruit bomb. After about two seconds the acid begins to hit and leads towards a decent finish. Not a ton of complexity, but I think that this is definitely a pretty solid QPR for $11. It definitely beats anything you can get at the local store for the same price.
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6/26/2012 - hcnate wrote: 87 Points
Good blend, with a decent QPR. I think this is peaking now as it seems to be losing some of its fruitiness.
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6/2/2012 - foobarski wrote: 87 Points
Think I'm liking this a little big more now. Lots of fruit, although just a touch of astringency as well.
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4/21/2012 - ckeilah wrote: 87 Points
Big nose of pinesol and yeast. Mouth is full of flavors: bursting with black cherry, spice, and wood. Good acid, but not too much. Good alone, or with fatty foods. This may be drinking as good as it's going to get. Cheers!
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3/23/2012 - foobarski wrote: 85 Points
Solid.
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1/26/2012 - North316 wrote: 85 Points
Color: Bright clear garnet
Nose: Dark dark cherry/berry nose, not very prominent though. More spice and tart on the nose then anything
Taste: Agree with previous notes, a little thin in the mouth. Taste of spice, tartness, light fruit, but not much sweetness here. Nice lingering finish with a little bit of warmth.
I haven't had many cabs to compare this to, but an overall decent wine, more of a everyday drinker to me. Will be interested to see how this turns out over the next year or two.
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1/11/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
Opened, poured, evaluated at 1 hour
Color - Garnet, not opaque, really fairly light for a cab in this day and age.
Nose - the first thing I notice is a dusty/ leathery character (pleasantly so). Under this is a warm cherry character and a hint of mint.
Palate - Acid braced sweet cherry fruit. This is backed by a bit of cola sage. This wine has really started coming together since 6 months ago.
Feel - medium body, a few medium tannins on the end. Medium finish. This really is a decent wine
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12/31/2011 - Siborg wrote: 86 Points
Sharp and attacks somewhat
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12/9/2011 - Siborg wrote: 90 Points
- Violet color - Clings to glass. Drinkable on its own. Lasts and lasts.
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11/28/2011 - Siborg wrote: 90 Points
Same as last note. Higher rating.
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11/22/2011 - Corrado wrote:
Compared with the 1st, I was pretty disappointed with this, even at the price point. Very little depth out of the bottle and fairly thin on the palate. Improved somewhat for the second glass and overall okay QPR, but not nearly the effort of Monkey Prize.
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9/29/2011 - oog wrote: 88 Points
Big nose - grapey and a little forest floor. Taste - Nice acidity. Not terribly complex, the finish isn't amazing. Dark fruit, blackberry notes. Great QPR.
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9/29/2011 - Siborg wrote:
Just arrived First bottle. Good complex flavors. Very dry finish
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9/28/2011 - merryberry wrote: 87 Points
Inky ruby. Oak monster and blueberry nose. Medium+ bodied, good dark fruit, dried spices, zingy black cherries, woody but not obtrusive tannins, bbq'd veggies, a little heat, and a slightly tart medium finish. Tasted better than the nose would lead you to believe. Looking forward to its further maturing.
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9/18/2011 - Krugsters wrote:
Drinking better but the smoke on the finish is very distracting. It is becoming more pronounced as it ages.
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7/25/2011 - woodwardcellar wrote: 85 Points
Checking in on the monkey. Still firm and a little green. I suspect the green isn't something that will resolve with more time, but there's good acid and some fruit in there to mix things up. Solid offer that I hope will present great after a little more time.
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7/15/2011 - cmaldoon wrote: 85 Points
Not bad but not sparkling. Better after being put back away in the fridge for a night or two. I think it may still be finding itself. Give it time. This will never be a 90 point wine but may be an 88
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5/30/2011 - TottenCellars wrote:
After three hours open this bottle is coming alive. Nice fruit and none of the bitterness from earlier.
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5/30/2011 - TottenCellars wrote:
Opened two bottles tonight. The first was bad and so was the 2nd. Both bottles get the same notes. Opened and ran through the vinturi. Almost no nose and slight medicinal note. Very little flavor and nothing distinctive enough to describe and then a bitter unpleasant finish.
Two hours in the decanter and the wine has lost a little of the harsh finish but the rest of the notes are still valid. The other half of the second bottle is in the fridge, I will try it again tomorrow to see if it has improved at all. I was a little congested so maybe the poor reception was due to that, we'll see tomorrow
The 1st bottle was poured down the drain.
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5/14/2011 - hcnate wrote:
Great notes of fruit - getting better with a little age.
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5/8/2011 - oog wrote: 88 Points
Nose: Blackberry, anise and oak. Taste: Dark fruit and pine/oak. Good acidity on the mid-palate. Not overly complex but not bad.
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5/3/2011 - hcnate wrote: 87 Points
Nice cherry notes with hints of pepper from the Cab Franc. Great bottle for everyday drinking - better with a little age. Good Woot offering.
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4/27/2011 - jsimmons wrote: 87 Points
Extremely firm, and as others have mentioned, needs some time to straighten itself out. There seems to be plenty of fruit here, or at least the potential of it, but right now it's crushed beneath oak, a dry herbaceousness, and lots of tannin. There's good acidity, a little sweetness from alcohol, and an odd chocolate cake flavor on the finish. The nose, though, hints at a much purer future of cherry and cassis, which, in a year or two, should make this a really terrific specimen.
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4/15/2011 - ckeilah wrote: 85 Points
Perfectly decent Cabernet. Reminiscent of a pleasant peasant French table wine. Nothing outstanding: simple muted nose, simple muted mouth, good balance... But at $10/bottle this could be a regular table wine for life if there were enough to go around. Gotta love the label too! ;-)
Perfect Tax Day celebratory wine.
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4/15/2011 - woodwardcellar wrote: 85 Points
Baby. Mini baby. Currant. Tannins. This'll be great after some bottle rest.
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4/15/2011 - Krugsters wrote:
Clear, medium plus intensity, purple, pale rim. Nose of smoke, cedar, ripe, red, jammy cherry, and a green note underneath of green bell pepper. Hint of vanilla & sweet spice as well. Also an odd rubber/plastic note in the mix. Palate is dry, medium acidity, medium plus tannins, alcohol and body. Flavor intensity is medium, flavor characteristics same as palate except the toasty oak is much more pronounced on the palate. Length is medium minus. Good value but needs to age to integrate. The structure is here, this needs to soften.
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3/31/2011 - mike808 wrote:
Seems to be very similar to the Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley Three Vineyards 2008
http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1094808
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