Time in the bottle has definitely helped this wine. More balanced than the last time we drank it. I definitely do not hate this wine like I did nine years ago. However, I won't be sad when the last bottle has left the cellar...
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My wife took this to a holiday party. She tells me it has improved in the 4 years since we last tasted it - not much but enough that she wasnt embarassed by bringing the bottle.
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Prepared for the worst based on prior reviews, I was very pleasantly surprised. I found it smooth and well-rounded, with gentle strawberry fruit and tobacco. This was a gift bottle from eoremus, and based on my experience, I suggest he give his remaining bottles another shot before using them as salad vinegar, as suggested in his earlier review ;-)
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Color - Tad thin from what I'm used to drinking. Not saying that's bad. Looked more like a burg. Dark red and hints of rust colors. Nose - Hints of cinnamon and dark red fruits. Nothing terribly exciting. Palette - mostly old world. None of the cherry cola PN tasting notes I've been having lately. I was a little hot to be honest. You could both feel and taste the alcohol. The finish is what disappoints. It's a ghost. Almost not there. Day 2 saw the wine go flat but the palette changed dramatically to black liquorish and blackberry cola. Anyway, not horrible but not something I would by again at this price point.
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OK, this isn't bad, but it amazes me that this comes from the same place as Goldeneye. With all the excellent Pinots available from Oregon and California in this price range, this is perfect mediocrity--not the worst, but not worth it given the other options. Just not enough of anything to make it interesting. Compared to next door neighbor Londer's Anderson Valley Pinot, not even close. Not as much fruit, not the silky mouthfeel, not the finish. Splurge for Goldeneye or move on
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Not overly complicated, very pleasant. I'm not into roast chicken, but that was the main dish for which I procured this wine, and my chicken-loving friends were very happy with the combination.
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I too, like eoremus, purchased a case of this wine based on my experience with the '04 vintage. I feel like such a fool. I can't even give this stuff away - I would hate for any of my friends or family to think I thought this was good. This bottle was slightly better than the last bottle I drank (9/07). It lacks depth and any sort of complexity. There is very little fruit present. It definitely tastes better at cellar temperature - the alcohol becomes much more prevalent as the temperature rises.
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eoremus: this review is clearly influenced by my foolish decision to buy a case of the 05 based solely on my joyful experience of knocking down a bottle of the exquisite 04 in about 30 minutes with Joel who brought it on a visit -- call it a classic rookie mistake. First bottle of the 05 case was like sucking on a chunk of green oak -- sappy, rank, thin, tight, lacking all the appealing elements that make me passionate about pinot. So here I am 3 years later, full of hope that cellar time and maturity has brought this cuvee through its awkward adolescence to the beginnings of a dignified adulthood. No such luck. Its not as offensive as it was 2 years ago, but there is nothing encouraging in this bottle -- a bit more fruit and a bit less green oak .. yes... but, in fact, some of the appealing fruit, smoke, and tobacco components of the first bottle a couple of years ago aren't evident -- now it's no nose, no mid palate and no finish. What in the world am I going to do with the rest of this case ?? Salad vinegar ??? damn, don't you just hate to buy a case of pitiful wine??
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This wine has both a very nice nose and is robust on the palate. Although Goldeneye is a very good pinot; migrations seems to me to be a VERY worthy quality-to-price bargain. Really liked this pinot.
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Nice but not thrilling ... med-bodied, brown spice, cola, red cherry with good integration of oak and alcohol. The showed little change over the course of a few hours so I wouldn't recommend cellaring. I'm not sure you can't find as good a PN for $10 less.
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Drank after about an 90 mins decanting with a lamb and apple mint slasa dinner. Very smooth and paired nicely. Went well with the cumin and chili flakes on the lamb.
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Oak and sweet fruit on the nose, with toast and cocoa. Slippery/slick mouth of cherry soda, mocha and oak. Much too oak dominated. Their is little tannin or structure to balance all the sweet oak and ripe fruit. Pretty short, id drink now as this seems to have nowhere to go but down. Somewhat disappointing, even though it is a 2nd wine; funny thing is i preferred this to the Goldeneye when tasted side by side?!
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A dark-fruited beauty. Nose was initially reserved but the palate was excellent. Velvety mouthfeel with a very nice chocolaty finish. Was a good match for the sushi. After an hour the nose really came around taking on a warm melted chocolate character.
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AVERAGE I can't believe I was sold on this bottle of wine. The only thing I could taste was syrup. It was as if someone took a light burgundy and then poured Aunt Jemimah righ into it for five seconds. Way too sweet. Another California Pinot that could double as a desert wine.
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Quite an improvement over the previous bottle. That one was dominated by oak and this one seems to have really settled down and was quite enjoyable. Still not up to the level of the 04 but quite good.
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Not my favorite bottle - drank over the course of two nights. Tobacco and leather are the prominant flavors. A lot of heat - I was hoping it would blow off - sadly it did not. My plan is to wait a year and try another bottle.
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Paired well with a cornish game hen. Initially, it was a bit tight (the nose never really did open up) but after 2 hours in the decanter the palate was more pleasing.
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Somewhat disappointing. The bouquet is great followed by unimpressive initial flavors and then becomes more complex with the finish. Seemed to me that the alcohol dominated the initial palette.
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eoremus: drank along side Melville 05 Pinot with grilled butterflied leg of lamb - nice ruby color, mostly oak in the nose, a pleasant hint of smoke mid-palate, and then a disconcerting blast of green oak, followed by mild pleasant finish -- the off-putting oak-y peak persisted for two days and diminished on day three leaving it pleasantly drinkable with a more interesting finish -- this was a big disappointment compared to my experience with the 04 which I loved -- I certainly regret the decision to buy a case via internet without tasting first -- will leave it alone for a year and hope the oak integrates
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I have such mixed feelings on this wine. I loved the 2004 release and eagerly awaited the 05. It started off with a fairly big nose which was very easy to identify as pinot noir. On the palate it seemed to really be dominated by smoke and oak. In fact there is an ingredient in my bbq sauce recipe called 'liquid smoke' and the smokey oak in this wine almost leads you to believe that someone dropped a bottle of liquid smoke in the barrel. In the end I guess I would have to say that the oak is far too overpowering at this point. It is still a decent wine, but nowhere near the 04.
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11/30/2017 - Deadhead wrote:
My wife says this has gotten better. I have a cold so I can't taste anything... I hope she is correct.
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3/23/2017 - Deadhead wrote: 88 Points
No notes. Drank over the course of a couple of evenings.
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8/22/2016 - Deadhead wrote: 88 Points
Continues to improve with some age
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7/7/2016 - brettshores wrote: 89 Points
Still tasted great but it has lost some body.
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5/15/2016 - Deadhead wrote: 87 Points
Time in the bottle has definitely helped this wine. More balanced than the last time we drank it. I definitely do not hate this wine like I did nine years ago. However, I won't be sad when the last bottle has left the cellar...
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4/9/2013 - moxielady wrote: 90 Points
MMB took to la
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12/11/2012 - Deadhead wrote: 87 Points
My wife took this to a holiday party. She tells me it has improved in the 4 years since we last tasted it - not much but enough that she wasnt embarassed by bringing the bottle.
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10/15/2011 - moxielady wrote: 90 Points
Drink now or soon, still has body but less fruit and structure
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9/24/2011 - paulst wrote: 89 Points
Opulent and textured; nice acidic backbone; some heat; decent finish.
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6/12/2011 - moxielady wrote: 90 Points
Earth, spice, balanced fruit and acid. This was kept in wine fridge and has held up well. Other notes had me worried.
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3/11/2011 - xtrmjoe wrote: 85 Points
My system (nose mouth finish) ///, Waited a little to long, drink now
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1/23/2011 - will2wine wrote: 87 Points
Prepared for the worst based on prior reviews, I was very pleasantly surprised. I found it smooth and well-rounded, with gentle strawberry fruit and tobacco. This was a gift bottle from eoremus, and based on my experience, I suggest he give his remaining bottles another shot before using them as salad vinegar, as suggested in his earlier review ;-)
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6/25/2010 - mclgreenville wrote: 86 Points
Color - Tad thin from what I'm used to drinking. Not saying that's bad. Looked more like a burg. Dark red and hints of rust colors.
Nose - Hints of cinnamon and dark red fruits. Nothing terribly exciting.
Palette - mostly old world. None of the cherry cola PN tasting notes I've been having lately. I was a little hot to be honest. You could both feel and taste the alcohol. The finish is what disappoints. It's a ghost. Almost not there.
Day 2 saw the wine go flat but the palette changed dramatically to black liquorish and blackberry cola. Anyway, not horrible but not something I would by again at this price point.
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6/15/2010 - ddingley wrote: 86 Points
OK, this isn't bad, but it amazes me that this comes from the same place as Goldeneye. With all the excellent Pinots available from Oregon and California in this price range, this is perfect mediocrity--not the worst, but not worth it given the other options. Just not enough of anything to make it interesting. Compared to next door neighbor Londer's Anderson Valley Pinot, not even close. Not as much fruit, not the silky mouthfeel, not the finish. Splurge for Goldeneye or move on
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3/30/2010 - dbrman wrote: flawed
bad bottle?
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11/26/2009 - gmbdds wrote: 89 Points
Notes of strawberry and earth (but not funk). There's plenty going on here to keep this interesting and food friendly.
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9/4/2009 - paulst wrote: 92 Points
Deep rich blackberry; earth, chocolate, some heat in the back.
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8/26/2009 - Darnstein wrote:
Anniversary dinner at LaFoccia
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8/5/2009 - sofarsolar wrote: 87 Points
Wow
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2/16/2009 - Amazonbombshell wrote:
Not overly complicated, very pleasant. I'm not into roast chicken, but that was the main dish for which I procured this wine, and my chicken-loving friends were very happy with the combination.
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2/1/2009 - isaacjamesbaker wrote:
i liked this pinot. silky on the palate with lush cherries, cola and integrated toast. medium tannins and acidity. went well with salmon.
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10/17/2008 - Deadhead wrote: 83 Points
I too, like eoremus, purchased a case of this wine based on my experience with the '04 vintage. I feel like such a fool. I can't even give this stuff away - I would hate for any of my friends or family to think I thought this was good. This bottle was slightly better than the last bottle I drank (9/07). It lacks depth and any sort of complexity. There is very little fruit present. It definitely tastes better at cellar temperature - the alcohol becomes much more prevalent as the temperature rises.
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9/4/2008 - paulst wrote: 89 Points
Smooth light blackberry.
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8/23/2008 - eoremus wrote: 84 Points
eoremus:
this review is clearly influenced by my foolish decision to buy a case of the 05 based solely on my joyful experience of knocking down a bottle of the exquisite 04 in about 30 minutes with Joel who brought it on a visit -- call it a classic rookie mistake. First bottle of the 05 case was like sucking on a chunk of green oak -- sappy, rank, thin, tight, lacking all the appealing elements that make me passionate about pinot. So here I am 3 years later, full of hope that cellar time and maturity has brought this cuvee through its awkward adolescence to the beginnings of a dignified adulthood. No such luck. Its not as offensive as it was 2 years ago, but there is nothing encouraging in this bottle -- a bit more fruit and a bit less green oak .. yes... but, in fact, some of the appealing fruit, smoke, and tobacco components of the first bottle a couple of years ago aren't evident -- now it's no nose, no mid palate and no finish. What in the world am I going to do with the rest of this case ?? Salad vinegar ??? damn, don't you just hate to buy a case of pitiful wine??
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6/29/2008 - hpollack wrote: 88 Points
OK not as good goldeneye
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6/2/2008 - pinotluvr wrote: 90 Points
Very good quality to price.
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5/10/2008 - TRS-Wine wrote: 88 Points
Great value in pinot. I'm not a huge pinot fan, but Goldeneye always manages to win me over.
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5/3/2008 - pinotluvr wrote: 90 Points
This wine has both a very nice nose and is robust on the palate. Although Goldeneye is a very good pinot; migrations seems to me to be a VERY worthy quality-to-price bargain. Really liked this pinot.
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4/24/2008 - BigTarheel wrote: 88 Points
Nice but not thrilling ... med-bodied, brown spice, cola, red cherry with good integration of oak and alcohol. The showed little change over the course of a few hours so I wouldn't recommend cellaring. I'm not sure you can't find as good a PN for $10 less.
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4/22/2008 - Lainie wrote: 90 Points
Rose petal, strawbs, oaky, smoky, sweet and ripe on entry, long finish carried on h.a.. Friendly, satisfying, accessible.
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3/23/2008 - pcutti19 wrote: 90 Points
Drank after about an 90 mins decanting with a lamb and apple mint slasa dinner. Very smooth and paired nicely. Went well with the cumin and chili flakes on the lamb.
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2/25/2008 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 89 Points
A lovely nose: very, very poised and elegant. Super palate, again with huge elegance. The zinginess of young pinot appears on the finish.
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2/7/2008 - Natalie Guinovart wrote:
Extremely disappointing with insipid fruit and bitter tannins and no length.
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1/2/2008 - nwk wrote:
Oak and sweet fruit on the nose, with toast and cocoa. Slippery/slick mouth of cherry soda, mocha and oak. Much too oak dominated. Their is little tannin or structure to balance all the sweet oak and ripe fruit. Pretty short, id drink now as this seems to have nowhere to go but down. Somewhat disappointing, even though it is a 2nd wine; funny thing is i preferred this to the Goldeneye when tasted side by side?!
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12/19/2007 - HenryW wrote: 91 Points
A dark-fruited beauty. Nose was initially reserved but the palate was excellent. Velvety mouthfeel with a very nice chocolaty finish. Was a good match for the sushi. After an hour the nose really came around taking on a warm melted chocolate character.
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12/3/2007 - chateaumiller wrote: 75 Points
AVERAGE
I can't believe I was sold on this bottle of wine. The only thing I could taste was syrup. It was as if someone took a light burgundy and then poured Aunt Jemimah righ into it for five seconds. Way too sweet. Another California Pinot that could double as a desert wine.
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9/30/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote: 88 Points
Quite an improvement over the previous bottle. That one was dominated by oak and this one seems to have really settled down and was quite enjoyable. Still not up to the level of the 04 but quite good.
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9/14/2007 - Deadhead wrote: 80 Points
Not my favorite bottle - drank over the course of two nights. Tobacco and leather are the prominant flavors. A lot of heat - I was hoping it would blow off - sadly it did not. My plan is to wait a year and try another bottle.
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8/25/2007 - suthersm wrote:
round, soft, ripe fruit, short finish, no acid, no tannin. good but not great. simple. probably wouldn't buy again for $30.
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7/23/2007 - lopezn wrote: 88 Points
Paired well with a cornish game hen. Initially, it was a bit tight (the nose never really did open up) but after 2 hours in the decanter the palate was more pleasing.
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6/19/2007 - prh wrote: 84 Points
Somewhat disappointing. The bouquet is great followed by unimpressive initial flavors and then becomes more complex with the finish. Seemed to me that the alcohol dominated the initial palette.
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6/14/2007 - eoremus wrote: 87 Points
eoremus: drank along side Melville 05 Pinot with grilled butterflied leg of lamb - nice ruby color, mostly oak in the nose, a pleasant hint of smoke mid-palate, and then a disconcerting blast of green oak, followed by mild pleasant finish -- the off-putting oak-y peak persisted for two days and diminished on day three leaving it pleasantly drinkable with a more interesting finish -- this was a big disappointment compared to my experience with the 04 which
I loved -- I certainly regret the decision to buy a case via internet without tasting first -- will leave it alone for a year and hope the oak integrates
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4/22/2007 - LeechDogg wrote: 86 Points
Bright strawberry nose, fruit dominates this pinot.
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4/2/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote: 84 Points
I have such mixed feelings on this wine. I loved the 2004 release and eagerly awaited the 05. It started off with a fairly big nose which was very easy to identify as pinot noir. On the palate it seemed to really be dominated by smoke and oak. In fact there is an ingredient in my bbq sauce recipe called 'liquid smoke' and the smokey oak in this wine almost leads you to believe that someone dropped a bottle of liquid smoke in the barrel. In the end I guess I would have to say that the oak is far too overpowering at this point. It is still a decent wine, but nowhere near the 04.
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