Ripe black and dark red fruit on the nose when the cork was pulled. The palate matched the nose as far as the fruit, with blackberry, purple plum, and some raspberry, plus a little dried oak leaf and a pinch of pepper. A little on the bold side with a little alcohol heat on both the entry and finish.
Day 2 - the alcohol heat has died down, and cocoa powder has come into the blend. Very nice! If the acidity were a little lower it would score higher. Right now, it's seems just a bit tart for such a New World flavor profile.
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Great QPR but my 92 is absolute, not $$ relative. Big juice balanced with full minerality: full of graphite, crushed stone, some star anise and warm leather. Wine is drinking great here, but needs about 20 minutes to really open.
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PnP - consumed late on a big consumption day - so no detailed notes, but impression similar to previous. Not really a fan of this wine, a bit too over extracted and gloppy, heavy dark sweet tannins and chocolate - not subtle at all.
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Some wines just need time... and this one is ready to drink now. Very smooth tannins, nice aromas of fresh barnyard and dark fruit, long finish of dark berries with strong hints of coffee and chocolate... excellent.
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Lovely wine that we opened as a pop and pour but drank over four hours. By hour two to three it had really mellowed to a nice round wine with loads of fruit, light tar and graphite.
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This wine needs more time in the bottle. I've opened a couple of bottles since receiving last year and had similar impressions that has been previously reported. A year later, this wine is just now starting to come out of hibernation. It has a very nice nose of dark berries and loamy soil, but still closed; I gassed what was left of the bottle; decanted and served with ribeye a week later: quite an improved impression with softer tannins and a pleasing, longer finish . Much pedegree here; I believe this wine will improve over the next 2-3 years... and we should be rewarded with a bottle of wine that far outperforms its price.
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Nothing spectacular, but still a good drinking wine. Tannins are a bit big right now. Been wondering lately if this brand is really worth the price - there are a lot of better brands and wines at this price point.
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Good, but not great. A bit hot and out of balance. Had it without food; might have been better paired with meat. Cassis and blackberry explode on the palate, with a little vegetal component coming through. Tannins are still rough around the edges. I think this will be a lot better wine two years from now, but not typically the kind of purchase I keep on hand for much over a year.
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Blacks and blues with a hot vegital note. Reminds me a bit of Togni but much hotter. Needs time. Disjointed at this stage. There is a ton of fruit in here, but it's just not singing. Give this 3-5 years and I think you'll be rewarded.
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This is a nice wine. I like it much better than the 08. Lots of dark fruit, not too much oak, and a nice juicy mid-palate. It also retains a nice freshness to it with just enough acidity. I could see this developing well for a few years.
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Out of the cellar at 2pm, decanted at 400pm. Dark garnet color. Earth, cloves, fennel, patchouli, oak on the nose. Cassis, plum, cloves on the palate, not much fruit at all...somewhat rougher tannins, and that persistent astringency. A bit unbalanced.
1 hr: Definitely evolved a bit. More mineral/slate on the palate, and some subtle florals on the nose now. Still tannic and astringent.
2 hrs: no notes...distracted
3 hrs: Seems fairly stable from last time, but to me it's a bit tannic and alcohol heavy; I'd like more fruit here.
4 hrs: Showing a bit more fruit on the nose, but the finish is still tannins and alcohol.
5 hrs: Definitely a food wine. Had this with dinner, and it worked nicely with dessert as well. Brings out different aspects of the wine, and certainly a bit more fruit. Rebottling and recorking some for tomorrow. Right now I'm giving this an 87, it's good, but leaves me wanting a bit more.
Next day: Retasted at 5pm. I like how the nose has mellowed, showing way less toasted oak now, more floral and some berries now. Palate has really relaxed too, the tannins are still grippy but toned down. Maybe an 88 now. I think this could lay down longer and the oak will integrate a bit more, or decant it in the morning to serve in the evening.
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Pop and pour into a decanter, and started drinking straightaway. Black in the decanter, dark purple at the rim. On the nose, cassis and a very subtle touch of smoke. On the palate, straightforward cab with a smooth texture, and modest tannins that don't interfere with a smooth finish. As with cos65, I don't see this going anywhere either, but with a nice meal, it doesn't need to.
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dark purple, fresh tart cherries on palate, somewhat reserved nose. This is drinking beautifully, nicely balanced, very enjoyable 2nd label cab. I don't see this going anywhere, but here is a pretty good place. ***++
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Rich and expressive. This vintage is not as smoky as the 08. Pours almost black with a bit of purple on the rim. A brooding wine with high aromatics pushing red berries and cherries with a hint of spice, blueberry and smoked meat. Full and saturated with massive mouth appeal. I love the crunchy tannins on this beast that balance all the fat fruit pulp. Nuances of crushed volcanic rock, red spice and a bit of earth add depth to the skyline. Gobs of black currant run amok and take over while the passive red fruit lingers on the tongue in it's smoky wake. Chewing those tannins will surely grind your teeth down. Love it!
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7/2/2021 - pswines1908 wrote: 89 Points
Very mature at this point. Would have preferred it a little younger.
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12/11/2018 - Rick 4 Wine wrote:
Drinking maturely here. For my taste drink up.
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4/8/2018 - mfriedman12 wrote: 92 Points
Full bodied Cab with lots of jammy fresh fruit and spices notes
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4/8/2018 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Solid drinking Cabernet. Some opening of the nose after 2 hours. No evidence of age so would be interested to see where this is in 5 years.
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5/2/2017 - CranBurgundy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ripe black and dark red fruit on the nose when the cork was pulled. The palate matched the nose as far as the fruit, with blackberry, purple plum, and some raspberry, plus a little dried oak leaf and a pinch of pepper. A little on the bold side with a little alcohol heat on both the entry and finish.
Day 2 - the alcohol heat has died down, and cocoa powder has come into the blend. Very nice! If the acidity were a little lower it would score higher. Right now, it's seems just a bit tart for such a New World flavor profile.
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12/30/2016 - Rick 4 Wine wrote: 92 Points
Great QPR but my 92 is absolute, not $$ relative. Big juice balanced with full minerality: full of graphite, crushed stone, some star anise and warm leather. Wine is drinking great here, but needs about 20 minutes to really open.
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12/24/2016 - retired_and_roving Does not like this wine:
PnP - consumed late on a big consumption day - so no detailed notes, but impression similar to previous. Not really a fan of this wine, a bit too over extracted and gloppy, heavy dark sweet tannins and chocolate - not subtle at all.
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12/18/2016 - jasonkle wrote: 93 Points
This one got a lot better from a few years ago. Drinking well now
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10/19/2016 - CR lawrence Likes this wine: 92 Points
Some wines just need time... and this one is ready to drink now. Very smooth tannins, nice aromas of fresh barnyard and dark fruit, long finish of dark berries with strong hints of coffee and chocolate... excellent.
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3/1/2016 - retired_and_roving Does not like this wine:
Pretty big and jammy sweet.
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9/28/2015 - landers123 wrote: 89 Points
drank over two hours. improved over the first 30 - 45 min. tried to be fruity but fell short of jammy.
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9/18/2015 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Needed an hour to come around.
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1/31/2015 - jshufelt wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with previous tasting notes.
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11/19/2014 - Backdoctor wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured and was great!
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11/12/2014 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely wine that we opened as a pop and pour but drank over four hours. By hour two to three it had really mellowed to a nice round wine with loads of fruit, light tar and graphite.
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5/2/2014 - Corrie wrote: 89 Points
I love the Schrader; the Double Diamonds, at least the '09s haven't done it for me. Lots of wines I prefer in the same price range.
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2/11/2014 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 89 Points
consistent with notes of 10/3/2013
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1/30/2014 - jshufelt wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with previous tasting notes.
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10/3/2013 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 89 Points
coffee and mocha nose, good balance of plum, currant and minerality. Drank easily - a little simple, perhaps.
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1/25/2013 - jshufelt wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with previous tasting note, but perhaps a slightly better showing than last time, with a bit more minerality and mid-palate sweetness?
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10/21/2012 - CR lawrence wrote: 90 Points
This wine needs more time in the bottle. I've opened a couple of bottles since receiving last year and had similar impressions that has been previously reported. A year later, this wine is just now starting to come out of hibernation. It has a very nice nose of dark berries and loamy soil, but still closed; I gassed what was left of the bottle; decanted and served with ribeye a week later: quite an improved impression with softer tannins and a pleasing, longer finish . Much pedegree here; I believe this wine will improve over the next 2-3 years... and we should be rewarded with a bottle of wine that far outperforms its price.
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6/16/2012 - haldolugr wrote: 84 Points
Nothing spectacular, but still a good drinking wine. Tannins are a bit big right now. Been wondering lately if this brand is really worth the price - there are a lot of better brands and wines at this price point.
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5/29/2012 - Dbesserer wrote: 86 Points
Good nose. No finish, fruit forward. Nothing like a real Schrader. Ok for the price but I'd rather drink x1 T6 over 6 double diamond.
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5/1/2012 - brianngibson wrote: 88 Points
Good, but not great. A bit hot and out of balance. Had it without food; might have been better paired with meat. Cassis and blackberry explode on the palate, with a little vegetal component coming through. Tannins are still rough around the edges. I think this will be a lot better wine two years from now, but not typically the kind of purchase I keep on hand for much over a year.
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4/21/2012 - Sauvyfan Likes this wine: 88 Points
Blacks and blues with a hot vegital note. Reminds me a bit of Togni but much hotter. Needs time. Disjointed at this stage. There is a ton of fruit in here, but it's just not singing. Give this 3-5 years and I think you'll be rewarded.
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3/29/2012 - elamasters wrote: 88 Points
This is a nice wine. I like it much better than the 08. Lots of dark fruit, not too much oak, and a nice juicy mid-palate. It also retains a nice freshness to it with just enough acidity. I could see this developing well for a few years.
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3/28/2012 - wineberg Likes this wine: 87 Points
Out of the cellar at 2pm, decanted at 400pm. Dark garnet color. Earth, cloves, fennel, patchouli, oak on the nose. Cassis, plum, cloves on the palate, not much fruit at all...somewhat rougher tannins, and that persistent astringency. A bit unbalanced.
1 hr: Definitely evolved a bit. More mineral/slate on the palate, and some subtle florals on the nose now. Still tannic and astringent.
2 hrs: no notes...distracted
3 hrs: Seems fairly stable from last time, but to me it's a bit tannic and alcohol heavy; I'd like more fruit here.
4 hrs: Showing a bit more fruit on the nose, but the finish is still tannins and alcohol.
5 hrs: Definitely a food wine. Had this with dinner, and it worked nicely with dessert as well. Brings out different aspects of the wine, and certainly a bit more fruit. Rebottling and recorking some for tomorrow. Right now I'm giving this an 87, it's good, but leaves me wanting a bit more.
Next day: Retasted at 5pm. I like how the nose has mellowed, showing way less toasted oak now, more floral and some berries now. Palate has really relaxed too, the tannins are still grippy but toned down. Maybe an 88 now. I think this could lay down longer and the oak will integrate a bit more, or decant it in the morning to serve in the evening.
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1/13/2012 - jshufelt wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour into a decanter, and started drinking straightaway. Black in the decanter, dark purple at the rim. On the nose, cassis and a very subtle touch of smoke. On the palate, straightforward cab with a smooth texture, and modest tannins that don't interfere with a smooth finish. As with cos65, I don't see this going anywhere either, but with a nice meal, it doesn't need to.
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12/7/2011 - cos65 wrote:
dark purple, fresh tart cherries on palate, somewhat reserved nose. This is drinking beautifully, nicely balanced, very enjoyable 2nd label cab. I don't see this going anywhere, but here is a pretty good place. ***++
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12/3/2011 - GreatLibations wrote: 92 Points
Rich and expressive. This vintage is not as smoky as the 08. Pours almost black with a bit of purple on the rim. A brooding wine with high aromatics pushing red berries and cherries with a hint of spice, blueberry and smoked meat. Full and saturated with massive mouth appeal. I love the crunchy tannins on this beast that balance all the fat fruit pulp. Nuances of crushed volcanic rock, red spice and a bit of earth add depth to the skyline. Gobs of black currant run amok and take over while the passive red fruit lingers on the tongue in it's smoky wake. Chewing those tannins will surely grind your teeth down. Love it!
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12/3/2011 - stickmanparty wrote: 93 Points
- Brick color.
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