Dark red. Plum, lots of dark fruits. Very Merlot like smell, right bank. It really shows the carmenere is a relative of the merlot. But there are also some herbal notes that do not fit so much into the merlot area. Full bodied. Good mouthfeel. Intensive astringent aftertaste, lots of tannins. Will develop, maybe great in 2016. Only downside is the high alcohol that is noticeable.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened on a whim without proper aeration. A fair amount of reduction which resulted in some funk that needed time to blow off. Once gone, this turned out to be a nice bottle. Dark, thick & opaque in the glass. A masculine wine for sure, but didn't feel as heavy in the mouth as the inky glass coating juice would imply. Plentiful dark rich fruit that isn't over-ripe. Plus green pepper earth & leather. Tasted blind, I couldn't identify this. It was lacking the distinctive savory element that I use as its varietal marker.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I seem to like this wine a lot less than most folks who have commented/scored to date. Dark fruit with equal part green flavors. Like cab franc green squared (or cubed). Too much of that flavor for my taste. YMMV.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
drank over several days. Basic plum nose. On the 3rd day, the palate came alive with strawberry, plum, earthy tones and dark tea notes. A little disjointed but this may improve with time
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark and brooding initially. After a decant, started to taste like dark chocolate. Very good, interesting wine. Decanting definitely helped bring it about.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice, well-balanced. This wine has flavors which I am having trouble identifying (making it a bit mysterious!). Aroma of beef blood makes it seem more like a Syrah than a Carmenere. Dark and brooding, with a long finish. Good QPR. ($22.95 at Liquor Barn in Lexington).
Addendum: OK, I have identified the mysterious flavors. They are a combination of old leather and what I would describe as "blacksmith shop", i.e., a mixture of coal/coke smoke, and red-hot iron. This may sound odd, but in context these flavors are intriguing and pleasant. Lurking in the background are hints of blackcurrant and mulberry.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is the darkest Carmenere wine that I have yet tasted. The color is a deep purple blue. It is very dark. The fruit is moderate, and there is tannin which will have to be smoothed out over time. This wine can age I think. But, I give it a 91 for the color alone. Maybe with 5 years or more, the rating can increase to a 92 or more. I don't know if the fruit and acid will outlast the tannin, but the color sure will last a long time.
A very dark color. Black fruit on a dark dense and brooding nose. Rich and luxurious plate - like velvet covered in dark chocolate. This wine is obviously tight, but more realistically it is merely reserved (like a british butler.' Some complexity notes of greenery start to come through on the finish. This could be great with 5 years bottle age.
$26.99 OH retail www.austinbeeman.com
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark inky color with a rich blueberry, mocha and vanilla flavor profile. Great balance and finesse with a long and unctuous finish. Decanted 1 hour. Very nice for a carmenere. WS is on the money with this rating.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
8/27/2014 - snoerre Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark red. Plum, lots of dark fruits. Very Merlot like smell, right bank. It really shows the carmenere is a relative of the merlot. But there are also some herbal notes that do not fit so much into the merlot area. Full bodied. Good mouthfeel. Intensive astringent aftertaste, lots of tannins. Will develop, maybe great in 2016. Only downside is the high alcohol that is noticeable.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2014 - millerarner wrote: 90 Points
Opened on a whim without proper aeration. A fair amount of reduction which resulted in some funk that needed time to blow off. Once gone, this turned out to be a nice bottle. Dark, thick & opaque in the glass. A masculine wine for sure, but didn't feel as heavy in the mouth as the inky glass coating juice would imply. Plentiful dark rich fruit that isn't over-ripe. Plus green pepper earth & leather. Tasted blind, I couldn't identify this. It was lacking the distinctive savory element that I use as its varietal marker.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2014 - Armando B wrote: 83 Points
I seem to like this wine a lot less than most folks who have commented/scored to date. Dark fruit with equal part green flavors. Like cab franc green squared (or cubed). Too much of that flavor for my taste. YMMV.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2013 - czollinger wrote: 90 Points
Smooth, a little rich, a nice earthy blend.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2013 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 88 Points
drank over several days. Basic plum nose. On the 3rd day, the palate came alive with strawberry, plum, earthy tones and dark tea notes. A little disjointed but this may improve with time
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2013 - tfharris Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark and brooding initially. After a decant, started to taste like dark chocolate. Very good, interesting wine. Decanting definitely helped bring it about.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2013 - Swaggering Beaunie Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nice, well-balanced. This wine has flavors which I am having trouble identifying (making it a bit mysterious!). Aroma of beef blood makes it seem more like a Syrah than a Carmenere. Dark and brooding, with a long finish. Good QPR. ($22.95 at Liquor Barn in Lexington).
Addendum: OK, I have identified the mysterious flavors. They are a combination of old leather and what I would describe as "blacksmith shop", i.e., a mixture of coal/coke smoke, and red-hot iron. This may sound odd, but in context these flavors are intriguing and pleasant. Lurking in the background are hints of blackcurrant and mulberry.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2013 - gino'svino Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is the darkest Carmenere wine that I have yet tasted. The color is a deep purple blue. It is very dark. The fruit is moderate, and there is tannin which will have to be smoothed out over time. This wine can age I think. But, I give it a 91 for the color alone. Maybe with 5 years or more, the rating can increase to a 92 or more. I don't know if the fruit and acid will outlast the tannin, but the color sure will last a long time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
2/25/2013 - austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
A very dark color. Black fruit on a dark dense and brooding nose. Rich and luxurious plate - like velvet covered in dark chocolate. This wine is obviously tight, but more realistically it is merely reserved (like a british butler.' Some complexity notes of greenery start to come through on the finish. This could be great with 5 years bottle age.
$26.99 OH retail
www.austinbeeman.com
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2013 - srdzak Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark inky color with a rich blueberry, mocha and vanilla flavor profile. Great balance and finesse with a long and unctuous finish. Decanted 1 hour. Very nice for a carmenere. WS is on the money with this rating.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment