Nose of black berry, dewy forest floor, licorice, and black cherry, more of the same on the palate, medium body, mouth coating rather than mouth filling, soft and supple, tasty, at it's best so drink up and enjoy your cellar efforts, has a long finish and pleasant aftertaste, holding up very well given the 2001 vintage. Uploaded bottle/label photo.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking beautifully. Excellent example of an aged, premier cru, right bank. Dark in color, dense, with an excellent fruit profile,yet starting to show its age. Highly recommended if you are a fan of the appellation.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Plum coloration in the glass, nose of black cherry, black berry, dewy forest floor, with hints of barnyard, more of the same on the palate, medium body, mouth coating rather than mouth filling, soft and supple, tasty, touch simple, everything is there but the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts, has a long finish and pleasant aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of black berry, boysenberry, and hints of barnyard, more of the same on the palate, medium/big body, mouth filling fruit, at it's peak, time to drink up, showing its age, touch simple, and a long finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bright plum color in the glass, nose of blackberry, plum, forest floor, and a touch of barnyard, more of the same on the palate, almost inky, mouth coating, tasty with basil salmon, soft and supple, touch simple, medium/big body, long finish and pleasant aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted last week, smoked fruit, earthy, black cherries, dust, slightly mature fruit, good life, and decent finish. I think this wine is currently in an in-between phase. The fruit while still fresh is leaning more on that muted mature side, and I think it needs to go one way or the other. Since there is no going back, I would hold for a few more years and hope that it develops more dimension and complexity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark opaque purple, seemed still young at 10 years. Plenty of dark fruit, earthiness, vaguely tar/earth on the finish. Tannins a little intrusive on the finish, but overall drinking well and perfect with charred rare burgers as Sox sweep Yankees.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Dark, quite dense in the glass, looks very young. Dusty cocoa, purple sweetish fruit. Grainy mouthfeel, but nice balance, no heat and smooth mid palate. Long finish. Nice St Emilion, good value, drinking well - easy 5-8 years to go and I think it will develop further in the bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and double-decanted for 45 minutes. Initially on the nose: meaty with iodine and dark fruit and some cocoa. Decanting helped smooth out the mouth-feel; medium bodied and lush. Taste was dark fruit, leather and spice in that order. For the price paid ($25) a good solid Bordeaux. Plenty of cellar life to go, but drinking quite nicely now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Concentrated purple, oak, barrel nose. Still tanic. Forest floor taste. It is powerful but lacks elegence. I doubt that it will evolve to be a 90 pt wine. Drink it up and make space for more wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark color, almost opaque, which was surprising considering this was an '01 St. Emilion. Dense meaty smell with alcohol coming through. Dry and finely integrated tannins throughout. Length of 20 secs. Camphor or menthol on front palate that gradually fades and doesn't evolve much. Still a little tough and despite dense color it doesn't have huge fruit. Touch of charcoal, chalk, and black tea.
After 1.5 hours of decanting, the wine mellowed considerably. Alcohol blew off. Still had meaty smell, but with pleasant chalk and cassis as well. More mellow on the palate, but still somewhat astringent. Definitely recommend decanting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Importer tasting (@ RdG): Soft and elegant. Fairly full bodied. Black fruits. Well integrated oak. Nice balance between sweetness and acidity. Still youthfull, but already pleasureable. The soft tannin promises a future of some more years( 3 - 5) , but not for extreme long keeping.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I am a habitual California wine drinker who is just not accustomed to decant wine (in fact, I am a young drinker of whom doesn’t have enough patience to wait), I am not entirely new to the Bordeaux style and already have enough schooling about how to appreciate the nuances of the particular terroir of the region. Upon opening it is still very tight and light in body with a sharp tannic attack, while the bouquet is rather developed as I could feel the fruit aroma has converted beyond its organic stage. I carefully consulted with all other reviews across the vintages.. and I learned to drink it slowly in hope to boost the quality steadily.. And the improvement is magnificent after mins of in glass swinging. I could delineate the more subtle merlot and the more characteristic cabernet fanc gradually.. The palate has a note of distinctive earth and the aftertaste is of medium length and quite alkaline in response to the acidic nature of the wine. The major reason for me to write this review ( my 1st ever wine review indeed) is because oft its exceptional complexity.. The structure is very robust without the sign of commercial leaning of any sort. I would say the structure is dominated by cherry oak + tobacco + a not so fruity berry scent. In addition, the terroir component is very occupied in this wine.. I can feel both the context and the smell of quartz.. Overall, it is quite an adventure for a young wine drinker hailed from Hong Kong.. it introduced me into a new territory away from the friuty, high alcohol and viscous Californian heritage. I have tried some decent $ 20 Bordeaux wines which yielded some medium bodied, lower alcohol elegant wines.. Cht. Faugeres at around $30 is a good choice to explore the complexity potential for the right bank of Bordeaux.. (drink 2008-2015) 90 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My last bottle. This one was more in line with the previous bottles from a year ago with good berry flavors mixed with earth and a dry and slightly tannic finish. The dry finish actually made it a great match for a bbq'd steak. Based on my impression of having 4 bottles of this wine over the course of a year I would say that I was happy with it and that for around $30, it was a pretty good deal. The score ranged I ended up with was 87-90, which I think is reasonable. IWC and WA both put it at 90. There is a chance you might still find this at the local Costco. If you do, pick up a bottle and have it with your next steak dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Costco just got a new batch of this wine in and based on my notes on the previous couple of bottles from 6+ months ago I decided to pick up a couple more of these since the price had only increased by about $4 a bottle. This time around the wine is definitely not up to par with the same bottles from my previous purchase. There is a nice earthy element on the nose with decent fruit but the complexity wasn't there like it was before. It is still quite enjoyable and a good deal for the price but I was more impressed the first time around.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
At first, this wine seemed pretty good, but after a few hours of air, I again noted an over-ripeness - plum veering towards raisins - that I despise. Some many not consider this a flaw.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice aromatics: dark fruit, meat, tar, wood, licorice, graphite, earth. After an hour and a half decant, was pretty open and forward, with moderate tannins and good acidic lift. Palate shows plenty of blackberry and black currant fruit, but gets a little bitter on the back end. Medium bodied. Medium finish. By, the 2nd day, had really thinned out. Quite hollow on the mid palate, and much more bitter on the finish. My guess is that this is close to, if not already at its peak. close to a 90 on the 1st day. 84 on the 2nd.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pretty much the same as the previous bottle. At $30 I definitely should have purchased more of these. Drinkable now and still has some room for improvement over the next year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I enjoyed this quite a lot. Was fairly open right from the start and continued to open up over the next hour. Blackberries and smoked meats on the nose with nice fruit flavors with a slight tannic edge that softens with time. Full-bodied with a good clean finish. Excellent value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a really stubborn wine - still very tight and tannic. Dark purple. Nose is reserved. After three hours, I sensed a little over-ripeness. Oak is in balance. Fruit is muted. If this loosens up, it will be very good but the tannins and potential over-ripeness are concerns.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
with 2 hours in the decanter it gained some size as well as a nose. but the tannins are still lingering in the back. if the tannins can smooth out with age this could be an upper 80's wine.
Still a very good wine with food with a few hours in the dacanter.
B-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
closed up tighter than fort knox when first uncorked. i mean, nothing there at all. slowly but surely, hour after hour, the flavors and aromas timidly emerged. still, they never seemed to reach the level of the massive tannins. otherwise, this seems like a very nice effort and may indeed pan out to be excellent one day when it is out of this apparent dormant phase. 88-90pts p.s. day2, bouquet and fruit blossomed, however, began developing that telltale graphite/bitter taste. may be starting to fall apart already. i doubt this will ever be fantastic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep red/purple color. Powerful nose reminiscent of a light port, jammy fruit, baking spices and alcohol. Alcohol is foremost on the palate but there is a nice mix of sweet red and black fruit behind it. Don't know if this will settle down. Tannins on the finish need a couple years to mellow.
Day 2 - This picked up a bit of weight and the alcohol & tannins had diminished. Still lots of fruit and a silky texture.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark, deep, dark chocolate. Sweet tannins, a little puckering. Nice sweet core. Empty on mid-palate. Good deep end, thin high end. Lightish weight. No need to age. C+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple in color, this shows a nose of dark fruit and licorice and alcohol. In the mouth, this wine seems heavily extracted to me, with the alcohol dominating the palate and obscuring the otherwise substantial fruit of the wine. Tannins are substantial and slightly drying. My wife couldn’t even finish a glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not decanted. Very dark inky purple in the glass. Upon opening tight, fresh, earth a little berry and spice. The palate follows the nose with a firm tannin grip in the finish. After an hour the tannin was more pronounced and the fruit had disappeared. After the two hours the nose was opening and had a sweet red berry and dark fruit component. Nicely balanced, good mouth feel, and lingering (minutes) mild spice finish. Firm tannins, not overbearing, throughout the three hours we spent with this bottle. I would say this is better (deeper, more layered) than the 99 was at this stage. IMO this represents decent value, $29.00 retail.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
3/27/2019 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose of black berry, dewy forest floor, licorice, and black cherry, more of the same on the palate, medium body, mouth coating rather than mouth filling, soft and supple, tasty, at it's best so drink up and enjoy your cellar efforts, has a long finish and pleasant aftertaste, holding up very well given the 2001 vintage. Uploaded bottle/label photo.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2018 - jsternh Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully. Excellent example of an aged,
premier cru, right bank. Dark in color, dense, with an excellent fruit profile,yet starting to show its age. Highly recommended if you are a fan of the appellation.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2018 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Plum coloration in the glass, nose of black cherry, black berry, dewy forest floor, with hints of barnyard, more of the same on the palate, medium body, mouth coating rather than mouth filling, soft and supple, tasty, touch simple, everything is there but the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts, has a long finish and pleasant aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2017 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose of black berry, boysenberry, and hints of barnyard, more of the same on the palate, medium/big body, mouth filling fruit, at it's peak, time to drink up, showing its age, touch simple, and a long finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bright plum color in the glass, nose of blackberry, plum, forest floor, and a touch of barnyard, more of the same on the palate, almost inky, mouth coating, tasty with basil salmon, soft and supple, touch simple, medium/big body, long finish and pleasant aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2014 - fdusonchet wrote: 92 Points
Très délicat note de cuire et de sous bois fruit tj présent et bouche juteuse
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2013 - mouton45 wrote: 89 Points
Drank it with a grilled ribeye last night. OK but I think it needs more time
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2013 - renatodug Likes this wine: 87 Points
Nez de bois et de cuir. Peu de fruit. Très puissant, manque un peu de finesse.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/13/2012 - khmark7 wrote: 86 Points
Very smooth...very boring. Not much herbal character, fruit or complexity. This wine is being overwhelmed by multi-grain bread.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2011 - SanPietroJohn wrote: 90 Points
hoping this improves with age...had great hopes when first tasted
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2011 - randymac88 wrote: 88 Points
A little flat, uninteresting. Not bad but I've had better for the price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/29/2011 - edub7 wrote: 89 Points
Tasted last week, smoked fruit, earthy, black cherries, dust, slightly mature fruit, good life, and decent finish. I think this wine is currently in an in-between phase. The fruit while still fresh is leaning more on that muted mature side, and I think it needs to go one way or the other. Since there is no going back, I would hold for a few more years and hope that it develops more dimension and complexity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2011 - Veloman wrote:
Dark opaque purple, seemed still young at 10 years. Plenty of dark fruit, earthiness, vaguely tar/earth on the finish. Tannins a little intrusive on the finish, but overall drinking well and perfect with charred rare burgers as Sox sweep Yankees.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/29/2010 - Nohedes wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Dark, quite dense in the glass, looks very young. Dusty cocoa, purple sweetish fruit. Grainy mouthfeel, but nice balance, no heat and smooth mid palate. Long finish. Nice St Emilion, good value, drinking well - easy 5-8 years to go and I think it will develop further in the bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2010 - Fozziedoggie Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opened and double-decanted for 45 minutes. Initially on the nose: meaty with iodine and dark fruit and some cocoa. Decanting helped smooth out the mouth-feel; medium bodied and lush. Taste was dark fruit, leather and spice in that order. For the price paid ($25) a good solid Bordeaux. Plenty of cellar life to go, but drinking quite nicely now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/31/2010 - Bordeauxman wrote: 87 Points
Concentrated purple, oak, barrel nose. Still tanic. Forest floor taste. It is powerful but lacks elegence. I doubt that it will evolve to be a 90 pt wine. Drink it up and make space for more wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2009 - djdaqm wrote: 89 Points
Very dark color, almost opaque, which was surprising considering this was an '01 St. Emilion. Dense meaty smell with alcohol coming through. Dry and finely integrated tannins throughout. Length of 20 secs. Camphor or menthol on front palate that gradually fades and doesn't evolve much. Still a little tough and despite dense color it doesn't have huge fruit. Touch of charcoal, chalk, and black tea.
After 1.5 hours of decanting, the wine mellowed considerably. Alcohol blew off. Still had meaty smell, but with pleasant chalk and cassis as well. More mellow on the palate, but still somewhat astringent. Definitely recommend decanting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2009 - Cphofmann wrote: 90 Points
Good solid wine. Aromas of blackberries and spices followed through to a full-bodied palate, with fine tannins and a long silky finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2009 - Vin Rouge wrote: 90 Points
Nice full body wine with bold fruit and surprisingly subtle finish. Not overly bitter/tannic. Great to drink now. Good value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2009 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
Importer tasting (@ RdG): Soft and elegant. Fairly full bodied. Black fruits. Well integrated oak. Nice balance between sweetness and acidity. Still youthfull, but already pleasureable. The soft tannin promises a future of some more years( 3 - 5) , but not for extreme long keeping.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2008 - geographist wrote: 90 Points
I am a habitual California wine drinker who is just not accustomed to decant wine (in fact, I am a young drinker of whom doesn’t have enough patience to wait), I am not entirely new to the Bordeaux style and already have enough schooling about how to appreciate the nuances of the particular terroir of the region. Upon opening it is still very tight and light in body with a sharp tannic attack, while the bouquet is rather developed as I could feel the fruit aroma has converted beyond its organic stage. I carefully consulted with all other reviews across the vintages.. and I learned to drink it slowly in hope to boost the quality steadily.. And the improvement is magnificent after mins of in glass swinging. I could delineate the more subtle merlot and the more characteristic cabernet fanc gradually.. The palate has a note of distinctive earth and the aftertaste is of medium length and quite alkaline in response to the acidic nature of the wine. The major reason for me to write this review ( my 1st ever wine review indeed) is because oft its exceptional complexity.. The structure is very robust without the sign of commercial leaning of any sort. I would say the structure is dominated by cherry oak + tobacco + a not so fruity berry scent. In addition, the terroir component is very occupied in this wine.. I can feel both the context and the smell of quartz.. Overall, it is quite an adventure for a young wine drinker hailed from Hong Kong.. it introduced me into a new territory away from the friuty, high alcohol and viscous Californian heritage. I have tried some decent $ 20 Bordeaux wines which yielded some medium bodied, lower alcohol elegant wines.. Cht. Faugeres at around $30 is a good choice to explore the complexity potential for the right bank of Bordeaux.. (drink 2008-2015) 90 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 88 Points
My last bottle. This one was more in line with the previous bottles from a year ago with good berry flavors mixed with earth and a dry and slightly tannic finish. The dry finish actually made it a great match for a bbq'd steak. Based on my impression of having 4 bottles of this wine over the course of a year I would say that I was happy with it and that for around $30, it was a pretty good deal. The score ranged I ended up with was 87-90, which I think is reasonable. IWC and WA both put it at 90. There is a chance you might still find this at the local Costco. If you do, pick up a bottle and have it with your next steak dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/24/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 87 Points
Costco just got a new batch of this wine in and based on my notes on the previous couple of bottles from 6+ months ago I decided to pick up a couple more of these since the price had only increased by about $4 a bottle. This time around the wine is definitely not up to par with the same bottles from my previous purchase. There is a nice earthy element on the nose with decent fruit but the complexity wasn't there like it was before. It is still quite enjoyable and a good deal for the price but I was more impressed the first time around.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2008 - spendergast wrote: 90 Points
Medium to full body. Dark fruit with hint of earth, cocoa, tannins somewhat prominent, medium finish. Excellent value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2008 - Ivin wrote:
At first, this wine seemed pretty good, but after a few hours of air, I again noted an over-ripeness - plum veering towards raisins - that I despise. Some many not consider this a flaw.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2008 - schway wrote: 88 Points
Nice aromatics: dark fruit, meat, tar, wood, licorice, graphite, earth. After an hour and a half decant, was pretty open and forward, with moderate tannins and good acidic lift. Palate shows plenty of blackberry and black currant fruit, but gets a little bitter on the back end. Medium bodied. Medium finish. By, the 2nd day, had really thinned out. Quite hollow on the mid palate, and much more bitter on the finish. My guess is that this is close to, if not already at its peak. close to a 90 on the 1st day. 84 on the 2nd.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
Pretty much the same as the previous bottle. At $30 I definitely should have purchased more of these. Drinkable now and still has some room for improvement over the next year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2008 - Rupert wrote: 88 Points
A lot of liquoricy black fruit, some spice, smooth - good characteristic St Emilion
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2007 - wcacern wrote: 88 Points
Over 90 / Under 30; fall festival (Wine Exchange): WA90. WS90. 13.5% alcohol. Prunes, tar, molasses, cocoa, earth, and oak. med. to full bodied. firm tannins... not my style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2007 - MCody wrote: 90 Points
Had at advanced foodie class with MuskOx Ribeye in Maderia reduction and gorgonzola scalloped potatoes. Beautiful! Nice tannins still in this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote: 90 Points
I enjoyed this quite a lot. Was fairly open right from the start and continued to open up over the next hour. Blackberries and smoked meats on the nose with nice fruit flavors with a slight tannic edge that softens with time. Full-bodied with a good clean finish. Excellent value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2007 - Ivin wrote: 88 Points
This is a really stubborn wine - still very tight and tannic. Dark purple. Nose is reserved. After three hours, I sensed a little over-ripeness. Oak is in balance. Fruit is muted. If this loosens up, it will be very good but the tannins and potential over-ripeness are concerns.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2007 - bahiadave wrote:
nice bofy
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2007 - John wrote: 82 Points
with 2 hours in the decanter it gained some size as well as a nose. but the tannins are still lingering in the back. if the tannins can smooth out with age this could be an upper 80's wine.
Still a very good wine with food with a few hours in the dacanter.
B-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2007 - zerhart wrote: 86 Points
Needs more time in the bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/21/2006 - cormyr wrote: 88 Points
closed up tighter than fort knox when first uncorked. i mean, nothing there at all. slowly but surely, hour after hour, the flavors and aromas timidly emerged. still, they never seemed to reach the level of the massive tannins. otherwise, this seems like a very nice effort and may indeed pan out to be excellent one day when it is out of this apparent dormant phase. 88-90pts
p.s. day2, bouquet and fruit blossomed, however, began developing that telltale graphite/bitter taste. may be starting to fall apart already. i doubt this will ever be fantastic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2006 - jmcmchi wrote:
Nicely balanced. Soft red and black fruit under cedar and oak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2005 - bhardie wrote: 89 Points
Deep red/purple color. Powerful nose reminiscent of a light port, jammy fruit, baking spices and alcohol. Alcohol is foremost on the palate but there is a nice mix of sweet red and black fruit behind it. Don't know if this will settle down. Tannins on the finish need a couple years to mellow.
Day 2 - This picked up a bit of weight and the alcohol & tannins had diminished. Still lots of fruit and a silky texture.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2004 - MRichman wrote:
Dark sweet coffee chocolate nose.
Dark, deep, dark chocolate. Sweet tannins, a little puckering. Nice sweet core. Empty on mid-palate. Good deep end, thin high end. Lightish weight. No need to age.
C+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2004 - JohnB wrote: flawed
Corked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2004 - CSteefel wrote: 88 Points
Dark purple in color, this shows a nose of dark fruit and licorice and alcohol. In the mouth, this wine seems heavily extracted to me, with the alcohol dominating the palate and obscuring the otherwise substantial fruit of the wine. Tannins are substantial and slightly drying. My wife couldn’t even finish a glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2004 - JohnB wrote:
Not decanted. Very dark inky purple in the glass. Upon opening tight, fresh, earth a little berry and spice. The palate follows the nose with a firm tannin grip in the finish. After an hour the tannin was more pronounced and the fruit had disappeared. After the two hours the nose was opening and had a sweet red berry and dark fruit component. Nicely balanced, good mouth feel, and lingering (minutes) mild spice finish. Firm tannins, not overbearing, throughout the three hours we spent with this bottle. I would say this is better (deeper, more layered) than the 99 was at this stage. IMO this represents decent value, $29.00 retail.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment