Vinetasters: Howell Mountain (Park Ridge, IL): Served double blind. Clearly and older wine with its slightly mulchy aromas make me think this is probably merlot heavy again. Coarse in texture and quite disjointed, this reminds me of the terminal stage of a Parkerized wine. Clearly some oxidation going on as well. My 9th, group's 11th.
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My last bottle. No decant. Light redish color. Full ripe nose, reduced fruits, some sweetness, nice. On the palate some tannins but dominated by dark berries and a sweet medium finish. Not as good as previous bottles, the fruit is fading, but still remarkable. Drink up.
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Wednesday Wine Education #4 (Grapes & Grains, Temecula, CA): The final of my four bottles and, by far the best. This fully mature wine is a pure expression of Howell Mountain Merlot - Dried plums and berries, fig, violet, bay leaf, mint, truffle, coffee, cocoa, leather, tobacco, cedar, baking spice, and dried herbs. Some unresolved tannin is still prevalent on the long, long finish. Would recommend decanting only to remove sediment and to drink within 30-60 minutes. This fades quickly.
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Wonderfully aged Merlot. A bit more tannin that I would have predicted, but that is providing nice structure to a dark fruit and cigar box finish. This wine does not appear to be losing its fruit or structure any time soon.
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Very dense and tannic still. Fleshy and somewhat closed-ish on the first night. More interesting on night two when some complexities unfold. The fill wasn't fantastic being just above the shoulder but this seemed the youngest I've had of this wine. This bottle probably wanted more time. still comes off like something from a completely different era. Not sure I could blind this as not being Cab.
Mini-Cellar Diminishment Party & Blind Cabernet Bordeaux Blends (Temecula, CA): This was tasting fantastic on Sunday afternoon. Really gained a lot of complexity since I had it many years ago. Cedar, tobacco, vanilla and plum. Right at its peak. Everyone in the group was surprised to see a Napa Merlot hold up and mature so well.
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Initially a little cigar smells give way to something more expressive within a half hour. Especially the palate which went explosive adding some rose petals to it's cedary deep plum and wood. It really grab me by the shirt and let me know it wanted my attention. Which was just fine because this was captivating. A touch of minerals on the nose was offset by a touch of warmth on the palate. This bottle is in some terrific window. Held up ok overnight under a "repour". It was all there just not as cohesive and expressive.
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I originally popped this to decant it for a wine dinner. I noticed the fill wasn't great, being nearer the shoulder than not. There was enough madeirization on the nose to raise alarms and the palate didn't strike me like the last bottle. I gave it a few minutes with no improvement. So I made another selection for dinner and put this one in the kitchen fridge. Revisited the next night and found a mixed bag. The fruit isn't gone but it does show enough madeirized notes to put some people off. It's certainly not like the last bottle that still had powerful, deep fruit. I enjoyed it as it was but this bottle certainly had some issue in the way of heat, storage or cork.
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Lovely cigar box aroma over dark red fruits. Tons of fruit still present here. This is clearly in a secondary type of phase but the fruit doesn't seem to be receding much. Or it was so huge to begin with it's fading to a big wine. Seems to straddle those traditional Right Bank notes and California fruit in expression. Could use a bit more acidity but the fruit kinda makes you forget for a while. Terrific. Consistent over two nights. Lots of time left.
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definitely in decline, but not done yet; upon opening, this was funky, disjointed, almost undrinkable... let sit open in cellar for 19 hours and the fog cleared to become a very enjoyable wine
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Still drinking well beyond its window, with remaining dark fruits and a medium finish. Didn't hold up too long after opening, would recommend drinking now.
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This wine is rocking! With layers of juicy, ripe blackberries, tobacco, licorice and cigar box aromas, there is a sense of purity to the fruit, polished tannins and a long finish that seems to expand on the palate.
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The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like mushroom and oak. It tastes like red currant and blackberry. The body is full. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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this bottle was purchased from winebid, so provenance unknown. Tasted slightly pruned, but the tannins managed to hold it all together. Pretty good, considering.
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Shows some potential but unbalanced with a bit of sour taste. This bottle doesn't seem to have aged so well. I'd blame it on the 97s which I don't think aged so well but I had a great 97 PR Cab last week.
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This wine is drinking great right now. All the flavors have melded together in a rather complex beauty. Dark fruit and pencil. Beautiful color. Sorry to see my last one go. Would love to try in another year or so.
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The nose was simply outstanding and the body did not disappoint. Awesome nose of spice and light oak. Great fruit and powerful but smooth tannins. Nice integration. Long finish. PDQ94+
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Thoroughly enjoyable bottle of wine. Very lush initial mouthfeel yet lithe on the tongue. Tannins are fully integrated. Black raspberry and dark cherry notes. Not incredibly complex, but so enjoyable. Nice finish. Enjoyed with grilled New York strips. Reminiscent of early to mid '90's Pahlmeyer Merlot.
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@ Nemesis(Mica Edelstein - South Africa/Cape Cod) w Roberta & David Ehrenreich. David's wine. We both unwittingly brought 100% Merlot's. My 00 GOMERIE, Grand CRU, St Emillon. The similarity was evident, but the European vs Cali differences were pronounced. Violet color, black raspberry/ cassis flavor, long aftertaste. Ellen, Roberta & David preferred the BERINGER. mica and I, the GOMERIE.
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Informal tasting of Older California Wines: This wine was popped and poured which was a mistake. Upon opening the wine was pretty tight. The last sip was absolutely the best. Recommend a two hour decant on this. Once this wine opened up there was beautiful fruit and soft tannin. I think if more CA merlot were made like this one the grape would not have fallen so far out of favor.
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Nose of currant, blackberry and chocolate. Mature but still fresh. Very complex palate with fruit and secondary flavors coming and going. Long cedar finish.
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Aromas of black cherry, licorice -- slightly herbaceous with a just a hint of menthol. BIG for a merlot and almost brawny with a full body, lots of drying tannins and good acidity. Flavors match the nose with very rich fruit flavors - like a liqueur, and the addition of some oak. Long slightly tannic finish. Tightly wound at first, it mellowed after about 30 minutes but never really opened up completely. Not graceful or elegant, this is about as "in your face" as merlot gets. I think it has 5+ years of life remaining, but that the tannins will likely outlast the fruit.
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I had this late at night with a good friend after a night of drinking, so no detailed notes, but it was very nice, still in great form. Dark fruit and a wonderful full body and taste. First rate merlot.
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A bit tight, and not quite the depth I was hoping for. Notes of beef bouillion on both nose and palate. Initially a touch tannic on the finish, but that blows off with 20 minutes of air.
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Popped and poured. Dark garnet color. Nose of earthy blackberry and black cherry. Flavors of sweet raspberries, tobacco and pepper. Light tannins on the finish that have become more apparent as the wine gets more air. A very nice Merlot from Howell Mtn.
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still dark in the glass; young and a bit tight to start; early black cherry, then rounds out in the glass with some plum, earth, leather and residual tannins, which arent noticeable after our cheese plates; well balancde; a mountain merlot fer sure
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Decanted for about an hour. Great bouquet butterscotch and raspberry, slight bit of vedge. Palate has similar effect, creamy textures with very little tannins, and a lasting tabacco, leathery finish. This wine was way more complex than I can explain and is drinking fantastically right now.
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Be sure to decant this -- it's throwing a lot of sediment. Very chewy, but lacking fruit. Tobacco, cherry and chocolate notes. Fantastic nose, but ultimately disappoints. Tannins have mellowed completely. Drink now.
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Strong tannins in the beginning. Good fruit. Tannins became very smooth after half and hour. Dark fruits blackberries, blueberries, dark fruits. Very good wine.
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Still has the nose of black cherry and pencil lead but the fruit seems to be a little reluctant. We opened and drank this but it could have used decanting and some time.
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First time I have tried a nicely aged merlot of some substantial quality. I can't say I didn't enjoy the wine of course, however I wanted to see something more than this displayed. The notes of blueberry and other dark berries weren't as potent as I enjoy out of younger merlots I suppose. There were expressive aromas of vanilla, espresso, tobacco leaf and soft sweet spice. The palate was silky, but still not what I imagined out of a PR Bancroft from '97. The finish was relatively long with excellent balance of acidity, tannins and alcohol. I can't wait to try my more recent vintage, the 2003.
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Dark ruby color with no hint of its age. Herbal nose. The wine was a little closed when the bottle was uncorked but improved steadily over a 2 hour period. Drinking extremely well now with laid back red berry fruit with a hint of chocolate and well structured tannins.
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Colour deep ruby red, with some purple hints. The nose is marked by cassis, raspberries, eucaluptus and a touch of smoke. On the palate it seems very closed and does not give a lot. Judgement reserved - may have been an off bottle?
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The nose yielded cassis and chocolate which follwed into the flasvors of the wine. Dark, bittersweet chocolate with that Bordeaux finish that reminds me of chalky texture, yet the velvet tannins carried the wine through from first, mid and finish. This wine is drinking excellent right now. After the first taste, which was still wound tight, we decanted it for 30 minutes. The effort yielded a well integrated, soft merlot well worth the bottle aging. The 90 and 91 are my all time favorites from this vineyard. Phyloxera motivated a replant in the mid-nineties, which was replanted with a resistant rootstock and lucious merlot grafts. The '97 was actually from young vines, but the awesome Howell Mountain Terroir was already working it's magig. Ed did a great job vinting this gem from young vines that foreshadow awesome vintages to come.
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I usually don't drink CA Merlot's. Too many bad ones, but this one is a gem. Dark color with a vibrant red edge. Full mouthfeel, chocolate, slight raspberry with a medium finish. This should age well for a few more years. 94 pts
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Tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle provided by John Person. Bright disc. Opaque purple robe with purple rim. Clean nose, with moderately intense aromas of kirsch, vanilla, cedar, pencil shavings and toasted oak. Full-bodied on the palate, with huge coarse tannins and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, dry finish. This wine needs time for the tannins to settle down...I just hope that they settle down before the fruit dries out.
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Blind humiliation with Scott Thornber (Woodinville, WA, USA): A more aged nose than the other wines, slightly briary, more herbal with hints of caramel. On the palate this is more green, tight and acidic. Some sage and dill. Did I mention that this is tight? Very dusty tannins that almost rip your teeth off. Right now the tannins are way ahead of the fruit. Is it sleeping or doomed?
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11/6/2022 - acyso wrote: 85 Points
Vinetasters: Howell Mountain (Park Ridge, IL): Served double blind. Clearly and older wine with its slightly mulchy aromas make me think this is probably merlot heavy again. Coarse in texture and quite disjointed, this reminds me of the terminal stage of a Parkerized wine. Clearly some oxidation going on as well. My 9th, group's 11th.
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5/13/2022 - Peech Likes this wine: 91 Points
ripe fruit, stewed prunes, cassis, smoky, grilled meats, and cedar notes.
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4/10/2022 - shafer1994 Likes this wine: 91 Points
My last bottle. No decant. Light redish color. Full ripe nose, reduced fruits, some sweetness, nice. On the palate some tannins but dominated by dark berries and a sweet medium finish. Not as good as previous bottles, the fruit is fading, but still remarkable. Drink up.
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11/19/2021 - Peech wrote: 89 Points
ripe, a little pruny, slightly dirty and chalky nose. Smoky with some leather.
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10/15/2021 - Peech Likes this wine: 90 Points
served after 1½ hours in decanter. Stewed prunes, a little savory, with fragrant and woodsy notes.
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2/20/2021 - Peech wrote: 89 Points
minty, a hint of smoke, some stewed fruits.
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2/4/2021 - Peech wrote: 89 Points
ripe, stewed prunes, smoky.
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9/4/2020 - Peech Likes this wine: 90 Points
smoky, a little dirty, minty, with stewed prunes. Actually still going strong, with plenty of fruit.
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9/2/2020 - R2-D2 wrote: 94 Points
Wednesday Wine Education #4 (Grapes & Grains, Temecula, CA): The final of my four bottles and, by far the best. This fully mature wine is a pure expression of Howell Mountain Merlot - Dried plums and berries, fig, violet, bay leaf, mint, truffle, coffee, cocoa, leather, tobacco, cedar, baking spice, and dried herbs. Some unresolved tannin is still prevalent on the long, long finish. Would recommend decanting only to remove sediment and to drink within 30-60 minutes. This fades quickly.
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7/31/2020 - Peech Likes this wine: 91 Points
still drinking very well, actually pretty ripe and sweet, with a little more vanilla than expected.
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6/14/2020 - TomTom wrote:
Wonderfully aged Merlot. A bit more tannin that I would have predicted, but that is providing nice structure to a dark fruit and cigar box finish. This wine does not appear to be losing its fruit or structure any time soon.
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5/15/2020 - Peech Likes this wine: 91 Points
alcoholic, smoky, exotic sweetness, vanilla, and coconut butter. Very nice and fragrant.
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2/16/2020 - WetRock wrote:
Very dense and tannic still. Fleshy and somewhat closed-ish on the first night. More interesting on night two when some complexities unfold. The fill wasn't fantastic being just above the shoulder but this seemed the youngest I've had of this wine. This bottle probably wanted more time. still comes off like something from a completely different era. Not sure I could blind this as not being Cab.
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5/18/2019 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dried cherries, herbal notes, cedar, pepper, spice, Smokey oak. Acidity balanced and the fruit is in line with the mid-palate. A-/A
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4/28/2019 - R2-D2 wrote: 91 Points
Mini-Cellar Diminishment Party & Blind Cabernet Bordeaux Blends (Temecula, CA): This was tasting fantastic on Sunday afternoon. Really gained a lot of complexity since I had it many years ago. Cedar, tobacco, vanilla and plum. Right at its peak. Everyone in the group was surprised to see a Napa Merlot hold up and mature so well.
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4/9/2019 - WetRock wrote:
Initially a little cigar smells give way to something more expressive within a half hour. Especially the palate which went explosive adding some rose petals to it's cedary deep plum and wood. It really grab me by the shirt and let me know it wanted my attention. Which was just fine because this was captivating. A touch of minerals on the nose was offset by a touch of warmth on the palate. This bottle is in some terrific window. Held up ok overnight under a "repour". It was all there just not as cohesive and expressive.
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12/31/2018 - Peech Likes this wine: 91 Points
sweet, coffee, toasty and oaky, really smoky tobacco.
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12/25/2018 - BrunelloBob wrote:
Auction purchase, two consistent bottles. A bit disappointing. Thinner and less fruit than i hoped for. Not in the same league as the cab.
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12/24/2018 - Peech wrote: 89 Points
pretty much par for the course, with some fruit, smoky, and oaky notes.
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7/25/2018 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 91 Points
Earthy notes, cedar, minerality, herbal notes, pepper finishes with some smoky oak. A-
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7/19/2018 - WetRock wrote:
I originally popped this to decant it for a wine dinner. I noticed the fill wasn't great, being nearer the shoulder than not. There was enough madeirization on the nose to raise alarms and the palate didn't strike me like the last bottle. I gave it a few minutes with no improvement. So I made another selection for dinner and put this one in the kitchen fridge.
Revisited the next night and found a mixed bag. The fruit isn't gone but it does show enough madeirized notes to put some people off. It's certainly not like the last bottle that still had powerful, deep fruit. I enjoyed it as it was but this bottle certainly had some issue in the way of heat, storage or cork.
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6/4/2018 - WetRock wrote:
Lovely cigar box aroma over dark red fruits. Tons of fruit still present here. This is clearly in a secondary type of phase but the fruit doesn't seem to be receding much. Or it was so huge to begin with it's fading to a big wine. Seems to straddle those traditional Right Bank notes and California fruit in expression. Could use a bit more acidity but the fruit kinda makes you forget for a while. Terrific. Consistent over two nights. Lots of time left.
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5/19/2018 - Peech Does not like this wine: 87 Points
a little musty at first, slightly overripe, with fragrant cedar notes.
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5/13/2018 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 92 Points
Black fruit, candied cherry, red fruit, cassis, spice and herbal notes. Well balanced and aging gracefully. A-
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2/2/2018 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 93 Points
Black and red fruit, herbal notes, tobacco, leathery notes. A
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12/31/2017 - cupoverflowing1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
definitely in decline, but not done yet; upon opening, this was funky, disjointed, almost undrinkable... let sit open in cellar for 19 hours and the fog cleared to become a very enjoyable wine
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6/25/2016 - Peech Likes this wine: 91 Points
decanted just prior to serving. Nose of stewed prunes, pretty sweet and ripe, plenty of vanilla oak. Very silky and smooth on the palate.
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5/22/2016 - bjr11 wrote: 90 Points
Still drinking well beyond its window, with remaining dark fruits and a medium finish. Didn't hold up too long after opening, would recommend drinking now.
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9/23/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
This wine is rocking! With layers of juicy, ripe blackberries, tobacco, licorice and cigar box aromas, there is a sense of purity to the fruit, polished tannins and a long finish that seems to expand on the palate.
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9/12/2014 - europat55 wrote: 88 Points
Platinum Tasting - International Merlots (Andre and Sabine's House, Mountain View, CA): Modest, fruity nose. Some heat (B+). Fruity, young palate with chocolate and long finish. (B+/B++). Good potential with more time in the cellar.
My #8, Group's #7 (84 pts). Tasted blind.
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4/25/2014 - mleidner wrote: 90 Points
The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like mushroom and oak. It tastes like red currant and blackberry. The body is full. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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4/15/2014 - Peech wrote: 88 Points
smoky, minty with dried herbs.
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3/31/2013 - stinkycook Likes this wine:
Big, dark colored wine. Still going strong, perhaps at it's best now? Wonderful with BBQ Rib-Eye
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1/2/2013 - cupoverflowing1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still great
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12/30/2012 - cupoverflowing1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Truly one of the best Merlots I have ever tasted... Perfectly cellared
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9/16/2012 - tarheel17 wrote:
this bottle was purchased from winebid, so provenance unknown. Tasted slightly pruned, but the tannins managed to hold it all together. Pretty good, considering.
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8/25/2012 - zazoo wrote: 90 Points
Still drinking well
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5/31/2012 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
1997 California Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Pairs (Tom's house in Palo Alto, California): Very good sweet nose. Smooth tannins. Some chocolate. Tasted blind. My 3rd & group's 9th (90 pts)
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5/8/2012 - jdinkin1 wrote: 91 Points
Allspice on the nose. Fruit and acid are restrained. Brambly. Long dusty finish and even some round tannins. Nice.
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4/25/2012 - AlexHop wrote: 89 Points
Shows some potential but unbalanced with a bit of sour taste. This bottle doesn't seem to have aged so well. I'd blame it on the 97s which I don't think aged so well but I had a great 97 PR Cab last week.
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4/14/2012 - Dorndorff wrote: 72 Points
Past it's prime:(( remained tight and acidic. Even after decanting and open for several hours.
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3/19/2012 - Skip4wine wrote: 93 Points
This wine is drinking great right now. All the flavors have melded together in a rather complex beauty. Dark fruit and pencil. Beautiful color. Sorry to see my last one go. Would love to try in another year or so.
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3/11/2012 - dwbumsted wrote: 91 Points
Amazing for a 15 year old Merlot. A faded glory but sill a wonderful balance of dark blackberry and rasberry fruit t and mwrlte tannins.
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2/18/2012 - BWGledhill wrote: 90 Points
Still very drinkable and enjoyable
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2/16/2012 - pdemaio wrote: 94 Points
The nose was simply outstanding and the body did not disappoint. Awesome nose of spice and light oak. Great fruit and powerful but smooth tannins. Nice integration. Long finish.
PDQ94+
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11/26/2011 - Jwd12 wrote: 90 Points
Probably a little beyond prime but a rare treat
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11/3/2011 - jbrekke wrote:
Thoroughly enjoyable bottle of wine. Very lush initial mouthfeel yet lithe on the tongue. Tannins are fully integrated. Black raspberry and dark cherry notes. Not incredibly complex, but so enjoyable. Nice finish. Enjoyed with grilled New York strips. Reminiscent of early to mid '90's Pahlmeyer Merlot.
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10/29/2011 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
@ Nemesis(Mica Edelstein - South Africa/Cape Cod) w Roberta & David Ehrenreich. David's wine. We both unwittingly brought 100% Merlot's. My 00 GOMERIE, Grand CRU, St Emillon. The similarity was evident, but the European vs Cali differences were pronounced. Violet color, black raspberry/ cassis flavor, long aftertaste. Ellen, Roberta & David preferred the BERINGER. mica and I, the GOMERIE.
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4/21/2011 - dsimmons wrote: 93 Points
Informal tasting of Older California Wines: This wine was popped and poured which was a mistake. Upon opening the wine was pretty tight. The last sip was absolutely the best. Recommend a two hour decant on this. Once this wine opened up there was beautiful fruit and soft tannin. I think if more CA merlot were made like this one the grape would not have fallen so far out of favor.
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4/5/2010 - dsimmons wrote: 90 Points
Very nice aged Merlot
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1/9/2010 - joerazore wrote: 92 Points
Great bottle with a NY steak. Drank with Allen, Louie (bday) and G
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12/29/2009 - BoulderWine wrote: 82 Points
Pretty much gone -- not enough fruit left to finish through. Sad that I held this so long.
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12/12/2009 - ipp wrote: flawed
corked
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11/9/2009 - gmbdds wrote: 93 Points
Nose of currant, blackberry and chocolate. Mature but still fresh. Very complex palate with fruit and secondary flavors coming and going. Long cedar finish.
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7/11/2009 - rickspicks wrote: 92 Points
Aromas of black cherry, licorice -- slightly herbaceous with a just a hint of menthol. BIG for a merlot and almost brawny with a full body, lots of drying tannins and good acidity. Flavors match the nose with very rich fruit flavors - like a liqueur, and the addition of some oak. Long slightly tannic finish. Tightly wound at first, it mellowed after about 30 minutes but never really opened up completely. Not graceful or elegant, this is about as "in your face" as merlot gets. I think it has 5+ years of life remaining, but that the tannins will likely outlast the fruit.
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6/20/2009 - ipp wrote: 93 Points
sweet tannins ... drinking great
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6/11/2009 - theoves wrote: 92 Points
I had this late at night with a good friend after a night of drinking, so no detailed notes, but it was very nice, still in great form. Dark fruit and a wonderful full body and taste. First rate merlot.
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4/10/2009 - vanpe003 wrote: 89 Points
A bit tight, and not quite the depth I was hoping for. Notes of beef bouillion on both nose and palate. Initially a touch tannic on the finish, but that blows off with 20 minutes of air.
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4/8/2009 - mouton45 wrote: 92 Points
Showed great at Bistro Bisou
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3/29/2009 - RPerro wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Dark garnet color. Nose of earthy blackberry and black cherry. Flavors of sweet raspberries, tobacco and pepper. Light tannins on the finish that have become more apparent as the wine gets more air. A very nice Merlot from Howell Mtn.
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3/9/2009 - Peech wrote:
hint of coffee, vanilla, toasty oak, red fruits with a bit of smoke
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11/9/2008 - wabi47 wrote: 91 Points
still dark in the glass; young and a bit tight to start; early black cherry, then rounds out in the glass with some plum, earth, leather and residual tannins, which arent noticeable after our cheese plates; well balancde; a mountain merlot fer sure
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6/20/2008 - lone eagle1 wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for about an hour. Great bouquet butterscotch and raspberry, slight bit of vedge. Palate has similar effect, creamy textures with very little tannins, and a lasting tabacco, leathery finish. This wine was way more complex than I can explain and is drinking fantastically right now.
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4/29/2008 - dmbaggett wrote: 92 Points
Be sure to decant this -- it's throwing a lot of sediment. Very chewy, but lacking fruit. Tobacco, cherry and chocolate notes. Fantastic nose, but ultimately disappoints. Tannins have mellowed completely. Drink now.
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4/9/2008 - wpd wrote: 90 Points
Strong tannins in the beginning. Good fruit. Tannins became very smooth after half and hour. Dark fruits blackberries, blueberries, dark fruits. Very good wine.
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1/20/2008 - rdfech01 wrote: 89 Points
Still has the nose of black cherry and pencil lead but the fruit seems to be a little reluctant. We opened and drank this but it could have used decanting and some time.
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12/2/2007 - ssouth wrote: 91 Points
Soft and delicate. Clearly at or past it's peak. Good but not great
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10/31/2007 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
First time I have tried a nicely aged merlot of some substantial quality.
I can't say I didn't enjoy the wine of course, however I wanted to see something more than this displayed.
The notes of blueberry and other dark berries weren't as potent as I enjoy out of younger merlots I suppose.
There were expressive aromas of vanilla, espresso, tobacco leaf and soft sweet spice.
The palate was silky, but still not what I imagined out of a PR Bancroft from '97.
The finish was relatively long with excellent balance of acidity, tannins and alcohol.
I can't wait to try my more recent vintage, the 2003.
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2/28/2007 - ipp wrote: 91 Points
beautiful aroma of white chocolate and rasberries ... flat on the palate ... will try again
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1/19/2007 - Gfritzh wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby color with no hint of its age. Herbal nose. The wine was a little closed when the bottle was uncorked but improved steadily over a 2 hour period. Drinking extremely well now with laid back red berry fruit with a hint of chocolate and well structured tannins.
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1/8/2007 - R2-D2 wrote: 88 Points
Fairly acidic and didn't open up. Ended up using it for cooking. Would wait another year before trying again and hope for the best.
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5/2/2006 - shine wrote: 94 Points
Wonserful integrated wine with enough complexity to keep me coming back for more. Much better than I have come to expect from a merlot.
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3/29/2006 - KILLER WINE GUY wrote:
W/ KEITH BROWN
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3/24/2006 - odu83 wrote: 92 Points
An outstanding, complex, and rich merlot. Subdued on first opening, lucious chocolate laced truffle after 30 minutes in a decanter.
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3/18/2006 - martinp wrote:
Colour deep ruby red, with some purple hints. The nose is marked by cassis, raspberries, eucaluptus and a touch of smoke. On the palate it seems very closed and does not give a lot. Judgement reserved - may have been an off bottle?
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12/31/2005 - odu83 wrote: 91 Points
The nose yielded cassis and chocolate which follwed into the flasvors of the wine. Dark, bittersweet chocolate with that Bordeaux finish that reminds me of chalky texture, yet the velvet tannins carried the wine through from first, mid and finish. This wine is drinking excellent right now. After the first taste, which was still wound tight, we decanted it for 30 minutes. The effort yielded a well integrated, soft merlot well worth the bottle aging. The 90 and 91 are my all time favorites from this vineyard. Phyloxera motivated a replant in the mid-nineties, which was replanted with a resistant rootstock and lucious merlot grafts. The '97 was actually from young vines, but the awesome Howell Mountain Terroir was already working it's magig. Ed did a great job vinting this gem from young vines that foreshadow awesome vintages to come.
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11/13/2005 - EyeDoc wrote: 92 Points
excellent merlot - drinking very well.
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3/25/2005 - WVWine wrote: 93 Points
Thought I had pulled a cab from the cellar. Nevertheless, this was a awesome merlot. It was full-bodied with cherry and pencil aromas.
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1/1/2005 - tconcilio wrote: 94 Points
I usually don't drink CA Merlot's. Too many bad ones, but this one is a gem. Dark color with a vibrant red edge. Full mouthfeel, chocolate, slight raspberry with a medium finish. This should age well for a few more years. 94 pts
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11/21/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 89 Points
Tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle provided by John Person. Bright disc. Opaque purple robe with purple rim. Clean nose, with moderately intense aromas of kirsch, vanilla, cedar, pencil shavings and toasted oak. Full-bodied on the palate, with huge coarse tannins and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, dry finish. This wine needs time for the tannins to settle down...I just hope that they settle down before the fruit dries out.
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11/21/2003 - Eric wrote: 85 Points
Blind humiliation with Scott Thornber (Woodinville, WA, USA): A more aged nose than the other wines, slightly briary, more herbal with hints of caramel. On the palate this is more green, tight and acidic. Some sage and dill. Did I mention that this is tight? Very dusty tannins that almost rip your teeth off. Right now the tannins are way ahead of the fruit. Is it sleeping or doomed?
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10/6/2003 - ipp wrote: 94 Points
sweet aroma ... Opening up nicely ... Well rounded
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2/12/2003 - ipp wrote: 94 Points
really sweet, buttery tannins ... ripe fruit ... good, long finish
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12/2/2002 - ipp wrote: 92 Points
cab-drinkers merlot ... good structure ... will need time, can go 20+
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11/17/2002 - R2-D2 wrote: 92 Points
This full bodied wine is a creamy velvety cherry delight! Touches of chocolate, spices and minerals with a chewy long finish.
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