I had zero expectations for this wine. Purchased in 2012 for $16.49, drank one early and did not write a note on it. Held a second bottle at 55F from then until now and decided to take it to a huge French wine guy's house to have with lamb steak. Nice funk and a bit muted on opening but this really opened up into a classic southern Rhone wine with garrigue and black/red fruit flavors that were restrained with age and plenty of secondaries with some tertiaries coming out. I was blown away with how good this was after about 45 minutes opened. Very cool bottle of wine. If you have any, drink now plus probably 2-3 years - if it was well stored.
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Cotes du Rhone (Frank's place in Matraville): From Coravin. Biscuit, red berry, sweet spice, black and green peppercorns, ripe fruit; a little blackberry, a little alcohol warmth, leather, slight earth. Juicy, savoury, lather, pepper, a little brett, drying raw silk tannins, long, blackberry fruit proves a little muted though. Hmm.
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Just a horrible wine. I struggled through a half case and all have either been undrinkable (but not flawed) or just dumped into the vin-bin. Never will buy this wine again at any cost.
A little thin, funky and musty to start. Filled out nicely after 30 ins or so when the fruit returned. This became a more classic southern Rhone blend with cherry, garrigue, black olive and baked earth but wore it's alcohol very well. Light on the palate with drying tannins to start but much better with a bit of food and air. Younger than the last bottle but in a good place now, if it lacks the joie de vivre of the 2018.
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Age is helping. D thought it needed more time. D felt that it wasn't a good representative of a CdR, but an ok wine for a midweek dinner. I didn't get anything distinguishing about it -- a bit of a muddle. Still, perfectly drinkable, just nothing exciting.
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Strong earth nose once opened, but disapates once opened for 10 mins or so. Complex for the price point, a little bit short on the finish. Pretty red cherry and raspberry nose and flavor. A little black pepper on nose and taste. Went great with our grilled burgers.
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Much better than my bottle in 2014. I think it just needed the time to smooth out. Excellent bottle -- nose and palate were not like random Cote du Rhones. Much more intense and well-blended. Dark bottom from black fruits, but with red fruit contributing to a brightness that was lacking last time. This was a fine bottle.
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Consistent with previous experience. More representative of a village-or-better wine as opposed to a nondescript Cote du Rhone. Has structure, fruit depth, and subtlety. Drinking beautifully. No decant required, but couldn't hurt. Very enjoyable with a variety of small plates at Eden Hill. High quality.
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Once again an excellent bottle. More representative of a village-or-better wine as opposed to the plain Cote du Rhone. Great depth of fruit with sustaining structure, yet balanced and nuanced. Drinking beautifully. Minimal decant after warming from cellar temp.
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Superb. Blind you wouldn't peg this as a modest Cotes du Rhone... it has too much substance and character. The structure is apparent and still vibrant; should be good for at least another 5 years. Silky with solid tannins and clean fruit. This is probably the best vintage of this wine I have had. Was very approachable on opening, and had persistence for a couple hours. Saved 1/2 bottle overnight; was still good, but best on the first night.
Completely outclassed a Torbreck Steading 2010 on the first night; the Torbreck made up ground on night two.
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Chave's Mon Coeur is a reliably excellent Cote du Rhone, and the exceptionally rich, complete, and delicious 2010 is the best vintage ever. Near black, enters the mouth silky smooth and deliciously fruity, with a swallow that showcases juicy acidity and firmly drying tannins. Superb by itself and one of the best wines with food. Will drink at least equally well anytime in the next 5 years.
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Just a pure delight to drink. This bottle has to be one of my better QPRs recently. Just great. Note to self...give the Mon Couers 5 years all the time??
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Woo-wee! Brettiest bottle of wine I've ever opened. We're decanting it to see if the Bretty aroma blows off. Will probably require at least 24 hours. Will post addendum tomorrow.
Addendum, next day: After the Brett has blown off, I find an excellent CdR, more like a good Gigondas or CdP. It shows tart plum skin, dark roast coffee, roasted chestnuts, pomegranate, strong floral notes, and generous fine tannins. 91 points.
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Same notes as 2013. This is still drinking well. For those of you who are turned off by the earthy/barnyard notes on open, they blow off after 20-30 minutes.
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My wife described this as thick and it is an apt description. The fruit is quite rich - dark fruits. There is also barnyard and lots of garrigue. I think thick means it's slightly flabby, but it doesn't seem fair to characterize it that way. Long smooth finish. Light sediment.
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Nice solid CDR. I need to continue to buy this. Good spice, fruit, balance. It did take about 30 minutes to start showing well. Four bottles to go. Wait until 2016 for the next.
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Deep and dark, truly ruby. Nose of red cherry and white pepper. Sultana and light prune mid-palate with pepper that packs a punch, long and full mouth finish. Lingers on back palate with dry tannin. Very good, keep another year or two .
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Very dark, black cherry red. Nose of leather, pepper, morello cherries and liquorice. Very full in the mouth, an adolescent Gigondas; smooth, rounded, with the flavours above, but with a touch of bay leaf. Drinking well now, but will last 3 to 5 years more. Not a big finish but lingers with a hint of violets. Very good QPR.
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Much darker and bluer than most Cotes du Rhone. Ready for action. Nose of blue fruit, cherries, stones, mineral. Palate is the same with some spice. Medium to long finish. Balanced beautifully. These notes don't do this wine justice. Amazing!
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Nice wine and good value. Dark purple to a thin dark red rim. Medium to fast legs. Medium bodied with a smooth taste and only a very little alcohol burn. Drinks well now but if you can wait one more year should be even better as I find the fruit hidden at the moment. Will buy again
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Nice wine. Got better after decanting and time. Pretty tannic. I just hope the fruit outlasts the tannins. I have 5 bottles left and will not try another one for at least 2 years. Probably would not buy more.
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Gonna give this another year. Did not expect this to reach the greatness of the '98 which was the best CdR I've ever had, but was hoping for more. very good, great value, not great.
Dark red to rim. Forward nose of dark berries, cherries, moist dark earth and herbs. Ripe fruit on palate, medium to full body, great balance, fine tannins, medium finish, excellent and a great QPR. Should drink well for a few years.
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This is a really nice CdR with cool, fresh fruit and balanced acidity and tannins. Pretty laidback oak gives fruit and minerals a chance to show off. Not an outstanding, yet an easy-to-drink wine.
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Opaque dark red with violet hues, dark berries with slight barnyard on the nose, still quite primary, fullbodied but good acidity, quite classy actually. Excellent. Drink or hold.
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Beautiful floral nose, supported by spicy, meaty aromas and flavors. Plenty of primary fruit, fine tannins, and cleansing, juicy acidity. This is a CdR with the quality that justifies the slightly higher tariff.
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Deep dark red to rim. Forward nose of dark berries, cherries, moist dark earth and herbs. Ripe fruit on palate, medium to full body, great balance, fine tannins, medium finish, excellent and a great QPR. Should drink well for a few years.
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Intoxicating floral nose with sweet dark fruits and earthy / light barnyard notes in the background. Full-bodied and smooth. Excellent complexity on the palate with mixed dark fruits. 20 sec finish. Good on open, but some drying tannins on the back end. Give it about 20 - 30 minutes of air. Paired with sweetbreads and skirt steak.
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I liked this wine from the first sniff, which revealed Burgundian horseblanket, and a mix of dark fruit (grape, blackberry, blueberry). All of these are on the palate, but so is substantial acidity and some oak; it's very full-bodied and chewy, with generous well-integrated tannins. At the very least it could use a decant. I don't know what the Syrah percentage is on this wine, but I suspect it's higher than would be the case with most CdRs.
I'll drink this slowly, perhaps over a couple of days, and add to the review if more is revealed with aeration.
Clearly this wine is still very young, but it has lots of promise. Perhaps the best CdR I've tasted to date. I will definitely buy more for aging.
Really savoury. Deeply pitched with blackberry fruits mixing it up with tar, leather, roasted meats and earth. It has some passionfruit skin perfume and is quite dense and chewy on the finish.
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n - leather, animal, brett? wild nose very chewy, good, leather lots of acidity, less rich & fruity than the 09 a lot of wine here needs a little time to settle down good stuff
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A little simpler than the first bottle. Good rick darker fruits with some plums. It got meatier on day 2. I think I decanted it longer the first bottle I drank. It is much better and more complex after being open a few hrs.
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I really liked this a lot more than the humble AOC would suggest. Good maker tho'. Very good indeed - deep dark fruits, and some barnyard or maybe cured meat. Good balance. Looking fwd to more.
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Southern Rhone (Value wines from 2010, but not CdP) (Jeff K's): Another wine that is always a great value. Congrats to Lou R for nailing it blind on one sip/sniff. Inky purple in color. The nose has a lot of barnyard. Also some spice and black raspberries. On the palate, black raspberries, firm tannins. Slightly bitter on the finish. The #2 wine and would have been higher but for a couple who disliked the barnyard nose.
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Probably the darkest CdR I've had. Quite thick, chewy and concentrated. Notes of plums and soil. Very mineral on the palate and dusty longer than usual finish.
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An old favorite, yet kinda hard to rate. Somewhat muted on the nose, with just a whiff of black raspberry and saltiness poking through. Less complex, but more elegant than previous vintages on the palate. Briny, raspberry flavors give way to a pure velvet mouthfeel. Quite nice for $18.
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pop and pour, but the immediate lesson is that this wine needs to decant after several hours, nose - potent, plush, dark cherry, perfume intermixed with wood, but even slightly balsamic. gorgeous young nose. hopelessly complex. Sweet mouth - concentrated but young. high caliber fruit, i can see why this is a PRIMA recommendation. Plummy, and lots of other lush fruit flavors, with a wild and unsetlled midpalate, blistering with fruit and fruit fermentation intermediaries. Heresy? I think not. It will only get better. So hands off, got it? Retry in five.
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Dark red/purple to rim. Forward nose of dark berries and cherries, spice and herbs. Ripe fruit on palate, medium to full body, great balance, fine tannins, medium finish, excellent and a great QPR. Should drink well for a few years.
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Nose - sweet fruit and a hint of wood Mouth - lush red fruit with decent tannins. Between rustic and stylish. Probably better with some air. I will try to sneak this into a priorat tasting to see how it fares.
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Great wine and tremendous QPR. Still a little rough right out of the bottle, better on day 2 and even better on day 3. Needs a couple more years to mellow out and integrate.
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Excellent CdR. Has good structure, smooth and silky on the palate, red fruit, a touch of pepper and just the right amount of tannin to give it freshness.
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Mighty tasty. Some barnyard on opening, dissipates after about half an hour. Loads of fruit without being overripe or jammy even. Some structure becomes apparent on the finish. Also some southern rhone spicy flavor and some gravelly minerality.
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Dark purple color with rich black fruits with prominant oak and tannins. Very jammy and fruit driven, I found it atypical of most classic Cotes du Rhone, but it is young. Needs another year or so to settle down, but accessible now if fruit and power is what you are looking for. Good QPR. 14% abv.
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Deep, completely saturated purple. Prototypical whiff of violets-very inviting. Dense but medium weight, green olives and black fruit, terrific acidity and some real tannic grip as it gets some air. Exceptionally pure, ageworthy Syrah-based wine at this price point. I really like the Gonon St. Joseph, but this represents an even better deal.
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Beautiful med full red color with intense bouquet of kirsh, rocks and spicy cigar, overtly tannic entry, short on the berry body and light to medium dry finish.Could get a better score in a few years when it sheds the heavy tannins.
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2012 - Bachelor night (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck @ Paragon): Alcohol :: 14.5% Bright purplish ruby. The aromas is high tone and fresh, showing refreshing peppery note with sweet core of red raspberry, blackcurrant, candy and kirsch. This medium bodied CDR is pretty approachable but not at all fully expressive as there are some wood and tannin needed more time to better integrated. However, it does possesses sufficient level of attractive lush dark fruits which have no problem to fully absorb the oak and tannin. Medium length with good power and intensity (for a CDR) at the end with peppery, earthy and woody aftertaste. Lovely.
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No score given and I don't much care about them anyway. Nose is brilliant. Ripe, dark fruits, pepper and other spices, garrigue Palate is weird, grape tannins grab the tongue and push it around. Will be GREAT Cote du Rhone but just got off the boat and needs some time. Won't revisit for 6 months anyway
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Dark color. Showing some reductive notes today. Juicy dark red berry fruit on the palate with some mineral structure and grip as well. Nice acidity on the palate and finish. Very nice for its level.
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2/12/2024 - StainedGlass wrote: 87 Points
Cellar stored. Dark purple color. Fading black and purple fruit. Blackberry, elderberry. Oak. Past prime but still good. Drink now.
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12/17/2023 - Rossodio Likes this wine: 92 Points
I had zero expectations for this wine. Purchased in 2012 for $16.49, drank one early and did not write a note on it. Held a second bottle at 55F from then until now and decided to take it to a huge French wine guy's house to have with lamb steak. Nice funk and a bit muted on opening but this really opened up into a classic southern Rhone wine with garrigue and black/red fruit flavors that were restrained with age and plenty of secondaries with some tertiaries coming out. I was blown away with how good this was after about 45 minutes opened. Very cool bottle of wine. If you have any, drink now plus probably 2-3 years - if it was well stored.
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2/24/2023 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still holding up. Fully resolved and delicious.
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5/30/2022 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fully mature; should be nice for at least 5 more years. Balanced, rich, lovely.
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11/21/2021 - chatters wrote:
Cotes du Rhone (Frank's place in Matraville): From Coravin.
Biscuit, red berry, sweet spice, black and green peppercorns, ripe fruit; a little blackberry, a little alcohol warmth, leather, slight earth. Juicy, savoury, lather, pepper, a little brett, drying raw silk tannins, long, blackberry fruit proves a little muted though. Hmm.
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11/15/2021 - SLOFred Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Just a horrible wine. I struggled through a half case and all have either been undrinkable (but not flawed) or just dumped into the vin-bin. Never will buy this wine again at any cost.
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10/24/2021 - king-bing wrote:
A little thin, funky and musty to start. Filled out nicely after 30 ins or so when the fruit returned. This became a more classic southern Rhone blend with cherry, garrigue, black olive and baked earth but wore it's alcohol very well. Light on the palate with drying tannins to start but much better with a bit of food and air. Younger than the last bottle but in a good place now, if it lacks the joie de vivre of the 2018.
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4/22/2021 - king-bing wrote:
Nicely gentle now. Def fading though. Drink soon.
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12/12/2019 - LightDancer wrote: 87 Points
Age is helping. D thought it needed more time. D felt that it wasn't a good representative of a CdR, but an ok wine for a midweek dinner. I didn't get anything distinguishing about it -- a bit of a muddle. Still, perfectly drinkable, just nothing exciting.
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11/17/2019 - SLOFred Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Awful wine.
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6/17/2019 - Cityracer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Strong earth nose once opened, but disapates once opened for 10 mins or so. Complex for the price point, a little bit short on the finish. Pretty red cherry and raspberry nose and flavor. A little black pepper on nose and taste. Went great with our grilled burgers.
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5/13/2019 - LightDancer wrote: 85 Points
Better the second night. Needs some time in the air to knit together. OK, undistinguished wine.
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10/13/2018 - SLOFred wrote: 88 Points
Still a tannic monster. After 48 hours open, it still needs some time.
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4/15/2018 - gggboss wrote: 92 Points
Top Rhone ,juicy ,peper ,complex wine !
Drink now.
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10/10/2017 - LightDancer wrote: 90 Points
Much better than my bottle in 2014. I think it just needed the time to smooth out. Excellent bottle -- nose and palate were not like random Cote du Rhones. Much more intense and well-blended. Dark bottom from black fruits, but with red fruit contributing to a brightness that was lacking last time. This was a fine bottle.
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9/15/2017 - aChave wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with previous experience. More representative of a village-or-better wine as opposed to a nondescript Cote du Rhone. Has structure, fruit depth, and subtlety. Drinking beautifully. No decant required, but couldn't hurt. Very enjoyable with a variety of small plates at Eden Hill. High quality.
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4/5/2017 - aChave wrote: 91 Points
Once again an excellent bottle. More representative of a village-or-better wine as opposed to the plain Cote du Rhone. Great depth of fruit with sustaining structure, yet balanced and nuanced. Drinking beautifully. Minimal decant after warming from cellar temp.
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3/14/2017 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Nice bottle. First thirty minutes it was pretty rough, but then became really nice. Still very sauvage, red berry fruit, spicy, well balanced.
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2/1/2017 - ZachF88 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is delish. True old French style wine with Raspberries, Strawberries, Earth, minerality, astringency. Drinking really well now. Great QPR.
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1/6/2017 - aChave Likes this wine: 92 Points
Superb. Blind you wouldn't peg this as a modest Cotes du Rhone... it has too much substance and character. The structure is apparent and still vibrant; should be good for at least another 5 years. Silky with solid tannins and clean fruit. This is probably the best vintage of this wine I have had. Was very approachable on opening, and had persistence for a couple hours. Saved 1/2 bottle overnight; was still good, but best on the first night.
Completely outclassed a Torbreck Steading 2010 on the first night; the Torbreck made up ground on night two.
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9/19/2016 - Montecalvo Likes this wine: 91 Points
still super young
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9/6/2016 - SLOFred wrote: 88 Points
Vinturied from the start based on prior notes. Okay wine. Won't buy again. Not a great QPR.
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4/19/2016 - Mossrose wrote: 93 Points
Chave's Mon Coeur is a reliably excellent Cote du Rhone, and the exceptionally rich, complete, and delicious 2010 is the best vintage ever. Near black, enters the mouth silky smooth and deliciously fruity, with a swallow that showcases juicy acidity and firmly drying tannins. Superb by itself and one of the best wines with food. Will drink at least equally well anytime in the next 5 years.
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2/26/2016 - marka wrote: 88 Points
Good for the price as always. Keep buying. Find more.
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1/10/2016 - marka wrote: 91 Points
Just a pure delight to drink. This bottle has to be one of my better QPRs recently. Just great. Note to self...give the Mon Couers 5 years all the time??
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11/11/2015 - Swaggering Beaunie wrote:
Woo-wee! Brettiest bottle of wine I've ever opened. We're decanting it to see if the Bretty aroma blows off. Will probably require at least 24 hours. Will post addendum tomorrow.
Addendum, next day: After the Brett has blown off, I find an excellent CdR, more like a good Gigondas or CdP. It shows tart plum skin, dark roast coffee, roasted chestnuts, pomegranate, strong floral notes, and generous fine tannins. 91 points.
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8/28/2015 - Decanthor Likes this wine: 91 Points
Same notes as 2013. This is still drinking well. For those of you who are turned off by the earthy/barnyard notes on open, they blow off after 20-30 minutes.
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8/28/2015 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Oxydized. Sad....
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6/23/2015 - SLOFred wrote: 88 Points
For $20, I expect more. Tarry and tannic. Little fruit. Next bottle I will vinturi before I drink to try to tame the tannins and bitterness.
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5/4/2015 - chitowncdpguy wrote: flawed
Corked? Tasted pretty nasty.
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4/19/2015 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
My wife described this as thick and it is an apt description. The fruit is quite rich - dark fruits. There is also barnyard and lots of garrigue. I think thick means it's slightly flabby, but it doesn't seem fair to characterize it that way. Long smooth finish. Light sediment.
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4/4/2015 - SpiSan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice with any food, even grilled fish as today. Good fruit flavor with a clean finish. Today's bottle had a lot of fine sediment.
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3/28/2015 - dbg wrote:
Classic Chave CdR, very good to excellent, should drink well for a few more years.
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3/6/2015 - MonkeyBiz101 Likes this wine:
The QPR of this is great. Drinking really well now.
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1/19/2015 - marka wrote: 90 Points
Nice solid CDR. I need to continue to buy this. Good spice, fruit, balance. It did take about 30 minutes to start showing well. Four bottles to go. Wait until 2016 for the next.
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1/17/2015 - Waynescoting wrote: 89 Points
Strong value for money. Dark ruby color; medium-full bodied; nicely dry. Recommended.
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12/27/2014 - LightDancer wrote: 86 Points
Double decanted 30 minutes before. Needs food. Smoothed out over the next hour. Nice CdR with a lamb stew which it complemented.
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12/9/2014 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Very nice with ample dark fruit, spice, and mineral framing. Smooth. Medium length finish.
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11/15/2014 - SpiSan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark and full bodied. Full fruit taste but not jammy. Ended with tart tannins. Had a bit of sediment.
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10/21/2014 - Captain Haddock wrote: 89 Points
This bottle had a fair amount of brett but I enjoyed it. Pleasantly rustic, reasonably intense, more interest than usual at this price level.
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10/7/2014 - benjaminpaul Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep and dark, truly ruby. Nose of red cherry and white pepper. Sultana and light prune mid-palate with pepper that packs a punch, long and full mouth finish. Lingers on back palate with dry tannin. Very good, keep another year or two .
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8/11/2014 - soyhead wrote:
very smooth texture and mouthfeel
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6/11/2014 - jhw425 wrote: 89 Points
Somewhat muted but a solid CDR on night one. Fell off somewhat on night two
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5/23/2014 - aknot13 wrote: 90 Points
Amazing QPR! Drink now.
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4/23/2014 - derekjohn Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very dark, black cherry red. Nose of leather, pepper, morello cherries and liquorice. Very full in the mouth, an adolescent Gigondas; smooth, rounded, with the flavours above, but with a touch of bay leaf. Drinking well now, but will last 3 to 5 years more. Not a big finish but lingers with a hint of violets. Very good QPR.
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4/13/2014 - marka wrote: 90 Points
What a great deal for $20. Earthiness, subtle fruit, with the stuffing to last at least 5 years. Nicely balanced. Deep, dark fruit.
Day 2 - one day later. This started to show some acidity during the second half of the bottle.
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3/3/2014 - eluebchow Likes this wine: 90 Points
A really well-balanced CDR with classic flavors of cherry, violets and licorice, finishing with excellent precision and lift
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2/24/2014 - Captain Haddock wrote: 89 Points
Less funky than the 2011 but more intense. Drinking very nicely and should last several years.
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2/22/2014 - Curt Hawkins Likes this wine: 91 Points
Much darker and bluer than most Cotes du Rhone. Ready for action. Nose of blue fruit, cherries, stones, mineral. Palate is the same with some spice. Medium to long finish. Balanced beautifully. These notes don't do this wine justice. Amazing!
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2/21/2014 - MonkeyBiz101 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Improved over three nights. Good QPR. Will wait before opening more.
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1/24/2014 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 91 Points
Smooth and balanced, with surprising structure for a Cotes du Rhone. Wine of the night, along with a 2006 Mont Redon CdR.
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1/23/2014 - Billigan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with previous note. A really savory, floral, and delicious CdR with the structure to last a good while longer.
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1/20/2014 - Andreas20001 wrote:
- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of tobacco, licorice anise and moldy and has flavours of oak, grapefruit and rose.
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1/18/2014 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nice wine and good value. Dark purple to a thin dark red rim. Medium to fast legs. Medium bodied with a smooth taste and only a very little alcohol burn. Drinks well now but if you can wait one more year should be even better as I find the fruit hidden at the moment. Will buy again
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12/30/2013 - SLOFred wrote: 85 Points
Nice wine. Got better after decanting and time. Pretty tannic. I just hope the fruit outlasts the tannins. I have 5 bottles left and will not try another one for at least 2 years. Probably would not buy more.
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12/13/2013 - Vintomas wrote: 87 Points
Blackberries, some vanilla, good acidity, some tannic bite. A fine wine at its level. 87 p.
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12/12/2013 - grapist Likes this wine: 90 Points
Gonna give this another year. Did not expect this to reach the greatness of the '98 which was the best CdR I've ever had, but was hoping for more. very good, great value, not great.
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11/27/2013 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Beautiful.
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11/25/2013 - dbg wrote:
Dark red to rim. Forward nose of dark berries, cherries, moist dark earth and herbs. Ripe fruit on palate, medium to full body, great balance, fine tannins, medium finish, excellent and a great QPR. Should drink well for a few years.
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11/19/2013 - Magners Likes this wine: 86 Points
This is a really nice CdR with cool, fresh fruit and balanced acidity and tannins. Pretty laidback oak gives fruit and minerals a chance to show off. Not an outstanding, yet an easy-to-drink wine.
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11/11/2013 - robs_r Likes this wine:
Opaque dark red with violet hues, dark berries with slight barnyard on the nose, still quite primary, fullbodied but good acidity, quite classy actually. Excellent. Drink or hold.
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10/24/2013 - Billigan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautiful floral nose, supported by spicy, meaty aromas and flavors. Plenty of primary fruit, fine tannins, and cleansing, juicy acidity. This is a CdR with the quality that justifies the slightly higher tariff.
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9/20/2013 - fanglangzhe Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark fruits, gentle oak, adequate acidity, slight barnyard. Good flavor concentration, weight, and balance.
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9/18/2013 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Gorgeous. Red berry fruit, tar, and minerals on the palate. The nose also shows some barnyard and smoke. Very pretty.
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9/14/2013 - dbg wrote:
Deep dark red to rim. Forward nose of dark berries, cherries, moist dark earth and herbs. Ripe fruit on palate, medium to full body, great balance, fine tannins, medium finish, excellent and a great QPR. Should drink well for a few years.
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9/1/2013 - Decanthor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Intoxicating floral nose with sweet dark fruits and earthy / light barnyard notes in the background. Full-bodied and smooth. Excellent complexity on the palate with mixed dark fruits. 20 sec finish. Good on open, but some drying tannins on the back end. Give it about 20 - 30 minutes of air. Paired with sweetbreads and skirt steak.
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6/27/2013 - Swaggering Beaunie Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pop-and-pour review.
I liked this wine from the first sniff, which revealed Burgundian horseblanket, and a mix of dark fruit (grape, blackberry, blueberry). All of these are on the palate, but so is substantial acidity and some oak; it's very full-bodied and chewy, with generous well-integrated tannins. At the very least it could use a decant. I don't know what the Syrah percentage is on this wine, but I suspect it's higher than would be the case with most CdRs.
I'll drink this slowly, perhaps over a couple of days, and add to the review if more is revealed with aeration.
Clearly this wine is still very young, but it has lots of promise. Perhaps the best CdR I've tasted to date. I will definitely buy more for aging.
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5/27/2013 - pcwoz Likes this wine: 89 Points
88-89. Benefits from decanting. I think better the second day. Some red fruits - cherries and berries. Good structure and a little development
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5/24/2013 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Very delicious. Fruity, some tar flavors, a little barnyard, some wild spiciness, all swirling around making for a very nice experience.
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5/22/2013 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Really savoury. Deeply pitched with blackberry fruits mixing it up with tar, leather, roasted meats and earth. It has some passionfruit skin perfume and is quite dense and chewy on the finish.
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5/18/2013 - austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com Likes this wine:
Confirming my review of 4/2013
Very complex flavors. Red, black, and blue fruits. And maybe some prosciutto?
$24.99 OH retail
www.austinbeeman.com
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5/17/2013 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
n - leather, animal, brett? wild nose
very chewy, good, leather
lots of acidity, less rich & fruity than the 09
a lot of wine here
needs a little time to settle down
good stuff
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5/17/2013 - pcwoz Likes this wine: 88 Points
A little simpler than the first bottle. Good rick darker fruits with some plums. It got meatier on day 2. I think I decanted it longer the first bottle I drank. It is much better and more complex after being open a few hrs.
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4/30/2013 - pcwoz Likes this wine: 90 Points
I really liked this a lot more than the humble AOC would suggest. Good maker tho'. Very good indeed - deep dark fruits, and some barnyard or maybe cured meat. Good balance. Looking fwd to more.
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4/26/2013 - eusor wrote: 86 Points
Odeur: Petit fruit noir, cerises
Goût: Métal, cuivre, ferreux, minéral, cerise en rétroolfaction
Trop jeune, dois vieillir un peu plus
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4/24/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 91 Points
Southern Rhone (Value wines from 2010, but not CdP) (Jeff K's): Another wine that is always a great value. Congrats to Lou R for nailing it blind on one sip/sniff. Inky purple in color. The nose has a lot of barnyard. Also some spice and black raspberries. On the palate, black raspberries, firm tannins. Slightly bitter on the finish. The #2 wine and would have been higher but for a couple who disliked the barnyard nose.
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4/17/2013 - Chateau du Fey 1994 wrote: 90 Points
Similiar to 2009 notes. Earthy with intense fruit. Nice barnyard nose. Full bodied but well balanced. Nice. Great QPR.
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4/3/2013 - austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
No Tasting Note Available
$25.99 OH retail
www.austinbeeman.com
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3/19/2013 - DoubleMagnum Likes this wine: 89 Points
Probably the darkest CdR I've had. Quite thick, chewy and concentrated. Notes of plums and soil. Very mineral on the palate and dusty longer than usual finish.
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3/16/2013 - ziavino wrote: 90 Points
An old favorite, yet kinda hard to rate. Somewhat muted on the nose, with just a whiff of black raspberry and saltiness poking through. Less complex, but more elegant than previous vintages on the palate. Briny, raspberry flavors give way to a pure velvet mouthfeel. Quite nice for $18.
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3/8/2013 - soyhead wrote: 91 Points
pop and pour, but the immediate lesson is that this wine needs to decant
after several hours, nose - potent, plush, dark cherry, perfume intermixed with wood, but even slightly balsamic. gorgeous young nose. hopelessly complex. Sweet
mouth - concentrated but young. high caliber fruit, i can see why this is a PRIMA recommendation. Plummy, and lots of other lush fruit flavors, with a wild and unsetlled midpalate, blistering with fruit and fruit fermentation intermediaries. Heresy? I think not. It will only get better. So hands off, got it? Retry in five.
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2/9/2013 - mau wrote: 89 Points
A lot of cherry, which was surprising. Promising wine
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1/28/2013 - dbg wrote:
Dark red/purple to rim. Forward nose of dark berries and cherries, spice and herbs. Ripe fruit on palate, medium to full body, great balance, fine tannins, medium finish, excellent and a great QPR. Should drink well for a few years.
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1/23/2013 - soyhead wrote: 90 Points
Nose - sweet fruit and a hint of wood
Mouth - lush red fruit with decent tannins. Between rustic and stylish. Probably better with some air. I will try to sneak this into a priorat tasting to see how it fares.
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1/20/2013 - soyhead wrote: 92 Points
limited notes - but a very lovely pure expression of fruit
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1/12/2013 - cartime Likes this wine: 89 Points
No detailed notes. A good QPR, but needs a couple years to soften and open up.
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1/9/2013 - mtnbarry Likes this wine: 89 Points
Great wine and tremendous QPR. Still a little rough right out of the bottle, better on day 2 and even better on day 3. Needs a couple more years to mellow out and integrate.
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12/19/2012 - soyhead wrote: 91 Points
nose - oaky
mouth - plumy, fruit forward, with very round tannins, lovely floral midpalate, nice concentration, and good value to boot.
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12/14/2012 - naforbes wrote: 91 Points
Excellent CdR. Has good structure, smooth and silky on the palate, red fruit, a touch of pepper and just the right amount of tannin to give it freshness.
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12/2/2012 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Mighty tasty. Some barnyard on opening, dissipates after about half an hour. Loads of fruit without being overripe or jammy even. Some structure becomes apparent on the finish. Also some southern rhone spicy flavor and some gravelly minerality.
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10/15/2012 - StainedGlass wrote: 89 Points
Dark purple color with rich black fruits with prominant oak and tannins. Very jammy and fruit driven, I found it atypical of most classic Cotes du Rhone, but it is young. Needs another year or so to settle down, but accessible now if fruit and power is what you are looking for. Good QPR. 14% abv.
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9/9/2012 - drwine2001 wrote:
Deep, completely saturated purple. Prototypical whiff of violets-very inviting. Dense but medium weight, green olives and black fruit, terrific acidity and some real tannic grip as it gets some air. Exceptionally pure, ageworthy Syrah-based wine at this price point. I really like the Gonon St. Joseph, but this represents an even better deal.
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8/18/2012 - farinas Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautiful med full red color with intense bouquet of kirsh, rocks and spicy cigar, overtly tannic entry, short on the berry body and light to medium dry finish.Could get a better score in a few years when it sheds the heavy tannins.
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4/24/2012 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 86 Points
2012 - Bachelor night (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck @ Paragon): Alcohol :: 14.5%
Bright purplish ruby. The aromas is high tone and fresh, showing refreshing peppery note with sweet core of red raspberry, blackcurrant, candy and kirsch. This medium bodied CDR is pretty approachable but not at all fully expressive as there are some wood and tannin needed more time to better integrated. However, it does possesses sufficient level of attractive lush dark fruits which have no problem to fully absorb the oak and tannin. Medium length with good power and intensity (for a CDR) at the end with peppery, earthy and woody aftertaste. Lovely.
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3/15/2012 - liteagilis wrote:
No score given and I don't much care about them anyway.
Nose is brilliant. Ripe, dark fruits, pepper and other spices, garrigue
Palate is weird, grape tannins grab the tongue and push it around. Will be GREAT Cote du Rhone but just got off the boat and needs some time. Won't revisit for 6 months anyway
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3/9/2012 - MatthewF wrote:
Dark color. Showing some reductive notes today. Juicy dark red berry fruit on the palate with some mineral structure and grip as well. Nice acidity on the palate and finish. Very nice for its level.
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