This was a better bottle, or perhaps this wine is in a slightly better place. Popped and poured through a vinturi aerator and then stored for a week in a Wine Art. This wine seems to be a little more put together now. Soft and feminine on the nose and palate with well balanced fruit, tannin and acid. Good qpr as I would expect to pay double for a wine that is crafted like this. For the price it's a recommend and it is ready to drink.
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Theme was southern Rhône, blind. Decanted about 2 hours. This was just singing tonight. Our last bottle (of 6), based on our experience, we could have waited a bit. Still deep garnet, no signs of age in the glass. Expressive, complex nose. Palate was rich, fruity, with plenty of structure. Long finish. No one guessed Vaqueyras, most guessed Chateauneuf. Good QPR, no one had much familiarity with this producer.
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This is a powerful, well structured Vacqueyras, with all the requisite garrigue, plum, earthy cherry and spicy notes you'd expect from this appellation. No rush to drink this given the power and tannins that still remain, but this is drinking nicely now (B+/A-).
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Still a bit tightly wound. I would have thought we would see a more resolved wine at this point. Not sure it will get better, though it is a pleasant wine to drink now. Improved with air, like last time. Perhaps some more patience...
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Perfumed nose of sweet dark berries and violets, medium bodied, light fruit on the palate with spices and minerality on the finish. A nice week day quaf. Nothing incredibly special.
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Wow, I'm surprised how quickly this one is starting to fall apart. It was a rather clipped experience, with more muted fruit and a short, almost offputting finish. Maybe it was just a bad bottle but if you have any left I would check one out to see if it's still hitting a home run.
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I think it may have turned a corner. Was drinking better than it had in the past on its own, and was really good with the barbecue ribs and pizza. Solid QPR.
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Between an 88 and an 89. Went back to 88 this time. Not sure whether it's the wine or the varietals involved, but this wine is just not getting there for me. It tastes OK, just not where I thought it would have gotten to by now. Perhaps my expectations were unreasonable. That all having been said, it would be a pretty decent accompanying wine with any pasta or meat in a tomato based sauce or broth. Not drinking too well by itself, at least not right now.
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PnP. Let sit in the glass for an hour. Dark purrple/red in the glass. Nose of wild red berries, savory herbs, osemary, menthol. On the palate medium bodied with brambly red and blue fruit, more menthol, alcohol. Silky mouthfeel with integrated tannins. Short finish of tart red fruit, tannins, heat.
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Saturday Walk Around Tasting at The Gourmet Shop, Columbia, SC 12/13/2014 (The Gourmet Shop, Columbia, SC): There is lots to discuss with this one, a GSM from the origins of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre. This is a 2010 which evidently, I caught it just as it is starting to come around, as previous reviewers almost unanimously mentioned it was young and in dire need of decant. I tasted over 40 wines today, and this was the best. Though still youthful, it is not tight and unforgiving, or overly acidic and tannic. The aging process is more of an integration of the flavor characteristics of these 3 varietals, than it is the breakdown of some harsh components. This wine has seen no oak, and does not need it, but that could help explain why it took 4 years to come out of it's shell. It is just liquid velvet on the lips. Very strong and expressive fruit, but always encompassed with southern French terroir influenced earthy, rocky, shale type flavors. Superb balance and silky mouth feel. Full bodied yet refined and elegant.
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Tasted with another 2010 Vacqueyras from our cellar, a Cournoulu, and both were in need of some time. This was tannic, and needs to resolve, but was quite a bit better than the last bottle.
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Pretty consistent with my 9/21/14 notes, EXCEPT, I believe it is indeed evolving and improving. Drank well merely pouring through a Vinturi. No rush to drink next bottle: give it 6-12 months.
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For Int'l Grenache Day - a nice way to celebrate indeed! Very open at the moment, with a huge dollop of spiciness and dark fruits. Plenty of black pepper, flint, and some nori wrapper. The seaweed component is almost offputting, but only for a moment. Great mouthfeel and wonderful acidity as well. Hope that it doesn't close down anytime soon.
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This is a wonderful wine. First, I enjoyed a very unusual but fascinating nose. The aromas reminded me of leather and tobacco. The palate is fruity and luscious. The finish is very smooth with fine tannins. Recommended at this age.
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At first, I thought this bottle was corked. It was really quite awful (for me at least) for the first two hours. I started to emerge after hour 3 in the decanter, but even then, it really needs some more time. Tons of texture, dark, full-bodied. I can see why Parker rated this 91-93. For me, I'm going to hold my next bottle for at least 12-36 months, and then give it a serious decant.
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Wonderfully rich, quite complex so. rhone which is very tight at first, but blossoms wonderfully after about 2-3 hours under air. Did not decant, but it's definitely needed. Very rough tannins on the forefront, which meld wonderfully with the sweet and sour cherry flavors of the grenache, with an undertone of bittersweet dark chocolate, candied figs and teriyakied beef jerky. Great long finish (good 30 plus seconds) and those lingering tannins bode well for this young 'uns future. Will be even more rewarding in about two years.
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Still pretty tight, even through an aerator. Better on the second day. Classic rhone bouquet and taste. The fruitness that some CT commenters have alluded to really only came out on the second day. Needs more time in bottle, although I have to say that it wasn't drinking badly right now. At the all-in price point we paid, the QPR is solid. If it evolves, this wine could go 90+, and the QPR will of course be even better. I'm gonna try to wait 6-12 months for the next bottle. We bought a case, so it's gonna be fun to extend out on this wine and see how it develops. If it doesn't go anywhere, it's still not a bad wine, and we haven't paid much. With (much) more expensive wines, if you play the age game, you can sometimes find that the wine has started to flatten, and that's not good when you have a lot of money into the wine.
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Rich, deep, dark wine. Popped and drank on its own with no air time. The has a great nose as soon as the cork is popped. Sour cherry on the palate with a mouth puckering finish. This has great potential but is too young for my liking. I'll give it a few more years to let it become s little more tame.
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First of the case, and I'm impressed. This will only get better with time, and it's really good now. Soft and smooth, opened up after a few hours, and was even better the second day. Looking forward to this over the next few years.
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nicely structured with underlying dark fruit. not as tannic or tight as other reviews would have you believe. a moderate decant and very drinkable now and has the structure to develop over time. buy more.
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Aggressively decanted and left open for an hour. Still very closed and very young. Nose hot/alcoholic. Mainly register the tannic finish though there are sensations of dark fruit. There's enough acidity that it should age well for a few years. Would hold for at least two years - it isn't enjoyable to drink at the moment but has potential to develop into a very fine wine.
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5/30/2019 - Bodyfxr wrote: 90 Points
This was a better bottle, or perhaps this wine is in a slightly better place. Popped and poured through a vinturi aerator and then stored for a week in a Wine Art. This wine seems to be a little more put together now. Soft and feminine on the nose and palate with well balanced fruit, tannin and acid. Good qpr as I would expect to pay double for a wine that is crafted like this. For the price it's a recommend and it is ready to drink.
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6/30/2018 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 92 Points
Theme was southern Rhône, blind. Decanted about 2 hours. This was just singing tonight. Our last bottle (of 6), based on our experience, we could have waited a bit. Still deep garnet, no signs of age in the glass. Expressive, complex nose. Palate was rich, fruity, with plenty of structure. Long finish. No one guessed Vaqueyras, most guessed Chateauneuf. Good QPR, no one had much familiarity with this producer.
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2/11/2018 - acheng wrote: 91 Points
My last bottle and drinking just as superb. Great QPR at 18$.
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1/17/2018 - JohnSh wrote: 90 Points
This is a powerful, well structured Vacqueyras, with all the requisite garrigue, plum, earthy cherry and spicy notes you'd expect from this appellation. No rush to drink this given the power and tannins that still remain, but this is drinking nicely now (B+/A-).
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9/10/2017 - kennyd Likes this wine: 90 Points
No need to wait on last bottle if you have any any.
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6/2/2017 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 90 Points
This has calmed down and gained balance since our last bottle. Could get better, we'll hold our last one a bit.
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11/7/2016 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still a bit tightly wound. I would have thought we would see a more resolved wine at this point. Not sure it will get better, though it is a pleasant wine to drink now. Improved with air, like last time. Perhaps some more patience...
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9/22/2016 - Bodyfxr wrote: 89 Points
Perfumed nose of sweet dark berries and violets, medium bodied, light fruit on the palate with spices and minerality on the finish. A nice week day quaf. Nothing incredibly special.
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5/12/2016 - Mr.Overhill wrote: 87 Points
Wow, I'm surprised how quickly this one is starting to fall apart. It was a rather clipped experience, with more muted fruit and a short, almost offputting finish. Maybe it was just a bad bottle but if you have any left I would check one out to see if it's still hitting a home run.
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5/1/2016 - Pedroel wrote: 87 Points
Has been better. Fruit not showing very well at this point. Leather notes dominate flavors.
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11/16/2015 - patrialexser wrote: flawed
VA
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6/1/2015 - kennyd wrote: 90 Points
I think it may have turned a corner. Was drinking better than it had in the past on its own, and was really good with the barbecue ribs and pizza. Solid QPR.
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5/16/2015 - Sennma wrote: flawed
VA
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5/15/2015 - kennyd Likes this wine: 88 Points
Between an 88 and an 89. Went back to 88 this time. Not sure whether it's the wine or the varietals involved, but this wine is just not getting there for me. It tastes OK, just not where I thought it would have gotten to by now. Perhaps my expectations were unreasonable. That all having been said, it would be a pretty decent accompanying wine with any pasta or meat in a tomato based sauce or broth. Not drinking too well by itself, at least not right now.
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12/22/2014 - anonymoose12345 Likes this wine: 90 Points
PnP. Let sit in the glass for an hour. Dark purrple/red in the glass. Nose of wild red berries, savory herbs, osemary, menthol. On the palate medium bodied with brambly red and blue fruit, more menthol, alcohol. Silky mouthfeel with integrated tannins. Short finish of tart red fruit, tannins, heat.
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12/13/2014 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 91 Points
Saturday Walk Around Tasting at The Gourmet Shop, Columbia, SC 12/13/2014 (The Gourmet Shop, Columbia, SC): There is lots to discuss with this one, a GSM from the origins of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre. This is a 2010 which evidently, I caught it just as it is starting to come around, as previous reviewers almost unanimously mentioned it was young and in dire need of decant. I tasted over 40 wines today, and this was the best. Though still youthful, it is not tight and unforgiving, or overly acidic and tannic. The aging process is more of an integration of the flavor characteristics of these 3 varietals, than it is the breakdown of some harsh components. This wine has seen no oak, and does not need it, but that could help explain why it took 4 years to come out of it's shell. It is just liquid velvet on the lips. Very strong and expressive fruit, but always encompassed with southern French terroir influenced earthy, rocky, shale type flavors. Superb balance and silky mouth feel. Full bodied yet refined and elegant.
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12/6/2014 - Russocaster Likes this wine:
Lots of red fruit at the nose. Should be better within a couple of years.
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11/7/2014 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted with another 2010 Vacqueyras from our cellar, a Cournoulu, and both were in need of some time. This was tannic, and needs to resolve, but was quite a bit better than the last bottle.
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9/25/2014 - kennyd wrote: 89 Points
Pretty consistent with my 9/21/14 notes, EXCEPT, I believe it is indeed evolving and improving. Drank well merely pouring through a Vinturi. No rush to drink next bottle: give it 6-12 months.
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9/19/2014 - Mr.Overhill Likes this wine: 90 Points
For Int'l Grenache Day - a nice way to celebrate indeed! Very open at the moment, with a huge dollop of spiciness and dark fruits. Plenty of black pepper, flint, and some nori wrapper. The seaweed component is almost offputting, but only for a moment. Great mouthfeel and wonderful acidity as well. Hope that it doesn't close down anytime soon.
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7/31/2014 - VinoPKM wrote: 84 Points
Mediocre at best Grenache, horrible QPR @ 19 and. Very meh
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7/11/2014 - jlaws7lh Likes this wine: 91 Points
Needs to decant. After a few hours, this was quite good.
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6/5/2014 - Rmcolker wrote: 85 Points
Good, but can use a bit more time.
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6/4/2014 - PB Italiano Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a wonderful wine. First, I enjoyed a very unusual but fascinating nose. The aromas reminded me of leather and tobacco. The palate is fruity and luscious. The finish is very smooth with fine tannins. Recommended at this age.
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5/29/2014 - pbredon wrote:
At first, I thought this bottle was corked. It was really quite awful (for me at least) for the first two hours. I started to emerge after hour 3 in the decanter, but even then, it really needs some more time. Tons of texture, dark, full-bodied. I can see why Parker rated this 91-93. For me, I'm going to hold my next bottle for at least 12-36 months, and then give it a serious decant.
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5/24/2014 - Mr.Overhill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderfully rich, quite complex so. rhone which is very tight at first, but blossoms wonderfully after about 2-3 hours under air. Did not decant, but it's definitely needed. Very rough tannins on the forefront, which meld wonderfully with the sweet and sour cherry flavors of the grenache, with an undertone of bittersweet dark chocolate, candied figs and teriyakied beef jerky. Great long finish (good 30 plus seconds) and those lingering tannins bode well for this young 'uns future. Will be even more rewarding in about two years.
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5/11/2014 - joesi16 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nice nose and a blueberry flavor. Slight sediment. Would rebuy.
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2/3/2014 - acheng wrote: 91 Points
Delicious textbook Grenache fruit with ripe fruit, immediate appeal and a perfect stand in for a CdP. Excellent QPR.
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12/9/2013 - Rickanacaona wrote: 89 Points
- Medium forming legs. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Round texture - Good value and very drinkable.
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11/23/2013 - bottledpoetry Likes this wine: 89 Points
Rough when first opened,but after a 2 hour decant it settled down to a good robust, black fruit, full-bodied wine. Might use another year.
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9/21/2013 - kennyd Likes this wine: 88 Points
Still pretty tight, even through an aerator. Better on the second day. Classic rhone bouquet and taste. The fruitness that some CT commenters have alluded to really only came out on the second day. Needs more time in bottle, although I have to say that it wasn't drinking badly right now. At the all-in price point we paid, the QPR is solid. If it evolves, this wine could go 90+, and the QPR will of course be even better. I'm gonna try to wait 6-12 months for the next bottle. We bought a case, so it's gonna be fun to extend out on this wine and see how it develops. If it doesn't go anywhere, it's still not a bad wine, and we haven't paid much. With (much) more expensive wines, if you play the age game, you can sometimes find that the wine has started to flatten, and that's not good when you have a lot of money into the wine.
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8/31/2013 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 88 Points
way out over its skies towards a new world taste
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7/5/2013 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 89 Points
tannins have softened from the last visit;ready to go
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6/27/2013 - geppetto Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich, deep, dark wine. Popped and drank on its own with no air time. The has a great nose as soon as the cork is popped. Sour cherry on the palate with a mouth puckering finish. This has great potential but is too young for my liking. I'll give it a few more years to let it become s little more tame.
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6/22/2013 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 88 Points
Very fruity at this stage. Good complexity, should improve with some bottle age.
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5/1/2013 - viadomitia Likes this wine: 86 Points
Second day after keeping the remaining half bottle in 375ml bottle.
Dark purple with glycerin tears running down the glass.
Very nice nose dominated by wet earth and ripe green plums but allowing subtle blueberry and vanilla.
Attack is a simple mixture of mainly dark fruit, low acidity. The back end brings some barn/hay/mushroom into the mix. Tannins nearly non-existent.
Good effort, nothing special but definitely fine for a Tuesday night. 86
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3/17/2013 - smidler wrote: 91 Points
First of the case, and I'm impressed. This will only get better with time, and it's really good now. Soft and smooth, opened up after a few hours, and was even better the second day. Looking forward to this over the next few years.
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1/3/2013 - bugdoced wrote: 90 Points
opened up after an hour with old world classic rhone tastes
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12/26/2012 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 90 Points
interesting syrah musk flavors and smell at the end of a sip and not at the beginning;looking forward to some evolvement in the near term
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12/22/2012 - Gooka wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Pure fruit, smooth, reasonably long finish and delicious rasberry/licorice mix impressed me. I wish I had more of this.
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12/3/2012 - jagmundi Likes this wine: 90 Points
nicely structured with underlying dark fruit. not as tannic or tight as other reviews would have you believe. a moderate decant and very drinkable now and has the structure to develop over time. buy more.
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11/12/2012 - jlaws7lh wrote: 90 Points
This wine definately needs some time in the bottle. Became much better on day two with a three hour decant.
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8/9/2012 - plechazunga wrote:
Aggressively decanted and left open for an hour. Still very closed and very young. Nose hot/alcoholic. Mainly register the tannic finish though there are sensations of dark fruit. There's enough acidity that it should age well for a few years. Would hold for at least two years - it isn't enjoyable to drink at the moment but has potential to develop into a very fine wine.
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