This bottle is the Limited Edition signed by the winemaker. It's quite different from the regular one. The winemaker states they used a different vinification method. This is really special. Really good.
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It was nice enough today, in mid Dec, to go out for a bike ride in shorts, and then fire up the grill on return (68-70 deg F !!) So, likewise, it was nice enough to open this gift-bottle Cab. I liked it. Opened with lots of rich blueberries up front, and they're still here at the end of the bottle. Tannins seem to be fading and soft near the end of it, but it's still balanced and integrated. Works for me ....
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First bottle in almost 18 months. Still dark in color, but now lightening noticeably at the edge. Powerful, attractive aromas of dark berries, vanilla, earth and spice. Full-bodied and precisely focused - and definitely not as tightly wound as last time. More of its juicy blackberry and dark currant fruit is now starting to emerge - along with notes of coffee and dark chocolate. Shows better length now too. Still just a bit tannic and slightly oaky. Another 2-3 years of cellar time should see this soften up and unwind a bit more. Very, very well crafted for a wine at this price point (~$16). IMHO there's not a whole lot of difference between this and their Don Melchor - which costs 4 times as much. 50+5+12+16+7=90
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Nicely surprised this time, I really enjoyed the bottle. Drank next to the Merlot from the same producer, here we have distinctive varietal profile, very well made, though international in style it did not bother me this time.
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a little tight (decanting helped) and austere, as I have come to expect from this producer. However, black fruit and tobacco flavors paired with assertive tannins make for an interesting wine, and worth seeking at this price point.
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Peppers, currants very black berries with sweet cedar at the end. Opened up after two hours in decanter. Mysterious ruby red colour when first poured. Pleasant soft tannins once it's opened up.
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I like it. It is my 2nd bottle. It's pretty good but not great and certainly not worth the $24.00 that I paid for it. There are a lot of better wines with better value. There is a Australian cabernet Sauvignon from the Margaret River AVA that I like a lot more for about $8.00 less.
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Dark purple color Cab. Prune, berries and plum on the nose with a hint of tobacco and leather. After tasting, the tobacco became much more present with hints of vanilla. I decanted for ~ 1 hour which i would recommend. The wine is still tannic so waiting until mid 2014 might be a good idea. Not much complexity but overall a good value wine and worth buying.
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I've followed/tasted this wine since the 2005 vintage and always found it to be a good value for the price. Was disappointed with the 2010 though, and found it to be the least pleasing of the six vintages tasted. When Wine Spectator rated it a 91 (March '13) the price shot up to $22 retail, quite overpriced. I'd buy it again if priced at $16 on the chance that it will improve in two to four years.
After seeing so many rather undistinguished scores here, I decided to try one of mine. Dark in color, lightening noticeably at the edge. Powerful, attractive aromas of dark berries, vanilla, earth and spice. Full-bodied, silky, and nicely focused - but very restrained. This offers some juicy blackberry and dark currant fruit- along with notes of coffee and dark chocolate - but it's very tight and not yet showing a lot of length. Also a bit tannic and oaky. Polished, but needs more time. Probably at least another 2 years before this really comes together and loosens up. Plenty of potential here though. 50+5+12+14+8=89
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A phat wine that zonks you in the face with an interesting mix of black cherries, black licorice and black lava stones (and guess what - it's so dark that it is almost black in color) that finishes up with a funky creosote/iodine flair. The tannins are solid but bearable and its got some decent acidity. Overall I think it needs another good year of rest before it starts to hit a decent stride. But at $16 a bottle, it's a decent qpr indeed.
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Part of a comparison tasting of 3 wines under $17. Poured through a Vinturi. Aromas of red currant, cherry, and raspberry. The palate was a let-down, with the flavors of black currant, blackberry, and plum almost left in the dark by the cloak of oak. Light tannins and short to medium finish. For being the most expensive out of the 3 in my tasting, this was the most simplistic, and not in a good way. I tried putting the wine in a decanter in hopes that more flavors would come out, but nothing had changed. You can easily get a simple oak and berries wine for at least half the price of this one.
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Thick, unfiltered, dark purple (almost looks like unfermented juice). Plum/port nose with wafts of dark cherries. Palate was very much bandaid/medicinal in the opening and arrived to slight oak and plum.
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Bought this at Costco for around 250 pesos. It was the last 2010 in the bin and I thought an extra year of maturity would be good. THis was dark ink almost black in color. The nose had some dark fruit,leather and coffee. It was surprisingly light on its feet and the tannins were not overwhelming. Enjoyable.
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This is pretty nice. I was looking for a cab that isn't overly ripe or overly oaky under $25ish and this fits the bill on all of those. It has a nice amount of oak giving up some coffee like scents but not too much. The fruit is less pronounced. Also has some earthy minerality. Tannins are a little rough yet.
Get more and let it sit another year or so.
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The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Black currant (cassis), Blueberry, and Prune. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Round texture. The wine finishes Medium.
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Le vin est rubis très sombre, presque violacé. Nez de fruits noirs, d'humus, de chocolat amer, d'épices, de fumée et une touche végétale. En bouche, beaucoup de matière, mais sur un bel équilibre. Avec l'aération on sent une certaine fraicheur malgré le 14,5% d'alcool. Bonne dose de fruits (cerise noire, mûre), épices, prunes, sirop d'érable, un peu de bois, sur une finale assez longue. Selon moi, un excellent candidat pour la garde et ce à faible prix. N'a pas bougé sur une semaine entre l'ouverture de la bouteille et la fin de celle-ci. Excellent.
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What daver852 said...with some tweaks - new at provincial wine store, decent price in CAN - but kind of lacking in the character I was hoping for - re - putting this down for like 2015...Nose is nice for sure. Palate is a let down. The acid/tannin is lighter such that not overwhelming, but fruit and other character is just not there. I served a tad cool and sampled over 1-3 hrs in glass - did not help much. Not a turn off at all, but nothing I would buy again...
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Not as appealing as some past vintages I've tried. Still has a nice oaky nose and dark color, but on the palate the acidity is a bit too high and it seems to have less fruit than usual, and the tannins are a bit harder. Still good drinking, but not the oustanding value I'm used to from this wine.
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APPEARANCE: Very full-bodied. Red, garnet color. The color coats the glass when swirled AROMA: Cherries, tobacco, leather. The nose isn't beautiful, but it is intriguing TASTE: Big, big tannins. Coats the palate. The oak is a little overpowering. Hard to pick up any fruit. Dark fruit is faint, if there at all
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3/29/2024 - SA_Wine wrote:
Still fruit but no finish. Marinade for butterflied leg o lamb with dijon. 48 hour marinade.
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3/29/2024 - SA_Wine wrote:
Perfect for beef bourguignon. Cooking with, not for serving with.
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4/26/2022 - Barry Mando Likes this wine: 81 Points
Deep garnet color. Acidic and light tannins. A bit funky as well. 3.8 out of 5.
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5/15/2020 - apmarques Likes this wine: 88 Points
Oak. Dried plums. Balance.
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4/17/2019 - guzmana Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with prior notes. Good.
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4/7/2019 - guzmana Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good Cab with good depth.
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6/11/2017 - vsbastosx Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle is the Limited Edition signed by the winemaker. It's quite different from the regular one. The winemaker states they used a different vinification method. This is really special. Really good.
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2/22/2017 - guzmana Likes this wine: 90 Points
Smooth with good body and tons of berry notes and some oakiness. Very good value.
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12/13/2015 - Adventr.us wrote: 90 Points
It was nice enough today, in mid Dec, to go out for a bike ride in shorts, and then fire up the grill on return (68-70 deg F !!) So, likewise, it was nice enough to open this gift-bottle Cab. I liked it. Opened with lots of rich blueberries up front, and they're still here at the end of the bottle. Tannins seem to be fading and soft near the end of it, but it's still balanced and integrated. Works for me ....
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6/23/2015 - Hay-Ho Cellar wrote: 84 Points
Nothing to great, but is worth drinking for the right price.
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3/29/2015 - AV2012 wrote: 87 Points
Properly made, commercial but good. Lots of cassis, fruit forward, some tart plum, medium plus body, not overextracted.
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3/28/2015 - pc2006mg wrote: 92 Points
Very nice!
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1/9/2015 - spadenti wrote: 91 Points
Dark black berries. Very surprising. Wasn't expecting this. Bolder than most California cabs that I've had recently
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1/2/2015 - Bam_Man Likes this wine: 90 Points
First bottle in almost 18 months. Still dark in color, but now lightening noticeably at the edge. Powerful, attractive aromas of dark berries, vanilla, earth and spice. Full-bodied and precisely focused - and definitely not as tightly wound as last time. More of its juicy blackberry and dark currant fruit is now starting to emerge - along with notes of coffee and dark chocolate. Shows better length now too. Still just a bit tannic and slightly oaky. Another 2-3 years of cellar time should see this soften up and unwind a bit more. Very, very well crafted for a wine at this price point (~$16). IMHO there's not a whole lot of difference between this and their Don Melchor - which costs 4 times as much.
50+5+12+16+7=90
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12/27/2014 - Lyubomir Lefterov wrote: 90 Points
Nicely surprised this time, I really enjoyed the bottle. Drank next to the Merlot from the same producer, here we have distinctive varietal profile, very well made, though international in style it did not bother me this time.
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11/15/2014 - BaylinBoy wrote: 90 Points
Big bold beautiful dark fruit and tobacco
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3/18/2014 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 88 Points
a little tight (decanting helped) and austere, as I have come to expect from this producer. However, black fruit and tobacco flavors paired with assertive tannins make for an interesting wine, and worth seeking at this price point.
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2/7/2014 - Tpairing wrote: 89 Points
Peppers, currants very black berries with sweet cedar at the end. Opened up after two hours in decanter. Mysterious ruby red colour when first poured. Pleasant soft tannins once it's opened up.
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1/2/2014 - swifty6 wrote: 85 Points
I like it. It is my 2nd bottle. It's pretty good but not great and certainly not worth the $24.00 that I paid for it. There are a lot of better wines with better value. There is a Australian cabernet Sauvignon from the Margaret River AVA that I like a lot more for about $8.00 less.
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11/9/2013 - Tonydufour Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark purple color Cab. Prune, berries and plum on the nose with a hint of tobacco and leather. After tasting, the tobacco became much more present with hints of vanilla. I decanted for ~ 1 hour which i would recommend. The wine is still tannic so waiting until mid 2014 might be a good idea. Not much complexity but overall a good value wine and worth buying.
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10/29/2013 - Npenke wrote: 85 Points
Dark and complex
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7/15/2013 - DelmarvaWine.com wrote: 86 Points
I've followed/tasted this wine since the 2005 vintage and always found it to be a good value for the price. Was disappointed with the 2010 though, and found it to be the least pleasing of the six vintages tasted. When Wine Spectator rated it a 91 (March '13) the price shot up to $22 retail, quite overpriced. I'd buy it again if priced at $16 on the chance that it will improve in two to four years.
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7/9/2013 - Bam_Man wrote: 89 Points
After seeing so many rather undistinguished scores here, I decided to try one of mine. Dark in color, lightening noticeably at the edge. Powerful, attractive aromas of dark berries, vanilla, earth and spice. Full-bodied, silky, and nicely focused - but very restrained. This offers some juicy blackberry and dark currant fruit- along with notes of coffee and dark chocolate - but it's very tight and not yet showing a lot of length. Also a bit tannic and oaky. Polished, but needs more time. Probably at least another 2 years before this really comes together and loosens up. Plenty of potential here though.
50+5+12+14+8=89
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5/30/2013 - Mr.Overhill wrote: 88 Points
A phat wine that zonks you in the face with an interesting mix of black cherries, black licorice and black lava stones (and guess what - it's so dark that it is almost black in color) that finishes up with a funky creosote/iodine flair. The tannins are solid but bearable and its got some decent acidity. Overall I think it needs another good year of rest before it starts to hit a decent stride. But at $16 a bottle, it's a decent qpr indeed.
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5/21/2013 - SmallvilleGirl wrote: 85 Points
Part of a comparison tasting of 3 wines under $17. Poured through a Vinturi. Aromas of red currant, cherry, and raspberry. The palate was a let-down, with the flavors of black currant, blackberry, and plum almost left in the dark by the cloak of oak. Light tannins and short to medium finish.
For being the most expensive out of the 3 in my tasting, this was the most simplistic, and not in a good way. I tried putting the wine in a decanter in hopes that more flavors would come out, but nothing had changed. You can easily get a simple oak and berries wine for at least half the price of this one.
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5/19/2013 - jmasterj Likes this wine: 87 Points
Thick, unfiltered, dark purple (almost looks like unfermented juice). Plum/port nose with wafts of dark cherries. Palate was very much bandaid/medicinal in the opening and arrived to slight oak and plum.
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3/22/2013 - Wine Poor Likes this wine: 88 Points
Bought this at Costco for around 250 pesos. It was the last 2010 in the bin and I thought an extra year of maturity would be good. THis was dark ink almost black in color. The nose had some dark fruit,leather and coffee. It was surprisingly light on its feet and the tannins were not overwhelming. Enjoyable.
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3/18/2013 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
This is pretty nice. I was looking for a cab that isn't overly ripe or overly oaky under $25ish and this fits the bill on all of those. It has a nice amount of oak giving up some coffee like scents but not too much. The fruit is less pronounced. Also has some earthy minerality. Tannins are a little rough yet.
Get more and let it sit another year or so.
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3/16/2013 - Cyberpana wrote: 87 Points
Aroma doesn't t represent this wine flavor. For $16 it s a good acquisition.
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2/28/2013 - Politabea Likes this wine: 89 Points
The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Black currant (cassis), Blueberry, and Prune. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Round texture. The wine finishes Medium.
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2/23/2013 - phillyboyP wrote: 89 Points
The stuffing is there, but its hiding beneath a wall of oak and tannins. Give it a year or 2. 89 for now.....
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2/22/2013 - dzitt wrote: 90 Points
Le vin est rubis très sombre, presque violacé. Nez de fruits noirs, d'humus, de chocolat amer, d'épices, de fumée et une touche végétale. En bouche, beaucoup de matière, mais sur un bel équilibre. Avec l'aération on sent une certaine fraicheur malgré le 14,5% d'alcool. Bonne dose de fruits (cerise noire, mûre), épices, prunes, sirop d'érable, un peu de bois, sur une finale assez longue. Selon moi, un excellent candidat pour la garde et ce à faible prix. N'a pas bougé sur une semaine entre l'ouverture de la bouteille et la fin de celle-ci. Excellent.
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2/14/2013 - Tpairing wrote: 89 Points
Tobacco, black cherry, plum and a bit of mint. Good tannin balance.
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2/10/2013 - YWG Wine Guy wrote: 86 Points
What daver852 said...with some tweaks - new at provincial wine store, decent price in CAN - but kind of lacking in the character I was hoping for - re - putting this down for like 2015...Nose is nice for sure. Palate is a let down. The acid/tannin is lighter such that not overwhelming, but fruit and other character is just not there. I served a tad cool and sampled over 1-3 hrs in glass - did not help much. Not a turn off at all, but nothing I would buy again...
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1/18/2013 - daver852 wrote: 87 Points
Not as appealing as some past vintages I've tried. Still has a nice oaky nose and dark color, but on the palate the acidity is a bit too high and it seems to have less fruit than usual, and the tannins are a bit harder. Still good drinking, but not the oustanding value I'm used to from this wine.
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10/16/2012 - bjecjohnson wrote: 85 Points
APPEARANCE: Very full-bodied. Red, garnet color. The color coats the glass when swirled
AROMA: Cherries, tobacco, leather. The nose isn't beautiful, but it is intriguing
TASTE: Big, big tannins. Coats the palate. The oak is a little overpowering. Hard to pick up any fruit. Dark fruit is faint, if there at all
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