In the bouquet oak and dark berries, licorice and dark olives. Same on the palate. Although the wine is almost 13 years old, it tastes like the oak is not really integrated yet, so I wonder if that will ever happen. There is good acidity and some bitterness in the finish.
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This seems to have recovered from a dumb phase. Dark, brooding (courtesy of the Monastrell grape). Opened up a little more on the second day (gassed). A little one-dimensional which knocked down the rating. But a fine wine. Glad I have more.
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Nose and pallet of violets, blackberry, black currant, fruitcake, ginger bread, tire, and tobacco. Tannins were light as the age is showing. A little flabby on the body and alcohol. Certainly past its prime but still decent
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Eleven years later and this one still has good life left. Good medium/full body with cherries present in front of cedar cigar box and leather. Smooth tannins in the finish well handled. What a reward for a bargain price.
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Possibly aged too long. Strong leather taste that over powered the other notes until I decanted for 2 hours. Then red fruits and earthiness came through
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Wow its been 5 years since the last time I had this...well last bottle and the best one. I see no sings of this slowing down and its only gotten better. Ultra smooth, medium in body and a little chocolate at the end.
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This is a nice Monastrell with dry red fruit on the front and you can taste the hot, dry soil the grapes were grown in. The middle was somewhat round and fruity with the finish being a dry earthy fruit with a touch of oak
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Dark berries, vanilla, good and fresh acidity, dark berries and sweet spices. Chocolate and coffee. And maybe even some asphalt. The wine is ready now and will probably stay on this level for one or two years.
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May have been an "off" bottle. Just more lackluster than the last one of these I had recently. Gassed and put it aside for two days, but then it was really flat and less interesting. I'll see what the next bottle brings.
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Initially, a strong mid-palate tartness and dissipated with time in the glass. Overall a good wine that improved over the course of dinner. Good fruit and tannins to balance. Better than the bottle a year ago , and likely entering its drinking window. But it shows no signs of fading. Food helps.
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This is one of the best Monestrell I have tasted. Its big, bold, and balanced and the bottle disappeared all-too-quickly. Simple and to the point tasting note
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Last of six bottles I've had over the past three years. Nose of plum, blackberry, cola, pepper, mocha. Palate is still big, lots of black fruit and spice, firm tannins, long finish. Definitely aging and settling down; wonderful now, may have several more years left, but it looks like I'm not going to know...
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Popped and poured. Pretty tight and more tannic than I expected. Lots of big fruit, almost over-the-top. Not a surprise being from Jorge Ordonez. Didn't have a chance to try after the bottle had been open for a while. A bit too modern for my taste.
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Initial nose was blueberry and ruby port but mellows leave these notes in the background to spice and plum. Falls nicely dry of the sweetness that the aroma might hint at. More plum with supple tannin with a slight leather note and an almost but not quite licorice note as well.
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Fruitfull and open nose with lots of blueberry and oak, hint of vanilla and cassis. On mouth, juicy and foamy, a bit vulgar and green on its red fruit/ sweet palate. Easy drink, savory, lacking some inspiration. Drink now. 88
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De couleur grenat intense. Au nez, coulis de prunes et de mûres, boisé évident, note anisé, vanille. La bouche est sur les fruits noirs cuits, impression de sucrosité, alcool plus marqué qu'avec ma 1ière bouteille (pas surprenant puisqu'il titre 15,5%), impression de chaleur en finale. L'aération n'a pas aidé. Ce n'est pas un désastre, mais je retourne mes 2 dernières bouteilles...
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Big wine. Drank on second day. A bit hot but better than previous bottle. Interesting grape, good fruit, lots of glycerin. Drank with veal piccata. Might try again. My wife really enjoyed it and opened it and drank it on day one.
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A nice wine for the price. Not surprisingly, it is far from WA's 93 rating, lacking the depth and intensity of an excellent wine, but it is well balanced and offers some complexity. Good qpr.
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Un vin qui nous a tous surpris par son profil aromatique. Outre le pruneau et les fruits noirs bien mûrs, des notes de terre et de poussière (cave), de cuir tanné, d'anis et de racine de réglisse qui, ensemble, ont fait se vin une surprise heureuse par son juteux et un peu moins par son aspect rustique de chalet abandonné...
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PnP w/20 min glass time. Clear, deep dark purple. Nice legs. Rich and full bodied. went well with pizza. Dark fruit profile, earthy, tannin fairly resolved, well balanced. A big wine but not over ripe. Nicely done. Nothing off. Gift
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De couleur grenat tirant vers le pourpre, plutôt opaque et intense. Arômes de prunes, cerises noires et de mûres avec un boisé bien perceptible, une petite note de vanille également. En bouche s'ajoute les épices, typique de la Monastrell. Un vin puissant qui ne fait pas dans la subtilité, taillé pour les grillades / viandes rouges. J'aurais préféré un degré d'alcool moins élevé... (actuellement 15,5%). Les 93pts de RP sont certainement exagéré.
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PnP via Vinturi. Powerful plum/prune, fig, blackberry aromas, with some dry spice adding interest. On the palate, a bit over the top, fruit somewhat overwhelming the tannins. Lots of alcohol heat and vanilla notes from the oak. This could be very nice if the fruit fades a bit; will try again tomorrow and see if it has mellowed. Right now, just way too much of a good thing.
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Un vin très mûr, riche, puissant et intense qui. avec ses 15,5% d'alcool, ressemble presqu'à un Porto. Couleur très foncée, à reflets bleutés. Nez de prune, mûre, cassis, bref de fruits noirs. La bouche est ronde, presque sucrée. Le bois est présent, mais sans trop d'excès. Ça ne fait pas dans la dentelle, mais dans un style très puissant et Nouveau monde, c'est bon. Même très bon. Prévoir de la viande rouge ou des fromages puissants pour se confronter à la bête.
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Meeting of Minds OG Crew (Craig's Place): Popped and poured; consumed over a four hour period. Another marvelous example of Monastrell courtesy of Jorge Ordonez...and what a great QPR. Nothing over the top...fairly well balanced...not enough heat to be off-putting...bold, dark fruit with a little anise?? Anyway...I didn't spend too much time pondering this one but that's mostly because it was easy enough to enjoy. While I don't think it's quite the 93 that WA gave it...it is plenty tasty. Worth picking up more.
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Color: dark ruby/purple core -> medium ruby rim. Crazy jumped-up nose of ***VANILLA***, black cherries, boysenberries and menthol. Syrupy palate; thick, really full-bodied showing almost cloyingly sweet fruit. Road asphalt adding some complexity (thankfully!) but in the end, just too made-up and confected for my taste. And yes, that finish is just too hot as well.
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Opened bottle 2 hours before consuming. Deep garnet in color. Upon pour, floral aroma with some black fruit. Med-heavy on palate, some black cherry and plum, persistent tannins, and nice acidity. Finish of plum and licorice. What's not to like at the price.
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Aromas of plum, raspberry, coffee and strawberry on the nose. Popped and poured. This was a little overpowering when first opened, felt a little overdone. With some air, it gained balance and it's smooth tannins began to show. Flavors of raspberry, sour cherry, kirsch and a touch of mineral on the long finish. Superb value for $9.99.
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Great value. It has plum notes, and I do not like plum notes, but it has so many other things going on in the mouth. Held up great to spicy Indian food, and I can see it being great with all kinds of Tapas and bold Mediterranean dishes. Nice finish, but not terribly long.
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Lots of alcohol on the nose. Not particularly complex, very easy drinking wine. Some medicinal and menthol notes on the nose, some sweetness, likely because of the alcohol, and very mild tannins on the end.
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This wine continues to surprise. Decanted and drunk over two hours. This time, powerful aroma of fig in front, with oak leaves, spice, black and red fruit behind. Big palate with a lot of spicy blackberry, raspberry, maybe a little currant. Fairly high acid, tannin, alcohol heat on the finish. Amazing QPR, wish I had a case of this.
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There is nothing subtle about this opaque crimson, 100% Mourvèdre offering, which was tasted in double-blind fashion from a bottle kindly provided by K.A. It show intense, primary aromas of blackberries, boysenberries, licorice and smoked meats, followed by a fresh, full-bodied palate of similar flavors. The tannins are rustic and show increasing grip throughout the middle. Medium in length on the finish, the wine concludes with a whiff of alcoholic heat (15%). Give this one some time and pay close attention to serving temperature. Drink 2015-2025.
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Discreet nose. Full body. Very dark almost black. Medium to long finish. Has lots of alcohol (15.5%) but offset with a nice balance of tannins. Some acidity was there but not enough to my liking. Taste of intense black and red fruit but still maintaining the delicacy of an old world wine.
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Geconcentreerde neus met wat fruit en vooral espresso. Erg zoet (van de 15% alcohol wellicht). Matige afdronk zonder uitschieters. Dag twee geen vooruitgang.
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Grade: VG+. This is mind-blowingly good for the price-point. Very extracted and complex with a long, long finish. It is very intense and hard to pair with food (it almost over-powered a Steak-Au-Poivre), but it is well worth hunting down if you can still find any. Spain is the most exciting wine region in the world right now
My Grades: EXX-Exceptional, EX-Excellent, VG-Very Good, G-Good, O-Ordinary, P-Poor, U-Ungraded
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Crazy dark, medium legs. aromas - sawdust, dark, red, smoke; taste - chewy, raising, dark dry cherry, stone fruit, spiky on the mouth, little spice but not much - some oregano and thyme
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Il s'agit d'un vin tres interessent et facile a boire. Beaucoup de fruits mures a l'olfaction et c'est les memes aromes que l'on retrouve en bouche. Pour un jeune vin il offre une belle structure et est bien balance. Excellent rapport qualite prix pour boire immediatement quoique je vais faire un test et en laisser viellir quelques bouteilles.
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Grab as many as you can...great QPR wine. Big and bold. Inky purple in color. Beautiful nose of black fruit and tobacco. Medium to long finish. Very well structured. Has a delicious factor. Spain is really producing real QPR gems nowadays.
Be sure to decant at least for an hour.
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Zeer donkerpaars, ondoorschijnend. In de geur koffie, vanille, rode besjes, viooltjes. Zeer geconcentreerde smaak van zoet rood fruit, overextractie? Zachte, soepele tannines, mediumlang tot lang aanhoudend. De stijl zal vast veel mensen aanspreken, mij doet het dat totaal niet. Ik heb moeite hier een glas van leeg te krijgen.
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Fine enough for the price, this is a ripe style, a bit extracted, exuberant nose of dark fruit follows through to the finish, soft mouthfeel, some sweet oak, light tannins. It does show some underlying earth and spice. [Aside: A new world style wine that IMO need not be shipped half way around the world to California where so many similar wines are made.]
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P&P. Nice bouquet. Glass coating wine. Definitally to young. Give it some time or air. Will drink the next bottle after a few years. Reminds me initially of a new world wine. Parkerrized.
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Couple of observations here. First is, this bottle is like a normal conversation with your best friend. It's comfortable, and it will probably be agreeable even to non-red wine drinkers. I like it, and will buy it again, the same as I would a Juan Gil. Solid for the price point, plus I think Spain has the coolest labels. They're very artsy contemporary.
The second observation is that the label wraps practically all the way around the bottle, and the glass is dark, so in the couple of gaps in the label where you can see the bottle, you can't actually see how much you've drunk. So, it's up to the drinker to count glasses poured. Bonnie's out with the girls tonight and I'm drinking this with a Memphis Barbecue chicken I just tore up on the grill, and no one can tell how much I've drunk. Ha. I ain't tellin'!
(update: So Bonnie comes home before I am able to finish the bottle, and she really likes it, but says, "It smells bigger than it is," and I say, "Um, I resemble that remark, and I'm not sure I appreciate your comment." So, we'll drink a Lemoncella and forget the whole exchange.
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All I have to say is wow...AMAZING QPR! Beautiful wine, full bodied and long finish. I'm kicking myself for only buying 2...my wine shop is all sold out of this vintage :(
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Big, bold, extracted, jammy, semi-Parkerized, and I liked it! Decent acidity and a brambly texture offset the over the top aspects of it - if anything, it could had more primary fruit - berries, let's say - as I was picking up more of a plum, stewed fruits character, which I don't always crave.
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Massive extraction. With food, I can drink 2 glasses and my wife barely 1. After that it is just too much. Will keep the other 2 bottles when my friend (who loves this style) visits.
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This is a really interesting easy drinking wine. Lots of fruit with a good balance of structure. A bit old worldish funk. Slightest bit of pruney, oxidative notes, but in a good way. Outstanding value for current drinking.
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Consumed over 2 nights. Initially slow ox'd X 4+ hours. Very similar to the '10 Breca, but in a less extracted style. Has the signature espresso notes around the deep dark fruits with an underlying earthy & herbaceous profile. Full-bodied, rich, with firm sweet tannins, medium acicity, and a lingering finish. Well done at this price point.
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Bouquet with dark fruits and vanilla. On the palate still very youthful with not yet fully integrated oak. There are black fruits and sweet spices like cinnamon as well. Good balance between sweetness and acidity and round tannin with a good bite. Pleasant bitterness in the finish. Well, not 93 points, but for the price certainly a very good buy. Wait until 2015.
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Picked this up as an everyday bottle and was curious to try it since I noticed a bit of backlash against the score in some recent notes. Dark purple color with inky, grapey, oaky flavors. This is very rich and extracted, with obvious oak influence, and if you like that style, I think this is a pretty good example - I didn't find it to be out of balance. It's not a 93 for my palate, but is the Parker score unwarranted? I actually don't think so - I think this would fare well in a blind lineup with, for example, Saxum, or other high-scoring Rhone reds from California. If you like that style, though, you should jump all over this wine.
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A nose of dark fruit and funk, dark black in color. A full bodied over the top red, with blueberry, blackberry, tar and some spice on disjointed finish. Maybe it was an off bottle but not up to the advance billing. www.winelx.com
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Very nice Monastrell. Needed substantial air to open up and come alive, but once there had a lot of dark fruit, currant, nice slate backdrop. I agree it was overrated at 93 by WA, but this is a solid bottle.
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Definitely over-rated by Parker - but if you want a sappy fruity bomb (done in the Spanish style: dark flavors, spice, almost-too-ripe), it delivers it in spades, with a smoothness that pleasant. But don't think it's a 93pt wonder.
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RP93? Not sure about that, or did I miss something? Very viscous, over extracted, muddy, some fruits, a bit too sweet to my taste. Second day, almost same. I regret I bought a case before I tried it.
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Lots of oak, but integrated well enough to give it a heavy creme de casis texture. Big time sweet plum, blackberry, chocolate, and leather taste. Slight hint of eucalyptus. It's a plush, jammy wine. Good with ribs, but I think best served as an after-dinner drink in lieu of port. Fine tannins give it a refined finish. Even better on day 2.
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Decanted for 1 hour and before having a meal I really enjoyed this wine. With food, and air, this wine went downhill - dark purple color. Black cherry, eucalyptus and rubbing alchohol (this was more pronounced with airtime and killed the score for me). On palate, full body, hollow mid-palate, medium length finish with very little (high ph) acidity. Tasted without food at a wine tasting I might have really enjoyed, but with food it did not stand up - in some ways this reminds me of the Alto Mancayo - very good young but a fast death as the fruit fades. For $14.00 a good bottle of wine but when tasted with food and with airtime it went lost mel. Would be a crowd pleaser or fine drinking without food - 91+ on PNP but mid 80s with airtime. Given the rating I was really dissapointed but for $14.00 I would not feel bad serving at a party. Personally, would not buy again.
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TIM-BERRRR! Wow was that a wallop of wood. The juice is concentrated like rocket fuel and tastes like medicine- Robitussin perhaps? I will pawn the rest of the bottle off to my party guests tomorrow.
I agree with the "fruit bomb" review, and I really wanted to love this wine at this price. This was great for $13, but I would not say it is great wine. After a long decant, I re-bottled a third of the bottle, and tried it the next night. It tasted almost as fresh as the previous day, which is remarkable. Will it improve with age, as some of the fruit fades...I don't know. But I would least imagine this wine won't die any time soon. There are so many Spanish bargains out there, I'm not sure I need a case of this in my cellar.
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With all the hype I had to try this. This is nothing special, a little fruit on the front and then it just falls off the pallet. So bummed that I am now opening a Grand Veneur CdP to lift my spirits!
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Deep purple color with considerable viscosity. The nose is of blackberry and spice. Vanilla notes on the attack, black fruit on mid with tannins. The oakiness on the finish detracted from the overall experience, but still a remarkable wine at double the price. Must buy more and lay down for a few years.
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A very good wine overall. Very dark purple color. Nose actually has this strange sort of peat moss thing going on - the scent makes me think of scotch. The flavor on the first night was very prune-like. On the second night, things have settled down some and now is a bit more acidic and has a fairly long finish which continues to remind me of scotch. Tannins are pretty fine and the mouthfeel is round and lush. Good, but not the 93 that is highlighted on the label.
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I will say this - I feel for the Spanish that because of the severe economic situation there I can buy something THIS good for $13! This is the greatest QPR I can remember. This sounds silly but even the bottle was thick and heavy like you will occasionally find with an expensive bottle....
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Nice Monestrell - moderate complexity and not too sweet. Solid fruit, with sweet cherries, leather and vanilla. Was solid to start, but came into its own after about 30 minutes of air time.
Great QPR - will buy more of this for my cellar. Would rate 90 - 91 - don't see this often at this price range.
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This was great. On the nose there was sweet fruit and vanilla. On the palate, the tannins could be a bit clunky at times, but they were also soft and mouth-coating. Taste was of cherries and leather, and the mid-palate was a little weak, but for $13 this was a crazy deal.
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Deep blueberry...kiwi, creme de cassis, raspberries, pencil lead...a bit watery in the mid palate...but very good and tannins for aging. Nice Grenache!
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Decanted and drunk over several hours. Dry spice, oak leaves and blackberry on the nose. Big palate, cooked red and black fruit, lots of acid, slightly rough tannins. Good with food or just for sipping. Has a good few years of life in it.
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Double decanted. Excellent Monastrel(Mourvedre), and superb QPR. Ellen, the hypertaster and critic loved it. Lush dark fruit with some cassis notes. On sale in supermarkets!
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Thoroughly Parkerized, superoaked fruit bomb monastrell that is nonetheless rather good, with the oak vanilla very well integrated into its bright cherry flavors, giving way to an almost chocolatey, dense mid palate, and finishing off with rather gentle tannins. Youthful, and in-your-face, created to stand out in a wine flight, which is exactly how I discovered it. A steal at $15 bucks.
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Dark and earthy at first, give it 30 minutes and it rocks! Big nose, leathery, chewy, licorice and blackberries. Wine Advocate gene it 93 points and they underrate it. Sorry I bought only 6. Must get another case. Absolute Spanish heaven.
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Tasty, but front loaded. Parker raved about this 100% Monastrell, awarding it a 93 (92 for the 2009). While I certainly enjoyed it, the next night I had the 2010 Juan Gil (also 100% Monastrell), which I found even better.
The nose shows bright maraschino cherry, nicely expressive. The front end was intense, with cherry and graphite almost exploding in your mouth, then faded mid to back. Normally that front loaded profile would turn me off, but in this case I quite enjoyed it. Almost seemed to be the focal point as it lingered with a long finish. Also noted that this has been referred to as fullbodied, but that was not my experience. I found it to be more of a pinot weight, maybe mid weight at best.
I wondered if this was the signature of Monastrell, until having the Juan Gil the next night, which had an entirely different profile. I would rebuy this and age it like Parker suggests, but it is not as good as the Juan Gil.
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Tasted with a cold - take with a grain of salt. Bright nose of cranberry, bramble, and some dry spice (coriander?). Palate surprises with high acidity, medium rough tannins, fruit very youthful, grapy, but a bit lacking in character. Certainly has potential, and enough tannin and fruit to age. Will retaste and perhaps update my score when I'm back up to par.
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New world / extracted / fruit forward style. Sweet vanilla, ripe blackberry and blueberry. Mocha on the mid palate, giving way to firm tannins. Full bodied. Great QPR.
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Very deep color. Nose has lots of tart cherry and coriander, as well as some notes of black pepper, blueberry, oregano and earthiness. Full bodied with lasting fruit flavors, like a cherry/blueberry liqueur. Nice tannic structure and a long finish - a great find at this price point.
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I had higher hopes for this wine as the WA gave a very good score. The wine was OK, very high alcohol and no balance. I have another bottle which I will try.
8/8/2023 - Zweder Likes this wine: 89 Points
In the bouquet oak and dark berries, licorice and dark olives. Same on the palate. Although the wine is almost 13 years old, it tastes like the oak is not really integrated yet, so I wonder if that will ever happen. There is good acidity and some bitterness in the finish.
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2/8/2022 - LightDancer wrote: 90 Points
This seems to have recovered from a dumb phase. Dark, brooding (courtesy of the Monastrell grape). Opened up a little more on the second day (gassed). A little one-dimensional which knocked down the rating. But a fine wine. Glad I have more.
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11/28/2021 - lewisrise wrote: 92 Points
Nose and pallet of violets, blackberry, black currant, fruitcake, ginger bread, tire, and tobacco. Tannins were light as the age is showing. A little flabby on the body and alcohol. Certainly past its prime but still decent
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6/25/2021 - Bill B. Likes this wine: 91 Points
Eleven years later and this one still has good life left. Good medium/full body with cherries present in front of cedar cigar box and leather. Smooth tannins in the finish well handled. What a reward for a bargain price.
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2/3/2021 - Steven Wear Likes this wine: 87 Points
Possibly aged too long. Strong leather taste that over powered the other notes until I decanted for 2 hours. Then red fruits and earthiness came through
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10/3/2020 - lewisrise wrote: 94 Points
Nose of burnt raspberry, tar, and espresso. Raspberry and dark chocolate with a long tar/chocolate finish
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9/9/2020 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Really drinking nicely. Smooth, rich dark fruit, tar and earth flavors.
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7/4/2020 - maderay Likes this wine: 92 Points
Raspberries, spices. Still very good 3 days after it was opened. Great wine at a great price
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3/28/2020 - mike410 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still going strong with many years left. Excellent QPR.
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2/22/2020 - VinoHunter Likes this wine: 89 Points
Wow its been 5 years since the last time I had this...well last bottle and the best one. I see no sings of this slowing down and its only gotten better. Ultra smooth, medium in body and a little chocolate at the end.
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10/13/2019 - Frijole wrote:
burgundy red, cloudy, burnt brownish hue
Nose: plum, bing cherries, cola, chocolate, cinnamon, earth
Pal: plum, bing cherries, silver, earth, tobacco, chocolate, vanilla, cola, minerals, oak
Feel: medium, round, touch acidity
Finish: medium
T7 (could be a 6)
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8/12/2018 - WilD wrote: 90 Points
Great BBQ wine. Smooth and soft. Nice monastrell
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8/12/2018 - WilD wrote: 90 Points
Great BBQ wine. Smooth and soft. Nice monastrell.
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3/30/2018 - wtianseter wrote: 89 Points
This is a nice Monastrell with dry red fruit on the front and you can taste the hot, dry soil the grapes were grown in. The middle was somewhat round and fruity with the finish being a dry earthy fruit with a touch of oak
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3/15/2018 - Zweder wrote: 88 Points
Dark berries, vanilla, good and fresh acidity, dark berries and sweet spices. Chocolate and coffee. And maybe even some asphalt. The wine is ready now and will probably stay on this level for one or two years.
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2/14/2018 - Thefatbastard wrote:
Ouf.... Confiture, chocolat, extraction, chaud, etc.
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7/4/2017 - LightDancer wrote: 85 Points
May have been an "off" bottle. Just more lackluster than the last one of these I had recently. Gassed and put it aside for two days, but then it was really flat and less interesting. I'll see what the next bottle brings.
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6/27/2017 - LightDancer wrote: 89 Points
Initially, a strong mid-palate tartness and dissipated with time in the glass. Overall a good wine that improved over the course of dinner. Good fruit and tannins to balance. Better than the bottle a year ago , and likely entering its drinking window. But it shows no signs of fading. Food helps.
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3/19/2017 - WilD wrote: 89 Points
Easy going. Fine daily wine. In no way this wine gets my points that Parker gave......
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3/18/2017 - smoss Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted better after decanting. Paired very well with tapas-type foods, like cured meats.
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1/28/2017 - LJD Likes this wine:
I didn't think much of this on day 1, but 48 hours later (with only 1 glass left in the bottle) it was beautiful.
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12/21/2016 - wtianseter wrote: 91 Points
This is one of the best Monestrell I have tasted. Its big, bold, and balanced and the bottle disappeared all-too-quickly. Simple and to the point tasting note
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9/17/2016 - Lemmy-W wrote: 89 Points
wow! a way better after being vacuumed for 3 days at fridge. So, better to let get some seious air before drinking.
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7/27/2016 - WilD wrote: 89 Points
Still drinking well. Good qpr.
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3/5/2016 - tautlinehitch Likes this wine: 90 Points
Last of six bottles I've had over the past three years. Nose of plum, blackberry, cola, pepper, mocha. Palate is still big, lots of black fruit and spice, firm tannins, long finish. Definitely aging and settling down; wonderful now, may have several more years left, but it looks like I'm not going to know...
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12/21/2015 - IndyTom Likes this wine:
Popped and poured. Pretty tight and more tannic than I expected. Lots of big fruit, almost over-the-top. Not a surprise being from Jorge Ordonez. Didn't have a chance to try after the bottle had been open for a while. A bit too modern for my taste.
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10/5/2015 - VinoHunter Likes this wine: 88 Points
Not a lot of fruit, but good all the same...not sure how the WA rates this a 93.
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9/13/2015 - patsox wrote: 88 Points
A little on the chunky side but quite satisfying.
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7/27/2015 - Mountster27 wrote: 91 Points
Initial nose was blueberry and ruby port but mellows leave these notes in the background to spice and plum. Falls nicely dry of the sweetness that the aroma might hint at. More plum with supple tannin with a slight leather note and an almost but not quite licorice note as well.
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6/22/2015 - kbcadeponei wrote: 88 Points
Fruitfull and open nose with lots of blueberry and oak, hint of vanilla and cassis. On mouth, juicy and foamy, a bit vulgar and green on its red fruit/ sweet palate. Easy drink, savory, lacking some inspiration. Drink now. 88
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3/1/2015 - ManuKey Does not like this wine: 82 Points
De couleur grenat intense. Au nez, coulis de prunes et de mûres, boisé évident, note anisé, vanille. La bouche est sur les fruits noirs cuits, impression de sucrosité, alcool plus marqué qu'avec ma 1ière bouteille (pas surprenant puisqu'il titre 15,5%), impression de chaleur en finale. L'aération n'a pas aidé. Ce n'est pas un désastre, mais je retourne mes 2 dernières bouteilles...
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2/22/2015 - dedwards Likes this wine:
powerful, the first bottle was corked a while ago
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2/14/2015 - lewisrise wrote: 91 Points
Great balance and QPR. High alcohol content.
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2/10/2015 - mwneil Likes this wine: 88 Points
Big wine. Drank on second day. A bit hot but better than previous bottle. Interesting grape, good fruit, lots of glycerin. Drank with veal piccata. Might try again. My wife really enjoyed it and opened it and drank it on day one.
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1/19/2015 - Vasily Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep cherry and blackberry flavor. Nose of cherry and leather.
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1/16/2015 - wineracquet wrote: 87 Points
A nice wine for the price. Not surprisingly, it is far from WA's 93 rating, lacking the depth and intensity of an excellent wine, but it is well balanced and offers some complexity. Good qpr.
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1/4/2015 - pkatz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consistent with previous notes.
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11/16/2014 - Sachaa wrote: 85 Points
Un vin qui nous a tous surpris par son profil aromatique. Outre le pruneau et les fruits noirs bien mûrs, des notes de terre et de poussière (cave), de cuir tanné, d'anis et de racine de réglisse qui, ensemble, ont fait se vin une surprise heureuse par son juteux et un peu moins par son aspect rustique de chalet abandonné...
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10/26/2014 - Barry Notes Likes this wine: 87 Points
PnP w/20 min glass time. Clear, deep dark purple. Nice legs. Rich and full bodied. went well with pizza. Dark fruit profile, earthy, tannin fairly resolved, well balanced. A big wine but not over ripe. Nicely done. Nothing off. Gift
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9/21/2014 - par361 wrote: 89 Points
dense fruit with high alcohol. this is a couple steps shy of tasting like port.
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9/13/2014 - ManuKey Likes this wine: 87 Points
De couleur grenat tirant vers le pourpre, plutôt opaque et intense. Arômes de prunes, cerises noires et de mûres avec un boisé bien perceptible, une petite note de vanille également. En bouche s'ajoute les épices, typique de la Monastrell. Un vin puissant qui ne fait pas dans la subtilité, taillé pour les grillades / viandes rouges. J'aurais préféré un degré d'alcool moins élevé... (actuellement 15,5%). Les 93pts de RP sont certainement exagéré.
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8/31/2014 - ipp Likes this wine: 92 Points
Love this wine. Great balance. Good fruit. Excellent value
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8/28/2014 - pkatz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with previous notes.
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7/30/2014 - tautlinehitch Likes this wine: 90 Points
PnP via Vinturi. Powerful plum/prune, fig, blackberry aromas, with some dry spice adding interest. On the palate, a bit over the top, fruit somewhat overwhelming the tannins. Lots of alcohol heat and vanilla notes from the oak. This could be very nice if the fruit fades a bit; will try again tomorrow and see if it has mellowed. Right now, just way too much of a good thing.
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7/29/2014 - Singulatarian wrote: 86 Points
Lots of fruit and lots of oak and lots of alcohol.
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6/13/2014 - poste244 wrote: 90 Points
Un vin très mûr, riche, puissant et intense qui. avec ses 15,5% d'alcool, ressemble presqu'à un Porto.
Couleur très foncée, à reflets bleutés. Nez de prune, mûre, cassis, bref de fruits noirs.
La bouche est ronde, presque sucrée. Le bois est présent, mais sans trop d'excès.
Ça ne fait pas dans la dentelle, mais dans un style très puissant et Nouveau monde, c'est bon. Même très bon.
Prévoir de la viande rouge ou des fromages puissants pour se confronter à la bête.
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5/24/2014 - beatang wrote:
Slow food
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5/22/2014 - gerstm wrote: 91 Points
very redwiney nose, very dark berries like, frutelike aftertaste
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5/16/2014 - winepaw Likes this wine: 91 Points
"Rich, ripe, full throttle style, with lots of ripe cherry and underlying mineral notes."
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5/15/2014 - thesternowl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Meeting of Minds OG Crew (Craig's Place): Popped and poured; consumed over a four hour period. Another marvelous example of Monastrell courtesy of Jorge Ordonez...and what a great QPR. Nothing over the top...fairly well balanced...not enough heat to be off-putting...bold, dark fruit with a little anise?? Anyway...I didn't spend too much time pondering this one but that's mostly because it was easy enough to enjoy. While I don't think it's quite the 93 that WA gave it...it is plenty tasty. Worth picking up more.
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4/13/2014 - BVal wrote: 87 Points
Color: dark ruby/purple core -> medium ruby rim. Crazy jumped-up nose of ***VANILLA***, black cherries, boysenberries and menthol. Syrupy palate; thick, really full-bodied showing almost cloyingly sweet fruit. Road asphalt adding some complexity (thankfully!) but in the end, just too made-up and confected for my taste. And yes, that finish is just too hot as well.
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3/21/2014 - Muska09 Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Trop de boisé, lui donnant un goût important de vanille
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2/28/2014 - golfwineski wrote: 85 Points
Welch's grape juice on oak steriods with cinnamon and other spices cloying blue fruit I even gave this a week in the frig (vacuumed of course)
If this 93 points I'm the man on the moon
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2/24/2014 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened bottle 2 hours before consuming. Deep garnet in color. Upon pour, floral aroma with some black fruit. Med-heavy on palate, some black cherry and plum, persistent tannins, and nice acidity. Finish of plum and licorice. What's not to like at the price.
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2/14/2014 - slywka7 wrote: 90 Points
Aromas of plum, raspberry, coffee and strawberry on the nose. Popped and poured. This was a little overpowering when first opened, felt a little overdone. With some air, it gained balance and it's smooth tannins began to show. Flavors of raspberry, sour cherry, kirsch and a touch of mineral on the long finish. Superb value for $9.99.
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2/14/2014 - BringIt Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great value. It has plum notes, and I do not like plum notes, but it has so many other things going on in the mouth. Held up great to spicy Indian food, and I can see it being great with all kinds of Tapas and bold Mediterranean dishes. Nice finish, but not terribly long.
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1/28/2014 - KSWinegeek wrote: 89 Points
Fruity, vanilla note. Simple but decent
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1/26/2014 - mchiew Does not like this wine: 85 Points
strong nose of vanilla, choc, and hint of shiraz . a tab too acidity, and overextracted fruits on palate. not my kind of wine.
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1/13/2014 - dreamsavor wrote:
excellent!
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1/6/2014 - rickfell-new wrote: 89 Points
very enjoyable, noticeable alcohol
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1/2/2014 - gordonhensleydc Likes this wine: 91 Points
highly extracted, excellent QPR; spicy, ripe and perhaps a touch hot w/ the high alcohol, but this is a very good bottle of spanish mourvedre.
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12/28/2013 - PimpDaddy2Kool Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not for those who like wimpy wines. Simply delicious and a great QPR.
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12/26/2013 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Lots of alcohol on the nose. Not particularly complex, very easy drinking wine. Some medicinal and menthol notes on the nose, some sweetness, likely because of the alcohol, and very mild tannins on the end.
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12/11/2013 - PimpDaddy2Kool Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last bottle. Excellent QPR. It will be missed.
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12/8/2013 - corkscrews wrote: 87 Points
Better than last time tried, still too much heat. www.winelx.com
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12/1/2013 - tautlinehitch Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine continues to surprise. Decanted and drunk over two hours. This time, powerful aroma of fig in front, with oak leaves, spice, black and red fruit behind. Big palate with a lot of spicy blackberry, raspberry, maybe a little currant. Fairly high acid, tannin, alcohol heat on the finish. Amazing QPR, wish I had a case of this.
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11/15/2013 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 86 Points
There is nothing subtle about this opaque crimson, 100% Mourvèdre offering, which was tasted in double-blind fashion from a bottle kindly provided by K.A. It show intense, primary aromas of blackberries, boysenberries, licorice and smoked meats, followed by a fresh, full-bodied palate of similar flavors. The tannins are rustic and show increasing grip throughout the middle. Medium in length on the finish, the wine concludes with a whiff of alcoholic heat (15%). Give this one some time and pay close attention to serving temperature. Drink 2015-2025.
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11/11/2013 - mike410 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Discreet nose. Full body. Very dark almost black. Medium to long finish. Has lots of alcohol (15.5%) but offset with a nice balance of tannins. Some acidity was there but not enough to my liking. Taste of intense black and red fruit but still maintaining the delicacy of an old world wine.
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11/3/2013 - Petberg wrote: 87 Points
Geconcentreerde neus met wat fruit en vooral espresso. Erg zoet (van de 15% alcohol wellicht). Matige afdronk zonder uitschieters. Dag twee geen vooruitgang.
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11/3/2013 - apmarques wrote: 89 Points
strange wine - totally unusual flavors. Great
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11/2/2013 - Joesap Likes this wine:
Grade: VG+. This is mind-blowingly good for the price-point. Very extracted and complex with a long, long finish. It is very intense and hard to pair with food (it almost over-powered a Steak-Au-Poivre), but it is well worth hunting down if you can still find any. Spain is the most exciting wine region in the world right now
My Grades: EXX-Exceptional, EX-Excellent, VG-Very Good, G-Good, O-Ordinary, P-Poor, U-Ungraded
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10/27/2013 - Brett and Megan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Crazy dark, medium legs. aromas - sawdust, dark, red, smoke; taste - chewy, raising, dark dry cherry, stone fruit, spiky on the mouth, little spice but not much - some oregano and thyme
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10/25/2013 - Doum Likes this wine: 90 Points
Il s'agit d'un vin tres interessent et facile a boire. Beaucoup de fruits mures a l'olfaction et c'est les memes aromes que l'on retrouve en bouche. Pour un jeune vin il offre une belle structure et est bien balance. Excellent rapport qualite prix pour boire immediatement quoique je vais faire un test et en laisser viellir quelques bouteilles.
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10/24/2013 - osailhan wrote: 89 Points
Fruits murs, cassis, concentré et chaud.
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10/24/2013 - PimpDaddy2Kool Likes this wine: 91 Points
Grab as many as you can...great QPR wine. Big and bold. Inky purple in color. Beautiful nose of black fruit and tobacco. Medium to long finish. Very well structured. Has a delicious factor. Spain is really producing real QPR gems nowadays.
Be sure to decant at least for an hour.
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10/21/2013 - Strikermax wrote: 86 Points
Zeer donkerpaars, ondoorschijnend. In de geur koffie, vanille, rode besjes, viooltjes. Zeer geconcentreerde smaak van zoet rood fruit, overextractie? Zachte, soepele tannines, mediumlang tot lang aanhoudend.
De stijl zal vast veel mensen aanspreken, mij doet het dat totaal niet. Ik heb moeite hier een glas van leeg te krijgen.
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10/13/2013 - tward wrote: 87 Points
Fine enough for the price, this is a ripe style, a bit extracted, exuberant nose of dark fruit follows through to the finish, soft mouthfeel, some sweet oak, light tannins. It does show some underlying earth and spice. [Aside: A new world style wine that IMO need not be shipped half way around the world to California where so many similar wines are made.]
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10/9/2013 - WilD wrote: 90 Points
P&P. Nice bouquet. Glass coating wine. Definitally to young. Give it some time or air. Will drink the next bottle after a few years. Reminds me initially of a new world wine. Parkerrized.
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10/1/2013 - Tim and Bonnie wrote: 86 Points
Couple of observations here. First is, this bottle is like a normal conversation with your best friend. It's comfortable, and it will probably be agreeable even to non-red wine drinkers. I like it, and will buy it again, the same as I would a Juan Gil. Solid for the price point, plus I think Spain has the coolest labels. They're very artsy contemporary.
The second observation is that the label wraps practically all the way around the bottle, and the glass is dark, so in the couple of gaps in the label where you can see the bottle, you can't actually see how much you've drunk. So, it's up to the drinker to count glasses poured. Bonnie's out with the girls tonight and I'm drinking this with a Memphis Barbecue chicken I just tore up on the grill, and no one can tell how much I've drunk. Ha. I ain't tellin'!
(update: So Bonnie comes home before I am able to finish the bottle, and she really likes it, but says, "It smells bigger than it is," and I say, "Um, I resemble that remark, and I'm not sure I appreciate your comment." So, we'll drink a Lemoncella and forget the whole exchange.
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9/29/2013 - KVM wrote: 89 Points
Clean, lively cherry nose. Cherry and a base of oak, plus some animal. This has energy and concentration.
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9/28/2013 - eeeeeradicator wrote: 89 Points
Major crowd pleaser and fantastic bargain. Don't try to get too cerebral on this wine, just enjoy it.
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9/21/2013 - PimpDaddy2Kool Likes this wine: 91 Points
All I have to say is wow...AMAZING QPR! Beautiful wine, full bodied and long finish. I'm kicking myself for only buying 2...my wine shop is all sold out of this vintage :(
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9/4/2013 - pgb67 wrote: 91 Points
Big, bold, extracted, jammy, semi-Parkerized, and I liked it! Decent acidity and a brambly texture offset the over the top aspects of it - if anything, it could had more primary fruit - berries, let's say - as I was picking up more of a plum, stewed fruits character, which I don't always crave.
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9/2/2013 - CheapAndBest wrote: 88 Points
Massive extraction. With food, I can drink 2 glasses and my wife barely 1. After that it is just too much. Will keep the other 2 bottles when my friend (who loves this style) visits.
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8/31/2013 - slippytoad wrote: 88 Points
Decent for $14 but unusual palate. Nothing really impressed.
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8/27/2013 - pkatz Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a really interesting easy drinking wine. Lots of fruit with a good balance of structure. A bit old worldish funk. Slightest bit of pruney, oxidative notes, but in a good way. Outstanding value for current drinking.
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8/26/2013 - swigna wrote: 89 Points
Beautiful nose, dark fruits with hint of tobacco. Inky dark color. tastes of newly ripened blueberries that gives way to acidity.
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8/20/2013 - DRS-Inc wrote: 90 Points
Consumed over 2 nights. Initially slow ox'd X 4+ hours. Very similar to the '10 Breca, but in a less extracted style. Has the signature espresso notes around the deep dark fruits with an underlying earthy & herbaceous profile. Full-bodied, rich, with firm sweet tannins, medium acicity, and a lingering finish. Well done at this price point.
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8/17/2013 - sdrum Likes this wine: 91 Points
Concentrated Monastrell. Some nice tannins, but quite drinkable now.
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7/26/2013 - Gruffalius wrote: 88 Points
Soft and easy. Reminds me a little of a merlot.
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7/16/2013 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
Bouquet with dark fruits and vanilla. On the palate still very youthful with not yet fully integrated oak. There are black fruits and sweet spices like cinnamon as well. Good balance between sweetness and acidity and round tannin with a good bite. Pleasant bitterness in the finish. Well, not 93 points, but for the price certainly a very good buy. Wait until 2015.
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7/14/2013 - DSP wrote: 88 Points
Picked this up as an everyday bottle and was curious to try it since I noticed a bit of backlash against the score in some recent notes. Dark purple color with inky, grapey, oaky flavors. This is very rich and extracted, with obvious oak influence, and if you like that style, I think this is a pretty good example - I didn't find it to be out of balance. It's not a 93 for my palate, but is the Parker score unwarranted? I actually don't think so - I think this would fare well in a blind lineup with, for example, Saxum, or other high-scoring Rhone reds from California. If you like that style, though, you should jump all over this wine.
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7/7/2013 - corkscrews Does not like this wine: 83 Points
A nose of dark fruit and funk, dark black in color. A full bodied over the top red, with blueberry, blackberry, tar and some spice on disjointed finish. Maybe it was an off bottle but not up to the advance billing. www.winelx.com
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6/29/2013 - OTTnMIA Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice Monastrell. Needed substantial air to open up and come alive, but once there had a lot of dark fruit, currant, nice slate backdrop. I agree it was overrated at 93 by WA, but this is a solid bottle.
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6/28/2013 - Dan L Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very pleasant surprise. Tasted like a more expensive wine. Paired quite well with steak.
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6/19/2013 - winegr wrote: 89 Points
Oaky but decent
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6/19/2013 - vinovin Likes this wine: 88 Points
Overated by the advocate at 93. Initial tasting was at 90 then lost boldness and fruit. Day 2 - 87.
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6/16/2013 - Cyberpana wrote: 91 Points
Great wine for the price. Dark cherries and licorice, nice color. Great finish. Mid body. Excellent for cheese, meat,birds.
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6/15/2013 - BadOyster wrote: 89 Points
Definitely over-rated by Parker - but if you want a sappy fruity bomb (done in the Spanish style: dark flavors, spice, almost-too-ripe), it delivers it in spades, with a smoothness that pleasant. But don't think it's a 93pt wonder.
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6/14/2013 - Hawk94 wrote: 85 Points
RP93? Not sure about that, or did I miss something? Very viscous, over extracted, muddy, some fruits, a bit too sweet to my taste. Second day, almost same. I regret I bought a case before I tried it.
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6/9/2013 - scotty_b wrote: 91 Points
Lots of oak, but integrated well enough to give it a heavy creme de casis texture. Big time sweet plum, blackberry, chocolate, and leather taste. Slight hint of eucalyptus. It's a plush, jammy wine. Good with ribs, but I think best served as an after-dinner drink in lieu of port. Fine tannins give it a refined finish. Even better on day 2.
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6/4/2013 - CWilliam wrote:
Decanted for 1 hour and before having a meal I really enjoyed this wine. With food, and air, this wine went downhill - dark purple color. Black cherry, eucalyptus and rubbing alchohol (this was more pronounced with airtime and killed the score for me). On palate, full body, hollow mid-palate, medium length finish with very little (high ph) acidity. Tasted without food at a wine tasting I might have really enjoyed, but with food it did not stand up - in some ways this reminds me of the Alto Mancayo - very good young but a fast death as the fruit fades. For $14.00 a good bottle of wine but when tasted with food and with airtime it went lost mel. Would be a crowd pleaser or fine drinking without food - 91+ on PNP but mid 80s with airtime. Given the rating I was really dissapointed but for $14.00 I would not feel bad serving at a party. Personally, would not buy again.
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5/25/2013 - Pointchaser Does not like this wine: 75 Points
TIM-BERRRR! Wow was that a wallop of wood. The juice is concentrated like rocket fuel and tastes like medicine- Robitussin perhaps? I will pawn the rest of the bottle off to my party guests tomorrow.
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5/24/2013 - Dental Jay wrote: 88 Points
I agree with the "fruit bomb" review, and I really wanted to love this wine at this price. This was great for $13, but I would not say it is great wine. After a long decant, I re-bottled a third of the bottle, and tried it the next night. It tasted almost as fresh as the previous day, which is remarkable. Will it improve with age, as some of the fruit fades...I don't know. But I would least imagine this wine won't die any time soon. There are so many Spanish bargains out there, I'm not sure I need a case of this in my cellar.
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5/16/2013 - Silveradoup wrote: 86 Points
With all the hype I had to try this. This is nothing special, a little fruit on the front and then it just falls off the pallet. So bummed that I am now opening a Grand Veneur CdP to lift my spirits!
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5/13/2013 - KSWinegeek wrote: 92 Points
Deep purple color with considerable viscosity. The nose is of blackberry and spice. Vanilla notes on the attack, black fruit on mid with tannins. The oakiness on the finish detracted from the overall experience, but still a remarkable wine at double the price. Must buy more and lay down for a few years.
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5/13/2013 - cwiebe Likes this wine: 89 Points
A very good wine overall. Very dark purple color. Nose actually has this strange sort of peat moss thing going on - the scent makes me think of scotch. The flavor on the first night was very prune-like. On the second night, things have settled down some and now is a bit more acidic and has a fairly long finish which continues to remind me of scotch. Tannins are pretty fine and the mouthfeel is round and lush. Good, but not the 93 that is highlighted on the label.
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5/12/2013 - Morrillism Likes this wine: 92 Points
I will say this - I feel for the Spanish that because of the severe economic situation there I can buy something THIS good for $13! This is the greatest QPR I can remember. This sounds silly but even the bottle was thick and heavy like you will occasionally find with an expensive bottle....
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5/11/2013 - Redrunners Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice Monestrell - moderate complexity and not too sweet.
Solid fruit, with sweet cherries, leather and vanilla.
Was solid to start, but came into its own after about 30 minutes of air time.
Great QPR - will buy more of this for my cellar.
Would rate 90 - 91 - don't see this often at this price range.
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4/27/2013 - Quarked wrote: 92 Points
This was great. On the nose there was sweet fruit and vanilla. On the palate, the tannins could be a bit clunky at times, but they were also soft and mouth-coating. Taste was of cherries and leather, and the mid-palate was a little weak, but for $13 this was a crazy deal.
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4/27/2013 - DesMarteau wrote: 92 Points
Deep blueberry...kiwi, creme de cassis, raspberries, pencil lead...a bit watery in the mid palate...but very good and tannins for aging. Nice Grenache!
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4/22/2013 - MProbst Likes this wine:
At this price point, it's a Fantastic Wine. Very complex which is a Surprise.
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4/16/2013 - tautlinehitch Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted and drunk over several hours. Dry spice, oak leaves and blackberry on the nose. Big palate, cooked red and black fruit, lots of acid, slightly rough tannins. Good with food or just for sipping. Has a good few years of life in it.
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4/7/2013 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted. Excellent Monastrel(Mourvedre), and superb QPR. Ellen, the hypertaster and critic loved it. Lush dark fruit with some cassis notes. On sale in supermarkets!
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4/6/2013 - CondorKhan wrote: 91 Points
Thoroughly Parkerized, superoaked fruit bomb monastrell that is nonetheless rather good, with the oak vanilla very well integrated into its bright cherry flavors, giving way to an almost chocolatey, dense mid palate, and finishing off with rather gentle tannins. Youthful, and in-your-face, created to stand out in a wine flight, which is exactly how I discovered it.
A steal at $15 bucks.
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3/25/2013 - npopowitz wrote: 95 Points
Dark and earthy at first, give it 30 minutes and it rocks! Big nose, leathery, chewy, licorice and blackberries. Wine Advocate gene it 93 points and they underrate it. Sorry I bought only 6. Must get another case. Absolute Spanish heaven.
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3/25/2013 - laxman Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tasty, but front loaded. Parker raved about this 100% Monastrell, awarding it a 93 (92 for the 2009). While I certainly enjoyed it, the next night I had the 2010 Juan Gil (also 100% Monastrell), which I found even better.
The nose shows bright maraschino cherry, nicely expressive. The front end was intense, with cherry and graphite almost exploding in your mouth, then faded mid to back. Normally that front loaded profile would turn me off, but in this case I quite enjoyed it. Almost seemed to be the focal point as it lingered with a long finish. Also noted that this has been referred to as fullbodied, but that was not my experience. I found it to be more of a pinot weight, maybe mid weight at best.
I wondered if this was the signature of Monastrell, until having the Juan Gil the next night, which had an entirely different profile. I would rebuy this and age it like Parker suggests, but it is not as good as the Juan Gil.
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3/21/2013 - tautlinehitch Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tasted with a cold - take with a grain of salt. Bright nose of cranberry, bramble, and some dry spice (coriander?). Palate surprises with high acidity, medium rough tannins, fruit very youthful, grapy, but a bit lacking in character. Certainly has potential, and enough tannin and fruit to age. Will retaste and perhaps update my score when I'm back up to par.
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3/9/2013 - CellarGuy17 wrote: 91 Points
New world / extracted / fruit forward style. Sweet vanilla, ripe blackberry and blueberry. Mocha on the mid palate, giving way to firm tannins. Full bodied. Great QPR.
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3/6/2013 - Et tu Brut Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very deep color. Nose has lots of tart cherry and coriander, as well as some notes of black pepper, blueberry, oregano and earthiness. Full bodied with lasting fruit flavors, like a cherry/blueberry liqueur. Nice tannic structure and a long finish - a great find at this price point.
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1/30/2013 - bundydavis wrote: 90 Points
Enjoyable and fruit forward! Nice QPR.
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12/8/2012 - mwneil wrote: 86 Points
I had higher hopes for this wine as the WA gave a very good score. The wine was OK, very high alcohol and no balance. I have another bottle which I will try.
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