Full, rich body and bouquet, great fruit, still fresh, medium finish, a delightful surprise and still drinking after one day in the fridge- cellared since purchase on release
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Very interesting experience. Clearly we opened this a little late in it's life, even with excellent storage. No fruit left, very earthy, and signs of the concrete fermentation were present from the beginning. Even though this was clearly past its prime, the experience was surprisingly enjoyable. I would gladly try a younger version to see what happens when the fruit is still there.
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Spice jar on the nose with a hint of lavender. Amazingly fresh and smooth on the palette, with blueberries some forest floor and some baked black cherry. Nice, fairly long finish. Served with roasted chicken and veg. Still has a good few years left.
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A decent low tannic wine that I would have with white fish. Found the alcohol a bit high but the rest of the black cherry fruits and medium acid is still good to drink now. Can still endure another 3+ years.
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Surprised to find how tight this was. Perhaps precise might be stretching it but this is a well constructed wine that is lasting well and offers berries and a bit of mint. Not as herby as I would have hoped. Enjoyable drink.
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I was very disappointed at first. The wine is pretty light and the finish was very watery. I hated it so much I opened a different bottle of wine. I came back to it at the end of the night, and it was a different wine. There was an interesting finish now, and while not a great wine, it was very pleasant. I re-corked it and it was still drinking well the next day. I don’t think this will improve with age, but I will decant the next bottle for sure.
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Pas aussi que mes 2005, (dont il me reste 2 bouteille) mais tout de même bien. Des mures et du bacon avec un peu de menthol et de tapenade. Pas long en finale mais rien n'accroche.
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Had a couple of these in the last few days, and at 4 years from my last bottle and 10 from the vintage, I'd say it's time to drink these, although they do seem to require a short bit (~30 mins.) to open up.
Definitely on the dark and savory side of things. In fact, I'm surprised to read that this is 55%/45% grenache/syrah, respectively; I would have guessed it the other way around if not even more syrah based and perhaps with some mourvedre in the mix as well. Dense coloring here with ruby edges still. Aromas of dark fruits, graphite, black olives, and cured meats. The 15%(!) alc. here is pretty well covered, with medium body, acid, and finish, and flavors of dark fruits, licorice, minerals, olives, soy sauce, and spice. I'd pair this with beef stews and roasts, burgers, and lamb.
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Dark fruits, medium/full bodied. Good acidity and balance. Last bottle of a case. This has been an enjoyable wine all along. Still has a couple years left.
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Full of fruit like black stone fruit and berries. Plenty of acidity left, a little chalky in the finish. Wonderful wine with our steak and garlic mashed potatoes.
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I tend not to like this wine as it has a really pronounced savory profile that feels a bit wayward to me. Definitely has nice weight and concentration for its price-point, and the profile may appeal to some though. Much better on the 2nd day where things became more balanced and relaxed.
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Always a really nice wine. Rich, juicy, creamy, good tannin structure. A wine that can stand medium term cellaring for sure. Def great quality at this price level.
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Great everyday wine with a bit of an alcoholic edge. As my palate continues to evolve (maybe devolve), I find I am less attracted to this trait. The wine is very solid with big, round fruit. You just want to pair it with a food that can soak up the alcohol.
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Similar to previous notes in many respects. Though there is some charm here, the sweetness feels a bit like candy and a bit simple and cheap. The style may appeal to some but it doesn't quite work for me.
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This wine is in the perfect spot now, but one suspects that it this would be the time to drink any remaining bottles. After a couple hours of air, this bottle came into real focus: deep dark fruits on the nose, on the palate medium plus body with flavors of dark berry and something meaty. I very much enjoyed this, esp after it took in a breath of air.
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Solid wine, but nearing the end of the drinking window. Bright nose, but a little flat on the palate. Red fruit, some floral notes, a little sweet pine, light tannins. Well made.
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I used to not like this wine, but it's coming around. There is a rustic wayward twang at first but it gives way on the 2nd day to an open, creamy expressiveness that surprised me.
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Very pleasant unexpected hints of evergreen on the nose along with some chocolate cherry. It first hits the palate with some noticeable acidity giving way to an almost ginger ale-like experience with a slightly tart finish. The palate didn't deliver what the nose promised.
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Last of 6, and the best, dark ruby, a little lightening at the rim, no bricking, inviting warm nose, ripe red and dark fruit, plush tannins mouth coating, balance, almost lush, tobacco and a bit of saddle leather, warm welcoming heat on swallowing but not at all hot, at peak, medium finish and a very nice showing for a last bottle.
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The age of the vines are telling here. Full-throttle, rich wine. Quite hedonistic. Over performs its price by threefold. My last bottle of the case of 12. Beautiful. Glad I have nearly a case of the 2013 vintage!
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Dark purple in color. Nose is floral and current/jam. Tasted closed so ran through Venturi aerator which showed big improvement. Thick in body but the flavor is on the lighter more delicate side. Spice is prominent along with the jammy current in the nose. Peppery finish. Reminds me of a Zinfandel. Very good value. We didn't like in when purchased two cases 4-5 years ago. Now we only had 2 bottles left and wish we saved more.
Sat on this for 4 years and well worth the wait. Very well balanced. Agree with a previous review that it's strong enough to go with red meat, but can pair with something lighter as well. We were very pleased and will buy more.
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still going strong. solid fruit, nicely integrated tannin, a bit of leather notes and a nice medium finish. will stand up to red meat, but delicate enough to work with lighter dishes.
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Popped and poured. Nose is all black currant, red cherry and saddle leather. Interesting herbal flavors, such as sage and thyme. Integrated woodsy notes. Orange marmalade on the back end. Appears to be within its drinking window.
Two hours in gave blueberry jam, prunes and figs. More body and concentration. Good things.
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Decanted the wine to give it a chance to breath. At first taste I was concerned that it had peaked but with air the aroma can through allowing the dark fruit and a forestry taste to show. Overall a nice Languedoc blend but probably only has about another year before its past prime.
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Decanted; light sediment. Drank two hours later: Ruby color. Modest nose of dark fruit. Medium bodied, but the faded dark fruit on the palate is no longer a match to the acids and tannins. Very little fruit on the medium length finish. Shouldn't have held this one so long, so I'll quickly drink my remaining bottle.
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Ok here we are one year plus later. A year or so in the dark cellar makes a difference.. But not much. Based on a review I read today I thought everything deserves a second chance. The fruit in this has begun to reveal at the expense of the other characteristics. This is a thirteen dollar wine. It has a few things happening for it like a nice nose, great mouth feel and a present acidity. But it is kind of flat sort of forgotten. It's not even bad enough that the bad takes center stage. It's just a forgettable wine. That maybe past its prime, maybe not. All things being equal that for thirteen bucks it's not a loser, but it's certainly not a winner. It simply is. It is Bieber in a bottle. Or the Mets. Nothing. Oh Jerry circa 85. All hat no cattle.
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This is a great wine for the price - lots of black fruit, sour cherries with smooth tannins. It remains well balanced and quite refined despite the 14.5% alcohol content.
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At this price point, this is a darn surprisingly great wine. Nice balance and good integration at this point. It will likely continue to work out some few harsh notes on the finish with more bottle time. The blend shows off both the Grenache and Syrah elements well.
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Dense ruby coloring. Aromas and flavors of purple and black fruits, meat, and minerals, with full body, and medium acid and finish. Showed best around 1-2 hrs. open, and paired well with beef stew. While not my favorite style of wine, I can appreciate its quality, and I do see some potential for aging a few more years for my taste.
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complex and prominent nose of earth, leather, pencil shavings, camphor, gooseberries and mushrooms. On the palate the wine builds with currents, strawberry, minerals and a touch of oak. Now, this is more structure than fruit in dominance. Nice medium finish. Needs an hour to open up, but drinking quite well right now. 2016 may be the outside edge for this wine if this bottle is an indication.
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A luscious fuller bodied wine than most from Lanquedoc. Dark rich fruit followed by a healthy dose of spice and medium tannins that last a good long while along the sides of the tongue. A full bodied wine with a very lovely mouthfeel. This wine can stand up to heartier food than most from the region. My last bottle of what was a wonderful case purchse from Wine Access.
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Last bottle. Dark red color & lots of sediment in bottle. Garrigue / eucalyptus / black raspberry / raspbyerry / glycerin on nose. On palate, medium body with raspberry / red licorice primarily on palate. Nice acids & long finish. Really enjoyed this and very good with pizza. 92+/- tonight.
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Double decanted, waited additional 2 hours, but that burned off an excess alcohol, and came around nicely. Used wine preserver to keep overnight and it was best 2nd day.
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Sweetness and alcohol have receded somewhat, and a pretty forest floor, sesame leaves, and eucalyptus have come forward. While these fresh components stand out on the entry, raspberry jam takes over from mid palate to the finish. Alcohol is still easily detectable however.
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Very nice. Enjoyed with grilled steak. Would rate this similar to an '04 Cornerstone Howell Mountain Cab. Didn't take notes but flavor profile was primarily garrigue, cherry, black cherry, glycerin. Medium+ body and long finish. Went well with steak surprisingly. 91+ Excellent QPR and would buy again. [edit] This wine was still drinking well on night 3 (in frig under vacu-vin) so no rush to drink. Actually was best on night 3.
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It's been two years since last bottle, and my notes are exactly the same -- silky black fruit, licorice and a long finish. fine tannins, smooth texture. Delicious!
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Nose: Plums, spices, wild berries. The Syrah is very noticeable. Mouth: Consistent with the nose. The mouth is full of aromas. The tannins are there but they are very round and ripe. Highly delicious but not overpowering. The aromas are very expressive. There is a slightly savory aroma like pickles. Full bodied wine. 14.5% alc. but not noticeable at all. Excellent wine.
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Delightful intoxicating pure nose, round tannins, fruity, and volatile. Bright, deep purple, w/ a slight scarlet at the margin. Very exciting spice overtone. Savory. Vaguely alcoholic.
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Great wine with loads and loads of terroir. Dark color, plum and dark fruits, well behaved tannins, seamless in flavor transitions, long finish. could use stillk another year to be at opeak or decant before drinking.
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Ouvert en Magnum, beaucoup, beaucoup de fruits (prune, cassis), très frais mais aussi bien sucré, peut-être même trop. Tanins doux bien intégrés. Dans son pic de forme actuellement.
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Consistent with my previous notes, this wine is drinking very nicely, probably at its best. Doesn't have huge structure, probably drink up over the next year or two.
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What a great wine for the money ($20-ish)! Languedoc (next to Cotes du Rhone) Grenache-Syrah blend is really fruit forward, inky... Lots of berry and earthy tastes, luscious but hardly timid. Does not taste oaked, believe this may be aged in concrete tanks? Good food wine...enough acid to stand up to many dishes. Drink Now, do not hold. Highly recommend if you like more robust, fruity reds.
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We let it breathe about half an hour and did not decant, which worked out well. This wine is really quite the find! Totally fruit-forward on nose and taste - 55% Grenache, 45% Syrah, 15% alcohol which seemed well-integrated. Good amount of tannins left, Full-bodied, with tastes of both dark berries and licorice. Better than medium finish. Don't think it was oaked, but it is drinking great now, so I would say drink now through 2014. Paired perfectly with a spiced/herbed oven beer can chicken and sides. Think we paid about $23 for it, well-worth it!
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First impressions is this needs to be in the cellar longer. Tannins are still harsh, although as the wine opens up, they soften somewhat, but are still a bit rustic. Also agree with others who state that, at this price point, has a lot of complexity and interest. I'm going to wait another six month to a year before I open another bottle.
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Decanted via Vinturi and tasted through an evening. Initially unimpressive, but improved dramatically with 2-3 hours exposure to air. About three hours in, bright nose of raspberry, currant, background of cigar box. Palate similarly opened up to display lively red fruit, slightly rough tannins. Nicely integrated acid / fruit / tannin balance. Drinking beautifully now if you can decant, can't wait to try again over the next few years.
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After the primary fruit is gone, which it had in abundance until 2012, the wine is now a bit in a boring stage. A little bit to simple, to fat and dull and the high alcohol is to obvious. That will change hopefully with one or two more years of age. So wait with drinking, but not to long. This wine is not for the long haul.
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Very similar with the previous tasting notes. A wine which can gives you joyful and happiness. Enjoyed it very much with my friends in my birthday dinner.
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Very interesting wine. I'm still not quite sure how much I like it, but the complexity is off the chart for a wine in this price range. The nose evolves like crazy as it opens. Agree with all who say to give it a long time to show itself, although disagree with the notion that this is fruit forward or jammy. That said, however, one minute you certainly get cherry cough syrup, the next you pick up an earthy pungent smokehouse aroma, all with hints of olive, tar, cedar and some spices I can't identify. Susan pegged it as a g/s blend instantly so it is true to it's varietal nature, but with added personality you usually have to pay more for. Sadly a grippy medicinal finish detracted from all the fun, hence the 89.
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give it an hours worth of air and decant it. it is a nicely balanced wine, not terroir driven although elements of old-world exist. nice rendering of shiraz and grenache
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this is still a very young wine that needs time to come together. I popped it and double decanted it, and it had a soft fruit beginning but a harsh almost sour finish. On day 2 it was wonderful with dark fruit forward, soft tannins and spice on the palate followed by fruit in the end -- a long finish. Let this one sit for another year at least or decant well before drinking
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Packed and dense, with cherries, berries, mesquite smoke, molasses, licorice, olive, garrigue. The jammy fruit wins over the firm tannins (which are apparent on the finish) giving the whole an exuberance but slight lack of structure. Though the flavors run the gamut of smoky and spicy notes, there's no detectable oak. Highly enjoyable now, but there's potential for development over several years.
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I don't have much experience in tasting GSM, but this is definitely one of the best GSM I have ever had, especially in this price! We finished the whole bottle in 1.5 hours. It would probably performed much better if we had more time.
The Grenache came out first and Syrah played a good role in mid-palate and finish. This wine showed truly happiness with mature black fruits, herbs, and cedar. It became more complex in mid-palate and with mid-long sweet finish. I think it will perform better if cellar it for two more years!
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This is an amazing wine for $18. The Grenache and Syrah are in balance and finely tuned to maximize your pleasure. I had guessed 65% G and 35% S, but it was actually 55/45. The Grenache played its usual role up front and the Syrah did a great job of filling in the mid palate and the finish. The '09 vintage is drinking extremely well in its youth. I would typical hold a couple more years, but I don't think there is any reason to wait, at least for the Languedoc's. I went out and bought more after the 1st 2 bottles disappeared so fast.
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I agree with winemaker, lots of Syrah and garrigue. It is big, ripe and more fruit forward than I would have thought. Didn't need long to open, but mellowed out on night 2. The fruit didn't subside at all, just lost its edge. Really glad I bought a case. I don't see this getting much better with more bottle age, but I don't think I have to rush. Drink by 2017
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Tastes like a Janasse Cotes du Rhone Villages. Still dark purple. Big, rich, round, initially smelled of new oak when opened (even though it is supposed to only be exposed to concrete prior to bottling). The Syrah seems a bit pronounced initially compared to the Grenache here. Plenty of garrigue as well. Some underlying tannins too. If you don't like big, ripe wines you won't like this. I have to say though that it is pretty darn tasty. This wine will hold for several more years.
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Held on to it a bit too long. Needed to open up a bit. A classic Bordeaux with earthy mineral nose. Lacking in quality and finish of a great Bordeaux. It did open up a bit.
Very nice. Consumed over a four hour period and it opened up well, with dark fruit and balancing acid for a solid, long finish. This matched rich beef and herbed vegetables.
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- Ruby color. It's balanced with a medium body. Satin-Like texture with a long finish - In the first flight of 3, performed well and held its own against Nenin and Laforge. This is a wine from Languedoc region. It is highly rated by Mr RP (i think 92 ) i can see why. High alcohol, black fruits, some leathery tannins knitted with a tinge of acidity. Nice long 15+sec finish. No fault, great easy drinking, impressionable wine, and wish I bought more!!
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Non-blind. Had immediately, at La Verdura in Yokohama (w/kendo senseis "Sumino", HISASHIBURI.) Impression: Outstanding. Growing, but also closed and sprawling at the moment. Showing very mature dark fruit, darkness, licorice, black cherries and happiness. Also, some small Brett was found dancing on the tables in an enhancing way. Enters BOCA with a strong smile, is completely flat on the mid-palate and ends well, in reflecting the nose. Tannins, acids and length are M, Body is approaching L-. Blinded, I'd have guessed a finer Northern Rhone or Italian Syrah. Only 5 (!) btls remaining from the case we received one year ago... THAT only happened because this is a superbly delicious wine at a price point that turns all Bordeaux, Napa and especially Burgundy wines in to blush wines. 1st time wife enjoyed it - we even agreed on the score. This wine is just opening up in a VERY friendly way! FABULOUS!
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a wonderfully complex layered wine with silky tannins and delicious deep fruit. long long finish with a touch of licorice in the very end, preceded by violet and very typically grenache flavors, with a touch of spice before the long finish. Better on day two, but an outstanding wine. Probably will improve for another year, but hard to pass up now.
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Had this after a substantial Cali Cab, and so this seemed much more muted. Raspberry, younger fruit, a little thin. Balanced with some minerality. Just read all of the community notes... looks like I should have decanted this one. Maybe I'll buy another and try again. A decent wine for sure, but still haven't found "amazing" French wines for my particular palate. If I buy another I'll hold it for another 4 or 5 years. 86 pts.
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Color: Purple/garnet. Nose: Licorice, black currents, game and tar. Palate: Very large mouth feel. Black fruits, strawberries, spice box and chocolate. Chewy tannins. Very grenache in character. Excellent stuff. the best bottle yet. Only one left.
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Gorgeous deep garnet color. Black currant, flowers, licorice and earth on the nose. Huge mouth feel with solid tannin and a chewy texture. Black fruits and dark chocolate palate. Though way too young, this was delicious. Needs 2-3 more yrs in bottle to settle.
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Decanted and left to sit for a couple of hours before tasting. Mild nose of leather, maybe mushroom, and a bit of red fruit. Palate impressive with raspberry in the foreground, complex background of anise, cedar, mineral. Slightly rough, rustic tannins, decent finish. This is a lot more interesting and well-integrated than previous two bottles. Strongly suggest a couple of hours decanting before drinking.
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PnP, as we were finishing dinner. Enjoyed over the following 2nrs. Great sipper with good fruit, nice balance and a very smooth finish. Great QPR. Can't find the '09 anymore but might have to pick up some '10.
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I have been disappointed with previous bottles from the case I purchased. This last one was quite different, much more substantial and enjoyable. Maybe this just needed a little time in the cellar?
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New producer for us. Big surprise. Beautiful nose of raspberry, cherry fruit followed by a mouthful of the same. A touch over-extracted for my taste but retains structure and some firmness in the backbone. Not an ideal food wine but an awesome glass to sit and talk about. The QPR? Outstanding. Will seek out the 2009 or the '10, which I am told is similarly structured and priced.
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Color: medium purple/dark ruby -> medium ruby rim. Bouquet: reductive rubbery nose on PnP. After an hour the rubber blew off leaving a dark nose of minerals, road tar, game meat. The palate was delicious; very much a food wine. Strawberries and spicebox leading to minerals, tar -- very grenache. Think young CDP without the sometimes oversize tannins. There was a slight (not unpleasant) bitter edge to the fairly long finish. Developed positively as the night went on.
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Odd nose of menthol, latex paint, with strawberry and plum in the background. Palate is much more pleasant, cherry / berry, spice, cedar. A bit awkward and disjointed.
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With one hour decant, this wine comes across as much more complex than my prior experiences. Perfumy, floral, and full body. A bit spicy. The fact that it's aged completely in concrete tanks is quite nice.
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It has been 14 months since I last had this wine and it is much better now than it was then. Dark purple in color. Smells somewhat like a modern Chateauneuf du Pape. Rich, ripe fruit with definite oak influence. Kind of plummy fruit. Long finish. Pretty good QPR.
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Pop and pour. Initial nose of dark red fruit. In the mouth notice first high quality silky mouthfeel. Mixed berries as fruit. Closes with chocolate minty tannins.
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Very good qpr. Drank after 2 hours open. Very approachable right now. Earthy nose, subtle fruit, tart and some spice on the pallet. Very nice overall, two bottles left.
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nose of pencil shavings, camphor, gooseberries and mushrooms. On the palate the wine builds with currents, strawberry, minerals and a touch of oak. Nice medium finish. Drinking quite well right now.
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Had less time in decanter than last time but still showed well. Powerful smoky bouquet with cherry and dark fruit. Went well with our filet mignon and morel sauce dinner. Needs more time.
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I recently reviewed a dry Portugese red noting that it seemed to lack personality, that it had a similar aroma and flavor profile to a lot of New World reds, zinfandel from Napa in particular, and I'm reminded of that lack of character here. Not that the Puech comes from the New World, but I did feel this lacks personality. There are nice dark red fruit aromas w some interesting spices that probably come from the oak and a whisper of dirt. The tannins are ripe and soft but what comes along with that is some pretty high alcohol. The fruit here is a bit jammy. I don't think this will improve at all with time.
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A really nice wine, opened up after a two hour decant to reveal fruit, dark chocolate, syrupy finish with some leather. On day 2 still had most of its punch. A steal at this price, glad I bought a case EP...
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The forgotten remains... Last few cm/inches/センチ after 5 weeks of slow-ox. Rich, round, dark taste flirting with good port. Rounds off w rich but slightly bitter tannins. Most definitely a survivor :-) Was almost afraid to taste this well decanted wine. Will last long, quod erat demonstrandum.
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Ruby color, plummy oak nose, plum and dark fruit palate, bitter edgy tannins, medium finish. This has come around nicely in just the 4 months since I last had it (that bottle may have been off), but it still needs another year to smooth the edges off those tannins and integrate. Promising progress.
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This wine needs to be decanted to allow it to evolve over a few hours. The tannins soften and round out, taking off that initial dry, one dimensional, edge. The fruit is fresh, complex and fairly full. The overall effect is realized once this wine comes together - after about 2 hours in a decanter. I like wines that undergo a transition, especially those that can do it both on the nose and on the palate. This wine achieves that. This wine really needs some more time in the bottle but if you have patience and decant, you will be rewarded now.
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A delicious wine, it changes over time in the glass as it matures. Drank bottle over about 4-5 hours. Initially very herbal, licorice , smoke that transforms into a dark roast coffee, leather dark chocolate. Thanks Jeb, this was a good buy! outstanding
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Non-blind. Decanted for 2 hrs. Rounded, warm climate ("jammy") nose of Depardieu proportions. Well built modern Syrah that makes ordinary Côtes du Rhône wines seem a little Neanderthal. Still young but with acids, fruit, extract, tannins and all else in place for making good company in the next 5-or-so years to come. Feels like entering diving mode. (Did not impress wife this time.) Still some btls to enjoy over the coming years. Amazing QPR!
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Popped and let breathe for about 15 minutes before drinking. On the nose, a huge floral component accompanied by raspberry, smoke, and herbs. On the palate, cherry, raspberry, and mocha with a long finish. This is pretty well integrated and drinking great right now but I think it may get even better within a few years. For the ~$18 price point, this is amazing IMO.
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Good body, mix of dark fruits with plenty of interesting dried herb tones. Finishes with a very clean dark (raspberry, black cherry) tone. Somewhat polished, but shows unrefined tones to keep interesting.
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Similar to notes from 9/22/11. Differences are less "meat/bacon" noticeable on the nose, less in the way of overt tannins on the finish. Pretty good pairing with lamb chops w. mint pesto. Very slight clipping on the finish. Seems to be fast tracking. Drinks well now, without the structure to carry it towards old age.
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Took an hour to open and strut it's stuff. Heady aromas of black cherries, blackberries, pepper, dried herbs and menthol. Good acidity, rich on the palate, and the tannins also seem a little softer than last year. The herbal garrique character I associate with Languedoc reds is also much more apparent than when last tasted almost a year ago. Excellent.
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Non-blind. Decanted 3 hrs. Had somewhat cold. Agree with Parker on that such naked expressions of terroir are wonderful experiences. Aggressively shut, opened up with grapes and related primary notes on the nose. On the palate, mature grapes, plums and a good overall balance in a wine that needs some more time resting. Acid-density-tannins all work together to make this quite enjoyable. This drinks well by itself and even better with food. Tonight: Chinese ebi-gyouza, German chorizo, Japanese kama-boko, Italian style salad and rice. From some notes on CT, we were expecting an overdone modern-style wine, but that was far from the case. 2nd half of bottle tomorrow. next bottle in 2014 - as long as self-discipline is fully functional.
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Medium to full body. Sawdust on the nose, followed by kirsch, blackcurrants, dark cherry, anise, and after a while some sour plums; still tight on the palate, with bitter cherry and strawberry; lengthy finish of cherry liqueur; shows relatively little heat given the 15% ABV. Best after 45 minutes. This is now entering its drinking window, depending on your drinking preferences and cellaring conditions. Perfect with hearty meats, like prime rib. In fact, this is way too concentrated to be consumed on its own. 89-91 (Parker gave this 93 and 94 points respectively; now I know why I'm not a fan of his style of wine.) Update: Not as good on the next day. Drink 2011-2015.
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Decanted for 1 hour prior to dinner (grilled pork chops on the bone). Meat / black cherry / cherry pie and some licorice. Similar flavor profile on palate. Medium+ body with nice mouthfeel leading into medium+ finish. Went very good with the food. Only flaw, which should improve with bottle time, is a little heat on the finish. Would buy again.
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This is first of 1/2case I got at low price through JJBuckley. Popnpour and was a bit mute at cellar temp off the bat but opened up nicely. It definitely has a raspberry and dark fruit profile and like others I note alcohol but it is not at disasterous levels. For the price it is excellent. I can not tell how it will age. I would give it a solid B+ but may get to A- with time. I agree that it is not a 93 as Parker suggested but I think Parker is relatively insensitive to hot or alcoholic wines at least at this point. Good QPR and could drink or hold If I had to do Parker points I would go 5+12+16+5
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Decanted through Vinturi ... Pleasant enough medium-weight red. Slightly generic in taste and feel. Some bright, tart, cherry fruit but a little more heat than I'd like to see/taste. Not in any way bad, especially for its $19 price point, but completely unremarkable. Not something I'd actively seek out again.
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Don't have much expectation for this wine, but I was surprised. Nice fruity nose, complex mid palate, layered with mocha, licorice, herbs, smooth tannins, lengthy finish. Not bad at $18.
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Hot fruity nose. Plummy dark fruits driven by the granache and totally masking the syrah, followed by a slightly bitter finish that is noticeably hot as well, knocking it off balance. Not a bad wine, but i wish the syrah was more prominent in this. EDIT: By day 3 the bitterness and heat had backed off considerably with the rest of the wine holding up for the most part, there was just a hint of oxidation. Odd being so young, but this is an off bottle.
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The cuvée ‘Prestige’ is a biodynamically farmed wine with a varietal composition of 55 % Grenache (from 60 to 75-year-old vines), 35 % Syrah and 10 % Carignan. Part of the Syrah passed in oak barrels for 12 months, the rest was aged in tank. Dark purple-red colored wine with an attractive nose of blackcurrant, candied fruits, incense and some chocolate notes. Round and dense in the mouth, with sumptuous red fruit, spicy tones, a harmonious texture and already suave tannins. Long finish. This is drinking beautifully now, why wait.
Deze cuvée 'Prestige' is een bio-wijn met een samenstelling van 55 % Grenache (van 60 tot 75 jaar oude wijnstokken), 35 % Syrah en 10 % Carignan. Een deel van de Syrah rijpte gedurende 12 maanden in eiken vaten, de rest verbleef op tank. Donkere, paarsrode kleur en een aantrekkelijke neus van zwarte bessen, gekonfijte vruchten, wierook en wat impressies van chocolade. In de mond: een ronde, compacte wijn met weelderig rood fruit, kruidige tinten, een harmonieuze textuur en al zachte tannines. Lange afdronk. De wijn is nu al prachtig op dronk, waarom langer wachten.
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Good cab, but new world in style. Good cherry fruit with a lot of oak. Smooth. It is a good house red for the price. I do not get the 93 Parker score, but to each their own...
Decanted for about 2 hours and this wine (originally closed) really opened up. Despite the 15% alcohol, not hot and delicious fruit forward with bright fruit to start, then soft spicey finish, with a dark fruit ending. A wonderful, layered complex rhone that has more body and mouthfeel that you ordinarily get -- the languedoc element. A delight. It will improve with time and i will wait another year before trying the next bottle.
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This was an interesting bottle. Transformed quite a bit during the first 10-15 minutes. A couple of points lower than my first bottle, but still very good. Tried in a group, with a few not liking it at all.
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This wine was completely closed down - no nose and there very little flavor. Mouth feel was silky and rich so I will reserve scoring on this wine till the next bottle.
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without much air, I can tell this wine is layered, tight nose, but rich, lathered black and blue fruit with dark chocolate, herbs and espresso on the backside, quite a lot of structure, elegant, natural, balanced, remarkable, should try with steak
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I would not have bought this bottle if I had remembered this wine from 9 months ago. It has improved a little since then, and improved as the wine wore on, but it was just too sweet, too syrupy, and fairly cloying. Vanilla, cream, sweet dark fruit. I concede that if you like this style this might be a pretty good QPR but this wine is not a good value for me at any price.
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- Violet color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry and violet. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry with a medium body. Juicy texture with a medium finish - EXTRAORDINARY QPR!!! Juicy vibrant wine.
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Pop n pour, no need to decant. Beautiful nose of dark fruits and flowers. Full-bodied but very smooth and soft on the palate. Taste: mix of berries and bit of metal. Finish: 15 sec with slightly drying tannins after a few sips. RR nailed it when they said it was like an '07 Gigondas. Tremendous QPR.
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Pop/pour. This is a very nice surprise. A bit rustic on the nose, an interesting marriage of meat and high-toned red fruit. The same could be said of the palate, which has brighter fruit than I would have expected given the meat/bacon notes in the background. Some acidity on the mid-palate gives a desirable lift, steering this away from "dull" or "brooding". Slightly tannic on the finish. A lot of flexibility for food pairing, though I would shy away from matching this with the heaviest dishes. A nice candidate for "house red" @$15. I'm not seeing the "93" that RP scored it, but somewhere more in the 88-90 point range.
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Nice wine, touch jammy is my initial impression. Large on the palate, came across a little hot and a little thick, but not tremendously so; for me the qpr would be higher in the low-mid teens instead of ~$18. When I saw that this is a special blend for the US, was a little suspicious; that seems to have been borne out. Still, an easy drinking wine.
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Wow! Our first bottle of a case and what a great surprise. Drinking beautifully, with tar, licorice, and black fruit, bold yet elegant, with medium body, soft texture and a long finish. Great QPR too.
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This wine has potential but it will take some time...I think. Has a good nose but on the palate has a bitter berry that sweetens after 3 hours and a lot of VINTURI....and the finish is 20 sec. Wait a year or two or open 12 hours and give lots of air. A higher score in the future?
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dark red/purple in color...Nice aromatics of dark fuit, earth tones, herbs and floaral notes...Palate: Very cali like in its approach with gobbs of dark sweet fruit, licorice, pipe tobacco and earth...This was made to drink now but could improve slightly over the next 2-3 years.. The tannins are soft and sweet with a decent medium finish...If i drank this blind I would have thought this was pruduced in cali..Still a very well made wine and a great QPR...cheers!!!
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This was a mess. Hot on the nose, with unripe blackcurrant taking front seat. Not very smooth on the palate. not sure if the bottle was off, but not my cup of tea.
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Tasty wine - not stunning, but good. Rich, smooth, balanced tannins, and some enjoyable funkiness - like new sneakers, BBQ smoke, and metallic sweat. An hour in, though, it seems like it's decomposing, starting to fade quickly
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Decanted for 2 hrs. Consumed over a 3 hr period. Tad over-extracted. Dark fruit. Decent acid. A little hot on the finish. Paired well with blue cheese and bacon stuffed burgers.
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Sorry folks - this one did not impress. Nose of stewed prunes and sweet clove. I thought there might be potential, but... It tasted overripe and flat - very boring. Hard to believe that Eric Solomon had this blended specifically for the U.S. market at 15% ABV - it tastes like it really came from Paso Robles. I love French wine, but to me this was just a fruit bomb.
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Black ruby. Very aromatic and very precise fruit. Blackberry, minerals and earth. Quite similar on the palate. My only quibble is that it fades very quickly in the glass. I wouldn't age this for long. 4-11-16-6: 87/100.
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Pop and pour. Initial impression is that it has a wonderful nose of dark fruits with a floral note. Some hidden spice lurking. This is a good rich wine with sweet tannins (sweet fruit finish) but a little bit of funk (think old barrels). Licorice and vanilla on the finish. Blend of Grenache and syrah. It's good but I don't see it as a 93 point wine (as per Mr. Parker).
This is like the person who will get the job done during the work week but won't stay late or work weekends to make the work product stellar. Yes it is good but it is not outstanding.
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A bit of cork leakage do we opended and decanted for 2 hours. Big surprise. Loads of sweet fruitin a jacket ofgrippy tannins but not overbearing. Not at all familiar with the Languedoc but thisi a wine to search for again.
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Pretty aromas of red cherry and floral action and a little herb. Full bodied and lively on the palate. Flavors of red berries, minerality, and more herbs. Acidity kicks in again on the long finish. The alcohol on the finish is a bit hot for me.
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Dark dark purple, deep red. Aroma of tobacco, spice, white pepper, dark cherries, red ripe fruit. Well, quite energetic on the nose. Ripe dark blue fruit on the palate, with a fine acidic and tannic finish that lasts a minute or more. Some astringency and tartness that's semi-off-putting. Next few we'll wait for: more bottle time.
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Still fairly purple in color. Muted nose. Ripe and rich. At first, it seems like it will be low acid, but when you swallow a wave of sharper acidity hurls forth. Plummy fruit with some earthiness and spiciness. The tannins here are obscured by the fruit and the acids. I think this will be better with some further time in the cellar to allow things to integrate better. I don't get the 93 points RP gave it. It may have some upside from my rating.
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I may have been a bit excited the first time I tried this. Don't get me wrong, excellent wine and an excellent value. Still very worthy with seamless dark fruit and some savory notes. Did not seem as complex and as well integrated this time around. The tannins seemed to be a bit more in evidence initially and it took a bit in the glass to smooth out. Still one I would say to try.
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Wonderful wine value though a little early to drink. Required decanting and tannins softened after a few minutes. Beautiful nose of cherry and blackberry, long legs, soft blackberry and cherry fruit flavor but powerful, complex wine that improved as dinner went on. Should improve over many years.
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Wonderful nose, but the palate somewhat disappointing given such a high rating by Parker. Decanting gets rid of tannins but makes the taste one-dimensional and uninteresting. Dried cherries and tobacco.
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Egads is everyone else drinking the same wine I'm drinking?? This was a punishing wine which angrily kicked my privates for opening it. Came across as overextracted, plummy, and mouth puckering to me. After each sip, I'm making the face one usually makes after downing a shot of cheap Tecquila. I'm avoiding a truly killer-low score on the basis of potential - perhaps in 5-8 years, this will make more sense to me. More is not always better. Did I actually buy a 6-pack of this? Sheesh.
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dark, plum out of bottle. funky nose in a green kind of way. same on palate at first. after a couple of hours it settled in mellowed. dark black fruit, little rich, med body. i agree w the other, not much tannins but still had a slight green component for me. Good, not great. reminded me of cab franc in a way.... surely needs a couple of years.
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Dark wine with a big nose of rich black fruit and violets. On the palate mostly struck me as low acidity, low tannins, pretty high alcohol. Didn't speak to me, but there were others present that wanted seconds.
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I can't believe the high 80's ratings on this. The nose on this wine is otherworldly. I actually agree with RP on how good this is.. Delicious lip smacking fruit followed up by an intriguing but very approachable finish are there along with a complex forest floor(amongst other things) aroma... I don't see how, in any world, this is less than a 93 point wine.
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Dark cherries and smoke on the nose. Full bodied, with chocolate covered cherries, salt and licorice on the palate. A touch tannic, still lots of pleasure.
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Maybe there is some bottle variation based on the variation in comments, and I'll have to side with the unimpressed. Have 5 more, so will see what happens.
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Gorgeous deep garnet color. Black currant, flowers, licorice and earth on the nose. Huge mouth feel with solid tannin and a chewy texture. Black fruits and dark chocolate palate. Though way too young, this was delicious. Needs 2-3 yrs in bottle to settle. Try again in 2013.
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55% Grenache and 45% Syrah combine to create a wonderful balance and synergy of flavor, texture and experience. Excellent fruit, aromas and flavors with scents of forest floor, flowers, black currant and black raspberries. Pure, seamless and velvety across the palate this is a rich and yet soft experience. Very well integrated overall with no apparent flaws or shortcomings. Thanks to Craig at Grand Cru for turning me on to this.
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Not as impressive as the first bottle tasted. It followed a big Jericho Cab and that may be reason. Very good at this drinking nonetheless. Our guests loved it. Beautiful aroma in the glass. Rich velvety fruit.
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45% Syrah, 55% Grenache...drank this over a couple days...rich and creamy full bodied wine, yet still a little primal and grapey. But boy, there is plenty of stuff in there! Dark berry fruit(blackberry,currant,cherry, raspberry), black licorice, cold smoked meat, some blood iron, pepper. Love the florals and the clean funk. Will be even better with some aged complexities to it. You definitely need a case of this to tag along for the ride. And at under $20...easily done! +pts
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Opaque red that turns purplish towards the rim. Nose of fairly ripe plummy fruit. Takes on almost a fake grape bubblegum characteristic. Still, some earth/dirt with copper penny and a hint of coffee grinds. Attack of dark fruit, turns quite tannic on the midpalate. Dominated by black licorice, dark fruit and tannin on mid. Finish turns long with that same licorice note and ripe tannin. This is tasty and a great find at this price point. 91+
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At Zachy's for their Saturday tasting. I went because Philippe Cambie was there and did not even intend to try this wine, but I've had a few nice wines from the Languedoc, so I thought it was worth a try. I didn't know Cambie had anything to do with the wine until after I bought it and read the back of the label while writing this note. It's a blend of 45% Syrah and 55% Grenache from an area near Pic Saint Loup, a mountain in the Langedoc. The nose was very floral and the palate had some raspberry, black fruit, and pepper with a breadth on the tongue that was suprising and a very long finish. There were also floral notes on the tongue and a surprising complexity for a wine so young. This is an extremely enjoyable wine that you really want to drink and contemplate carefully. I spent more time with this than with wines with much greater reputations and better reviews from the pros. According to the label, this is a custom cuvee produced especially for the United States. The alcohol is reported at 15% ABV.
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Friday Night Brown Bagger (Rich & Dana's): Opaque crimson color. Aromas of vanilla and dark fruit, then dill, then currants, blackberries and spice. Very well-balanced, with dark fruit, mineral and subtle spice nuances on the palate. Very nice. Guessed Cab Sauv.
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Black fruit, rich velvety texture, raspberry aroma. Opened up beautifully in the glass. This is an incredible value and over-delivered for the price. Will buy more if available. Parker's rating was on the money!
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Deep violet/purple color, inky dark in fact. Very enjoyable nose, with lots of fresh blue fruits, spices and some minerality. Very full bodied, almost thick, yet not unbearable syrup. It could use more complexity on the palate (maybe a year or two?) as it drinks pretty simply with a hollow mid palate and a short finish though after some time this fills out a bit, giving some nice fruit and some campfire smoke. A decent QPR, a very promising nose. but slightly disappointing overall especially with the hype.
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A great wine right from the moment I pulled the cork. Nice dark garnet red color. Flavor was full of fruit, currant, licorice, and berries. Bouquet was a bit short, but the taste and balance made up for it. Very nice finish that hung around for a couple of seconds. Had a nice balance of tannin and acidity that left you wanting more. Has a solid 4+ years left in it. Great wine for the price.
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color: dark crimson, just coats the side of the glass with its thickness nose: a bit awkward at the moment, bit of alcohol, blackberries and dark cherries taste: good mix of old and new world, great balance of fruit and minerality. really fresh on the palete and begs for some food. alcohol is well integrated and the finish is very long. very pure expression of the land and fruit. i can almost taste the concrete vats it was aged in Great value and intro to the area
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Another hyped wine that isn't quite doing it for me. I'm enjoying it, but very soft tannins and a sort of cloying finish -- some vanilla and also a sense of saccharine or aspertame. Raisins, plums, chocolate, some minerals. Definitely liked it better with food than I do after dinner. Decanted for about an hour (although tasted when popped and I don't think the decant did much).
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Decided to give this a good long decant and it really improved from last time around/ the motor oil quality dissipated and gave room for some full throttle parkerized goodness. Nice quaffer at the price.
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Opened a bottle after we ran out of 06' Zaca Mesa Syrah. This outshown the ZM. Our guests accused us of holding out on them. Nice blackfruits and licorice with a perfumed bouquet and silky finish. Well balanced crowd pleaser. Pop & poured with no decant. Served with Rack of Pork.
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Medium color, concentrated flavors of dark plum, mineral, iron, licorice, wet earth, and dark chocolate with a long, rich, meaty finish. (Drink 2011-2016) - JD86
Color: 8/10 Aroma/Nose: 17.5/20 Structure: 18/20 Finish: 18/20 Overall Impresion: 21.5/25 Delicious or X Factor 3/5
86 POINTS
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Opened this after all the hubub over at eBob. And, while fairly young I do like where this is headed. Not so sure about where it is now.
Powerful dark purple in the glass. Black currant and incense on the nose together with some earthy elements. On the palate this has all the gentle elegance of motor oil, concentrated and viscous in the mouth, with the incense taking on a spicy character. It does have a long finish, but also begs for a long decant.
[Wait a year on the next.]
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nose: ripe and rich nose of blue fruits, black fruits, black cherries and some liqueur tones. Fairly forward but balanced without being overdone
taste: medium/full bodied with good firm tannins along with ripe tones of black fruits, blue fruits, and black cherry tones. Though the tannins are noticeable are polished and help bring a real silky feel
overall: This is quite young and could use some time to round into form. Well balanced and forward on both the palate and nose, this didn't come off as old world blind and I guessed it as new world
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10/31/2023 - skipwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Full, rich body and bouquet, great fruit, still fresh, medium finish, a delightful surprise and still drinking after one day in the fridge- cellared since purchase on release
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5/1/2022 - Doctor Vyd Likes this wine: 88 Points
Delightful Fruity nose smooth light finish Just pleasant
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3/4/2022 - Doctor Vyd Likes this wine: 85 Points
Fruity nose Good color Pleasant, light smooth finish
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2/4/2022 - BuckeyeBenS Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very interesting experience. Clearly we opened this a little late in it's life, even with excellent storage. No fruit left, very earthy, and signs of the concrete fermentation were present from the beginning. Even though this was clearly past its prime, the experience was surprisingly enjoyable. I would gladly try a younger version to see what happens when the fruit is still there.
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1/11/2022 - robseconti@aol.com wrote: 88 Points
Spice jar on the nose with a hint of lavender. Amazingly fresh and smooth on the palette, with blueberries some forest floor and some baked black cherry. Nice, fairly long finish. Served with roasted chicken and veg. Still has a good few years left.
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12/14/2021 - dannyg Likes this wine: 90 Points
A decent low tannic wine that I would have with white fish. Found the alcohol a bit high but the rest of the black cherry fruits and medium acid is still good to drink now. Can still endure another 3+ years.
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12/5/2020 - Johnny Vee Likes this wine: 85 Points
Opened just in time - it’s going ...
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11/14/2020 - maxima wrote: flawed
Bouchonnée!
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9/29/2020 - Kerino wrote: 89 Points
Surprised to find how tight this was. Perhaps precise might be stretching it but this is a well constructed wine that is lasting well and offers berries and a bit of mint. Not as herby as I would have hoped. Enjoyable drink.
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8/11/2020 - dlf-48 wrote:
Great fruit forward wine with dark red color. Hints of chocolate and berries
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5/2/2020 - louisl wrote: 88 Points
I was very disappointed at first. The wine is pretty light and the finish was very watery. I hated it so much I opened a different bottle of wine. I came back to it at the end of the night, and it was a different wine. There was an interesting finish now, and while not a great wine, it was very pleasant. I re-corked it and it was still drinking well the next day. I don’t think this will improve with age, but I will decant the next bottle for sure.
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4/3/2020 - bvanbower Likes this wine: 88 Points
A little lighter than expected from my favorite US vineyard, Bien Nacido. Smooth and pleasant.
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2/21/2020 - maxima wrote: 88 Points
Pas aussi que mes 2005, (dont il me reste 2 bouteille)
mais tout de même bien. Des mures et du bacon avec
un peu de menthol et de tapenade.
Pas long en finale mais rien n'accroche.
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11/13/2019 - whudock Likes this wine: 89 Points
still drinking well.
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8/5/2019 - eadsaaron Likes this wine: 93 Points
Black fruit, bacon, spice. Syrah comes through. Still had plenty of life. Excellent.
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3/28/2019 - studleytrey wrote: 88 Points
Had a couple of these in the last few days, and at 4 years from my last bottle and 10 from the vintage, I'd say it's time to drink these, although they do seem to require a short bit (~30 mins.) to open up.
Definitely on the dark and savory side of things. In fact, I'm surprised to read that this is 55%/45% grenache/syrah, respectively; I would have guessed it the other way around if not even more syrah based and perhaps with some mourvedre in the mix as well. Dense coloring here with ruby edges still. Aromas of dark fruits, graphite, black olives, and cured meats. The 15%(!) alc. here is pretty well covered, with medium body, acid, and finish, and flavors of dark fruits, licorice, minerals, olives, soy sauce, and spice. I'd pair this with beef stews and roasts, burgers, and lamb.
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3/4/2019 - cobbpa Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tasty, still very much alive, nice dark-fruited tones over a midweight & easy-drinking structure.
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8/27/2018 - Mooncalf Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good balance. Held up well to aging and could go longer. Medium body with dark fruits. Improved with dinner. Has been a great value over the years.
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5/12/2018 - mvande21 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruits, medium/full bodied. Good acidity and balance. Last bottle of a case. This has been an enjoyable wine all along. Still has a couple years left.
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3/9/2018 - BertCr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Full of fruit like black stone fruit and berries. Plenty of acidity left, a little chalky in the finish.
Wonderful wine with our steak and garlic mashed potatoes.
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2/12/2018 - John McCabe wrote: 90 Points
I tend not to like this wine as it has a really pronounced savory profile that feels a bit wayward to me. Definitely has nice weight and concentration for its price-point, and the profile may appeal to some though. Much better on the 2nd day where things became more balanced and relaxed.
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2/9/2018 - Janstan Likes this wine: 87 Points
Not as much fruit as the last bottle. Dusty tannins. Went well with sausage in a tomato sauce
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11/22/2017 - tigeek Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very good value for the price; indeed better than the first bottle I opened a couple of years ago. Probably can age 2-3 years still.
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6/6/2017 - RichardU71 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Always a really nice wine. Rich, juicy, creamy, good tannin structure. A wine that can stand medium term cellaring for sure. Def great quality at this price level.
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4/27/2017 - up4wine wrote: 88 Points
Great everyday wine with a bit of an alcoholic edge. As my palate continues to evolve (maybe devolve), I find I am less attracted to this trait. The wine is very solid with big, round fruit. You just want to pair it with a food that can soak up the alcohol.
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4/19/2017 - John McCabe wrote: 90 Points
Similar to previous notes in many respects. Though there is some charm here, the sweetness feels a bit like candy and a bit simple and cheap. The style may appeal to some but it doesn't quite work for me.
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2/19/2017 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 90 Points
Last bottle from a case. Still drinking well one heck of a QPR.
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12/10/2016 - Janstan Likes this wine: 89 Points
Cherry, very smooth
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12/6/2016 - mats13 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine is in the perfect spot now, but one suspects that it this would be the time to drink any remaining bottles. After a couple hours of air, this bottle came into real focus: deep dark fruits on the nose, on the palate medium plus body with flavors of dark berry and something meaty. I very much enjoyed this, esp after it took in a breath of air.
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11/24/2016 - Grenik Likes this wine: 89 Points
Solid wine, but nearing the end of the drinking window. Bright nose, but a little flat on the palate. Red fruit, some floral notes, a little sweet pine, light tannins. Well made.
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11/11/2016 - gjv115 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Pnp. Really good wine. Great qpr. It evolved as we drank it. Good fruit. I have another bottle, going to drink it soon.
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10/10/2016 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
I used to not like this wine, but it's coming around. There is a rustic wayward twang at first but it gives way on the 2nd day to an open, creamy expressiveness that surprised me.
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9/27/2016 - redz wrote: 90 Points
less fruit than two years ago. Full throttle, good food wine.
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8/26/2016 - Tannic Monster wrote: 89 Points
Very pleasant unexpected hints of evergreen on the nose along with some chocolate cherry. It first hits the palate with some noticeable acidity giving way to an almost ginger ale-like experience with a slightly tart finish. The palate didn't deliver what the nose promised.
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8/23/2016 - Dave Mosko Likes this wine:
Last of 6, and the best, dark ruby, a little lightening at the rim, no bricking, inviting warm nose, ripe red and dark fruit, plush tannins mouth coating, balance, almost lush, tobacco and a bit of saddle leather, warm welcoming heat on swallowing but not at all hot, at peak, medium finish and a very nice showing for a last bottle.
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5/15/2016 - DStone Likes this wine: 92 Points
The age of the vines are telling here. Full-throttle, rich wine. Quite hedonistic. Over performs its price by threefold. My last bottle of the case of 12. Beautiful. Glad I have nearly a case of the 2013 vintage!
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5/9/2016 - WilD wrote: 90 Points
Still vivid, dark fruit. juicy spicey wine. Great QPR and Always ok !
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3/25/2016 - WatkinsWine wrote: 86 Points
Dark purple in color. Nose is floral and current/jam. Tasted closed so ran through Venturi aerator which showed big improvement. Thick in body but the flavor is on the lighter more delicate side. Spice is prominent along with the jammy current in the nose. Peppery finish. Reminds me of a Zinfandel. Very good value. We didn't like in when purchased two cases 4-5 years ago. Now we only had 2 bottles left and wish we saved more.
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1/25/2016 - kmicho Likes this wine: 90 Points
Sat on this for 4 years and well worth the wait. Very well balanced. Agree with a previous review that it's strong enough to go with red meat, but can pair with something lighter as well. We were very pleased and will buy more.
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1/24/2016 - whudock Likes this wine: 90 Points
still going strong. solid fruit, nicely integrated tannin, a bit of leather notes and a nice medium finish. will stand up to red meat, but delicate enough to work with lighter dishes.
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1/16/2016 - SanderB wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured. Nose is all black currant, red cherry and saddle leather. Interesting herbal flavors, such as sage and thyme. Integrated woodsy notes. Orange marmalade on the back end. Appears to be within its drinking window.
Two hours in gave blueberry jam, prunes and figs. More body and concentration. Good things.
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1/15/2016 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 89 Points
89-90 is spot on. Drinking we'll hear. A little green that blows off. Good to decant.
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11/24/2015 - BedaRay wrote: 89 Points
Decanted the wine to give it a chance to breath. At first taste I was concerned that it had peaked but with air the aroma can through allowing the dark fruit and a forestry taste to show. Overall a nice Languedoc blend but probably only has about another year before its past prime.
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11/21/2015 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 87 Points
Decanted; light sediment. Drank two hours later: Ruby color. Modest nose of dark fruit. Medium bodied, but the faded dark fruit on the palate is no longer a match to the acids and tannins. Very little fruit on the medium length finish. Shouldn't have held this one so long, so I'll quickly drink my remaining bottle.
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11/6/2015 - Saint Stephen wrote:
The opposite of good wine.
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11/2/2015 - Ideasthatstick wrote:
Ok here we are one year plus later. A year or so in the dark cellar makes a difference.. But not much. Based on a review I read today I thought everything deserves a second chance. The fruit in this has begun to reveal at the expense of the other characteristics. This is a thirteen dollar wine. It has a few things happening for it like a nice nose, great mouth feel and a present acidity. But it is kind of flat sort of forgotten. It's not even bad enough that the bad takes center stage. It's just a forgettable wine. That maybe past its prime, maybe not. All things being equal that for thirteen bucks it's not a loser, but it's certainly not a winner. It simply is. It is Bieber in a bottle. Or the Mets. Nothing. Oh Jerry circa 85. All hat no cattle.
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11/2/2015 - WilD wrote: 90 Points
Still vivid, dark fruit. juicy spicey wine. Great QPR.
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10/3/2015 - Battersea James Likes this wine: 89 Points
Last bottle unfortunately. A great value wine which never fails to deliver.
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8/9/2015 - winemaker Likes this wine: 89 Points
Solid effort. My last bottle.
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7/11/2015 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Smooth and delicious, dark fruit, well balanced.
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6/13/2015 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 88 Points
One glass immediately after plopp:
Unbalanced, harsh with no hug. EtOH shining through. The remainder under cork until Sunday/Monday.
Final btl of a much enjoyed case.
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4/5/2015 - Battersea James Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is a great wine for the price - lots of black fruit, sour cherries with smooth tannins. It remains well balanced and quite refined despite the 14.5% alcohol content.
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3/26/2015 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nearing the end of my case of this delicious QPR and it is still going strong. Balanced with big fruit, cassis and graphite.
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3/18/2015 - up4wine wrote: 90 Points
At this price point, this is a darn surprisingly great wine. Nice balance and good integration at this point. It will likely continue to work out some few harsh notes on the finish with more bottle time. The blend shows off both the Grenache and Syrah elements well.
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2/9/2015 - studleytrey wrote: 88 Points
Dense ruby coloring. Aromas and flavors of purple and black fruits, meat, and minerals, with full body, and medium acid and finish. Showed best around 1-2 hrs. open, and paired well with beef stew. While not my favorite style of wine, I can appreciate its quality, and I do see some potential for aging a few more years for my taste.
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12/26/2014 - Battersea James Likes this wine: 89 Points
Lovely flavours of black fruit and tobacco. Very enjoyable and great value.
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12/25/2014 - Trans-agri Likes this wine:
Very nice.
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12/6/2014 - John McCabe wrote: 89 Points
Some weight and concentration, but a drab and murky on the palate; just not a style I like, though it may appeal to some.
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12/6/2014 - whudock Likes this wine: 90 Points
complex and prominent nose of earth, leather, pencil shavings, camphor, gooseberries and mushrooms. On the palate the wine builds with currents, strawberry, minerals and a touch of oak. Now, this is more structure than fruit in dominance. Nice medium finish. Needs an hour to open up, but drinking quite well right now. 2016 may be the outside edge for this wine if this bottle is an indication.
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11/15/2014 - pmk wrote: 91 Points
A luscious fuller bodied wine than most from Lanquedoc. Dark rich fruit followed by a healthy dose of spice and medium tannins that last a good long while along the sides of the tongue. A full bodied wine with a very lovely mouthfeel. This wine can stand up to heartier food than most from the region. My last bottle of what was a wonderful case purchse from Wine Access.
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11/15/2014 - redz wrote: 90 Points
lovely sour cherry, over medium body, modereate tannins. decant 2 plus hours. should improve
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11/9/2014 - CWilliam wrote:
Last bottle. Dark red color & lots of sediment in bottle. Garrigue / eucalyptus / black raspberry / raspbyerry / glycerin on nose. On palate, medium body with raspberry / red licorice primarily on palate. Nice acids & long finish. Really enjoyed this and very good with pizza. 92+/- tonight.
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10/11/2014 - navybrat Likes this wine: 89 Points
Great value!
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9/11/2014 - Ideasthatstick Does not like this wine:
Wow what a let down. I expected fireworks or at least a lit match but this wine was closed and unexpressive. Yawn
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9/1/2014 - patrickrains Likes this wine: 89 Points
Double decanted, waited additional 2 hours, but that burned off an excess alcohol, and came around nicely. Used wine preserver to keep overnight and it was best 2nd day.
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8/29/2014 - Number51 wrote: 90 Points
Sweetness and alcohol have receded somewhat, and a pretty forest floor, sesame leaves, and eucalyptus have come forward. While these fresh components stand out on the entry, raspberry jam takes over from mid palate to the finish. Alcohol is still easily detectable however.
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8/11/2014 - chanote44 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great stuff. Wish I had more. Tons of fruit, glycerin and well balanced mouth-feel and acid. No hurry to drink now.
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7/6/2014 - CWilliam wrote:
Very nice. Enjoyed with grilled steak. Would rate this similar to an '04 Cornerstone Howell Mountain Cab. Didn't take notes but flavor profile was primarily garrigue, cherry, black cherry, glycerin. Medium+ body and long finish. Went well with steak surprisingly. 91+ Excellent QPR and would buy again. [edit] This wine was still drinking well on night 3 (in frig under vacu-vin) so no rush to drink. Actually was best on night 3.
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7/2/2014 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
It's been two years since last bottle, and my notes are exactly the same -- silky black fruit, licorice and a long finish. fine tannins, smooth texture. Delicious!
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6/14/2014 - WilD wrote: 90 Points
Nice thick, concentrated wine. Black fruit, juicy spice. Great qpr.
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6/13/2014 - wineaficionado Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose: Plums, spices, wild berries. The Syrah is very noticeable. Mouth: Consistent with the nose. The mouth is full of aromas. The tannins are there but they are very round and ripe. Highly delicious but not overpowering. The aromas are very expressive. There is a slightly savory aroma like pickles. Full bodied wine. 14.5% alc. but not noticeable at all. Excellent wine.
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5/31/2014 - Quarked wrote:
This has lost alot of its freshness - not as enjoyable as in its youth.
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5/15/2014 - Winiac wrote: 86 Points
Does not have good acidity in the structure and it makes it flat and monotone in the mouth.
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5/2/2014 - rrush wrote: 90 Points
Delightful intoxicating pure nose, round tannins, fruity, and volatile. Bright, deep purple, w/ a slight scarlet at the margin. Very exciting spice overtone. Savory. Vaguely alcoholic.
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4/30/2014 - cobbpa Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great dark fruit that eventually melds with a brambly, herb note. A few hours of air did this well. Weighty, nicely textured, and a full finish.
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4/23/2014 - CarpeVinum Likes this wine: 88 Points
Solid at the Qpr for 2009
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4/3/2014 - snarfglk wrote: 89 Points
Opened up more on day 2, very nice.
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3/9/2014 - RossMcB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Smooth, rounded and luxurious drink. Very hedonistic wine. Love it!
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3/2/2014 - Cadby Likes this wine: 90 Points
Château Puech-Haut Coteaux du Languedoc Saint-Drézéry Le Prestige +++ $19
Wonderful spice-box & Current. Mimicking a left bank at Spanish euros.
http://8wordsonwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/chateau-puech-haut-coteaux-du-languedoc.html
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2/12/2014 - gjv115 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pnp. Smooth, complex, interesting. Has some spice and anise going on. Very impressed. Outclassed some much more expensive bottles.
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2/7/2014 - SimonK wrote: 89 Points
Fruitful wine with good structure
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1/31/2014 - pmk Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great wine with loads and loads of terroir. Dark color, plum and dark fruits, well behaved tannins, seamless in flavor transitions, long finish. could use stillk another year to be at opeak or decant before drinking.
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1/28/2014 - swivel112 wrote:
Last bottle. What a great find and QPR.
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1/18/2014 - Le Gaulois Likes this wine: 86 Points
Ouvert en Magnum, beaucoup, beaucoup de fruits (prune, cassis), très frais mais aussi bien sucré, peut-être même trop. Tanins doux bien intégrés. Dans son pic de forme actuellement.
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1/17/2014 - tautlinehitch Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with my previous notes, this wine is drinking very nicely, probably at its best. Doesn't have huge structure, probably drink up over the next year or two.
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1/1/2014 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 91 Points
Same as previous notes on 12/10
Consistent, great buy if you can find it!
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12/12/2013 - ecrogers wrote: 87 Points
Not as good as I had remembered it 2-3 years back. Could it be in a plush period? or maybe already in decline?
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12/10/2013 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 91 Points
What a great wine for the money ($20-ish)! Languedoc (next to Cotes du Rhone) Grenache-Syrah blend is really fruit forward, inky... Lots of berry and earthy tastes, luscious but hardly timid. Does not taste oaked, believe this may be aged in concrete tanks?
Good food wine...enough acid to stand up to many dishes. Drink Now, do not hold. Highly recommend if you like more robust, fruity reds.
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12/8/2013 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 91 Points
We let it breathe about half an hour and did not decant, which worked out well. This wine is really quite the find! Totally fruit-forward on nose and taste - 55% Grenache, 45% Syrah, 15% alcohol which seemed well-integrated. Good amount of tannins left, Full-bodied, with tastes of both dark berries and licorice. Better than medium finish. Don't think it was oaked, but it is drinking great now, so I would say drink now through 2014. Paired perfectly with a spiced/herbed oven beer can chicken and sides. Think we paid about $23 for it, well-worth it!
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11/26/2013 - Otis Wine Lover Likes this wine: 89 Points
First impressions is this needs to be in the cellar longer. Tannins are still harsh, although as the wine opens up, they soften somewhat, but are still a bit rustic. Also agree with others who state that, at this price point, has a lot of complexity and interest. I'm going to wait another six month to a year before I open another bottle.
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11/19/2013 - steinbrl12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
excellent deep vibrant balck fruit
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11/14/2013 - rbc1978 wrote: 88 Points
Heavy alcohol drag down this wine...nice cherry, raspberry flavors with an even finish. In the end I was disappointed with the wine.
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11/10/2013 - tautlinehitch Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted via Vinturi and tasted through an evening. Initially unimpressive, but improved dramatically with 2-3 hours exposure to air. About three hours in, bright nose of raspberry, currant, background of cigar box. Palate similarly opened up to display lively red fruit, slightly rough tannins. Nicely integrated acid / fruit / tannin balance. Drinking beautifully now if you can decant, can't wait to try again over the next few years.
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11/5/2013 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dramatically improved balance and a fresh clarity of fruit not evident in other bottles
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10/28/2013 - dsimmons wrote: 89 Points
Almost through my case of this great QPR value.
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10/15/2013 - Dancing with bottles Likes this wine: 88 Points
After the primary fruit is gone, which it had in abundance until 2012, the wine is now a bit in a boring stage. A little bit to simple, to fat and dull and the high alcohol is to obvious. That will change hopefully with one or two more years of age. So wait with drinking, but not to long. This wine is not for the long haul.
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10/5/2013 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine continues to deliver well above it's pay grade.
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9/11/2013 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still yummy.
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9/10/2013 - Ivan Ma Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very similar with the previous tasting notes. A wine which can gives you joyful and happiness. Enjoyed it very much with my friends in my birthday dinner.
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9/7/2013 - millerarner wrote: 89 Points
Very interesting wine. I'm still not quite sure how much I like it, but the complexity is off the chart for a wine in this price range. The nose evolves like crazy as it opens. Agree with all who say to give it a long time to show itself, although disagree with the notion that this is fruit forward or jammy. That said, however, one minute you certainly get cherry cough syrup, the next you pick up an earthy pungent smokehouse aroma, all with hints of olive, tar, cedar and some spices I can't identify. Susan pegged it as a g/s blend instantly so it is true to it's varietal nature, but with added personality you usually have to pay more for. Sadly a grippy medicinal finish detracted from all the fun, hence the 89.
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8/31/2013 - CarpeVinum Likes this wine:
give it an hours worth of air and decant it. it is a nicely balanced wine, not terroir driven although elements of old-world exist. nice rendering of shiraz and grenache
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8/8/2013 - up4wine wrote: 87 Points
Took to WDB. This bottle was not as good as previous. It seemed a bit oxidized even just after opening. Fruit never really opened up on this bottle.
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7/30/2013 - BMG Wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really settling in nicely. Rough edges smoothing out and the tannins are becoming much more integrated.
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7/28/2013 - bechi Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dark opaque purple in the glass; notes of black berries, brown sugar and beeswax. Lingering sweetness.
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7/4/2013 - pmk wrote: 91 Points
this is still a very young wine that needs time to come together. I popped it and double decanted it, and it had a soft fruit beginning but a harsh almost sour finish. On day 2 it was wonderful with dark fruit forward, soft tannins and spice on the palate followed by fruit in the end -- a long finish. Let this one sit for another year at least or decant well before drinking
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6/29/2013 - ksde wrote: 91 Points
Even better on day 2 as a nice silky palate develops.
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6/27/2013 - graphite Likes this wine: 91 Points
Packed and dense, with cherries, berries, mesquite smoke, molasses, licorice, olive, garrigue. The jammy fruit wins over the firm tannins (which are apparent on the finish) giving the whole an exuberance but slight lack of structure. Though the flavors run the gamut of smoky and spicy notes, there's no detectable oak. Highly enjoyable now, but there's potential for development over several years.
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6/8/2013 - sfqwino wrote: 89 Points
P&P. The wine started off screaming Grenache. Very bright red fruits, quite a punk, young & unsettled. Gained composure after an hour decant.
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5/30/2013 - John McCabe wrote: 88 Points
I find this to be a bit rustic and twangy for my taste - could be confused with a Cotes du Rhone. The style is unusual.
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5/11/2013 - Ivan Ma wrote: 90 Points
I don't have much experience in tasting GSM, but this is definitely one of the best GSM I have ever had, especially in this price! We finished the whole bottle in 1.5 hours. It would probably performed much better if we had more time.
The Grenache came out first and Syrah played a good role in mid-palate and finish. This wine showed truly happiness with mature black fruits, herbs, and cedar. It became more complex in mid-palate and with mid-long sweet finish. I think it will perform better if cellar it for two more years!
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5/3/2013 - up4wine wrote: 91 Points
This is an amazing wine for $18. The Grenache and Syrah are in balance and finely tuned to maximize your pleasure. I had guessed 65% G and 35% S, but it was actually 55/45. The Grenache played its usual role up front and the Syrah did a great job of filling in the mid palate and the finish. The '09 vintage is drinking extremely well in its youth. I would typical hold a couple more years, but I don't think there is any reason to wait, at least for the Languedoc's. I went out and bought more after the 1st 2 bottles disappeared so fast.
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4/19/2013 - floating_cellar wrote: 92 Points
I agree with winemaker, lots of Syrah and garrigue. It is big, ripe and more fruit forward than I would have thought. Didn't need long to open, but mellowed out on night 2. The fruit didn't subside at all, just lost its edge. Really glad I bought a case. I don't see this getting much better with more bottle age, but I don't think I have to rush. Drink by 2017
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3/26/2013 - winemaker Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tastes like a Janasse Cotes du Rhone Villages. Still dark purple. Big, rich, round, initially smelled of new oak when opened (even though it is supposed to only be exposed to concrete prior to bottling). The Syrah seems a bit pronounced initially compared to the Grenache here. Plenty of garrigue as well. Some underlying tannins too. If you don't like big, ripe wines you won't like this. I have to say though that it is pretty darn tasty. This wine will hold for several more years.
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3/25/2013 - BodegaMateo wrote: 87 Points
Held on to it a bit too long. Needed to open up a bit.
A classic Bordeaux with earthy mineral nose.
Lacking in quality and finish of a great Bordeaux.
It did open up a bit.
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3/9/2013 - BullseyeOregon wrote:
Very nice. Consumed over a four hour period and it opened up well, with dark fruit and balancing acid for a solid, long finish. This matched rich beef and herbed vegetables.
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3/8/2013 - VoteferPedro wrote: 88 Points
Sweet syrah fruit w tannic backbone; good w food but seems heavy on its own; color less dense than before.
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3/2/2013 - gbbwino wrote: 91 Points
Great wine for the price!
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1/26/2013 - dannyg wrote: 90 Points
- Ruby color. It's balanced with a medium body. Satin-Like texture with a long finish - In the first flight of 3, performed well and held its own against Nenin and Laforge. This is a wine from Languedoc region. It is highly rated by Mr RP (i think 92 ) i can see why. High alcohol, black fruits, some leathery tannins knitted with a tinge of acidity. Nice long 15+sec finish. No fault, great easy drinking, impressionable wine, and wish I bought more!!
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1/19/2013 - StefanAkiko wrote: 90 Points
Non-blind. Had immediately, at La Verdura in Yokohama (w/kendo senseis "Sumino", HISASHIBURI.)
Impression: Outstanding.
Growing, but also closed and sprawling at the moment. Showing very mature dark fruit, darkness, licorice, black cherries and happiness. Also, some small Brett was found dancing on the tables in an enhancing way. Enters BOCA with a strong smile, is completely flat on the mid-palate and ends well, in reflecting the nose. Tannins, acids and length are M, Body is approaching L-.
Blinded, I'd have guessed a finer Northern Rhone or Italian Syrah.
Only 5 (!) btls remaining from the case we received one year ago... THAT only happened because this is a superbly delicious wine at a price point that turns all Bordeaux, Napa and especially Burgundy wines in to blush wines. 1st time wife enjoyed it - we even agreed on the score. This wine is just opening up in a VERY friendly way! FABULOUS!
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1/17/2013 - flwinos wrote: 88 Points
Notes consistent with previous reviews.
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1/16/2013 - pmk Likes this wine: 93 Points
a wonderfully complex layered wine with silky tannins and delicious deep fruit. long long finish with a touch of licorice in the very end, preceded by violet and very typically grenache flavors, with a touch of spice before the long finish. Better on day two, but an outstanding wine. Probably will improve for another year, but hard to pass up now.
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1/11/2013 - pmk wrote: 90 Points
Ready to drink, nose of wonderful floral and berry notes, soft tannins and rich fruit on the palate. food friendly.
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12/28/2012 - MadisonWIneGuy wrote: 86 Points
Had this after a substantial Cali Cab, and so this seemed much more muted. Raspberry, younger fruit, a little thin. Balanced with some minerality. Just read all of the community notes... looks like I should have decanted this one. Maybe I'll buy another and try again. A decent wine for sure, but still haven't found "amazing" French wines for my particular palate. If I buy another I'll hold it for another 4 or 5 years. 86 pts.
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12/24/2012 - swivel112 wrote: 91 Points
Similar to previous notes, only one bottle left unfortunately.
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12/23/2012 - Wamrod wrote: 93 Points
Love this. Fabulous as usual
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11/21/2012 - short and confused wrote: 92 Points
Color: Purple/garnet. Nose: Licorice, black currents, game and tar. Palate: Very large mouth feel. Black fruits, strawberries, spice box and chocolate. Chewy tannins. Very grenache in character. Excellent stuff. the best bottle yet. Only one left.
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11/17/2012 - BMG Wine wrote: 92 Points
Gorgeous deep garnet color. Black currant, flowers, licorice and earth on the nose. Huge mouth feel with solid tannin and a chewy texture. Black fruits and dark chocolate palate. Though way too young, this was delicious. Needs 2-3 more yrs in bottle to settle.
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11/14/2012 - flwinos wrote: 89 Points
Notes consistent with previous reviews.
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10/24/2012 - tautlinehitch wrote: 88 Points
Decanted and left to sit for a couple of hours before tasting. Mild nose of leather, maybe mushroom, and a bit of red fruit. Palate impressive with raspberry in the foreground, complex background of anise, cedar, mineral. Slightly rough, rustic tannins, decent finish. This is a lot more interesting and well-integrated than previous two bottles. Strongly suggest a couple of hours decanting before drinking.
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10/21/2012 - Point Bob Plonk wrote: 89 Points
Getting better. Best to let breathe for at least an hour
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10/20/2012 - swivel112 Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP, as we were finishing dinner. Enjoyed over the following 2nrs. Great sipper with good fruit, nice balance and a very smooth finish. Great QPR. Can't find the '09 anymore but might have to pick up some '10.
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10/19/2012 - Bob & Sue Atlanta wrote: 93 Points
I have been disappointed with previous bottles from the case I purchased. This last one was quite different, much more substantial and enjoyable. Maybe this just needed a little time in the cellar?
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10/18/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
dark, full bodied, rich
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10/16/2012 - Stevesrisk wrote: 90 Points
New producer for us. Big surprise. Beautiful nose of raspberry, cherry fruit followed by a mouthful of the same. A touch over-extracted for my taste but retains structure and some firmness in the backbone. Not an ideal food wine but an awesome glass to sit and talk about. The QPR? Outstanding. Will seek out the 2009 or the '10, which I am told is similarly structured and priced.
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10/14/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 88 Points
dark and full bodied for sure but also a little rustic
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10/3/2012 - Number51 wrote:
Age for at least a couple of years, or decant for two hours.
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9/28/2012 - WilD wrote: 90 Points
Opened 2,5 hrs in front.... Dark fruit. Low acid, medium to full bodied. Juicy... Good QPR.
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9/23/2012 - BVal wrote: 91 Points
Color: medium purple/dark ruby -> medium ruby rim. Bouquet: reductive rubbery nose on PnP. After an hour the rubber blew off leaving a dark nose of minerals, road tar, game meat. The palate was delicious; very much a food wine. Strawberries and spicebox leading to minerals, tar -- very grenache. Think young CDP without the sometimes oversize tannins. There was a slight (not unpleasant) bitter edge to the fairly long finish. Developed positively as the night went on.
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9/15/2012 - flwinos wrote: 90 Points
Notes consistent with previous reviews.
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9/11/2012 - tautlinehitch wrote: 86 Points
Odd nose of menthol, latex paint, with strawberry and plum in the background. Palate is much more pleasant, cherry / berry, spice, cedar. A bit awkward and disjointed.
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8/24/2012 - bvanbower wrote: 90 Points
Needs a little more time and I should have decanted but was a last minute idea.
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8/13/2012 - Number51 wrote: 91 Points
With one hour decant, this wine comes across as much more complex than my prior experiences. Perfumy, floral, and full body.
A bit spicy. The fact that it's aged completely in concrete tanks is quite nice.
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8/12/2012 - nick.dean wrote: 90 Points
Nice drinkable wine
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8/11/2012 - winemaker wrote: 92 Points
It has been 14 months since I last had this wine and it is much better now than it was then. Dark purple in color. Smells somewhat like a modern Chateauneuf du Pape. Rich, ripe fruit with definite oak influence. Kind of plummy fruit. Long finish. Pretty good QPR.
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8/3/2012 - tairanosaurus wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour. Initial nose of dark red fruit. In the mouth notice first high quality silky mouthfeel. Mixed berries as fruit. Closes with chocolate minty tannins.
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8/2/2012 - StefanAkiko wrote: 90 Points
Non-blind. 30 min decant.
Á propos bottle opened. Warm, mature, friendly wine with some ooomph and small wow. Amazing QPR. Liked by all.
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7/31/2012 - VoteferPedro wrote: 87 Points
Sappy sweet syrah fruit straight out of the bottle but turned a bitter edge with air
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7/24/2012 - jdoakpark wrote: 87 Points
just OK......seemed thin and without much body or character.
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7/20/2012 - r&j wrote: 91 Points
Very good qpr. Drank after 2 hours open. Very approachable right now. Earthy nose, subtle fruit, tart and some spice on the pallet. Very nice overall, two bottles left.
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7/4/2012 - RussK wrote: 87 Points
RussK. M&T's 4th July.
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7/2/2012 - Janstan wrote: 90 Points
All enjoyed
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6/17/2012 - Lord of the Bottles wrote:
Not quite flawed but definitely a duff bottle...faded after first few sips.
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6/15/2012 - whudock wrote: 91 Points
nose of pencil shavings, camphor, gooseberries and mushrooms. On the palate the wine builds with currents, strawberry, minerals and a touch of oak. Nice medium finish. Drinking quite well right now.
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6/12/2012 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Silky black fruit and licorice and earth, long finish, delicious.
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5/28/2012 - Lord of the Bottles wrote: 89 Points
Had less time in decanter than last time but still showed well. Powerful smoky bouquet with cherry and dark fruit. Went well with our filet mignon and morel sauce dinner. Needs more time.
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5/26/2012 - Hamilton1 wrote: 88 Points
A decent grenache-syrah blend, with average QPR. Did not justify the high professional ratings in my opinion.
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5/13/2012 - kanjimoti wrote: 88 Points
I recently reviewed a dry Portugese red noting that it seemed to lack personality, that it had a similar aroma and flavor profile to a lot of New World reds, zinfandel from Napa in particular, and I'm reminded of that lack of character here. Not that the Puech comes from the New World, but I did feel this lacks personality. There are nice dark red fruit aromas w some interesting spices that probably come from the oak and a whisper of dirt. The tannins are ripe and soft but what comes along with that is some pretty high alcohol. The fruit here is a bit jammy. I don't think this will improve at all with time.
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5/9/2012 - Lord of the Bottles wrote: 90 Points
A really nice wine, opened up after a two hour decant to reveal fruit, dark chocolate, syrupy finish with some leather. On day 2 still had most of its punch. A steal at this price, glad I bought a case EP...
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4/15/2012 - StefanAkiko wrote:
The forgotten remains...
Last few cm/inches/センチ after 5 weeks of slow-ox.
Rich, round, dark taste flirting with good port. Rounds off w rich but slightly bitter tannins. Most definitely a survivor :-)
Was almost afraid to taste this well decanted wine. Will last long, quod erat demonstrandum.
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4/8/2012 - Greenvine wrote: 90 Points
Rich fruit but balanced. Nice tannins. Very nice overall. Would buy again.
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4/5/2012 - VoteferPedro wrote:
Violet hue at the rim, not very expressive nose; nice concentration of fruit on the palate but I can't get past a bitterness in the aftertaste.
It is a little better w food but I am overall disappointed with these 2nd of 6
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4/4/2012 - bullmrkt wrote: 88 Points
Ruby color, plummy oak nose, plum and dark fruit palate, bitter edgy tannins, medium finish. This has come around nicely in just the 4 months since I last had it (that bottle may have been off), but it still needs another year to smooth the edges off those tannins and integrate. Promising progress.
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3/20/2012 - ksde wrote: 91 Points
This wine needs to be decanted to allow it to evolve over a few hours. The tannins soften and round out, taking off that initial dry, one dimensional, edge. The fruit is fresh, complex and fairly full. The overall effect is realized once this wine comes together - after about 2 hours in a decanter. I like wines that undergo a transition, especially those that can do it both on the nose and on the palate. This wine achieves that. This wine really needs some more time in the bottle but if you have patience and decant, you will be rewarded now.
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3/17/2012 - Bend du Sud wrote: 91 Points
Bold but not overpowering, beautiful color. Excellent value.
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3/16/2012 - topherg3 wrote: 89 Points
Dark, full, decanted for 5 hours nice bottle under $20.
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3/9/2012 - StefanAkiko wrote: 92 Points
Just made it as a dark, full bodied great ending of a magical evening...
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3/3/2012 - sfqwino wrote: 87 Points
Nice aroma but huge amt of alcohol heat. Not nice.
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2/27/2012 - pilot360 wrote:
A delicious wine, it changes over time in the glass as it matures. Drank bottle over about 4-5 hours. Initially very herbal, licorice , smoke that transforms into a dark roast coffee, leather dark chocolate. Thanks Jeb, this was a good buy! outstanding
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2/25/2012 - StefanAkiko wrote: 90 Points
Non-blind. Decanted for 2 hrs.
Rounded, warm climate ("jammy") nose of Depardieu proportions.
Well built modern Syrah that makes ordinary Côtes du Rhône wines seem a little Neanderthal. Still young but with acids, fruit, extract, tannins and all else in place for making good company in the next 5-or-so years to come. Feels like entering diving mode.
(Did not impress wife this time.) Still some btls to enjoy over the coming years. Amazing QPR!
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2/18/2012 - flwinos wrote: 90 Points
Popped and let breathe for about 15 minutes before drinking. On the nose, a huge floral component accompanied by raspberry, smoke, and herbs. On the palate, cherry, raspberry, and mocha with a long finish. This is pretty well integrated and drinking great right now but I think it may get even better within a few years. For the ~$18 price point, this is amazing IMO.
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2/15/2012 - jt73 wrote: 90 Points
nice bold syrah. not too peppery
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2/11/2012 - cobbpa Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good body, mix of dark fruits with plenty of interesting dried herb tones. Finishes with a very clean dark (raspberry, black cherry) tone. Somewhat polished, but shows unrefined tones to keep interesting.
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2/11/2012 - benny wrote: 92 Points
Needs two hours and maybe two years. Has more potential. No trace of oak. Pure.
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2/9/2012 - jdoakpark wrote: 88 Points
Ok
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2/3/2012 - vanpe003 wrote: 90 Points
Similar to notes from 9/22/11. Differences are less "meat/bacon" noticeable on the nose, less in the way of overt tannins on the finish. Pretty good pairing with lamb chops w. mint pesto. Very slight clipping on the finish. Seems to be fast tracking. Drinks well now, without the structure to carry it towards old age.
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2/3/2012 - flwinos wrote: 90 Points
Popped and let breathe for about 20 minutes. Defintely a fruit forward Bordeaux. For about $17, nothing to complain about here. Great value.
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1/25/2012 - dmalcolm wrote: 89 Points
Took an hour to open and strut it's stuff. Heady aromas of black cherries, blackberries, pepper, dried herbs and menthol. Good acidity, rich on the palate, and the tannins also seem a little softer than last year. The herbal garrique character I associate with Languedoc reds is also much more apparent than when last tasted almost a year ago. Excellent.
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1/17/2012 - maderay wrote: flawed
Not spoiled but not good enough to keep.
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1/14/2012 - jdoakpark wrote: 88 Points
Tasted just ok...
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1/14/2012 - Dar3 wrote: 90 Points
Good balance. Some floral notes
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1/4/2012 - syrahz wrote: 89 Points
Great with pasta. Popped and poured thru a Nuance. No great depth but so tasty with food we finished the bottle. Fantastic QPR.
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1/3/2012 - StefanAkiko wrote: 89 Points
Non-blind. Decanted 3 hrs. Had somewhat cold.
Agree with Parker on that such naked expressions of terroir are wonderful experiences.
Aggressively shut, opened up with grapes and related primary notes on the nose.
On the palate, mature grapes, plums and a good overall balance in a wine that needs some more time resting. Acid-density-tannins all work together to make this quite enjoyable. This drinks well by itself and even better with food. Tonight: Chinese ebi-gyouza, German chorizo, Japanese kama-boko, Italian style salad and rice.
From some notes on CT, we were expecting an overdone modern-style wine, but that was far from the case. 2nd half of bottle tomorrow. next bottle in 2014 - as long as self-discipline is fully functional.
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12/30/2011 - kwkurdziel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent QPR. Drinking exceptionally well right now.
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12/24/2011 - joraesque wrote: 89 Points
Medium to full body. Sawdust on the nose, followed by kirsch, blackcurrants, dark cherry, anise, and after a while some sour plums; still tight on the palate, with bitter cherry and strawberry; lengthy finish of cherry liqueur; shows relatively little heat given the 15% ABV. Best after 45 minutes. This is now entering its drinking window, depending on your drinking preferences and cellaring conditions. Perfect with hearty meats, like prime rib. In fact, this is way too concentrated to be consumed on its own. 89-91 (Parker gave this 93 and 94 points respectively; now I know why I'm not a fan of his style of wine.)
Update: Not as good on the next day. Drink 2011-2015.
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12/20/2011 - jdoakpark wrote: 89 Points
Smooth balanced blend..nice
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12/18/2011 - CWilliam wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 1 hour prior to dinner (grilled pork chops on the bone). Meat / black cherry / cherry pie and some licorice. Similar flavor profile on palate. Medium+ body with nice mouthfeel leading into medium+ finish. Went very good with the food. Only flaw, which should improve with bottle time, is a little heat on the finish. Would buy again.
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12/16/2011 - GARDEN wrote: 90 Points
I did not decant. It was in its zone and went well with spaghetti.
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12/12/2011 - OTTnMIA wrote: 90 Points
Big, rich, complex, mouthfilling... wonderfully made.
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12/11/2011 - VoteferPedro wrote: 88 Points
This is first of 1/2case I got at low price through JJBuckley. Popnpour and was a bit mute at cellar temp off the bat but opened up nicely. It definitely has a raspberry and dark fruit profile and like others I note alcohol but it is not at disasterous levels. For the price it is excellent. I can not tell how it will age. I would give it a solid B+ but may get to A- with time. I agree that it is not a 93 as Parker suggested but I think Parker is relatively insensitive to hot or alcoholic wines at least at this point. Good QPR and could drink or hold
If I had to do Parker points I would go 5+12+16+5
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12/11/2011 - markandsusanw wrote: 88 Points
Decanted through Vinturi ... Pleasant enough medium-weight red. Slightly generic in taste and feel. Some bright, tart, cherry fruit but a little more heat than I'd like to see/taste. Not in any way bad, especially for its $19 price point, but completely unremarkable. Not something I'd actively seek out again.
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12/10/2011 - kronfeld wrote: 85 Points
Drank this a while ago and so don't remember details but recall it was flabby and alcoholic. In view of other reviews, I'll have to try again.
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12/6/2011 - Hawk94 wrote: 90 Points
Don't have much expectation for this wine, but I was surprised. Nice fruity nose, complex mid palate, layered with mocha, licorice, herbs, smooth tannins, lengthy finish. Not bad at $18.
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12/4/2011 - 4iron wrote: 92 Points
delicious, fruit forward. big fruit and acidity in balance with the tannins. long finish, and great mouthfeel. basically a quaffer.
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12/3/2011 - bullmrkt wrote:
Hot fruity nose. Plummy dark fruits driven by the granache and totally masking the syrah, followed by a slightly bitter finish that is noticeably hot as well, knocking it off balance. Not a bad wine, but i wish the syrah was more prominent in this. EDIT: By day 3 the bitterness and heat had backed off considerably with the rest of the wine holding up for the most part, there was just a hint of oxidation. Odd being so young, but this is an off bottle.
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12/1/2011 - huse wrote: 90 Points
The cuvée ‘Prestige’ is a biodynamically farmed wine with a varietal composition of 55 % Grenache (from 60 to 75-year-old vines), 35 % Syrah and 10 % Carignan. Part of the Syrah passed in oak barrels for 12 months, the rest was aged in tank. Dark purple-red colored wine with an attractive nose of blackcurrant, candied fruits, incense and some chocolate notes. Round and dense in the mouth, with sumptuous red fruit, spicy tones, a harmonious texture and already suave tannins. Long finish. This is drinking beautifully now, why wait.
Deze cuvée 'Prestige' is een bio-wijn met een samenstelling van 55 % Grenache (van 60 tot 75 jaar oude wijnstokken), 35 % Syrah en 10 % Carignan. Een deel van de Syrah rijpte gedurende 12 maanden in eiken vaten, de rest verbleef op tank. Donkere, paarsrode kleur en een aantrekkelijke neus van zwarte bessen, gekonfijte vruchten, wierook en wat impressies van chocolade. In de mond: een ronde, compacte wijn met weelderig rood fruit, kruidige tinten, een harmonieuze textuur en al zachte tannines. Lange afdronk. De wijn is nu al prachtig op dronk, waarom langer wachten.
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11/28/2011 - Grenik wrote: 88 Points
Good cab, but new world in style. Good cherry fruit with a lot of oak. Smooth. It is a good house red for the price. I do not get the 93 Parker score, but to each their own...
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11/17/2011 - maderay wrote: 85 Points
G.
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11/13/2011 - pmk wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for about 2 hours and this wine (originally closed) really opened up. Despite the 15% alcohol, not hot and delicious fruit forward with bright fruit to start, then soft spicey finish, with a dark fruit ending. A wonderful, layered complex rhone that has more body and mouthfeel that you ordinarily get -- the languedoc element. A delight. It will improve with time and i will wait another year before trying the next bottle.
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11/11/2011 - maderay wrote: flawed
Not spoiled but not good enough to keep 4 bottles
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11/9/2011 - Decanthor wrote: 89 Points
This was an interesting bottle. Transformed quite a bit during the first 10-15 minutes. A couple of points lower than my first bottle, but still very good. Tried in a group, with a few not liking it at all.
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11/4/2011 - Garfield wrote:
This wine was completely closed down - no nose and there very little flavor. Mouth feel was silky and rich so I will reserve scoring on this wine till the next bottle.
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11/4/2011 - whits wrote: 89 Points
without much air, I can tell this wine is layered, tight nose, but rich, lathered black and blue fruit with dark chocolate, herbs and espresso on the backside, quite a lot of structure, elegant, natural, balanced, remarkable, should try with steak
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10/28/2011 - short and confused wrote: 91 Points
Dark fruits with some spice and floral notes. Good rich wine with sweet tannins and a little bit of funk. Licorice and vanilla on the finish.
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10/22/2011 - cab wrote:
I would not have bought this bottle if I had remembered this wine from 9 months ago. It has improved a little since then, and improved as the wine wore on, but it was just too sweet, too syrupy, and fairly cloying. Vanilla, cream, sweet dark fruit. I concede that if you like this style this might be a pretty good QPR but this wine is not a good value for me at any price.
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10/20/2011 - spv wrote: 91 Points
Complex and interesting, with a long finish
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10/12/2011 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
- Violet color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry and violet. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry with a medium body. Juicy texture with a medium finish - EXTRAORDINARY QPR!!! Juicy vibrant wine.
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10/5/2011 - Decanthor wrote: 91 Points
Pop n pour, no need to decant. Beautiful nose of dark fruits and flowers. Full-bodied but very smooth and soft on the palate. Taste: mix of berries and bit of metal. Finish: 15 sec with slightly drying tannins after a few sips. RR nailed it when they said it was like an '07 Gigondas. Tremendous QPR.
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10/4/2011 - Quarked wrote: 91 Points
Nice bottle of wine. Fresh, with a solid core of fruit, especially strawberry, but many layers of smoke, herbs. Wife really enjoyed it.
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9/22/2011 - vanpe003 wrote: 89 Points
Pop/pour. This is a very nice surprise. A bit rustic on the nose, an interesting marriage of meat and high-toned red fruit. The same could be said of the palate, which has brighter fruit than I would have expected given the meat/bacon notes in the background. Some acidity on the mid-palate gives a desirable lift, steering this away from "dull" or "brooding". Slightly tannic on the finish. A lot of flexibility for food pairing, though I would shy away from matching this with the heaviest dishes. A nice candidate for "house red" @$15. I'm not seeing the "93" that RP scored it, but somewhere more in the 88-90 point range.
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9/17/2011 - Number51 wrote: 90 Points
It was good, but I felt dizzy from 15%, then passed out.
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9/17/2011 - Squirreljam wrote: 87 Points
Nice wine, touch jammy is my initial impression. Large on the palate, came across a little hot and a little thick, but not tremendously so; for me the qpr would be higher in the low-mid teens instead of ~$18. When I saw that this is a special blend for the US, was a little suspicious; that seems to have been borne out. Still, an easy drinking wine.
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9/17/2011 - scotty_b wrote: 91 Points
Really nice nose of forest floor and ripe currant.
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9/15/2011 - oramos wrote: 90 Points
New world flavor. High alcohol
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9/11/2011 - 11mcraig wrote: 90 Points
Nice bottle, great QPR!
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9/8/2011 - mhondo17 wrote: 91 Points
Rich and lush with great dark fruit and excellent structure. A beautiful steak wine.
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9/7/2011 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Wow! Our first bottle of a case and what a great surprise. Drinking beautifully, with tar, licorice, and black fruit, bold yet elegant, with medium body, soft texture and a long finish. Great QPR too.
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8/21/2011 - benny wrote: 90 Points
This wine has potential but it will take some time...I think. Has a good nose but on the palate has a bitter berry that sweetens
after 3 hours and a lot of VINTURI....and the finish is 20 sec. Wait a year or two or open 12 hours and give lots of air. A higher score in the future?
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8/14/2011 - Wamrod wrote: 92 Points
did not take notes, sadly. But this was very enjoyable.
Not as dense as I expected, given the Parker score. Medium, clear ruby.
Good nose of cherries, red berries.
Palate even more refined than nose suggested; smooth, well balanced.
Good fruit, and decent brightness. Improved with air, too. A very nice experience.
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8/10/2011 - slippytoad wrote: 91 Points
Needs more time but after an hour decanting delivers more than most wines twice the price.
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8/2/2011 - vinopa wrote: 89 Points
dark red/purple in color...Nice aromatics of dark fuit, earth tones, herbs and floaral notes...Palate: Very cali like in its approach with gobbs of dark sweet fruit, licorice, pipe tobacco and earth...This was made to drink now but could improve slightly over the next 2-3 years.. The tannins are soft and sweet with a decent medium finish...If i drank this blind I would have thought this was pruduced in cali..Still a very well made wine and a great QPR...cheers!!!
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7/28/2011 - Lessthanzero wrote: 87 Points
This was a mess. Hot on the nose, with unripe blackcurrant taking front seat. Not very smooth on the palate. not sure if the bottle was off, but not my cup of tea.
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7/23/2011 - jdoakpark wrote: 90 Points
Nice old world wine with lots of character....still young
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7/20/2011 - lizeneca wrote: 89 Points
Tasty wine - not stunning, but good. Rich, smooth, balanced tannins, and some enjoyable funkiness - like new sneakers, BBQ smoke, and metallic sweat. An hour in, though, it seems like it's decomposing, starting to fade quickly
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7/17/2011 - qcwino wrote:
Decanted for 2 hrs. Consumed over a 3 hr period. Tad over-extracted. Dark fruit. Decent acid. A little hot on the finish. Paired well with blue cheese and bacon stuffed burgers.
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7/8/2011 - Lessthanzero wrote: 89 Points
young and primary. nice acid.
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7/7/2011 - vino vidi vici wrote: 79 Points
Sorry folks - this one did not impress. Nose of stewed prunes and sweet clove. I thought there might be potential, but... It tasted overripe and flat - very boring. Hard to believe that Eric Solomon had this blended specifically for the U.S. market at 15% ABV - it tastes like it really came from Paso Robles. I love French wine, but to me this was just a fruit bomb.
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7/4/2011 - MicklethePickle wrote: 87 Points
Black ruby. Very aromatic and very precise fruit. Blackberry, minerals and earth. Quite similar on the palate. My only quibble is that it fades very quickly in the glass. I wouldn't age this for long. 4-11-16-6: 87/100.
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7/1/2011 - t_moderne wrote: 89 Points
Pop and pour. Initial impression is that it has a wonderful nose of dark fruits with a floral note. Some hidden spice lurking. This is a good rich wine with sweet tannins (sweet fruit finish) but a little bit of funk (think old barrels). Licorice and vanilla on the finish. Blend of Grenache and syrah. It's good but I don't see it as a 93 point wine (as per Mr. Parker).
This is like the person who will get the job done during the work week but won't stay late or work weekends to make the work product stellar. Yes it is good but it is not outstanding.
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6/29/2011 - jdoakpark wrote: 90 Points
Nice. Balanced..still young I would say...have 11 more. I'll wait.
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6/26/2011 - Stevesrisk wrote: 91 Points
A bit of cork leakage do we opended and decanted for 2 hours. Big surprise. Loads of sweet fruitin a jacket ofgrippy tannins but not overbearing. Not at all familiar with the Languedoc but thisi a wine to search for again.
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6/23/2011 - ecola Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pretty aromas of red cherry and floral action and a little herb. Full bodied and lively on the palate. Flavors of red berries, minerality, and more herbs. Acidity kicks in again on the long finish. The alcohol on the finish is a bit hot for me.
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6/20/2011 - winetennis wrote:
Dark dark purple, deep red. Aroma of tobacco, spice, white pepper, dark cherries, red ripe fruit. Well, quite energetic on the nose. Ripe dark blue fruit on the palate, with a fine acidic and tannic finish that lasts a minute or more. Some astringency and tartness that's semi-off-putting. Next few we'll wait for: more bottle time.
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6/14/2011 - Gonzorg wrote: 92 Points
Same tasting notes as before. Still in love with this wine. Drinks like a bottle twice the price.
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6/14/2011 - winemaker wrote: 90 Points
Still fairly purple in color. Muted nose. Ripe and rich. At first, it seems like it will be low acid, but when you swallow a wave of sharper acidity hurls forth. Plummy fruit with some earthiness and spiciness. The tannins here are obscured by the fruit and the acids. I think this will be better with some further time in the cellar to allow things to integrate better. I don't get the 93 points RP gave it. It may have some upside from my rating.
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6/9/2011 - cadamson wrote: 89 Points
Under-rated it a bit last time I think. Seems more filled out than I remember. Lots of thick fruit, spicy. Pretty nice.
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6/5/2011 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 90 Points
I may have been a bit excited the first time I tried this. Don't get me wrong, excellent wine and an excellent value. Still very worthy with seamless dark fruit and some savory notes. Did not seem as complex and as well integrated this time around. The tannins seemed to be a bit more in evidence initially and it took a bit in the glass to smooth out. Still one I would say to try.
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5/23/2011 - jwilkey Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful wine value though a little early to drink. Required decanting and tannins softened after a few minutes. Beautiful nose of cherry and blackberry, long legs, soft blackberry and cherry fruit flavor but powerful, complex wine that improved as dinner went on. Should improve over many years.
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5/17/2011 - djs wrote:
Needs time I think/hope. Better on 2nd night. NR
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5/16/2011 - Serge wrote: 88 Points
Wonderful nose, but the palate somewhat disappointing given such a high rating by Parker. Decanting gets rid of tannins but makes the taste one-dimensional and uninteresting. Dried cherries and tobacco.
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5/13/2011 - Saint Stephen wrote: 80 Points
Egads is everyone else drinking the same wine I'm drinking?? This was a punishing wine which angrily kicked my privates for opening it. Came across as overextracted, plummy, and mouth puckering to me. After each sip, I'm making the face one usually makes after downing a shot of cheap Tecquila. I'm avoiding a truly killer-low score on the basis of potential - perhaps in 5-8 years, this will make more sense to me. More is not always better. Did I actually buy a 6-pack of this? Sheesh.
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5/10/2011 - Pointchaser wrote: 87 Points
Like red glass across the palate. It shines red fruit upon the palate without acheiving much depth.
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5/2/2011 - Gonzorg wrote: 92 Points
Same notes as before. An incredible QPR. I'll be looking for more to add to my cellar.
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4/22/2011 - envirovino wrote: 88 Points
dark, plum out of bottle. funky nose in a green kind of way. same on palate at first. after a couple of hours it settled in mellowed. dark black fruit, little rich, med body. i agree w the other, not much tannins but still had a slight green component for me. Good, not great. reminded me of cab franc in a way.... surely needs a couple of years.
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4/18/2011 - MindMuse wrote: 86 Points
Dark wine with a big nose of rich black fruit and violets. On the palate mostly struck me as low acidity, low tannins, pretty high alcohol. Didn't speak to me, but there were others present that wanted seconds.
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4/10/2011 - Julius Squeezer wrote: 93 Points
I can't believe the high 80's ratings on this. The nose on this wine is otherworldly. I actually agree with RP on how good this is.. Delicious lip smacking fruit followed up by an intriguing but very approachable finish are there along with a complex forest floor(amongst other things) aroma... I don't see how, in any world, this is less than a 93 point wine.
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4/9/2011 - Crushman wrote: 91 Points
Third bottle drank of this wine. Impression the same (i.e.) Rich, velvety, nice fruit, mild tannins.
Good value
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4/6/2011 - dmalcolm wrote: 89 Points
Dark cherries and smoke on the nose. Full bodied, with chocolate covered cherries, salt and licorice on the palate. A touch tannic, still lots of pleasure.
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4/5/2011 - sane4u wrote: 89 Points
Very good QPR, $16 #Winex
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4/4/2011 - maxmanx wrote: 87 Points
Maybe there is some bottle variation based on the variation in comments, and I'll have to side with the unimpressed. Have 5 more, so will see what happens.
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4/2/2011 - Naso wrote: 87 Points
Nice for the price but nothing that makes this stand out
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3/27/2011 - BMG Wine wrote: 91 Points
Gorgeous deep garnet color. Black currant, flowers, licorice and earth on the nose. Huge mouth feel with solid tannin and a chewy texture. Black fruits and dark chocolate palate. Though way too young, this was delicious. Needs 2-3 yrs in bottle to settle. Try again in 2013.
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3/19/2011 - air guitar & pinot noir wrote: 92 Points
55% Grenache and 45% Syrah combine to create a wonderful balance and synergy of flavor, texture and experience. Excellent fruit, aromas and flavors with scents of forest floor, flowers, black currant and black raspberries. Pure, seamless and velvety across the palate this is a rich and yet soft experience. Very well integrated overall with no apparent flaws or shortcomings. Thanks to Craig at Grand Cru for turning me on to this.
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3/19/2011 - Crushman wrote: 91 Points
Not as impressive as the first bottle tasted. It followed a big Jericho Cab and that may be reason. Very good at this drinking nonetheless. Our guests loved it. Beautiful aroma in the glass. Rich velvety fruit.
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3/16/2011 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 92 Points
45% Syrah, 55% Grenache...drank this over a couple days...rich and creamy full bodied wine, yet still a little primal and grapey. But boy, there is plenty of stuff in there! Dark berry fruit(blackberry,currant,cherry, raspberry), black licorice, cold smoked meat, some blood iron, pepper. Love the florals and the clean funk. Will be even better with some aged complexities to it. You definitely need a case of this to tag along for the ride. And at under $20...easily done! +pts
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3/9/2011 - DRod wrote: 91 Points
Opaque red that turns purplish towards the rim. Nose of fairly ripe plummy fruit. Takes on almost a fake grape bubblegum characteristic. Still, some earth/dirt with copper penny and a hint of coffee grinds. Attack of dark fruit, turns quite tannic on the midpalate. Dominated by black licorice, dark fruit and tannin on mid. Finish turns long with that same licorice note and ripe tannin. This is tasty and a great find at this price point. 91+
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3/7/2011 - hutch wrote: 90 Points
Funky aromatics. Rich. Meaty. Young, but already tasty.
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3/5/2011 - J @ y H @ c k wrote: 91 Points
At Zachy's for their Saturday tasting. I went because Philippe Cambie was there and did not even intend to try this wine, but I've had a few nice wines from the Languedoc, so I thought it was worth a try. I didn't know Cambie had anything to do with the wine until after I bought it and read the back of the label while writing this note. It's a blend of 45% Syrah and 55% Grenache from an area near Pic Saint Loup, a mountain in the Langedoc. The nose was very floral and the palate had some raspberry, black fruit, and pepper with a breadth on the tongue that was suprising and a very long finish. There were also floral notes on the tongue and a surprising complexity for a wine so young. This is an extremely enjoyable wine that you really want to drink and contemplate carefully. I spent more time with this than with wines with much greater reputations and better reviews from the pros. According to the label, this is a custom cuvee produced especially for the United States. The alcohol is reported at 15% ABV.
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3/4/2011 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Friday Night Brown Bagger (Rich & Dana's): Opaque crimson color. Aromas of vanilla and dark fruit, then dill, then currants, blackberries and spice. Very well-balanced, with dark fruit, mineral and subtle spice nuances on the palate. Very nice. Guessed Cab Sauv.
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3/2/2011 - Crushman wrote: 92 Points
Black fruit, rich velvety texture, raspberry aroma. Opened up beautifully in the glass. This is an incredible value and over-delivered for the price. Will buy more if available. Parker's rating was on the money!
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2/28/2011 - cadamson wrote: 87 Points
Deep violet/purple color, inky dark in fact. Very enjoyable nose, with lots of fresh blue fruits, spices and some minerality. Very full bodied, almost thick, yet not unbearable syrup. It could use more complexity on the palate (maybe a year or two?) as it drinks pretty simply with a hollow mid palate and a short finish though after some time this fills out a bit, giving some nice fruit and some campfire smoke. A decent QPR, a very promising nose. but slightly disappointing overall especially with the hype.
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2/26/2011 - Gonzorg wrote: 92 Points
A great wine right from the moment I pulled the cork. Nice dark garnet red color. Flavor was full of fruit, currant, licorice, and berries. Bouquet was a bit short, but the taste and balance made up for it. Very nice finish that hung around for a couple of seconds. Had a nice balance of tannin and acidity that left you wanting more. Has a solid 4+ years left in it. Great wine for the price.
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2/24/2011 - cadams wrote: 91 Points
color: dark crimson, just coats the side of the glass with its thickness
nose: a bit awkward at the moment, bit of alcohol, blackberries and dark cherries
taste: good mix of old and new world, great balance of fruit and minerality. really fresh on the palete and begs for some food. alcohol is well integrated and the finish is very long. very pure expression of the land and fruit. i can almost taste the concrete vats it was aged in
Great value and intro to the area
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1/30/2011 - cab wrote:
Another hyped wine that isn't quite doing it for me. I'm enjoying it, but very soft tannins and a sort of cloying finish -- some vanilla and also a sense of saccharine or aspertame. Raisins, plums, chocolate, some minerals. Definitely liked it better with food than I do after dinner. Decanted for about an hour (although tasted when popped and I don't think the decant did much).
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1/27/2011 - Lessthanzero wrote: 91 Points
Decided to give this a good long decant and it really improved from last time around/ the motor oil quality dissipated and gave room for some full throttle parkerized goodness. Nice quaffer at the price.
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1/17/2011 - brian przyzycki wrote: 91 Points
Opened a bottle after we ran out of 06' Zaca Mesa Syrah. This outshown the ZM. Our guests accused us of holding out on them. Nice blackfruits and licorice with a perfumed bouquet and silky finish. Well balanced crowd pleaser. Pop & poured with no decant. Served with Rack of Pork.
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1/17/2011 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 86 Points
Medium color, concentrated flavors of dark plum, mineral, iron, licorice, wet earth, and dark chocolate with a long, rich, meaty finish. (Drink 2011-2016) - JD86
Color: 8/10
Aroma/Nose: 17.5/20
Structure: 18/20
Finish: 18/20
Overall Impresion: 21.5/25
Delicious or X Factor 3/5
86 POINTS
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1/2/2011 - Lessthanzero wrote: 90 Points
Opened this after all the hubub over at eBob. And, while fairly young I do like where this is headed. Not so sure about where it is now.
Powerful dark purple in the glass. Black currant and incense on the nose together with some earthy elements. On the palate this has all the gentle elegance of motor oil, concentrated and viscous in the mouth, with the incense taking on a spicy character. It does have a long finish, but also begs for a long decant.
[Wait a year on the next.]
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12/22/2010 - FLI wrote: 85 Points
"Oxygenate! Oxygenate!"
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12/5/2010 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
nose: ripe and rich nose of blue fruits, black fruits, black cherries and some liqueur tones. Fairly forward but balanced without being overdone
taste: medium/full bodied with good firm tannins along with ripe tones of black fruits, blue fruits, and black cherry tones. Though the tannins are noticeable are polished and help bring a real silky feel
overall: This is quite young and could use some time to round into form. Well balanced and forward on both the palate and nose, this didn't come off as old world blind and I guessed it as new world
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