i think the cellartracker notes below are correct---this wine is reasonably well made but has an industrial quality to it that prevents it from being interesting. That said, it is varietally correct with a nice tart cranberry/strawberry profile and a slight earthiness with a sweet-tart finish. At the regular price of about $18 it should be better. It's possible that this wine should be consumed within the first 3 years of the vintage.
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The wine has medium acidity. It smells like flint, apple, mushroom, raspberry, butterscotch, strawberry jam and cherry. The wine finishes medium. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are fast. There is no sediment in the bottle. The wine has round texture.
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Dry, medium tannic, slightly bitter aftertaste, yet, lots of oak, raspberry, fruity, with berries and a hint of citrus... This is not as fruity as the big California pinots, but not as thin as the typical burgundy.... Somewhere in between... Very interesting!
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It smells like black currant (cassis). It tastes like black currant (cassis) and red currant. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle.
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Nice nose, color, favors of cherry and blackberry, and overall enjoyable drinking experience for the price. Good value. Recommended for easily approachable wine.
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Needs some air to fill out and lose some of the initial tartness. Dark berry, earth and a lot of spice (nutmeg?) with good complexity and depth. Plenty of rich, ripe fruit but also with a lean texture and some rough edges. It seems to be softening and improving over time.
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Medium clear ruby. Bouquet of raspberry reduction, smoke, plum, mint, and some heat. Dry with medium tannin, and flavors of toasty oak, dark fruit, medium spice, and plum. Tannic, modern styled Pinot.
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Ruby red with aromas of dark raspberries and cherries. It was balanced, light side of medium bodied, medium dryness and with flavors of raspberry, cola and spice.. The finish was medium and clean.
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Looking back at my notes on the '08 and '07, this vintage seems a bit lighter, fruitier and a touch more acidic, more in line with an Oregon pinot than the normal bigger Napa pinot I've had.
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Improves with 30 min of air. Mostly dark berry on the nose but also with some vegetal aromas. Aromas continue onto the palate and expand with some dark cherry and plum, along with a bit of spice. Medium bodied with a slightly creamy texture and plenty of nice acidity. A hint of bitterness/sourness on the medium, fruity finish. Seems like it must have been picked with a bit of green fruit, but still a very solid wine and a terrific QPR. 88+
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Very different -and better - than a prior bottle. Did not take notes, but this one had much better balance with none of sharp edges I experienced previously. Cannot recall all the details so I will not score, but it had a good flavor profile with a nice texture.
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Purple colored and with very dark-fruited aromas and flavors and not really any richness or sweetness. Mostly black cherry with some spice. Lean, somewhat taught and very structured. Overall rather unbalanced with some rough, sharp tannic and acidic edges. I would describe the grip as being more like a stranglehold. It softened a bit with some airtime, but not enough to make me enjoy it. This was shipped in the summer heat, but in an insulated shipper, so while it is possible the wine was damaged, there is no leakage and it does not seem stewed, so I think it is just the wine itself. I have had previous vintages of this wine and also found them to have dark berry flavors and a lean texture, so this bottle does not seem out of character. Also, I like lean pinots so that is not normally an issue for me. I would probably give it a 90+ if it were softer and/or more balanced.
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This medium-to-deep ruby red wine shows nice aromas of black raspberries, cola, coriander and pickling spice. It is fresh and medium-bodied on the palate, with light-to-medium dry tannins and alcohol (listed as 13.8%) which is nicely integrated. The middle palate is solid and the finish is medium in length, albeit a bit dusty with respect to the tannin influence. This is a California Pinot to be embraced for its crisp acidity and truthfulness to the grape. Bravo! Drink now-2017.
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I would put this up there with the best of Russian River Pinots for a fraction of the average price. The wine looks Purple colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like and Plum. It tastes like and Blackberry. The body is Full. The wine has Silky texture. The wine finishes Long.
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12/27/2016 - Jikovski wrote:
Pretty good for price
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8/13/2016 - singhanup wrote:
Cork was stained but wine was drinkable
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10/29/2015 - IlonaN wrote: 86 Points
i think the cellartracker notes below are correct---this wine is reasonably well made but has an industrial quality to it that prevents it from being interesting. That said, it is varietally correct with a nice tart cranberry/strawberry profile and a slight earthiness with a sweet-tart finish. At the regular price of about $18 it should be better. It's possible that this wine should be consumed within the first 3 years of the vintage.
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8/5/2015 - difran wrote: 83 Points
The wine has medium acidity. It smells like flint, apple, mushroom, raspberry, butterscotch, strawberry jam and cherry. The wine finishes medium. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are fast. There is no sediment in the bottle. The wine has round texture.
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5/15/2015 - Gary J Likes this wine: 90 Points
Amazing wine for the price
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1/17/2015 - Vkrishan wrote: 89 Points
Dry, medium tannic, slightly bitter aftertaste, yet, lots of oak, raspberry, fruity, with berries and a hint of citrus... This is not as fruity as the big California pinots, but not as thin as the typical burgundy.... Somewhere in between... Very interesting!
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1/7/2015 - difran wrote: 84 Points
It smells like black currant (cassis). It tastes like black currant (cassis) and red currant. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle.
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9/3/2014 - WineWright Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice nose, color, favors of cherry and blackberry, and overall enjoyable drinking experience for the price. Good value. Recommended for easily approachable wine.
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8/28/2014 - tsdv Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Harsh, very high tone, not enjoyable.
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8/26/2014 - jwells wrote: 88 Points
Dark red cali style pinot. Good QPR. Rasberry. A bit harsh on the finish but overall good value.
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8/22/2014 - CieloVista wrote: 88 Points
...similar to previous tasting
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8/7/2014 - MarvinCellar wrote: 87 Points
Mild raspberry oak aroma, strawberry dark plum cherry strong oak palate, dark cherry finish, mid to high tannin. Better with food.
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4/22/2014 - roybivens Likes this wine: 89 Points
Charlotte Wine and Food Tasting Event> Rich and fuller bodied. Enjoyable. Score [ 50 + 5 + 12 + 16 + 6 ] = 89.
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3/13/2014 - rickspicks wrote: 89 Points
Needs some air to fill out and lose some of the initial tartness. Dark berry, earth and a lot of spice (nutmeg?) with good complexity and depth. Plenty of rich, ripe fruit but also with a lean texture and some rough edges. It seems to be softening and improving over time.
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2/18/2014 - therhonestore wrote: 86 Points
Medium clear ruby. Bouquet of raspberry reduction, smoke, plum, mint, and some heat. Dry with medium tannin, and flavors of toasty oak, dark fruit, medium spice, and plum. Tannic, modern styled Pinot.
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2/14/2014 - CieloVista wrote: 88 Points
Ruby red with aromas of dark raspberries and cherries. It was balanced, light side of medium bodied, medium dryness and with flavors of raspberry, cola and spice.. The finish was medium and clean.
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12/23/2013 - vin0vin0 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Looking back at my notes on the '08 and '07, this vintage seems a bit lighter, fruitier and a touch more acidic, more in line with an Oregon pinot than the normal bigger Napa pinot I've had.
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10/16/2013 - rickspicks wrote: 88 Points
Improves with 30 min of air. Mostly dark berry on the nose but also with some vegetal aromas. Aromas continue onto the palate and expand with some dark cherry and plum, along with a bit of spice. Medium bodied with a slightly creamy texture and plenty of nice acidity. A hint of bitterness/sourness on the medium, fruity finish. Seems like it must have been picked with a bit of green fruit, but still a very solid wine and a terrific QPR. 88+
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9/7/2013 - rickspicks wrote:
Very different -and better - than a prior bottle. Did not take notes, but this one had much better balance with none of sharp edges I experienced previously. Cannot recall all the details so I will not score, but it had a good flavor profile with a nice texture.
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8/13/2013 - rickspicks wrote: 87 Points
Purple colored and with very dark-fruited aromas and flavors and not really any richness or sweetness. Mostly black cherry with some spice. Lean, somewhat taught and very structured. Overall rather unbalanced with some rough, sharp tannic and acidic edges. I would describe the grip as being more like a stranglehold. It softened a bit with some airtime, but not enough to make me enjoy it. This was shipped in the summer heat, but in an insulated shipper, so while it is possible the wine was damaged, there is no leakage and it does not seem stewed, so I think it is just the wine itself. I have had previous vintages of this wine and also found them to have dark berry flavors and a lean texture, so this bottle does not seem out of character. Also, I like lean pinots so that is not normally an issue for me. I would probably give it a 90+ if it were softer and/or more balanced.
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7/5/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 86 Points
ruby red, in color. cherry, smoke, mineral, earth, on the nose. medium acid, light tannins, on the finish.
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5/14/2013 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 91 Points
This medium-to-deep ruby red wine shows nice aromas of black raspberries, cola, coriander and pickling spice. It is fresh and medium-bodied on the palate, with light-to-medium dry tannins and alcohol (listed as 13.8%) which is nicely integrated. The middle palate is solid and the finish is medium in length, albeit a bit dusty with respect to the tannin influence. This is a California Pinot to be embraced for its crisp acidity and truthfulness to the grape. Bravo! Drink now-2017.
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4/6/2013 - OurWineCeller Likes this wine: 92 Points
I would put this up there with the best of Russian River Pinots for a fraction of the average price.
The wine looks Purple colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like and Plum.
It tastes like and Blackberry. The body is Full. The wine has Silky texture. The wine finishes Long.
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