Une autre bombe de fruits et d'alcool sans âme... :( Nez : alcool, éthylique, glicérine, fruits confits, pointe de fruits noirs frais au second plan, vanille, boisé, épices douces, simple, manque de fraîcheur Bouche : sec, gras, acidité moyenne+, amertume moyenne+, tanins charnus mais en phase de s'assouplir, persistance moyenne, rétro d'alcool, végétale, métallique, fruitée, boisée Conclusion : boire sans attendre, idéalement rafraîchit, il ne se bonifiera pas.
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Surprisingly fresh when the drinking window "closed" in 2010 ish. Nice round tannins and dark berries. Malbec can be hard if its cheap but in this price level (30$+) I have tasted some okey Malbec and this is one of them.
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jammy, chewy tannins, big nose, drinking really well now. first bottle i opened last year didnt impress me. this is the second bottle with a year of cellaring and how what a difference! this will probably improve further with time too.
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Nose: big hearty nose, blackberries predominate, Taste: big fruit with long finish and gentle tannins coats teeth and tongue with blackberry jam and figs, huge wine, but lacking complexity and balance for me
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Last bottle, and this was even better than the previous times tasted. Aerator decant and pour. No signs of aging from color. Beautiful open-knit nose of blackberry liqueur, graphite, dark chocolate, and a whiff of spicy nacho Doritos that was present in the first glass but not the second. Ripe rich blackberry and bing cherry on the tongue that carries some natural sweetness, but not candified or over the top. Low acid, very smooth in the mouth aided by notable extract (but no sediment in bottle), soft earthy tannins, some dark and bitter chocolate in the mid, and a lengthy aftertaste of fresh crushed blackberry with floral note. I think we did the right thing by opening this sooner, as this is such a lovely wine now while the dark fruit is still vibrant and offsets the earth and mildly bitter tones. An excellent QPR at $19 and I wish I had bought a case.
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School social, p&p. Although the experience was diminished by no decant, this was full, dark and beautiful, with nose and taste essentially the same as my note from 6/11. The malbec in this wine contributes some dark chocolate and earth that is refreshing. The structure is present but soft, so we'll drink the last bottle within the next two years.
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Ruby red with violet notes very profound. Inky. Wety, intense and complex. Nail polish with black fruits. Full body with very good balance and fair bitter note. Chocolate, complex and structured. 30 to 40 sec aftertaste with retrotaste of black fruits. Very good wine and need decanter.
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Decanted four hours. VISUAL: Opaque and inky. Lovely color. AROMA: Somewhat smokey with hints of spice and blackberry. TASTE: Very dry initial tasting, which was done alone. Rebottled and air sealed overnight. When accompanying braised short ribs the following evening, was very smooth and elegant. Ribs were braised using dried chipotle, dark coffee and red wine; the smokiness and spiciness complemented the wine very nicely. Somewhat dry, and short finish. Overall, a good wine, but best when paired with red meat.
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Decanted for 1 hour. Nice color. Very nice nose with sweet strawberry candy and some smoke. Strawberry continues on the palate with some tabacco. Nice long, tannic "dry" finish. Good juice.
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Aerate decant and pour. Color an inky dark red, almost black. Initial smell tight with blackberry and green stems. A couple hours later more open knit with blackberry, cherry, earth, and a definite stripe of wintergreen. On taste this wine is extracted and dense but low on sweetness, showing natural dark fruit along with earth and tobacco carrying the finish. Smooth mouthfeel places this a notch above the usual $12-15 bottle. Halfway intentional, I left the last glass loosely covered overnight. This held together fairly well, with more black cherries, some pruniness from oxidation, and greater weight from dirt in a positive way. Unlike others, I detected no strawberry jam or candied fruit, and this has structure that lends itself to pairing with food. Overall a very good QPR. Don't see this evolving much, so probably best consumed in the next three years.
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When first opened, the nose was dark, with very obvious blueberry and white pepper, plus fig and soy sauce. Three hours later, though, it was a pot of strawberry jam. When first opened, the plate was darker, too, starting with beef and leather, then a hint of bell pepper, followed by buttershotch, pencil shavings, and a boatload of blackberries. Again, three hours later this is a very different wine. The tannins are still puckering but the darker beef and pencil shavings are gone. The blackberries have turned to a blend of raspberries and strawberries, plus raisins and tar. The finish is dry and moderately long, thirty seconds of more.
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Beautiful color and great nose. Candied strawberry nose is intoxicating. On the palate there is major sweet strawberry and red raspberry on the front that gives way to a hint of spice on the tail. A new world type of wine, but has decent balance and is a good QPR at $20. Nice easy drinking bottle that will please a diverse crowd, but not a food wine at all.
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9/17/2013 - kosmik wrote: 84 Points
Une autre bombe de fruits et d'alcool sans âme... :(
Nez : alcool, éthylique, glicérine, fruits confits, pointe de fruits noirs frais au second plan, vanille, boisé, épices douces, simple, manque de fraîcheur
Bouche : sec, gras, acidité moyenne+, amertume moyenne+, tanins charnus mais en phase de s'assouplir, persistance moyenne, rétro d'alcool, végétale, métallique, fruitée, boisée
Conclusion : boire sans attendre, idéalement rafraîchit, il ne se bonifiera pas.
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4/29/2012 - Dybdal Inc. wrote: 89 Points
Surprisingly fresh when the drinking window "closed" in 2010 ish. Nice round tannins and dark berries. Malbec can be hard if its cheap but in this price level (30$+) I have tasted some okey Malbec and this is one of them.
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8/12/2011 - Rich S wrote: 90 Points
No formal notes but drinking well at the moment and I do not see it getting much better with additional age.
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12/10/2010 - JeremyQ wrote: 88 Points
(Jez's 3rd Annual Festive drinks) - served blind, big, dark fruits. Like a cali cab, just better value for its price point.
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1/21/2010 - Nedder_travels_the_world wrote: 91 Points
jammy, chewy tannins, big nose, drinking really well now. first bottle i opened last year didnt impress me. this is the second bottle with a year of cellaring and how what a difference! this will probably improve further with time too.
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8/30/2009 - familydoc wrote: 88 Points
Nose: big hearty nose, blackberries predominate, Taste: big fruit with long finish and gentle tannins coats teeth and tongue with blackberry jam and figs, huge wine, but lacking complexity and balance for me
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1/19/2009 - Vinacull wrote: 90 Points
Last bottle, and this was even better than the previous times tasted. Aerator decant and pour. No signs of aging from color. Beautiful open-knit nose of blackberry liqueur, graphite, dark chocolate, and a whiff of spicy nacho Doritos that was present in the first glass but not the second. Ripe rich blackberry and bing cherry on the tongue that carries some natural sweetness, but not candified or over the top. Low acid, very smooth in the mouth aided by notable extract (but no sediment in bottle), soft earthy tannins, some dark and bitter chocolate in the mid, and a lengthy aftertaste of fresh crushed blackberry with floral note. I think we did the right thing by opening this sooner, as this is such a lovely wine now while the dark fruit is still vibrant and offsets the earth and mildly bitter tones. An excellent QPR at $19 and I wish I had bought a case.
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10/11/2008 - Vinacull wrote: 89 Points
School social, p&p. Although the experience was diminished by no decant, this was full, dark and beautiful, with nose and taste essentially the same as my note from 6/11. The malbec in this wine contributes some dark chocolate and earth that is refreshing. The structure is present but soft, so we'll drink the last bottle within the next two years.
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8/13/2008 - JuanDomingo wrote: 89 Points
Ruby red with violet notes very profound. Inky. Wety, intense and complex. Nail polish with black fruits. Full body with very good balance and fair bitter note. Chocolate, complex and structured. 30 to 40 sec aftertaste with retrotaste of black fruits. Very good wine and need decanter.
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6/25/2008 - bjecjohnson wrote: 88 Points
Decanted four hours. VISUAL: Opaque and inky. Lovely color. AROMA: Somewhat smokey with hints of spice and blackberry. TASTE: Very dry initial tasting, which was done alone. Rebottled and air sealed overnight. When accompanying braised short ribs the following evening, was very smooth and elegant. Ribs were braised using dried chipotle, dark coffee and red wine; the smokiness and spiciness complemented the wine very nicely. Somewhat dry, and short finish. Overall, a good wine, but best when paired with red meat.
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6/12/2008 - ocattorney wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Nice color. Very nice nose with sweet strawberry candy and some smoke. Strawberry continues on the palate with some tabacco. Nice long, tannic "dry" finish. Good juice.
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6/11/2008 - Vinacull wrote: 89 Points
Aerate decant and pour. Color an inky dark red, almost black. Initial smell tight with blackberry and green stems. A couple hours later more open knit with blackberry, cherry, earth, and a definite stripe of wintergreen. On taste this wine is extracted and dense but low on sweetness, showing natural dark fruit along with earth and tobacco carrying the finish. Smooth mouthfeel places this a notch above the usual $12-15 bottle. Halfway intentional, I left the last glass loosely covered overnight. This held together fairly well, with more black cherries, some pruniness from oxidation, and greater weight from dirt in a positive way. Unlike others, I detected no strawberry jam or candied fruit, and this has structure that lends itself to pairing with food. Overall a very good QPR. Don't see this evolving much, so probably best consumed in the next three years.
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5/16/2008 - dhonig wrote: 88 Points
When first opened, the nose was dark, with very obvious blueberry and white pepper, plus fig and soy sauce. Three hours later, though, it was a pot of strawberry jam. When first opened, the plate was darker, too, starting with beef and leather, then a hint of bell pepper, followed by buttershotch, pencil shavings, and a boatload of blackberries. Again, three hours later this is a very different wine. The tannins are still puckering but the darker beef and pencil shavings are gone. The blackberries have turned to a blend of raspberries and strawberries, plus raisins and tar. The finish is dry and moderately long, thirty seconds of more.
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5/6/2008 - manonthemoon wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful color and great nose. Candied strawberry nose is intoxicating. On the palate there is major sweet strawberry and red raspberry on the front that gives way to a hint of spice on the tail. A new world type of wine, but has decent balance and is a good QPR at $20. Nice easy drinking bottle that will please a diverse crowd, but not a food wine at all.
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