A little worried I waited too long on this wine, but still drinking well. Would recommend letting it sit in the decanter an hour. Very rustic after opening, but the fruit came forward after sitting for a very well-balanced experience.
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Cheers - Most of the 250 + tasting notes wrote that this wine had peaked around 2012-2015. I assumed that might be true. We all were WRONG! This wine has aged incredibly well, and of the 6 bottles I've had over the years (all 2003), this one is BY FAR the best. Great nose, palate, long finish, perfectly balanced. This wine was initially rated 90-95 points by the some of the big wigs, and I'd have to agree it's on the upper end of that scale. The problem is that probably no one has any left because we were all duped into thinking this wine was going to peak 10 years ago.....lesson learned: let's be careful....if we have some patience, it sometimes pays off!
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Some life left. Just opened, so see how this develops. Seems on the downhill roll though or almost at the bottom of the hill. *1 hour has come back to life. *Drinking better after a couple of nights.
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Still drinking well. Initially, strong barnyard and leather. After 30 minutes, leather, tobacco, black tea, and awesomeness. Enjoyed with a ribeye. Exceeded expectations for the age.
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Cork looked damaged but seepage did not extend to top of capsule so I think it was OK. Significant bricking and an almost brownish hue. Day one was quite nice, with a spicy grenache kick and well-integrated dark fruits and gamey notes. Completely fell apart on day 2. Drink now if you have any; I'm guessing this peaked 2-3 years ago.
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Showing well but a bit on the decline. Somewhat raisiny fruit from this hot vintage but showed well with dinner after a decant. Finish held up but wouldn't expect this to get any better. Still a fun wine to
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Thought it may have been well past prime but no. This was nice from the uncorking with decent earthy flavors and a dark berries nose. Opened to reveal raisins. Would love to have more.
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Clear garnet color. Tight nose – nothing at chest or chin level. Nose in the glass reveals those French notes one either loves or hates, rubber and such. Sweet on the tongue. Full of fruit (dried cherries), spice (pepper), with just a little tannin on the finish. Delicious.
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Pour terminer en beauté, avec un très beau plateau de fromage (digne de ce nom), rien de moins que le WOTW (Wine of the Year) #1 de Wine Spectator en 2002: Belle matière, viande et poivre avec une belle minéralité, superbe en ce moment, une bien belle bouteille de Bordeaux70, thanks buddy! …et dire que ce vin a été payé une cinquantaine de $ dans le temps.
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Some Grilling with the Toronto Cru (Toronto, ON): Here is another wine I had low expectations for. I've found so many wines in the Southern Rhone hot and stewed, I figured if you add the hot vintage this must be overdone, right? I've also never really had a Guigal CdP I've loved. This was actually quite good! It pours translucent with a ruby core and moderate bricking with orange flecks toward the rim. The nose is fully mature with leather, farmyard, nutshells, old wet hay, forest undergrowth, cigar, strawberry jam, optimally ripe raspberries and quite lot of mixed brown spices. Evidently there is a touch of brett here that I am digging. The palate features medium minus tannin and medium acid. Fairly balanced, with only slightly elevated alcohol noted. Quite good, if a tad rustic.
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Similar to the bottle I had in July 2013. Excellent bottle in its prime. I see no reason to rush but also no reason to wait. I do not think it will be getting any better. Opened a bit before drinking (no decant) and the wine opened and improved through the bottle. Rich and satisfying. Classic CDP palate of flavors.
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Cheers- bottle 3 of 6 and the best one yet. Not sure why this one was better than the first 2, but this bottle was delicious. I decanted it again, after 2 hrs it was fantastic. Might be interesting to hold one or two of these for at least 3 more years.
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Ce 2003 est un modèle de buvabilité. Avec ses jolis arômes de kirsch, de fraises, orange sanguine et de garrigue, il est de corps moyen, sans aucun excès de chaleur . Un vin typé, pas très complexe mais bien savoureux, d’un très bel équilibre, avec une jolie finale épicée. Très bon, il est à maturité et s’y maintiendra sans doute pour 5 ans et plus. 90 pts
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Très joli nez de fruits rouges mûrs, en bouche cerise et framboise. N'a rien donné de plus à l'aération. Très bon, mais j'attendais un peu mieux de cette bouteille.
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cheers....I disagree that this wine should have been drank by 2013; it has mellowed and tastes better than ever. I did decant this one; unlike the last time. It was delicious with a ribeye and later a delice de bourgogne.
Interestingly, I had the 2005 Guigal Chateauneuf last night; I loved that wine, this one was even better. Then again, the 2005 might not peak for another 5 years. Man, these are really nice wines.
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Brick red. Powerful bouquet of dried cherry, plum and roasted herbs de Provence. Tannins are perfectly integrated right now, but I still sense some longevity as the acidity is good. Long lingering finish. Excellent and highly recommended.
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Lovely nose of black cherry fruit with hints of smoke, barnyard, bacon and spice, more of the same on the palate, medium body, and medium finish, at its peak, would drink over next three years. No first place votes , my third of four Rhones tasted.
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Just perfect. I let this bottle breathe for 30 minor or so, which I think was necessary --no decant. Over the course of the meal, it developed nicely. Rich and smooth.just excellent in all regards. I expect that this wine will not get better over time, although there is no rush to drink it tomorrow. Splendid CDP.
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Very different than the Calif & Australian wines that we are used to drinking. Had a lot of earth tones to it. A little on the light side but incredible flavor
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Easily one of my favorite wines. Deep and rich with beautiful secondary flavors--earthy and funky and aromatic. Just gorgeous, but without having lost any of the rich jamminess that this wine showed in its youth. It's a complex smokiness on the nose and a long finish. Just beautiful!
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This bottle, at least, is past prime time. Not much to it. THe highlight was some earthiness and fruit that was fading. It did, however, go well with the blts.
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Medium ruby red. Blackberry, cedar, herbs, loam. Medium weight, nice balance, the age has developed some interesting character and depth. Better now than it was a few years ago. Probably at it's peak.
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Decanted for 30 minutes - nearing its end of life, but still good.. paired well with both light apps and venison/lamb combo.... finish is still good, but the fruit is wearing out.... would recommend drinking soon if you have any left. Overall, still quite good..
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cheers, I love southern Rhone wines, as Cotes du Rhones are my go-to every day wines. Drinking a Chateauneuf is special, and Guigal does it right. This wasn't the best vintage ever, but this 2003 is a really nice wine that should hold well for another 3-5 years, I think. It did open up a bit after an hour, I should have decanted it, but didn't think it would be worth it. Not much sediment at all.
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Previously as noted. Drinking very well right now, probably at peak, but a few more years left. The barnyard notes eventually blow off and subtle dark fruit, earth, and a touch of cedar emerge. Soft, but present tannins. 90-92 pts. PJP 2012.
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Probably just bottle variation, but this was better than the bottle I had in the spring. Previous note is accurate, except the alcohol is not as evident this time, which is a plus for my taste. Solid CdP. Nice QPR.
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It was not the best year in the region in the last decade. This explains the lack of strength, complexity and capacity of aging. The wine is ready to drink. Nevertheless, all liked the wine.
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"For an outstanding rating, I don't want it to taste grapey," Rand said. It smells of dark fruits and licorice, and the taste has the telltale Syrah flavor that I think is chocolatey. Very pleasant and in a good place, but it doesn't move us to say "Ah...." Moderate finish. Nice. Not a return purchase, I think. We did a 20 min decant and it was ready, tastes likr it's got a bit left in it but not much.
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Couldn't disagree more with some reviewers who find it "tired" or complain of stink (it's Châteauneuf-du-Pape, folks, not Barossa Shiraz). Gamey, savoury nose, with hints of smoked meat and leather (clean; no brett). In an hour or so, some of the gamey notes blow off, letting the sweet black fruit and dark chocolate punch out more. Palate is full of sweet black fruit with Christmas cake like spice inflections. Medium plus acidity, which was a bit surprising (not over-ripe and flat); tastes better with food. Long, 30+ sec finish. Tannins are fully resolved. Will last easily another 5-7 years. I'd drink now to 2014; I think as the fruit recedes, the slightly perky acidity will skew the balance. As for now, it's a solid 91-pointer.
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Spicy, yet mellow. This is the second bottle of three. Consistent with last. Somewhat flat, metallic nose. Resolved tannins. Tired palate. This seems to have aged at an advanced rate. You won't see me mention fruit (and that can be okay). I have a soft spot for wines from this region (and port too), but if this were a new world wine, I have to admit I'd probably really rake on it and score it an 83. Molesworth (87) nailed this, Parker gave it a 95. Time tells. See the notes below.
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Fairly typical CdP for the most part. Certainly more terroir driven rather than fruit driven, which I appreciate. Also, long finish with some nice complexity. I do wish there was a little less heat. Alcohol is too evident in the early part of the finish, though it is settled down on the back-end. Also, by hour three the alcohol was much more moderate throughout the finish and pleasant. Tannins are evident though sufficiently tamed. Overall, I enjoyed this. I will probably open my final bottle within the next year or two.
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I started off with a fews beers and Chilli, so later in the evening I wanted an earthier, dare I say, less elegant wine. I had this before and remembered that it might just hit the spot. It was quick to open and I believe it ready to drink and still in its prime. A good amount of earth, peat, almost barnyard, but more fruit than I expected with cherry, and blackberry. Yum
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Decanted for an hour. Somewhat off-putting smell of caryard, leather and iron, with fruit well and truly into the background. On the palate it was mainly red fruits with leather, earth and spice. Only medium length. The tannins got more savoury the longer it was opened. This was ready to drink and I'm glad I didn't hold onto it any longer. Interesting but far from great.
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What an enjoyable bottle. Classic CDP palate (to the extent such a thing exists), not as spicy as some I have had, but very well balanced. I guess it's possible that it could improve with some more time (and I will be putting side a couple I have), but it is drinking very well now.
No decant. I opened and let it breathe a bit (15-30 min) before drinking it over a few hours. It did not seem to change dramatically over time.
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Popped and poured. Nose of band aid, burnt rubber, smoke, raisin, red cherry, anise, leather. On the palate, red raspberry, leather, anise, smoke. Finishes smooth with nice acidity. Very good now, will never be great, but a wonderful drink nonetheless.
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Was looking forward to this as I brought it back from Paris in 2006. 1 hour decant through vinturi. Nose of currants with a bit of wet earth but the strongest note is of rusted iron. Palate is midweight. Red fruits some earth and moss. Very fruity and tannins are still strong. Lengthy finish. Very good and will try to find again. Maybe I could have left it longer in the bottle but it's drinking great now.
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1 hour decant. Clear, med. red/purple color. good CdP nose. This is drinking well right now. Very Rhone taste, med body, good balance. Soft, easy to drink, enjoyable. nothing off.
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Rustic, old leather, some barnyard, not much fruit. Requires a bit more attention than standard new-world style wine. Seems like a good time to drink this.
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red brick in colour. Initial barnyard aromas that dissipated after 2 hr decant. earthy with some black fruit notes but has mostly faded. tannins well integrated.
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Red wines at their peak with AuZone (AuZone, Stockholm): Medium red, lighter edge. In the nose barnyard aromas, slightly sweetish, tobacco, some herb, eucalyptus? Developed, pleasant aromas. On the palate clearly herbal, with red and dark berries, quite tannic (slightly dry tannins), spice, some alcoholic bite, good concentration. Nice development, but should benefit from some more time. 92-93 p. Surprisingly good for such a hot and often atypical vintage, and for not being a prestige cuvée.
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Did not live up to its potential. A bit too acid on the front end. Some plummy fruit, nice old-world earthiness with a hint of cigar, and soft tannins. More balance on the second day.
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Med dark red, with good brick at thte edges. half hour to breathe, served with smoked pork chops Nice CDP nose, very enticing. Some earth and typical aromas. A bit of a sharp earth and barnyard. Nice. In the mouth it is full but dominated by tannins. CDP character in spades. After reading the other notes from the Cellartrack crowd I feel I got a very good example of the wine. Not a great CDP, but a good example and a good value. I have one left and wil hold it a year or three longer.
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From a 375. Decanted 2 hours. The nose smells much older than it is, more like a 20-year-old wine, with lots of Chinese spices, bretty funk, and that certain something from an aged wine. Same on the palate. The tannins are green and harsh, giving this a coarse mouthfeel. There's definitely some charm, but it's disappointing for the producer and region. Probably would be better with food. I have to say, though, I don't mind having spent $1.50 for the bottle. ;)
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Quite nice, brown seeping in to the fairly clear ruby color, a touch of paint/glue on the nose over cherries, comes across as slightly oxidized but fairly typical for CDP, tannins are still strong after a brief decant, will try again in a few hours.
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Enjoyed this one by the fire with a friend. Very "French" on the nose - barnyard, earthy, but with subdued fruit hiding in the background. Played with this one for a couple of hours and the funk faded away to reveal the cooked fruit and soft tannins, all balanced by good acidity. Complex with many layers. Was surprised how closed this was after almost 7 years. I know where I can get more of this vintage and will pick up one or two more bottles to keep for 2-5 years. Be patient with this one. 90-92 pts, maybe a bit more in a couple of years.
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Total brett bomb. Genuinely bad. I think there are some bad bottles of this because it seems like a few others have had the same problem, yet others really liked theirs.
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The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Stoniness, and Cherry. It tastes like Smokey Bacon, Black Olive, Plum, and Dust. The body is Light/Medium. The wine is textured Fleshy. The wine finishes Long.
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Popped for one hour then poured. The first impression was barnyard, burnt rubber, and overripe fruit. Decided to decant anothre hour. Nose of baryard, raisin, red cherry, licorice, smoky oak, red raspberry. On the palate, started the night very thing, but fleshed out as it got more air with red raspberry, leather, licorice, smoky oak. Nice transition to a creamy finish with crisp acidity. Probably needed more air time as it got more enjoyable as the night went on. Might be emerging from a dumb phase, not enough experience with this wine to tell. Hold. Not a good value. Excellent to oustanding.
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This is only my second CdP from Guigal. Not an expert on CdP but I really liked this wine. It definetly made me want to venture out and try more S. Rhones. Glycerin in your face, with light red berries and a very slight cream on the back end. Earthy funk that is some what vegetal. A nice change of pace from my standard WA and CA rhone styled wines.
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A little rough out of the bottle, mellowed out quite a bit as the night went on. Strong farm/earth nose, raisin taste. Not my favorite CDP in this price range.
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Nez changeant à l'aération, passant du formaldéhyde aux griottes et marasquin. Plutôt long et intense, il tapisse bien la bouche et la gorge. Plus velouté qu'on pourrait s'attendre, il reste néanmoins alcoolique et puissant. On dénote des signes d'évolution au disque et un léger dépôt.
Mais à ce prix (plus de 50$) on reste sur sa faim...
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Clear, brick red/tawny intensity. Clean, medium savoury, leathery characters, fully developed nose.Dry, medium + intensity, medium- tannins, animal, gamey as well as plum/forest fruits, hints of oak, long length ***1/2
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This is bad! Tasted like burnt tin with some old berries. Worst bottle that I have opened in 2 years. Have had better wine under 10 bucks. This is flat out BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!! Down the sink with pleasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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not impressed. very earthy out of the bottle, which i tend to like, just not this much. ok after an hour decant, but still not very enjoyable. too much earth and little fruit turned into acidic meltdown! have three more bottles, won't touch for 4-5 years.
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A little disappointing to me. WA gave it 90, which I do not understand. On the other hand, I did drink this toward the end of a big Thanksgiving day meal, and I may not have been able to appreciate it fully.
Overall, good CDP flavors, tannins were present, but not excessive (for me). Fruit was also finding its way out.
I have a few more, and I will drink the others under better conditions, e.g., maybe let it breathe a bit before drinking. We pretty much popped-n-poured this one. The wine opened up through the bottle suggesting that better pre-consumption treatment might bring a better result..
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Heavy tannins even after an hour of decanting. Big earth, not a lot of fruit. Should have waited another year or so before drinking. Luckily i have another bottle that I over paid for.
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Enjoyable enough, but nothing that real that memorable. Had a good amount of Grenache I believe, which contributed to the raspberry flavor. Hadn't gone downhill yet, but at this price point, have found more interesting.
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Nice soft wine with red fruits and some minerals; nice balance. Great with roasted chicken. We both liked this wine, but it was a little overpriced at $45.
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My initial impression was that this was a rather wan, small wine. Not much of a bouquet to speak of, extremely light body, mild red fruit, and of medium acidity. However, I discovered that served slightly chilled it was *much* improved and was then an adequate complement for a basic cheese spread on a hot summer day.
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After a half hour, the band aid funk blew off and this wine started settling into something good. I just fear I didn't give it a decent chance, drinking out of plastic cups at the Hollywood Bowl - and paired with the absolute wrong foods (gazpacho, acidic shrimps, etc.). But this had its charms and I could see it really opening up nicely with time.
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Basically undrinkable. Upon opening, a rife whiff of rotten, wet earth and dirty laundry. Decanted for an hour. Odor remained pungent. Palate was very bleah, overwhelmed, again, by the earthy funk that none of the underlying flavors that may have been there could come through. Finish was short and abrupt. A thoroughly disappointing bottle.
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Attractive medium ruby. Lots of oak OTN accompanied by some very ripe stewed prunes and just-washed rasberries. Rhubarb? Nice rich and juicy attack fills the mouth with more rasberry and burnt oak but fades quickly into a drying, quite short, finish with a hint of cream and parsley. Some heat. Attractive but lacking a little complexity and depth. Rather powerful acidity for the vintage but intrinsically soft. QPR is reasonable and drinking nicely now (but another year or two probably won't hurt).
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Drank this in a 375ml. Thought it would be on its way out but still some nice structure and balance of red fruit. Good combination with grilled lamb chops. Tannins are there and in a good way. I guess the 750ml probably still has several years on it.
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Are you kidding me? This wine was fantastic! Intense kirsh, coffee bean, brown sugar, rose petal, and copper penny on the nose. In the mouth it is medium bodied with good tannins and a long mineral finish. Paired nicely with a wagyu steak and the first fava beans of the season. This is why I love CdP. It needs another few years in the bottle. Decanted 3hrs.
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Now entering readiness to drink - just barely tannic at this point. A soft wine with nice ripe red fruits and tobacco on the nose. The notes below suggest inconsistency bottle-to-bottle, so maybe I was lucky.
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Tasted immediately after opening. A lot of barnyard, musty, acidic. Decanted for two hours. Much better after decant. Well balanced, fruity and the barnyard had subsided into a nice note of complexity. Give it several more years.
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I liked the funky nose, although the palate doesn't seem to quite rise to the occasion. Earthy and stewed, with tobacco and spice. Pleasant, with some interesting complexities, I just don't think it is quite my cup of tea stylistically.
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Nice nose of spice, luscious raspberries, strawberries, toasty oak and glycerin. No brett present on the nose, much cleaner and fruit forward than the last bottle. Palate is nice and dry with mouth puckering tannins. Good fruit throughout the palate and acidity to keep it balanced. Seems that it could open up a bit more and use some time in the cellar. Nice bottle for the price.
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Medium in color and complexity. I did not get any of the brett funk others suffered. Somewhat still slow to open, showing tar and olives first slowly turning loose of plums and prunes. Some coffee or tobacco component.
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Wine Engagement Dinner (NoMi): Medium red color. Forward nose of red/black fruit, olive, and barnyard. Nice rich black spicy fruit with a touch of sweet. Good typicity. 90-91 pts.
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Popped and poured right into a decanter. Decently bretty on the nose but blew off with air. Nice nose of soil, gravel, soft fruits and oak. Palate was better revealing even more fruit, cream and oak. Nice mid range CDP, nothing too crazy about it.
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Not a popular bottle at the party. Out of the bottle the wine had repelling funk which took about half hour to blow away. Afterwhich the wine opened up with berries, cooked herbs, and finished with some bell pepper & vegetal nuance which was not well taken by most. I quite liked it though. In any case, this is not a easy drinking wine by most standards.
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Drank over 4 hours - pungent up front, relaxing somewhat thereafter. It maintained somewhat of a smoky character throughout. One of those wines you can't quite put your finger on at any time.
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Wine was very tight when first opened with overpowering tannins but they smoothed out after 30 minutes or so. Earth and spice note predominated. A middle-of-the-road CDP at a middle-of-the-road price.
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Decanted for 1 hour. Ruby red in colour, clear throughout. Nose of stewed red fruits, worn leather, cooked red cassis, vegetal and earthy notes. Medium body, high acidity, medium tannins, medium length finish. Flavours of spice, red fruits and tobacco. Drink now and for another 5 years. Very good. 89+
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My 7th bottle of this, first since August. Unfortunately this has transitioned from slightly earthy to a bit of a brett bomb. With about 45min of air, this transformed into what for me is pretty much undrinkable. Have one bottle left, not sure what to do with it - give it an open then down the drain if the same.
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This wine was a little surprising in that it was one of the better rhones for the price. The nose had green pepper, ceder, coco, and a touch of floral lavender. Had a hit of dirty dippers. The color was a little thin, kind of a lighter purple with lavender around the edge. The palate did not have ay peaks and valleys, it was pretty consistent through the finish where it hit you with black liquorish and the alcohol stayed lingering. The start of the palate was nice and earthy with Blackberry, plumb, bell peppers, white pepper and tobacco. It was tight in the beginning and loosened up in about 30 minutes, especial the nose which got way floral. The palate was spicy and hit the sides of the tong. Overall it was pretty balanced but the alcohol lingered a touch too much toward the mid and finish. Had a good earth and veggie feel to this wine. This wine was level lined and there were no hot spots in it, it was just overall consistent and not tremendously complex. It was enjoyable and worth a try for 65 bones a bottle.
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Familievinsmagning (Hos Claus & Rikke): En dyb rød let brunlig farve. Når man slynger vinen rundt i glasset og dufter hertil, vælter duften af stald og læder op i hovedet på én. Meget meget flot. Smagen lader heller ikke noget tilbage at ønske, en lidt anderledes Chateauneuf Du Pape end andre jeg har smagt. Vinen er lettere, mere elegant og kompleks end andre vine fra samme område. En super super flot vin som sagtens kan ledsage kraftig mad men også let kunne bruges som hyggevin efter maden.
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Straight out of the bottle this had a strong nose - white pepper, some complexity. In the mouth again white pepper - a bit of an aftertaste in the back of the throat. Good tannins, and generally in balance at first. Pronounced rasberries and cherries, herbs and a slightly bitter follow-through. Gives way to a smooth finish. Fairly complex, but this wine soon fades to become flabby, plummy and cloying. By the end it was all over the place. It wasn't a bad wine as such, but for £20 I certainly wont bother again.
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much better than expected. A little heat on the nose along with red fruit, new leather, and other integrated fruit flavors that I couldn't pull out. The palate was light to medium, the tannins submerged, and the finish short. Complex mid palate with good acidity. The earth was always there in the nose and the palate but was integrated and subtle. Overall this was a light CDP that I enjoyed.
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This is a disappointing effort from a solid CdP producer. As you can tell from reading other notes, the '03 Guigal is fairly bretted out. Not much I can add here as far as tasting notes are concerned. Didn't get too much of the barnyard, but the new saddle leather dominates this wine, and overwhelms the fruit. Nice tannins, acidity and minerality. Savory herb finish.
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Cranberry and wet leather nose. barnyard funk too. ok moutfeel. Medium finish. the funk was much more subdues after about 2 hrs decanting. wasn't worth the $35 to me
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Very enjoyable. The nose was like a whiff of the soil of Southern France. Good fruit and fairly long finish. Should have bought more. In 2-3 years should be even better.
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I had high hopes for this wine but it never came together for me. A clean nose, with leather and coffee. Quite tannic, strong, bitter peach pit note on finish. Some prune as well. After being open several hours it became very perfumey. I wonder if I jumped the gun on this one, but I have a hard time believing that it would have ever been spectacular, even after several more years.
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Wine is light without being watery and thin. Very drinkable. Nice clean balanced finish. An underrated wine and an excellent value. I bought out my local wine shop.
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Bue lors d'un souper avec parents Anne-Lou. suivait un Bordeau 2001 premier cru. Après le premier vin, ce CdP était excellent mais semblait moins complexe que le bordeaux. Ressemblait quelque peu à un vin de dessert. Acre ou acide, il semble un peu trop avoir un goût qui me rappelle les pruneaux.
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Not my favorite CdP or Guigal. Gave several hours of airtime - tasting along the way - but it never came together. There are some typical rhone flavors but I am put off by the gamey-ness, barnyard/musty type components, the menthol and the heat on the finnish. This is an awkward wine right now. I'm no expert . . but if I had another bottle of this I'd wait on it for another year or 2 . and still not expect a 90pt wine even at that time.
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Big nose of sweet raspberry, fig, mushrooms, leather and tobacco. Palate is smooth and fruit forward at this point, but rather drying tannins. Finish is medium to long with dried fruit hanging on as well as some mineral and earthy notes. Enjoyable and has great potential, although rather disjointed at this point. Although is showing some secondary characteristics, isn't at its peak yet.
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Dark brick red color. Slight fading around the edge. Intense, concentrated nose: ripe strawberry, some blackberry, mushroom, green olive, damp leather. Gorgeous. On the palate the ripe strawberry is still apparent with a little dusty currant, but more herbal flavors emerge: thyme, bay leaf, some truffle. Beautifully sturdy structure with focused acidity. Tannins are firm but rounded. Moderate to long on the finish with a brush of graphite. Stunning wine. Hitting its prime. Borders on profound.
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There are some ripe Kirsch notes on the nose but the over-riding trait is a most off-putting band aid like brett. The palate starts off sweet and tender but the mid is very hollow and the finish, hard, clipped, metallic and bitter…absolute sink fodder.
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The color is a medium ruby red. The nose has garrigue herbs, raspberry, and a little barnyard. The flavor starts out very herbal, with some raspberry and some gamey flavors. After a few hours of air, it opens up, with the palate filling in nicely. The fruit becomes very rich, with some cherry and dark berries. There's still some herb and game flavors. There's a lot of complexity in the palate. Nice long finish. Gets more delicious with air time.
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Clearly a step down from the '01 and the '99, this lovely wine features spicy raspberry and other red fruits. Tannins have softened a bit, but still could use some food. I would err on the side of drinking this wine now, since I'm not sure it has the stuffing to improve much more.
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Color: Medium red, clear rim Nose: Raspberry, fresh cut grass Palate: For a light wine, very well balanced, a great 10-15-seconds finish, semi-dry but good fruit tannins. Packed with fruits, peppery and syrupy. Had with italian pasta, salad and camerbert bread. Lovely!
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This wines color has lovely light scarlett with a copper color at the edge. The nose is cherry and fruit, a slight loam. The taste is fruit crispness that goes quickly to a long finish. The wine improves with aeration, the syrah grapes a prevelant and tasty with in the grenache. Though you would think it should have a heavy body, it is meduim to light flavorful
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Not in the same leaque as the excellent 2000 Guigal cnp. Tasted this in a restaurant recently and it was better than this bottle, Some barnyard odd off flavors. Im going the combine the scores for this 88 rating.
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-- opened 4 hours before consumption -- -- not decanted -- -- tasted non-blind --
NOSE: Redolent of the typical CdP "funk" with strong garrigue notes as well; secondary aromas of kirsch and spiciness peak through the funk.
BODY: garnet w/orange throughout - this appears to be aging prematurely; moderate-light depth - a very wide light rim on this wine; medium-light body, which is very light for this vintage; a little sediment is present
TASTE: barnyard and leather dominate this earthy wine; practically no fruits left; very light mouthfeel - easy drinking; this wine is more acidic than tannic; it's a bit hollow near back of mid-palate; a nice meaty finish of moderate length. A tasty CdP, but certainly not impressive. I get the impression that this wine never had the stuffing of a blockbuster. Drink now. A good value at $24.
B: 50, 3, 12, 16, 6 = 87 points
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I got this as a b-day present. Pretty good pick from a friend that actually listens to what I like! I usually get horrible $5-$15 btls of wine that I end up pouring out! Man I'm really turning into a wine snob! In fact I'm thinking of getting that as a tatoo. "WINE SNOB"
Well when I pulled off the capsule it had juice oozing out and I was a little suspect! But it turned out ok, but I don't really trust the storing methods at World Market anymore.
Out of the bottle it fell into catagory of a lot of the notes I've read about this lately. Hollow and metallic.
But after about 1-2hrs decanting it got better and better, with some nice red fruits, some bread yeast, lots of earthy dirt, mushrooms, game and anise. The tannins were very intigrated at this point.
after about another hour or two in the glasses and bottle (I poured it back into the bottle and brought it to a friends house) the tannis really took over and the anise (why doesn't anybody say black licorice?!?!?!..... oh yeah...I'm a wine snob! ) was much, much more prominate.
So I'm a lil torn on this wine. The drinking window for it to hit my wheelhouse was after 2hrs of decanting but less then 4hrs. Not a very big window!!!
I'm a huge CDP fan and so when it hit, I was in heaven but I think for 40bones I can find a better QPR and drinking window. I think if you have this it's a drink now wine
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Nose was very old world, but a bit ordinary. Palate was anything but ordinary. Very complex with leaves, dirt, some anise, and a tiny touch of strawberry. Warning: If you don't like old-world wines, stay as far from this as you can. Otherwise, yeah, this was very good. The tannins are gorgeous and bring a wonderful mouthfeel. The finish is quite long and delicious to me, though I can see others not liking it. 90-91.
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Really enjoyed this one. Saturated color with wonderful nose of dark cherry. Palate was equally satisfying with old world charm and strong fruit flavors. Terrific price point too for a CdP.
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Some Loire and Rhone for a Rainy Winter Day (San Francisco Bay Area): Pale with brown edges-definitely looks advanced for its age. High toned aromatics with some dried tobacco. Surprisingly elegant for the vintage, but tannic and a bit lacking in fruit. Good despite its imperfections. Drink now.
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Still a young wine. Decanting would have helped for sure, but it was a last minute grab on the way out the door for New Years Eve. Still have one more that will benefit from decanting I'm sure. Still a delicious wine when popped and poured, but not worthy of 90 points. Tons of cigar box and tobacco on the nose!
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Very nice rich color - dark ruby like. Rasberrish nose with an excellent body. Palate gave some hint chocolate and berries. It was much better on the second night. Wiill get a couple more and let it sit for a couple more years.
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Color: rich ruby and cola. Very nice color. Nose: crushed rasberries, red currant and pomegranate. Tight (alcoholic) nose. Besides the alcohol, very nice nose. Taste: Rasberry with bitter flavors of molassas, black tea and pure cocoa. Still tight and hot after 24 hours. Smooth tannin and overall integration. Sort of phantom finish--quickly disappearing. Overall: Almost a very good wine, but I think this wine is too young. Perhaps in a year or two this wine will really sing.
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Solid bottle of wine with nothing much for or against it. Just popped, decanted and poured with dinner. Maybe would have improved with some air. Adrianne was not impressed either.
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Dark purple in color. Not much fruit on the nose though there is a strong mint like smell to it that stays with the wine on the palate. Strongly mineral on the palate. Not sure that I'm all that impressed with this...
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Dark purple brownish color - looks much older than a 2003. Medium body. Decanted for 2 hours - it was great at that point - integrated beefy leather flavors with good blueberry and pomegranate fruit. Nice long finish. (91-93); An hour later leather amd beef flavors started overwhelming the fruit and the wine got very dry and slightly more tannic. (88-90) Went very will with grilled chicken and fries. Would buy again.
P.S. The night was better on the 2nd night - a lot more blueberries and a lot smoother. 91+
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Decanted for about 2 hours. Funky earthy musty nose with some plums. Extremely dry wine with some leather and dust mixed with spicy dark red fruit..plum and blackberry. Earth and leather lingers on the finish. Nice balance of earthiness and fruit and spice.
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Pleasant nose of raspberry jam, some slight meatiness, and cocoa powder. Well-structured and nicely balanced. Lots of tannin on the finish, which goes well with rich red meat.
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fascinating nose and taste: musk, leather, spice; floral overtones of (mimosa?! /carnation/purple thistle?/lavender?/ as it airs)+acid but not biting: the sweaty balls of a horse next to a mimosa bush....but good, interesting departure, not without its own quirky balance! 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 5% Mourvèdre and others from 45 year-old vines.
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Dark deep purple with initial sterile aroma. Opened to reveal wine full of fruit with spice and smoke. Had hints of sweetness early? honey? Nice long finish, great value.
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Dark ruby. Sweet dark red fruit, red licorice. Medium bodied, acid, dry tannin. Nice body, dry tannic finish lacks the sweet fruit that was on the nose..
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Barnyard, gamey, sweet berry ,smoke and a bit dusty on nose with a hint of herb. Big in pallet. Medium to full bodied. Good size tannin and it's not too rough. Good fruit concentration and balance acidity drives to medium lenght finsh. It's a bit austere on the end, and this feeling goes all the way from soft pallet right to the stomach. Feels quite good on nose and when is enters you mount but in the end quality falls apart. Still not bad but could be a lot better.
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This wine is going to be good. At first, I was really worried. It tasted way off and close. However, I didn't give up on it and drank it over the next 7 hours. About hour 5 it started opening up a little. By hour six it was big and dense with leather and spice. Great stuff. I can't wait to get a year or two on this one.
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Decanted for 1 hr, consumed over the next 3. Muted nose of barnyard and red fruits. Medium body, very dry, red fruit and more barnyard on the palate. Tannins get you on the finish, would pass on this one again.
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Excellent nose of smoke, barnyard, leather, and menthol. Initially quite tannic. Not excessively hot. I think I prefer VT, but this is awfully nice. No pruney notes, despite the vintage. Medium finish. Tannins calm down after about two hours in the decanter.
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There is a lot here to like - I did not detect any stewiness that perhaps I was a bit worried about finding - however this really had a dominant spirity/hot element that I had a hard time getting past. Without this, it would be a 90/91 point, stuffing-filled CdP - not sure if the heat will integrate.
I'll note that I got this bottle for under $30 and the standard Guigal CdP remains a good value with a relatively mainstream flavor profile.
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12/3/2023 - Axone wrote: 91 Points
Assez mûr, un peu rustique.
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10/28/2023 - gmmilani Likes this wine: 93 Points
A little worried I waited too long on this wine, but still drinking well. Would recommend letting it sit in the decanter an hour. Very rustic after opening, but the fruit came forward after sitting for a very well-balanced experience.
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3/23/2023 - lesz Likes this wine: 92 Points
still very good fruit in a half bottle
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2/19/2023 - franm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cheers - Most of the 250 + tasting notes wrote that this wine had peaked around 2012-2015. I assumed that might be true. We all were WRONG! This wine has aged incredibly well, and of the 6 bottles I've had over the years (all 2003), this one is BY FAR the best. Great nose, palate, long finish, perfectly balanced. This wine was initially rated 90-95 points by the some of the big wigs, and I'd have to agree it's on the upper end of that scale. The problem is that probably no one has any left because we were all duped into thinking this wine was going to peak 10 years ago.....lesson learned: let's be careful....if we have some patience, it sometimes pays off!
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1/22/2022 - JPH104 Likes this wine:
Still drinking really well.
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7/24/2021 - 559Cheers Likes this wine: 90 Points
Some life left. Just opened, so see how this develops. Seems on the downhill roll though or almost at the bottom of the hill.
*1 hour has come back to life.
*Drinking better after a couple of nights.
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12/25/2019 - franm Likes this wine: 91 Points
cheers - bottle 5 of 6....incredible, aging very well
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8/29/2018 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Purchased on release and cellared in a cold cellar. This wine tasted fresh with some longevity left. Great balance and delineation.
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8/4/2018 - oenophile8444 wrote:
Still drinking well. Initially, strong barnyard and leather. After 30 minutes, leather, tobacco, black tea, and awesomeness. Enjoyed with a ribeye. Exceeded expectations for the age.
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10/23/2017 - Jaber wrote: 89 Points
Nice orange colour reflection on the rim. Aromas of tobacco and leather. Good finish.
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4/29/2017 - Magnolian Likes this wine: 90 Points
Cork looked damaged but seepage did not extend to top of capsule so I think it was OK. Significant bricking and an almost brownish hue. Day one was quite nice, with a spicy grenache kick and well-integrated dark fruits and gamey notes. Completely fell apart on day 2. Drink now if you have any; I'm guessing this peaked 2-3 years ago.
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1/9/2017 - Rustica Likes this wine: 92 Points
Elegant and lovely...delightful.
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1/6/2017 - Brian1970 wrote:
Good
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9/9/2016 - JMFWC wrote: 88 Points
Showing well but a bit on the decline. Somewhat raisiny fruit from this hot vintage but showed well with dinner after a decant. Finish held up but wouldn't expect this to get any better. Still a fun wine to
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4/15/2016 - Rogermtx wrote: 92 Points
Thought it may have been well past prime but no. This was nice from the uncorking with decent earthy flavors and a dark berries nose. Opened to reveal raisins. Would love to have more.
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2/18/2016 - difran wrote: 90 Points
Happy #nationaldrinkwineday
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11/3/2015 - MateusPetrus Likes this wine: 90 Points
Clear garnet color. Tight nose – nothing at chest or chin level. Nose in the glass reveals those French notes one either loves or hates, rubber and such. Sweet on the tongue. Full of fruit (dried cherries), spice (pepper), with just a little tannin on the finish. Delicious.
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9/24/2015 - franm Likes this wine: 91 Points
cheers - delicious, but probably past its peak (bottle 4 of 6)
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7/19/2015 - maxima wrote: 92 Points
Pour terminer en beauté, avec un très beau plateau de fromage (digne de ce nom), rien de moins que le WOTW (Wine of the Year) #1 de Wine Spectator en 2002:
Belle matière, viande et poivre avec une belle minéralité, superbe en ce moment, une bien belle bouteille de Bordeaux70, thanks buddy!
…et dire que ce vin a été payé une cinquantaine de $ dans le temps.
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6/5/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote: 92 Points
Some Grilling with the Toronto Cru (Toronto, ON): Here is another wine I had low expectations for. I've found so many wines in the Southern Rhone hot and stewed, I figured if you add the hot vintage this must be overdone, right? I've also never really had a Guigal CdP I've loved. This was actually quite good! It pours translucent with a ruby core and moderate bricking with orange flecks toward the rim. The nose is fully mature with leather, farmyard, nutshells, old wet hay, forest undergrowth, cigar, strawberry jam, optimally ripe raspberries and quite lot of mixed brown spices. Evidently there is a touch of brett here that I am digging. The palate features medium minus tannin and medium acid. Fairly balanced, with only slightly elevated alcohol noted. Quite good, if a tad rustic.
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12/31/2014 - John Nezlek wrote: 92 Points
Similar to the bottle I had in July 2013. Excellent bottle in its prime. I see no reason to rush but also no reason to wait. I do not think it will be getting any better. Opened a bit before drinking (no decant) and the wine opened and improved through the bottle. Rich and satisfying. Classic CDP palate of flavors.
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12/20/2014 - hchyczij wrote: 89 Points
Tasted good smelt like manure! Not loved by the group
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6/22/2014 - franm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cheers- bottle 3 of 6 and the best one yet. Not sure why this one was better than the first 2, but this bottle was delicious. I decanted it again, after 2 hrs it was fantastic. Might be interesting to hold one or two of these for at least 3 more years.
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6/2/2014 - d'Artagnan wrote: 90 Points
Ch9 2003 guigal
Même en négoce, Guigal sait faire.
Ce 2003 est un modèle de buvabilité. Avec ses jolis arômes de kirsch, de fraises, orange sanguine et de garrigue, il est de corps moyen, sans aucun excès de chaleur . Un vin typé, pas très complexe mais bien savoureux, d’un très bel équilibre, avec une jolie finale épicée. Très bon, il est à maturité et s’y maintiendra sans doute pour 5 ans et plus. 90 pts
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3/30/2014 - Urodude wrote: 91 Points
Drinking great now. Still time left
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2/16/2014 - Boire du Bon wrote: 87 Points
Très joli nez de fruits rouges mûrs, en bouche cerise et framboise. N'a rien donné de plus à l'aération.
Très bon, mais j'attendais un peu mieux de cette bouteille.
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2/16/2014 - ragtop wrote: 91 Points
- Garnet color. It's somewhat balanced with a full body. Flabby texture with a medium finish.
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1/26/2014 - franm Likes this wine: 92 Points
cheers....I disagree that this wine should have been drank by 2013; it has mellowed and tastes better than ever. I did decant this one; unlike the last time. It was delicious with a ribeye and later a delice de bourgogne.
Interestingly, I had the 2005 Guigal Chateauneuf last night; I loved that wine, this one was even better. Then again, the 2005 might not peak for another 5 years. Man, these are really nice wines.
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1/1/2014 - eschaefer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Brick red. Powerful bouquet of dried cherry, plum and roasted herbs de Provence. Tannins are perfectly integrated right now, but I still sense some longevity as the acidity is good. Long lingering finish. Excellent and highly recommended.
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11/18/2013 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely nose of black cherry fruit with hints of smoke, barnyard, bacon and spice, more of the same on the palate, medium body, and medium finish, at its peak, would drink over next three years. No first place votes , my third of four Rhones tasted.
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10/10/2013 - europat55 wrote: 89 Points
From a 375ml.
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9/30/2013 - Vinum Bellator wrote: 87 Points
Light - little fruit or tannins. If you have some try them now. Will not go any farther.
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8/29/2013 - Claudio Borges wrote: 89 Points
No limite, ja passou um pouco do apice.
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7/13/2013 - John Nezlek wrote: 91 Points
Just perfect. I let this bottle breathe for 30 minor or so, which I think was necessary --no decant. Over the course of the meal, it developed nicely. Rich and smooth.just excellent in all regards. I expect that this wine will not get better over time, although there is no rush to drink it tomorrow. Splendid CDP.
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6/14/2013 - cweiner wrote: 85 Points
Past
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4/15/2013 - mgl wrote: 90 Points
Very different than the Calif & Australian wines that we are used to drinking. Had a lot of earth tones to it. A little on the light side but incredible flavor
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3/29/2013 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Easily one of my favorite wines. Deep and rich with beautiful secondary flavors--earthy and funky and aromatic. Just gorgeous, but without having lost any of the rich jamminess that this wine showed in its youth. It's a complex smokiness on the nose and a long finish. Just beautiful!
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3/15/2013 - marka wrote: 87 Points
This bottle, at least, is past prime time. Not much to it. THe highlight was some earthiness and fruit that was fading. It did, however, go well with the blts.
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2/3/2013 - JavaMonkey wrote: 90 Points
Medium ruby red. Blackberry, cedar, herbs, loam. Medium weight, nice balance, the age has developed some interesting character and depth. Better now than it was a few years ago. Probably at it's peak.
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1/27/2013 - Tarokun Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes - nearing its end of life, but still good.. paired well with both light apps and venison/lamb combo.... finish is still good, but the fruit is wearing out.... would recommend drinking soon if you have any left. Overall, still quite good..
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1/1/2013 - franm Likes this wine: 90 Points
cheers, I love southern Rhone wines, as Cotes du Rhones are my go-to every day wines. Drinking a Chateauneuf is special, and Guigal does it right. This wasn't the best vintage ever, but this 2003 is a really nice wine that should hold well for another 3-5 years, I think. It did open up a bit after an hour, I should have decanted it, but didn't think it would be worth it. Not much sediment at all.
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12/26/2012 - ppaluszewski Likes this wine: 91 Points
Previously as noted. Drinking very well right now, probably at peak, but a few more years left. The barnyard notes eventually blow off and subtle dark fruit, earth, and a touch of cedar emerge. Soft, but present tannins. 90-92 pts. PJP 2012.
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11/15/2012 - fournet wrote: 92 Points
Probably just bottle variation, but this was better than the bottle I had in the spring. Previous note is accurate, except the alcohol is not as evident this time, which is a plus for my taste. Solid CdP. Nice QPR.
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10/13/2012 - LFCHALA Likes this wine: 88 Points
It was not the best year in the region in the last decade. This explains the lack of strength, complexity and capacity of aging. The wine is ready to drink. Nevertheless, all liked the wine.
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9/9/2012 - P&F wrote: 89 Points
"For an outstanding rating, I don't want it to taste grapey," Rand said. It smells of dark fruits and licorice, and the taste has the telltale Syrah flavor that I think is chocolatey. Very pleasant and in a good place, but it doesn't move us to say "Ah...." Moderate finish. Nice. Not a return purchase, I think. We did a 20 min decant and it was ready, tastes likr it's got a bit left in it but not much.
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8/12/2012 - slippytoad wrote: 92 Points
Last bottle, big shame. Love the character of this wine as it degrades slowly
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3/30/2012 - dkfinancial wrote: 91 Points
Couldn't disagree more with some reviewers who find it "tired" or complain of stink (it's Châteauneuf-du-Pape, folks, not Barossa Shiraz). Gamey, savoury nose, with hints of smoked meat and leather (clean; no brett). In an hour or so, some of the gamey notes blow off, letting the sweet black fruit and dark chocolate punch out more. Palate is full of sweet black fruit with Christmas cake like spice inflections. Medium plus acidity, which was a bit surprising (not over-ripe and flat); tastes better with food. Long, 30+ sec finish. Tannins are fully resolved. Will last easily another 5-7 years. I'd drink now to 2014; I think as the fruit recedes, the slightly perky acidity will skew the balance. As for now, it's a solid 91-pointer.
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3/21/2012 - swade wrote: 87 Points
Spicy, yet mellow. This is the second bottle of three. Consistent with last. Somewhat flat, metallic nose. Resolved tannins. Tired palate. This seems to have aged at an advanced rate. You won't see me mention fruit (and that can be okay). I have a soft spot for wines from this region (and port too), but if this were a new world wine, I have to admit I'd probably really rake on it and score it an 83. Molesworth (87) nailed this, Parker gave it a 95. Time tells. See the notes below.
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3/15/2012 - fournet wrote: 91 Points
Fairly typical CdP for the most part. Certainly more terroir driven rather than fruit driven, which I appreciate. Also, long finish with some nice complexity. I do wish there was a little less heat. Alcohol is too evident in the early part of the finish, though it is settled down on the back-end. Also, by hour three the alcohol was much more moderate throughout the finish and pleasant. Tannins are evident though sufficiently tamed. Overall, I enjoyed this. I will probably open my final bottle within the next year or two.
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3/3/2012 - wineruky wrote: 90 Points
Nose at opening was off a bit. After decanting 2 hrs, currunts on the nose. Garnet color, raspberry, plummy, with earthy tone. Very good wine.
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3/2/2012 - Point Bob Plonk wrote: flawed
Corked
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1/14/2012 - WEL3 wrote: 91 Points
I started off with a fews beers and Chilli, so later in the evening I wanted an earthier, dare I say, less elegant wine. I had this before and remembered that it might just hit the spot. It was quick to open and I believe it ready to drink and still in its prime. A good amount of earth, peat, almost barnyard, but more fruit than I expected with cherry, and blackberry. Yum
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1/4/2012 - azzah wrote: 84 Points
Decanted for an hour. Somewhat off-putting smell of caryard, leather and iron, with fruit well and truly into the background. On the palate it was mainly red fruits with leather, earth and spice. Only medium length. The tannins got more savoury the longer it was opened. This was ready to drink and I'm glad I didn't hold onto it any longer. Interesting but far from great.
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12/8/2011 - Russfrancis Likes this wine: 85 Points
Reminds me of a hospital, both on the nose and the palate initially. Very medicinal. Quite tight yet a lingering finish.
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10/29/2011 - markjahnke wrote:
Decanted an hour and popped with deep dish Chicago style pizza!
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10/28/2011 - John Nezlek wrote: 90 Points
What an enjoyable bottle. Classic CDP palate (to the extent such a thing exists), not as spicy as some I have had, but very well balanced. I guess it's possible that it could improve with some more time (and I will be putting side a couple I have), but it is drinking very well now.
No decant. I opened and let it breathe a bit (15-30 min) before drinking it over a few hours. It did not seem to change dramatically over time.
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10/3/2011 - moudy wrote: 88 Points
Nice red fruit within first 30 minutes of opening. A green olive flavor took-over by the second evening
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9/15/2011 - GalvezGuy wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. Nose of band aid, burnt rubber, smoke, raisin, red cherry, anise, leather. On the palate, red raspberry, leather, anise, smoke. Finishes smooth with nice acidity. Very good now, will never be great, but a wonderful drink nonetheless.
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6/23/2011 - yayin wrote: 87 Points
Seems to be past its peak. Not much fruit left. Seemed a bit light.
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6/4/2011 - vinniemontoni wrote: 91 Points
Was looking forward to this as I brought it back from Paris in 2006. 1 hour decant through vinturi. Nose of currants with a bit of wet earth but the strongest note is of rusted iron. Palate is midweight. Red fruits some earth and moss. Very fruity and tannins are still strong. Lengthy finish. Very good and will try to find again. Maybe I could have left it longer in the bottle but it's drinking great now.
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5/22/2011 - Barry Notes wrote: 90 Points
1 hour decant. Clear, med. red/purple color. good CdP nose. This is drinking well right now. Very Rhone taste, med body, good balance. Soft, easy to drink, enjoyable. nothing off.
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4/20/2011 - Alfaro wrote: 89 Points
Dinner with friend, consumed two bottles, everyone enjoyed the comfortable easily consumable juice
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3/27/2011 - nlassow wrote:
Rustic, old leather, some barnyard, not much fruit. Requires a bit more attention than standard new-world style wine. Seems like a good time to drink this.
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3/23/2011 - Tarokun wrote: 90 Points
Very good - getting peaked right now, not great with very strong food tastes, better alone..
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2/15/2011 - exd121 wrote: 85 Points
Vin un peut fermer qui a pris du temp a s'ouvrir. Une fois ouvert note de cerise et vanille.
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2/6/2011 - lumpkins wrote: 88 Points
red brick in colour. Initial barnyard aromas that dissipated after 2 hr decant. earthy with some black fruit notes but has mostly faded. tannins well integrated.
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12/30/2010 - Vintomas wrote: 92 Points
Red wines at their peak with AuZone (AuZone, Stockholm): Medium red, lighter edge. In the nose barnyard aromas, slightly sweetish, tobacco, some herb, eucalyptus? Developed, pleasant aromas. On the palate clearly herbal, with red and dark berries, quite tannic (slightly dry tannins), spice, some alcoholic bite, good concentration. Nice development, but should benefit from some more time. 92-93 p.
Surprisingly good for such a hot and often atypical vintage, and for not being a prestige cuvée.
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12/25/2010 - Bak wrote: 90 Points
Fik den til anden juleaften. Perfekt match. Flot næse med toner af peber og stald. Fint afrundet i smagen og med lang eftersmag.
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11/26/2010 - Benedikt wrote: 75 Points
Little too dry. Classic clean Guigal, smooth and fruity though
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11/14/2010 - wine n joy wrote: 90 Points
Garnet color, lean slightly to brick. Nose of currants, plums. Earthy, mossy. Medium body, decent mid palette and moderate finish. Pleasant
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10/13/2010 - DonalOB wrote: 88 Points
Ok - hardly my favourite CDP
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9/11/2010 - MichaelMA wrote: 88 Points
Very earthy and tar on the nose. Smooth mouth feel nice fruit. Pleasant bottle of wine.
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8/17/2010 - postman wrote: 89 Points
Nice wine very good aroma a good exampe of a gsm easy to drink avg finish
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7/28/2010 - dougdell wrote: 87 Points
Did not live up to its potential. A bit too acid on the front end. Some plummy fruit, nice old-world earthiness with a hint of cigar, and soft tannins. More balance on the second day.
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6/28/2010 - stevenc.rees@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Sadly I wanted a CDP and opened this now. too young a bit, but I enjoyed it anyway. All gone. As good today as it was last month.
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5/20/2010 - Bdbrutus wrote: 88 Points
Plum, earth and some smokiness. Got very pruney on day 2 but held together. My first CdP and a very good but somewhat unremarkable bottle.
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5/13/2010 - stevenc.rees@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Med dark red, with good brick at thte edges.
half hour to breathe, served with smoked pork chops
Nice CDP nose, very enticing. Some earth and typical aromas. A bit of a sharp earth and barnyard. Nice.
In the mouth it is full but dominated by tannins. CDP character in spades.
After reading the other notes from the Cellartrack crowd I feel I got a very good example of the wine.
Not a great CDP, but a good example and a good value. I have one left and wil hold it a year or three longer.
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4/26/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 86 Points
From a 375. Decanted 2 hours. The nose smells much older than it is, more like a 20-year-old wine, with lots of Chinese spices, bretty funk, and that certain something from an aged wine. Same on the palate. The tannins are green and harsh, giving this a coarse mouthfeel. There's definitely some charm, but it's disappointing for the producer and region. Probably would be better with food. I have to say, though, I don't mind having spent $1.50 for the bottle. ;)
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4/16/2010 - Biskuit wrote: 88 Points
Quite nice, brown seeping in to the fairly clear ruby color, a touch of paint/glue on the nose over cherries, comes across as slightly oxidized but fairly typical for CDP, tannins are still strong after a brief decant, will try again in a few hours.
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3/25/2010 - redrhonewine wrote: 85 Points
A little funk that mostly blew off after a while. A pretty unremarkable CdP. Wouldn't buy again.
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3/23/2010 - dady-o wrote: 89 Points
With a bit of spring air, never to disapoint. Another great 1/2 bottle! Certainly a deal at $10 per bottle! we'll see how it hold out over the summer.
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3/19/2010 - ppaluszewski Likes this wine: 90 Points
Enjoyed this one by the fire with a friend. Very "French" on the nose - barnyard, earthy, but with subdued fruit hiding in the background. Played with this one for a couple of hours and the funk faded away to reveal the cooked fruit and soft tannins, all balanced by good acidity. Complex with many layers. Was surprised how closed this was after almost 7 years. I know where I can get more of this vintage and will pick up one or two more bottles to keep for 2-5 years. Be patient with this one. 90-92 pts, maybe a bit more in a couple of years.
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3/18/2010 - passionate about wine Likes this wine: 86 Points
At first a bit closed on nose and taste. Opened up and the fruit was still there. Bought this on the clearance bin and it was worth it.
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3/15/2010 - pdrago wrote: 79 Points
Total brett bomb. Genuinely bad. I think there are some bad bottles of this because it seems like a few others have had the same problem, yet others really liked theirs.
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2/28/2010 - GuruofAV Likes this wine: 90 Points
The wine looks Garnet colored.
The legs are Medium.
It smells like Stoniness, and Cherry.
It tastes like Smokey Bacon, Black Olive, Plum, and Dust.
The body is Light/Medium.
The wine is textured Fleshy.
The wine finishes Long.
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2/20/2010 - GalvezGuy wrote: 89 Points
Popped for one hour then poured. The first impression was barnyard, burnt rubber, and overripe fruit. Decided to decant anothre hour. Nose of baryard, raisin, red cherry, licorice, smoky oak, red raspberry. On the palate, started the night very thing, but fleshed out as it got more air with red raspberry, leather, licorice, smoky oak. Nice transition to a creamy finish with crisp acidity. Probably needed more air time as it got more enjoyable as the night went on. Might be emerging from a dumb phase, not enough experience with this wine to tell. Hold. Not a good value. Excellent to oustanding.
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1/30/2010 - EyeDoc wrote: 88 Points
Nothing special but certainly very good. Balanced - good fruit - not overly ripe or hot.
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1/24/2010 - emdub wrote: 89 Points
This is only my second CdP from Guigal. Not an expert on CdP but I really liked this wine. It definetly made me want to venture out and try more S. Rhones. Glycerin in your face, with light red berries and a very slight cream on the back end. Earthy funk that is some what vegetal. A nice change of pace from my standard WA and CA rhone styled wines.
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1/13/2010 - jthomarts wrote: 88 Points
A little rough out of the bottle, mellowed out quite a bit as the night went on. Strong farm/earth nose, raisin taste. Not my favorite CDP in this price range.
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1/12/2010 - louisl wrote: 85 Points
Disappointing. Earthy, thin, tannic. I don't see much potential.
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12/26/2009 - ELH wrote: 88 Points
Decent, but unspectacular. Overpriced.
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12/20/2009 - czar33 wrote: 88 Points
Nez changeant à l'aération, passant du formaldéhyde aux griottes et marasquin. Plutôt long et intense, il tapisse bien la bouche et la gorge. Plus velouté qu'on pourrait s'attendre, il reste néanmoins alcoolique et puissant. On dénote des signes d'évolution au disque et un léger dépôt.
Mais à ce prix (plus de 50$) on reste sur sa faim...
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12/15/2009 - TheArtisan wrote:
Clear, brick red/tawny intensity. Clean, medium savoury, leathery characters, fully developed nose.Dry, medium + intensity, medium- tannins, animal, gamey as well as plum/forest fruits, hints of oak, long length ***1/2
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12/10/2009 - 57 Degres wrote: 75 Points
This is bad! Tasted like burnt tin with some old berries. Worst bottle that I have opened in 2 years. Have had better wine under 10 bucks. This is flat out BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!! Down the sink with pleasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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12/8/2009 - hawkeye54 wrote: 87 Points
not impressed. very earthy out of the bottle, which i tend to like, just not this much. ok after an hour decant, but still not very enjoyable. too much earth and little fruit turned into acidic meltdown! have three more bottles, won't touch for 4-5 years.
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12/7/2009 - thirstyman wrote:
wasn't the brett bomb that many have described here, but still not a great wine. Rather simple, seemed more like grape juice that wine. 84-86
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11/26/2009 - John Nezlek wrote: 87 Points
A little disappointing to me. WA gave it 90, which I do not understand. On the other hand, I did drink this toward the end of a big Thanksgiving day meal, and I may not have been able to appreciate it fully.
Overall, good CDP flavors, tannins were present, but not excessive (for me). Fruit was also finding its way out.
I have a few more, and I will drink the others under better conditions, e.g., maybe let it breathe a bit before drinking. We pretty much popped-n-poured this one. The wine opened up through the bottle suggesting that better pre-consumption treatment might bring a better result..
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11/21/2009 - EMTAME wrote: 50 Points
Total brett bomb. Let it breathe for an hour to see if there was any improvement. NOPE! Right down the drain.
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11/14/2009 - HatingWhitey wrote: 95 Points
Yummy!
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10/18/2009 - newworldman wrote: 88 Points
Heavy tannins even after an hour of decanting. Big earth, not a lot of fruit. Should have waited another year or so before drinking. Luckily i have another bottle that I over paid for.
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10/18/2009 - lebanonOHwinelover wrote: 89 Points
For the price--a very nice smokey bottle.
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9/23/2009 - goofy Yno wrote: 88 Points
earthy, strawberry. mouth with some spice, cherry, not very complex, but easy to drink
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9/22/2009 - kenthargis wrote: 88 Points
Enjoyable enough, but nothing that real that memorable. Had a good amount of Grenache I believe, which contributed to the raspberry flavor. Hadn't gone downhill yet, but at this price point, have found more interesting.
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9/19/2009 - Outplaying wrote: 88 Points
Nice soft wine with red fruits and some minerals; nice balance. Great with roasted chicken. We both liked this wine, but it was a little overpriced at $45.
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8/26/2009 - JOsgood wrote: 89 Points
Nice stuff and much lighter than the vintage would make me think of how it would taste. Lacking concentration but still good complexity and finish.
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8/4/2009 - markmontgo wrote: 93 Points
Nicely balanced, with fine tannis. Drinking well now but should last a few more years. nice fruit, minerality. Good QPR
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7/19/2009 - The-Evangelist wrote:
My initial impression was that this was a rather wan, small wine. Not much of a bouquet to speak of, extremely light body, mild red fruit, and of medium acidity. However, I discovered that served slightly chilled it was *much* improved and was then an adequate complement for a basic cheese spread on a hot summer day.
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7/12/2009 - eliotfagley wrote: 88 Points
Decent southern rhone for the money.
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7/11/2009 - Brian1970 wrote: 88 Points
After a half hour, the band aid funk blew off and this wine started settling into something good. I just fear I didn't give it a decent chance, drinking out of plastic cups at the Hollywood Bowl - and paired with the absolute wrong foods (gazpacho, acidic shrimps, etc.). But this had its charms and I could see it really opening up nicely with time.
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6/28/2009 - ezsobre wrote: 75 Points
Basically undrinkable. Upon opening, a rife whiff of rotten, wet earth and dirty laundry. Decanted for an hour. Odor remained pungent. Palate was very bleah, overwhelmed, again, by the earthy funk that none of the underlying flavors that may have been there could come through. Finish was short and abrupt. A thoroughly disappointing bottle.
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6/11/2009 - Khamen wrote: 87 Points
Attractive medium ruby. Lots of oak OTN accompanied by some very ripe stewed prunes and just-washed rasberries. Rhubarb? Nice rich and juicy attack fills the mouth with more rasberry and burnt oak but fades quickly into a drying, quite short, finish with a hint of cream and parsley. Some heat. Attractive but lacking a little complexity and depth. Rather powerful acidity for the vintage but intrinsically soft. QPR is reasonable and drinking nicely now (but another year or two probably won't hurt).
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6/9/2009 - milwaukeewino wrote: flawed
Half bottle.
Awful.
Undrinkable.
Raisins.
Dump.
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6/5/2009 - Lobonick wrote: 93 Points
Easily deserves the value.
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5/24/2009 - Snookboy wrote: 87 Points
Rather hot without enough fruit to support the tannins. Overall somewhat harsh. Not his best effort.
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5/20/2009 - plinytheelder wrote: 88 Points
Drank this in a 375ml. Thought it would be on its way out but still some nice structure and balance of red fruit. Good combination with grilled lamb chops. Tannins are there and in a good way. I guess the 750ml probably still has several years on it.
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5/9/2009 - kdsipe wrote: 92 Points
Are you kidding me? This wine was fantastic! Intense kirsh, coffee bean, brown sugar, rose petal, and copper penny on the nose. In the mouth it is medium bodied with good tannins and a long mineral finish. Paired nicely with a wagyu steak and the first fava beans of the season. This is why I love CdP. It needs another few years in the bottle. Decanted 3hrs.
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3/17/2009 - eeeeeradicator wrote: 92 Points
Now entering readiness to drink - just barely tannic at this point. A soft wine with nice ripe red fruits and tobacco on the nose. The notes below suggest inconsistency bottle-to-bottle, so maybe I was lucky.
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3/8/2009 - hawkeye54 wrote: 90 Points
Tasted immediately after opening. A lot of barnyard, musty, acidic. Decanted for two hours. Much better after decant. Well balanced, fruity and the barnyard had subsided into a nice note of complexity. Give it several more years.
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3/3/2009 - JimHow wrote: 88 Points
I liked the funky nose, although the palate doesn't seem to quite rise to the occasion. Earthy and stewed, with tobacco and spice. Pleasant, with some interesting complexities, I just don't think it is quite my cup of tea stylistically.
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3/1/2009 - tyvoodoo wrote: 91 Points
Nice nose of spice, luscious raspberries, strawberries, toasty oak and glycerin. No brett present on the nose, much cleaner and fruit forward than the last bottle. Palate is nice and dry with mouth puckering tannins. Good fruit throughout the palate and acidity to keep it balanced. Seems that it could open up a bit more and use some time in the cellar. Nice bottle for the price.
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2/16/2009 - smphelps wrote: 88 Points
Medium in color and complexity. I did not get any of the brett funk others suffered. Somewhat still slow to open, showing tar and olives first slowly turning loose of plums and prunes. Some coffee or tobacco component.
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2/13/2009 - goofy Yno wrote: flawed
corked
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1/29/2009 - winefool wrote: 90 Points
Wine Engagement Dinner (NoMi): Medium red color. Forward nose of red/black fruit, olive, and barnyard. Nice rich black spicy fruit with a touch of sweet. Good typicity. 90-91 pts.
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1/26/2009 - spacewrangler wrote: 70 Points
Overwhelmingly bretty, with stinky sock/diaper scents. Nearly undrinkable.
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1/25/2009 - tyvoodoo wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured right into a decanter. Decently bretty on the nose but blew off with air. Nice nose of soil, gravel, soft fruits and oak. Palate was better revealing even more fruit, cream and oak. Nice mid range CDP, nothing too crazy about it.
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1/25/2009 - sfqwino wrote: 87 Points
Not a popular bottle at the party. Out of the bottle the wine had repelling funk which took about half hour to blow away. Afterwhich the wine opened up with berries, cooked herbs, and finished with some bell pepper & vegetal nuance which was not well taken by most. I quite liked it though. In any case, this is not a easy drinking wine by most standards.
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1/24/2009 - Winebof wrote: 85 Points
Drank over 4 hours - pungent up front, relaxing somewhat thereafter. It maintained somewhat of a smoky character throughout. One of those wines you can't quite put your finger on at any time.
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1/16/2009 - BrunelloRiserva wrote: 84 Points
Wine was very tight when first opened with overpowering tannins but they smoothed out after 30 minutes or so. Earth and spice note predominated. A middle-of-the-road CDP at a middle-of-the-road price.
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1/14/2009 - godx wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Ruby red in colour, clear throughout. Nose of stewed red fruits, worn leather, cooked red cassis, vegetal and earthy notes. Medium body, high acidity, medium tannins, medium length finish. Flavours of spice, red fruits and tobacco. Drink now and for another 5 years. Very good. 89+
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1/10/2009 - jdiv wrote:
My 7th bottle of this, first since August. Unfortunately this has transitioned from slightly earthy to a bit of a brett bomb. With about 45min of air, this transformed into what for me is pretty much undrinkable. Have one bottle left, not sure what to do with it - give it an open then down the drain if the same.
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1/4/2009 - spartacus111 wrote: 91 Points
Earthy, red fruits, very nice. With a little decanting, the tannins fade to a manageable level. Long finish. A nice bottle.
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12/25/2008 - eliotfagley wrote: 88 Points
Closed bottle. Not much nose. Disappointing, as the other 2003 Guigal CDPs I've had have been surprisingly good.
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12/14/2008 - bjohnson350 wrote: 89 Points
This wine was a little surprising in that it was one of the better rhones for the price. The nose had green pepper, ceder, coco, and a touch of floral lavender. Had a hit of dirty dippers. The color was a little thin, kind of a lighter purple with lavender around the edge. The palate did not have ay peaks and valleys, it was pretty consistent through the finish where it hit you with black liquorish and the alcohol stayed lingering. The start of the palate was nice and earthy with Blackberry, plumb, bell peppers, white pepper and tobacco. It was tight in the beginning and loosened up in about 30 minutes, especial the nose which got way floral. The palate was spicy and hit the sides of the tong. Overall it was pretty balanced but the alcohol lingered a touch too much toward the mid and finish. Had a good earth and veggie feel to this wine. This wine was level lined and there were no hot spots in it, it was just overall consistent and not tremendously complex. It was enjoyable and worth a try for 65 bones a bottle.
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12/13/2008 - slippytoad wrote: 95 Points
This bottle drank beautifully. Could possibly use another couple of years but the nose and palate were in perfect floral harmony. Excellent stuff!
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11/28/2008 - Brsed wrote: 91 Points
Very nice. Nice spicy nose. Tastes of white pepper, black fruits and ginger. Good balance. Would go well with fowl.
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11/15/2008 - Fagernaes wrote: 91 Points
Familievinsmagning (Hos Claus & Rikke): En dyb rød let brunlig farve. Når man slynger vinen rundt i glasset og dufter hertil, vælter duften af stald og læder op i hovedet på én. Meget meget flot. Smagen lader heller ikke noget tilbage at ønske, en lidt anderledes Chateauneuf Du Pape end andre jeg har smagt. Vinen er lettere, mere elegant og kompleks end andre vine fra samme område. En super super flot vin som sagtens kan ledsage kraftig mad men også let kunne bruges som hyggevin efter maden.
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10/29/2008 - pjaines wrote: 85 Points
Straight out of the bottle this had a strong nose - white pepper, some complexity. In the mouth again white pepper - a bit of an aftertaste in the back of the throat. Good tannins, and generally in balance at first. Pronounced rasberries and cherries, herbs and a slightly bitter follow-through. Gives way to a smooth finish. Fairly complex, but this wine soon fades to become flabby, plummy and cloying. By the end it was all over the place. It wasn't a bad wine as such, but for £20 I certainly wont bother again.
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10/28/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 88 Points
nose of sweet plump, tar, earth. nice mouth with good balance, acidity, and spice. still fairly wound.
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10/3/2008 - chapel hill wino wrote: 91 Points
much better than expected. A little heat on the nose along with red fruit, new leather, and other integrated fruit flavors that I couldn't pull out. The palate was light to medium, the tannins submerged, and the finish short. Complex mid palate with good acidity. The earth was always there in the nose and the palate but was integrated and subtle. Overall this was a light CDP that I enjoyed.
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9/26/2008 - eiseis wrote: 92 Points
best bottle so far, maybe it's entering the drinking window.
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9/4/2008 - Sjontoft wrote: 90 Points
Very good CNDP with good value. balanced tannins, good fruit, and surprisingly good length on the palate.
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8/24/2008 - bluevespa wrote: 86 Points
It's hard to get thru the formaldehyde nose. I'm serious. Bought 7 half bottles yesterday and will return to The Wine Thief New Haven Ct.
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7/24/2008 - cormyr wrote: 92 Points
funky, floral bouquet. artistically crafted blend of new and old oak, barnyard, tannin and some almost ;) ripe grenache and syrah. wotn. nice job sir.
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7/19/2008 - rothdog wrote: 87 Points
This is a disappointing effort from a solid CdP producer. As you can tell from reading other notes, the '03 Guigal is fairly bretted out. Not much I can add here as far as tasting notes are concerned. Didn't get too much of the barnyard, but the new saddle leather dominates this wine, and overwhelms the fruit. Nice tannins, acidity and minerality. Savory herb finish.
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7/14/2008 - SacramentoCharlie wrote: 87 Points
Cranberry and wet leather nose. barnyard funk too. ok moutfeel. Medium finish. the funk was much more subdues after about 2 hrs decanting. wasn't worth the $35 to me
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7/3/2008 - billfoughty wrote: 84 Points
Not one of my favorites.
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6/2/2008 - SteeveR wrote: 88 Points
trop gras, pas de finesse, jamais plus
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5/28/2008 - cpowell wrote: 90 Points
Very enjoyable. The nose was like a whiff of the soil of Southern France. Good fruit and fairly long finish. Should have bought more. In 2-3 years should be even better.
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5/25/2008 - valecnik wrote: 86 Points
I had high hopes for this wine but it never came together for me. A clean nose, with leather and coffee. Quite tannic, strong, bitter peach pit note on finish. Some prune as well. After being open several hours it became very perfumey. I wonder if I jumped the gun on this one, but I have a hard time believing that it would have ever been spectacular, even after several more years.
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5/19/2008 - DKim wrote: 91 Points
Wine is light without being watery and thin. Very drinkable. Nice clean balanced finish. An underrated wine and an excellent value. I bought out my local wine shop.
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5/19/2008 - SteeveR wrote: 90 Points
Bue lors d'un souper avec parents Anne-Lou. suivait un Bordeau 2001 premier cru. Après le premier vin, ce CdP était excellent mais semblait moins complexe que le bordeaux. Ressemblait quelque peu à un vin de dessert. Acre ou acide, il semble un peu trop avoir un goût qui me rappelle les pruneaux.
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5/17/2008 - Zinny wrote:
Not my favorite CdP or Guigal. Gave several hours of airtime - tasting along the way - but it never came together. There are some typical rhone flavors but I am put off by the gamey-ness, barnyard/musty type components, the menthol and the heat on the finnish. This is an awkward wine right now. I'm no expert . . but if I had another bottle of this I'd wait on it for another year or 2 . and still not expect a 90pt wine even at that time.
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5/16/2008 - Nutty08 wrote: 89 Points
Big nose of sweet raspberry, fig, mushrooms, leather and tobacco. Palate is smooth and fruit forward at this point, but rather drying tannins. Finish is medium to long with dried fruit hanging on as well as some mineral and earthy notes. Enjoyable and has great potential, although rather disjointed at this point. Although is showing some secondary characteristics, isn't at its peak yet.
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5/13/2008 - jsums wrote: 93 Points
Dark brick red color. Slight fading around the edge. Intense, concentrated nose: ripe strawberry, some blackberry, mushroom, green olive, damp leather. Gorgeous. On the palate the ripe strawberry is still apparent with a little dusty currant, but more herbal flavors emerge: thyme, bay leaf, some truffle. Beautifully sturdy structure with focused acidity. Tannins are firm but rounded. Moderate to long on the finish with a brush of graphite. Stunning wine. Hitting its prime. Borders on profound.
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5/4/2008 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
There are some ripe Kirsch notes on the nose but the over-riding trait is a most off-putting band aid like brett. The palate starts off sweet and tender but the mid is very hollow and the finish, hard, clipped, metallic and bitter…absolute sink fodder.
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4/28/2008 - JavaMonkey wrote: 89 Points
The color is a medium ruby red. The nose has garrigue herbs, raspberry, and a little barnyard. The flavor starts out very herbal, with some raspberry and some gamey flavors. After a few hours of air, it opens up, with the palate filling in nicely. The fruit becomes very rich, with some cherry and dark berries. There's still some herb and game flavors. There's a lot of complexity in the palate. Nice long finish. Gets more delicious with air time.
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4/25/2008 - Li6 wrote: 88 Points
Clearly a step down from the '01 and the '99, this lovely wine features spicy raspberry and other red fruits. Tannins have softened a bit, but still could use some food. I would err on the side of drinking this wine now, since I'm not sure it has the stuffing to improve much more.
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4/24/2008 - Kevin_C wrote:
Deep purple with purple fruit and spice. Seems early to be drinking this. Tannins are more tolerable here than the St. Joseph.
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4/21/2008 - dannyg wrote: 92 Points
Color: Medium red, clear rim
Nose: Raspberry, fresh cut grass
Palate: For a light wine, very well balanced, a great 10-15-seconds finish, semi-dry but good fruit tannins. Packed with fruits, peppery and syrupy.
Had with italian pasta, salad and camerbert bread. Lovely!
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4/15/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 91 Points
nice wine. earth nose with brambly red fruits. very balanced with more earth, minerals, red fruits.
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4/5/2008 - Pour Boy wrote: 92 Points
Lovely bottle of wine with lots of complexity and layers. Earthy tones with strong barnyard nose. Will get better with a few more years of cellaring.
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3/30/2008 - OregonWineGeeks wrote: 92 Points
This wines color has lovely light scarlett with a copper color at the edge. The nose is cherry and fruit, a slight loam. The taste is fruit crispness that goes quickly to a long finish. The wine improves with aeration, the syrah grapes a prevelant and tasty with in the grenache. Though you would think it should have a heavy body, it is meduim to light flavorful
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3/27/2008 - bluevespa wrote: 88 Points
Not in the same leaque as the excellent 2000 Guigal cnp. Tasted this in a restaurant recently and it was better than this bottle, Some barnyard odd off flavors. Im going the combine the scores for this 88 rating.
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3/24/2008 - btanz57 wrote: 92 Points
nice nose, solid effort
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3/21/2008 - grafstrb wrote: 87 Points
-- opened 4 hours before consumption --
-- not decanted --
-- tasted non-blind --
NOSE: Redolent of the typical CdP "funk" with strong garrigue notes as well; secondary aromas of kirsch and spiciness peak through the funk.
BODY: garnet w/orange throughout - this appears to be aging prematurely; moderate-light depth - a very wide light rim on this wine; medium-light body, which is very light for this vintage; a little sediment is present
TASTE: barnyard and leather dominate this earthy wine; practically no fruits left; very light mouthfeel - easy drinking; this wine is more acidic than tannic; it's a bit hollow near back of mid-palate; a nice meaty finish of moderate length. A tasty CdP, but certainly not impressive. I get the impression that this wine never had the stuffing of a blockbuster. Drink now. A good value at $24.
B: 50, 3, 12, 16, 6 = 87 points
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3/20/2008 - bajayngo wrote: 87 Points
I got this as a b-day present. Pretty good pick from a friend that actually listens to what I like! I usually get horrible $5-$15 btls of wine that I end up pouring out! Man I'm really turning into a wine snob! In fact I'm thinking of getting that as a tatoo. "WINE SNOB"
Well when I pulled off the capsule it had juice oozing out and I was a little suspect! But it turned out ok, but I don't really trust the storing methods at World Market anymore.
Out of the bottle it fell into catagory of a lot of the notes I've read about this lately. Hollow and metallic.
But after about 1-2hrs decanting it got better and better, with some nice red fruits, some bread yeast, lots of earthy dirt, mushrooms, game and anise. The tannins were very intigrated at this point.
after about another hour or two in the glasses and bottle (I poured it back into the bottle and brought it to a friends house) the tannis really took over and the anise (why doesn't anybody say black licorice?!?!?!..... oh yeah...I'm a wine snob! ) was much, much more prominate.
So I'm a lil torn on this wine. The drinking window for it to hit my wheelhouse was after 2hrs of decanting but less then 4hrs. Not a very big window!!!
I'm a huge CDP fan and so when it hit, I was in heaven but I think for 40bones I can find a better QPR and drinking window. I think if you have this it's a drink now wine
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2/17/2008 - MarcInDSM wrote: 91 Points
Nose was very old world, but a bit ordinary. Palate was anything but ordinary. Very complex with leaves, dirt, some anise, and a tiny touch of strawberry. Warning: If you don't like old-world wines, stay as far from this as you can. Otherwise, yeah, this was very good. The tannins are gorgeous and bring a wonderful mouthfeel. The finish is quite long and delicious to me, though I can see others not liking it. 90-91.
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1/31/2008 - bwillia wrote: 92 Points
Really enjoyed this one. Saturated color with wonderful nose of dark cherry. Palate was equally satisfying with old world charm and strong fruit flavors. Terrific price point too for a CdP.
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1/16/2008 - AlpharettaWine wrote: 92 Points
Excellent CdP - will benefit from more time in the cellar
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1/5/2008 - drwine2001 wrote:
Some Loire and Rhone for a Rainy Winter Day (San Francisco Bay Area): Pale with brown edges-definitely looks advanced for its age. High toned aromatics with some dried tobacco. Surprisingly elegant for the vintage, but tannic and a bit lacking in fruit. Good despite its imperfections. Drink now.
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12/31/2007 - markjahnke wrote: 89 Points
Still a young wine. Decanting would have helped for sure, but it was a last minute grab on the way out the door for New Years Eve. Still have one more that will benefit from decanting I'm sure. Still a delicious wine when popped and poured, but not worthy of 90 points. Tons of cigar box and tobacco on the nose!
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12/31/2007 - slippytoad wrote: 93 Points
Great nose, leather and dark fruit on the palate, rich and seamless, long finish.
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12/23/2007 - pkbackman wrote: 84 Points
GOOD
Still young and tannic, but not sure it gets much better. The overwhelming flavor was stale root beer with some thin red fruit.
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12/22/2007 - winabkins wrote: 90 Points
Very nice rich color - dark ruby like. Rasberrish nose with an excellent body. Palate gave some hint chocolate and berries. It was much better on the second night. Wiill get a couple more and let it sit for a couple more years.
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12/18/2007 - TLHWG wrote: 83 Points
Color: rich ruby and cola. Very nice color. Nose: crushed rasberries, red currant and pomegranate. Tight (alcoholic) nose. Besides the alcohol, very nice nose. Taste: Rasberry with bitter flavors of molassas, black tea and pure cocoa. Still tight and hot after 24 hours. Smooth tannin and overall integration. Sort of phantom finish--quickly disappearing. Overall: Almost a very good wine, but I think this wine is too young. Perhaps in a year or two this wine will really sing.
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12/10/2007 - VinoTx wrote: 82 Points
Had high hopes for this, but it was not good. Flat, too much tannin and wet leaves.
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12/4/2007 - nschmidt wrote: 84 Points
Solid bottle of wine with nothing much for or against it. Just popped, decanted and poured with dinner. Maybe would have improved with some air. Adrianne was not impressed either.
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11/30/2007 - Mike Bates wrote: 85 Points
Dark purple in color. Not much fruit on the nose though there is a strong mint like smell to it that stays with the wine on the palate. Strongly mineral on the palate. Not sure that I'm all that impressed with this...
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11/30/2007 - pifcho wrote: 91 Points
Dark purple brownish color - looks much older than a 2003. Medium body. Decanted for 2 hours - it was great at that point - integrated beefy leather flavors with good blueberry and pomegranate fruit. Nice long finish. (91-93); An hour later leather amd beef flavors started overwhelming the fruit and the wine got very dry and slightly more tannic. (88-90) Went very will with grilled chicken and fries. Would buy again.
P.S. The night was better on the 2nd night - a lot more blueberries and a lot smoother. 91+
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11/22/2007 - eiseis wrote: 90 Points
The wine is young. It tasted oaky with a smooth feel after 3 hours of decanting. Not a bad E. Guigal...
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11/18/2007 - Currywm wrote: 88 Points
confirms my feeling that a good Aus red, like Penfolds 389, is a much better wine to my taste!!
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11/13/2007 - ml1 wrote: 87 Points
Decanted for about 2 hours. Funky earthy musty nose with some plums. Extremely dry wine with some leather and dust mixed with spicy dark red fruit..plum and blackberry. Earth and leather lingers on the finish. Nice balance of earthiness and fruit and spice.
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11/13/2007 - jeffreym123 wrote: 84 Points
very ho-hum, not what i expect from a CDP.
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11/9/2007 - Morten Kiernan wrote: 90 Points
nicely balanced CdP. Good concentration and dark fruits, spice and fruit. Acids, sweetness and tanins in good harmony, well made wine.
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11/8/2007 - nectar14 wrote: 91 Points
Pleasant nose of raspberry jam, some slight meatiness, and cocoa powder. Well-structured and nicely balanced. Lots of tannin on the finish, which goes well with rich red meat.
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11/1/2007 - Gargantua wrote: 91 Points
fascinating nose and taste: musk, leather, spice; floral overtones of (mimosa?! /carnation/purple thistle?/lavender?/ as it airs)+acid but not biting: the sweaty balls of a horse next to a mimosa bush....but good, interesting departure, not without its own quirky balance! 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 5% Mourvèdre and others from 45 year-old vines.
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10/4/2007 - boreddoughboy wrote: 91 Points
Dark deep purple with initial sterile aroma. Opened to reveal wine full of fruit with spice and smoke. Had hints of sweetness early? honey? Nice long finish, great value.
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9/14/2007 - gdbarton1@gmail.com wrote:
Dark ruby. Sweet dark red fruit, red licorice. Medium bodied, acid, dry tannin.
Nice body, dry tannic finish lacks the sweet fruit that was on the nose..
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8/31/2007 - Danny Joe wrote: 89 Points
Dark, not black color. Good nose of cherries and other red fruit. Great wine - complex and intricate, nice fruits. Good finish.
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8/13/2007 - brownman6 wrote: 90 Points
opened slowly, ready to drink now
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6/12/2007 - eiseis wrote: 90 Points
Decanting is required. It seemed that after two hours, it tasted much better than it was just opened.
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5/2/2007 - kanwingshing wrote: 88 Points
Barnyard, gamey, sweet berry ,smoke and a bit dusty on nose with a hint of herb. Big in pallet. Medium to full bodied. Good size tannin and it's not too rough. Good fruit concentration and balance acidity drives to medium lenght finsh. It's a bit austere on the end, and this feeling goes all the way from soft pallet right to the stomach. Feels quite good on nose and when is enters you mount but in the end quality falls apart. Still not bad but could be a lot better.
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4/30/2007 - GuruofAV wrote: 88 Points
Medium color with clear edge
Nose of barn and sour cherries
Bold flavor, a bit of heat, good grip too young needs more time
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3/14/2007 - themust wrote: 88 Points
This wine is going to be good. At first, I was really worried. It tasted way off and close. However, I didn't give up on it and drank it over the next 7 hours. About hour 5 it started opening up a little. By hour six it was big and dense with leather and spice. Great stuff. I can't wait to get a year or two on this one.
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2/3/2007 - tanglenet wrote:
At a tasting at the Wine Club SF. A very round mouthfeel with a sort of sweet/sour taste iwth a drying tannic finish. Fair.
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1/10/2007 - monty401 wrote: 88 Points
Started out nice, but with time the tannins made their presence known. Got very dry after 2 or 3 hours.
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1/6/2007 - aes0300 wrote: 86 Points
Decanted for 1 hr, consumed over the next 3. Muted nose of barnyard and red fruits. Medium body, very dry, red fruit and more barnyard on the palate. Tannins get you on the finish, would pass on this one again.
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12/25/2006 - ptdowd wrote: 91 Points
Nose of barnyard and earth. Nice earthy flavor, nice balance.
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12/21/2006 - jim dixon wrote: 91 Points
Excellent nose of smoke, barnyard, leather, and menthol. Initially quite tannic. Not excessively hot. I think I prefer VT, but this is awfully nice. No pruney notes, despite the vintage. Medium finish. Tannins calm down after about two hours in the decanter.
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10/26/2006 - Saint Stephen wrote: 88 Points
There is a lot here to like - I did not detect any stewiness that perhaps I was a bit worried about finding - however this really had a dominant spirity/hot element that I had a hard time getting past. Without this, it would be a 90/91 point, stuffing-filled CdP - not sure if the heat will integrate.
I'll note that I got this bottle for under $30 and the standard Guigal CdP remains a good value with a relatively mainstream flavor profile.
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5/10/2006 - Bill in Chicago wrote: 90 Points
Took a day to open up. Very tight, needs a lot of time. Will improve with age. Color 2/2, aroma 5/6, taste 4/6, overall/finish 5/6 = 16/20 or 90.
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