The first sip seemed fine, if a bit off. A few minutes later, it became clear it was corked. If one had guzzled in the first couple minutes, the bottle might not have gone down the drain. Half an hour later, TCA was obvious on the nose and palate, mildly so, but still CORKED!!
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Drinking well...smooth, still enough tannin and acid to provide structure. Early on, this drank much like a Cal Cab, which I tend to start hitting about 7 years after vintage. I think this wine showed more energy and more vibrant fruit when younger. Lesson learned.
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The wine exhibits smooth tannins and a nice nose. It is a pleasant wine on the palate, but has a short finish. My first tasting of this wine in 2013 caused me to stay away from this wine. As of this tasting the wine has improved greatly. Of several wines at a recent party, this was actually a big hit. The wine is purple in color with medium body, smooth texture and medium acidity. A pleasant everyday type of wine.
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Shed its baby fat. The color is still deep dark purple with aromas of leather, beef blood, dried black fruits and cassis. Nicely concentrated flavors of cherries, cranberries, toast and coffee on medium-heavy body and acidic backbone.
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w/ 10% Malbec. Black fruit aroma profile. Some aromatic herb aromas. Not quite Aussie style green herb oil, but more dried herb aromatics. Plump fruit, punchy acid. From the Uco Valley. Going forward it will say Uco Valley
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Followed over 4 days using argon to slow oxidation. Color slightly less inky than many other cabs. Day 1, nose of bright raspberry, blueberry, and blackberries with spiced cherries. Palate with very bright fruit for a cab with good acidity and strong but smooth tobacco and bitter mocha laden tannins. Tannins became silky out over the following 3 days. By day 4, still very bright berry flavors with hints of cardamon and pepper, finishing with prominent tobacco notes on the finish with a hint of semi-sweet chocolate.
Interesting wine experience. The brightness of the fruit likely from blending it with malbec, as opposed to merlot or cab franc; also not over-oaked which allowed the fruit to be more prominent. Thankfully, there's good acidity keeps it from feeling like fruit-bomb. Fairly approachable and an easy-drinker. Decent for the price.
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Tight right out of the bottle from a very cool cellar. Decanted and swirled vigorously for 40 min. Surprising black cherry notes followed by more typical black raspberry and blueberry. Medium Tannins. Very nice but needs some time to come together. Letting the rest sleep for 3 to 5 yrs.
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No decant time which made this tight when I started. Fruity bouquet, somewhat subtle, opened as the evening went on. Long legs, not particularly slow, tannic at the start which food cut into and mellowed. Blackberry tones, a little complexity, medium finish length, alcohol was not obvious throughout. At the price point a fine bottle of wine.
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The nose is very fruit driven... ripe plum and blackberry, sweet carmel and a slight floral note. The nose will fool you! The palate starts with a hint of blackberry and black currant and then full-on hits you with tar and charcoal. The mid-palate is full of sweet vanilla with a touch of black pepper and there is a medium-length finish of bitter dark chocolate. The alcohol is not very evident. The acidity is medium-high. The cab component is still young and tannic, but the malbec softens the wine - just short of silky. I am not sure what to make of this wine? It is not unpleasant, but there are so many conflicting flavors that do not necessarily compliment each other... This may not be enjoyable for some people, so read this note carefully before deciding to try. Aging may not improve this much. The value was good at $18/btl - providing a significant amount of complexity. So, the best evaluation might include a description of: "interesting".
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Dark purple color. Interesting notes of menthol, flan, prunes, raisins and some floral elements. Sweet and juicy on entry with coffee, raisins, blackcurrants and lingering dark cocoa. Silky tannins. Approachable now and hides the 14.5% alcohol very well. Buy more!
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Dark Purple but not quite inky. The legs are fairly fast. It smells like Oak, Fig, Cherry, and Tobacco. It tastes like Blackberry, Black Currant (cassis), Cherry, Dust, Light toast, Oak, and Clove. The body is Medium. The wine has Smooth texture. The wine finishes Medium. Very slight amount of heat and spicyiess on the finish.
I used the tasting note assistant but I can say that this is a great QPR at less than $25. There are no major flaws as one can usually find with wines at this price point.
It is very nicely balanced and very smooth for a young wine. I think this could probably age for at least 6-8 years and improve in the meantime. The minor flaw is that it is slightly thin (7 out of 10) and not extremely long (8 out of 10). The length and viscosity are on a tough grading scale. It is not over extracted or too fruit forward giving it a more old-world taste.
A great wine for guests who aren't really into wine that much (they will love it) or wine lovers looking for a bargain.
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2/26/2021 - twain wrote: 90 Points
I waited too long for this my fault. Wanted to hit the last one at 10 years. Not terrible but over the hill. Should have finished couple years ago
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9/13/2018 - thalver wrote: flawed
The first sip seemed fine, if a bit off. A few minutes later, it became clear it was corked. If one had guzzled in the first couple minutes, the bottle might not have gone down the drain. Half an hour later, TCA was obvious on the nose and palate, mildly so, but still CORKED!!
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5/24/2018 - sylviap Likes this wine:
Still very drinkable, but won’t last too much longer. Nice nose, with hints of blackberry and coffee. Leather and coffee on the palate.
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4/26/2018 - thalver wrote:
Drinking well...smooth, still enough tannin and acid to provide structure. Early on, this drank much like a Cal Cab, which I tend to start hitting about 7 years after vintage. I think this wine showed more energy and more vibrant fruit when younger. Lesson learned.
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7/22/2017 - twain wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very well right now. Integrated tannins, blackberry and coffee.
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12/11/2016 - Prariecellar wrote: 85 Points
The wine exhibits smooth tannins and a nice nose. It is a pleasant wine on the palate, but has a short finish. My first tasting of this wine in 2013 caused me to stay away from this wine. As of this tasting the wine has improved greatly. Of several wines at a recent party, this was actually a big hit. The wine is purple in color with medium body, smooth texture and medium acidity. A pleasant everyday type of wine.
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7/25/2015 - gagrapes wrote: 89 Points
Needs plenty of airtime.
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5/29/2015 - Rojo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Shed its baby fat. The color is still deep dark purple with aromas of leather, beef blood, dried black fruits and cassis. Nicely concentrated flavors of cherries, cranberries, toast and coffee on medium-heavy body and acidic backbone.
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8/17/2014 - nzinkgraf wrote:
w/ 10% Malbec. Black fruit aroma profile. Some aromatic herb aromas. Not quite Aussie style green herb oil, but more dried herb aromatics. Plump fruit, punchy acid. From the Uco Valley.
Going forward it will say Uco Valley
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7/7/2014 - budosyu wrote: 87 Points
Followed over 4 days using argon to slow oxidation. Color slightly less inky than many other cabs. Day 1, nose of bright raspberry, blueberry, and blackberries with spiced cherries. Palate with very bright fruit for a cab with good acidity and strong but smooth tobacco and bitter mocha laden tannins. Tannins became silky out over the following 3 days. By day 4, still very bright berry flavors with hints of cardamon and pepper, finishing with prominent tobacco notes on the finish with a hint of semi-sweet chocolate.
Interesting wine experience. The brightness of the fruit likely from blending it with malbec, as opposed to merlot or cab franc; also not over-oaked which allowed the fruit to be more prominent. Thankfully, there's good acidity keeps it from feeling like fruit-bomb. Fairly approachable and an easy-drinker. Decent for the price.
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7/7/2014 - phattyjrb wrote: 86 Points
Didn't love this or even like it a lot. Think it needs more time for the flavor to really come together.
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4/5/2014 - Smudge4! Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tight right out of the bottle from a very cool cellar. Decanted and swirled vigorously for 40 min. Surprising black cherry notes followed by more typical black raspberry and blueberry. Medium Tannins. Very nice but needs some time to come together. Letting the rest sleep for 3 to 5 yrs.
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3/8/2014 - quaffnov Likes this wine: 90 Points
No decant time which made this tight when I started. Fruity bouquet, somewhat subtle, opened as the evening went on. Long legs, not particularly slow, tannic at the start which food cut into and mellowed. Blackberry tones, a little complexity, medium finish length, alcohol was not obvious throughout. At the price point a fine bottle of wine.
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1/10/2014 - djlevin wrote: 88 Points
The nose is very fruit driven... ripe plum and blackberry, sweet carmel and a slight floral note. The nose will fool you! The palate starts with a hint of blackberry and black currant and then full-on hits you with tar and charcoal. The mid-palate is full of sweet vanilla with a touch of black pepper and there is a medium-length finish of bitter dark chocolate. The alcohol is not very evident. The acidity is medium-high. The cab component is still young and tannic, but the malbec softens the wine - just short of silky. I am not sure what to make of this wine? It is not unpleasant, but there are so many conflicting flavors that do not necessarily compliment each other... This may not be enjoyable for some people, so read this note carefully before deciding to try. Aging may not improve this much. The value was good at $18/btl - providing a significant amount of complexity. So, the best evaluation might include a description of: "interesting".
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10/8/2013 - thalver wrote:
Nice bottle of wine.....well balanced, a bit young.....medium to full bodied...needed a couple hours in the decanter to show its best
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10/8/2013 - Rojo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark purple color. Interesting notes of menthol, flan, prunes, raisins and some floral elements. Sweet and juicy on entry with coffee, raisins, blackcurrants and lingering dark cocoa. Silky tannins. Approachable now and hides the 14.5% alcohol very well. Buy more!
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3/30/2013 - ColoBill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Actually 92+
Dark Purple but not quite inky. The legs are fairly fast. It smells like Oak, Fig, Cherry, and Tobacco. It tastes like Blackberry, Black Currant (cassis), Cherry, Dust, Light toast, Oak, and Clove. The body is Medium. The wine has Smooth texture. The wine finishes Medium. Very slight amount of heat and spicyiess on the finish.
I used the tasting note assistant but I can say that this is a great QPR at less than $25. There are no major flaws as one can usually find with wines at this price point.
It is very nicely balanced and very smooth for a young wine. I think this could probably age for at least 6-8 years and improve in the meantime. The minor flaw is that it is slightly thin (7 out of 10) and not extremely long (8 out of 10). The length and viscosity are on a tough grading scale. It is not over extracted or too fruit forward giving it a more old-world taste.
A great wine for guests who aren't really into wine that much (they will love it) or wine lovers looking for a bargain.
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