Okay, when you go to the store and get entry level wines for quick/easy service do not let them hang in the cellar for too long. This was a mess. Nose was quite boozy at this point with back fruit and some stinky/poopy notes. Palate is bizarre with black fruit, plum and a mouthful of mulch ... really ... eat some bark mulch and it might be more pleasant.
Popped this with pizza. Suffered through a glass and dumped. Over the hill is my guess. Drink the 2018 and hope for better.
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Monthly Tasting Group HWS #107; Oregon and Washington (By MO): Cherry/raspberry yoghurt and bell pepper in the bouquet. On the palate raspberries and other red fruits, lemonade, a lot of sweetness, low acidity and tannin. Juicy, but a commercially made BBQ wine.
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Robe de couleur rubis. Nez avec beaucoup de sucre et sur les fruits murs. En bouche, le vin est rond, pas trop sucré en bouche, arômes de forêt, bonne astringence, manque de complexité.
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Huge, persistent oak and odd candy notes overwhelm the underlying fruit. Mineral flavors, with a primal aftertaste that I have found more often in Southern Rhone blends or Pinotage than in Merlot, by itself not unpleasant but which are on this unbalanced wine. Smooth tannins. This feels to me like a a highly manipulated wine, a better name might be The Velveeta Devil. There are many better wines at this price ($10-$14).
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On first sniff, pretty nice nose with a lot of raspberry and subtle rustic notes of wet soil and maybe even a touch of tobacco. Meh, all nuance dies off in the palate in a wash of raspberry and unbalanced alcohol. A slight finish reaffirms the fruit and adds a fleeting minerality. Its alright but a little more jarring than velvety.
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The nose at first is bright and fresh, a bit like a white wine, but more empty than fruity; then mostly smells like alcohol. The taste is better than the nose, with a hint of red fruit and then a wee bit of black raspberry. Hardly tastes new world in style to me. Finish is short and weak and then poor. May be good with food. No tannins. $14. Overall value: 2 stars of 5. Low good: (80).
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(Tasted at Vino, Hollywood, Florida). This is not a good wine! This Washington State Merlot has a light purple/crimson color with a relatively austere nose. The wine tastes of dark fruit and some licorice. It is relatively thin with really no finish. I didn't taste the "Velvet".
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Seymour Wine Club Meeting 6/14/14 (Home of David Zanowiak): Tasted blind. Showing more on the nose than the previous wine, this had some nice cherry, earth and iron aromas. The palate was open for business with flavors of cherry, mocha, earth and iron. There were some tannins present but nothing overpowering or even in need of aging. 30 minutes in a decanter would do it. A very nice value wine.
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Quite surprised with the other negative tasting notes written. Perhaps consumed at warm room temp which can kill the taste if just about any red wine. Anyway, for $12, I'm shocked at the sheer deliciousness of this Merlot. Don't get me wrong , this is pretty one dimensional with a deliberate vanilla bomb and touches of berry but it's very drinkable and just really quite amazing for $12. I've had many bottles of Charles Smith's premium high end wines for years and I think its pretty amazing to see he can kill it on a simple cheap wine.
-- Consumed at at cellar temp: 60°-65° F. Friends don't let friends drink red wine at room temp!
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Blackberry and bramble but more on the bitter and undeveloped side - lacking in unctuous delicious fruit or well-balanced oaking. Drinkable but dull, characterless wine. Med acid, med tannin, purple-red color, short green finish. $12, 13.5%.
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- Purple color and aromas of blackberry and has flavours of blackberry with a medium body. Leathery texture with a short finish - Easy , very cheap merlot.
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Violet, plum candy on the nose, very fruit forward // similar on the palate, supple, but not overly so, short finish. Good quaffing wine. A nice wine if you need a half cup of red wine for a recipe and want to enjoy drinking the rest.
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12/6/2019 - RockinCabs wrote: 79 Points
Okay, when you go to the store and get entry level wines for quick/easy service do not let them hang in the cellar for too long. This was a mess. Nose was quite boozy at this point with back fruit and some stinky/poopy notes. Palate is bizarre with black fruit, plum and a mouthful of mulch ... really ... eat some bark mulch and it might be more pleasant.
Popped this with pizza. Suffered through a glass and dumped. Over the hill is my guess. Drink the 2018 and hope for better.
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3/9/2016 - Zweder wrote: 81 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS #107; Oregon and Washington (By MO): Cherry/raspberry yoghurt and bell pepper in the bouquet. On the palate raspberries and other red fruits, lemonade, a lot of sweetness, low acidity and tannin. Juicy, but a commercially made BBQ wine.
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2/26/2016 - flussier wrote: 86 Points
Robe de couleur rubis. Nez avec beaucoup de sucre et sur les fruits murs. En bouche, le vin est rond, pas trop sucré en bouche, arômes de forêt, bonne astringence, manque de complexité.
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1/21/2016 - PaulusLoZebra Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Huge, persistent oak and odd candy notes overwhelm the underlying fruit. Mineral flavors, with a primal aftertaste that I have found more often in Southern Rhone blends or Pinotage than in Merlot, by itself not unpleasant but which are on this unbalanced wine. Smooth tannins. This feels to me like a a highly manipulated wine, a better name might be The Velveeta Devil. There are many better wines at this price ($10-$14).
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12/16/2015 - djpo wrote: 77 Points
Not wrecked or ruined. Thin, uninspired, calcium notes.
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11/4/2015 - ABOVETHEINFLUENCE wrote:
cocoa powder on the palate from the gate
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7/5/2015 - Steve&Carolyn wrote: 83 Points
Drinkable, but nothing particularly special.
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11/6/2014 - Jobu wrote: 87 Points
Nothing really stands out, good or bad. But it's got a nice bit of berries and is pleasant mid week wine. Maybe a bit boring, but it's only $11.
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10/19/2014 - Tiderunner22 wrote: 79 Points
Uninspired Washington state Merlot. There are so many superior wines at this price point. Will not buy again.
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10/17/2014 - KingsleyZissou wrote: 75 Points
On first sniff, pretty nice nose with a lot of raspberry and subtle rustic notes of wet soil and maybe even a touch of tobacco. Meh, all nuance dies off in the palate in a wash of raspberry and unbalanced alcohol. A slight finish reaffirms the fruit and adds a fleeting minerality. Its alright but a little more jarring than velvety.
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9/28/2014 - Ombibulous wrote: 80 Points
The nose at first is bright and fresh, a bit like a white wine, but more empty than fruity; then mostly smells like alcohol. The taste is better than the nose, with a hint of red fruit and then a wee bit of black raspberry. Hardly tastes new world in style to me. Finish is short and weak and then poor. May be good with food. No tannins. $14. Overall value: 2 stars of 5. Low good: (80).
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9/21/2014 - shorty01 Likes this wine: 86 Points
No frills, but nice ripe fruit without being tuty fruity. Good crowd pleasing party wine or week night guilt free sipper made in a drink now style.
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9/13/2014 - Endodr Does not like this wine: 80 Points
(Tasted at Vino, Hollywood, Florida). This is not a good wine! This Washington State Merlot has a light purple/crimson color with a relatively austere nose. The wine tastes of dark fruit and some licorice. It is relatively thin with really no finish. I didn't taste the "Velvet".
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9/9/2014 - mplsbruin wrote: 83 Points
No brightness, little fruit.
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9/6/2014 - Drinker Diary Does not like this wine: 69 Points
Oeil: Rubis
Nez: Fumée - Bois
Bouche: Cuir - Fruits rouges
Sans prétention! Un nez timide et simple. En bouche, très peu de personnalité et de plaisir.
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6/21/2014 - nzinkgraf wrote:
1 yr in French oak. 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. not much of a note.
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6/14/2014 - slywka7 wrote: 89 Points
Seymour Wine Club Meeting 6/14/14 (Home of David Zanowiak): Tasted blind. Showing more on the nose than the previous wine, this had some nice cherry, earth and iron aromas. The palate was open for business with flavors of cherry, mocha, earth and iron. There were some tannins present but nothing overpowering or even in need of aging. 30 minutes in a decanter would do it. A very nice value wine.
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5/1/2014 - saki846 Likes this wine:
Easy drinking wine. Lots of fruit.
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4/11/2014 - yofog wrote: 83 Points
Good enough. Ripe-ish, hint of leaf, plum, easy-going. Solid but deeply unexciting. Probably just not for me.
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3/17/2014 - Gestalted Likes this wine: 88 Points
Quite surprised with the other negative tasting notes written. Perhaps consumed at warm room temp which can kill the taste if just about any red wine. Anyway, for $12, I'm shocked at the sheer deliciousness of this Merlot. Don't get me wrong , this is pretty one dimensional with a deliberate vanilla bomb and touches of berry but it's very drinkable and just really quite amazing for $12. I've had many bottles of Charles Smith's premium high end wines for years and I think its pretty amazing to see he can kill it on a simple cheap wine.
--
Consumed at at cellar temp: 60°-65° F. Friends don't let friends drink red wine at room temp!
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2/1/2014 - Benj wrote: 80 Points
Blackberry and bramble but more on the bitter and undeveloped side - lacking in unctuous delicious fruit or well-balanced oaking. Drinkable but dull, characterless wine. Med acid, med tannin, purple-red color, short green finish. $12, 13.5%.
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1/26/2014 - 3 Canine Domain Likes this wine:
Medium acidity initially, smooth and mellow throughout to a short finish, sweet aftertaste. New to wine but I really liked this.
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12/10/2013 - AlderWine wrote:
- Purple color and aromas of blackberry and has flavours of blackberry with a medium body. Leathery texture with a short finish - Easy , very cheap merlot.
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11/12/2013 - nsainati wrote: 87 Points
Violet, plum candy on the nose, very fruit forward // similar on the palate, supple, but not overly so, short finish. Good quaffing wine. A nice wine if you need a half cup of red wine for a recipe and want to enjoy drinking the rest.
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