Darkish red. Edge still has blue tinge. Large bq w pepper, blackberries, smoke, medicinal touch (menthol? camphor?). Plenty of dark fruit, rounded tannins, a bit low on acidity. Aftertaste w alcohol and jammy blackberry fruit. Will last longer, but why wait? Good, but a bit onedimensional.
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I found Keith Clark’s note of July 2020 helpful and generally agree with it. Good nose with plenty of rich (mainly dark) fruit that I find almost sweet and certainly not dry. There is still spice, soft tannin and gentle acidity. I still get hints of ‘burnt rubber’ with, now, a little jam after an hour or so. A ripe ‘vegetal’ taste gradually developed on the late palate - not pleasant (reminiscent of parsnips?). I cannot put a numerical score on this wine, not least because my wife just didn’t like it, so an average score would be meaningless. Our last bottle. Perhaps a disappointing one-off. If you have any, it may be time to drink it.
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This feels like it has come good, but still has time - despite most of the drinking dates suggesting 2019 or 20 as a cut-off. I will try to keep the last bottle for two or three more years. Deep, thick ruby - colour all the way through. Nose of blackberries with distinct spices - pepper and paprika - a little jamminess and some notes of mushroom and maybe some damp earth. Pleasantly plump is the mouth without being jammy - black fruits (cassis dominating later), some cherries and some good acid. Dry, and still nice, integrated tannins.
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Very dark colour with just a hint of bricking. Rather severe nose of dark fruit and tannin, but not unpleasant. Good mouthfeel, and it gets better with extra decanting. Nice if lean texture, with black cherry, sweet earth, and leather. A wine that has possibly reached its peak but is still very enjoyable, if just a little astringent.
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This has been worth keeping. It's not that it has developed significantly, but it has definitely improved. Deep purple-red, with just faint hints of garnet. Deep black fruits on the nose, with a little menthol, especially towards the back of the nose (slightly resembling smelling salts); maybe a little smoky note too; bold and strong. Delightfully fruity taste - black fruits, especially blackberry - with a structure that's holding up very well. The lingering finish becomes more sour after the sweet fruits earlier on.
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This deep ruby Shiraz had aromas of plum and pepper, but they were a bit underwhelming and lacking punch. It was full-bodied with tastes of cherry, balanced tannins, and a medium finish. I was hoping for more complexity. Certainly not bad, but a bit disappointing given the hype and price.
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Deep garnet with midnight-black core. Deep yet fresh black fruits on the nose - blackcurrants, blackberries and perhaps a little stewed cherry too; a little black pepper and clove. To taste, the wine is softening nicely. There's a good fruit mouthful - blackberry, blueberry and perhaps some cherry juice. More sourness comes through on the finish.
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Dark and rich purple-tinted burgundy; deep colour all the way through. Good black fruits on the nose: blackcurrants and blackberries, both deep and fresh, then cloves, dusty cardamon and black pepper; a hint of menthol; rich and pleasant aromas. Fruit-driven still with good structure in the mouth - black fruits but with some freshness and the leavening edge of some red. Dry spices and a little tannin. An acidic and spicy-dry finish.
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Bramble fruit and leaves on the nose. Despite a slight creaminess, there's a freshness in the smell, with some eucalyptus at the back of the nose. Black fruit taste, with just a little raspberry and cranberry. Initially fresh and light, then some sour cherry adds depth. A long acidic finish. Overall, fruit still prominent, but nevertheless the wine is mellowing.
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Deep Black Ruby Red in colour with maturing rim at Dec 2017. good an ok. Maturing prune/plum like fruit leap out of the glass with integrated oak . getting ready for certain, all good. On the palate we have lovely sweet upfront fruit , medium mid palate richness with good long oily tannins giving great length, cool climate acid is in check. v/nice palate indeed esp. for a bread an butter commerical wine. QPR at around $15 great , an great food wine with pasta an italian tomato based sauces. v/good drinking now an will keep but wont get much better , only soften to a savoury style.
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Dusty and powerful nose - mixed red and black fruits with some spice - black pepper and cinnamon on the back of the nose; big; a little eucalyptus on the finish. Rich, mixed forest fruit and blueberries to taste, plus cherries. Some sweet juice but also a savoury backbone.
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A bit thin and 1-dimensional when first opened but after an hour, it opened nicely. A hint of 'rubber' on the nose and early palate but it seemed to blow off in the glass and was not a problem. Very good (mainly red) fruit, some spice and complexity, good balance and length. Some elegance and finesse - certainly not a jammy Aussie 'fruit bomb'. Quite good value on offer. Has benefitted from some bottle age and has future life, I think. 2 days after opening, this was very good indeed. It seemed to have settled down. I've raised my score a point. Don't rush it.....
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This was my second bottle of this Clare Valley Shiraz from one of my favourite Australian producers, Jim Barry, but the first was way back in March 2014. As then, it is richly, powerfully aromatic, very smooth but certainly less tannic now, those extra couple of years having softened the core, while the rest of the profile is very similar. Overall, drinking it is like riding a Syrah-Shiraz pendulum. It starts in Australia with ripe purple and black fruit (plum, blackcurrant, blackberry), milk chocolate, and an interesting, if very mild, cheesy note (Parmigiano?), moving then to the Rhône with meat, black pepper, garrigue, and earth, and then settling in between as really good cooler-climate Aussie Shiraz, fruity but also savoury, the various notes achieving harmony, a touch sweet but with more than enough acidity to provide freshness. I will admit that I'm not much of a fan of Aussie Shiraz, but really that has to do with the fruit-bomb, face-punch stereotype. This is the sort of Aussie Shiraz I like, a balancing act of Old World and New that is still distinctively Australian. A bit more depth would bump it to 90+, but that harmony is very much on display here.
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Thick, dull purple. Strong vine leaf on the nose and then some berry fruits; fresh, also with some redcurrant and nettles. Ripe red and black fruits taste, with some cherry giving an edgy sourness. Somewhat chewy with cherries coming through more strongly on the finish.
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Great Value.....Not as deep colored as some, but great garnet and purple. is good on the nose...black cherries and plums, with nuances of cloves and variey of herbs.....lots of dark fruit flavors - blood plum, red cherry and mulberry...and some peppery notions. Great served with a touch chill in the summer.
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Deep black fruits with some sour cherry on the nose; vine leaf and damsons and a little hint of smokiness; also a hint of raspberry syrup (maybe mixed into ice cream) - and bizarrely some coco-cola? Very ripe taste, bordering on burnt black and some red fruits. A little fresher eucalyptus. Ribena-like juiciness.
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Nice, opaque garnet. Loads of leaves on the nose - vine, tomato and, strangely, rose; then big blackberries and some blackcurrant - maybe a little green but at least that puts it the right side of jammy. After a while in the glass the aromas become more bubble-gummy. Initially the taste is of chocolately black fruits. The black fruits fruits give way to sour cherries, but then migrate back to blackberry. Nicely-integrated tannins. Finish resembles a licquer chocolate.
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Deep, clear garnet. Moderate aromas with some age. Jammy blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, and spice on the nose. Off dry, medium body. Pretty crisp acidity, a bit too much so. Medium, soft tannins. Flavorful: lots of plum, raspberry, cherry, cocoa, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Medium finish.
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Pretty aromas of ripe dark fruits, white pepper, crushed flowers, liquorice and a hint of oak. On the palate supple, fresh and cool. Not too "new worldy" or oaky. More leaning towards Rhone in it`s style. One of the better Aussie Shirazes I`ve had in a while. The average score here is too low in my opinion, so gave one extra point to boost it higher..
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Got this from a Costco-associated store. One of the few from there that really did not work out all that well. Yeah, a Shiraz, second night it opened up a bit better to where I could give it a 85. Had the Shiraz fruit, just not any complexity or unique characteristics. Agree, a tad bitter and unbalanced. No way do I see this being a 91 or anything close to that. Might improve slightly with a year or two, but still couldn't even stack up to an entry level Rosemont.
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No, this was not a wine for me. A lot of black fruits and jam. The wine has a bitter taste and is unbalanced. A burnt taste which I don't like. My advise is to spend your money on some thing else. 2 NJP
For more reviews of wine and information about wine; see www.njconsultingimport.se
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Inleder med starka toner av mentol. Därefter mörka bär, men lite ljusare bär lurar i bakgrunden, tänker på drottningsylt. En hel del chark, lite repbod och massor med vitpeppar. I munnen ganslka fyllig, massor med frukt och syra, slånbär och lingon, kanske lite mörka omogna körsbär. En liten beska i mitten och ett syrligt slut. Inte särsklit stramt, åtminstone inte för en #nebbiololover :D Gillar jag? Sådär, lite för mycket kraft och för iite elegans. Tröttnar lite efterhand men visst är det gott. Inte riktigt min stil , stannar på 86p.
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Casual wines with Pizza: Oak and lavender with some earth and a rubber undertone. The fruit shows boldness but doesn't exactly have a lot of interest, though at least the oak doesn't overwhelm on the palate due to the fruit power.
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{screwcap, 14.5%} Tastes thick and dense somehow, but without much flavour, really. How do they do that? Maybe a bit of blackberry and methol, but that's all, with fine, almost non-existent tannins, and soft acidity. Doesn't have too much heat on the palate either, but overall it just tastes far too bland somehow. Give it air time I guess - that might help.
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A deep crimson wine with an ample body. Spice and floral aromas dominate with flavours of red cherries, red blood plums and mulberries. A medium lingering finish. Ready to drink and best drinking to 2025. A 'Great Value' rating of -2.6 'neutral value 4 $' see more at; http://bit.ly/1iUsTdo
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6/28/2023 - Alaskawino wrote: 81 Points
Pretty much over the hill
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12/18/2022 - Alaskawino Likes this wine: 88 Points
Floral fruit and vegetable notes Opened 3 hours prior which is about right Didn’t change much though the evening
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10/9/2021 - Leto South wrote: 88 Points
Darkish red. Edge still has blue tinge. Large bq w pepper, blackberries, smoke, medicinal touch (menthol? camphor?). Plenty of dark fruit, rounded tannins, a bit low on acidity. Aftertaste w alcohol and jammy blackberry fruit. Will last longer, but why wait? Good, but a bit onedimensional.
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4/5/2021 - johnrm wrote:
I found Keith Clark’s note of July 2020 helpful and generally agree with it. Good nose with plenty of rich (mainly dark) fruit that I find almost sweet and certainly not dry. There is still spice, soft tannin and gentle acidity. I still get hints of ‘burnt rubber’ with, now, a little jam after an hour or so. A ripe ‘vegetal’ taste gradually developed on the late palate - not pleasant (reminiscent of parsnips?). I cannot put a numerical score on this wine, not least because my wife just didn’t like it, so an average score would be meaningless. Our last bottle. Perhaps a disappointing one-off. If you have any, it may be time to drink it.
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7/25/2020 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 89 Points
This feels like it has come good, but still has time - despite most of the drinking dates suggesting 2019 or 20 as a cut-off. I will try to keep the last bottle for two or three more years. Deep, thick ruby - colour all the way through. Nose of blackberries with distinct spices - pepper and paprika - a little jamminess and some notes of mushroom and maybe some damp earth. Pleasantly plump is the mouth without being jammy - black fruits (cassis dominating later), some cherries and some good acid. Dry, and still nice, integrated tannins.
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7/6/2020 - vide Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very dark colour with just a hint of bricking. Rather severe nose of dark fruit and tannin, but not unpleasant. Good mouthfeel, and it gets better with extra decanting. Nice if lean texture, with black cherry, sweet earth, and leather. A wine that has possibly reached its peak but is still very enjoyable, if just a little astringent.
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11/9/2019 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 88 Points
This has been worth keeping. It's not that it has developed significantly, but it has definitely improved. Deep purple-red, with just faint hints of garnet. Deep black fruits on the nose, with a little menthol, especially towards the back of the nose (slightly resembling smelling salts); maybe a little smoky note too; bold and strong. Delightfully fruity taste - black fruits, especially blackberry - with a structure that's holding up very well. The lingering finish becomes more sour after the sweet fruits earlier on.
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11/15/2018 - geoffjb wrote:
This deep ruby Shiraz had aromas of plum and pepper, but they were a bit underwhelming and lacking punch. It was full-bodied with tastes of cherry, balanced tannins, and a medium finish. I was hoping for more complexity. Certainly not bad, but a bit disappointing given the hype and price.
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6/18/2018 - Lord Marc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Excellent
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6/17/2018 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 88 Points
Deep garnet with midnight-black core. Deep yet fresh black fruits on the nose - blackcurrants, blackberries and perhaps a little stewed cherry too; a little black pepper and clove. To taste, the wine is softening nicely. There's a good fruit mouthful - blackberry, blueberry and perhaps some cherry juice. More sourness comes through on the finish.
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3/17/2018 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 87 Points
Dark and rich purple-tinted burgundy; deep colour all the way through. Good black fruits on the nose: blackcurrants and blackberries, both deep and fresh, then cloves, dusty cardamon and black pepper; a hint of menthol; rich and pleasant aromas. Fruit-driven still with good structure in the mouth - black fruits but with some freshness and the leavening edge of some red. Dry spices and a little tannin. An acidic and spicy-dry finish.
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1/27/2018 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 88 Points
Bramble fruit and leaves on the nose. Despite a slight creaminess, there's a freshness in the smell, with some eucalyptus at the back of the nose. Black fruit taste, with just a little raspberry and cranberry. Initially fresh and light, then some sour cherry adds depth. A long acidic finish. Overall, fruit still prominent, but nevertheless the wine is mellowing.
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12/3/2017 - Paul Anderson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep Black Ruby Red in colour with maturing rim at Dec 2017. good an ok.
Maturing prune/plum like fruit leap out of the glass with integrated oak . getting ready for certain, all good. On the palate we have lovely sweet upfront fruit , medium mid palate richness with good long oily tannins giving great length, cool climate acid is in check. v/nice palate indeed esp. for a bread an butter commerical wine. QPR at around $15 great , an great food wine with pasta an italian tomato based sauces. v/good drinking now an will keep but wont get much better , only soften to a savoury style.
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3/12/2017 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 86 Points
Dusty and powerful nose - mixed red and black fruits with some spice - black pepper and cinnamon on the back of the nose; big; a little eucalyptus on the finish. Rich, mixed forest fruit and blueberries to taste, plus cherries. Some sweet juice but also a savoury backbone.
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3/9/2017 - johnrm Likes this wine: 89 Points
A bit thin and 1-dimensional when first opened but after an hour, it opened nicely. A hint of 'rubber' on the nose and early palate but it seemed to blow off in the glass and was not a problem.
Very good (mainly red) fruit, some spice and complexity, good balance and length. Some elegance and finesse - certainly not a jammy Aussie 'fruit bomb'. Quite good value on offer. Has benefitted from some bottle age and has future life, I think.
2 days after opening, this was very good indeed. It seemed to have settled down. I've raised my score a point. Don't rush it.....
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2/10/2017 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 89 Points
This was my second bottle of this Clare Valley Shiraz from one of my favourite Australian producers, Jim Barry, but the first was way back in March 2014. As then, it is richly, powerfully aromatic, very smooth but certainly less tannic now, those extra couple of years having softened the core, while the rest of the profile is very similar. Overall, drinking it is like riding a Syrah-Shiraz pendulum. It starts in Australia with ripe purple and black fruit (plum, blackcurrant, blackberry), milk chocolate, and an interesting, if very mild, cheesy note (Parmigiano?), moving then to the Rhône with meat, black pepper, garrigue, and earth, and then settling in between as really good cooler-climate Aussie Shiraz, fruity but also savoury, the various notes achieving harmony, a touch sweet but with more than enough acidity to provide freshness. I will admit that I'm not much of a fan of Aussie Shiraz, but really that has to do with the fruit-bomb, face-punch stereotype. This is the sort of Aussie Shiraz I like, a balancing act of Old World and New that is still distinctively Australian. A bit more depth would bump it to 90+, but that harmony is very much on display here.
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1/16/2017 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 85 Points
Thick, dull purple. Strong vine leaf on the nose and then some berry fruits; fresh, also with some redcurrant and nettles. Ripe red and black fruits taste, with some cherry giving an edgy sourness. Somewhat chewy with cherries coming through more strongly on the finish.
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9/17/2016 - George T Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great Value.....Not as deep colored as some, but great garnet and purple. is good on the nose...black cherries and plums, with nuances of cloves and variey of herbs.....lots of dark fruit flavors - blood plum, red cherry and mulberry...and some peppery notions. Great served with a touch chill in the summer.
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5/2/2016 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 88 Points
Deep black fruits with some sour cherry on the nose; vine leaf and damsons and a little hint of smokiness; also a hint of raspberry syrup (maybe mixed into ice cream) - and bizarrely some coco-cola? Very ripe taste, bordering on burnt black and some red fruits. A little fresher eucalyptus. Ribena-like juiciness.
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1/23/2016 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nice, opaque garnet. Loads of leaves on the nose - vine, tomato and, strangely, rose; then big blackberries and some blackcurrant - maybe a little green but at least that puts it the right side of jammy. After a while in the glass the aromas become more bubble-gummy. Initially the taste is of chocolately black fruits. The black fruits fruits give way to sour cherries, but then migrate back to blackberry. Nicely-integrated tannins. Finish resembles a licquer chocolate.
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10/27/2015 - Patpiff Likes this wine: 88 Points
Deep, clear garnet. Moderate aromas with some age. Jammy blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, and spice on the nose. Off dry, medium body. Pretty crisp acidity, a bit too much so. Medium, soft tannins. Flavorful: lots of plum, raspberry, cherry, cocoa, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Medium finish.
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10/22/2015 - Livermore wrote: 86 Points
An epic amount of blackberry on the nose.
Taste is of dark berries and oak. A sharp and bitter aftertaste. tasty but somewhat one-dimensional.
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9/4/2015 - SregnifTI Likes this wine:
Great fruit forward with spiciness. Appropriate acidity. Had it with tacos! Buy again
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7/11/2015 - Tomportwine wrote: 87 Points
quite jammy, high in alcohol, full bodied shiraz
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6/15/2015 - Barolo Drunkard Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pretty aromas of ripe dark fruits, white pepper, crushed flowers, liquorice and a hint of oak.
On the palate supple, fresh and cool. Not too "new worldy" or oaky. More leaning towards Rhone in it`s style. One of the better Aussie Shirazes I`ve had in a while. The average score here is too low in my opinion, so gave one extra point to boost it higher..
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5/25/2015 - bglamps Likes this wine: 88 Points
A tad sweet but smooth enough for the money.
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2/19/2015 - Z1nnfull wrote: 85 Points
Got this from a Costco-associated store. One of the few from there that really did not work out all that well. Yeah, a Shiraz, second night it opened up a bit better to where I could give it a 85. Had the Shiraz fruit, just not any complexity or unique characteristics. Agree, a tad bitter and unbalanced. No way do I see this being a 91 or anything close to that. Might improve slightly with a year or two, but still couldn't even stack up to an entry level Rosemont.
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12/14/2014 - RobertWinesWeLove Does not like this wine: 75 Points
No, this was not a wine for me. A lot of black fruits and jam. The wine has a bitter taste and is unbalanced. A burnt taste which I don't like. My advise is to spend your money on some thing else. 2 NJP
For more reviews of wine and information about wine; see www.njconsultingimport.se
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12/12/2014 - larseman Likes this wine: 86 Points
Inleder med starka toner av mentol. Därefter mörka bär, men lite ljusare bär lurar i bakgrunden, tänker på drottningsylt. En hel del chark, lite repbod och massor med vitpeppar. I munnen ganslka fyllig, massor med frukt och syra, slånbär och lingon, kanske lite mörka omogna körsbär. En liten beska i mitten och ett syrligt slut. Inte särsklit stramt, åtminstone inte för en #nebbiololover :D
Gillar jag? Sådär, lite för mycket kraft och för iite elegans. Tröttnar lite efterhand men visst är det gott. Inte riktigt min stil , stannar på 86p.
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10/11/2014 - nzinkgraf wrote:
blue fruit with herb and spice on the palate.
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8/1/2014 - CamWheeler wrote: 87 Points
Casual wines with Pizza: Oak and lavender with some earth and a rubber undertone. The fruit shows boldness but doesn't exactly have a lot of interest, though at least the oak doesn't overwhelm on the palate due to the fruit power.
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7/19/2014 - graemeg wrote:
{screwcap, 14.5%} Tastes thick and dense somehow, but without much flavour, really. How do they do that? Maybe a bit of blackberry and methol, but that's all, with fine, almost non-existent tannins, and soft acidity. Doesn't have too much heat on the palate either, but overall it just tastes far too bland somehow. Give it air time I guess - that might help.
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6/12/2014 - ShirazGuru Likes this wine: 87 Points
A deep crimson wine with an ample body. Spice and floral aromas dominate with flavours of red cherries, red blood plums and mulberries. A medium lingering finish. Ready to drink and best drinking to 2025. A 'Great Value' rating of -2.6 'neutral value 4 $' see more at; http://bit.ly/1iUsTdo
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