Root Day - decanted off a teaspoon of fine grained tannins. Surprisingly it’s still garnet in colour at the core with a moderate red edge. Definitely doesn’t look like a 17 year old wine. Nose of wet loam, forest floor, sweet spice (anise, 5 spice), dark plum, black cherry and a bit of a feral/red meat note. On the palate it abounds in red fruit with medium plus acidity, new leather, ripe and still very present tannins, and fresh baking herbs. It seems like it’s still a baby! Perfect for my steak dinner tonight. Wow! Superb and will easily go another 5 years of development.
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Started off a little muted and smooth (after 10 years), but after about an hour in the decanter it opened up. Big fruit is gone and now it is very soft, balanced and complex. Wished I had gotten to it about 1-2 years ago though.
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I've rated this thrice before and now with the wine at nearly 10 years of age I would say that this wine was on the slow decline. My bottles weren't stored all that well so others may show a little more freshness. It remains correct rather than exciting.
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Rubis foncé, cerise noire au disque. Nez intense, très kirsch au début, qui s'estompe lentement, qui se transforme, et qui devient lentement plus floral. Des arômes poivrés typés de grenache embaume le verre, du romarin, et finalement où se pointe des notes viandés et de sel de céleri. En bouche, l'attaque est corsée et fraîche, des tanins encores un peu fermes et végétaux, encore fruitée. Des notes florales et viandés avec du poivron vert, des feuilles de menthe sur la finale un peu astringente.
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Never a fan of this wine or 04 Rhones in general, nevertheless I admit that they do have staying power and this now shows better weight of fruit and balance than in its youth. Holding up well.
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Encore couleur cerise noire très foncée, le nez est ample avec des arômes très prononcés de poivre blanc, de réglisse, et de poivrons où on détecte un peu d'alcool sucré. La bouche est ample, fraîche, avec des tannins souples. Le corps est très parfumé et équilibré sur les cerises mûres - belle finale moyennement complexe mais longue et délicieuse. Bouche parfaitement intégrée. Encore !!!!
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Brief notes : Restrained nose at first, opening up to quite rich aromas of brambly fruit - red fruits - raspberry. Savoury notes. The palate is smooth with spicey hints and slight savoury notes. Hints of meats. Average length.
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– popped and poured – – tasted non-blind over a couple hours – -- 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah --
NOSE: expressive; lots of deep leather tones; pebbly minerality; dark purple-red berries; hint of maduro cigar; a tad salty/animale.
BODY: some coarse-grained sediment present; fine particulate matter suspended throughout; cork in excellent condition; medium-full bodied; red-purple color of medium-deep depth (not as dark purple as it was in ‘07 and ‘08).
TASTE: intense flavor of leather, plum and dark berries; leather dominates the finish; medium-grained tannins still have lots of grip, and are slightly drying, although they have softened considerably over the past 4 years; decent acidity, but this is still on the tannic side of well-balanced between acid and tannin; alcohol is not noticeable; medium length finish (30 - 35 sec) of moderate intensity; this did close-up with air, and seemed to work better with our dinner than it did on its own (dinner was lamb rib chops with a parsnip/carrot/orange puree sprinkled with fresh rosemary). This wine is finally no longer painfully tannic to drink, but will continue to ride in the cellar if preferred. I’d say drink now through 2019.
B: 50, 5, 13, 16, 7 = 91
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Boysenberry fruit, with a good bit of funk. Pretty good concentration, but largely straightforward and of limited dimension. Solid effort, if a bit undistinguished...
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I'm never too sure when to consume this. It has angularity rather than warmth (the hallmark of the vintage), with still a purple hue, highish acidity and tannin. I guess it just might soften into something warmer with time. Since it was remarkably cheap as an ep I can't complain, but given the choice of buying now, would go for a rounder vintage. Very clean and correct. Definitely a food wine. I'll take the advice of other CT tasters and decant in future--so maybe I'm being harsh.
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Well done, had the quality of a CdP that would cost twice as much but probably at it's peak it woudl seem - Dark red, medium bodied with a nose of cherry, plum, spice and vanilla, excellent structure, balance and complexity, not as intense as it's reputation, but very solid overall, smooth/sweet on the finish with excellent length (90 Points).
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Had to pop, splash decant & drink immediately, unfortunately. With Pizza! Light nose, but packed with flavour on the palate - cherry & smoke. Tannins rounding out a little more now, but still plenty of structure there - this wine won't be falling apart any time soon.... Nice - and good QPR.
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At home with hangar steak. Quite barnyardy but went well with the steak. Would not wait on these, afraid they will get more poopy and the fruit will fade.
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Before decanting: nose of berries, cherry, and soil. Palate of somewhat muted red fruit, nuts, and chocolate. Finish of pepper. After decanting for 1 hour: nose has changed a bit, with aromas of licorice, tobacco, and soil. Palate has flavors of plum, smoke, and dark chocolate (before it was more milk chocolate). The texture has also become more chewy. Before & after, nicely balanced tannins and acidity. Great food wine (paired well with homemade pasta e fagiolo).
88/89
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This was very nice. Fresh and acidic, with surprising tannin, maybe a little aggressive today. Nice backbone of fruit beneath it, though, which came out with some air time. This wine tasted like it would improve over the next 10 years.
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Pretty dark red. Decanted an hour or so. The nose was very nice showing blackberries and cherries as well as some very nice black pepper. The flavours showed a fair bit of sweet fruit and the finish was sweet and soft. A pretty good showing for it's three years in my cellar.
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Wonderfully perfumed with garrigue, pepper and red cherries and rasberry. Herbacious on the palate with nice balance and good intensity of fruit. Slightly hot and short finish.
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Band-aid, salami, pepper, and red fruit on the nose. Medium bodied, some meat and red fruits and a big tannic and acidic wash on the finish. That finish would rock with food, on it's on it is a little much. Tasty but that medicinal nose makes you not want to smell it.
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Decanted for a couple of hours. There was some fruit and pepper on the nose, but not much. There was also some fruit and soft tannins on the palate with a shortish finish, but overall, we were all dissapointed with this wine. It lacked any personality and none of the robust appeal of wines from this area. I hope that this was an aberration and the other bottles prove to be better as you can certainly find this at bargain prices at the moment.
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Audouzed for 5hrs, then decanted. With Spaghetti Bolognaise. Young looking crimson red, restrained nose. Young and vivid red fruits in the mouth, nice background oak, lots of intensity with masses of grainy underlying tannins. Short to medium finish. Very tasty, and I think it has the stuffing to age nicely. No hurry at all, here.
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Dark color of purple with an even nose of tart dark berries and an edge of spice just short of being hot, but not a deal breaker. Good but simple entry that did firm up at mid palate and the attention was held there with a nice rounded firmness of texture...a light sweet note, and a medium finish. A lot more than I expected...settled down on the second day some... showing a nice tannic dryness that enhanced the fruit.
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Double decanted. Had with beer braised short ribs. Very earthy. Blackberry, black cherry, barnyard and tar. It was rustic in a good way. Big, but balanced.
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Drank with fajitas at neighborhood party and all seemed to enjoy. I had the '03 version of this wine at an earlier date but did not enjoy as much - probably drank it too young.
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Ripe red berry fruit - blueberry, raspberry and boysenberry. Quite a lush texture, good acidity. Plenty of time left in this and a lovely food wine. 4 bottles with same note. ***
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Full colour; black fruit, garrigue and pepper nose; rich, ripe, smooth fruit. Decent structure for some aging, but balanced and smooth now. Easy to drink. ***
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Big nose of darker fruits, garrigue, leather, and hint of funkiness. Good power, with quite a tannic edge. Lots going on here--this should improve over the next couple years.
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Woah....pucker up for those tannins. Short notice so popped & poured - big mistake. Mouth-searing levels of tannin masked the fruit which was undoubtedly there. Will drink this with food next time, and for next time read next decade....
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Double decanted 3hrs with Beef Stroganoff & wild rice. Very young purple to rim. Tight nose of red fruits. Very Rhone on the palate, nice cherry & earthy flavours in the middle and firm slightly grainy tannins in the finish. Developed over the evening - last few sips were neat milk chocolate! Plenty of fruit, so wil try the next bottle in 12mths.
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This old-world wine has improved dramatically over the last year. The tannins are softening and it's becom approachable and food-friendly. Adult candy; significant structure; chocolatey finish.
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Loved this wine, tasted as if it were a decent CdP, tobacco and tar, some length, I found the tannins fairly soft, hope I can find a case to buy some where.
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Blind at Sommelier tasting - decanted 4 hours. My contribution. Clear dark garnet core out to a thin purple/red edge and very thin watery rim - youthful. Clean moderate+ intense nose of rubber, warm fruit compote, alcohol, earthiness and herbal notes. Later white pepper came through strongly. Dry with soft but full (mod+) tannins, mod+ acidity, mod body and mod+alcohol. Flavours of oak, dark red fruits, earth & herbs. Short finish of dark fruit and full on tannin (needs time). Well made but really needs time to soften - 5 years at least. Will develop for 8+ and hold for 15 years. Points will go up as it develops.
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Deep garnet-crimson; kirsch liquor, plums, leather; cherry, raspberry, tannic, medium body, good grip, firm tannins, decent finish. Decanted 2 hrs. Smoothed out a bit over dinner but tannins remained firm. Needs 10 yrs. Excellent with roast beef for only $21.95.
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Medium dark color with a faint fruit and heavy cheese aroma. Taste is somewhat tannic and could use a nother couple of years in the cellar. However, very satisfying with pot roast dinner. A solid bottle of wine for $20.
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Aromatic, peppery, garrigue, blackberry and animal nose. Full, rich and ripe palate with great flavours and replays; long, spiced finish. Outstanding character and value. 5/5
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Wine Spectator Top 100 (Farpointe Cellar): This was the most interesting of the bunch I tasted today. The nose was mainly black currant and mocha, mixed with some cherry, oak, and vanilla. The palate was loaded with black currant and coffe, plus cherry vanilla, and some oak. The tannins were solid and the finish was nice.
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Deep ruby color although lacking some clarity. The aroma is so slight that the berry smell is almost not there. Agressive acidity and immediate flavor of fruit, with just a hint of cinnamon/spice. Moderate tannins in the finish which give it a slightly gritty and astringent feel. Somewhat warm with alcohol. Overall: less impressive than I would have hoped on first tasting (particularly in regard to the aroma). A second day of tasting revealed a more open aroma, although still mild, and softened tannins. A fine wine that would benefit with just a few more years in the bottle.
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Critics Choice - 90+ Point (Farpointe Cellar): The one word I would use to describe this wine is dirt. The nose and palate were both full of it. The nose also had some nice cherry and black currant fruit, as well as some oak and vanilla. The palate had the same dirt mixed with cherries, pepper, and oak. The tannins were good, and the finish lasted a long time.
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Dark color with a light red rim. This needs time...took awhile for the nose to open...eventually showing a rustic blend of earth and tart dark fruit that barely softened over several hours...as did a firm tannic structure that framed ample fruit. This was stout, and indeed showed alot of strength in its character. Priced right and worthy of laying down a while.
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An excellent wine with lots of flavor and complexity. Lasting finish Too young to drink now, but it will mature nicely. Very tight, but some nice fruit from the Grenache is showing strongly. Black Cherry and pepper; beautiful dark and dense. Highly recommended- especially for the price.
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Color is dark garnet to the rim. Nose reveals dusty cherry, funk, earth, and leather. On the palate, chewy cherry is revealed and framed by smoke, earth, tar, and pepper. Tannins are present, but tolerable. Overall a very nice Rhone.
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Wonderful heady aromas straight out of the bottle of red berry, licorice, and pepper. At first this wine showed big chewy tannins but with extended air they smoothed out and the peppery red fruit flavors began to fill out the palate. This is great stuff and a tremendous value, I would suggest giving it several hours in the decanter or a couple years in the cellar.
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1/28/2022 - Bjw767 wrote:
Corked
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1/28/2022 - Bjw767 wrote:
Corked as well
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5/13/2021 - biggie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Root Day - decanted off a teaspoon of fine grained tannins. Surprisingly it’s still garnet in colour at the core with a moderate red edge. Definitely doesn’t look like a 17 year old wine. Nose of wet loam, forest floor, sweet spice (anise, 5 spice), dark plum, black cherry and a bit of a feral/red meat note. On the palate it abounds in red fruit with medium plus acidity, new leather, ripe and still very present tannins, and fresh baking herbs. It seems like it’s still a baby! Perfect for my steak dinner tonight. Wow! Superb and will easily go another 5 years of development.
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12/20/2020 - Frijole wrote:
blackish burgundy, little clarity, ruby hue
Nose: cranberry, plum, white pepper, dirt, tar, earth, licorice, dust, minerals, oak
Pal: cranberry, plum, dirt, tar, licorice, earth, cigar, dust, minerals, cola, oak
Feel: medium, savory
Finish: medium
T8
gorgeous w/ the age (9?)
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10/6/2015 - biggie Likes this wine: 88 Points
Still not near the end of it’s life - garnet in the glass with developed aromas and flavours. Smooth medium length finish. Very Enjoyable
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4/23/2014 - Baylorwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Started off a little muted and smooth (after 10 years), but after about an hour in the decanter it opened up. Big fruit is gone and now it is very soft, balanced and complex. Wished I had gotten to it about 1-2 years ago though.
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1/22/2014 - rwpalmer wrote:
I've rated this thrice before and now with the wine at nearly 10 years of age I would say that this wine was on the slow decline. My bottles weren't stored all that well so others may show a little more freshness. It remains correct rather than exciting.
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3/10/2013 - DuVinMD Likes this wine: 89 Points
Rubis foncé, cerise noire au disque. Nez intense, très kirsch au début, qui s'estompe lentement, qui se transforme, et qui devient lentement plus floral. Des arômes poivrés typés de grenache embaume le verre, du romarin, et finalement où se pointe des notes viandés et de sel de céleri. En bouche, l'attaque est corsée et fraîche, des tanins encores un peu fermes et végétaux, encore fruitée. Des notes florales et viandés avec du poivron vert, des feuilles de menthe sur la finale un peu astringente.
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11/22/2012 - rwpalmer wrote: 88 Points
Never a fan of this wine or 04 Rhones in general, nevertheless I admit that they do have staying power and this now shows better weight of fruit and balance than in its youth. Holding up well.
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12/27/2011 - JohnSh wrote: 91 Points
Didn't take notes, but this was an excellent wine that showed a lot better (mainly more complexity) than the 2005. Great value (A-).
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10/16/2011 - SerenaWM wrote: 89 Points
Tasty. Still a few good years left to drink!
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8/29/2011 - DuVinMD wrote: 90 Points
Encore couleur cerise noire très foncée, le nez est ample avec des arômes très prononcés de poivre blanc, de réglisse, et de poivrons où on détecte un peu d'alcool sucré. La bouche est ample, fraîche, avec des tannins souples. Le corps est très parfumé et équilibré sur les cerises mûres - belle finale moyennement complexe mais longue et délicieuse. Bouche parfaitement intégrée. Encore !!!!
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6/11/2011 - stevief10 wrote: 88 Points
Brief notes : Restrained nose at first, opening up to quite rich aromas of brambly fruit - red fruits - raspberry. Savoury notes. The palate is smooth with spicey hints and slight savoury notes. Hints of meats. Average length.
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6/2/2011 - khmark7 wrote: 90 Points
Classic aromas with nice fig and leather on the palate. Very open and drinking very well, with an added complexity that makes this outstanding.
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1/23/2011 - Zingrrl wrote:
Sacrificing for braised beef with mushrooms (and will drink the remainder with dinner). Stay tuned for notes.
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12/22/2010 - grafstrb wrote: 91 Points
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
-- 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah --
NOSE: expressive; lots of deep leather tones; pebbly minerality; dark purple-red berries; hint of maduro cigar; a tad salty/animale.
BODY: some coarse-grained sediment present; fine particulate matter suspended throughout; cork in excellent condition; medium-full bodied; red-purple color of medium-deep depth (not as dark purple as it was in ‘07 and ‘08).
TASTE: intense flavor of leather, plum and dark berries; leather dominates the finish; medium-grained tannins still have lots of grip, and are slightly drying, although they have softened considerably over the past 4 years; decent acidity, but this is still on the tannic side of well-balanced between acid and tannin; alcohol is not noticeable; medium length finish (30 - 35 sec) of moderate intensity; this did close-up with air, and seemed to work better with our dinner than it did on its own (dinner was lamb rib chops with a parsnip/carrot/orange puree sprinkled with fresh rosemary). This wine is finally no longer painfully tannic to drink, but will continue to ride in the cellar if preferred. I’d say drink now through 2019.
B: 50, 5, 13, 16, 7 = 91
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12/12/2010 - KevinS wrote: 88 Points
Boysenberry fruit, with a good bit of funk. Pretty good concentration, but largely straightforward and of limited dimension. Solid effort, if a bit undistinguished...
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6/2/2010 - rwpalmer wrote: 87 Points
Similar to last bottle--but either it's improved a little or I've mellowed, but think I was a little harsh last time
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5/10/2010 - KevinS wrote: 89 Points
Dark ruby color. Some funk, plum/sour cherry fruit, mint and tar. Chewy, with lots of tannins and good length. Very solid stuff.
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4/13/2010 - rwpalmer wrote: 85 Points
I'm never too sure when to consume this. It has angularity rather than warmth (the hallmark of the vintage), with still a purple hue, highish acidity and tannin. I guess it just might soften into something warmer with time. Since it was remarkably cheap as an ep I can't complain, but given the choice of buying now, would go for a rounder vintage. Very clean and correct. Definitely a food wine. I'll take the advice of other CT tasters and decant in future--so maybe I'm being harsh.
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2/7/2010 - Tarrant wrote: 90 Points
Well done, had the quality of a CdP that would cost twice as much but probably at it's peak it woudl seem - Dark red, medium bodied with a nose of cherry, plum, spice and vanilla, excellent structure, balance and complexity, not as intense as it's reputation, but very solid overall, smooth/sweet on the finish with excellent length (90 Points).
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1/16/2010 - dave747400 wrote: 88 Points
Had to pop, splash decant & drink immediately, unfortunately. With Pizza!
Light nose, but packed with flavour on the palate - cherry & smoke. Tannins rounding out a little more now, but still plenty of structure there - this wine won't be falling apart any time soon.... Nice - and good QPR.
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1/14/2010 - Mprize wrote: 90 Points
This was really terrific. Now may be the perfect time to drink. Nice scents of berries, cherries, woody. Deep round flavor, fully developed.
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12/17/2009 - AtoZ wrote: 90 Points
At home with hangar steak. Quite barnyardy but went well with the steak. Would not wait on these, afraid they will get more poopy and the fruit will fade.
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12/17/2009 - behm0027 wrote: 88 Points
Before decanting: nose of berries, cherry, and soil. Palate of somewhat muted red fruit, nuts, and chocolate. Finish of pepper. After decanting for 1 hour: nose has changed a bit, with aromas of licorice, tobacco, and soil. Palate has flavors of plum, smoke, and dark chocolate (before it was more milk chocolate). The texture has also become more chewy. Before & after, nicely balanced tannins and acidity. Great food wine (paired well with homemade pasta e fagiolo).
88/89
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9/14/2009 - herberto wrote: 89 Points
This was very nice. Fresh and acidic, with surprising tannin, maybe a little aggressive today. Nice backbone of fruit beneath it, though, which came out with some air time. This wine tasted like it would improve over the next 10 years.
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8/23/2009 - David J Cooper wrote:
Pretty dark red. Decanted an hour or so. The nose was very nice showing blackberries and cherries as well as some very nice black pepper. The flavours showed a fair bit of sweet fruit and the finish was sweet and soft. A pretty good showing for it's three years in my cellar.
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8/10/2009 - Patches wrote: 90 Points
Wonderfully perfumed with garrigue, pepper and red cherries and rasberry. Herbacious on the palate with nice balance and good intensity of fruit. Slightly hot and short finish.
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5/6/2009 - gripNsip wrote: 86 Points
Band-aid, salami, pepper, and red fruit on the nose. Medium bodied, some meat and red fruits and a big tannic and acidic wash on the finish. That finish would rock with food, on it's on it is a little much. Tasty but that medicinal nose makes you not want to smell it.
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4/18/2009 - mmmthatsnice wrote: 86 Points
Decanted for a couple of hours. There was some fruit and pepper on the nose, but not much. There was also some fruit and soft tannins on the palate with a shortish finish, but overall, we were all dissapointed with this wine. It lacked any personality and none of the robust appeal of wines from this area. I hope that this was an aberration and the other bottles prove to be better as you can certainly find this at bargain prices at the moment.
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3/1/2009 - dave747400 wrote: 88 Points
Audouzed for 5hrs, then decanted. With Spaghetti Bolognaise.
Young looking crimson red, restrained nose. Young and vivid red fruits in the mouth, nice background oak, lots of intensity with masses of grainy underlying tannins. Short to medium finish. Very tasty, and I think it has the stuffing to age nicely. No hurry at all, here.
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1/17/2009 - WillT wrote: 88 Points
Just really good bottle of wine. Enjoyed with Steak au poivre.
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12/27/2008 - Tejano wrote:
Dark color of purple with an even nose of tart dark berries and an edge of spice just short of being hot, but not a deal breaker. Good but simple entry that did firm up at mid palate and the attention was held there with a nice rounded firmness of texture...a light sweet note, and a medium finish. A lot more than I expected...settled down on the second day some... showing a nice tannic dryness that enhanced the fruit.
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12/16/2008 - Villon wrote: 90 Points
Un super CDR, vraiment excellent RQP, balancé, satisfaisant.
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11/9/2008 - Domer99 wrote: 92 Points
Double decanted. Had with beer braised short ribs. Very earthy. Blackberry, black cherry, barnyard and tar. It was rustic in a good way. Big, but balanced.
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9/29/2008 - herberto wrote: 90 Points
Delicious. Great characteristic Southern Rhone flavors with fruit and life.
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9/13/2008 - curtispomeroy wrote: 88 Points
Drank with fajitas at neighborhood party and all seemed to enjoy. I had the '03 version of this wine at an earlier date but did not enjoy as much - probably drank it too young.
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9/11/2008 - Villon wrote: 89 Points
Très bon CDR, comme toujours. Pas des plus complexes, mais exemplaire par son équilibre et sa typicité. Une valeur sûre.
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5/19/2008 - ggtirevite wrote: 89 Points
Nice fruit, very smooth. Had with BBQ, good pairing. Time to drink is now.
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5/5/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Ripe red berry fruit - blueberry, raspberry and boysenberry. Quite a lush texture, good acidity. Plenty of time left in this and a lovely food wine. 4 bottles with same note. ***
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4/29/2008 - PathDoc wrote:
My first bottle was quite good, I recall. The last two bottles have not been great. I'll not drink any for a few years and see what happens...
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4/23/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Full colour; black fruit, garrigue and pepper nose; rich, ripe, smooth fruit. Decent structure for some aging, but balanced and smooth now. Easy to drink. ***
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4/14/2008 - bknysak wrote: 89 Points
Big nose of darker fruits, garrigue, leather, and hint of funkiness. Good power, with quite a tannic edge. Lots going on here--this should improve over the next couple years.
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1/9/2008 - dave747400 wrote: 85 Points
Woah....pucker up for those tannins. Short notice so popped & poured - big mistake. Mouth-searing levels of tannin masked the fruit which was undoubtedly there.
Will drink this with food next time, and for next time read next decade....
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9/20/2007 - dave747400 wrote: 88 Points
Double decanted 3hrs with Beef Stroganoff & wild rice.
Very young purple to rim. Tight nose of red fruits. Very Rhone on the palate, nice cherry & earthy flavours in the middle and firm slightly grainy tannins in the finish. Developed over the evening - last few sips were neat milk chocolate!
Plenty of fruit, so wil try the next bottle in 12mths.
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9/16/2007 - PathDoc wrote:
Cherries and bitterness. Not very appealing. Didn't improve on day 2.
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9/15/2007 - dre wrote:
excelent fruit, soft tannins and good acidity. This wine is drinking wonderfuly now but has the acidity to last 5 years. Delicious
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9/1/2007 - ggtirevite wrote: 91 Points
Great value. Fruity and nice nose
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8/25/2007 - bhardie wrote: 91 Points
Terrific nose, balance and structure. This is still a baby with lots of tannins so let it sit for a couple more years.
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8/1/2007 - jswanson wrote: 90 Points
This wine has gotten better over the past 9 mos. Softer tannis...better fruit. Another year should continue to imrove.
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5/28/2007 - jonb72 wrote: 89 Points
dark berries and still lots of tannins
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4/22/2007 - Rollerball wrote: 92 Points
This old-world wine has improved dramatically over the last year. The tannins are softening and it's becom approachable and food-friendly. Adult candy; significant structure; chocolatey finish.
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3/20/2007 - Squeeze wrote: 90 Points
Loved this wine, tasted as if it were a decent CdP, tobacco and tar, some length, I found the tannins fairly soft, hope I can find a case to buy some where.
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2/18/2007 - biggie wrote: 88 Points
Blind at Sommelier tasting - decanted 4 hours. My contribution.
Clear dark garnet core out to a thin purple/red edge and very thin watery rim - youthful. Clean moderate+ intense nose of rubber, warm fruit compote, alcohol, earthiness and herbal notes. Later white pepper came through strongly. Dry with soft but full (mod+) tannins, mod+ acidity, mod body and mod+alcohol. Flavours of oak, dark red fruits, earth & herbs. Short finish of dark fruit and full on tannin (needs time). Well made but really needs time to soften - 5 years at least. Will develop for 8+ and hold for 15 years. Points will go up as it develops.
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1/7/2007 - ColinR wrote: 91 Points
Deep garnet-crimson; kirsch liquor, plums, leather; cherry, raspberry, tannic, medium body, good grip, firm tannins, decent finish.
Decanted 2 hrs. Smoothed out a bit over dinner but tannins remained firm. Needs 10 yrs. Excellent with roast beef for only $21.95.
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12/26/2006 - jswanson wrote: 88 Points
Medium dark color with a faint fruit and heavy cheese aroma. Taste is somewhat tannic and could use a nother couple of years in the cellar. However, very satisfying with pot roast dinner. A solid bottle of wine for $20.
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12/5/2006 - Double-A Likes this wine: 95 Points
Aromatic, peppery, garrigue, blackberry and animal nose. Full, rich and ripe palate with great flavours and replays; long, spiced finish. Outstanding character and value.
5/5
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12/5/2006 - Nutty08 wrote: 89 Points
Fruit and spice on the nose. Palate with spice, terroir, tar and earth. Long heavy complex finish. Needs time.
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12/2/2006 - mmurry wrote: 90 Points
Wine Spectator Top 100 (Farpointe Cellar): This was the most interesting of the bunch I tasted today. The nose was mainly black currant and mocha, mixed with some cherry, oak, and vanilla. The palate was loaded with black currant and coffe, plus cherry vanilla, and some oak. The tannins were solid and the finish was nice.
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11/26/2006 - bruceb wrote: 87 Points
Deep ruby color although lacking some clarity. The aroma is so slight that the berry smell is almost not there. Agressive acidity and immediate flavor of fruit, with just a hint of cinnamon/spice. Moderate tannins in the finish which give it a slightly gritty and astringent feel. Somewhat warm with alcohol. Overall: less impressive than I would have hoped on first tasting (particularly in regard to the aroma). A second day of tasting revealed a more open aroma, although still mild, and softened tannins. A fine wine that would benefit with just a few more years in the bottle.
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10/7/2006 - mmurry wrote: 90 Points
Critics Choice - 90+ Point (Farpointe Cellar): The one word I would use to describe this wine is dirt. The nose and palate were both full of it. The nose also had some nice cherry and black currant fruit, as well as some oak and vanilla. The palate had the same dirt mixed with cherries, pepper, and oak. The tannins were good, and the finish lasted a long time.
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9/17/2006 - Tejano wrote: 89 Points
Dark color with a light red rim. This needs time...took awhile for the nose to open...eventually showing a rustic blend of earth and tart dark fruit that barely softened over several hours...as did a firm tannic structure that framed ample fruit. This was stout, and indeed showed alot of strength in its character. Priced right and worthy of laying down a while.
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9/7/2006 - bberg wrote: 90 Points
An excellent wine with lots of flavor and complexity. Lasting finish Too young to drink now, but it will mature nicely. Very tight, but some nice fruit from the Grenache is showing strongly. Black Cherry and pepper; beautiful dark and dense. Highly recommended- especially for the price.
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8/16/2006 - Thilo wrote: 88 Points
Color is dark garnet to the rim. Nose reveals dusty cherry, funk, earth, and leather. On the palate, chewy cherry is revealed and framed by smoke, earth, tar, and pepper. Tannins are present, but tolerable. Overall a very nice Rhone.
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8/13/2006 - Frijole wrote:
deep dark burgundy red
Nose: burnt cherries, cloudy earth, mint, lime, thyme, light pepper, rain
Pal: cherries, oak, plum, pepper, chocolate, big earth, pepper, pine, garrigue
Feel: medium/big
Finish: medium
TC7
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5/16/2006 - Badfish wrote:
Wonderful heady aromas straight out of the bottle of red berry, licorice, and pepper. At first this wine showed big chewy tannins but with extended air they smoothed out and the peppery red fruit flavors began to fill out the palate. This is great stuff and a tremendous value, I would suggest giving it several hours in the decanter or a couple years in the cellar.
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5/1/2006 - rloomis wrote:
cherry, plum, cedar, mushroom, clove. bold. age 1+yrs
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