Definitely don't vinturi this wine, it mutes it too much. We went for the regular decanter route and let it ride for about 60 minutes without a lot of swirling. There was a little bit of a ripeness on the nose of this one, even though 2011 was supposed to be a cooler vintage. After another hour a nice minerality shows up mid palate.
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Very promising with a sweet, blackberry nose. Nice Merlot dominate blend with strong smokey tannins. We did not decant, just poured through the Vinturi, which might have been a disadvantage. Tannin's have a bit of a bite mid-palate, so maybe waiting longer would have been better. Loved the 2012, so a little disappointed by the 2011.
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Dark purple. Old world fruit with some new world flashy oak. Aromas of low key plums and scorched earth. Even and balanced, with vanilla bean, and a Bordeaux like cedar. Decent finish. A bit of a one trick pony, but nice.
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My first Dunham wine. Nice merlot blend. Popped and poured which probably didn't help as it seemed to improve over time. Will wait awhile before opening another.
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Drank as a tribute to Eric Dunhams passing. One of the best things about wine is it has a way of taking you to a time of great memories. I 1st had the Tributary with some work friends when we were all 1st getting into wine close to a decade ago. It became a staple for my friends to bring knowing I was becoming a wine geek and that the Tributary was always a wine I enjoyed. This bottle was as delicious as all the others with it's balance and true varietal characters shining through. Lot of great memories in there too. RIP Eric
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57% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Syrah. Slow ox'd 45 min before serving. The nose shows some mocha dusted cherry notes. Full bodied w/ right bank character emerging right away. Red & blue fruit leading to some darker/espresso notes on the back end. The Syrah addition makes this smooth as silk, but it loses a little weight in the mid palate. Rewarding length on the finish.
Paired w/ olive oil & salumi flatbread. A delicious wine for the table.
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Some bright red fruit flavors, but low on complexity, and brief on the palette. Not up to Dunham's usual quality, '11 was not an easy year in the Pacific NW. Granted, this is young, and probably a bit early to drink, but time likely won't add the depth this blend usually displays.
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3/4/2018 - mattboney Likes this wine: 89 Points
Definitely don't vinturi this wine, it mutes it too much. We went for the regular decanter route and let it ride for about 60 minutes without a lot of swirling. There was a little bit of a ripeness on the nose of this one, even though 2011 was supposed to be a cooler vintage. After another hour a nice minerality shows up mid palate.
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9/20/2016 - WineJunkieWest Likes this wine: 86 Points
Very promising with a sweet, blackberry nose. Nice Merlot dominate blend with strong smokey tannins. We did not decant, just poured through the Vinturi, which might have been a disadvantage. Tannin's have a bit of a bite mid-palate, so maybe waiting longer would have been better. Loved the 2012, so a little disappointed by the 2011.
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1/9/2016 - DTown Vino wrote: 92 Points
Berries, Vanilla and earthy tones. Merlot dominates and this is just a great 30 dollar bottle.
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9/7/2015 - brianspross wrote: 90 Points
I was impressed at this price.
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8/4/2015 - mzimberg Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark purple. Old world fruit with some new world flashy oak. Aromas of low key plums and scorched earth. Even and balanced, with vanilla bean, and a Bordeaux like cedar. Decent finish. A bit of a one trick pony, but nice.
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6/21/2015 - Smudge4! Likes this wine:
Short decant. Blackberries, integrated tannins, very smooth but could go a few years, hint of smoke on finish
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2/16/2015 - pbard wrote: 88 Points
OK, not up to their usual.
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2/11/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Well that is pure and pretty Merlot based wine. Maybe its just the Zalto.
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1/25/2015 - rwilk_2000 wrote: 88 Points
My first Dunham wine. Nice merlot blend. Popped and poured which probably didn't help as it seemed to improve over time. Will wait awhile before opening another.
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12/27/2014 - jmcmchi wrote: 89 Points
Attractive merlot dominated nose. Palate is nicely balanced, rich fruit for vintage, pleasant tannins on finish
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11/24/2014 - michigan dogs Likes this wine: 90 Points
very nice, well balanced, drank best 2nd day, nice fruit flavor dominated by merlot
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11/2/2014 - jfaulk wrote: 87 Points
A let down from the previous year vintage.
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10/29/2014 - bajayngo wrote:
Drank as a tribute to Eric Dunhams passing. One of the best things about wine is it has a way of taking you to a time of great memories. I 1st had the Tributary with some work friends when we were all 1st getting into wine close to a decade ago. It became a staple for my friends to bring knowing I was becoming a wine geek and that the Tributary was always a wine I enjoyed. This bottle was as delicious as all the others with it's balance and true varietal characters shining through. Lot of great memories in there too. RIP Eric
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10/12/2014 - Anthony Lombardi Likes this wine: 90 Points
57% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Syrah. Slow ox'd 45 min before serving. The nose shows some mocha dusted cherry notes. Full bodied w/ right bank character emerging right away. Red & blue fruit leading to some darker/espresso notes on the back end. The Syrah addition makes this smooth as silk, but it loses a little weight in the mid palate. Rewarding length on the finish.
Paired w/ olive oil & salumi flatbread. A delicious wine for the table.
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9/5/2014 - dpohlman wrote: 87 Points
Not nearly as complex or interesting as the past two vintages. Unfortunately, I have 14 bottle still to drink.
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1/25/2014 - pbard wrote: 88 Points
Some bright red fruit flavors, but low on complexity, and brief on the palette. Not up to Dunham's usual quality, '11 was not an easy year in the Pacific NW. Granted, this is young, and probably a bit early to drink, but time likely won't add the depth this blend usually displays.
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