A solid wine that should be way past its prime. RP said to drink it 2004-2014. The 61 bottles in cellars without any tasting notes for years tells me these bottles are buried in big cellars. Well you'll be in for a pleasant surprise when you finally crack the cork. The fruit is still there, well integrated. The joy with this wine when young was the bright fruit and Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah. Now it has more of a northern Rhone feel to it with more brooding dark complex fruit. This would be perfect right now with grilled steak but I've been vegetarian for 24 years. Fire up the grill carnivores and pull the cork! Bravo again Richard Arrowood.
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Bought on the secondary market about a year ago. This bottle was over the hill for my tastes. The mature nose of leather and sandalwood is actually quite pleasing and had me anticipating a wonderful Thursday night wine experience with my homemade pizza. Alas, the palate could not hold up as it was very drying and harsh, and, in taste, a bit 'cheesy'. The tannins in the bottle have far outpaced the fruit, and I think even the francophiles out there that would have eaten (snorted) up the nose would be disappointed with what is going on in the mouth. A real shame cuz I've had this bottle of wine many times before and, while not the stunner the 98 is, it has always been delightful. Hopefully, this is bottle specific. Reserving judgement on scoring.
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This was the surprise wine of the evening for me. If this wine was tasted blind, I might have thought it to be a Rhone syrah. Red garnet in color, with lots of earthy, meaty notes, blanketing the hints of black fruit and oak. Medium to full bodied, but balanced well and held up for hours in the glass.
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Wonderfully restrained and complex, I'm glad I let this bottle age. Elegant on the nose with some game, but mostly plums, light smoke and, with time, a bit of anise. Very easy from entry through the finish, it has unwound nicely and served up impeccable balance of fruit and acid. What I enjoyed most was the deceptively long finish that drew on like a low frequency hum. Not showy by any stretch, but well-made and a stellar complement for food.
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Delicious! Deep color. Nose of dark fruits - raspberries and cherries, Medium bodied. Ripe tannins. Good length. Some pepper on the finish. Very rhone-like. Excellent buy at $9.99. One left
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Restrained raspberry, cherry and floral aromas. The bright fruit continued on to the light-medium bodied palate. At first this was rather disjointed, particularly on the tannic, acidic finish. It did smooth out and add a little weight after 3 hours in the decanter. Reminds me of a (very) lite version of the 03 Copain Hawks Butte. Very Rhone like - hope it ages like one, as it offers little at this point.
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First off, wait at least two years to try another bottle. This wine had some meaty overtones, with barely noticeable dark fruits on the nose. In the mouth the fruits were reticent at best, and there was a gamey, smokey flavor, pretty tightly wound. My guess is that this wine will open up some, but it just isn't showing super great right now.
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I liked this wine. Nice deep red color. Some meaty and berry aromas. Solid tannins which are holding up well. Medium bodied with notes of plum, pepper and currant. A well rounded wine. 89 points.
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Mondavi (and Friends) Tasting (Chicago IL): Tasting. Lush, sweet black fruit aromas. Similarly rich fruit on palate, well structured and balanced. Drinking easily and well today.
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8/8/2014 - Birorganic Likes this wine: 90 Points
A solid wine that should be way past its prime. RP said to drink it 2004-2014. The 61 bottles in cellars without any tasting notes for years tells me these bottles are buried in big cellars. Well you'll be in for a pleasant surprise when you finally crack the cork. The fruit is still there, well integrated. The joy with this wine when young was the bright fruit and Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah. Now it has more of a northern Rhone feel to it with more brooding dark complex fruit. This would be perfect right now with grilled steak but I've been vegetarian for 24 years. Fire up the grill carnivores and pull the cork! Bravo again Richard Arrowood.
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9/7/2013 - Comte de Rousset wrote: 99 Points
Superbe en tout point!
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7/8/2010 - Why Yes wrote:
Bought on the secondary market about a year ago. This bottle was over the hill for my tastes. The mature nose of leather and sandalwood is actually quite pleasing and had me anticipating a wonderful Thursday night wine experience with my homemade pizza. Alas, the palate could not hold up as it was very drying and harsh, and, in taste, a bit 'cheesy'. The tannins in the bottle have far outpaced the fruit, and I think even the francophiles out there that would have eaten (snorted) up the nose would be disappointed with what is going on in the mouth. A real shame cuz I've had this bottle of wine many times before and, while not the stunner the 98 is, it has always been delightful. Hopefully, this is bottle specific. Reserving judgement on scoring.
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7/14/2007 - Tom_B wrote: 91 Points
This was the surprise wine of the evening for me. If this wine was tasted blind, I might have thought it to be a Rhone syrah. Red garnet in color, with lots of earthy, meaty notes, blanketing the hints of black fruit and oak. Medium to full bodied, but balanced well and held up for hours in the glass.
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6/25/2007 - bsherwin wrote:
Wonderfully restrained and complex, I'm glad I let this bottle age. Elegant on the nose with some game, but mostly plums, light smoke and, with time, a bit of anise. Very easy from entry through the finish, it has unwound nicely and served up impeccable balance of fruit and acid. What I enjoyed most was the deceptively long finish that drew on like a low frequency hum. Not showy by any stretch, but well-made and a stellar complement for food.
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7/30/2006 - twoamps wrote: 89 Points
typical light touch from Arrowood, but more fruit than I’d expect. Not as much pepper as I’d expect in a syrah, more jam though
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6/7/2006 - pants wrote:
Liked it a lot - bought 2 cases.
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3/25/2006 - mouton45 wrote: 91 Points
Delicious! Deep color. Nose of dark fruits - raspberries and cherries, Medium bodied. Ripe tannins. Good length. Some pepper on the finish. Very rhone-like. Excellent buy at $9.99. One left
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1/16/2006 - pgordon62 wrote: 87 Points
Restrained raspberry, cherry and floral aromas. The bright fruit continued on to the light-medium bodied palate. At first this was rather disjointed, particularly on the tannic, acidic finish. It did smooth out and add a little weight after 3 hours in the decanter. Reminds me of a (very) lite version of the 03 Copain Hawks Butte. Very Rhone like - hope it ages like one, as it offers little at this point.
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10/21/2005 - MarkC wrote: 89 Points
First off, wait at least two years to try another bottle. This wine had some meaty overtones, with barely noticeable dark fruits on the nose. In the mouth the fruits were reticent at best, and there was a gamey, smokey flavor, pretty tightly wound. My guess is that this wine will open up some, but it just isn't showing super great right now.
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2/21/2005 - Vino Me wrote: 89 Points
I liked this wine. Nice deep red color. Some meaty and berry aromas. Solid tannins which are holding up well. Medium bodied with notes of plum, pepper and currant. A well rounded wine. 89 points.
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2/18/2005 - R2-D2 wrote: 88 Points
Berry flavors with a light peppery finish. Not in the overdone intense CA syrah style, probably closer to Cote Rotie.
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4/20/2002 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Mondavi (and Friends) Tasting (Chicago IL): Tasting. Lush, sweet black fruit aromas. Similarly rich fruit on palate, well structured and balanced. Drinking easily and well today.
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