This is imported by the legendary Kermit Lynch and it is amazing. Light smoke, iron and spice notes on the nose, and a wonderful anise/licorice note on the palette with the spice following thru. It's very mellow at this stage of bottle age, and was a bit overwhelmed by the goulash we had it with. It's almost better quaffed where the delicate flavors on the palette come thru better. Bandol is a holy grail wine that you should have on your bucket list. I had a 2008 bottle a few years back that was epic as well. I even saved the empty bottle as a trophy...this one too. Now to try to find more. Ha!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep ruby color - probably right on the edge of browning. Nose not as powerful as I expected. Subtle aromas of garrigue, violets, dates, currants, blood, smoked meats, soil, wet stone. I would even call it a "dusty" nose. Very well integrated tannins, and nice currant, dark cherry and fig fruit on the palate. Developing with air. Silky, dry finish. Quite nice. My first experience with 10+ y/o Bandol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Dark garnet color. Nose shows very mourvedre-y aromas of leather, smoked meat, blackberry, as well as cocoa nibs and coffee. There's some brett here but it isn't the band-aid kind, rather more of a smokey/savory with a bit of sweaty horse. On the palate the tannins are nicely integrated and there's a wonderful pop of acidity. Plenty ripe, with black fruit, but restrained enough to have some classic Bandol structure. The finish is more smokey and bretty but still not horribly offensive. Tastes at peak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine is a medium to dark ruby with a touch of brick especially at the edge. The stunning nose has plums, minerals, cherries, worn leather, Asian spices, dried herbs, earthy underbrush, eucalyptus, dark chocolate, and a touch of smoke. This has medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and good acidity. On the palate the wine shows spicy, mineral laden, fruit with dried herbs up front, on the back end a touch of mint and dark chocolate enter the picture. The mint, dark chocolate, and a touch of earthiness linger nicely on the fairly long finish. This is in a nice drinking window and I don't envision much improvement with additional cellar time. Enjoy over the next year, maybe two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bu en ce beau dimanche: robe; Rouge grenat assez intense, beaux reflets, lorsque carafé, beaucoup de dépôts au fond de la bouteille.
Le tout s'ouver agréablement après 1h15 en carafe.. plus fruité qu'au début
Nez; assez fermé au début, mais s'ouvre merveilleusement sur des fruits tel que la cerise, mûre?, mais les arômes dominants proviennent plus du côté animal, qui fait jus de viande, avec des épices, notes fumées subtiles palais; on y retrouve les arômes perçus au nez, l'acidité est palpable, la matière tannique est assez rustique, mais s'arrondie avec le temps. le fruit est mur, voir confit, la finale est longue et extra. la première coupe me donnait une finale un peu amère, à la fin, la finale était très bien sur le jus de viande sauce au fruits.
Très bien comme bouteille, dommage il n'en reste pas trop à la SAQ. Faites vite!!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium to dark ruby with just a touch of brick on the rim. Plum, raspberries, leather, baking spices, minerals, smoked meat, and a bit of earthy underbrush on the very nice nose. Medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and very nice acidity. Loads of minerality on the palate with spicy fruit coming in underneath. A minty notes pops out on the back end and continues thru the nice finish. This is tasting prime right now, it may hold for another year or two, but I don't expect much improvement.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
threw a good dose of sediment. leather, cherry and raspberry fruit, and herbal notes. might have reached it's peak, not sure it would evolve more favourably from here. tannins are still present but have softened.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rustic leather and cherry flavors. Age and the vintage make this a bit smoother than other wines I have had from this region. A terrific QPR and a delicious wine for cold late fall evenings.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consistent with prior notes (although this was on a po & pour with grilled pork teryiaki pork tenderloin) - Full bodied tannic wine that is better with food than without - for price paid (~$22) excellent QPR and drinking great now. At Plateau IMO.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Notes from night 2 - wine was served at a charity wine tasting and I got to take the remains home (I had this wine at the event the night before and really enjoyed it but no notes). Dried / stewed cranberry, cherry & tobacco on nose. On palate, stout tannins and very structured. Black cherry, cranberry, earthy - very nice and excellent with food. I'd agree with prior taster this fell off a bit on night two but it was still delicious. 91+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 2 hours. Medium to dark ruby color with some lightening at the rim. Raspberries, leather, cherry, licorice, minerals, and a hint of earthy elements on the nose. Medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and good acidity. Pretty bright on the palate with the red fruit and nice acidic zip. Tannins reappear a bit on the backend. A bit of an herbal note kicks in on the finish. Drinking nicely now, additional cellar time probably won't improve the wine, but it should hold nicely for another year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2 hours; there was a lot of sediment so decant very carefully. Untypical Bandol flavor profile perhaps due to the heatwave vintage. On the nose dark cherries, some kirsch, earthy and fresh. The palate delivered the cherries for sure but also juicy blood orange with some cocoa and chalky tannins. An unusual mix: the overall effort was at the same time round, sweet, sour and yet mildly tannic. The alcohol (14.5%) was present but luckily not the dominant factor. We did not get the meatiness which other tasters talked about but thoroughly enjoyed it on its own and with beef steak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
still a touch young and punchy but starting to drink nicely ... plush texture, nice balance of fruit and savory spice. Very good and will get better over the next 3-5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Better than expected - especially at a $25 price point. Decanted, more sediment than I usually get from a French wine. This wine is SO ready to drink. Very smooth, lots of fruit (cassis and plum), and biter sweet chocolate. Well balanced, smooth. I liked the spiciness that usually isn't present in CDP's. Went perfectly with venison medallions ina a morel tomato bordelaise sauce and mashed potatoes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
House of power, tremendous amount of herbs, extremely dark, almost like tar. old wine., please let i breath and pour it gently. Treat it like a friend. And then, it will be good to you.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
very, very good. decanted one hour. dark purple, opaque. nose of cedar box, pine, menthol, kalamata olives, touch of thyme and other herbs. palate full of of pepper, steak spices, dark fruit (cherry black currant), dark chocolate. full bodied, silky tannins. one of the best wines I have had in the last 6 months. I was supposed to use some in a steak sauce, but opened another bottle instead.
Day 2 (after transferring to a half bottle for keeping): nose is far deeper / less alcohol volatility. Dark fruit, leather. Blackberry, dark cherry pepper and a touch of mint on the palate. still lots of body and some tannins remain. Still excellent but less lively than yesterday. I am guessing that this wine still has a few years of cellaring ahead of it, but I do not think that it will get much better. This was my only bottle and the 2003 is no longer available.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking very nicely. Opaque in color. Dark fruit, round in the mouth with some spice and tannin. Perfect against the broiled ribeye. Can drink this all day long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2 hours earlier, red fruit, odd nose (not unpleasant) that changed as the wine evolved. Great length, lighter style than the other 2 Bandols we tried, I agree with other comments that this has a "Grenachy" feel to it. Long long finish. Brilliant wine, this was still going strong two days later. Probably should have kept this a few more years. One of my best ever Bandols.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I look back at my note from this past January, about 10 months ago, and I am convinced that my previous bad experience with this wine was due to having a bad bottle. This bottle was really quite nice with lots of ripe plum and smoked meat scents and flavors right from the pop of the cork. Very dark and concentrated, much like a really thick southern Rhone wine such as a CdP. Very Good to Excellent on the rating scale.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My third and last bottle of this. Popped and poured, but followed over several hours. A strange wine for sure. Looks dark and brooding, but smells and tastes of red fruit and almost Grenache-like rather than the Mourvedre it really is. Heavy raspberry, chocolate/cocoa, and coconut and a nice and long finish. It's not that this is bad or not enjoyable...on the contrary...good and very enjoyable, but maybe a touch too candied fruit-wise and doesn't fit what I'm looking for in Bandol (more earth, truffle, and dark fruit). I would probably not buy again at current going-rates, but in the close-out bin, I may pick up a handful as a summer barbecue accompaniment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
rich layers of fruit and meat, candied ginger, fresh middle with lovely acid, needs more time to develop better balance between sweetness on the nose and the leaner middle, nnice long finish, with tie more rustic, cassis? pencil? in 3 hours - closing. needs more time - perhaps much more? very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine was initially downright nasty to the point that I thought that the bottle was totally flawed. It was completely disjointed and weird tasting. I let it sit for a while and things started to come around a bit but it never really lived up my expectations. Either this is totally too young to touch or this was a bad bottle. No rating given.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasting note after 3 hours in a decanter. Massive nose with smoky raspberries, plums, cherry, and minerals. Medium to full body with sweet, ripe tannins and very good acidity. Mouthcoating berries, licorice, cherry, minerals, and just a bit of an earthy element on the palate. Good length on the finish with the berries and minerals with a bit of oak. The finish is the weakest part of this wine, but I'm sure more cellar time will help it fill out. This is perfectly balanced and has several years of life ahead.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Well...this bottle showed quite a bit different from the last one. Very primary wine that tasted like very young Grenache. Maybe a little bit like a mediocre, young CdP. Very pruny, raisiny, and a little hollow and unexciting. I noticed the prune and raisin flavors in the first bottle as well, but not as strongly. Still drinkable, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the last bottle. I don't know if it's going through a weird phase, or if there is significant bottle variation in this vintage of Gros Nore. The bottle I had was not worth the money and I wouldn't buy it again if I judged it only based on this performance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Dark garnet color, but completely translucent. Slightly reminiscent of CdP on the nose with a touch of grilled meat and dried herbs, but it's smokier and beefier than most CdP would be. Also a hint of oil cured dry rosemary infused olives. Very nice velvety texture and good finish. Was a superb match for the Cascio del Bosco cheese I consumed with it (Tuscan truffled sheeps' milk cheese). I will say that the 2003 vintage is showing up slightly with a slight lack of dry extract and an ever so slightly raisin and prune aftertaste. Still a very nice wine and great QPR that goes phenomenally well with food, but I don't think it's one of the stars of the appellation in the 2003 vintage. I much prefer Chateau Pradeaux and Pibarnon to Gros Nore in this vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A dissapointment as I was told this was going to blow me away. Just because it can keep for two weeks, doesn't make it tasty. Will try letting the next one breath ...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I am going to try and write this without looking at cbbrown3's note - this wine almost reminds me of a big Spanish grenache. It has lighter style fruit (cherries and raspberries) and a nice liquor element. It is not overtly earthy like most mourvedre. Nicely balanced with supple tannins and good acidity. My first Bandol - it won't be my last.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A dark ruby red color. Raspberries, licorice, leather, dried herbs, and wet stone on the nose. Medium to full body with solid, ripe tannins and very good acidity. Palate similar to the nose with some extra spice. A long finish with the raspberries and licorice slowly fading into minerals. Very nice. This is totally different from any Mourvedre I've ever had. No overly earthy elements and no tree bark. A year or two of cellar time will be rewarded, in my opinion, but it is very tasty right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
over '90' / under $30 (Wine Exchange): deep dark color. black licorice, molasses, tar, peppery spice, plum and berries. full bodied, dry firm tannins. 14.5% alcohol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/25/2015 - tonepad wrote: 92 Points
This is imported by the legendary Kermit Lynch and it is amazing. Light smoke, iron and spice notes on the nose, and a wonderful anise/licorice note on the palette with the spice following thru. It's very mellow at this stage of bottle age, and was a bit overwhelmed by the goulash we had it with. It's almost better quaffed where the delicate flavors on the palette come thru better. Bandol is a holy grail wine that you should have on your bucket list. I had a 2008 bottle a few years back that was epic as well. I even saved the empty bottle as a trophy...this one too. Now to try to find more. Ha!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2014 - bramwessel wrote:
Deep ruby color - probably right on the edge of browning. Nose not as powerful as I expected. Subtle aromas of garrigue, violets, dates, currants, blood, smoked meats, soil, wet stone. I would even call it a "dusty" nose. Very well integrated tannins, and nice currant, dark cherry and fig fruit on the palate. Developing with air. Silky, dry finish. Quite nice. My first experience with 10+ y/o Bandol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/27/2014 - ucbeau Likes this wine:
Popped and poured. Dark garnet color. Nose shows very mourvedre-y aromas of leather, smoked meat, blackberry, as well as cocoa nibs and coffee. There's some brett here but it isn't the band-aid kind, rather more of a smokey/savory with a bit of sweaty horse. On the palate the tannins are nicely integrated and there's a wonderful pop of acidity. Plenty ripe, with black fruit, but restrained enough to have some classic Bandol structure. The finish is more smokey and bretty but still not horribly offensive. Tastes at peak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2013 - gusluc Likes this wine: 93 Points
excellent and ready to drink. At the noise cherries,leather,spices and light smoke. At the palate good body ,spicy,mineral and chocolat
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2013 - beekeeper wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. Bright, ripe, balanced, well coated tannins. Drinking very well right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2013 - cbbrown3 wrote: 93 Points
The wine is a medium to dark ruby with a touch of brick especially at the edge. The stunning nose has plums, minerals, cherries, worn leather, Asian spices, dried herbs, earthy underbrush, eucalyptus, dark chocolate, and a touch of smoke. This has medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and good acidity. On the palate the wine shows spicy, mineral laden, fruit with dried herbs up front, on the back end a touch of mint and dark chocolate enter the picture. The mint, dark chocolate, and a touch of earthiness linger nicely on the fairly long finish. This is in a nice drinking window and I don't envision much improvement with additional cellar time. Enjoy over the next year, maybe two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2013 - riversedge wrote: 88 Points
Cherries and leather
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/4/2012 - julius111 wrote: 91 Points
Aromes de cerises confites et animal. Tannins très fondus. Acidité présente.
A besoin de respirer environ 2 heures pour être à son meilleur.
Intéressant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2012 - Frank&Steph wrote: 90 Points
Bu en ce beau dimanche:
robe; Rouge grenat assez intense, beaux reflets, lorsque carafé, beaucoup de dépôts au fond de la bouteille.
Le tout s'ouver agréablement après 1h15 en carafe.. plus fruité qu'au début
Nez; assez fermé au début, mais s'ouvre merveilleusement sur des fruits tel que la cerise, mûre?, mais les arômes dominants proviennent plus du côté animal, qui fait jus de viande, avec des épices, notes fumées subtiles
palais; on y retrouve les arômes perçus au nez, l'acidité est palpable, la matière tannique est assez rustique, mais s'arrondie avec le temps. le fruit est mur, voir confit, la finale est longue et extra. la première coupe me donnait une finale un peu amère, à la fin, la finale était très bien sur le jus de viande sauce au fruits.
Très bien comme bouteille, dommage il n'en reste pas trop à la SAQ. Faites vite!!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2012 - gordoyflaca wrote: 92 Points
nice sweet dark fruits and dried grasses.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2012 - cbbrown3 wrote: 91 Points
Medium to dark ruby with just a touch of brick on the rim. Plum, raspberries, leather, baking spices, minerals, smoked meat, and a bit of earthy underbrush on the very nice nose. Medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and very nice acidity. Loads of minerality on the palate with spicy fruit coming in underneath. A minty notes pops out on the back end and continues thru the nice finish. This is tasting prime right now, it may hold for another year or two, but I don't expect much improvement.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2012 - Greg_O wrote: 91 Points
threw a good dose of sediment. leather, cherry and raspberry fruit, and herbal notes. might have reached it's peak, not sure it would evolve more favourably from here. tannins are still present but have softened.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2012 - tshanabruch wrote: 89 Points
Nice, but felt "slick" for Bandol. Was very happy with the pairing with the daube.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2011 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 88 Points
Rustic leather and cherry flavors. Age and the vintage make this a bit smoother than other wines I have had from this region. A terrific QPR and a delicious wine for cold late fall evenings.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2011 - CWilliam wrote:
Consistent with prior notes (although this was on a po & pour with grilled pork teryiaki pork tenderloin) - Full bodied tannic wine that is better with food than without - for price paid (~$22) excellent QPR and drinking great now. At Plateau IMO.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2011 - viadomitia wrote: 92 Points
No notes but excellent despite a quick pop and pour. Sad to see this last one go. Wish i had a dozen more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2011 - CWilliam wrote: 91 Points
Notes from night 2 - wine was served at a charity wine tasting and I got to take the remains home (I had this wine at the event the night before and really enjoyed it but no notes). Dried / stewed cranberry, cherry & tobacco on nose. On palate, stout tannins and very structured. Black cherry, cranberry, earthy - very nice and excellent with food. I'd agree with prior taster this fell off a bit on night two but it was still delicious. 91+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2011 - cbbrown3 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Medium to dark ruby color with some lightening at the rim. Raspberries, leather, cherry, licorice, minerals, and a hint of earthy elements on the nose. Medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and good acidity. Pretty bright on the palate with the red fruit and nice acidic zip. Tannins reappear a bit on the backend. A bit of an herbal note kicks in on the finish. Drinking nicely now, additional cellar time probably won't improve the wine, but it should hold nicely for another year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/3/2011 - benfri wrote: 91 Points
Lots and lots of bouquet and flavours. Soft tannins.Peaking? No I think it will for at least a couple of years from now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2010 - Capt Cutlass wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 2 hours; there was a lot of sediment so decant very carefully. Untypical Bandol flavor profile perhaps due to the heatwave vintage. On the nose dark cherries, some kirsch, earthy and fresh. The palate delivered the cherries for sure but also juicy blood orange with some cocoa and chalky tannins. An unusual mix: the overall effort was at the same time round, sweet, sour and yet mildly tannic. The alcohol (14.5%) was present but luckily not the dominant factor. We did not get the meatiness which other tasters talked about but thoroughly enjoyed it on its own and with beef steak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2010 - bboy wrote: 92 Points
another meaty mourvedre based Bandol. Excellent with glazed ribs. Very dark fruits, plums, earth.
A beauty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2010 - BigTarheel wrote: 91 Points
still a touch young and punchy but starting to drink nicely ... plush texture, nice balance of fruit and savory spice. Very good and will get better over the next 3-5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/4/2010 - bboy wrote: 90 Points
still a great mourvedre
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2010 - wine4ever wrote: 91 Points
Better than expected - especially at a $25 price point. Decanted, more sediment than I usually get from a French wine. This wine is SO ready to drink. Very smooth, lots of fruit (cassis and plum), and biter sweet chocolate. Well balanced, smooth. I liked the spiciness that usually isn't present in CDP's. Went perfectly with venison medallions ina a morel tomato bordelaise sauce and mashed potatoes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2010 - bboy wrote: 93 Points
House of power, tremendous amount of herbs, extremely dark, almost like tar. old wine., please let i breath and pour it gently.
Treat it like a friend. And then, it will be good to you.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/3/2010 - viadomitia wrote: 92 Points
very, very good. decanted one hour. dark purple, opaque. nose of cedar box, pine, menthol, kalamata olives, touch of thyme and other herbs. palate full of of pepper, steak spices, dark fruit (cherry black currant), dark chocolate. full bodied, silky tannins. one of the best wines I have had in the last 6 months. I was supposed to use some in a steak sauce, but opened another bottle instead.
Day 2 (after transferring to a half bottle for keeping): nose is far deeper / less alcohol volatility. Dark fruit, leather. Blackberry, dark cherry pepper and a touch of mint on the palate. still lots of body and some tannins remain. Still excellent but less lively than yesterday. I am guessing that this wine still has a few years of cellaring ahead of it, but I do not think that it will get much better. This was my only bottle and the 2003 is no longer available.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2009 - bboy wrote: 88 Points
Needs time to breathe. Very dark in colour, tannins rounded, fruity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2009 - toddjerry wrote: 91 Points
Drinking very nicely. Opaque in color. Dark fruit, round in the mouth with some spice and tannin. Perfect against the broiled ribeye. Can drink this all day long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2009 - cgrimes wrote: 90 Points
The Newburyport Wine Group--Bandols on a Friday Night (Chez Kirkpatricks, Newburyport, MA): Purple opaque. Nose of dark fruits and plum. Palate smooth with plum, chocolate and a meatiness followed by searing tannins. Great wine with Wagyu beef.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2009 - johnnyrichardson wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 2 hours earlier, red fruit, odd nose (not unpleasant) that changed as the wine evolved. Great length, lighter style than the other 2 Bandols we tried, I agree with other comments that this has a "Grenachy" feel to it. Long long finish. Brilliant wine, this was still going strong two days later. Probably should have kept this a few more years. One of my best ever Bandols.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 89 Points
I look back at my note from this past January, about 10 months ago, and I am convinced that my previous bad experience with this wine was due to having a bad bottle. This bottle was really quite nice with lots of ripe plum and smoked meat scents and flavors right from the pop of the cork. Very dark and concentrated, much like a really thick southern Rhone wine such as a CdP. Very Good to Excellent on the rating scale.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2008 - Seo wrote: flawed
Ruined by tartic acid sediment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2008 - gpownell wrote: 90 Points
Let breath for 2 hours - smooth drinking
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2008 - steffenpelz wrote:
My third and last bottle of this. Popped and poured, but followed over several hours. A strange wine for sure. Looks dark and brooding, but smells and tastes of red fruit and almost Grenache-like rather than the Mourvedre it really is. Heavy raspberry, chocolate/cocoa, and coconut and a nice and long finish. It's not that this is bad or not enjoyable...on the contrary...good and very enjoyable, but maybe a touch too candied fruit-wise and doesn't fit what I'm looking for in Bandol (more earth, truffle, and dark fruit). I would probably not buy again at current going-rates, but in the close-out bin, I may pick up a handful as a summer barbecue accompaniment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2008 - Mlermontov wrote: 91 Points
rich layers of fruit and meat, candied ginger, fresh middle with lovely acid, needs more time to develop better balance between sweetness on the nose and the leaner middle, nnice long finish, with tie more rustic, cassis? pencil? in 3 hours - closing. needs more time - perhaps much more? very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote:
This wine was initially downright nasty to the point that I thought that the bottle was totally flawed. It was completely disjointed and weird tasting. I let it sit for a while and things started to come around a bit but it never really lived up my expectations. Either this is totally too young to touch or this was a bad bottle. No rating given.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2008 - cbbrown3 wrote: 93 Points
Tasting note after 3 hours in a decanter. Massive nose with smoky raspberries, plums, cherry, and minerals. Medium to full body with sweet, ripe tannins and very good acidity. Mouthcoating berries, licorice, cherry, minerals, and just a bit of an earthy element on the palate. Good length on the finish with the berries and minerals with a bit of oak. The finish is the weakest part of this wine, but I'm sure more cellar time will help it fill out. This is perfectly balanced and has several years of life ahead.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2007 - steffenpelz wrote:
Well...this bottle showed quite a bit different from the last one. Very primary wine that tasted like very young Grenache. Maybe a little bit like a mediocre, young CdP. Very pruny, raisiny, and a little hollow and unexciting. I noticed the prune and raisin flavors in the first bottle as well, but not as strongly. Still drinkable, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the last bottle. I don't know if it's going through a weird phase, or if there is significant bottle variation in this vintage of Gros Nore. The bottle I had was not worth the money and I wouldn't buy it again if I judged it only based on this performance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2007 - djs wrote: 92 Points
Needs at least two hours in the decanter
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2007 - steffenpelz wrote:
Popped and poured. Dark garnet color, but completely translucent. Slightly reminiscent of CdP on the nose with a touch of grilled meat and dried herbs, but it's smokier and beefier than most CdP would be. Also a hint of oil cured dry rosemary infused olives. Very nice velvety texture and good finish. Was a superb match for the Cascio del Bosco cheese I consumed with it (Tuscan truffled sheeps' milk cheese). I will say that the 2003 vintage is showing up slightly with a slight lack of dry extract and an ever so slightly raisin and prune aftertaste. Still a very nice wine and great QPR that goes phenomenally well with food, but I don't think it's one of the stars of the appellation in the 2003 vintage. I much prefer Chateau Pradeaux and Pibarnon to Gros Nore in this vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2007 - lumber1 wrote: 88 Points
A dissapointment as I was told this was going to blow me away. Just because it can keep for two weeks, doesn't make it tasty. Will try letting the next one breath ...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2007 - bound4er wrote: 91 Points
I am going to try and write this without looking at cbbrown3's note - this wine almost reminds me of a big Spanish grenache. It has lighter style fruit (cherries and raspberries) and a nice liquor element. It is not overtly earthy like most mourvedre. Nicely balanced with supple tannins and good acidity. My first Bandol - it won't be my last.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2007 - cbbrown3 wrote: 93 Points
A dark ruby red color. Raspberries, licorice, leather, dried herbs, and wet stone on the nose. Medium to full body with solid, ripe tannins and very good acidity. Palate similar to the nose with some extra spice. A long finish with the raspberries and licorice slowly fading into minerals. Very nice. This is totally different from any Mourvedre I've ever had. No overly earthy elements and no tree bark. A year or two of cellar time will be rewarded, in my opinion, but it is very tasty right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2007 - wcacern wrote: 89 Points
over '90' / under $30 (Wine Exchange): deep dark color. black licorice, molasses, tar, peppery spice, plum and berries. full bodied, dry firm tannins. 14.5% alcohol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment