This wine has been a black hole, dark and stern almost rustic and is just now starting to round out. It's still very dark, with iodine, black licorice, black olives, asphalt and roasted meat more than dark berry fruit. A dense, powerful, structured and firm wine, yet in last the few years, it has gotten some softness around the edges. Still a dark muscular and dense wine, but with sap and breadth to go with its depth now. On the palate, dense and dark, more savory than fruit driven with dark herbal and leather in the background. There is good acidity (for Grenache) that keeps it form being heavy. This comes off a little feral and wild, a carnivore's wine for sure. There is darkness and wildness that I love in this powerful, until recently overtly stern wine that seems to be coming into its own of late. Hedonists run away from this wine. No rush to drink this. I am really liking what some '95s are turning into.
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Subdued nose, still dominated by raspberry fruit, earth. Palate shows good concentration and a hot finish. After some hours in the open bottle, the wine becomes disequilibrated, alcoholic.
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Cherry and spice nose, flavors of sweet cherry, pepper, spice and herbs. Rich and well structured, long finish and moderate tannins. We drank with a dinner of well-flavored lamb meatballs -- perfect match!
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Dark red core, bit of bricking at the rim. Forward complex nose with sweet red fruits, game, smoke, road tar, blood and iron. Nice attack, medium- to full-body, sweet fruit and gamey complexity continue on the palate. Finish is less drying and tannic t
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$24.50 retail. This wine is starting to unlock a little and open up. Improved considerably with a few hours of air. Previous bottles have shown a bit thin and one dimensional. The nose is becoming more perfumed. Red fruit; spice; still a little sharp. Underlying sweet Dr. Pepper flavor (anise?). Something is still a little unbalanced / funky about this one.. but then again, maybe it's just going through a transition...? Still enjoyable, though. Will try another bottle in a year or so ( mid - late 2005) and reevaluate...
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Dark red core, lightening at the rim. Forward complex nose with sweet red fruits, game, smoke, road tar, and hints of mint. Nice attack, medium- to full-body, sweet fruit and gamy complexity continue on the palate. Finishes a bit drying and tannic on i
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6/16/2018 - cct wrote: 92 Points
This wine has been a black hole, dark and stern almost rustic and is just now starting to round out. It's still very dark, with iodine, black licorice, black olives, asphalt and roasted meat more than dark berry fruit. A dense, powerful, structured and firm wine, yet in last the few years, it has gotten some softness around the edges. Still a dark muscular and dense wine, but with sap and breadth to go with its depth now. On the palate, dense and dark, more savory than fruit driven with dark herbal and leather in the background. There is good acidity (for Grenache) that keeps it form being heavy. This comes off a little feral and wild, a carnivore's wine for sure. There is darkness and wildness that I love in this powerful, until recently overtly stern wine that seems to be coming into its own of late. Hedonists run away from this wine. No rush to drink this. I am really liking what some '95s are turning into.
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3/3/2012 - humagne wrote: 89 Points
Subdued nose, still dominated by raspberry fruit, earth. Palate shows good concentration and a hot finish. After some hours in the open bottle, the wine becomes disequilibrated, alcoholic.
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12/3/2011 - rmodak wrote: 88 Points
Good black cherry fruit with leather, herbs and a soy component. Maybe late peak, as I found the wine a bit rustic with some drying tannins.
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6/17/2011 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Soft and delicious
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3/5/2010 - campingfleurie wrote: flawed
My final bottle. On opening, brown and unpleasant. Nose had picked up some candied red fruits at the tasting a few hours later, but palate dead.
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4/20/2008 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Cherry and spice nose, flavors of sweet cherry, pepper, spice and herbs. Rich and well structured, long finish and moderate tannins. We drank with a dinner of well-flavored lamb meatballs -- perfect match!
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1/3/2008 - dbg wrote:
Dark red core, bit of bricking at the rim. Forward complex nose with
sweet red fruits, game, smoke, road tar, blood and iron. Nice
attack, medium- to full-body, sweet fruit and gamey complexity
continue on the palate. Finish is less drying and tannic t
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5/18/2007 - mattiasjansson wrote: 92 Points
Rhone dinner with Paul Jaouen (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix, AZ): Very nice nose. Controversial wine - several people in group did not care for it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
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5/18/2007 - goofy Yno wrote: 83 Points
barnyard, sharp acidic and bitter
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5/18/2007 - kstoddard wrote: 86 Points
Blackberry, spicy and herbs. Some heat and bitterness on the finish.
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1/14/2007 - martinp wrote:
Fine wine, more elegant than powerful, typical Charvin. Drinking well now.
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5/5/2004 - Ben Andersen wrote:
$24.50 retail. This wine is starting to unlock a little and open up. Improved considerably with a few hours of air. Previous bottles have shown a bit thin and one dimensional. The nose is becoming more perfumed. Red fruit; spice; still a little sharp. Underlying sweet Dr. Pepper flavor (anise?). Something is still a little unbalanced / funky about this one.. but then again, maybe it's just going through a transition...? Still enjoyable, though. Will try another bottle in a year or so ( mid - late 2005) and reevaluate...
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1/6/2004 - dbg wrote:
Dark red core, lightening at the rim. Forward complex nose with
sweet red fruits, game, smoke, road tar, and hints of mint. Nice
attack, medium- to full-body, sweet fruit and gamy complexity
continue on the palate. Finishes a bit drying and tannic on i
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