Pretty darn good for it's age - still garnet in colour with a nose of prunes; good depth of flavour - some complexity with a smooth medium length finish. Drink now
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Nice wine with a distinct monastrell flavor profile of slightly piney dark fruit and tobacco. Dry and savory finish, somewhat short. Went well with an unusual cheese made of cheddar and chocolate. Wine throws some fine grained sediment, drink in the near term.
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In general, I found this to be at the high end of the "good" range, i.e., 84. There are still some tannins left but there was also a slightly bitter taste. Dark ruby red. Some black currant taste. Glad I drank it now.
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Inky purple in color. Vanilla and some black licorice on the nose. Agree with the other Trackers that there's some bitterness to this wine. Flavors are bright - cherry and plums. But it needs time to mellow out of the bottle - right now the bitterness is pulling my focus. Salud!
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Tasted at joe g's SIMULTASTING: Poured in Bordeaux glass and let it sit for 20 minutes; On the nose some dark fruit and vanilla; On the palate there is some nice sour black cherry and plum along with a dark burnt earthiness. There is some bitterness on the moderate finish. This is not terribly complex, but solid for $7. After an hour or so, the bitterness did subside.
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Clear dark garnet core of moderate intensity out to a moderate ruby edge and thin watery rim - youthful. Clean nose of plum, vanilla, cherry, raspberry and pomegranate of moderate intensity - youthful. Dry with moderate tannin and acid with full body and moderate+ alcohol. Drying on the palate (tannins certainly help here) and slightly astringent with flavours of plum and dried red currents of moderate intensity. The finish is moderate in length with some astringency and a bit of bitterness. Will go best with roasted meats or eggplant. Requires a few more years of development for me to fully enjoy it - 3 or so
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Decanted overnight. Heavy tannins and some sharp bitterness right out of the bottle. After a night in the decanter and the day back in the bottle, it has settled down some. Has some nice dark berry fruit, oak, leather, and earth flavors. Decent QPR, but overshadowed by the much tastier "Hecula".
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Spicy, cherry and still tanic. This is very good and seems to be getting better. This is a good drink right now. Probably at its peak and ready to drink now and over the next couple of months.
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Spice, pepper, sweet, bright cherry, earth flavors. Actually better the second night, which tells me this might actually improve with a couple years in the bottle. Medium bodied, nice texture.
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Had this wine again and it's a little better than I remembered it. Dark berry fruit was more pronounced than the first time I had this. Not as good as the Castano Hecula though.
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Whatdayouwant for $4? Okay, so this wine is not the most complex wine in the world. A little underbrush, some cigar box and a tad of green in the nose. Flavors lean toward ripe juice. Some chocolate, dark berry, maybe pine needles and resin. Complex, no. Drinkable, sure for $4. Best served with inexpensive fair, pizza, burgers, Taco Bell! I think I would rather spend a few more $ for a wine with more stuffing. If your budget is $5-7 (normal retail for this, I think), I can see it but I subscribe to the "Life is too short to drink bad wine" theory. Not that this is bad, but with my days left on this earth, I would rather drink more upscale. The biggest issue I have with the wine is the burned plastic finish. Maybe it is from the synthetic closure or from the Mourvedre, which can make some pretty funked up wine. So my reco, spend a little more and enjoy a little more.
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Consistent with prior tastings, rich texture, dark berry and earth flavors, nice structure. Paired with Thai food and worked very well. Drinking nicely.
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I figured I'd go ahead and drink this one with my steak tonight. Based on several notes, I'm decanting it, but on first nose some possible pepper smell, dirt, mocha and cranberry. Tasting it wasn't on my top 100. It definately had the dirt in it, and a very gritty mouth feel. After letting it decant for about 20 minutes the fruit opened up a bit more. Drinking it while eating steak worked well, the pepper of the wine blending well with the steak..
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Distinct cherry w/ heavy prune taste and smell. Dry, a bit thin, but am enjoying over several nights. Final sips are deeper and more complex. Could be something to hold onto or at least decant prior.
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Okay, simple, kind of grapey and not much else there. What did Sir Bob taste that I did not??????????? This is a $5 wine that costs $5, nothing more, nothing less. As for me, if I had not gotten it in a "Mystery Case" from JJ Buckley, I would not buy it and would certainly not serve it to guests. Too simple and insulting. Maybe with really hot chili, you know, to kill the burn.
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I've gone through two bottles of this, one that was my own today. This wine seems to me to be an uninspired effort, though admittedly not bad for $8. On the nose, I pick up dominant earthiness, a bit less dominant alcohol, with a bit of smoke from burnt pinestraw and a hint of bitter plum. On the palate the wine has a light to medium weight, and is disappointingly thin, with underbrush and (not so tasty) dirt dominating, along with some strawberry plum (quite fruit forward), moderate acidity, and a foreshadowing of a tannic finish. The finish is disappointing but not offputting, dominated by alcohol taste, but in the background conjuring up the smell of a copper penny along with medium-high acidity (sour cherry, I suppose). The finish is a bit tannic, but again not offputtingly so, especially when consumed at 55 degrees F, as I have had it. I imagine at 65-70 degrees this would have more beastly heat to it, which is not necessarily a good thing. I would put this at 80-82 points -- the lowest level at which I would consider a wine truly "enjoyable". Might be more tolerable or even enjoyable with a gamey steak, lemony chicken or, perhaps, duck in mandarin sauce, but I imagine it's not much more than a good quafing wine.
Addendum - Day 2: The wine has softened a bit, and has lost some of its earthy and tannic bite, but remains disappointing. The wine is already murky enough to not warrant cellaring, but again is not an intellectual wine, or one to show off to friends. I stand by my 80-82 point rating.
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Took a little while to open up, but the last glass was silky smooth and had good balance. Nice blackberry fruit, bit of a new world style, but good value.
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I don't get any strong flavor components from this wine. Some red berry fruit on the mid-palate. A little black pepper on the finish. Not a bad wine, but there are more flavorful wines at this price.
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For $10.00 cdn, giddyup, but no way a 90 pt wine. Solid, although a bit chunky, it displayed decent fruit, and a nice meaty smell for a wine this price. Would buy again.
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Never been a big fan of Monastrell as a sole grape in a wine. That said, this was decent, round mouthfeel, plums, a little untanned leather. Nothing special. Robert Parker rates 92. He's a sucker for cheap decent wines.
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Decanted about 5 1/2 hours. The nose had lots of bramble and smoke aromas. Underneath there was some raspberry, with hints of orange peel around the outer edges. The nose finished with a bit of wild herbs. The palate was a little hot, but I did get a fair amount of dirt mixed with raspberry and cherry. The finish was pretty good, and had a nice bit of spiciness to it. All in all, not too bad for $8.
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Tasting notes are from Day #2 COLOR: 5/5 - Dark beet juice color, right up to the edges. NOSE: 11/15 - Rhubarb pie. I didn't get it last night, but the nose is absolutely rhubarb pie with fireplace smoke. Not overly complex, but fairly pungent. Almost gave an unintentional bonus point for the rhubarb because it was so unexpected. FLAVOR: 7/10 - Raspberry stikes first and brings some berry & woody bramble with it. The balance of the wine is good, but the flavors tend to disappear quickly. FINISH: 6/10 - The quick disappearing flavor is gradually replaced with a sour apple/sour cherry conclusion that lingers, making the finish the most disappointing part of the experience. POTENTIAL: 2/5 - I suspect this is probably showing at close to its best right now. Not a whole lot of tannic oomph to cellar for a while and I could easily see the fruit running away in the next year. OVERALL: 3/5 - Probably more of a 'food wine' than a 'drink alone' wine, this is a great QRP value either way. This is a night #2 (24h in the fridge) review, but I wouldn't say this went over the hill overnight. Don't buy more than you know you'll drink before 2009 (okay, maybe leave a few bottles to see what happens in '09). EDIT: Saw the "WA: 90" That's just wrong. Good wine and a great $7(ish) wine, but it's not close to a 90 point wine. Parker should be ashamed.
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Another enjoyable QPR wine from Spain. Nothing to go crazy about here - good grip, some dark red fruits, a bit of scorched earth - great for a weekday night.
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color: dark inky violet nose: Candied red fruit turning to blackberry and blueberry with time in the decanter. Also showing meatiness - almost salami-like with black pepper and hints of baking spice. Very fruit forward, almost candied upfront and turning spicy fairly quickly and showing a bit of roughness in the finish. That said, there is a lot of fruit and layered character for a wine of this price. Definitley shows the Yecla Monastrell character.
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stewed milk chocolate covered cherries. very nice for $5.99 and could have been an 87 pointer if it weren't tasting so "hot". first of 6, so i can't(won't) complain.
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The sentiments around the table were fairly positive, but my thoughts: tastes like cheap wine. It's got some nice flavors in there, but it's also a little rough, and finishes with not much but alcohol. When I remarked as much, and the others said they thought it drank like a much pricer wine (maybe even "expensive"), I opened up a mid-range California cab (not a show-off, only rated 87 in CT). The difference was obvious to everyone. The Castano is not bad, and maybe even good for what it is (a $7 wine) but it's still a $7 wine.
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Delicious, chewy, rich, dark fruit and long finish. Hot in the finish at first, but with some air there is balance...the strength of the fruit and luscious finish is completely satisfying. Amazing QPR.
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I do not agree with WA's 90 points. It's a nice, good value 100% Monastrell, toasty black fruits and smoked woods on the nose, strong, rustic flavors. Not an amazing, mind blowing monastrell like a Juan Gil, but it's also less than half the price. Good with steak tartare and even by itself.
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Big nose with typical mouvedre characteristics. Palate shows reduction that was always apparent even for 3 days. Big fruit up front with nearly zero midpalate. Finish on the harsh side. Up front fruit is very nice but overall shape of the wine makes is disappointing. Alright for the money but even at this price point there are many better options from Spain. Won't buy again on that basis.
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Nose of blueberries...VERY much like a beaujolais. Flavors also have the beaujolais slant, but are a bit more brooding after some air (1 hour). Dark fruit with wood. Not complex. I've had prior years of this RP super value and just can't seem to enjoy them. Okay.
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Good wine. I would get this again any time at this price. We drank all Yecla wines this week and this was the weakest but still a very good wine. It was not complex and the nose was fairly light with some red fruit and earthiness. This wine went down easily and had a nice tannin/acid balance that made it match well with different foods.
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Color: Ruby-purple. Nose is astringent with a little chemically-alcohol notes as well as some cherry and florals. On the palate: some heat meets blue fruits, black fruits, cassis, soft tannins, leather and has a nice long finish of berries and a smidgen of black pepper.
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Very dark character on the nose trying to be a raisin. On the palate blackberry and blueberry spiced compote with a touch of chocolate...very extracted and rich...heat is bothering me badly. This is intense on the mid palate and the finish is pretty long, i really just dont like the flavors on the palate and how the wine comes off, but if you like this style 6.99 is a bargain. Just not my speed. I imagine this would go great with some barbecue ribs etc...
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Decanted for 45 minutes. Nice purple color, there was a lot of sediment in the bottle. A lot of dark fruit on the nose. The palate was a little restrained, balanced with medium tannins. Very smooth with nice finish. Went well with pizza. Nice wine for the price.
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excellent qpr. Good mix between old/new world. Easily could compete with most $15-20 Italian everyday reds. Fresh, remarkably good finish. Buying a case.
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Color: inky purple nose:Black fruit, violets, with a slightly smokey and gamey character - also hints of graphite. ripe fruit balanced by good acidity. picked up plenty of hints of graphite and maybe iron, with a definite earthy quality. A little raw and rustic, but a super-duper deal and a great example of spanish QPR
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Medium ruby to purple color. Nose doesn't give a lot, some fruit, floral and yes...heat. On the palate, this is a smooth, full-bodied effort, and has a lot of dark and blue fruits, medium soft tannins, leather, and a dry yet smooth finish. Finish length is quite good 30 sec +. WA gave this 90 that's a little high for me. Sure pairs well with a wide variety of foods though and you can't argue with the value.
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This was my first Monastrell wine. Decided to taste along with the Hecula and Las Rocas Granache. Immediate nose was quite fruity and hot. Definately the high alcohol content that was evident in the initial taste as well. After sitting in the glass for 30 minutes, the wine settled down a bit but was still quite sharp on the tongue. Maybe it will get better with some more time? Still not a bad wine for the price.
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Nose of menthol and plums that added yellow cake notes in a few minutes and when the glass was more full. Fruit of blackberries, plums and raisins. Very cool with slate mid palate with spicy acidity. Spicy, slatey finish. Was good with gnoochi pesto. Good food wine, also OK as a cocktail wine.
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More than I expected. Not terribly distinct---but pleasant---red & black berry flavors, plummy maybe. Sort of mixed tarry, leathery, peppery notes on the nose.
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very excited to try based on winelibrary recommendation - but, this fell flat. bitter finish. sealed it back up and opened another bottle before guests arrived.
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Thick nose of strawberries and tobacco. Flavors of oak with some red currants. Very smooth. Nice richness and body, but mostly one-dimensional. Very good.
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Quite California in style, with a good amount of dark fruit that is just barely starting to raisin. Full in the middle but dryly tannic at the end. Still, the absence of heat or off-aromas makes this a great QPR at $6-7.
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Loads of upfront, juicy, somewhat jammy fruit. Has a bit of that sauvage mourvedre note, which could be off-putting to some, but not it's not overbearing, as with some cheaper Spanish monastrell-based wines. Okay for the price, but it won't change your life.
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Vibrant, deep color. Fresh, clean nose bursting with fruit in the mouth. Evoked the sense of the wine being drawn with a thief straight from the barrel to your mouth. As such, a bit rough on the edges. Only a moderate finish but how much more can you expect from a wine which costs only $4.99? Rather than focus on its flaws, I found immense pleasure in this wine's strengths. A far better experience than the disappointment of an over-hyped and over-priced $50.00 wine whose marketing aura is overshadowed by inherent weakness and limitation. Now, back to the rest of the bottle.
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WIML85. Snagged a quick taste of this at a retail tasting. Can't say I was impressed with this vintage and the price has gone up in price as well. Too easy to buy the 2004 Luzon stacked up by the case right next to it. A far superior wine. Mostly medicinal and leather notes on the nose and palate. Drink over the short term.
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Upon opening the nose was lively flowery and fruity after a few minutes the wonderful bloom faded. nothing I can say to help this wine stand out but nothing realy detracts either... very forgetable
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Nice, big and fruity nose with a bit of that funk to it like so many other people got. The fruit is well-balanced and deep. Soft and rounded, I would recommend this wine to anyone, from the beginner to the sommelier at your local restaurant. Two years from now this wine will be three or more dollars more so I would stock up and watch it change over the next 2-3 years.
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Dark purple color. It has that mouvedre funkiness on the nose and the palate. Thick on the palate, plum and blackberry fruits, a little heat from the alcohol. Pretty good for a $5 wine.
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Nose is all exhuberant/youthful fruit, a big dollop of white pepper...big, pepper driven, rich, big backbone for such a QPR driven wine...amazing wine for $6.
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Medium/deep bright purple/ruby, narrow light purple rim. Medium intense nose, youthful, fresh and fruity. Ripe red fruits and some spice. On the palate this has lovely ripe tannins and good (medium +) balancing acidity. There is, at best, moderately intense ripe red fruit with some darker fruit notes emerging before a somewhat short finish.
Easy, simple, "quaffing" wine with decent flavour and balance for drinking now and over next year.
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11/6/2015 - biggie Likes this wine: 88 Points
Pretty darn good for it's age - still garnet in colour with a nose of prunes; good depth of flavour - some complexity with a smooth medium length finish. Drink now
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1/27/2012 - IlonaN wrote: 87 Points
Nice wine with a distinct monastrell flavor profile of slightly piney dark fruit and tobacco. Dry and savory finish, somewhat short. Went well with an unusual cheese made of cheddar and chocolate. Wine throws some fine grained sediment, drink in the near term.
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8/15/2011 - cmick9 wrote: 82 Points
Still drinkable on a Monday night with a pizza... but starting to get a touch bitter
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2/2/2011 - IlonaN wrote: 86 Points
Still tightly wound, with bitter chocolate and tree bark aromas, palate is somewhat astringent and tannic. Some fruit peeks out at the end.
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11/27/2010 - lewisrise wrote: 86 Points
Nose of burnt cherries and asian spice. Cherries dominate with some cedar and spice. Very little flavor mid or late palate. Short finish.
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11/8/2009 - Tansi wrote: 84 Points
In general, I found this to be at the high end of the "good" range, i.e., 84. There are still some tannins left but there was also a slightly bitter taste. Dark ruby red. Some black currant taste. Glad I drank it now.
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9/25/2009 - RussK wrote: 80 Points
RUSSK. Strong, slightly bitter and ungenerous (no trace sweetness). Poured the last 1/4 out. Not sure if I like 100% Monastrell.
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8/29/2009 - chrwhite wrote: 85 Points
This tasted a little tight after a 30 minute decant. Very peppery on the nose and palate. As the wine opened up, the fruit came out. Not a bad wine.
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3/3/2009 - armchairsommelier wrote: 82 Points
Inky purple in color. Vanilla and some black licorice on the nose. Agree with the other Trackers that there's some bitterness to this wine. Flavors are bright - cherry and plums. But it needs time to mellow out of the bottle - right now the bitterness is pulling my focus. Salud!
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1/21/2009 - SS Chris wrote: 86 Points
Tasted at joe g's SIMULTASTING: Poured in Bordeaux glass and let it sit for 20 minutes; On the nose some dark fruit and vanilla; On the palate there is some nice sour black cherry and plum along with a dark burnt earthiness. There is some bitterness on the moderate finish. This is not terribly complex, but solid for $7. After an hour or so, the bitterness did subside.
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1/6/2009 - biggie wrote: 85 Points
Clear dark garnet core of moderate intensity out to a moderate ruby edge and thin watery rim - youthful. Clean nose of plum, vanilla, cherry, raspberry and pomegranate of moderate intensity - youthful. Dry with moderate tannin and acid with full body and moderate+ alcohol. Drying on the palate (tannins certainly help here) and slightly astringent with flavours of plum and dried red currents of moderate intensity. The finish is moderate in length with some astringency and a bit of bitterness. Will go best with roasted meats or eggplant. Requires a few more years of development for me to fully enjoy it - 3 or so
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9/18/2008 - RPerro wrote: 85 Points
Decanted overnight. Heavy tannins and some sharp bitterness right out of the bottle. After a night in the decanter and the day back in the bottle, it has settled down some. Has some nice dark berry fruit, oak, leather, and earth flavors. Decent QPR, but overshadowed by the much tastier "Hecula".
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8/3/2008 - ey1294 wrote: 87 Points
Spicy, cherry and still tanic. This is very good and seems to be getting better. This is a good drink right now. Probably at its peak and ready to drink now and over the next couple of months.
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8/3/2008 - Mprize wrote: 86 Points
Good table wine, good price. Better than the last one, which we drank almost six months ago.
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7/1/2008 - no leashes wrote: 89 Points
Spice, pepper, sweet, bright cherry, earth flavors. Actually better the second night, which tells me this might actually improve with a couple years in the bottle. Medium bodied, nice texture.
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6/6/2008 - careyd wrote: 87 Points
tasting notes as before. showed really well tonight with business colleagues after a long hard week.
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5/10/2008 - ftibbitts wrote: 87 Points
Had this wine again and it's a little better than I remembered it. Dark berry fruit was more pronounced than the first time I had this. Not as good as the Castano Hecula though.
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5/1/2008 - ey1294 wrote: 86 Points
Basic spanish wine, great value. Good everyday red tablewine
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5/1/2008 - guitarguy wrote: 83 Points
Whatdayouwant for $4? Okay, so this wine is not the most complex wine in the world. A little underbrush, some cigar box and a tad of green in the nose. Flavors lean toward ripe juice. Some chocolate, dark berry, maybe pine needles and resin. Complex, no. Drinkable, sure for $4. Best served with inexpensive fair, pizza, burgers, Taco Bell! I think I would rather spend a few more $ for a wine with more stuffing. If your budget is $5-7 (normal retail for this, I think), I can see it but I subscribe to the "Life is too short to drink bad wine" theory. Not that this is bad, but with my days left on this earth, I would rather drink more upscale. The biggest issue I have with the wine is the burned plastic finish. Maybe it is from the synthetic closure or from the Mourvedre, which can make some pretty funked up wine. So my reco, spend a little more and enjoy a little more.
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4/29/2008 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with prior tastings, rich texture, dark berry and earth flavors, nice structure. Paired with Thai food and worked very well. Drinking nicely.
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3/29/2008 - Alekos wrote: 84 Points
wild, raw, basic, savage, animal, tiger's cage and cat's pee, intense, violent and romantic, on your face but with many layers of depth to discover.
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3/10/2008 - jmetvoice wrote:
Nice earthiness and acidity, but a bit thin for my taste. Not terribly noteworthy
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2/18/2008 - ey1294 wrote: 89 Points
Growing bigger and stronger. Turning into a nice red table wine.
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2/7/2008 - JewelerBrad wrote:
I figured I'd go ahead and drink this one with my steak tonight. Based on several notes, I'm decanting it, but on first nose some possible pepper smell, dirt, mocha and cranberry. Tasting it wasn't on my top 100. It definately had the dirt in it, and a very gritty mouth feel.
After letting it decant for about 20 minutes the fruit opened up a bit more. Drinking it while eating steak worked well, the pepper of the wine blending well with the steak..
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2/6/2008 - pretz wrote: 85 Points
Good but not great. Reasonable value. Nice fruit
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1/27/2008 - lkatz wrote: 85 Points
OK...good with food
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1/25/2008 - Mprize wrote: 86 Points
Distinct cherry w/ heavy prune taste and smell. Dry, a bit thin, but am enjoying over several nights. Final sips are deeper and more complex. Could be something to hold onto or at least decant prior.
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1/22/2008 - PDD wrote: 84 Points
For the money, a great "house wine". Very purple lots of fruit, and a short finish. But, pleasant and easy drinking.
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1/4/2008 - guitarguy wrote: 81 Points
Okay, simple, kind of grapey and not much else there. What did Sir Bob taste that I did not??????????? This is a $5 wine that costs $5, nothing more, nothing less. As for me, if I had not gotten it in a "Mystery Case" from JJ Buckley, I would not buy it and would certainly not serve it to guests. Too simple and insulting. Maybe with really hot chili, you know, to kill the burn.
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12/26/2007 - Rossodio wrote: 82 Points
I've gone through two bottles of this, one that was my own today. This wine seems to me to be an uninspired effort, though admittedly not bad for $8. On the nose, I pick up dominant earthiness, a bit less dominant alcohol, with a bit of smoke from burnt pinestraw and a hint of bitter plum. On the palate the wine has a light to medium weight, and is disappointingly thin, with underbrush and (not so tasty) dirt dominating, along with some strawberry plum (quite fruit forward), moderate acidity, and a foreshadowing of a tannic finish. The finish is disappointing but not offputting, dominated by alcohol taste, but in the background conjuring up the smell of a copper penny along with medium-high acidity (sour cherry, I suppose). The finish is a bit tannic, but again not offputtingly so, especially when consumed at 55 degrees F, as I have had it. I imagine at 65-70 degrees this would have more beastly heat to it, which is not necessarily a good thing. I would put this at 80-82 points -- the lowest level at which I would consider a wine truly "enjoyable". Might be more tolerable or even enjoyable with a gamey steak, lemony chicken or, perhaps, duck in mandarin sauce, but I imagine it's not much more than a good quafing wine.
Addendum - Day 2: The wine has softened a bit, and has lost some of its earthy and tannic bite, but remains disappointing. The wine is already murky enough to not warrant cellaring, but again is not an intellectual wine, or one to show off to friends. I stand by my 80-82 point rating.
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12/23/2007 - markcvino wrote: 89 Points
Medium bodied wine with nice nose, rather peppery on the palate with hint of earth flavors, good finish. Excellent considering the price.
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12/8/2007 - RPerro wrote: 86 Points
Nice wine, great fruit flavor, and quite bold. For $7, I'm sold!
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12/4/2007 - MBannon wrote: 88 Points
Took a little while to open up, but the last glass was silky smooth and had good balance. Nice blackberry fruit, bit of a new world style, but good value.
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11/27/2007 - Noto Bene wrote: 87 Points
This time had with a hot capicolla pizza, went great with this wine. Solid everyday wine.
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11/21/2007 - ftibbitts wrote: 86 Points
I don't get any strong flavor components from this wine. Some red berry fruit on the mid-palate. A little black pepper on the finish. Not a bad wine, but there are more flavorful wines at this price.
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11/20/2007 - Noto Bene wrote: 87 Points
For $10.00 cdn, giddyup, but no way a 90 pt wine. Solid, although a bit chunky, it displayed decent fruit, and a nice meaty smell for a wine this price. Would buy again.
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11/15/2007 - TylerMcNinch wrote: 84 Points
Never been a big fan of Monastrell as a sole grape in a wine. That said, this was decent, round mouthfeel, plums, a little untanned leather. Nothing special. Robert Parker rates 92. He's a sucker for cheap decent wines.
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11/7/2007 - Soren Illum wrote:
Kraftik, lakrids/solbær, stor fylde, meget simpel. En god billig vin, 39 kr
7
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10/30/2007 - Alekos wrote: 83 Points
A little disappointed. I remember this bottle being much better.
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10/29/2007 - mmurry wrote: 88 Points
Decanted about 5 1/2 hours. The nose had lots of bramble and smoke aromas. Underneath there was some raspberry, with hints of orange peel around the outer edges. The nose finished with a bit of wild herbs. The palate was a little hot, but I did get a fair amount of dirt mixed with raspberry and cherry. The finish was pretty good, and had a nice bit of spiciness to it. All in all, not too bad for $8.
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10/28/2007 - Corrado wrote: 84 Points
Tasting notes are from Day #2
COLOR: 5/5 - Dark beet juice color, right up to the edges.
NOSE: 11/15 - Rhubarb pie. I didn't get it last night, but the nose is absolutely rhubarb pie with fireplace smoke. Not overly complex, but fairly pungent. Almost gave an unintentional bonus point for the rhubarb because it was so unexpected.
FLAVOR: 7/10 - Raspberry stikes first and brings some berry & woody bramble with it. The balance of the wine is good, but the flavors tend to disappear quickly.
FINISH: 6/10 - The quick disappearing flavor is gradually replaced with a sour apple/sour cherry conclusion that lingers, making the finish the most disappointing part of the experience.
POTENTIAL: 2/5 - I suspect this is probably showing at close to its best right now. Not a whole lot of tannic oomph to cellar for a while and I could easily see the fruit running away in the next year.
OVERALL: 3/5 - Probably more of a 'food wine' than a 'drink alone' wine, this is a great QRP value either way. This is a night #2 (24h in the fridge) review, but I wouldn't say this went over the hill overnight. Don't buy more than you know you'll drink before 2009 (okay, maybe leave a few bottles to see what happens in '09).
EDIT: Saw the "WA: 90" That's just wrong. Good wine and a great $7(ish) wine, but it's not close to a 90 point wine. Parker should be ashamed.
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10/27/2007 - vermonterk wrote:
good everyday drinker, dry, earthy and mushrooms on the nose, nice blended fruit flavor
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10/18/2007 - bound4er wrote: 88 Points
Another enjoyable QPR wine from Spain. Nothing to go crazy about here - good grip, some dark red fruits, a bit of scorched earth - great for a weekday night.
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10/11/2007 - sa66 wrote: 87 Points
color: dark inky violet
nose: Candied red fruit turning to blackberry and blueberry with time in the decanter. Also showing meatiness - almost salami-like with black pepper and hints of baking spice.
Very fruit forward, almost candied upfront and turning spicy fairly quickly and showing a bit of roughness in the finish. That said, there is a lot of fruit and layered character for a wine of this price. Definitley shows the Yecla Monastrell character.
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9/26/2007 - TBird wrote: 85 Points
stewed milk chocolate covered cherries. very nice for $5.99 and could have been an 87 pointer if it weren't tasting so "hot". first of 6, so i can't(won't) complain.
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9/15/2007 - ggtirevite wrote: 84 Points
Very nice - every day bottle - light to medium body with some good fruit
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9/8/2007 - careyd wrote: 87 Points
Tasting notes as before. Nice with mexican tonight.
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9/5/2007 - dwm613 wrote: 83 Points
Even at $7 to $8, unlikely to buy again. The wine was OK, but nothing special. Has decent fruit flaivors, reminds me of gamay, but a bitter finish.
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9/3/2007 - pgm wrote: 84 Points
The sentiments around the table were fairly positive, but my thoughts: tastes like cheap wine.
It's got some nice flavors in there, but it's also a little rough, and finishes with not much but alcohol. When I remarked as much, and the others said they thought it drank like a much pricer wine (maybe even "expensive"), I opened up a mid-range California cab (not a show-off, only rated 87 in CT). The difference was obvious to everyone. The Castano is not bad, and maybe even good for what it is (a $7 wine) but it's still a $7 wine.
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9/2/2007 - kenito799 wrote: 89 Points
Delicious, chewy, rich, dark fruit and long finish. Hot in the finish at first, but with some air there is balance...the strength of the fruit and luscious finish is completely satisfying. Amazing QPR.
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8/26/2007 - bbrungardt wrote: 89 Points
This bottle was my 2nd bottle...much better than the first. Good nose, with fruit on the mouth, and finishing with some pepper.
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8/22/2007 - Alekos wrote: 85 Points
no new notes
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8/17/2007 - Alekos wrote: 85 Points
I do not agree with WA's 90 points. It's a nice, good value 100% Monastrell, toasty black fruits and smoked woods on the nose, strong, rustic flavors. Not an amazing, mind blowing monastrell like a Juan Gil, but it's also less than half the price.
Good with steak tartare and even by itself.
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8/13/2007 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
with a green Thai curry, stood up very nicely. Rich texture, darker berry flavors. Excellent value, I'm picking up a few more bottles.
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8/12/2007 - eldiabloazul wrote: 85 Points
Good with food. Hot nose. Nice fruit flavor. Short finish. Great home-cooked dinner wine at 7 bucks.
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8/6/2007 - QuidnuncWS wrote: 85 Points
Good with spicy food. Great bargain.
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8/5/2007 - WetRock wrote:
Big nose with typical mouvedre characteristics. Palate shows reduction that was always apparent even for 3 days. Big fruit up front with nearly zero midpalate. Finish on the harsh side. Up front fruit is very nice but overall shape of the wine makes is disappointing. Alright for the money but even at this price point there are many better options from Spain. Won't buy again on that basis.
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7/30/2007 - wineward wrote: 80 Points
Nose of blueberries...VERY much like a beaujolais. Flavors also have the beaujolais slant, but are a bit more brooding after some air (1 hour). Dark fruit with wood. Not complex. I've had prior years of this RP super value and just can't seem to enjoy them. Okay.
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7/30/2007 - Tudz Drkl wrote: 85 Points
Good wine. I would get this again any time at this price. We drank all Yecla wines this week and this was the weakest but still a very good wine. It was not complex and the nose was fairly light with some red fruit and earthiness. This wine went down easily and had a nice tannin/acid balance that made it match well with different foods.
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7/21/2007 - vinoceros wrote: 86 Points
Not bad. A little too much dark cherry fruit and the like for me.
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7/16/2007 - careyd wrote: 87 Points
Color: Ruby-purple. Nose is astringent with a little chemically-alcohol notes as well as some cherry and florals. On the palate: some heat meets blue fruits, black fruits, cassis, soft tannins, leather and has a nice long finish of berries and a smidgen of black pepper.
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7/11/2007 - Fructis Garner wrote:
Consumed over 2 nights. One of the most complex less than $10 wines we have ever had.
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7/10/2007 - LPskeleton wrote: 85 Points
Very dark character on the nose trying to be a raisin. On the palate blackberry and blueberry spiced compote with a touch of chocolate...very extracted and rich...heat is bothering me badly. This is intense on the mid palate and the finish is pretty long, i really just dont like the flavors on the palate and how the wine comes off, but if you like this style 6.99 is a bargain. Just not my speed. I imagine this would go great with some barbecue ribs etc...
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7/6/2007 - Haj wrote:
A typical Spanish-style red, though cherry notes are darker and finish longer and more satisfying.
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7/5/2007 - btanz57 wrote: 86 Points
Just okay, won't buy again.
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7/3/2007 - green-steve wrote: 84 Points
Decanted for 45 minutes. Nice purple color, there was a lot of sediment in the bottle. A lot of dark fruit on the nose. The palate was a little restrained, balanced with medium tannins. Very smooth with nice finish. Went well with pizza. Nice wine for the price.
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7/2/2007 - rtcvino wrote: 90 Points
excellent qpr. Good mix between old/new world. Easily could compete with most $15-20 Italian everyday reds. Fresh, remarkably good finish. Buying a case.
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6/27/2007 - dougdell wrote: 83 Points
A little harsh and unbalanced
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6/26/2007 - matterhorn78 wrote: 89 Points
Great QPR! Decanting makes it even better...
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6/22/2007 - sa66 wrote: 87 Points
Color: inky purple
nose:Black fruit, violets, with a slightly smokey and gamey character - also hints of graphite.
ripe fruit balanced by good acidity. picked up plenty of hints of graphite and maybe iron, with a definite earthy quality. A little raw and rustic, but a super-duper deal and a great example of spanish QPR
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6/15/2007 - careyd wrote: 88 Points
Medium ruby to purple color. Nose doesn't give a lot, some fruit, floral and yes...heat. On the palate, this is a smooth, full-bodied effort, and has a lot of dark and blue fruits, medium soft tannins, leather, and a dry yet smooth finish. Finish length is quite good 30 sec +. WA gave this 90 that's a little high for me. Sure pairs well with a wide variety of foods though and you can't argue with the value.
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6/9/2007 - SadEdjo wrote:
straightforward midweight red.
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6/8/2007 - ggtirevite wrote: 84 Points
A little harsh
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5/31/2007 - djenningsoh wrote: 88 Points
This was my first Monastrell wine. Decided to taste along with the Hecula and Las Rocas Granache. Immediate nose was quite fruity and hot. Definately the high alcohol content that was evident in the initial taste as well. After sitting in the glass for 30 minutes, the wine settled down a bit but was still quite sharp on the tongue. Maybe it will get better with some more time? Still not a bad wine for the price.
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5/23/2007 - Fructis Garner wrote:
Nose of menthol and plums that added yellow cake notes in a few minutes and when the glass was more full. Fruit of blackberries, plums and raisins. Very cool with slate mid palate with spicy acidity. Spicy, slatey finish. Was good with gnoochi pesto. Good food wine, also OK as a cocktail wine.
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5/17/2007 - cjsadler wrote: 86 Points
A nice rustic Spanish monastrell. Dusty cherries with tobacco, leather and pepper... good QPR for sure. No idea how Parker rated this a 90, though.
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5/14/2007 - pgm wrote: 87 Points
More than I expected. Not terribly distinct---but pleasant---red & black berry flavors, plummy maybe. Sort of mixed tarry, leathery, peppery notes on the nose.
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5/12/2007 - hamiltonc wrote: 87 Points
Great QPR. A crowd pleaser...and at $6...much more than expected.
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5/12/2007 - rumorsofsurf wrote: 82 Points
very excited to try based on winelibrary recommendation - but, this fell flat. bitter finish. sealed it back up and opened another bottle before guests arrived.
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5/11/2007 - waibeans wrote: 88 Points
good fruit forward pizza wine. liked it for 6 buckx
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5/2/2007 - ashults wrote: 82 Points
Unremarkable quaffer
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4/22/2007 - WagesOfZin wrote:
Decent, but not memorable. I've had more enjoyable Monestralls at this price point. Luzon and Wrongo Dongo come to mind. B-
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4/15/2007 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 87 Points
nose of dark fruits and serious pepper. meaty and leathery notes. this wine is perfectly balanced. what a deal.
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4/14/2007 - nubbin wrote: 85 Points
Medium bodied. Dark fruit and moderately dry. Affordable and drinkable, particularly with food. 14% alco (D 5.5, F 5.5; Cent, E. Solomon)
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4/11/2007 - wineward wrote: 86 Points
Thick nose of strawberries and tobacco. Flavors of oak with some red currants. Very smooth. Nice richness and body, but mostly one-dimensional. Very good.
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3/17/2007 - tcfishler wrote: 86 Points
Quite California in style, with a good amount of dark fruit that is just barely starting to raisin. Full in the middle but dryly tannic at the end. Still, the absence of heat or off-aromas makes this a great QPR at $6-7.
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3/15/2007 - yui wrote: 85 Points
Nose - raw pig's foot, beaujolais like? fruity, nice acids, but OK. Nothing to get too exicted about
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3/12/2007 - bknysak wrote: 86 Points
Loads of upfront, juicy, somewhat jammy fruit. Has a bit of that sauvage mourvedre note, which could be off-putting to some, but not it's not overbearing, as with some cheaper Spanish monastrell-based wines. Okay for the price, but it won't change your life.
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3/9/2007 - pepmi wrote: 87 Points
Vibrant, deep color. Fresh, clean nose bursting with fruit in the mouth. Evoked the sense of the wine being drawn with a thief straight from the barrel to your mouth. As such, a bit rough on the edges. Only a moderate finish but how much more can you expect from a wine which costs only $4.99? Rather than focus on its flaws, I found immense pleasure in this wine's strengths. A far better experience than the disappointment of an over-hyped and over-priced $50.00 wine whose marketing aura is overshadowed by inherent weakness and limitation. Now, back to the rest of the bottle.
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3/3/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 85 Points
WIML85. Snagged a quick taste of this at a retail tasting. Can't say I was impressed with this vintage and the price has gone up in price as well. Too easy to buy the 2004 Luzon stacked up by the case right next to it. A far superior wine. Mostly medicinal and leather notes on the nose and palate. Drink over the short term.
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2/22/2007 - GlugGlug wrote: 78 Points
Upon opening the nose was lively flowery and fruity
after a few minutes the wonderful bloom faded.
nothing I can say to help this wine stand out but nothing realy detracts either...
very forgetable
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1/31/2007 - llrain22 wrote: 84 Points
Nice, big and fruity nose with a bit of that funk to it like so many other people got. The fruit is well-balanced and deep. Soft and rounded, I would recommend this wine to anyone, from the beginner to the sommelier at your local restaurant. Two years from now this wine will be three or more dollars more so I would stock up and watch it change over the next 2-3 years.
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10/9/2006 - ChrisR wrote: 87 Points
Dark purple color. It has that mouvedre funkiness on the nose and the palate. Thick on the palate, plum and blackberry fruits, a little heat from the alcohol. Pretty good for a $5 wine.
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10/8/2006 - CO CHRIS wrote: 87 Points
Nose is all exhuberant/youthful fruit, a big dollop of white pepper...big, pepper driven, rich, big backbone for such a QPR driven wine...amazing wine for $6.
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9/23/2006 - cmr wrote: 87 Points
Bottle did have a funky nose but on the palate it was nice and fruit forward. For the $6 it cost an excellent qpr.
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8/22/2006 - Mlermontov wrote: 84 Points
polaner fall 06: this has the smell of CHEAP wine...it blows off a bit with swirling but its just not my cup of tea.. green in the middle as well
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8/22/2006 - dougsmith wrote: 86 Points
Polaner Selections Fall Preview Tasting (New York City): Deep ruby color. Nose of stewed black fruits and tar with a green note. On the palate it is simple, direct and a bit rough around the edges.
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4/25/2006 - Paul D wrote: 79 Points
Medium/deep bright purple/ruby, narrow light purple rim. Medium intense nose, youthful, fresh and fruity. Ripe red fruits and some spice. On the palate this has lovely ripe tannins and good (medium +) balancing acidity. There is, at best, moderately intense ripe red fruit with some darker fruit notes emerging before a somewhat short finish.
Easy, simple, "quaffing" wine with decent flavour and balance for drinking now and over next year.
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