Beautiful deep opaque purple color. Aromas of dark fruit, minerals, spice and light floral notes. Full-bodied palate has dark fruit, chocolate and earthy dried herbs. Supple tannins and medium acid lead to lengthy finish.
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Nose: some blueberry and blackberry Taste: this improved great over time. Once this opened up I received a gentle softness and flavors of dark cherry, black berry and a little of tar and wood. I would have given this a 90 at open and bumped it significantly after a few hours.
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This bottle was in great shape and the wine was at a very good place for drinking. Very nice. I think this vintage has a few more years of good enjoyment.
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There’s was a fair amount of fine sediment noticeable opening the bottle.
The fruit is intense and bold. Great ripe juice, intense black and blue berries, with some tangyness that keeps you coming back. Sweet front, without being jammy; nice acidity at the middle, exploding flavors at the back. Reminds me of some Cos D’Estournel vintages like 2005 or 2018. Delightful.
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I’ve always wanted to try this label and this was no disappointment- it’s lush and rich fruit has luster and depth. You can drink this with a lot of different food. I’d recommend roast.
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took about an hour to open up then explosive nose [ a covid first for me] and evolving tart fruit with earth/tannins went so well with taku rub salmon on a plank years of life left
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A dark red blend. Poweful on the nose. Expected quite a punch but while it's a heavy tasting wine, it has incredible balance and is downright smooth. Fruit forward with mild tannins to keep it in check. I love this wine. This is spectacular!
- Crimsom color and aromas of raspberry, cherry and chocolate. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of raspberry and cherry with a medium/full body. Smooth texture - Popped and poured. Drinking beautifully.
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Decanted for six hours. The time brought it around nicely. Very floral nose, red fruit and tobacco on the palate. The merlot smooths the texture, but there is plenty of heft on the back-end. Yummy wine.
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Opened a second bottle to serve a friend, nose of Bordeaux wine, black berry, and some red cherry fruit, same on the palate, more open and friendly from the start than the previous bottle, even better the second night, still needs 2 years in the cellar so will hold the other 2 bottles, slightly better finish during the second night and much better than the first bottle,
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Opened an auction bottle cost $41.10, nose of Bordeaux, tobacco, leather, and black berry, same on the palate, medium/big body, tasty, fairly rich tasting, young, better in two years but the nose really makes this wine, and a medium/long finish.
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P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt met by some astringent pucker, which DOES pretty much resolve by the LONG, very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. Deserves another yr or so, then likely making its 10th. [This vendor's $51.95 is $3 < any of wine-searcher's limited offerings.]
Note: Differs *greatly* with respect to drinkability/structure from my tasting on 7/14/2018!
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Medium purple in color, this wine (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot) reveals focused aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice and spices. The mouth feel is fuller bodied with approachable tannins, blueberry elements and violet undertones. The finish is well balanced and the 14.5% abv is well integrated and barely noticeable.
Brought by my boss to a local BYOB, this wine performed beautifully and was an ideal pairing with my medium-rare flat iron steak.
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N: ATTRACTIVE berries with floral notes, rest tough to parse: poss some smoke?
P: LM body; NICE frt fairly quickly met by a puckerish astringency which makes itself felt into & through the LONG, balanced finish with an ULT swtness to buffer the astringency. NEEDS *lots* of time (through '24 at least?), then should easily make its 15th. My EXC-, with more to come for the patient! [This vendor's $51.95 is $3 < any of wine-searcher's limited offerings.]
Note: Differs *greatly* with respect to drinkability/structure from my tasting on 8/11/2018!
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A wonderful wine. Young, but opens up beautifully. If you have a few, worth enjoying. If you only have one, I would give it a few more years. Blanche is a whore.
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N: Fragrant vanilla/choc with a distinct earthiness, poss flowers?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt juxtaposed by an astringent pucker which never TOTALLY loses its sense of swtness as it SLOWLY, seamlessly transitions into a LONG, PLEASANT finish with notes of a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. DESERVES into '19 (likely more), then should make its 10th... EASILY! My EXC-/EXC, + the potential for even > eventually?
Addendum: Also tasted 7/14 & 8/11/18, today's TN being > along the lines of 8/11's.
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3/8/2024 - jocelyng wrote: 89 Points
A lot (too much) black tea with ripe berries. No finesse at all. Drank alongside Caymus 2016. I preferred the Caymus by a lot.
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12/24/2023 - deadwax Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice wine that could have sit for another 3-5 years and been better off for it. Our only bottle though.
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5/27/2023 - wiscgrad wrote: 94 Points
got better with air. initially black and red fruit, but got more dark fruit. long life ahead. really good QPR
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5/9/2023 - asteff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic ! Wonderfully balanced. Mirrored a lot of other tasting notes here. Just as beautiful the second day
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12/2/2022 - Perfectly Paired Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful deep opaque purple color. Aromas of dark fruit, minerals, spice and light floral notes. Full-bodied palate has dark fruit, chocolate and earthy dried herbs. Supple tannins and medium acid lead to lengthy finish.
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6/24/2022 - benny wrote: 94 Points
Decanted one hour. Drank over two hours. Very smooth especially at the end.
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3/26/2022 - ewasowicz wrote: 95 Points
Nose: some blueberry and blackberry
Taste: this improved great over time. Once this opened up I received a gentle softness and flavors of dark cherry, black berry and a little of tar and wood.
I would have given this a 90 at open and bumped it significantly after a few hours.
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7/28/2021 - Redteeth wrote:
This bottle was in great shape and the wine was at a very good place for drinking. Very nice. I think this vintage has a few more years of good enjoyment.
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4/24/2021 - novocane Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious wine.
2014 Clos de Betz, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
Deep inky purple.
Nose of black fruits.
There’s was a fair amount of fine sediment noticeable opening the bottle.
The fruit is intense and bold. Great ripe juice, intense black and blue berries, with some tangyness that keeps you coming back. Sweet front, without being jammy; nice acidity at the middle, exploding flavors at the back. Reminds me of some Cos D’Estournel vintages like 2005 or 2018. Delightful.
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3/13/2021 - mpricher wrote:
I’ve always wanted to try this label and this was no disappointment- it’s lush and rich fruit has luster and depth. You can drink this with a lot of different food. I’d recommend roast.
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8/31/2020 - bugdoced wrote: 93 Points
took about an hour to open up
then explosive nose [ a covid first for me] and evolving tart fruit with earth/tannins
went so well with taku rub salmon on a plank
years of life left
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5/9/2020 - KTelaak_Buffalo Likes this wine: 94 Points
A dark red blend. Poweful on the nose. Expected quite a punch but while it's a heavy tasting wine, it has incredible balance and is downright smooth. Fruit forward with mild tannins to keep it in check. I love this wine. This is spectacular!
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1/21/2020 - rwstorer wrote: 92 Points
- Crimsom color and aromas of raspberry, cherry and chocolate. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of raspberry and cherry with a medium/full body. Smooth texture - Popped and poured. Drinking beautifully.
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12/24/2019 - tjross Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for six hours. The time brought it around nicely. Very floral nose, red fruit and tobacco on the palate. The merlot smooths the texture, but there is plenty of heft on the back-end. Yummy wine.
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6/17/2019 - Disruptsmith Likes this wine: 95 Points
Red mountain showing strong again - wait another 5 years!
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4/4/2019 - spicy1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really solid red blend but not sure it works at $58. At $30, I would buy a case.
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3/26/2019 - ewasowicz wrote: 92 Points
Nose: light hints of blueberry, blackberry, and some floral notes
Taste: tobacco, jammy dark fruit,
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2/20/2019 - jrglm Likes this wine: 91 Points
91+ Beautiful wine. Has wonderful aging potential to me.
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12/18/2018 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened a second bottle to serve a friend, nose of Bordeaux wine, black berry, and some red cherry fruit, same on the palate, more open and friendly from the start than the previous bottle, even better the second night, still needs 2 years in the cellar so will hold the other 2 bottles, slightly better finish during the second night and much better than the first bottle,
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12/14/2018 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened an auction bottle cost $41.10, nose of Bordeaux, tobacco, leather, and black berry, same on the palate, medium/big body, tasty, fairly rich tasting, young, better in two years but the nose really makes this wine, and a medium/long finish.
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10/7/2018 - ewasowicz wrote: 90 Points
Nose: jam and tobacco
Taste: a little tight. Probably needs a year or two more. Jammy with a long finish.
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8/11/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 5 *shared* reds] from 08/10/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
N: RIPE berries with notes of choc
P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt met by some astringent pucker, which DOES pretty much resolve by the LONG, very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. Deserves another yr or so, then likely making its 10th. [This vendor's $51.95 is $3 < any of wine-searcher's limited offerings.]
Note: Differs *greatly* with respect to drinkability/structure from my tasting on 7/14/2018!
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7/14/2018 - cuffthis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium purple in color, this wine (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot) reveals focused aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice and spices. The mouth feel is fuller bodied with approachable tannins, blueberry elements and violet undertones. The finish is well balanced and the 14.5% abv is well integrated and barely noticeable.
Brought by my boss to a local BYOB, this wine performed beautifully and was an ideal pairing with my medium-rare flat iron steak.
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7/14/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 3 *shared* bottles] from 07/13/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
N: ATTRACTIVE berries with floral notes, rest tough to parse: poss some smoke?
P: LM body; NICE frt fairly quickly met by a puckerish astringency which makes itself felt into & through the LONG, balanced finish with an ULT swtness to buffer the astringency. NEEDS *lots* of time (through '24 at least?), then should easily make its 15th. My EXC-, with more to come for the patient! [This vendor's $51.95 is $3 < any of wine-searcher's limited offerings.]
Note: Differs *greatly* with respect to drinkability/structure from my tasting on 8/11/2018!
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7/7/2018 - SophiaPetrillo Likes this wine: 94 Points
A wonderful wine. Young, but opens up beautifully. If you have a few, worth enjoying. If you only have one, I would give it a few more years. Blanche is a whore.
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2/24/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whts, & 8 Reds] from 02/23/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
N: Fragrant vanilla/choc with a distinct earthiness, poss flowers?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt juxtaposed by an astringent pucker which never TOTALLY loses its sense of swtness as it SLOWLY, seamlessly transitions into a LONG, PLEASANT finish with notes of a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. DESERVES into '19 (likely more), then should make its 10th... EASILY! My EXC-/EXC, + the potential for even > eventually?
Addendum: Also tasted 7/14 & 8/11/18, today's TN being > along the lines of 8/11's.
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