Brought to K&Js for Thanksgiving dinner. This bottle of pinot was really in great form and more harmonious than I remember from previous bottles. Paired well with a lot of different food. Great value for $20. Last bottle
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Last bottle of four...Light raspberry color, exemplary pinot noir, paired nicely with basil buttered salmon. That said, lacked the lively "presence" of earlier bottles--may be a bit passed it's prime. No reason to hold...
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Perhaps it was the extra age but this bottle was much nicer than I was expecting. Still a little cherry cola but more restrained, seemingly lighter and more focused. Nice
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We don't drink much Pinot, but this bottle was very pleasant for the $20 we paid. Nice cherry fruit with some cola notes. Medium weight and very bright, with lively acidity that makes it food friendly. Very solid and drinking well. Don't see much upside to more cellaring.
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Dark cherry color with some sediment. Musty aromas. Nice balance of red and dark fruit with the juicy acid and tannin. Finishes a bit flat but lengthy.
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Way better than the last bottle, nicely sweet with ripe cherry and strawberry fruit, nice juicy tannins and soft acidity. Pretty typical CA pinot, very nice for $20. Would say significant bottle variation - glad one of my two was pretty nice.
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This wine was pretty good about half an hour after opening, with bright raspberry, forest floor and mushroom flavors. Seven hours later it is thin and sour without much fruit. Fading fast. Drink now.
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Another Garagiste over hyped wine. This wine has the same nose as a shot of tequila with salt on the rim and lime squeezed. Body is red but bitter. Wines like this - no matter the “value” - are poor QPR.
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The aromas and initial flavors suggest maturity - old library and forest floor, but after a few moments, this expands on the palate with sweet-tart cherry and raspberry flavors, along with a green apple acidity that was surprising and delicious. This plays like a fast-forwarded version of Dylan's "My Back Pages": it was so much older at the beginning, but it's younger by the end.
I remember this being delicious, but I don't remember it being so interesting. A nice deal from Garagiste at $20.
This is an awesome Pinot Noir. Deep cherry in color and on the nose. Delicate, silky and balanced...couldn't ask for more. Paired very well with Filet Mignon.
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Over an hour of being opened, the first glasses had some sediment. Viscus texture with a cloudy ruby color. Musty cellar aroma. Ripe cherry and cranberry flavors with good acidity and a lengthy and somewhat tanic finish. This should get better.
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Not sure if I am tasting the same thing as others who posted reviews earlier here but this wine is definitely not a low valley RRV type cola and spice wine! Great nose, very "perfumey" if you will, light and nimble on its feet - lets just say "It's altitude is showing", lol. Perhaps some of the more nuanced secondary and tertiary elements are a bit flat still but another year or two of age will lift these elements and this will be an even nicer wine. I would have mistaken it for an O-noir even (that's a compliment sir) given its relatively high acid to sweet heavy fruit ratio. Oak is noticeable but in no way offensive. Nice wine!
But all these reviews about rich ripe California style?! Huh. Unless C-noirs have done a complete 180 lately (ok a few more understanding wine makers have begun the turn but my experience - check my reviews for examples - is still fat, leaden, cola, clumsy, dull, .......) I have no idea whatsoever about those reviewers who call this rich and ripe. Huh?! What the heck have you been drinking to think this is anything close to that description? I shudder at the thought.....
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Holy oak on the nose. Vanilla extract, mocha, and raspberry purée. The oak spreads a cloak over the fruit. Solid PN fruit, but the oak is too much for me right now. Not very enjoyable. I'd suggest letting it lay down for four more years to see if the oak integrates.
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Cherries and, oddly enough, meat on the nose. Lacks much in the way of tannins and acid, but very smooth with similar flavors. Drink now. Good Tuesday pinot.
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3/26/2024 - fmginc Likes this wine: 88 Points
Light color good fruit notes
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3/12/2024 - nefarm Likes this wine: 91 Points
A lil more sweetness. In a nice way.
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3/21/2023 - Big Ted Red Likes this wine: 90 Points
Surprisingly fresh, cherry compote and black tea with orange zest. Great QPR.
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11/25/2022 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brought to K&Js for Thanksgiving dinner. This bottle of pinot was really in great form and more harmonious than I remember from previous bottles. Paired well with a lot of different food. Great value for $20. Last bottle
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7/1/2022 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 91 Points
This has really come around nicely. It's very smooth to drink and food friendly. Not complex but very pleasant.
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10/14/2021 - davidspieker wrote: 88 Points
Cloudy dark cherry color. Musty cherry aromas. Juicy red fruit flavors with some cranberry and slate on the finish.
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6/17/2021 - Eslotnick.es@gmail.com Likes this wine: 89 Points
Last bottle of four...Light raspberry color, exemplary pinot noir, paired nicely with basil buttered salmon. That said, lacked the lively "presence" of earlier bottles--may be a bit passed it's prime. No reason to hold...
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6/3/2021 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 90 Points
Perhaps it was the extra age but this bottle was much nicer than I was expecting. Still a little cherry cola but more restrained, seemingly lighter and more focused. Nice
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2/10/2021 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 90 Points
We don't drink much Pinot, but this bottle was very pleasant for the $20 we paid. Nice cherry fruit with some cola notes. Medium weight and very bright, with lively acidity that makes it food friendly. Very solid and drinking well. Don't see much upside to more cellaring.
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1/17/2021 - fmginc Likes this wine: 89 Points
great full fruit notes
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12/4/2020 - fmginc Likes this wine: 89 Points
deep garnet well balanced fruit and improved day 2
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10/20/2020 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 Points
Continues to drink nicely.
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10/1/2020 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 Points
Big but beginning to tone down. Juicy, lots of blackberry and cherry. Held up well over several days.
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6/13/2020 - Eslotnick.es@gmail.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still a really nice Pinot--paired wonderfully with Filet
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11/7/2019 - davidspieker wrote: 90 Points
Dark cherry color with some sediment. Musty aromas. Nice balance of red and dark fruit with the juicy acid and tannin. Finishes a bit flat but lengthy.
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9/12/2019 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 Points
Not quite as rich, round and focused as an earlier bottle, still, it was nice, fruit forward and not too cola cola. A very nice C-noir for the price.
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3/28/2019 - thebonnydooner wrote: 89 Points
Way better than the last bottle, nicely sweet with ripe cherry and strawberry fruit, nice juicy tannins and soft acidity. Pretty typical CA pinot, very nice for $20. Would say significant bottle variation - glad one of my two was pretty nice.
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3/17/2019 - edgar wrote: 83 Points
Nose of stewed prunes with bursts of cherry, palate unremarkable, slightly better with food, didn’t seem corked per se, but ?
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3/17/2019 - Eslotnick.es@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is a wonderful pinot. Raspberry garnet colored with cherry nose and terrific balance. Pleasing in every respect...
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2/19/2019 - thebonnydooner wrote:
Not great, but not awful either. Medium bodied, a little tart, some sweet fruit on the finish. Judgement reserved.
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1/18/2019 - jayw wrote:
This wine was pretty good about half an hour after opening, with bright raspberry, forest floor and mushroom flavors. Seven hours later it is thin and sour without much fruit. Fading fast. Drink now.
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12/19/2018 - Rick 4 Wine Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Another Garagiste over hyped wine. This wine has the same nose as a shot of tequila with salt on the rim and lime squeezed. Body is red but bitter. Wines like this - no matter the “value” - are poor QPR.
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12/10/2018 - Rick 4 Wine Does not like this wine: 76 Points
Tequila wine. It smells and taste salty and like fermented leather.
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12/2/2018 - MBusk Likes this wine: 93 Points
The aromas and initial flavors suggest maturity - old library and forest floor, but after a few moments, this expands on the palate with sweet-tart cherry and raspberry flavors, along with a green apple acidity that was surprising and delicious. This plays like a fast-forwarded version of Dylan's "My Back Pages": it was so much older at the beginning, but it's younger by the end.
I remember this being delicious, but I don't remember it being so interesting. A nice deal from Garagiste at $20.
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11/24/2018 - fmginc Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep garnet and balanced fruit
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9/20/2018 - Eslotnick.es@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
This is an awesome Pinot Noir. Deep cherry in color and on the nose. Delicate, silky and balanced...couldn't ask for more. Paired very well with Filet Mignon.
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7/23/2018 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 90 Points
Tasting notes consistent with bottle opened earlier this year.
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7/19/2018 - Jake112380 Likes this wine: 87 Points
Good value everyday Pinot. Won’t blow you away, but for the price you’ll be impressed.
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4/13/2018 - fmginc Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep rich ruby color classic California Pinot rich fruit forward
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3/4/2018 - davidspieker wrote: 89 Points
Over an hour of being opened, the first glasses had some sediment. Viscus texture with a cloudy ruby color. Musty cellar aroma. Ripe cherry and cranberry flavors with good acidity and a lengthy and somewhat tanic finish. This should get better.
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3/2/2018 - 1markymark Likes this wine: 90 Points
Surprisingly tasty - wasn't expecting much based on other reviews, but this is a pinot with character
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2/18/2018 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 90 Points
Not sure if I am tasting the same thing as others who posted reviews earlier here but this wine is definitely not a low valley RRV type cola and spice wine! Great nose, very "perfumey" if you will, light and nimble on its feet - lets just say "It's altitude is showing", lol. Perhaps some of the more nuanced secondary and tertiary elements are a bit flat still but another year or two of age will lift these elements and this will be an even nicer wine. I would have mistaken it for an O-noir even (that's a compliment sir) given its relatively high acid to sweet heavy fruit ratio. Oak is noticeable but in no way offensive. Nice wine!
But all these reviews about rich ripe California style?! Huh. Unless C-noirs have done a complete 180 lately (ok a few more understanding wine makers have begun the turn but my experience - check my reviews for examples - is still fat, leaden, cola, clumsy, dull, .......) I have no idea whatsoever about those reviewers who call this rich and ripe. Huh?! What the heck have you been drinking to think this is anything close to that description? I shudder at the thought.....
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1/29/2018 - ezsobre Does not like this wine:
Ripe and flat at the same time. Very basic and tastes like it had much higher alcohol. My 2d bottle with same experience.
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1/14/2018 - jayw wrote:
Fragrant red fruit aromas. Very ripe and sweet. Harmonious, with good California Pinot character, but could use more time.
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11/26/2017 - djinc01 wrote: 90 Points
Rich ripe California styled pinot
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11/23/2017 - Doc90 wrote:
Holy oak on the nose. Vanilla extract, mocha, and raspberry purée. The oak spreads a cloak over the fruit. Solid PN fruit, but the oak is too much for me right now. Not very enjoyable. I'd suggest letting it lay down for four more years to see if the oak integrates.
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10/14/2017 - Jake112380 wrote: 87 Points
Cherries and, oddly enough, meat on the nose. Lacks much in the way of tannins and acid, but very smooth with similar flavors. Drink now. Good Tuesday pinot.
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