Allowed to breathe in glass for 3 hours. Clear deep garnet-blood color. Initial volatile, savory notes of saddle soap and soy sauce blew off after 2 hours, to reveal a lovely bouquet of blackberries, boysenberries, black and red cherries, black and red currants and their liqueurs; cedar, hints of spice and tobacco. Similar on the palate, seamless, mellow, balanced. Improved with air, and held up fine under vacuum stopper in refrigerator for four nights. Simple, straightforward, and delicious. $15 on release.
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Very off-putting nose at first. Pungent bretty band-aids and meat juice. I set the glass next to a window fan for some accelerated aeration. Two hours later, the bouquet had magically changed to a lovely creme de cassis with spicy oak, hints of leather and tobacco. Full bodied, seamless, with mouth-coating tannins. Needs lots of time to aerate.
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Allowed to breathe in glass 30 minutes before tasting. Clear deep ruby-garnet. Mostly unpleasant aromas of Band-Aid, saddle soap, meat juice, tobacco spittoon, and stewed red fruit. Fleeting notes of pleasant cherry and cassis. Similar on the palate, with some harshness and heat. Doubt this is over the hill; it may have been improperly stored or may just not be a very successful vintage.
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8/12/2019 - Javachip Likes this wine: 90 Points
Allowed to breathe in glass for 3 hours. Clear deep garnet-blood color. Initial volatile, savory notes of saddle soap and soy sauce blew off after 2 hours, to reveal a lovely bouquet of blackberries, boysenberries, black and red cherries, black and red currants and their liqueurs; cedar, hints of spice and tobacco. Similar on the palate, seamless, mellow, balanced. Improved with air, and held up fine under vacuum stopper in refrigerator for four nights. Simple, straightforward, and delicious. $15 on release.
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11/2/2012 - Javachip wrote: 89 Points
Very off-putting nose at first. Pungent bretty band-aids and meat juice. I set the glass next to a window fan for some accelerated aeration. Two hours later, the bouquet had magically changed to a lovely creme de cassis with spicy oak, hints of leather and tobacco. Full bodied, seamless, with mouth-coating tannins. Needs lots of time to aerate.
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9/21/2012 - Javachip wrote: 74 Points
Allowed to breathe in glass 30 minutes before tasting. Clear deep ruby-garnet. Mostly unpleasant aromas of Band-Aid, saddle soap, meat juice, tobacco spittoon, and stewed red fruit. Fleeting notes of pleasant cherry and cassis. Similar on the palate, with some harshness and heat. Doubt this is over the hill; it may have been improperly stored or may just not be a very successful vintage.
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