Fermented and macerated in open-top fermentors. Aged in a combination of new and used French and American oak barrels. 15% alcohol.
Quite deep, luminous and somewhat translucent black cherry color with an evolved pomegranate hue. Somewhat restrained, a bit meaty and quite savory nose with aromas of game, some blackberry marmalade, a little bit of sweet plum compote, light inky tones, a hint of licorice and a touch of Chambord liqueur. The high alcohol lends quite a bit of heat to the nose. The wine feels soft, quite voluptuous and a bit over-the-top on the palate with sweet-toned flavors of overripe plums and London liquorice, some evolved meaty tones, a little bit of rich blackberry-driven forest fruit, light savory notes of autumnal leaves, a hint of dry woody oak spice and a touch of jammy - even liqueur-ish - dark fruit. The high alcohol lends a hot, somewhat porty touch to the mouthfeel and the acidity feels rather low. The ample, fine-grained tannins contribute quite a bit to the texture but very little to the structure. The finish is juicy, sweetish and rather hot with quite gentle tannic grip and rather long flavors of Chambord liqueur, some ripe black raspberry tones, a little bit of blackcurrant marmalade, light notes of licorice, an evolved hint of meaty umami and a touch of dried figs. The high alcohol lends some obvious heat to the palate and makes the aftertaste feel a bit mouth-numbing.
An evolved and a bit too heavy Barossa Shiraz that doesn't feel like a wine that has actually benefited much from aging. The wine feels too ripe, too high in alcohol and too low in acidity. There's quite a bit of fruit and concentration to the wine, but the overall feel isn't particularly balanced and tasting this wine between two wonderfully evolved 2004 Shiraz wines (Duval Entity and Glaetzer Amon-Ra) only accentuates the clumsy, overripe nature of the wine. Not really my cup of tea now and probably never was.
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Very dark, almost black. Tons of blackberry, espresso, earth, pepper leather, and minerals with a fairly hick mid-palate and unctuous black fruits. Very long finish with an interesting amount of structure and some dusty tannins. My experienced Aussie geek thought it from McLaren Vale - which I could not dispute blind. A terrific shiraz - sadly my last bottle. Believe this has another 3-5 years of perfect drinking if well stored.
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Sadly - corked. Chlorine and wet cardboard on the nose. Certainly was a very dark color - loads of black fruits underneath, but the aromas were very distracting :(
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As young and fresh as the day it was born. It has less baby fat than 4 years ago and almost seems fresher. Maybe diminishing fruit is allowing more underlying structure to show? Moderate amount of Syrah funkiness. It's my favorite bottle so far.
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Ah, after so many years and from what could have been a bad time down under, this was a real pleasing experience. The fruit was purple, pruni-ish and chocolatey. Tannins are still hanging around as is the acidity. There is a nice thickness to the wine and the finish, while a tad drying, is loaded with chocolate, almost PX sherry finish.
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Big classic Aussie Shiraz. Blackberry, blueberry jam, full body, chewy, cocoa, mild tar. Some sediment. Love these old Shiraz on cold evening. Even better on second day more floral notes of violets and rose petals
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Three hour decant, I had troubles getting the cork out of this one but managed, the nose is a rich mix of blackberry, mocha and a little caramel. The nose itself is worth the cost.........
Next up is the palate, a dense and well played powerhouse of blackberry and chocolate and a bright spiciness. The acidity is just right to match the fine grained tannins. This has a deep, potent mouthfeel and a fantastic, long finish. A great bottle of wine that reminded me of how wonderful a well made shiraz can be, back to the store for more if I am lucky enough to find it on the shelf.
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Multi-layered and deep with berries and coffee. Pairs well with lamb three ways and with trumpet mushrooms despite their delicate flavors. Not overdone and no rush to drink -2024.
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Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, the blackberry, blueberry and black cherry fruits are accented by a layer of creosote expresso with tones of cigar box and cedar with hints of mocha, black pepper and anise on the lingering chewy tannin finish. The non-fruit tones detract a bit from the polish and finesse of the wine in my opinion, hence it is perhaps best consumed with hearty food, dark chocolate or full cheese.
Decanted. Plenty of dark fruit but also some fresh red fruit notes. Complex and integrated with cocoa notes and a lingering finish. It let you know it was from Barossa but there was nothing cartoonish about it.
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Better bottle than my last one a few months ago. Big inviting nose of dark berry fruits. This has some tannic structure without tasting heavy or overblown but still rich enough to satisfy a craving for Aussie fat boy juice. Nice finish.
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A very very nice wine. Nose is incredible. Vanilla, green pepper, black pepper, and cedar. It diminishes on the palate, though. Still great, but the palate can't match the nose. The palate consists of currant and black pepper. The oddity is that the nose is much more complex than the palate.
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No detailed notes, but this seems to be fading. Dark fruit, lacking freshness with a slightly dried pruny quality. Decent amount of heat on the palate and finish. Herbal and dried fruit finish, not a lot of depth here. Does have a nice smokey quality on the nose and palate. This comes across as a really nice fruit forward wine at some point, but I don't see any upside to holding.
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Popped and poured. Dark purple with lots of legs. Just a tinge of brown in the color. Spicy nose with some soy sauce, worchestshire (sp?) sauce and mint. A little heat to the taste. Meat, soy sauce, eucalyptus. Good but not great. Hopefully this turns better tomorrow night. With the cold weather I'm in a OZ shiraz kick. Tonight I don't like this one as much as the Langmeil 2004 Valley Floor Shiraz we had opened before this bottle.
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Really great when first opened with really ripe fruit. A strong 92-93 at this point. But as the bottle wore on (and into day 2) the fruit faded to the background a bit and the oak took over. Still a good 90-point wine at that point, but hoped for better throughout the drinking experience.
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Seamless complexity and unending vinification, yes, but also a slightly sweet aftertaste. Held up nicely for 2 days when we finished it. Enjoyed the 2004 Parable even more.
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Big aromas of blackberry and boysenberry, allspice and clove, cassis and cigarbox, and it follows through on the thick and juicy palate. All the bottle variation on these have been in the range between outstanding and awesome.
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A rich shiraz from down under yet not displaying the over the top fruity jam bomb that is so famously attributed to Australia shiraz. I found it to mellow out a bit as the night went on (either that or my palate was wearing out). Strong, let's you know it's there. Certainly not your serene, delicate flower, but tasty nonetheless. Enjoy.
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Rich, succulent and overall delicious. The nose just explodes with dark fruit, smoke and ash. Loads of blueberries and dark cherries on the palate, with secondary flavors of mesquite and anise. Long finish, a touch of heat, but overall pretty darn tasty. Would recommend.
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Developing nicely. Nice nose of dark berries, chocolate and a little oak. The palate has ripe blackberries, black olives, some oak. Full bodied but does not feel heavy. Clean finish, a little alcohol. Very enjoyable.
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Nose of sweet berries and vanilla. Heavy blackberry on the palate with good acidity, a little bit of oak and vanilla. After a day the alcohol came forward a bit more and the wine lost its balance.
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I really expected to hate this wine - generally don't like the style (big, very ripe, oaky) at all. And will this wine is all of those things, the overall impression is a rich chocolaty berry one, without the harsh and bitter edge that overripe fruit and oak often combine to create. So if you like this sort of thing, this is a pretty good example. Not something I'd run out and buy for my own cellar.
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Thick texture with some extraction, but comes across as a polished wine with some depth. Blackberry and plum fruit with higher acidity than most Aussies, with a long finish that did have a hint of heat. Very nice wine, but still just a little bigger and riper than I prefer.
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Maybe I've been lucky with my bottles, but these have been great to me. This one was loaded with pretty olive, blackberry, vanilla, thyme and baking spices. Yes, packed. A huge nose jumps from the glass, nice delineation on the palate, with good acidity and tannic structure. Long finish. A very tasty, indulgent syrah, but with some sophistication.
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Pop and pour. Powerful blueberry nose with some spice. Less oak on the palate than my previous note; however, this is still not a great wine and still tightly wound. I hope this will improve.
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Same deep purple with a lot of blackberry, cherry, and vanilla on the nose. Smooth and well balanced with cherry and blackberry syrup flavors and big tannins on the backend. A bit better with aeration. Somewhat odd, but the remainder of the bottle was completely closed on the second day.
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I gave this to friends as a gift a year ago and they opened it for me tonight (What wonderful friends!). This had about half an hour in the glass, but should probably be decanted for a few hours prior to serving. Deep purple color. Some blackberry on the nose. Wonderful and abundant cherry, oak, and chocolate flavors. A very nice bottle of Testament.
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Drank this as part of a Syrah/Shiraz tasting. Also drank this alongside the 2005 Testament, which was a bit more open and showed a little bit better. This has great acidic balance with very pleasant vanilla, blackberry, and cedar notes. A bit more tannic than the 2005 Testament at the moment. I continue to enjoy this wine, but I think I will give my other bottles a bit more time.
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2 hours after opening, this bottle drinks very nicely. It's plush and smooth, with pleasant berry nose, and complex flavors. I find vanilla, blackberry, oak, leather. Very long finish. At 4 hours after opening, this bottle has blossomed even more and I'm bumping up the rating to 93. This is a nice, lush Shiraz. I can also taste some pepper, herbal traces that I can't name, a touch of plum, and pleasant vanilla sweetness.
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Very nice Aussie Syrah, showing blueberry jam, menthol, sweet integrated tannins, and a little bit of oak. Nicely done, but there is definitely some RS on the finish, so its not for francofiles.
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Drank single-blind with comparison with Kilikanoon 04 M Reserve. To my surprise, all five of us preferred this (and I was pretty convinced that this, the more powerful and complex of the two wines, was the M Reserve). In comparison to the wine that turned out to the M Reserve, this had more going on and was less fruit-focused. It started with cigar box, cedar, plenty of tar (though that faded), and savory herbs over relatively restrained blackberry and plum fruit. Full in the mouth, with equal complexity, and with a long, long espresso-touched finish. The finish was slightly bitter, initially, but softened to a nice note of raisin. After awhile, it turned floral and minty (Juicy Fruit gum, in the best way). Beautiful showing.
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Decanted for almost 2 hours. Third time with this wine. Usual cherry and toasty vanilla flavors. This bottle seemed more oaky than the previous two bottles. My brother commented that the style of this wine reminded him of a $50-70 California cab--oaky and intense. He was pretty surprised that this is almost half the price.
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Decanted about 90 minutes, which I think wasn't nearly long enough. Nose of oak, alcohol, and perhaps spice. Some subtle blueberry and dark cherry, but it is overwhelmed by the oak and alcohol. Pretty powerful tannin on the mid palate. In a word, very tightly wound right now. Hopefully, the score we go higher in the future...
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I cannot keep my hands off of this wine. This took some time to open up, waited about an hour, but did not decant. Probably still could have used a little more time. Deep purple black color. Concentrated cherry, plum, and chocolate flavors with a little bit of wood and a nice long finish.
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Pretty closed day 1, when I popped and poured a glass. Day 2 it had come alive, with all the black fruit reflected in previous TNs, and adding a bit a currant and quite a lot on minty herb notes. Less oaky and brighter than I remember in previous bottles. This one tells me it really needs decanting and time in air, and the score reflects Day 2.
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This is a good one. Very pleasant nose, did not take too long to open up. Lots of chocolate, dark berry, and cedar flavors. Smooth and well structured. Should get even better with some more time.
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Violets, cassis, and menthol dominate the nose. The palate is very balanced and shows lots of black fruit. This wine is reminiscent of a cali rhone ranger. I would like to see a little more depth in the mid-palate though, but with that being said...Yummy.
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This one had an unusual amount of leather to complement its copious blackberry fruit, vanilla, and baking spices. Rich through and through, but it has enough tannins and acidity to keep it lithe and balanced. Nice finish, too. It's a definite winner from Kilikanoon, and a great value.
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As with most Kilikanoon wines, this one is very approachable. An aromatic nose of dark fruit and leather. Layers of rich black cherry and dark plum with a delightful dusty / earthy finish. Not overly extracted, and certainly light on tannins, this wine is a pleasure to drink.
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infinitely better on day 2- fantastic tannins, fruit, acidity and finish- a wonderfully blanced wine- no signs of oxidation but more open and a delight to drink ON DAY 2.
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Typical of Kilikanon Shiraz. Rich blueberry, exploding flavors and value to boot. Much like the Covenant, one would be hard pressed to tell the difference. 93
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I would advise anyone drinking this wine to decant it or let it sit in the glass. After about 2 hours, the experience was amazing! At first it was quite closed and not very special...but after I decanted it I got tons of blackberry, with much more earthiness than I am used to in Aussie Shiraz's. Pepper and leather on the mid-palate, and a very nice long finish made for one of the more interesting and delightful wines I've had in a while.
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Brought a bottle with me to an Italian restaurant and I should have told the staff the decant it a bit. It was a little too rough and acidic straight out of the bottle. However, the glass expose to the air for a while that my girlfriend didn't finish was superb by the time I got to it.
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Dark deep purple in the glass. Nose of black fruits and vanilla. Very thick and smooth on the tongue, with luscious fruit flavors and a lingering finsh around 30 seconds. A bit oaky, but no real negatives to overwhelm this lovely wine.
40+5+5+17+18+8=93
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Since I had many in my inventory, I decided to kill one to see what the reviews were talking about. The first glass was not very interesting. But the wine got better and more aromatic while I slowly sipped it. It probably needed decanting. Exposing it to the air really brought out the wonderful flavors. This is not one of those over the top shirazs, but delightful to drink anyway. It should cellar well for the next couple of years.
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5/26/2023 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still going strong. Great concentration, loads of fruit. Drink or hold
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3/5/2022 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
This vintage has been inching its way up with age... and it's the last bottle so I am awarding the 94. And, this winery has better wines actually!
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11/11/2021 - portlandrt Likes this wine: 95 Points
yummy
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10/11/2021 - forceberry wrote: 84 Points
Fermented and macerated in open-top fermentors. Aged in a combination of new and used French and American oak barrels. 15% alcohol.
Quite deep, luminous and somewhat translucent black cherry color with an evolved pomegranate hue. Somewhat restrained, a bit meaty and quite savory nose with aromas of game, some blackberry marmalade, a little bit of sweet plum compote, light inky tones, a hint of licorice and a touch of Chambord liqueur. The high alcohol lends quite a bit of heat to the nose. The wine feels soft, quite voluptuous and a bit over-the-top on the palate with sweet-toned flavors of overripe plums and London liquorice, some evolved meaty tones, a little bit of rich blackberry-driven forest fruit, light savory notes of autumnal leaves, a hint of dry woody oak spice and a touch of jammy - even liqueur-ish - dark fruit. The high alcohol lends a hot, somewhat porty touch to the mouthfeel and the acidity feels rather low. The ample, fine-grained tannins contribute quite a bit to the texture but very little to the structure. The finish is juicy, sweetish and rather hot with quite gentle tannic grip and rather long flavors of Chambord liqueur, some ripe black raspberry tones, a little bit of blackcurrant marmalade, light notes of licorice, an evolved hint of meaty umami and a touch of dried figs. The high alcohol lends some obvious heat to the palate and makes the aftertaste feel a bit mouth-numbing.
An evolved and a bit too heavy Barossa Shiraz that doesn't feel like a wine that has actually benefited much from aging. The wine feels too ripe, too high in alcohol and too low in acidity. There's quite a bit of fruit and concentration to the wine, but the overall feel isn't particularly balanced and tasting this wine between two wonderfully evolved 2004 Shiraz wines (Duval Entity and Glaetzer Amon-Ra) only accentuates the clumsy, overripe nature of the wine. Not really my cup of tea now and probably never was.
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4/17/2021 - GFischmann Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking very well and balanced
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7/18/2020 - BHRH Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very dark, almost black. Tons of blackberry, espresso, earth, pepper leather, and minerals with a fairly hick mid-palate and unctuous black fruits. Very long finish with an interesting amount of structure and some dusty tannins. My experienced Aussie geek thought it from McLaren Vale - which I could not dispute blind. A terrific shiraz - sadly my last bottle. Believe this has another 3-5 years of perfect drinking if well stored.
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7/11/2020 - BHRH wrote: flawed
Sadly - corked. Chlorine and wet cardboard on the nose.
Certainly was a very dark color - loads of black fruits underneath, but the aromas were very distracting :(
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3/17/2020 - Frijole wrote:
inky black red, little clarity, ruby hue
Nose: plum, cherry, licorice, tar, tobacco, chocolate, minerals, oak
Pal: plum, cherry, licorice, tar, tobacco, chocolate, green pepper, minerals, touch oak
Feel: medium, round, touch cloying
Finish: medium
T6
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1/22/2020 - WhinyWiner Likes this wine: 93 Points
As young and fresh as the day it was born. It has less baby fat than 4 years ago and almost seems fresher. Maybe diminishing fruit is allowing more underlying structure to show? Moderate amount of Syrah funkiness. It's my favorite bottle so far.
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8/2/2019 - guitarguy wrote: 91 Points
Ah, after so many years and from what could have been a bad time down under, this was a real pleasing experience. The fruit was purple, pruni-ish and chocolatey. Tannins are still hanging around as is the acidity. There is a nice thickness to the wine and the finish, while a tad drying, is loaded with chocolate, almost PX sherry finish.
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3/28/2018 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pnp. More settled than expected. 14 yr old Shiraz in a good place tonight. Paired w bbq fair, held up well.
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10/27/2017 - ravbik wrote: 95 Points
Big classic Aussie Shiraz. Blackberry, blueberry jam, full body, chewy, cocoa, mild tar. Some sediment. Love these old Shiraz on cold evening. Even better on second day more floral notes of violets and rose petals
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10/26/2017 - quaffnov Likes this wine: 94 Points
Three hour decant, I had troubles getting the cork out of this one but managed, the nose is a rich mix of blackberry, mocha and a little caramel. The nose itself is worth the cost.........
Next up is the palate, a dense and well played powerhouse of blackberry and chocolate and a bright spiciness. The acidity is just right to match the fine grained tannins. This has a deep, potent mouthfeel and a fantastic, long finish. A great bottle of wine that reminded me of how wonderful a well made shiraz can be, back to the store for more if I am lucky enough to find it on the shelf.
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10/14/2017 - Rollerball wrote: 92 Points
Multi-layered and deep with berries and coffee. Pairs well with lamb three ways and with trumpet mushrooms despite their delicate flavors. Not overdone and no rush to drink -2024.
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7/29/2017 - Bob & Sue Atlanta wrote: 94 Points
Great older Aussie Shiraz!
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10/14/2015 - Dust Likes this wine:
bold
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1/8/2015 - rmcnees wrote: 92 Points
Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, the blackberry, blueberry and black cherry fruits are accented by a layer of creosote expresso with tones of cigar box and cedar with hints of mocha, black pepper and anise on the lingering chewy tannin finish. The non-fruit tones detract a bit from the polish and finesse of the wine in my opinion, hence it is perhaps best consumed with hearty food, dark chocolate or full cheese.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/01/kilikanoon-testament-barossa-shiraz-2004.html
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11/2/2014 - Grinner wrote: flawed
18th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (Lyon Down Inn): Corked...there had to be at least one in 40 bottles right?
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9/7/2014 - Rollerball wrote: 92 Points
Dark with well integrated coffee berries and punch; seemingly into a nice plateau. Great with lamb kabobs.
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8/24/2014 - Matt T Likes this wine: 91 Points
Open with lots of blackberry, oak, and chocolate. Relatively good acid, but this drinks better on its own. At peak with a few more years left.
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1/16/2014 - Bob & Sue Atlanta wrote: 92 Points
Rock solid....
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12/7/2013 - Cobbster wrote: 91 Points
Nicely mellowed. A hint of eucalyptus on the nose. Blueberry fruit and herbal spiceness with soft tannins. Really quite nice.
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8/24/2013 - GARDEN Likes this wine: 91 Points
This gradually opened up and improved over the first hour.
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5/18/2013 - gmbdds wrote: 91 Points
Decanted. Plenty of dark fruit but also some fresh red fruit notes. Complex and integrated with cocoa notes and a lingering finish. It let you know it was from Barossa but there was nothing cartoonish about it.
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12/15/2012 - MoreWinePlease Likes this wine: 93 Points
Better bottle than my last one a few months ago. Big inviting nose of dark berry fruits. This has some tannic structure without tasting heavy or overblown but still rich enough to satisfy a craving for Aussie fat boy juice. Nice finish.
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7/28/2012 - MoreWinePlease wrote: 90 Points
Rich but not overly jammy or sweet in its boysenberry/blueberry profile cradled in a little toffee. Decent finish but unlikely to improve.
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7/28/2012 - kmicho Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very very nice wine. Nose is incredible. Vanilla, green pepper, black pepper, and cedar. It diminishes on the palate, though. Still great, but the palate can't match the nose. The palate consists of currant and black pepper. The oddity is that the nose is much more complex than the palate.
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6/9/2012 - Nutty08 wrote: 88 Points
No detailed notes, but this seems to be fading. Dark fruit, lacking freshness with a slightly dried pruny quality. Decent amount of heat on the palate and finish. Herbal and dried fruit finish, not a lot of depth here. Does have a nice smokey quality on the nose and palate. This comes across as a really nice fruit forward wine at some point, but I don't see any upside to holding.
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6/5/2012 - MindMuse wrote: 90 Points
Lots of dark character, plum, date, licorice, smoked beef jerky, though not what I'd really call integrated. Enjoyable.
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12/6/2011 - cobystilp wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. Dark purple with lots of legs. Just a tinge of brown in the color. Spicy nose with some soy sauce, worchestshire (sp?) sauce and mint. A little heat to the taste. Meat, soy sauce, eucalyptus. Good but not great. Hopefully this turns better tomorrow night. With the cold weather I'm in a OZ shiraz kick. Tonight I don't like this one as much as the Langmeil 2004 Valley Floor Shiraz we had opened before this bottle.
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11/10/2011 - tpspoon wrote: 91 Points
Really great when first opened with really ripe fruit. A strong 92-93 at this point. But as the bottle wore on (and into day 2) the fruit faded to the background a bit and the oak took over. Still a good 90-point wine at that point, but hoped for better throughout the drinking experience.
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10/15/2011 - Acohen wrote: 92 Points
Lovely dark fruit with secondary flavors of licorice and menthol
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6/11/2011 - truenorth wrote: 89 Points
Seamless complexity and unending vinification, yes, but also a slightly sweet aftertaste. Held up nicely for 2 days when we finished it. Enjoyed the 2004 Parable even more.
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2/9/2011 - pgm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Big aromas of blackberry and boysenberry, allspice and clove, cassis and cigarbox, and it follows through on the thick and juicy palate. All the bottle variation on these have been in the range between outstanding and awesome.
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1/7/2011 - cobystilp wrote: 90 Points
Good wine. Drank over two days. This one isn't losing anything anytime soon. A little one dimensional on the back end.
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1/3/2011 - ehe123 wrote: 92 Points
Very rich without being jammy or over the top. While pretty velvety on the palate, I think that it could still use a few more years.
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12/3/2010 - t4drman Likes this wine: 90 Points
A rich shiraz from down under yet not displaying the over the top fruity jam bomb that is so famously attributed to Australia shiraz. I found it to mellow out a bit as the night went on (either that or my palate was wearing out). Strong, let's you know it's there. Certainly not your serene, delicate flower, but tasty nonetheless. Enjoy.
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11/28/2010 - BSpdx wrote: 92 Points
Rich, succulent and overall delicious. The nose just explodes with dark fruit, smoke and ash. Loads of blueberries and dark cherries on the palate, with secondary flavors of mesquite and anise. Long finish, a touch of heat, but overall pretty darn tasty. Would recommend.
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10/3/2010 - Uglypinga wrote:
Developing nicely. Nice nose of dark berries, chocolate and a little oak. The palate has ripe blackberries, black olives, some oak. Full bodied but does not feel heavy. Clean finish, a little alcohol. Very enjoyable.
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9/11/2010 - Matt T wrote: 90 Points
Nose of sweet berries and vanilla. Heavy blackberry on the palate with good acidity, a little bit of oak and vanilla. After a day the alcohol came forward a bit more and the wine lost its balance.
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8/12/2010 - cobystilp wrote: 91 Points
Dark and pure. Nose of lavender. Blueberry and some soy sauce.
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5/24/2010 - herberto wrote: 90 Points
I really expected to hate this wine - generally don't like the style (big, very ripe, oaky) at all. And will this wine is all of those things, the overall impression is a rich chocolaty berry one, without the harsh and bitter edge that overripe fruit and oak often combine to create. So if you like this sort of thing, this is a pretty good example. Not something I'd run out and buy for my own cellar.
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5/23/2010 - vinole Likes this wine: 91 Points
Thick texture with some extraction, but comes across as a polished wine with some depth. Blackberry and plum fruit with higher acidity than most Aussies, with a long finish that did have a hint of heat. Very nice wine, but still just a little bigger and riper than I prefer.
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5/20/2010 - pilot360 wrote: 78 Points
Not my cup of wine at all. Burnt tire, dark berries.
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3/19/2010 - pgm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Maybe I've been lucky with my bottles, but these have been great to me. This one was loaded with pretty olive, blackberry, vanilla, thyme and baking spices. Yes, packed. A huge nose jumps from the glass, nice delineation on the palate, with good acidity and tannic structure. Long finish. A very tasty, indulgent syrah, but with some sophistication.
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2/14/2010 - ecnemergut wrote: 85 Points
Pop and pour. Powerful blueberry nose with some spice. Less oak on the palate than my previous note; however, this is still not a great wine and still tightly wound. I hope this will improve.
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2/13/2010 - Friedo wrote: 92 Points
Blueberry, blackberry; soft tannins, smooth and balanced. I was off shiraz for a bit, but this will bring me back!
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1/9/2010 - Normones wrote: 90 Points
teething stainer - a tad hot and a tad dark but I still love this wine and this winery.
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10/20/2009 - remeny1 wrote: 86 Points
Good drink, soft tannins, and velvety. There was a lot of Green olive though, that was a bit overwhealming. Not bad at all
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10/7/2009 - winelovr2001 wrote: 93 Points
A big powerful aussie shiraz. Blackberry, violets, oak and a long finish. Very hedonistic and fun to drink...but i wouldn't put it with food.
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8/10/2009 - Matt T wrote: 91 Points
Same deep purple with a lot of blackberry, cherry, and vanilla on the nose. Smooth and well balanced with cherry and blackberry syrup flavors and big tannins on the backend. A bit better with aeration. Somewhat odd, but the remainder of the bottle was completely closed on the second day.
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4/5/2009 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
I gave this to friends as a gift a year ago and they opened it for me tonight (What wonderful friends!). This had about half an hour in the glass, but should probably be decanted for a few hours prior to serving. Deep purple color. Some blackberry on the nose. Wonderful and abundant cherry, oak, and chocolate flavors. A very nice bottle of Testament.
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2/21/2009 - Matt T wrote: 90 Points
Drank this as part of a Syrah/Shiraz tasting. Also drank this alongside the 2005 Testament, which was a bit more open and showed a little bit better. This has great acidic balance with very pleasant vanilla, blackberry, and cedar notes. A bit more tannic than the 2005 Testament at the moment. I continue to enjoy this wine, but I think I will give my other bottles a bit more time.
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2/16/2009 - SeaSmoke wrote: 90 Points
Very nice. This benefited from 2 hours of decanting. Blueberry, some oak notes were evident. Still has a number of years to go.
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1/25/2009 - remeny1 wrote: 85 Points
Similar note to last bottle, taste like a fruity pinot
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1/21/2009 - du Beaune wrote: 93 Points
Jammy, lush, big shiraz, but not over the top.
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12/24/2008 - LeechDogg wrote: 94 Points
ripe blackberry, jury, showing bots of oak on the second night. This is Syrah!
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11/15/2008 - slippytoad wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Robert's house, deep and intense, quite ready.
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11/4/2008 - MartyRibs wrote: 93 Points
2 hours after opening, this bottle drinks very nicely. It's plush and smooth, with pleasant berry nose, and complex flavors. I find vanilla, blackberry, oak, leather. Very long finish. At 4 hours after opening, this bottle has blossomed even more and I'm bumping up the rating to 93. This is a nice, lush Shiraz. I can also taste some pepper, herbal traces that I can't name, a touch of plum, and pleasant vanilla sweetness.
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10/27/2008 - winelovr2001 wrote: 91 Points
Very nice Aussie Syrah, showing blueberry jam, menthol, sweet integrated tannins, and a little bit of oak. Nicely done, but there is definitely some RS on the finish, so its not for francofiles.
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10/27/2008 - dtirsell wrote: 90 Points
Big, thick and juicy, still needs some bottle time. After 3-4 hours developed a raisin character of something much longer aged.
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10/16/2008 - 100pp wrote: 92 Points
Ripe, smooth with cacao, espresso, earth tones. Long finish.
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9/5/2008 - remeny1 wrote: 91 Points
Almost syrupy without the sweetness. lots of fruit and a thick heavy body. Great tasting, but still too young to show anything more
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9/2/2008 - Acohen wrote: 92 Points
excellent dark fruits with spice and slight licorice. Needs to open up but was fabulous with steak
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8/27/2008 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
Had just a taste. This is one of my favorites. Needs at least an hour to open. Very nuanced, rich flavors of oak, chocolate, cedar, and dark berries.
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6/20/2008 - pgm wrote: 95 Points
Drank single-blind with comparison with Kilikanoon 04 M Reserve. To my surprise, all five of us preferred this (and I was pretty convinced that this, the more powerful and complex of the two wines, was the M Reserve).
In comparison to the wine that turned out to the M Reserve, this had more going on and was less fruit-focused. It started with cigar box, cedar, plenty of tar (though that faded), and savory herbs over relatively restrained blackberry and plum fruit. Full in the mouth, with equal complexity, and with a long, long espresso-touched finish. The finish was slightly bitter, initially, but softened to a nice note of raisin. After awhile, it turned floral and minty (Juicy Fruit gum, in the best way). Beautiful showing.
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5/10/2008 - Matt T wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for almost 2 hours. Third time with this wine. Usual cherry and toasty vanilla flavors. This bottle seemed more oaky than the previous two bottles. My brother commented that the style of this wine reminded him of a $50-70 California cab--oaky and intense. He was pretty surprised that this is almost half the price.
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5/4/2008 - ecnemergut wrote: 85 Points
Decanted about 90 minutes, which I think wasn't nearly long enough. Nose of oak, alcohol, and perhaps spice. Some subtle blueberry and dark cherry, but it is overwhelmed by the oak and alcohol. Pretty powerful tannin on the mid palate. In a word, very tightly wound right now. Hopefully, the score we go higher in the future...
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4/21/2008 - dtirsell wrote: 90 Points
should have decanted, opened and drank, a bit closed, rich, dark fruit. Will enjoy the next one.
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4/11/2008 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
I cannot keep my hands off of this wine. This took some time to open up, waited about an hour, but did not decant. Probably still could have used a little more time. Deep purple black color. Concentrated cherry, plum, and chocolate flavors with a little bit of wood and a nice long finish.
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4/11/2008 - dsimmons wrote: 92 Points
Very nice shiraz. Looking forward to the next three.
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4/4/2008 - ths wrote: 94 Points
Good as alway, concentrated and rich. Gets better with about an hour of air
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4/3/2008 - pgm wrote: 93 Points
Pretty closed day 1, when I popped and poured a glass. Day 2 it had come alive, with all the black fruit reflected in previous TNs, and adding a bit a currant and quite a lot on minty herb notes. Less oaky and brighter than I remember in previous bottles. This one tells me it really needs decanting and time in air, and the score reflects Day 2.
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2/22/2008 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
This is a good one. Very pleasant nose, did not take too long to open up. Lots of chocolate, dark berry, and cedar flavors. Smooth and well structured. Should get even better with some more time.
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2/19/2008 - winelovr2001 wrote: 92 Points
Violets, cassis, and menthol dominate the nose. The palate is very balanced and shows lots of black fruit. This wine is reminiscent of a cali rhone ranger. I would like to see a little more depth in the mid-palate though, but with that being said...Yummy.
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1/26/2008 - cmr wrote: 93 Points
Great rich dark blackberries with a hint of earth and oak. Excellent body and structure with a great finish to boot.
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1/20/2008 - Acohen wrote: 93 Points
Great dark fruit with pepper, spice and some vanilla. Big but not overpowering and delicious!
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12/28/2007 - pgm wrote: 93 Points
This one had an unusual amount of leather to complement its copious blackberry fruit, vanilla, and baking spices. Rich through and through, but it has enough tannins and acidity to keep it lithe and balanced. Nice finish, too. It's a definite winner from Kilikanoon, and a great value.
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12/15/2007 - ths wrote: 93 Points
Big, but not over the top. Does benefit from some air, becoming rich and fruity with a nice balance making an overall outstanding impression.
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12/1/2007 - snaff wrote: 92 Points
As with most Kilikanoon wines, this one is very approachable. An aromatic nose of dark fruit and leather. Layers of rich black cherry and dark plum with a delightful dusty / earthy finish. Not overly extracted, and certainly light on tannins, this wine is a pleasure to drink.
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11/9/2007 - klmarshall wrote: 92 Points
Big huge dark fruit. Backbone and tannins lurking, but we drank this too fast to see them open up.
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8/30/2007 - jonnyoro wrote:
infinitely better on day 2- fantastic tannins, fruit, acidity and finish- a wonderfully blanced wine- no signs of oxidation but more open and a delight to drink ON DAY 2.
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8/27/2007 - archer752000 wrote: 94 Points
Bright and complex nose of crushed berries, pepper, chocolate. Very balanced wine.
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6/23/2007 - ths wrote: 93 Points
Typical of Kilikanon Shiraz. Rich blueberry, exploding flavors and value to boot. Much like the Covenant, one would be hard pressed to tell the difference. 93
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6/19/2007 - Frijole wrote:
dark plum red, dark center, ruby edges, slightly cloudy
Nose: plum, mint, earth, maple
Pal: mint, earth, plum, smoke, sour, hint bitter coffee, mustard seed
Feel: bitter, savory, full
Finish: medium, savory
TC8
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5/26/2007 - lumbarpuncture wrote: 93 Points
I would advise anyone drinking this wine to decant it or let it sit in the glass. After about 2 hours, the experience was amazing! At first it was quite closed and not very special...but after I decanted it I got tons of blackberry, with much more earthiness than I am used to in Aussie Shiraz's. Pepper and leather on the mid-palate, and a very nice long finish made for one of the more interesting and delightful wines I've had in a while.
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5/9/2007 - jyau wrote: 92 Points
Brought a bottle with me to an Italian restaurant and I should have told the staff the decant it a bit. It was a little too rough and acidic straight out of the bottle. However, the glass expose to the air for a while that my girlfriend didn't finish was superb by the time I got to it.
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4/29/2007 - dannyk8232 wrote: 93 Points
Dark deep purple in the glass. Nose of black fruits and vanilla. Very thick and smooth on the tongue, with luscious fruit flavors and a lingering finsh around 30 seconds. A bit oaky, but no real negatives to overwhelm this lovely wine.
40+5+5+17+18+8=93
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4/14/2007 - wcacern wrote:
Ne Plus Ultra: The 95 & up club: WA95. Very big fruit. loads of berries and oak. big rich mouthfeel with smooth tannins
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4/7/2007 - jyau wrote: 93 Points
Since I had many in my inventory, I decided to kill one to see what the reviews were talking about. The first glass was not very interesting. But the wine got better and more aromatic while I slowly sipped it. It probably needed decanting. Exposing it to the air really brought out the wonderful flavors. This is not one of those over the top shirazs, but delightful to drink anyway. It should cellar well for the next couple of years.
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3/11/2007 - blazer wrote: 90 Points
Nice wine. Deep purple. Nose of blueberry, leather and spices. Firm tannins with medium mouth feel. Long finish of dark fruit, and spices.
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2/3/2007 - EMichels wrote: 91 Points
Very smooth; Little spice; Great
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1/18/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 91 Points
Kilikanoon/Rolf Binder Tasting (Wine Gallery, Corona Del Mar, CA): Nose of rich blueberry, plum, dark cherry, and vanilla. On the palate, plum, rhubarb, blackberry, spice, and espresso. A nice wine!
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