Wedding wine - not sure designed to last this long but drinking beautifully - clear fruit and acidity remain tannins soft….a lovely drink. One bottle left……
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Very good. Some negative reviews but a good wine that has aged well though it isn't one of the vineyard' stop range. 14.5% alc. Colour: lightish somewhat translucent ruby, dark chocolate Bouquet: developed, licorice, sour cherries, spicey characters, vanilla, woody oak Palate: sweet blueberry and blackberry fruit becoming very savoury and earthy, medium bodied but almost a lean spirity character, big soft tannins, licorice, long clean finish June 2016
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Excellent wine. 14.5% alc? Trophies at 2004 International Wine Challenges, UK and Aia. Colour: dark red berry Bouquet: rich sweet berry fruit, raspberry and spice, white pepper Palate: as bouquet, dry finish, long finish. Rich fruit, glycerol, tar and molasses. January 2015
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The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. Based on other reviews, I was expecting this to be gone. It was lighter coloured than I expected, as well as lighter tasting for a Shiraz. However the wine was fine to drink and I enjoyed it with roast chicken and veggies. I think this was only a good wine when it was made and 12 years later it is still just a good wine.
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Deep thick garnet color with great legs. Vanilla and deep red fruit on nose. Cherry, blackberry, and smooth earth with a touch of wood. Unexpectedly complex and pleasant even that this is not hte top of the wines offered by the winery. I think that those tasting the shiraz in the tasting were split between those that liked this wine versus the Kay Brothers and it all depended upon whether one likes very fruit forward versus more restrained fruit. This fell into the latter group. Fully mature and enjoyable although it doe snot have the longest of finishes.
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A bit of alcohol in the nose. Rich dark color. Tasted a bit of wood -- perhaps from basket presses? A bit of pepper. Deep cherry/blackberry flavor. Enjoyed the darkness.
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Clear, dark ruby in the glass. Nose of blueberries and dark fruits. Palate is candied cherry, blackberry and blueberry. Tannins have receded; this is still drinking reasonably well, better than I expected a year ago.
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This wine may have been cooked...there is a matterized nose to this that reminds me of Sherry as scents of stewed prunes, and baked red delicious apples bombard the nose with a light layering of caramel in the back ground. Showing a lovely ruby color with an orange twinge of bricking at the rim this wine looks far older than it is. In the mouth there is a smooth, baked red fruit component that some might love...yet all I can taste is failure. It is not "undrinkable" yet it is also not enjoyable...and that is why I drink wines.
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Pop and Pour, served at room Temp, no cork seepage. Color was garnet with bricking around the edges. Bright cherry nose, flavors follow suit with raspberry and vanilla notes. Tannins pretty much calm, but alcohol still a bit high, probably time to drink up as expect fruit will fade against the alcohol in coming years.
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Delicious. Drank 3 nights ago so taste impressions are lacking, but do remember it was silky and well integrated after decanting for an hour. Drinking well now.
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Really enjoyable wine with good depth of flavor. Blueberry and vanilla notes, like a Creme Saver candy, with pepper and some meatiness. Nicely balanced, would definitely buy again.
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Dark red/purple, turning to a little clear water on the edge. Aromas of pepper and spice, especially cinnamon and cloves. Dark fruits, boysenberry and violets on the palate, almost jammy. This is a pretty full bodied wine, but tasty for the price. Seems time to drink up-doubt this will get much better
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A dark red colour. Plummy dark fruit mingles with some sweetish oak and subtle game on the nose. There's a slight bit of burn there. The palate attacks with the black fruit alongside the sweetness of oak. Some slight pepper, smoke, cloves and spicyness. The wine is fairly full although not overly so. Generally good balance, a crowd pleaser but not especially complex.
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Not bad, not great. An average Shiraz that has decent flavors, but is a little bit hollow on the palate. Has some nice plummy fruit backed by coriander, pepper and an aroma of fresh earth. Not something to crow about, but easy to drink and readily available.
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On opening, vegie scents like roasted bell pepper. After 45 minutes or so, that fell into the background behind red ripe cherry and fruit, just shy of Red Vines. Good tart peppery juice flavors, sweet and sour finish. Enough acidity to work for food. Interesting but somewhat disjointed, although it might come together with more time. B.
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With grilled NY strips, sauteed mushrooms and Yukon Gold potatoes after the Saturday Group get-together. What can I say - this Footbolt should be dubbed "old dependable." And at $3.99, I can pop this any time, any place.
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Medium dark red color, with nose of plums, smokey malt and some wood. Loads of round chewy fruit fruit up front, with nice tannins for structure (perhaps a bit tight) and decently long finish (longer than expected). Little bit of cherry jam on the palate also and some spice, though I didn't get too much of the pepper specifically that others have commented on.
Liked it.
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Very dark purple color; not overly generous nose, but black fruits and some pepper. Flavor was very intense black fruit, mostly blackberry, with a bit of sweetness. Tannins were quite soft. Not overly complex but a very drinkable shiraz that was great with a hamburger and point reyes blue
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Upon opening this bottle, an overwhelming aroma of ripe blackberries floods ones senses. The aromas soon evolve to ripe blackberries and raspberries, pepper, pepper, and smoke. Flavors of blackberries and pepper were followed. As expected, this was a very good wine but the alcohol at times seemed a little out of balance.
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Inky purple color. Nose of cassis, dark fruits, pepper and smoke. Big on the attack with a lot of plummy fruit up front...wood is present and pepper echoes of the palate. Finishes with fairly significant tannin and acidity...It will be interesting to see what happens after 24 hrs...enjoyable, but not profound.
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other reviewers are right on when they identify pepper. if i had to chose between black and red i would go with red. this contributes a foxy taste when initially overpowers the plum fruit and makes it difficult to place this in the spectrum of shiraz which i think of as a gentler and more subtle variety. the wine came together a bit after 45 minutes with the pepper receding into the background and good balance between fruit and acidity showing through. i do not detect the oak that others speak of. the wine is certainly fully packed in all dimensions and should last well for several years. hopefully, later in its development, more aromatic qualities will come forth. there was a surprising heavy dose of sedimentation in the last glass. other bottles from this case showed seepage through the foil suggesting that this wine has experienced some high heat in transit. will look for more, perhaps from another source to see how the wine develops.
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Aromas of cassis, plum and oak. On the palate - soft and silky tannins; rich plummy fruit and plenty of spice with hints of licorice. Initially a little unbalanced on the oak, this wine had really developed on the second night - more integrated allowing the fruit to really shine through. Acidic, but not uncomfortably so. Medium length. For future reference - open, double decant, then consume the following day!
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Not decanted but allowed to develop in the glass. Nose of ripe plums and currents with light pepper. Initially quite lean and light on the mid-palate but within an hour it gained more weight, expressing concentrated cassis and black pepper. The tannin also became more evident but the dominating acidity left it somewhat unbalanced, and at times a little aggressive despite the increasing depth of fruit. Sweet but fairly short finish.
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12/25/2023 - Spoiler68 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wedding wine - not sure designed to last this long but drinking beautifully - clear fruit and acidity remain tannins soft….a lovely drink. One bottle left……
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2/8/2019 - Wine4Cam Likes this wine: 86 Points
Deep India ink pepper nose. Cherry, raspberry berry fruit, good acidity, dusty note in late palette, peppery tannic finish.
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12/21/2018 - MW kew wrote:
A
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5/28/2018 - Hollowine wrote:
Long gone and nasty
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6/23/2016 - rmarkey Likes this wine: 86 Points
Very good. Some negative reviews but a good wine that has aged well though it isn't one of the vineyard' stop range. 14.5% alc.
Colour: lightish somewhat translucent ruby, dark chocolate
Bouquet: developed, licorice, sour cherries, spicey characters, vanilla, woody oak
Palate: sweet blueberry and blackberry fruit becoming very savoury and earthy, medium bodied but almost a lean spirity character, big soft tannins, licorice, long clean finish
June 2016
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1/10/2015 - rmarkey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent wine. 14.5% alc? Trophies at 2004 International Wine Challenges, UK and Aia.
Colour: dark red berry
Bouquet: rich sweet berry fruit, raspberry and spice, white pepper
Palate: as bouquet, dry finish, long finish. Rich fruit, glycerol, tar and molasses.
January 2015
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5/10/2014 - Mick and Maria Likes this wine: 85 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle.
Based on other reviews, I was expecting this to be gone. It was lighter coloured than I expected, as well as lighter tasting for a Shiraz. However the wine was fine to drink and I enjoyed it with roast chicken and veggies. I think this was only a good wine when it was made and 12 years later it is still just a good wine.
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9/25/2012 - Renot wrote:
Done...Too old, soft cork
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4/29/2012 - rscarcelle wrote: 75 Points
Either on the verge of turning bad or just not that good.
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1/1/2012 - sma wrote: 90 Points
Deep thick garnet color with great legs. Vanilla and deep red fruit on nose. Cherry, blackberry, and smooth earth with a touch of wood. Unexpectedly complex and pleasant even that this is not hte top of the wines offered by the winery. I think that those tasting the shiraz in the tasting were split between those that liked this wine versus the Kay Brothers and it all depended upon whether one likes very fruit forward versus more restrained fruit. This fell into the latter group. Fully mature and enjoyable although it doe snot have the longest of finishes.
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2/21/2011 - TaitaJidou Likes this wine: 89 Points
A bit of alcohol in the nose. Rich dark color. Tasted a bit of wood -- perhaps from basket presses? A bit of pepper. Deep cherry/blackberry flavor. Enjoyed the darkness.
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7/18/2010 - rcdyer wrote: 89 Points
7/18/2010 - drinking good at this age. Dark cherries and a lot of fruit still
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5/6/2010 - OzWineFan wrote:
Past its best
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4/28/2010 - ksmith wrote: 87 Points
Clear, dark ruby in the glass. Nose of blueberries and dark fruits. Palate is candied cherry, blackberry and blueberry. Tannins have receded; this is still drinking reasonably well, better than I expected a year ago.
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11/26/2009 - clembos wrote: 87 Points
Pleasant drinking, perhaps a bit jammy.
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5/2/2009 - MichaelF wrote:
Perhaps over the hill. Stewed prunes, meaty. Very awkward and flabby. Cooked bottle? Don't know, but not enjoyable.
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4/16/2009 - drunkstar wrote: 85 Points
very jammy with little sophistication to get you really involved...pleasant enough but drink now
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10/29/2008 - Kirk Grant wrote:
This wine may have been cooked...there is a matterized nose to this that reminds me of Sherry as scents of stewed prunes, and baked red delicious apples bombard the nose with a light layering of caramel in the back ground. Showing a lovely ruby color with an orange twinge of bricking at the rim this wine looks far older than it is. In the mouth there is a smooth, baked red fruit component that some might love...yet all I can taste is failure. It is not "undrinkable" yet it is also not enjoyable...and that is why I drink wines.
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10/3/2008 - Hollowine wrote: 87 Points
Pop and Pour, served at room Temp, no cork seepage. Color was garnet with bricking around the edges. Bright cherry nose, flavors follow suit with raspberry and vanilla notes. Tannins pretty much calm, but alcohol still a bit high, probably time to drink up as expect fruit will fade against the alcohol in coming years.
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5/19/2008 - chris_3 wrote: 80 Points
pleasant mildly aged shiraz. Softened from new by aging a couple of years. Pleasant enough to drink but nothing special
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3/2/2008 - yipen wrote: 90 Points
drink up now, good wine to pair with spicy steak
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1/14/2008 - Gwalchgwynn wrote: 89 Points
Delicious. Drank 3 nights ago so taste impressions are lacking, but do remember it was silky and well integrated after decanting for an hour. Drinking well now.
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11/30/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 86 Points
Pleasant enough, but that's about it. Aromatic nose is better than the relatively thin palate.
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11/1/2007 - yipen wrote: 87 Points
ready to drink now, not too strong but with decent fruit, this wine didn't taste as impressive as previous bottle
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2/4/2007 - good old ludwig van wrote: 90 Points
Really enjoyable wine with good depth of flavor. Blueberry and vanilla notes, like a Creme Saver candy, with pepper and some meatiness. Nicely balanced, would definitely buy again.
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1/1/2007 - Dixie wrote:
had new years eve. very smooth and tasty
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11/19/2006 - patnshan wrote: 90 Points
Nice black cherry nose with some pepper. Medium tannins, nice aftertaste. A real nice classic Aussie Shiraz.
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9/29/2006 - ksmith wrote: 88 Points
Dark red/purple, turning to a little clear water on the edge. Aromas of pepper and spice, especially cinnamon and cloves. Dark fruits, boysenberry and violets on the palate, almost jammy. This is a pretty full bodied wine, but tasty for the price. Seems time to drink up-doubt this will get much better
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9/14/2006 - RichardZula wrote:
Dark, meaty, smoky, pencil led nose; interesting sour cherry on the palate; I enjoyed much more than Michele.
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7/16/2006 - gravelld wrote: 86 Points
A dark red colour. Plummy dark fruit mingles with some sweetish oak and subtle game on the nose. There's a slight bit of burn there. The palate attacks with the black fruit alongside the sweetness of oak. Some slight pepper, smoke, cloves and spicyness. The wine is fairly full although not overly so. Generally good balance, a crowd pleaser but not especially complex.
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2/6/2006 - Gulelin wrote: 87 Points
Good fruit in aroma. Redish purple in color. Nice fruit, good balance. Very slight tannin. Acidic (notes from journal).
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1/25/2006 - Jester wrote: 84 Points
Not bad, not great. An average Shiraz that has decent flavors, but is a little bit hollow on the palate. Has some nice plummy fruit backed by coriander, pepper and an aroma of fresh earth. Not something to crow about, but easy to drink and readily available.
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1/19/2006 - amoses wrote: 88 Points
On opening, vegie scents like roasted bell pepper. After 45 minutes or so, that fell into the background behind red ripe cherry and fruit, just shy of Red Vines. Good tart peppery juice flavors, sweet and sour finish. Enough acidity to work for food. Interesting but somewhat disjointed, although it might come together with more time. B.
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1/10/2006 - meatman wrote: 88 Points
Nice red and black fruits on the nose and palate. Plenty of pepper and spice. Solid wine for the price.
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1/7/2006 - mouton45 wrote: 90 Points
With grilled NY strips, sauteed mushrooms and Yukon Gold potatoes after the Saturday Group get-together. What can I say - this Footbolt should be dubbed "old dependable." And at $3.99, I can pop this any time, any place.
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11/12/2005 - Seanr7 wrote: 87 Points
Dark purple, nose of dark fruits. Jammy cherry notes, spicy finish. Had this wine a year ago and liked it better then.
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11/6/2005 - Squirreljam wrote: 88 Points
Medium dark red color, with nose of plums, smokey malt and some wood. Loads of round chewy fruit fruit up front, with nice tannins for structure (perhaps a bit tight) and decently long finish (longer than expected).
Little bit of cherry jam on the palate also and some spice, though I didn't get too much of the pepper specifically that others have commented on.
Liked it.
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10/25/2005 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 90 Points
Big chewy flavors with lots of fruit. Plum, blackberry jam and a hint of dark chocolate made this a wonderful bottle.
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10/11/2005 - MJHDC wrote: 90 Points
Very dark purple color; not overly generous nose, but black fruits and some pepper. Flavor was very intense black fruit, mostly blackberry, with a bit of sweetness. Tannins were quite soft. Not overly complex but a very drinkable shiraz that was great with a hamburger and point reyes blue
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9/16/2005 - winemark wrote:
T.V.: Really enjoyed this with a steak. Very pleasant drop.
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8/25/2005 - chatters wrote:
Lots of fruit, ready to go, chocolate and toffee, that burnt oak
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7/4/2005 - rlysecky wrote: 89 Points
Upon opening this bottle, an overwhelming aroma of ripe blackberries floods ones senses. The aromas soon evolve to ripe blackberries and raspberries, pepper, pepper, and smoke. Flavors of blackberries and pepper were followed. As expected, this was a very good wine but the alcohol at times seemed a little out of balance.
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6/24/2005 - Thilo wrote: 88 Points
Inky purple color. Nose of cassis, dark fruits, pepper and smoke. Big on the attack with a lot of plummy fruit up front...wood is present and pepper echoes of the palate. Finishes with fairly significant tannin and acidity...It will be interesting to see what happens after 24 hrs...enjoyable, but not profound.
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6/15/2005 - bacchus wrote: 89 Points
other reviewers are right on when they identify pepper. if i had to chose between black and red i would go with red. this contributes a foxy taste when initially overpowers the plum fruit and makes it difficult to place this in the spectrum of shiraz which i think of as a gentler and more subtle variety. the wine came together a bit after 45 minutes with the pepper receding into the background and good balance between fruit and acidity showing through. i do not detect the oak that others speak of. the wine is certainly fully packed in all dimensions and should last well for several years. hopefully, later in its development, more aromatic qualities will come forth. there was a surprising heavy dose of sedimentation in the last glass. other bottles from this case showed seepage through the foil suggesting that this wine has experienced some high heat in transit. will look for more, perhaps from another source to see how the wine develops.
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1/30/2005 - PeterC wrote: 90 Points
Aromas of cassis, plum and oak. On the palate - soft and silky tannins; rich plummy fruit and plenty of spice with hints of licorice. Initially a little unbalanced on the oak, this wine had really developed on the second night - more integrated allowing the fruit to really shine through. Acidic, but not uncomfortably so. Medium length. For future reference - open, double decant, then consume the following day!
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1/21/2005 - Vinoguy wrote:
Not decanted but allowed to develop in the glass. Nose of ripe plums and currents with light pepper. Initially quite lean and light on the mid-palate but within an hour it gained more weight, expressing concentrated cassis and black pepper. The tannin also became more evident but the dominating acidity left it somewhat unbalanced, and at times a little aggressive despite the increasing depth of fruit. Sweet but fairly short finish.
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12/5/2004 - egarno wrote:
A great Shiraz--enjoyed a bottle at home and at The Greenbrier's Sporting club.
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