Appearance: medium(+) clear dark ruby/purple ruby color. No gas or sediment, fairly heavy tearing (14.5% ABV according to bottle). Make sure to give it a little bit to open up
Nose: medium-intense aromas of clean red plum, chocolate, and lots of American oak (coconut, cardamom)
Palate:Fresh, high acid, medium(+) tannins, medium(+) bodied, leaner textured, medium(-) complexity, average length, good balance, and an oaky and dark fruit finish. Medium-intense flavors of cranberry, red plum, and dark chocolate with hints of coconut.
Nice and clean with lots of chocolatey oak!
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Black, plummy (slightly pruney) fruit with spice, smoke, and vanilla. The fruit is a little thinner than ideal, but I like how the tannins kick in to provide weight. I think it might improve slightly over the next two years as the oak integrates more, but who really cares for a $15 wine?
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Blind Tasting (San Diego Wine Co.): “100% dry farmed Monastrell with an ave age of 35 yrs planted in Villena to shallow, rocky, chalky soils over limestone mother rock; Traditional winemaking - the grapes are sorted rigorously & destemmed at the bodega. The grapes are macerated in s/s tanks & undergo malolactic fermentation in French oak barriques with light & infrequent pumpovers. Aged 12 mos in new, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th use FR oak barriques;“
N: RIPE cherries atop vanilla with notes of earth
P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish, blk cherry frt met by an astringent pucker which stays in touch with the init frt as it transitions into a LONG finish with a bitter/SWTNESS to the DUSTY tannins. NEEDS through '21 for the tannins to lose their grittiness, then into, poss through, '25. My EXC-, more down the line? 93 pts Dunnuck, 91 Vinous (Raynolds), & 90 Suckling. [This vendor's $12.99 is $2 < wine-searcher's lowest!]
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5/7/2023 - JFW Likes this wine: 84 Points
Four days on, I don't recall this being too amazing.
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8/28/2022 - Joelene wrote: 88 Points
Very dry, very austere, tannic, a bit harsh but could soften with time.
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8/27/2021 - N777 wrote: 87 Points
Appearance: medium(+) clear dark ruby/purple ruby color. No gas or sediment, fairly heavy tearing (14.5% ABV according to bottle). Make sure to give it a little bit to open up
Nose: medium-intense aromas of clean red plum, chocolate, and lots of American oak (coconut, cardamom)
Palate:Fresh, high acid, medium(+) tannins, medium(+) bodied, leaner textured, medium(-) complexity, average length, good balance, and an oaky and dark fruit finish. Medium-intense flavors of cranberry, red plum, and dark chocolate with hints of coconut.
Nice and clean with lots of chocolatey oak!
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8/20/2021 - SingleTrackRide Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Not much on the nose and wet stone on the palate, was not otherwise expressive even after it was open for an hour or two, wouldn't purchase again.
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5/30/2021 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Black, plummy (slightly pruney) fruit with spice, smoke, and vanilla. The fruit is a little thinner than ideal, but I like how the tannins kick in to provide weight. I think it might improve slightly over the next two years as the oak integrates more, but who really cares for a $15 wine?
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3/21/2021 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine: 86 Points
Pnp. As others have said black cherry fruit is spot on. Smoky. Tannins need time. Acidity for the long haul. This is not for me at this stage.
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2/27/2021 - ShawnSimons Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dark purple
Nose - black cherry, cola
Palate - round, blackberry, blueberry, cola.
Short medium finish.
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10/12/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Blind Tasting (San Diego Wine Co.): “100% dry farmed Monastrell with an ave age of 35 yrs planted in Villena to shallow, rocky, chalky soils over limestone mother rock; Traditional winemaking - the grapes are sorted rigorously & destemmed at the bodega. The grapes are macerated in s/s tanks & undergo malolactic fermentation in French oak barriques with light & infrequent pumpovers. Aged 12 mos in new, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th use FR oak barriques;“
N: RIPE cherries atop vanilla with notes of earth
P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish, blk cherry frt met by an astringent pucker which stays in touch with the init frt as it transitions into a LONG finish with a bitter/SWTNESS to the DUSTY tannins. NEEDS through '21 for the tannins to lose their grittiness, then into, poss through, '25. My EXC-, more down the line? 93 pts Dunnuck, 91 Vinous (Raynolds), & 90 Suckling. [This vendor's $12.99 is $2 < wine-searcher's lowest!]
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3/16/2019 - Paul from the Oblong Table Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Very deep color and fruit, but not to our taste buds.
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