Still holding its own after 25+ years. Fresh, bold and balanced. Red and blue berries, camphor and spices on the nose, well integrated and balanced tannins. Good depth and texture. Love it.
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Nose was the only downside at the beginning, not much there, very closed down. Opened over an hour or so with some cherries and other red fruits, some exotic sweet spices were a surprise ... never got "big" but kept getting better... I ran out of wine before it ran out of growth. The palate was everything you could want in a wine with age, front palate was a little bit of citrus, sweet... not in an off way but in a refreshing wayy... nice full mid-palate and a super smooth silky finish... you could almost take a sip just for the finish... that smooth...
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Still very much alive, big merlot, tannic firm structure (as all Pahlmeyer Merlots), starting to soften, dark fruits, blackberry, blueberry, cedar, long finish
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Deep ruby in color with a wide reddish /brick rim.
Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel.
Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, earth, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, mildew, light vinaigrette and black pepper.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 25 year old Merlot is a tad tired, but still very enjoyable.
I've had this Merlot before, but it was a more recent vintage. I have a feeling it's this specific bottle that is flawed. It might be improper storage.
Big tannins show up after 4 hours in a decanter.
Helen Turley was the wine maker. Robert Parker 96 points.
Regardless of how it is showing now, it's always nice to try these kind of wines.
A blend of 85% Merlot with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$100 (current vintage).
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Amazingly fresh after 24 years, still holding strong. Beautiful nose of cloves, camphor, and redolent red fruits. Well balanced, good structure and weight on the palate.
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tasted blind - bordeaux as its supposed to be. except not. nose of turned earth, tobacco lovely complex mouth, drinking great, more accessible tho less powerful than the '95 which was tasted immediately afterwards
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Dark purple color. Aroma of cherry liqueur. Taste of dark cherry, dark chocolate, and blackberries. Hint of smoke. Medium bodied. Perfectly balanced. Marvelous.
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Oh mahhh gaaahhhd. Drank out of magnum. Amaaazingly fresh. Decidedly the finest Pahlmeyer anything I've tasted - since the late '90's Evolved and complex but if anything, yet a bit fruity. Pencil shavings, muddled plums and the lot but just plain exquisite.
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This has turned into something special. The color has got a little murky with some bricking but the flavors are spot on. The fruitiness is gone and the cigar, barnyard and some saddle leather are there. Still plenty of structure. I would drink now because it is perfect but it has 2 or 3 good years left in it.
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Purchased on release. I know many people think the 97’s were overrated but this wine has developed into something special. Beautiful nose, silky and rich, holding up in the glass. Miles might have got this one wrong!
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Crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. Fantastic nose of red fruits, chocolate and leather. Rich, plush and hedonistic. Full bodied with ample acidity. Cherries, cassis, spiced plums and tobacco on the palate. The finish is exceedingly long. For my money, one of the very best domestic Merlot's ever produced. In a class with the '92 Leonetti Merlot and the '92 Beringer Howell Mountain Merlot Bancroft Ranch. Stunning wine and a treat at twenty years of age on Father's Day. Drink soon.
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Lacking the lush qualities of its young, there is still plenty to like about its dark chocolate covered cherry and licorice character. Soft, round and fully mature, there is no reason not to pull a cork on this, if you have a bottle.
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My last and best bottle of this wine. Among some 11 or so standout wines at a dinner at Playground in Santa Ana, this was my WOTN. It was hedonistically pleasurable for me, but I also wish that every wine lover can taste this wine for academic purposes. Because it debunks several myths: 1) that California wines are shit, 2) that Helen Turley is overrated as a winemaker, 3) that California wines don't age well, and lastly 4) that merlot sucks. This was utterly gorgeous tonight. Clearly the best '97 Pahlmeyer Merlot I've had, but I wouldn't quite place it at the same level as the '96 Pahlmeyer Merlot which is one of the top 10 wines I've ever had from California. This was in a beautiful place tonight where age has graced this with a wealth of secondary flavors of graphite, fresh soil, dried herbs, charred cedar chips, savory salumi. It would be a dead ringer for an aged St Emilion, but there is a sweetness of fruit that gives it away as California. Yummy.
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This was simply terrific. It's not terribly complex but if you like big, full style and brooding wines, this one fits the bill nicely. Deep purple, viscous, and dark fruits. Still has plenty of time left, but drinking beautifully now.
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Beautiful! The wine is fully mature, and showing beautifully. The appearance is dark and thick with a garnet rim. On the nose, there are black fruits, coffee and chocolate, which continue on tha palate. The finish is incredibly long.bmy last bottle, and a real treat.
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Wow, drinking perfectly. Huge complex nose with cherry, herbs and a touch of spice. Much bigger body than you would expect for a Napa merlot. Silky tannins, not much fruit but great flavors. Long long complex finish.
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Fully mature, complex, with a strong backbone. The nose displays coffee, chocolate and plums, and on the palate the wine is deep and long, with a slight bitter almond finish that lasts forever. Drink now or hold for up to a few years. A one hour decant is recommended to allow the fruit to show its best.
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Very much alive indeed. Great showing on this. Wonderful chocolate, deep blue fruits, a bit of earth in a older-merlot kinda way. Didn't blow me away but was a solid effort; wouldn't want to pay current retail for it though. I suppose your paying for the vintage and 96 Parker... Based off the whole package, I agree with the comm. drink dates.
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At home with burgers...nothing special, looking to elevate the ordinary...Last bottle of this was a bust/flawed. This one was much better
Mellowed with age, still ripe and oak driven so it drinks younger than it is. Color was maroon/red to the rim. Bouquet of oak, mocha, dark fruits, blueberry. Some sweetness in the palate, along with dark fruits, oak, chocolate. Tannins smooth and silky. A big, straightforward wine, not a lot of complexity but very nice (and turned out to be great with simple food like burgers).
Would drink over next 5 years.
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A special bottle. Beautifully aged. Rich and ripe with still powerful oak. Quite surprising that it still shows this well given the ripeness of '97. Bravo!
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Beautiful bouquet with coffee and mocha. On the palate juicy and supple, a bit dusty as well. Beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity. Soft tannin and a great length. Completely ready now.
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Drank at Press St. Helena. This is still going super strong. The nose is ripe and round and super seductive. The palate shows great firmness in the tannins but they are super silky. Many years of life ahead for well stored bottles.
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Had this wine several years back and it was great - this bottle was raisiny/maderized and closed. Purchased via auction within the last year, unsure of provenance but came from a reliable auction house.
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Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Aromas of overripe black fruit to start along with plenty of prominent oak spice. Jammy flavors with a flabby finish. Probably more than half the group liked this wine, so it's a good wine if you like big, simple wine that's all fruit.
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Nice dry blueberry nose, dark fruits with earthy element. Rich concentrated focused fruit driven palate. Shows rich dark cherry plummy fruits with nice lifht spice. Well balanced with clear presence of oak that works well for the wine in my mind. Long sexy opilent stule. Does not show heat and has nice yum factor. Not elegant style, more in the jammy fun style. Crowd pleaser type of wine.
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garnet. Nose initially was dirty-odd descripter but that's what it was. With airing and swirling the nose opened up and I got plums, clove and violets. Taste was rich, plums, cloves and vanilla. I liked with the airing. Wasn't this a Turley wine?
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On the nose sea salt air, chocolate, caramel, ditto on the palate. This is an amazingly balanced wine. The acidity is perfect for the dried herb, rosemary, and tabacco flavors on the palate. Still lots of dark fruit left as well. This is a benchmark Napa Merlot.
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Not as impressive as I recall this wine could be. My last tasting was back in 08, and this bottle was a clear improvement over that showing. Still, it has lost much of the intensity and purity of fruit that it showed earlier in life. A good merlot, but somewhat faded compared to how it shoudl be.
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Opened this up, and it was really tight, with the fruit it the background and in general overpowered by the alcohol. So, through a Vinturi and into the decanter it went. A marked improvement. Once again, I can't speak to the nose, as there's too many strong aromas wafting from the kitchen. On the palate, a distinct chalkiness on a fairly full throttle body. Not a lot of oak, vanilla, etc. Relatively tannic and still a bit of tightness even after the Vinturi and a 30 minute decant. My sense is either a) bottle variation or b) it's in a dumb spot or c) this is starting to dry out relative to the bottle I had in 2007, which I thought was phenomenal. This one, pretty good but not great. Probably better with a big steak than on its own. Time will tell once the steaks come off the grill....!
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Mid 90's Pahlmeyer Merlot Vertical (Chateau Stephens): nose - nice nose of red fruit, plum mouth - slightly bitter, as well as a bit tight, though it started to relax after an hour or so (or perhaps I did). Still with plenty of life. well liked by my friends.
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Napa Valley Masterclass with Greg Sherwood MW @ Handford Wines. Both Nics and I found this avg.. Still with bitter tannins no complexity and avg on the nose. Not our style
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Pretty mocha & big lush fruit on the nose. Big, sweet & lush. Massive sweetness & a bit of heat. This was a ringer in a 1998 left bank tasting. Easy to spot.
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Wow is this in its prime, opened about 2 hours prior to drinking. Still purple-ish vs brickish on the color with a solid core. the ose is wide open, on the palate this is very smooth with fine grained tannins. A full palate and nice clean finish... had with Rosemary Lamb which it paired very well. Wish I had alot more of these, still has 5-7 years on it but if you want to hit it on the upside of prime now is the time. Enjoy if youve got any..
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full-bodied, smooth, dry cherry fruit with chocolate, chalky, and cedar flavors, excellent structure, tannins could soften more but fruit might not survive, better food wine, nice finish
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You bring 'em - we'll drink 'em (Fayette Street Grille): Double decanted a few hours earlier - plush nose of Chocolate, Cherries and Vanilla - very fruit forward and remarkably sweet fruit with a lovely plush mouth feel - disappoints on the finish where it doesn't follow through despite what seems like tremendous weight and fruit present on the nose and initial taste - some tannins present, but the overt sweetness leaves an imbalanced closing impression.
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Dinner with Linas at my house. This wine was a tremendous disappointment. My last tasting was in 2005, and this wine singed. This time, however, it was like it fell off a cliff, it was thin and uninteresting. It didn’t evolve much, and just fell flat right from the start. I don’t know if this is representative or just an off bottle.
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this wine has always been a disappointment to me, although i would classify this bottle as one of the better ones i've tried. for the vintage, not only have i expected more, but the proprietary red from 97 has consistently been a winner. no midpalate to speak of, and uninteresting fruit.
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California Bordeaux Blends (Backstreet Wine Salon - PHX, AZ): Initially tight and the nose was rather muted. I set this wine aside and tried after 10 mins. Gave it a rather vigorous swirl and the wine started to open. Dark berries & chocolate on the nose. Medium to full bodied with silky smooth tannins and texture. Lush and rich but the finish was rather short and slightly herbal. 50+5+13+16+6=90
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Easily the wine of the night on New Year's Eve. Great depth, all parts are well integrated and make for a fine glass of wine. Fullest body and deepest fruit of the reds served.
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New Years Eve of Wine Insanity: Is there a better Merlot coming out of Cal? Or for that matter can the best of Pomerol (read Petrus and Le Pin) compare with this baby? First impression was something like this... "Mother of God... This is Merlot???!!!!" Massive fruit, huge cedar and vanilla from the oak, long and balanced from beginning to end. After nearly of quarter century of tasting wine professionally, I have not tasted a Merlot that can stand up to this one! If you have this in the cellar, be very, very proud (to hell with Pride) in our acquisition!
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Wow, this was almost too much. It completely overwhelmed the roast chicken it was served with. Large, somewhat extracted, with amazing weight and intensity, no sweetness, more bitter chocolate. This was much more enjoyable to sip after dinner.
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Wow, this is a big wine. Had it at dinner with Charles in Palo Alto at Tamarine. Needs lots of time to open up, I took half the bottle home 4 hours later and it was still improving. When the cork was pulled, I had to smell it twice, it was very closed, but with a nose evolving into big chocolate, dense packed dark red fruit full body and a medium length on the finish. This is a real big wine which happens to be a merlot. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of years.
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Best after 2 hours. Supple and balanced. Perfect with a porcini and tomato sauce over pasta. Drunk while watching movie, Sideways, just to prove that Merlot can be great. Thick wine with wonderful mouth and just a pleasant experience that makes you enjoy wine.
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Tasted March 8, 2005 at an offline so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in Riedel Syrah glasses. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. At first tasting I just didn’t get this wine. At the second tasting I still didn’t get it as “the stares” from across the table grew. Finally on the third try at the end of the evening I started to get it. Sometimes I’m thick headed. Nose of smoke, chocolate and cedar. Flavors of currant, chocolate, cedar and some other dark fruits. Can be drank now with decanting (guessing 1 hour) or should hold for at least 4-5 years before needing to be re-evaluated. Acceptable value.
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Decanted 1.5 hours. Matched with marinated steak w/ rice. What an incredible wine. Emerged from alittle slumber firing on all cylinders. Dark purple color with plum, chocolate, well-integrated tannin and some oak. A pleasure to drink. And this is Merlot? There is some Cab in the blend. A fantastic wine to end the "work day." One bottle left to age (but not too long!).
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Seattle Tasting Group does "American Bordeaux Varietals" (plus 1992-1997 Pahlmeyer Red) (Seattle, WA, USA): This was our only pure Merlot of the night, and I think it caught a lot of tasters off guard. We had scores ranging from 80 up to 94 (my score), and this was probably our most controversial wine. This was distinctly herbal with dominant notes of chocolate and a slightly 'sweaty' edge. On the palate this is huge, layered and very powerful with a simply amazing cocoa/dark chocolate. Several tasters complained of a lack of fruit, and perhaps this is in a more awkward, brooding phase, but boy did I love this. The finish was unreal, 45 seconds of pure brooding and power yet very smooth and balanced. Yummy! (Group average 88.5)
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10/12/2023 - ppandian wrote: 92 Points
Big and bold but in a good way. Still fresh and maturing. Excellent balance of fruit and tannins. Camphor, cloves, red fruit..excellent.
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9/21/2023 - ppandian wrote: 91 Points
Same notes as the last bottle..excellent wine.
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9/21/2023 - ppandian wrote: 91 Points
Still holding its own after 25+ years. Fresh, bold and balanced. Red and blue berries, camphor and spices on the nose, well integrated and balanced tannins. Good depth and texture. Love it.
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8/26/2023 - JPF16 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose was the only downside at the beginning, not much there, very closed down. Opened over an hour or so with some cherries and other red fruits, some exotic sweet spices were a surprise ... never got "big" but kept getting better... I ran out of wine before it ran out of growth.
The palate was everything you could want in a wine with age, front palate was a little bit of citrus, sweet... not in an off way but in a refreshing wayy... nice full mid-palate and a super smooth silky finish... you could almost take a sip just for the finish... that smooth...
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11/4/2022 - ShadowIII Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still very much alive, big merlot, tannic firm structure (as all Pahlmeyer Merlots), starting to soften, dark fruits, blackberry, blueberry, cedar, long finish
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8/18/2022 - Odedis.Wine.reviews wrote: flawed
Deep ruby in color with a wide reddish /brick rim.
Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel.
Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, earth, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, mildew, light vinaigrette and black pepper.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 25 year old Merlot is a tad tired, but still very enjoyable.
I've had this Merlot before, but it was a more recent vintage. I have a feeling it's this specific bottle that is flawed. It might be improper storage.
Big tannins show up after 4 hours in a decanter.
Helen Turley was the wine maker. Robert Parker 96 points.
Regardless of how it is showing now, it's always nice to try these kind of wines.
A blend of 85% Merlot with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$100 (current vintage).
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1/16/2022 - ppandian wrote: 92 Points
Amazingly fresh after 24 years, still holding strong.
Beautiful nose of cloves, camphor, and redolent red fruits. Well balanced, good structure and weight on the palate.
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1/14/2022 - soyhead wrote:
tasted blind - bordeaux as its supposed to be.
except not. nose of turned earth, tobacco
lovely complex mouth, drinking great, more accessible tho less powerful than the '95 which was tasted immediately afterwards
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12/22/2021 - ppandian wrote: 90 Points
Notes of chocolate, some leather, cherries, nice tannins, fruit is still quite robust. Drinking well..
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4/19/2021 - europat55 wrote: 93 Points
Nose: 93, Palate: 93. Seems to be past peak with an 'old' taste that may not please everyone, but I loved it! (Tasted blind).
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9/29/2020 - AaronMaxwell Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is the only thing that helped mitigate the headache from the debate tonight.
Lots of brett, cherry, and chocolate. Good wine, but lost points for weaker structure.
Drink now.
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7/24/2020 - YankeeRobio Likes this wine: 97 Points
Spectacular. Fudge, leather, cherry liquor.
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2/8/2020 - YankeeRobio Likes this wine: 97 Points
PnP and it was a delight. Chocolate, black cherries and more chocolate. Brick colored. If you have one drink it now
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10/1/2019 - Dietrich16 Likes this wine:
Fine wine
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8/23/2019 - OldHick95 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark purple color. Aroma of cherry liqueur. Taste of dark cherry, dark chocolate, and blackberries. Hint of smoke. Medium bodied. Perfectly balanced. Marvelous.
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5/20/2019 - littlefoot wrote: 96 Points
Oh mahhh gaaahhhd. Drank out of magnum. Amaaazingly fresh. Decidedly the finest Pahlmeyer anything I've tasted - since the late '90's
Evolved and complex but if anything, yet a bit fruity. Pencil shavings, muddled plums and the lot but just plain exquisite.
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2/12/2019 - Skip4wine wrote: 96 Points
From Coravin. ditto my 5/18 note
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6/21/2018 - victorpb Likes this wine: 95 Points
This has evolved into something quite outstanding. Great, bold, fruity nose, and silky rich on the palate. Tons of ripe berries and fruit left.
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5/13/2018 - Skip4wine wrote: 96 Points
This has turned into something special. The color has got a little murky with some bricking but the flavors are spot on. The fruitiness is gone and the cigar, barnyard and some saddle leather are there. Still plenty of structure. I would drink now because it is perfect but it has 2 or 3 good years left in it.
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4/29/2018 - cabfrancair Likes this wine: 95 Points
Purchased on release. I know many people think the 97’s were overrated but this wine has developed into something special.
Beautiful nose, silky and rich, holding up in the glass. Miles might have got this one wrong!
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11/5/2017 - Nothung Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still has plenty of life to it.
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8/13/2017 - MrMoose Likes this wine: 94 Points
big tannins, rich red fruit, plenty of structure and balance for another 10 yrs
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6/19/2017 - tomlee wrote: 96 Points
Crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. Fantastic nose of red fruits, chocolate and leather. Rich, plush and hedonistic. Full bodied with ample acidity. Cherries, cassis, spiced plums and tobacco on the palate. The finish is exceedingly long. For my money, one of the very best domestic Merlot's ever produced. In a class with the '92 Leonetti Merlot and the '92 Beringer Howell Mountain Merlot Bancroft Ranch. Stunning wine and a treat at twenty years of age on Father's Day. Drink soon.
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6/4/2017 - Winemusic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice, but time to drink up.
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9/25/2016 - TJK Likes this wine:
I sure wish i had more of this. It was full and round with pleasing tannins. Great with Porchetta!
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9/23/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Lacking the lush qualities of its young, there is still plenty to like about its dark chocolate covered cherry and licorice character. Soft, round and fully mature, there is no reason not to pull a cork on this, if you have a bottle.
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2/26/2015 - Jonathan T Likes this wine: 96 Points
My last and best bottle of this wine. Among some 11 or so standout wines at a dinner at Playground in Santa Ana, this was my WOTN. It was hedonistically pleasurable for me, but I also wish that every wine lover can taste this wine for academic purposes. Because it debunks several myths: 1) that California wines are shit, 2) that Helen Turley is overrated as a winemaker, 3) that California wines don't age well, and lastly 4) that merlot sucks. This was utterly gorgeous tonight. Clearly the best '97 Pahlmeyer Merlot I've had, but I wouldn't quite place it at the same level as the '96 Pahlmeyer Merlot which is one of the top 10 wines I've ever had from California. This was in a beautiful place tonight where age has graced this with a wealth of secondary flavors of graphite, fresh soil, dried herbs, charred cedar chips, savory salumi. It would be a dead ringer for an aged St Emilion, but there is a sweetness of fruit that gives it away as California. Yummy.
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1/27/2015 - jbean007 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was simply terrific. It's not terribly complex but if you like big, full style and brooding wines, this one fits the bill nicely. Deep purple, viscous, and dark fruits. Still has plenty of time left, but drinking beautifully now.
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10/9/2014 - la turque wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful! The wine is fully mature, and showing beautifully. The appearance is dark and thick with a garnet rim. On the nose, there are black fruits, coffee and chocolate, which continue on tha palate. The finish is incredibly long.bmy last bottle, and a real treat.
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9/12/2014 - europat55 wrote: 95 Points
Platinum Tasting - International Merlots (Andre and Sabine's House, Mountain View, CA): Gorgeous, generous nose. Some heat (A-). Fabulous, smooth. rich palate. Long finish (A).
My #2, Group's #2 (67 pts). Tasted blind.
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8/30/2014 - fdub Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still has brooding power and depth. Dark fruits with mineral saline infused notes.
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8/23/2014 - AlexHop wrote: 96 Points
Wow, drinking perfectly. Huge complex nose with cherry, herbs and a touch of spice. Much bigger body than you would expect for a Napa merlot. Silky tannins, not much fruit but great flavors. Long long complex finish.
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5/13/2014 - la turque wrote: 94 Points
Fully mature, complex, with a strong backbone. The nose displays coffee, chocolate and plums, and on the palate the wine is deep and long, with a slight bitter almond finish that lasts forever. Drink now or hold for up to a few years. A one hour decant is recommended to allow the fruit to show its best.
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12/30/2013 - Zesser wrote: 92 Points
Very much alive indeed. Great showing on this. Wonderful chocolate, deep blue fruits, a bit of earth in a older-merlot kinda way. Didn't blow me away but was a solid effort; wouldn't want to pay current retail for it though. I suppose your paying for the vintage and 96 Parker... Based off the whole package, I agree with the comm. drink dates.
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12/29/2013 - walkerjfw wrote: 91 Points
At home with burgers...nothing special, looking to elevate the ordinary...Last bottle of this was a bust/flawed. This one was much better
Mellowed with age, still ripe and oak driven so it drinks younger than it is. Color was maroon/red to the rim. Bouquet of oak, mocha, dark fruits, blueberry. Some sweetness in the palate, along with dark fruits, oak, chocolate. Tannins smooth and silky. A big, straightforward wine, not a lot of complexity but very nice (and turned out to be great with simple food like burgers).
Would drink over next 5 years.
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11/16/2013 - AccaDacca Likes this wine: 92 Points
Continues to be a special wine. Fruit and tannins still in wonderful balance. Long finish, with a touch of acidity and spice.
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8/17/2013 - quickturn wrote:
Bought on release. Fantastic wine. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate--I need to find some more..
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8/16/2013 - mappleton wrote: 95 Points
A special bottle. Beautifully aged. Rich and ripe with still powerful oak. Quite surprising that it still shows this well given the ripeness of '97. Bravo!
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7/8/2013 - EMichels wrote: 92 Points
Very alive; Great depth; Dark flavors; Great heat
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6/1/2013 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful bouquet with coffee and mocha. On the palate juicy and supple, a bit dusty as well. Beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity. Soft tannin and a great length. Completely ready now.
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5/30/2013 - fdub Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank at Press St. Helena. This is still going super strong. The nose is ripe and round and super seductive. The palate shows great firmness in the tannins but they are super silky. Many years of life ahead for well stored bottles.
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7/25/2012 - AccaDacca wrote: 93 Points
Fresh, well balanced mature merlot. Fruit driven with a bit of acidity. Opened up over time.
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5/19/2012 - JimN wrote: 92 Points
One of the best Merlots outside Bordeaux. The older these get the more they develop Right Bank characteristics. Still going strong.
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5/12/2012 - walkerjfw wrote: flawed
Had this wine several years back and it was great - this bottle was raisiny/maderized and closed. Purchased via auction within the last year, unsure of provenance but came from a reliable auction house.
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2/22/2012 - iar wrote: 93 Points
Delicious! This wine has not lost anything due to age. Classic Pahlmeyer taste from the good old days. Lucky to have a bunch more, including mags.
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2/11/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 80 Points
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Aromas of overripe black fruit to start along with plenty of prominent oak spice. Jammy flavors with a flabby finish. Probably more than half the group liked this wine, so it's a good wine if you like big, simple wine that's all fruit.
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2/11/2012 - KenK wrote: 93 Points
Nice dry blueberry nose, dark fruits with earthy element.
Rich concentrated focused fruit driven palate. Shows rich dark cherry plummy fruits with nice lifht spice. Well balanced with clear presence of oak that works well for the wine in my mind. Long sexy opilent stule. Does not show heat and has nice yum factor. Not elegant style, more in the jammy fun style. Crowd pleaser type of wine.
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2/10/2012 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 93 Points
garnet. Nose initially was dirty-odd descripter but that's what it was. With airing and swirling the nose opened up and I got plums, clove and violets. Taste was rich, plums, cloves and vanilla. I liked with the airing. Wasn't this a Turley wine?
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10/15/2011 - tomlee wrote: 97 Points
Perhaps the best new world Merlot I have ever had. Properly cellared bottles will continue to develop for years to come.
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10/1/2011 - stocksandbondage wrote: 92 Points
Surprisingly fresh and lively, even on the second day. Plenty of red raspberry and black cherry flavors with only a hint of leather and cedar.
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6/23/2011 - dbg wrote: flawed
Flawed: heat damaged, raisiny/pruny/maderized. Too bad, last time I had this it was killer.
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5/16/2011 - fdub wrote: 97 Points
On the nose sea salt air, chocolate, caramel, ditto on the palate. This is an amazingly balanced wine. The acidity is perfect for the dried herb, rosemary, and tabacco flavors on the palate. Still lots of dark fruit left as well. This is a benchmark Napa Merlot.
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4/30/2011 - Mark wrote: 88 Points
Not as impressive as I recall this wine could be. My last tasting was back in 08, and this bottle was a clear improvement over that showing. Still, it has lost much of the intensity and purity of fruit that it showed earlier in life. A good merlot, but somewhat faded compared to how it shoudl be.
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2/14/2011 - vanpe003 wrote: 90 Points
Opened this up, and it was really tight, with the fruit it the background and in general overpowered by the alcohol. So, through a Vinturi and into the decanter it went. A marked improvement. Once again, I can't speak to the nose, as there's too many strong aromas wafting from the kitchen. On the palate, a distinct chalkiness on a fairly full throttle body. Not a lot of oak, vanilla, etc. Relatively tannic and still a bit of tightness even after the Vinturi and a 30 minute decant. My sense is either a) bottle variation or b) it's in a dumb spot or c) this is starting to dry out relative to the bottle I had in 2007, which I thought was phenomenal. This one, pretty good but not great. Probably better with a big steak than on its own. Time will tell once the steaks come off the grill....!
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1/27/2011 - crawford wrote: 98 Points
Excellent. knit together with all the complexity of a great aged Pomerol.
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1/23/2011 - soyhead wrote: 89 Points
Mid 90's Pahlmeyer Merlot Vertical (Chateau Stephens): nose - nice nose of red fruit, plum
mouth - slightly bitter, as well as a bit tight, though it started to relax after an hour or so (or perhaps I did). Still with plenty of life. well liked by my friends.
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1/31/2010 - pea wrote: 93 Points
Almost opaque. Big nose with sweet dark fruit. Full-bodied with lots of sweet fruit, chocolate and spicy notes. At its peak.
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1/20/2010 - dbg wrote:
Outstanding
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11/18/2009 - Papies wrote: 88 Points
Napa Valley Masterclass with Greg Sherwood MW @ Handford Wines.
Both Nics and I found this avg.. Still with bitter tannins no complexity and avg on the nose. Not our style
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11/17/2009 - ed-d wrote: 90 Points
Pretty mocha & big lush fruit on the nose. Big, sweet & lush. Massive sweetness & a bit of heat. This was a ringer in a 1998 left bank tasting. Easy to spot.
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6/13/2009 - JPF16 wrote: 96 Points
Wow is this in its prime, opened about 2 hours prior to drinking. Still purple-ish vs brickish on the color with a solid core. the ose is wide open, on the palate this is very smooth with fine grained tannins. A full palate and nice clean finish... had with Rosemary Lamb which it paired very well. Wish I had alot more of these, still has 5-7 years on it but if you want to hit it on the upside of prime now is the time. Enjoy if youve got any..
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5/29/2009 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
Much like when last tasted. Terrific bottle of wine.
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1/24/2009 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
full-bodied, smooth, dry cherry fruit with chocolate, chalky, and cedar flavors, excellent structure, tannins could soften more but fruit might not survive, better food wine, nice finish
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1/18/2009 - mdefreitas wrote: 84 Points
Football & Merlot @ Howard's 2009 (Old Greenwich, CT): Musky. Seems to be showing its age. Cedary, but the alcohol is showing... like a hot Australian Grenache.
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12/29/2008 - Mike V wrote: 88 Points
Last bottle. Has not aged well.
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12/10/2008 - dwmcubed wrote:
You bring 'em - we'll drink 'em (Fayette Street Grille): Double decanted a few hours earlier - plush nose of Chocolate, Cherries and Vanilla - very fruit forward and remarkably sweet fruit with a lovely plush mouth feel - disappoints on the finish where it doesn't follow through despite what seems like tremendous weight and fruit present on the nose and initial taste - some tannins present, but the overt sweetness leaves an imbalanced closing impression.
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9/24/2008 - Mark wrote: 87 Points
Dinner with Linas at my house. This wine was a tremendous disappointment. My last tasting was in 2005, and this wine singed. This time, however, it was like it fell off a cliff, it was thin and uninteresting. It didn’t evolve much, and just fell flat right from the start. I don’t know if this is representative or just an off bottle.
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5/8/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: 88 Points
this wine has always been a disappointment to me, although i would classify this bottle as one of the better ones i've tried. for the vintage, not only have i expected more, but the proprietary red from 97 has consistently been a winner. no midpalate to speak of, and uninteresting fruit.
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5/7/2008 - mattiasjansson wrote: 92 Points
A step up from last time
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5/7/2008 - ScottS wrote: 90 Points
California Bordeaux Blends (Backstreet Wine Salon - PHX, AZ): Initially tight and the nose was rather muted. I set this wine aside and tried after 10 mins. Gave it a rather vigorous swirl and the wine started to open. Dark berries & chocolate on the nose. Medium to full bodied with silky smooth tannins and texture. Lush and rich but the finish was rather short and slightly herbal.
50+5+13+16+6=90
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5/7/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 88 Points
nose with cedar, cherry, and vanilla. good attack but uninspiring afterwards.
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2/6/2008 - mattiasjansson wrote: 90 Points
Backstreet - Bordeaux and France (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): No notes
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1/2/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 96 Points
Easily the wine of the night on New Year's Eve. Great depth, all parts are well integrated and make for a fine glass of wine. Fullest body and deepest fruit of the reds served.
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1/1/2007 - beaunehead wrote: 97 Points
New Years Eve of Wine Insanity: Is there a better Merlot coming out of Cal? Or for that matter can the best of Pomerol (read Petrus and Le Pin) compare with this baby? First impression was something like this... "Mother of God... This is Merlot???!!!!" Massive fruit, huge cedar and vanilla from the oak, long and balanced from beginning to end. After nearly of quarter century of tasting wine professionally, I have not tasted a Merlot that can stand up to this one! If you have this in the cellar, be very, very proud (to hell with Pride) in our acquisition!
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10/2/2006 - zazoo wrote: 94 Points
One of my favorite Merlots
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9/22/2006 - swolas wrote: 92 Points
Great wine. lots of spice and great flavor. Kept opening up for the whole evening and each time was better than the last.
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5/12/2006 - Eric wrote: 92 Points
Wow, this was almost too much. It completely overwhelmed the roast chicken it was served with. Large, somewhat extracted, with amazing weight and intensity, no sweetness, more bitter chocolate. This was much more enjoyable to sip after dinner.
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11/14/2005 - fine137 wrote: 95 Points
See previous note
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6/25/2005 - Eric wrote: 93 Points
This is a love-bomb of a Merlot, loaded with spicy, ripe plums and chocolate. Huge in the mouth, still sporting some wood, this is a load of fun.
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5/11/2005 - Mark wrote: 93 Points
Wow, this is a big wine. Had it at dinner with Charles in Palo Alto at Tamarine. Needs lots of time to open up, I took half the bottle home 4 hours later and it was still improving. When the cork was pulled, I had to smell it twice, it was very closed, but with a nose evolving into big chocolate, dense packed dark red fruit full body and a medium length on the finish. This is a real big wine which happens to be a merlot. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of years.
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4/9/2005 - Michael wrote: 92 Points
Best after 2 hours. Supple and balanced. Perfect with a porcini and tomato sauce over pasta. Drunk while watching movie, Sideways, just to prove that Merlot can be great. Thick wine with wonderful mouth and just a pleasant experience that makes you enjoy wine.
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3/8/2005 - wineismylife wrote:
Tasted March 8, 2005 at an offline so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in Riedel Syrah glasses. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. At first tasting I just didn’t get this wine. At the second tasting I still didn’t get it as “the stares” from across the table grew. Finally on the third try at the end of the evening I started to get it. Sometimes I’m thick headed. Nose of smoke, chocolate and cedar. Flavors of currant, chocolate, cedar and some other dark fruits. Can be drank now with decanting (guessing 1 hour) or should hold for at least 4-5 years before needing to be re-evaluated. Acceptable value.
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2/10/2005 - Blue Oval wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours. Matched with marinated steak w/ rice. What an incredible wine. Emerged from alittle slumber firing on all cylinders. Dark purple color with plum, chocolate, well-integrated tannin and some oak. A pleasure to drink. And this is Merlot? There is some Cab in the blend. A fantastic wine to end the "work day." One bottle left to age (but not too long!).
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4/22/2004 - AlexHop wrote: 94 Points
It was great- a bit musty at first but that disapated after a few minutes. Rich deep flavors and a long finish.
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10/10/2003 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does "American Bordeaux Varietals" (plus 1992-1997 Pahlmeyer Red) (Seattle, WA, USA): This was our only pure Merlot of the night, and I think it caught a lot of tasters off guard. We had scores ranging from 80 up to 94 (my score), and this was probably our most controversial wine. This was distinctly herbal with dominant notes of chocolate and a slightly 'sweaty' edge. On the palate this is huge, layered and very powerful with a simply amazing cocoa/dark chocolate. Several tasters complained of a lack of fruit, and perhaps this is in a more awkward, brooding phase, but boy did I love this. The finish was unreal, 45 seconds of pure brooding and power yet very smooth and balanced. Yummy! (Group average 88.5)
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5/3/2003 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Tasting. Ripe fruit on nose. Softer and simple on palate. Medium length and finish. Drink up.
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9/27/2002 - Eric wrote:
Had this with a 'family dinner' on the day of Sidney's naming.
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2/8/2002 - Eric wrote:
Tasted at Jeff & Judy Greenstein's house, my first taste of a Pahlmeyer. Wow!
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