My last bottle, shared with friends, and happy to know these can keep giving for this long. Anise and earth were the two dominant impressions for me with some dark fruit. One of the tasters also got some tea flavors and I could see that.
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Wow, this was worth the wait. It definitely benefitted from the age. Crimson eye, funky, medicinal nose, with a complex bouquet of herbs, earth, mature fruit. Resolved tannins and good grippy texture. Lingering mature aged fruits, red, currants, red forest berries, leather, menthol, etc. Long length on the finish. Mmmm. Quite an interesting bottle for the price. Thumbs up!
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A l'ouverture, le vin n'est pas attirant, les notes animales sont assez prononcées et ne donnent pas envie d'y revenir. Le lendemain, l'ensemble est beaucoup plus harmonieux. Les notes animales n'ont pas disparu mais sont bien intégrées et la bouteille se termine toute seule. Donc, bien après une bonne aération.
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Barnyard and a touch of brett on the nose. This could have aged another 5 years. Upon popping, this was a mouth puckering tannic beast, only with about an hour did things come together. leather and wild brambly fruit. Excellent.
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Absoloutely marvellous at this price. Something of the farmyard about the nose, and wonderfully smooth tannins and hint of leather in the taste. Wish I'd waited before opening previous bottles and agree with the previous who said will last another couple of years - be interesting to see how it develops.
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Wonderful fruit up front. I assume this is a blend of Syrah and Grenache. Wonderful mid-range and finish with considerable complexity and interplay between the Syrah and Grenache. Tried to look up the composition but could not find a description. A Parker review of earlier vintages indicates Syrah and Grenache. Based on the flavors, I would guess at least 40% Syrah, but that is just a guess. Excellent length and finish on this wine. Next to the last of 8 bottles and it is suprising me by how long it is holding up. Still has at least 2-3 more years to go.
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Fruit backed off a little, plenty of spice in evidence. MEdium weight, not aggressive and when paired with a venison casserole it ramped up significantly.
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Not quite as fruity as previous bottle but still has the body. There is definitely some bottle variation across these. Still a very pleasant rhone with soft edges and a nice spicy note. Went pretty well with venison steaks & a red onion/wine sauce although a bit more austerity might have offset the sweetness of the sauce a little better.
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Still like this. Nice dark fruit nose, mineral herbs and spice on the palate with a nice, medium finish with a touch of heat. All in all very nice, some lamb on the grill would set this one off. Great QPR.
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Hands down best CdR I've experienced. Also one of the best QPR's. Super complex. That youthful, ripe kirsch has evolved into dried herbs, bing cherry, rose petal, and tar. Elegant on the palate, offered tertiary, earthy, minerally, dried fruits. Orange peel, sun dried berries, warm spice. Quite nice.
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This was a mess at opening - slight reduction and very tight - no fruit, disjointed and bitter tannin. It took two hours in a big decanter and a little copper to come around. After that it showed nice red fruit, chocolate, and soil but not complex. It had a rich palate with medium concentration, still not perfect balance and some finishing light, fine tannin. Overall, nice wine but a lot of work. May have been off.
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One of the best CdRs I've had in a while, with a pitch perfect plum color, a nose evoking dark berries and Rhonish scents of garrigue, lavender, and spice. The palate was surprisingly refreshing and bright, with peppery, spicy fruit.
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Dark purple color. Fresh blueberries on the attractive nose. Tastes of mature prune and rasin fruit. Finishes with a touch of bitterness. Not bad but nothing exciting. Needed some air for the palate to open up.
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Respi-Aerate to decanter, vigorous swirl and serve. Color dark dirty ruby with vibrant purple at the rim. The cork was fully intact but the nose is not what I expected based on prior experiences with the '05, and with Mon Coeur across four vintages: Over-ripe and baked dark fruit, a bit of alcohol, earth, and licorice, which did not go away through 2.5 hours of sipping. On the palate the fruit tastes almost pruny, but bears some resemblance to the ripe strawberry, raspberry, minerals and earth seen in previous bottles. Despite the fruit characteristics in the nose and mouth, the tannins are still noticeable and give a pleasant mild pucker through an earthy raspberry and mineral-laden finish. Overall I cannot say it was flawed, but it certainly seemed to be an awkward showing. Not sad I opened this last bottle, but I do wish I had another to try in a year. Looking for better things in the '07.
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Really liked this. Delicious, opulant and, well, elegant. We split this between a BYO resto (Umbria) here in Philly (with duck breast, red meat and other delights) and then polished it off solo last night. No notes, but a bright wine, good fruit, earthiness -- really solid. Next, on to my bottle of '06.
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Think my fourth bottle now, still really like this wine. Opened for an hour and then decanted. Purple colour, the grenache comes through on the nose with whiffs of minerally strawberry in there, blackberry fruit on the palate with a hint of spice on a good length finish. Very well integrated, for the price this is a great wine drinking well now.
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Almost opaque dark ruby. Nose of red berry fruit, spice, tar, and a little barnyard. Beautiful palate of rich fruit, a little spice, a little oak, with some dusty tannins. Beautiful. Medium length finish. Why didn't I buy a case of this?
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Redcurrants and raspberry on the nose with a touch of briary wood. A fresh juicy mouth feel with cherries and spices and some oak notes. A medium bodied, fresh acidity. mouth filling with a good length. I would but this just a notch above quaffing. (89)
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Slightly hazy dark reddish purple hue. Dark red current, dark fruit, touch of cinnamon and clove. The palate is medium but very juicy full of fruit with dark fruit, spice box, present but nicely integrated tannins and juicy acidity. Finishes with lingering fruity-ness and a little bitterness but drinking just about perfectly now. Again, right now, this vintage is not for the long haul but it is very well made wine.
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Much better - fresh from uncorking, mostly fruits on the nose with strawberry distinct. Smooth palate, nice spicy undertones but not at all full and still unintegrated Although there is tannin giving it some oomph it is still fairly light and short. A nice quaffing bottle, worked well herby salads where it might have overpowered.
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Less fruit on the nose than most previous bottles and a tannic finish. I am not sure, but I think this wine is going through a bit of an awkward stage right now.
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A VG showing shy of excellent for this 2nd to last bottle. Best part is the Rhone/grenache nose of strawberry, raspberry, minerals, licorice, and earth. With air, the bouquet reveals darker fruits and beefy characteristics as well, rather like a CDP. I am surprised at the austerity of fruit on the palate for this bottle given the producer, the vintage, and even prior instances of this bottling. Red/black fruits on entry are quickly supplanted by a couple of handfuls of dirt in the midpalate, then joined with licorice and a couple of shakes of pepper in the finish. The length is relatively short. Overall very enjoyable but not one of my better experiences with CdR Mon Coeur.
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Popped and decanted for about an hour. Great nose, just like a good CdP. Smoked meat, ripe dark berries, garrigue, crazy spicy. The palate doesn't get there unfortunately. Medium-bodied, raspberry and cherry flavors mingle with a touch of spiciness, ending quite dry and short. Good food wine.
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Decanted and poured straight away - purple red colour, nice nose of with a mineral feel about it. On the palate blackberry fruit with classic CdR 'dry' finish. A good wine, for the price it's superb.
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Not scored as I had a cold. Rather disappointed. Very reserved nose, even allowing for fuggy head. Fairly dark purplish colour although nowhere near inky. Got a bit of spice and herb on the palate after the black fruit had subsided but overall lacking in power. Seemed a bit crude.
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Ruby red color. Nose of herbs, licorice, lavender and earth. Soft tannins create good structure for this well balanced, juicy wine. Typical red Rhone flavors of cassis, bay leave, pine needles, red and dark fruit.
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Popped and poured. Dark purple color. Typical CdR nose with wild spice and dark fruit. On the palate more dark fruit and spice. Very smooth. Medium length finish.
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Robe ayant des lames encore assez jeunes. Nez riche, mais pas complexe, surtout dominé par le musc et le fruit noir. En bouche, les tanins sont présents, mais aimables, et les saveurs suivent. C'est un vin assez efficace dont ses 14% d'alcool ne paraissent heureusement pas.
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Drinking really well now. Richer, fresher and better balanced than the last time. Herbal, earthy and spicy, but with plenty of juicy red fruit (raspberry, cherry?) as well. Bright and lively acidity. Some grip is still there, but tannins are better integrated and finish is longer. Paired excellently with food (beef burgundy & egg noodles). A little classier and less rustic than I remember. Impressive showing on Day 1.
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This was nice. Rich deep fruits, black raspberry and dark cherry. Definitely brushfire/grilled herbs, earthiness; some initial tar and funk that blew off.
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Nose of tar, meat, barnyard and stewed cherries and plums with a hint of iodine. Palate is fresh with lots of oak and cherry flavours with hints of vanilla. Tangy acidity and biting tannins. Still young but so nice. Elegant wine and an amazing QPR. Classy.91+ Will develop. Drink again in 1-2 years.
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Lively purple red. Sulfury nose. Piercing fresh cherry on a lively background of pine wood with still gripping tannins leading to a lingering and mouth drying finish of gravel, "warm" pepper and more cherries, cherries and cherries.
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Might be some bottle variation as this was was just singing as soon as it was opened (last one in 9/07 was muted). Bright cherry fruit and stoney spice.
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Elegant wine. Iodine odor at first, then opened up nicely after 1 hr decanting. Very understated but has enough fruit & finish to make it very nice wine. Wish I had more like it
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Excellent value in this dark ruby wine with a generous nose of tart cherries, bacon fat, smoke, and herbs. Medium body, with good acidity which makes it a fresh and enjoyable wine. Medium finish with notes of chocolate and pepper along with the red fruit. Really well made and polished. From now until 2010.
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on the nose dark fruit, black raspberry. On the palate I taste black cherry and blackberry flavors with some earthy funk in the middle and nice cherry spice at the tail end. medium body and nice mouthfeel. Overall a nice bottle of <$20 wine for gamey meat.
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great presence already! iodine overtone up front, but in the glass it opened up nicely. Plenty of tannins and solid midpalate...finish lingers. Expect that the complex fruity flavors will hang in there..couple of years for sure! WS suggested a very narrow drinking window (2006-2008), which is simply not correct
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This wine needs at least a couple of years. Like a lot of the other good 2005 Rhones this is closed right now. On the first day this was absolutely closed. No fruit, just earth and smoked meet. I left it vacuumed in the fridge and went away on a trip. Three days later, I let it breath in the bottle for over an hour and voila - cherries, dark berries. Medium to full bodied. Big wine that needs big food. The lamb kebobs I had it with did the trick. 89+ now - a lot of potential. Great value.
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A big wine, needing more time. Classic CDR/CDP aromas. Iodine dominates. Tannins just overpower everything else at the moment. Would be prepared to stock a few away and see what happens.
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Purchased on release for $16. Peaty, brambly aromas. Ripe black raspberry and rhubarb flavors. Some smoky notes on the finish. A distinctive CdR that is perfect for a weekday meal.
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Medium color. Overtly fruity, spicy, bright acidity, and not a lot of tannin for an '05. Drinking well and a very good, low priced Chateauneuf substitute.
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Cherry and wild berry (blackberry? rasberry?), with herbs and minerals. Some earth and brush, and at times flashes of cranberry. Nice freshness and purity to the fruit. Considerable grip on the shortish finish. A bit of black pepper on the nose, not so much on the palate. Bright and racy on the first day. Vacuum sealed and had 2 days later. Wine held up suprisingly well. Lost a bit of its liveliness, but the flavors seemed deeper and darker. Would probably be an very good food wine with the right food (grilled lamb or roast chicken, for instance.) Made the mistake of pairing it the first day with a (sweetish) meatloaf and a creamy spinach and artichoke dish. In this setting the wine came off as a bit austere and far too tart.
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At first, not much fruit and a fairly muted nose. Over time, opened up to show some red fruit. A bit young for now--probably will be better in 6 months or year. Not bad nevertheless...
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bought this on the recommendation of a local wine shop guy. this was pretty good. needed about 45 minutes to open up, prior to that it was pretty acidic (to be fair, it did come out of the wine fridge). mixed notes of iron and meat (only a little) and blackberry. also a bit of a floral note. big entry with ripe berries. fairly hollow mid-palate. nice acidity on the finish which made me wonder what some age would do. nice medium weight. i have half a bottle in a 375 that i can taste tomorrow.
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This was great straight from the bottle. Dark cherry, earth, graphite herbs, spice and stones. Pretty decent fruit and size for a CdR. Best was the fisnish which had nice structure and balance. Planning to get more.
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2+ hour decant, nose is tar, cigarette, earth, pepper, and blackberry - in that order. Loved the depth and richness of the '03, but the fruit flavors on the '05 are not as big, are dominated by tar and licorice throughout, and the finish is shorter than expected.
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4/19/2021 - blisscompound Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is definitely still happening. Very pleasurable. Holding in a playful joyous zone.
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10/18/2015 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
My last bottle, shared with friends, and happy to know these can keep giving for this long. Anise and earth were the two dominant impressions for me with some dark fruit. One of the tasters also got some tea flavors and I could see that.
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6/19/2015 - gnosis Likes this wine:
Wow, this was worth the wait. It definitely benefitted from the age. Crimson eye, funky, medicinal nose, with a complex bouquet of herbs, earth, mature fruit. Resolved tannins and good grippy texture. Lingering mature aged fruits, red, currants, red forest berries, leather, menthol, etc. Long length on the finish. Mmmm. Quite an interesting bottle for the price. Thumbs up!
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10/11/2014 - Axone wrote: 90 Points
A l'ouverture, le vin n'est pas attirant, les notes animales sont assez prononcées et ne donnent pas envie d'y revenir.
Le lendemain, l'ensemble est beaucoup plus harmonieux.
Les notes animales n'ont pas disparu mais sont bien intégrées et la bouteille se termine toute seule.
Donc, bien après une bonne aération.
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10/15/2012 - redwhiteandrich wrote: 90 Points
Barnyard and a touch of brett on the nose. This could have aged another 5 years. Upon popping, this was a mouth puckering tannic beast, only with about an hour did things come together. leather and wild brambly fruit. Excellent.
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4/15/2012 - khmark7 wrote: 87 Points
Leather and brett on the nose with a tannic, but balanced mid-palate and finish. Holding up well due to the heavy tannins.
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1/14/2012 - Bobc7had wrote: 87 Points
Starting to fade a little.
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8/8/2011 - Bobc7had Likes this wine: 89 Points
drinking beautifully .
Enjoy it now!
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7/27/2011 - Pang Harvey wrote: 90 Points
Absoloutely marvellous at this price. Something of the farmyard about the nose, and wonderfully smooth tannins and hint of leather in the taste. Wish I'd waited before opening previous bottles and agree with the previous who said will last another couple of years - be interesting to see how it develops.
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2/9/2011 - Ken332 wrote: 90 Points
Wonderful fruit up front. I assume this is a blend of Syrah and Grenache. Wonderful mid-range and finish with considerable complexity and interplay between the Syrah and Grenache. Tried to look up the composition but could not find a description. A Parker review of earlier vintages indicates Syrah and Grenache. Based on the flavors, I would guess at least 40% Syrah, but that is just a guess. Excellent length and finish on this wine. Next to the last of 8 bottles and it is suprising me by how long it is holding up. Still has at least 2-3 more years to go.
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2/2/2011 - shellylowen wrote: flawed
Leaky cork - vinegar
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1/4/2011 - Pang Harvey wrote: 85 Points
drinking very nicely now.
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12/1/2010 - notsoft wrote: 81 Points
bof bof dof
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10/28/2010 - khmark7 wrote: 88 Points
A brett bomb. Smells like the farm, but very nice overall.
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3/15/2010 - Viking1055 wrote: 92 Points
Like the flavor and long tasting finish.
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2/21/2010 - mark_m_owen wrote: 87 Points
Fruit backed off a little, plenty of spice in evidence. MEdium weight, not aggressive and when paired with a venison casserole it ramped up significantly.
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1/6/2010 - herberto wrote: 87 Points
I wasn't expecting a lot. But actually this was pretty good. Real Bretty nose that I wouldn't expect in this bottling, authentic Southern Rhone tang.
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12/18/2009 - mark_m_owen wrote: 87 Points
Not quite as fruity as previous bottle but still has the body. There is definitely some bottle variation across these. Still a very pleasant rhone with soft edges and a nice spicy note. Went pretty well with venison steaks & a red onion/wine sauce although a bit more austerity might have offset the sweetness of the sauce a little better.
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12/11/2009 - stueys wrote: 91 Points
Still like this. Nice dark fruit nose, mineral herbs and spice on the palate with a nice, medium finish with a touch of heat. All in all very nice, some lamb on the grill would set this one off. Great QPR.
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10/5/2009 - jjclips2 wrote: 91 Points
Hands down best CdR I've experienced. Also one of the best QPR's. Super complex. That youthful, ripe kirsch has evolved into dried herbs, bing cherry, rose petal, and tar. Elegant on the palate, offered tertiary, earthy, minerally, dried fruits. Orange peel, sun dried berries, warm spice. Quite nice.
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9/20/2009 - esb wrote:
This was a mess at opening - slight reduction and very tight - no fruit, disjointed and bitter tannin. It took two hours in a big decanter and a little copper to come around. After that it showed nice red fruit, chocolate, and soil but not complex. It had a rich palate with medium concentration, still not perfect balance and some finishing light, fine tannin. Overall, nice wine but a lot of work. May have been off.
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9/18/2009 - pgb67 wrote: 91 Points
One of the best CdRs I've had in a while, with a pitch perfect plum color, a nose evoking dark berries and Rhonish scents of garrigue, lavender, and spice. The palate was surprisingly refreshing and bright, with peppery, spicy fruit.
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9/7/2009 - jciuccio wrote: 92 Points
this wine is great Classic rhone spce and good depth. The follow is a but abrupt but a great food wine.
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5/31/2009 - kstoddard wrote: 87 Points
Dark purple color. Fresh blueberries on the attractive nose. Tastes of mature prune and rasin fruit. Finishes with a touch of bitterness. Not bad but nothing exciting. Needed some air for the palate to open up.
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5/24/2009 - Vinacull wrote: 87 Points
Respi-Aerate to decanter, vigorous swirl and serve. Color dark dirty ruby with vibrant purple at the rim. The cork was fully intact but the nose is not what I expected based on prior experiences with the '05, and with Mon Coeur across four vintages: Over-ripe and baked dark fruit, a bit of alcohol, earth, and licorice, which did not go away through 2.5 hours of sipping. On the palate the fruit tastes almost pruny, but bears some resemblance to the ripe strawberry, raspberry, minerals and earth seen in previous bottles. Despite the fruit characteristics in the nose and mouth, the tannins are still noticeable and give a pleasant mild pucker through an earthy raspberry and mineral-laden finish. Overall I cannot say it was flawed, but it certainly seemed to be an awkward showing. Not sad I opened this last bottle, but I do wish I had another to try in a year. Looking for better things in the '07.
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5/20/2009 - jeffal66 wrote: 90 Points
Really liked this. Delicious, opulant and, well, elegant. We split this between a BYO resto (Umbria) here in Philly (with duck breast, red meat and other delights) and then polished it off solo last night. No notes, but a bright wine, good fruit, earthiness -- really solid. Next, on to my bottle of '06.
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5/3/2009 - stueys wrote: 91 Points
Think my fourth bottle now, still really like this wine. Opened for an hour and then decanted. Purple colour, the grenache comes through on the nose with whiffs of minerally strawberry in there, blackberry fruit on the palate with a hint of spice on a good length finish. Very well integrated, for the price this is a great wine drinking well now.
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5/2/2009 - Pour Boy wrote: 89 Points
Last bottle of a group of four. Seems to be losing some of its fruit. Nose had hints of band-aids. Drink up . . .
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4/27/2009 - 1800kidney wrote: 89 Points
round and fully developed, great QPR
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4/25/2009 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Almost opaque dark ruby. Nose of red berry fruit, spice, tar, and a little barnyard. Beautiful palate of rich fruit, a little spice, a little oak, with some dusty tannins. Beautiful. Medium length finish. Why didn't I buy a case of this?
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4/10/2009 - Dids wrote: 89 Points
As previous bottle
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4/8/2009 - Dids wrote: 89 Points
Redcurrants and raspberry on the nose with a touch of briary wood. A fresh juicy mouth feel with cherries and spices and some oak notes. A medium bodied, fresh acidity. mouth filling with a good length. I would but this just a notch above quaffing. (89)
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3/17/2009 - 1800kidney wrote: 88 Points
clunky
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2/25/2009 - D H Grant wrote: 89 Points
Slightly hazy dark reddish purple hue. Dark red current, dark fruit, touch of cinnamon and clove. The palate is medium but very juicy full of fruit with dark fruit, spice box, present but nicely integrated tannins and juicy acidity. Finishes with lingering fruity-ness and a little bitterness but drinking just about perfectly now. Again, right now, this vintage is not for the long haul but it is very well made wine.
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2/22/2009 - mark_m_owen wrote: 88 Points
Much better - fresh from uncorking, mostly fruits on the nose with strawberry distinct. Smooth palate, nice spicy undertones but not at all full and still unintegrated Although there is tannin giving it some oomph it is still fairly light and short. A nice quaffing bottle, worked well herby salads where it might have overpowered.
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2/5/2009 - barkjmi wrote: 83 Points
Very drinkable light cote du rhone. not as spicy as expected more fruit
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2/1/2009 - ecnemergut wrote: 85 Points
Less fruit on the nose than most previous bottles and a tannic finish. I am not sure, but I think this wine is going through a bit of an awkward stage right now.
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1/31/2009 - 1800kidney wrote: 88 Points
Not at all a bad quaffer, deep purple and lots of Cote du Rhone character, good value
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1/9/2009 - Vinacull wrote: 88 Points
A VG showing shy of excellent for this 2nd to last bottle. Best part is the Rhone/grenache nose of strawberry, raspberry, minerals, licorice, and earth. With air, the bouquet reveals darker fruits and beefy characteristics as well, rather like a CDP. I am surprised at the austerity of fruit on the palate for this bottle given the producer, the vintage, and even prior instances of this bottling. Red/black fruits on entry are quickly supplanted by a couple of handfuls of dirt in the midpalate, then joined with licorice and a couple of shakes of pepper in the finish. The length is relatively short. Overall very enjoyable but not one of my better experiences with CdR Mon Coeur.
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1/7/2009 - ziavino wrote: 87 Points
Popped and decanted for about an hour. Great nose, just like a good CdP. Smoked meat, ripe dark berries, garrigue, crazy spicy. The palate doesn't get there unfortunately. Medium-bodied, raspberry and cherry flavors mingle with a touch of spiciness, ending quite dry and short. Good food wine.
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1/4/2009 - hugoff wrote: flawed
Corked
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1/3/2009 - jmh st louis wrote: 88 Points
Blackberry on the palate with a bit tannic finish.
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12/27/2008 - stueys wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and poured straight away - purple red colour, nice nose of with a mineral feel about it. On the palate blackberry fruit with classic CdR 'dry' finish. A good wine, for the price it's superb.
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12/25/2008 - mark_m_owen wrote:
Not scored as I had a cold. Rather disappointed. Very reserved nose, even allowing for fuggy head. Fairly dark purplish colour although nowhere near inky. Got a bit of spice and herb on the palate after the black fruit had subsided but overall lacking in power. Seemed a bit crude.
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11/21/2008 - Eugene wrote: 90 Points
Ruby red color. Nose of herbs, licorice, lavender and earth. Soft tannins create good structure for this well balanced, juicy wine. Typical red Rhone flavors of cassis, bay leave, pine needles, red and dark fruit.
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11/21/2008 - Pour Boy wrote: 91 Points
Find this to be a great Cotes du Rhone. Taste of jam, long finish. Only one bottle left . . .
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11/11/2008 - trankin wrote: 89 Points
bit of funk, very nice
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11/8/2008 - Edv wrote: 86 Points
Fruit rouge, acidité, peu dÉpice. On s'atend à beaucoup plus d'un tel vin.
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10/15/2008 - chitowncdpguy wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. Dark purple color. Typical CdR nose with wild spice and dark fruit. On the palate more dark fruit and spice. Very smooth. Medium length finish.
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9/11/2008 - pgm wrote: 88 Points
Consistent wine: classic CdR character, with leather and barnyard, red fruit notes, a little licorice.
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9/6/2008 - Partenaire wrote: 85 Points
Robe ayant des lames encore assez jeunes. Nez riche, mais pas complexe, surtout dominé par le musc et le fruit noir. En bouche, les tanins sont présents, mais aimables, et les saveurs suivent. C'est un vin assez efficace dont ses 14% d'alcool ne paraissent heureusement pas.
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8/14/2008 - schway wrote: 91 Points
Drinking really well now. Richer, fresher and better balanced than the last time. Herbal, earthy and spicy, but with plenty of juicy red fruit (raspberry, cherry?) as well. Bright and lively acidity. Some grip is still there, but tannins are better integrated and finish is longer. Paired excellently with food (beef burgundy & egg noodles). A little classier and less rustic than I remember. Impressive showing on Day 1.
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7/9/2008 - gordoyflaca wrote: 91 Points
This was nice. Rich deep fruits, black raspberry and dark cherry. Definitely brushfire/grilled herbs, earthiness; some initial tar and funk that blew off.
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7/4/2008 - CallahanCellar wrote: 90 Points
This is an excellent CdR. It has a great balance of earthiness and fruit. Drinking very well now.
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6/3/2008 - mimik wrote: 91 Points
Nose of tar, meat, barnyard and stewed cherries and plums with a hint of iodine. Palate is fresh with lots of oak and cherry flavours with hints of vanilla. Tangy acidity and biting tannins. Still young but so nice. Elegant wine and an amazing QPR. Classy.91+ Will develop. Drink again in 1-2 years.
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5/22/2008 - Jan Schultink wrote: 90 Points
Lively purple red. Sulfury nose. Piercing fresh cherry on a lively background of pine wood with still gripping tannins leading to a lingering and mouth drying finish of gravel, "warm" pepper and more cherries, cherries and cherries.
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5/13/2008 - thomaskeil wrote: 91 Points
Might be some bottle variation as this was was just singing as soon as it was opened (last one in 9/07 was muted). Bright cherry fruit and stoney spice.
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4/24/2008 - dirtyharry wrote: 91 Points
Elegant wine. Iodine odor at first, then opened up nicely after 1 hr decanting. Very understated but has enough fruit & finish to make it very nice wine. Wish I had more like it
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3/25/2008 - ecnemergut wrote: 88 Points
Great as usual: really came around after about 30 minutes in the glass.
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3/24/2008 - pgm wrote: 89 Points
Fairly rustic in style, but with enough fruit there to appeal to fans of new world wines. Cotes du Rhone doesn't get much better than this!
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3/23/2008 - Maestro wrote: 90 Points
Excellent value in this dark ruby wine with a generous nose of tart cherries, bacon fat, smoke, and herbs. Medium body, with good acidity which makes it a fresh and enjoyable wine. Medium finish with notes of chocolate and pepper along with the red fruit. Really well made and polished. From now until 2010.
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3/17/2008 - ecnemergut wrote: flawed
Bad bottle: almost no fruit and failed to improve with time. Corked and saved for a day with no improvement.
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3/9/2008 - manonthemoon wrote: 88 Points
on the nose dark fruit, black raspberry. On the palate I taste black cherry and blackberry flavors with some earthy funk in the middle and nice cherry spice at the tail end. medium body and nice mouthfeel. Overall a nice bottle of <$20 wine for gamey meat.
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2/14/2008 - 1800kidney wrote: 90 Points
great presence already! iodine overtone up front, but in the glass it opened up nicely. Plenty of tannins and solid midpalate...finish lingers. Expect that the complex fruity flavors will hang in there..couple of years for sure! WS suggested a very narrow drinking window (2006-2008), which is simply not correct
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1/12/2008 - jimmythedentist wrote: 90 Points
delicious, medium body crimson colored wine. jam and berry very evident and nice lingering aftertaste. definitely recommended
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12/27/2007 - KevinP wrote:
Light for a CdR, with notes of iodine and cherries. No idea whether time would help this. Not a re-purchase for me @ PLCB price - $25.
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12/26/2007 - ecnemergut wrote: 88 Points
Decanted 30 minutes. Improving. Pretty color. Wonderful cherry nose. Medium-bodied with more cherries and some earthy (?clay) undertones.
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12/1/2007 - CallahanCellar wrote: 90 Points
This is an elegant cotes-du-rhone. Earthy and dark, medium bodied.
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11/28/2007 - ecnemergut wrote: 84 Points
As previously described...
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11/17/2007 - pifcho wrote: 90 Points
This wine needs at least a couple of years. Like a lot of the other good 2005 Rhones this is closed right now. On the first day this was absolutely closed. No fruit, just earth and smoked meet. I left it vacuumed in the fridge and went away on a trip. Three days later, I let it breath in the bottle for over an hour and voila - cherries, dark berries. Medium to full bodied. Big wine that needs big food. The lamb kebobs I had it with did the trick. 89+ now - a lot of potential. Great value.
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10/16/2007 - gregc wrote: 86 Points
A big wine, needing more time. Classic CDR/CDP aromas. Iodine dominates. Tannins just overpower everything else at the moment. Would be prepared to stock a few away and see what happens.
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10/6/2007 - ecnemergut wrote: 87 Points
Open (not decanted) for 60 minutes. Pleasant nose of wild raspberry and earth. Some spice on the palate with more fruit. As previously described.
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9/26/2007 - otisabdul wrote: 88 Points
Purchased on release for $16. Peaty, brambly aromas. Ripe black raspberry and rhubarb flavors. Some smoky notes on the finish. A distinctive CdR that is perfect for a weekday meal.
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9/17/2007 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium color. Overtly fruity, spicy, bright acidity, and not a lot of tannin for an '05. Drinking well and a very good, low priced Chateauneuf substitute.
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9/8/2007 - thomaskeil wrote: 89 Points
May be shutting down a bit since rated in June. (not decanted either time) Better expression on night two.
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9/3/2007 - schway wrote: 89 Points
Cherry and wild berry (blackberry? rasberry?), with herbs and minerals. Some earth and brush, and at times flashes of cranberry. Nice freshness and purity to the fruit. Considerable grip on the shortish finish. A bit of black pepper on the nose, not so much on the palate. Bright and racy on the first day. Vacuum sealed and had 2 days later. Wine held up suprisingly well. Lost a bit of its liveliness, but the flavors seemed deeper and darker. Would probably be an very good food wine with the right food (grilled lamb or roast chicken, for instance.) Made the mistake of pairing it the first day with a (sweetish) meatloaf and a creamy spinach and artichoke dish. In this setting the wine came off as a bit austere and far too tart.
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8/19/2007 - ecnemergut wrote: 87 Points
Needed about 30 minutes to open up. Then, wonderful raspberry nose with other fuite. Medium bodied. Spicy finish. Nice wine.
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8/11/2007 - ecnemergut wrote: 85 Points
At first, not much fruit and a fairly muted nose. Over time, opened up to show some red fruit. A bit young for now--probably will be better in 6 months or year. Not bad nevertheless...
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8/9/2007 - cs123 wrote:
This was nice, not a great QPR, but tasty. Rebuy - maybe.
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7/30/2007 - suthersm wrote:
bought this on the recommendation of a local wine shop guy. this was pretty good. needed about 45 minutes to open up, prior to that it was pretty acidic (to be fair, it did come out of the wine fridge). mixed notes of iron and meat (only a little) and blackberry. also a bit of a floral note. big entry with ripe berries. fairly hollow mid-palate. nice acidity on the finish which made me wonder what some age would do. nice medium weight. i have half a bottle in a 375 that i can taste tomorrow.
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6/12/2007 - thomaskeil wrote: 91 Points
This was great straight from the bottle. Dark cherry, earth, graphite herbs, spice and stones. Pretty decent fruit and size for a CdR. Best was the fisnish which had nice structure and balance. Planning to get more.
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5/1/2007 - Cheryl wrote:
GSM Blends - May Tasting - No.
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4/29/2007 - peternelson wrote: 86 Points
Chronicle: big purple black fruit bomb; a bit too extracted, purple, and fruity. Chave made this???
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3/16/2007 - Vinacull wrote: 89 Points
2+ hour decant, nose is tar, cigarette, earth, pepper, and blackberry - in that order. Loved the depth and richness of the '03, but the fruit flavors on the '05 are not as big, are dominated by tar and licorice throughout, and the finish is shorter than expected.
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