Wonderful texture, that is full-bodied and offers the typical Mancini acidity, as the P.H. was in the low 3’s. This flows along with ease. Raspberry, fresh plums, blood orange, teak and nectarine. This unfolds nicely and is of course fresh. Just starting to open up with no signs of fading soon. Another fine ‘18. Drink now - 2032.
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Full bodied. Well balanced with firm tannins. Nice complexity, good structure, with dark fruits, cassis, vanilla, oak and tobacco. Throwing off good sediment. Let breathe about 30 to 45 minutes.
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Needed something for a BBQ Chicken pizza, not the easiest wine pairing, so I thought this would be a good choice. Rich and upfront RR fruit but with the more elevated acidity that Mancini brings to the table. Check and check. Great paring, I do still support that this is one to drink now and over the next few years, no reason to lay this down for an extended period when it seems ready to go now.
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Oh yeah! A wonderful effusive nose on this wine! Bright red fruits and some citrus. Palate was equally enjoyable. Not shy, but also not smacking you in the face. Nice!
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Juicy red and black quality, along with the acidity that I have enjoyed in this wine in the past bottles. Continues to drink really well with dark raspberry and crunchy acid.
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Quick decant. Nose of cinnamon stick, fresh cherries, and a touch of iodine. Ripe red fruit, some unripe blue fruit, and lots of grass / brush notes. Red plum, red licorice, and long leathery tannins.
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Deep garnet color, medium body but with a nice heft to it. Bold fruit and just right acidity balance out nice. Drinking nicely now but even better in a year?
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When in doubt, drink a Carlisle. After three older - and sad - California cabs, I popped this lovely Zin. Bright red with slight fading at the edges. Bright, berry nose. Bright red fruit on the palate, raspberry, cherry, blackberry. Crisp, precise and spicy. Fine tannins, great acidity and balance. Finishes long with red fruits and pepper. Lovely Zin. Drink next 8 years.
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A nose of black cherry and some spice, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied Zin, with black cherry, smoke, spice and light pepper on finish. www.winelx.com
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Dark toast & darker berry with a bit of earth & fruit leather. Alcohol is well integrated & does not intrude on the finish. Good structure for such a ripe, fully extracted wine. Med full to full body with seamless tannins, likely extended maceration, enjoyable but kinda monolithic. Certainly well made but I’m starting to have less interest in this style. 3 of 3 … Best of my 3
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Beautiful color with perfect clairity and a dusty floral nose. The fruit is darker and very well structured on the palate with a long juicy finish. I like these young but they can certainly age for a decade.
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Wonderfully floral nose, purple fruited, juicy and expansive. I know Carlisle wines age well but I simply love how fresh Mike’s Zins show in their youth. I also like seeing the progress made in rehabilitating this vineyard which 10 years ago was scraggly and unkept with lots of tractor blight. Holes have been filled with new vines and the farming has rejuvenated this once great site that is now enjoying it’s rebirth. It really shows in the wines.
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Best on day 2 as it has tightened up when compared to what I enjoyed over the Summer. Dark berry, black cherry, suave dark oak, extended maceration. Detected a bit of integrated VA, day 3, as I finished the remainder. Overall still fairly nice. Wonder some about my last bottle. 2 of 3
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Hold this one. Very peppery, green tannins. Give this 2-3 years to mellow out. Sharp edge to it but fairly confident it will be beautiful in a few years.
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PNP. Ripe, fresh blueberries on the nose and the attack. Subtle baking spices. The mid palate and finish shift more towards red fruit, raspberry and even some cranberry on the finish. Not particularly rustic, mostly about the sweet fruit, but juicy, not jammy. Hit the spot on a cool evening with some hanger steak tacos.
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This showed that beautiful perfume that is such for me a signature of this wine. Just gorgeous. This bottle also had the same purity, acidity and balance of the previous two. Hard to keep writing about this wine without sounding overly effusive and embarrassing....this wine is a gem.
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Opened yesterday, when it showed as well as the bottle several weeks ago. Took the remnants home from dinner last night, retrying tonight at room temp (71f). The aromatics on this stuff are crazy. Floral, some pepper and red fruits, it's just got this beautiful perfumed quality that is a joy. Tonight, the wine is plush and has a vein on tannin running through it, ensuring the structure to join the fruit. There is a creamy kind of note to this wine, which gives the cherry, blood orange and raspberry a sexy quality. Yet, as I found with the bottle from several weeks ago, this wine never gets heavy nor boozy. The wine finishes with a zippy acidity, yet the remarkable thing for me about this vintage of Mancini Ranch is the balance. Exquisite balance, memorable in that way. And that's with absolutely no chill on this wine, nothing to cover up nor cloak any flaws. It's really a Zin without flaw and I've never scored a wine in any of my notes but for me, this is about as close to Zinfandel perfection as it gets for me. Bottled joy here, and a real bravo to Mike Officer here. And as a parting comment, for those who may want to adhere to the school of thought that you need to put these wines away and let them age, don't fall into that trap. This wine is firing now and for all the challenges, division and hurdles life seems to have thrown at many of us the past several years, it's a wine like this that can make us forget those conditions and instead realize how good wine, made like this and for us, can bring us the joy we need.
Purple color that is more blue than red. Tart cherry nose. Gentle dark fruit flows over the tongue. Seems pleasantly viscous. Lots of spice--black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg--and Zin bramble. However, this is not a rustic Zinfandel from the 1970s. It shows a lot of elegance and is an excellent candidate for long-term aging,
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This one didn't work for me, although usually I am a big fan of Carlisle zins. The fruit was dense and bordered on cloying, while the balance was a bit off and just tired the palate with a syrupy quality. Usually I hold onto these bottles for several years, so I would counsel "hold" on this one, although I see lots of people on CT are popping them now.
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Smoked a brisket for Passover and the recent notes on this persuaded me to crack it. Glad I did. Very pure black cherry, orange zest, pepper and classic zin spice, on a racy, acid-driven frame as is typical from the Carlisle wines sourced from this neighborhood. Tannin is fine grained and subtle sneaks in at the end. No doubt this has some runway but it is drinking sensationally young. I had one bottle; it didn’t die in vain. 93-94.
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Damn, this wine is straight up fantastic. I have liked this plot since Mike started bottling it separately a few years ago. I tasted the wine over 2 days, blind on the first night and then a retaste non-blind the following day. On both days, this wine held together, maintaining the finesse, balance and fruit. On the first night, this is squarely in the cherry realm, spicy with also some blue fruit, tar and a long finish. Of the 5 red wines we tasted blind, this was my favorite of the night. So, onto the next day, no fade here at all. The weight, fruit, lively acidity and juicy quality remains cohesive, finishing with a loamy note, like something tobacco. Ultimately, I just wrote the word 'fantastic' in my notes on the second day. What a beauty....no heat, no excessive weight nor dark, obtrusive fruit, nor any wood. Just an elegant, well-built, banging bottle of Zinfandel. One word left to say.....Bravo!
Bright and effusive with cherry, pepper, silky orange notes and plenty of zest. No lack of complexity as tannins build and smooth out. No need to decant. Just enjoy a wonderful Zin.
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Wide Wide wide open for business, already showing a lot of fruit and character, I don’t see any reason to hold this anymore than 5 years, the party for the 18 Mancini Zin starts now!
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11/20 RELEASE The nose is spicy black plum and perfumed floral sachet. The palate entry is an expressive golden stone fruit with notes of red berry, pucker bright and integrated acidity. Drink 2020 - 2026.
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4/5/2024 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful texture, that is full-bodied and offers the typical Mancini acidity, as the P.H. was in the low 3’s. This flows along with ease. Raspberry, fresh plums, blood orange, teak and nectarine. This unfolds nicely and is of course fresh. Just starting to open up with no signs of fading soon. Another fine ‘18. Drink now - 2032.
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3/26/2024 - Robwild Likes this wine: 92 Points
Full bodied. Well balanced with firm tannins. Nice complexity, good structure, with dark fruits, cassis, vanilla, oak and tobacco. Throwing off good sediment. Let breathe about 30 to 45 minutes.
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3/17/2024 - Dale M wrote: 93 Points
Needed something for a BBQ Chicken pizza, not the easiest wine pairing, so I thought this would be a good choice. Rich and upfront RR fruit but with the more elevated acidity that Mancini brings to the table. Check and check. Great paring, I do still support that this is one to drink now and over the next few years, no reason to lay this down for an extended period when it seems ready to go now.
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2/3/2024 - JERB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Oh yeah! A wonderful effusive nose on this wine! Bright red fruits and some citrus. Palate was equally enjoyable. Not shy, but also not smacking you in the face. Nice!
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12/4/2023 - levinml wrote: 93 Points
This is what weekday wines should be like. Nice flavors and depth, execllent finish and not tannic. Love Carlisle's claret-like profile.
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10/14/2023 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Juicy red and black quality, along with the acidity that I have enjoyed in this wine in the past bottles. Continues to drink really well with dark raspberry and crunchy acid.
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7/13/2023 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quick decant. Nose of cinnamon stick, fresh cherries, and a touch of iodine. Ripe red fruit, some unripe blue fruit, and lots of grass / brush notes. Red plum, red licorice, and long leathery tannins.
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5/5/2023 - joet626 Likes this wine: 93 Points
very good. Rich , lush fruit. A real mouthful
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2/24/2023 - rdf58 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Interesting evolution over past couple of years - the ripe fruit is there but this bottle showed an intriguing bit of earthiness. Plenty of life left.
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2/14/2023 - jgreco wrote: 89 Points
juicy
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2/10/2023 - losososjoe Likes this wine:
Drinking really well right now
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11/21/2022 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bright bramble berry notes. The field blend elements take this up a notch. Excellent !
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10/18/2022 - rdf58 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep garnet color, medium body but with a nice heft to it. Bold fruit and just right acidity balance out nice. Drinking nicely now but even better in a year?
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9/7/2022 - Charlie C Likes this wine: 92 Points
When in doubt, drink a Carlisle. After three older - and sad - California cabs, I popped this lovely Zin. Bright red with slight fading at the edges. Bright, berry nose. Bright red fruit on the palate, raspberry, cherry, blackberry. Crisp, precise and spicy. Fine tannins, great acidity and balance. Finishes long with red fruits and pepper. Lovely Zin. Drink next 8 years.
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7/9/2022 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 91 Points
A nose of black cherry and some spice, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied Zin, with black cherry, smoke, spice and light pepper on finish. www.winelx.com
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6/20/2022 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice wine with predominant cherry and black cherry notes.
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6/18/2022 - stokeme wrote: 91 Points
Dark toast & darker berry with a bit of earth & fruit leather. Alcohol is well integrated & does not intrude on the finish. Good structure for such a ripe, fully extracted wine. Med full to full body with seamless tannins, likely extended maceration, enjoyable but kinda monolithic. Certainly well made but I’m starting to have less interest in this style. 3 of 3 … Best of my 3
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6/4/2022 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
No improvement from a year ago. Keep holding. Still very good!
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4/22/2022 - rdf58 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really nice Zin. Very approachable at this stage but better in 6-12 months.
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4/10/2022 - Drankthewholebottle Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful color with perfect clairity and a dusty floral nose. The fruit is darker and very well structured on the palate with a long juicy finish. I like these young but they can certainly age for a decade.
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3/28/2022 - River Rat Likes this wine:
Wonderfully floral nose, purple fruited, juicy and expansive. I know Carlisle wines age well but I simply love how fresh Mike’s Zins show in their youth. I also like seeing the progress made in rehabilitating this vineyard which 10 years ago was scraggly and unkept with lots of tractor blight. Holes have been filled with new vines and the farming has rejuvenated this once great site that is now enjoying it’s rebirth. It really shows in the wines.
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3/24/2022 - Geoff Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful floral notes, medium to full body, nice balanced tannins, drinking very well right now.
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2/3/2022 - Geoff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful red and dark fruit. Balance, sophistication, power and yet smooth on the palate. One of the best wines of the young year so far.
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12/22/2021 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a great Zin true to the varietal with bright and well balanced. Paired wonderfully with Chicken Parmesan and pasta Bolognese.
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12/21/2021 - stokeme wrote: 89 Points
Best on day 2 as it has tightened up when compared to what I enjoyed over the Summer. Dark berry, black cherry, suave dark oak, extended maceration.
Detected a bit of integrated VA, day 3, as I finished the remainder. Overall still fairly nice. Wonder some about my last bottle. 2 of 3
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10/19/2021 - chanote44 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just flat out delicious Zin. Ready to drink with a short decant. Harmonious.
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9/14/2021 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking well in its youth.
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8/16/2021 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Hold this one. Very peppery, green tannins. Give this 2-3 years to mellow out. Sharp edge to it but fairly confident it will be beautiful in a few years.
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7/26/2021 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep, rich and luscious now and will get even better over the next 2-5 years.
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6/6/2021 - Maphill01 Likes this wine:
PNP. Ripe, fresh blueberries on the nose and the attack. Subtle baking spices. The mid palate and finish shift more towards red fruit, raspberry and even some cranberry on the finish. Not particularly rustic, mostly about the sweet fruit, but juicy, not jammy. Hit the spot on a cool evening with some hanger steak tacos.
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5/31/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:
This showed that beautiful perfume that is such for me a signature of this wine. Just gorgeous. This bottle also had the same purity, acidity and balance of the previous two. Hard to keep writing about this wine without sounding overly effusive and embarrassing....this wine is a gem.
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5/14/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Opened yesterday, when it showed as well as the bottle several weeks ago. Took the remnants home from dinner last night, retrying tonight at room temp (71f). The aromatics on this stuff are crazy. Floral, some pepper and red fruits, it's just got this beautiful perfumed quality that is a joy. Tonight, the wine is plush and has a vein on tannin running through it, ensuring the structure to join the fruit. There is a creamy kind of note to this wine, which gives the cherry, blood orange and raspberry a sexy quality. Yet, as I found with the bottle from several weeks ago, this wine never gets heavy nor boozy. The wine finishes with a zippy acidity, yet the remarkable thing for me about this vintage of Mancini Ranch is the balance. Exquisite balance, memorable in that way. And that's with absolutely no chill on this wine, nothing to cover up nor cloak any flaws. It's really a Zin without flaw and I've never scored a wine in any of my notes but for me, this is about as close to Zinfandel perfection as it gets for me. Bottled joy here, and a real bravo to Mike Officer here. And as a parting comment, for those who may want to adhere to the school of thought that you need to put these wines away and let them age, don't fall into that trap. This wine is firing now and for all the challenges, division and hurdles life seems to have thrown at many of us the past several years, it's a wine like this that can make us forget those conditions and instead realize how good wine, made like this and for us, can bring us the joy we need.
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5/12/2021 - EMark Likes this wine:
Purple color that is more blue than red. Tart cherry nose. Gentle dark fruit flows over the tongue. Seems pleasantly viscous. Lots of spice--black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg--and Zin bramble. However, this is not a rustic Zinfandel from the 1970s. It shows a lot of elegance and is an excellent candidate for long-term aging,
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5/10/2021 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 92 Points
NICE ZIN WITH CHERRY AND RED FRUITED NOTES WITH A NICE SPICY FINISH.
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4/5/2021 - pgb67 wrote: 88 Points
This one didn't work for me, although usually I am a big fan of Carlisle zins. The fruit was dense and bordered on cloying, while the balance was a bit off and just tired the palate with a syrupy quality. Usually I hold onto these bottles for several years, so I would counsel "hold" on this one, although I see lots of people on CT are popping them now.
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3/28/2021 - jmull Likes this wine: 93 Points
Smoked a brisket for Passover and the recent notes on this persuaded me to crack it. Glad I did. Very pure black cherry, orange zest, pepper and classic zin spice, on a racy, acid-driven frame as is typical from the Carlisle wines sourced from this neighborhood. Tannin is fine grained and subtle sneaks in at the end. No doubt this has some runway but it is drinking sensationally young. I had one bottle; it didn’t die in vain. 93-94.
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3/26/2021 - brigcampbell wrote:
Sean's Best Book Club Ever: Blind: call carlisle zin but that was the end of it
Good lord, this wine is spectacular. If you're every going to drop a "100" on a zinfandel than this would be the one.
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3/24/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Damn, this wine is straight up fantastic. I have liked this plot since Mike started bottling it separately a few years ago. I tasted the wine over 2 days, blind on the first night and then a retaste non-blind the following day. On both days, this wine held together, maintaining the finesse, balance and fruit. On the first night, this is squarely in the cherry realm, spicy with also some blue fruit, tar and a long finish. Of the 5 red wines we tasted blind, this was my favorite of the night. So, onto the next day, no fade here at all. The weight, fruit, lively acidity and juicy quality remains cohesive, finishing with a loamy note, like something tobacco. Ultimately, I just wrote the word 'fantastic' in my notes on the second day. What a beauty....no heat, no excessive weight nor dark, obtrusive fruit, nor any wood. Just an elegant, well-built, banging bottle of Zinfandel. One word left to say.....Bravo!
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3/18/2021 - Dionysusx Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bright and effusive with cherry, pepper, silky orange notes and plenty of zest. No lack of complexity as tannins build and smooth out. No need to decant. Just enjoy a wonderful Zin.
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1/17/2021 - Dale M wrote: 92 Points
Wide Wide wide open for business, already showing a lot of fruit and character, I don’t see any reason to hold this anymore than 5 years, the party for the 18 Mancini Zin starts now!
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12/2/2020 - KTelaak_Buffalo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very young but a pleasure to drink. Medium-dark to dark in color. Full-bodied with a long, clean finish. Mild tannins.
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11/11/2020 - jjhsom wrote:
Acc to Carlisle-very aromatic, some peach smell and taste.
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4/15/2020 - purely Likes this wine: 93 Points
11/20 RELEASE The nose is spicy black plum and perfumed floral sachet. The palate entry is an expressive golden stone fruit with notes of red berry, pucker bright and integrated acidity. Drink 2020 - 2026.
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