Did a blind taste off with 1 Argentine Malbec, 1 Washington Red Mountain Malbec and this wine. (Costco - 2022 Kirkland brand 91pts from JS, 2021 Auclair Malbec 90pts WE, were the other 2) I correctly ID'd all three.
This one and the WA Malbec were close.
On its own my wife didn’t like this wine. Too austere. With the tenderloin this was her preference. It really highlights the food very well.
My notes: Nose of sweet tobacco, bright earth, dark cherry,
Palate is medium dark with hints of sweet, dark fruit
Decent finish with tannic grip.
Best wine for highlighting the food. The Auclair was my favorite by a slight margin for its darker fruit flavor profile. 80% Malbec, 20% Merlot
Would buy again
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Beguiling right out of the gate, with a distinct woodsy/sprucey note. Lean and refreshing without being stern or hard-edged. After a night in half bottle, it integrated beautifully and showed amazing balance. Sweet dark berry, good acidity, a round and lithe mouthfeel, and still finishing with that woodsy note. A brilliant little wine with staggering QPR.
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13.5%. Has typical pure aromas of chalky bluefruits, mint and raspberries. Superb on the plump chalky blue and red fruits medium bodied palate which ends medium long, fresh and food friendly. Wonderful value for money at under 8 Euros. Lay down 5-10 years or drink now with 90 mins decant. Maybe this will make a 93. They normally improve!
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Drinking really well. Loads of ripe, black fruit, great structure and finely knit tannins. Wonderful texture. This wine rocks. I’d give it another 2+ years for primary notes to evolve and greater complexity to develop. An insane QPR. Little Big Man, as another CT’er wrote in this thread!
A beautiful wine, easily the best red wine I have had at under 8 Euros. Has fragrant aromas of blueberries, chalk, plums, mint and cassis. Its medium bodied plump chalky blue and red fruits palate has lovely depth, freshness and good grippy length. 13.5%. Highly recommended! I have 2 cases of this! Needs 90-120 mins aeration. Lay down 5-10 years easily.
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Like the 2014 and 2018, I find a mix of savoury bright black fruit, earth, wet leather and olives with a touch of tar, anise and liquorice on a medium+ bodied palate with a hint of quinine plus a slight infusion of resin toward the finish. From memory I enjoyed it a tad less but that could be a function of pairing. Good though.
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Improves a lot from a 90 on day 1 to a 92 on day 2. Has aromas of blueberries, chalk hints, plums and coffee hints. Its medium bodied spherical a bit foursquare multi dimensional blue fruits palate ends longish fresh, and tapering. 13.5%. Lay down 5-10 years easily! Needs 3hrs+ aeration. The best QPR red at under 10 Euros! Buy!!
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One of my favorite Malbecs from France . Nose is dark earthy , herbaceous Palate is tannic with good fruit underneath . Decent finish . Paired well with beef. Would buy again .
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91/92. The best Clos la Coutale which I have ever had! Has aromas of leather, blueberries, chalk +earth hints, minty flowers, raspberries and cassis. Its medium bodied solid and chewy impressive chalk infused decently oaked plush blue and red fruits palate has nice freshness and very good length with good tannin. 13.5%. Super value at under 8 Euros. Needs 3hrs+ aeration. Lay down 5-10 years+.
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Ten months on from previous bottle, this wine has improved immeasurably. In-glass aeration for an hour (large glass!). Nose of sweet fruits, herbal scents of iris and tobacco, and, what's that? A suede jacket! Lol. Palate of ripe and dried black fruits, and more complex than last year. Tannins evident in back; a bit of licorice and tobacco, some bitterness and acidity now, which ain't bad, as it make it all the better as a food friendly wine as well as being a happy sipper. Finish seems longer than before at the first hour mark, but shortens thereafter. What a great value wine. Little Big Man.
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Blackberry and raspberry on the nose, forward, clean and floral, the palate displays blueberry, cocoa and spices, rich, nice concentration and balance, had with rib-eye steak and it was a fantastic match
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Ripe red and blue fruit mixed with a bit of anise, fennel seed, fresh tarragon. Overall VERY primary. Medium + body, medium acid, medium tannin. Good pairing with braised pork chops.
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The best Clos la Coutale ever. Has aromas of mint, blue fruits, chalk, plums+ cassis. Its medium bodied solid spherical chalky blue and red fruits palate ends longish, fresh+gripping. Lay down 5-10 years easily. Likes a 2/3 hr aeration. Outstanding value at 8 Euros! I think it could improve to a 93 with a couple of years laydown.
Deep red/ruby with hint of violet. Nose > Hugely rich/fruity/aromatic nose. Screams Malbec. All about rich/pungent red, blue, wild berry & inky fruits. Blueberry, strawberry/strawberry-preserves, Morello cherry, caraway seed, red & black choke-cherry, pomegranate, blueberry pie & black plum skin. Palate > Rich/sappy/fruity. All that fruit carries through in the mouth. Great acidity. Low-ish tannins. Medium intensity. Excellent length & persistence. Love the pungent grapyness. Not sure if this is 100% Malbec, but really shows the beauty & fruit of the grape. A bit more extracted tannin would have done additional good for the mouthfeel. Tannins do add a little more grip & some cherry-stone with some air. You could treat this like good non-Cru Beaujolais & give it 10, 15+ min in the fridge if ya wanna amp up the fruit even more. WSET/MW could use this bottle as an example to show what the Malbec grape tastes like. Great QPR @$15 if ya like a fruit stuffed Malbec. (90+)
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This is the best Clos la Coutale I have ever had. Has nice aromas of chalk infused blueberries, plums, morello cherries+ coffee hints. Impressive value+chalk infused lightly oaked blue and red fruited depth with lovely solid and chunky depth with good length at less than 8 Euros. 13.5%. Lay down 5-10 years+. I bought a case. This is a no brainer. Needs 120-180 mins aeration. Has a similar terroir to an excellent St Emilion but I can buy a half case of this for the same price as a bottle.
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Light; more fruited than I remember the prior vintage; some spice on the nose and front of the palate; the rest is all cherry to me. Simple wine, good value.
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2/10/2024 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Did a blind taste off with 1 Argentine Malbec, 1 Washington Red Mountain Malbec and this wine. (Costco - 2022 Kirkland brand 91pts from JS, 2021 Auclair Malbec 90pts WE, were the other 2) I correctly ID'd all three.
This one and the WA Malbec were close.
On its own my wife didn’t like this wine. Too austere.
With the tenderloin this was her preference. It really highlights the food very well.
My notes:
Nose of sweet tobacco, bright earth, dark cherry,
Palate is medium dark with hints of sweet, dark fruit
Decent finish with tannic grip.
Best wine for highlighting the food. The Auclair was my favorite by a slight margin for its darker fruit flavor profile.
80% Malbec, 20% Merlot
Would buy again
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1/26/2024 - valecnik Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beguiling right out of the gate, with a distinct woodsy/sprucey note. Lean and refreshing without being stern or hard-edged. After a night in half bottle, it integrated beautifully and showed amazing balance. Sweet dark berry, good acidity, a round and lithe mouthfeel, and still finishing with that woodsy note. A brilliant little wine with staggering QPR.
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8/12/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine: 92 Points
13.5%. Has typical pure aromas of chalky bluefruits, mint and raspberries. Superb on the plump chalky blue and red fruits medium bodied palate which ends medium long, fresh and food friendly. Wonderful value for money at under 8 Euros. Lay down 5-10 years or drink now with 90 mins decant. Maybe this will make a 93. They normally improve!
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6/16/2023 - North Willis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking really well. Loads of ripe, black fruit, great structure and finely knit tannins. Wonderful texture. This wine rocks. I’d give it another 2+ years for primary notes to evolve and greater complexity to develop. An insane QPR. Little Big Man, as another CT’er wrote in this thread!
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3/20/2023 - eboracum wrote: flawed
Corked
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3/15/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine: 92 Points
A beautiful wine, easily the best red wine I have had at under 8 Euros. Has fragrant aromas of blueberries, chalk, plums, mint and cassis. Its medium bodied plump chalky blue and red fruits palate has lovely depth, freshness and good grippy length. 13.5%. Highly recommended! I have 2 cases of this! Needs 90-120 mins aeration. Lay down 5-10 years easily.
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2/17/2023 - eboracum Likes this wine: 89 Points
This seems to be acquiring a bit more depth. Good.
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1/13/2023 - Carson.McEvoy Likes this wine: 89 Points
A hearty rustic red!
Great structure with great roundness. Strong ripe fruits with good length to top it off.
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11/24/2022 - eboracum Likes this wine: 88 Points
Like the 2014 and 2018, I find a mix of savoury bright black fruit, earth, wet leather and olives with a touch of tar, anise and liquorice on a medium+ bodied palate with a hint of quinine plus a slight infusion of resin toward the finish. From memory I enjoyed it a tad less but that could be a function of pairing. Good though.
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11/5/2022 - adciobanu Likes this wine: 91 Points
Honestly very impressed with the quality for the price. Should age very nicely for another 5-8 years.
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11/2/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine: 92 Points
Improves a lot from a 90 on day 1 to a 92 on day 2. Has aromas of blueberries, chalk hints, plums and coffee hints. Its medium bodied spherical a bit foursquare multi dimensional blue fruits palate ends longish fresh, and tapering. 13.5%. Lay down 5-10 years easily! Needs 3hrs+ aeration. The best QPR red at under 10 Euros! Buy!!
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9/26/2022 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
One of my favorite Malbecs from France .
Nose is dark earthy , herbaceous
Palate is tannic with good fruit underneath . Decent finish .
Paired well with beef.
Would buy again .
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9/1/2022 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
80% Malbec, 20% Merlot
Bought 6 from a shop in the USA after buying one at the winery and consuming in France.
Served with steak
Nose has some nice fruit. Cherry, touch of earth but mostly new world nose
Palate would pass for new world with the sweet fruit and cleanliness .
Oddly different from the bottle I bought directly at the winery and consumed in France .
Still well made and enjoyable
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9/1/2022 - nocowine wrote:
Dark cherry, earth and leather. Nice though not special and lacks complexity.
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6/27/2022 - UFGators Likes this wine: 88 Points
Good flavors but simple and one dimensional. Got tired of it quickly
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5/26/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine: 92 Points
91/92. The best Clos la Coutale which I have ever had! Has aromas of leather, blueberries, chalk +earth hints, minty flowers, raspberries and cassis. Its medium bodied solid and chewy impressive chalk infused decently oaked plush blue and red fruits palate has nice freshness and very good length with good tannin. 13.5%. Super value at under 8 Euros. Needs 3hrs+ aeration. Lay down 5-10 years+.
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4/29/2022 - Stoic Warrior Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ten months on from previous bottle, this wine has improved immeasurably. In-glass aeration for an hour (large glass!). Nose of sweet fruits, herbal scents of iris and tobacco, and, what's that? A suede jacket! Lol. Palate of ripe and dried black fruits, and more complex than last year. Tannins evident in back; a bit of licorice and tobacco, some bitterness and acidity now, which ain't bad, as it make it all the better as a food friendly wine as well as being a happy sipper. Finish seems longer than before at the first hour mark, but shortens thereafter.
What a great value wine. Little Big Man.
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4/13/2022 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Dark magenta in the glass.
Nose is dark cherry compote, touch of earth
Palate is dark cherry fruit with an iron/earth backbone of tannins. Nice wine and paired well with an aged t-bone.
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3/17/2022 - whits wrote: 89 Points
Blackberry and raspberry on the nose, forward, clean and floral, the palate displays blueberry, cocoa and spices, rich, nice concentration and balance, had with rib-eye steak and it was a fantastic match
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3/14/2022 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote: 87 Points
Ripe red and blue fruit mixed with a bit of anise, fennel seed, fresh tarragon. Overall VERY primary. Medium + body, medium acid, medium tannin. Good pairing with braised pork chops.
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2/26/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine: 92 Points
The best Clos la Coutale ever. Has aromas of mint, blue fruits, chalk, plums+ cassis. Its medium bodied solid spherical chalky blue and red fruits palate ends longish, fresh+gripping. Lay down 5-10 years easily. Likes a 2/3 hr aeration. Outstanding value at 8 Euros! I think it could improve to a 93 with a couple of years laydown.
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1/2/2022 - ___robin Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicious, rich, aromatic, black fruits, green bell pepper, tomato leaf
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12/2/2021 - joraesque wrote: 88 Points
A bit fruit-forward, but a great QPR. 13.5% ABV.
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11/10/2021 - Rob Hansult Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep red/ruby with hint of violet.
Nose > Hugely rich/fruity/aromatic nose. Screams Malbec. All about rich/pungent red, blue, wild berry & inky fruits.
Blueberry, strawberry/strawberry-preserves, Morello cherry, caraway seed, red & black choke-cherry, pomegranate, blueberry pie &
black plum skin.
Palate > Rich/sappy/fruity. All that fruit carries through in the mouth.
Great acidity. Low-ish tannins. Medium intensity.
Excellent length & persistence.
Love the pungent grapyness.
Not sure if this is 100% Malbec, but really shows the beauty & fruit of the grape.
A bit more extracted tannin would have done additional good for the mouthfeel.
Tannins do add a little more grip & some cherry-stone with some air.
You could treat this like good non-Cru Beaujolais & give it 10, 15+ min in the fridge if ya wanna amp up the fruit even more.
WSET/MW could use this bottle as an example to show what the Malbec grape tastes like.
Great QPR @$15 if ya like a fruit stuffed Malbec.
(90+)
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9/2/2021 - macaujames wrote: 92 Points
This is the best Clos la Coutale I have ever had. Has nice aromas of chalk infused blueberries, plums, morello cherries+ coffee hints. Impressive value+chalk infused lightly oaked blue and red fruited depth with lovely solid and chunky depth with good length at less than 8 Euros. 13.5%. Lay down 5-10 years+. I bought a case. This is a no brainer. Needs 120-180 mins aeration. Has a similar terroir to an excellent St Emilion but I can buy a half case of this for the same price as a bottle.
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8/12/2021 - JonBarnes1 Likes this wine:
Light; more fruited than I remember the prior vintage; some spice on the nose and front of the palate; the rest is all cherry to me. Simple wine, good value.
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7/22/2021 - Woodbridge Brad Likes this wine: 85 Points
Nothing wrong with this wine, plenty of substance, but it didn't really appeal.
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