Aroma of red fruit , pepper. Medium to full bodied with a dry finish. Long lasting aftertaste and smooth. An excellent wine, but probably won't last more than a year or two more, so drink up!
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Had this almost a year ago, and for the life of me cannot remember why the heck we bought it. Opened the first bottle months ago & it was underwhelming. Very green & vegetal. Decided to wait until the end of the drinking window to see if there would be any improvement. Opened the bottle & decanted, giving it two hours. Then, I decanted it back to the bottle. Good thing, as a fly had drown in the decanter of wine. Hey, what's one more filtration? Deep purple color. Notes of tobacco, leather, red berries. None of the vegetal noted we detected on the first bottle a year ago. Not a favourite malbec, as there are no traces of black pepper I'm looking for.
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We had this with pork roast on 4/5/09. It decanted an hour, but needed more. It continued to soften and develop over the course of the meal. It had a wonderful bouquet of blackberry, mocha and spice aromas. The palate followed with blackberry, mocha, spice and licorice flavors. It was dry and just a touch chalky on the finish with prickly tannins. I really liked it.
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Very Evolutionary and almost 90. If not for slightly weaker finish but VERY aromatic throughout 4 Hours in Decanter: HR 1, still tannic. HR 2, less tannic with bitter coffee and a little nuts. HR 3, sweeter tobacco and Vanilla came out. HR 4 just as good. ( 2nd time trying this one ) Highly recommended.
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I was expecting a lot more, especially when paired with an amazing BBQ steak. A very annoying and distracting burnt tire smell with some hidden notes of cheap blackberry and blueberry. Drinkable but a very average effort.
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shared this with pat at home. enjoyed with stuffed veal from our newly discovered gem- royal crown cucina. the wine is back on track. mostly plum this time. good every day drinking wine. ready to go now but can probably hold for a year if you want it to mellow out completely.
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brought this bottle to passover seder. shared pat, vicki, leslie, max, jeff and family. let this bottle breath for an hour. no more funk, no more objectionable non-wine smells. however, the wine appears to have evolved quickly. the nose is modest and the fruit is not as intense as it was in the last bottle tasted just a few months ago. we did find and enjoy a little bit of cherry and mocha. despite the pretty label and the prestige associated with the winemaker/owner, i think it is time to move on.
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I have trying been to expand my knowledge of the wines of Argentina and Chile. Malbec is one of the varietal that does very well. The color is a nice deep purple. The nose was a little musty and earthy but gave a hint of mocha and blueberry. The fruit is very forward with blackberry, blueberry, chocolate, and dark cherry all in the mix. This is a simple but enjoyable wine with good QPR at $15.
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Dark inky maroon color. Nose had cocoa, meat, and a hint of dark cherries and currants. Palate was chocolate, dark cherries, leather and blackberries. Tannins came on at the finish, which was mid-length. At $7.99 a bottle in Costco, a great bargain.
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Purchased for $8.99 at retail, WA 90. Popped and poured. Deep purple, ruby on the rim. Ripe, wild mountain berries immediately jump out of the glass followed by complex notes of earth, tar, underbrush and a wild, funky, almost gamy smell that's hard to pin. Although the aromas may turn some off I love them. Medium to full bodied. Just crisp and delicious in the way I so often have heard others describe good Malbec but rarely realize for myself. Palate mirrors the ripe fruit on the nose but adds additional elements of tobacco leaf, brown sugar, and a touch of vanilla bean, all while maintaining the almost refreshing quality that is surely a sign of med. plus acidity. But then again it's hard to tell, as the mineral laden finish pushes on with a lasting impression of the biting tannins. More finesse than the majority of Malbec's out there, this is an example of Argentina's most renowned varietal that really shows it may have roots in Bordeaux after all (well...at least to me!). Pair with steak frites or cellar 1-2 years to wait for the tannins to soften.
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funk? i guess so. hot crankcase fumes changing oil for the tractor in the barn. blows off in 15 minutes. could it be that this is what malbec is supposed to smell like before it gets massaged to please the palates of us yankees? although the nose never develops into anything remarkable, there is enough black cherry on the palate to provide redemption. true, there are other argentine malbecs that are more voluptuous, but this is quite adequate for occasions that do not call for a $20 wine. i think i read somewhere that nick catena has a hand in making this wine and may have an ownership stake. need to check on these facts.
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Good texture here. The nose has fruit, but there is some smoke and earth there; good complexity for the price. Probably the best wine in this price point I've ever had.
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Decanted half the bottle and drank...saved the rest of the bottle for 2nd day (tonight). Wow this wine has a 'funk' on the nose....sort of bloody meat with dark dark fruits....it's not as offputting as one might think though. Full-bodied and thick...almost chewy from the viscosity...chocolate and dark black fruits....slightly bitter and finishes a bit hot. This isn't as good as my first bottle, but it's still a good deal for the price.
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This bottle puts in perfect perspective the difference between a $10 bottle and a $20 bottle. Upon opening, this wine had a plastic-y (think the covers on Grandma's chairs), artificial smell that (fortunately) was saved by an earthy, fruity (but sharply acidic/drying) taste/finish. In contrast, I shared a $20 bottle of malbec last night (2004 Catena) that was absolutely wonderful. I am beginning to believe that my price point for Malbec is around $20.
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Opened on 3/11/08 and served with fish and roasted potatoes, decanted. My label does not resemble the one pictured here. It's very nice and impressive, actually. One of the prettiest colored wines I've seen. Reminded me of a garnet gem stone. Composite cork not deeply stained. Legs ran medium. Fruit at first seemed strong but then that tapered off. Not a dry wine. No alcohol burn either. Now fruit has faded and it is tart with slightly, very slightly bitter taste. Acidic. Usually I don't go for acidic wines but this one was not offensive. Just not a stand out either but an average wine. I think the Pascal and Alamos are better at this price point but this does not mean this is a dissappointment by no means. Think the higher acidity would lead to a good paring with certain foods.
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Decanted and drank over an hour or two. On the nose there's dark cherry, blackberry, and some chocolate. This wine is a mouthful...full bodied, with the right amount of tannin to round it out. Very nice indeed. A great deal for $10.
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Cherries and chocolate. A bit artificial to start, but mellows on the finish into a bittersweet chocolate. Good for the price (10$) although there are more out there that are a better bargain.
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nice, juicy malbec for the price. inky colored with some blackberry and bacon on the nose. big and fruity, yet it has some nice blackberry and cocoa flavors. great qpr malbec.
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Had with a dinner with friends and don't remember too much. I do remember a metallic taste that I didn't care for. I'll have to re taste at a later time. No score.
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Aged purple with strong aromas of sulfer and earth with only mild fruit. Full, rich and chewy with flavors following the aroma to the same degree but throw in some leather and blackfruit. The finish is short.
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Gallo Tasting: 1/31/08: Enjoyed this much more this time. SOme earthy, rubber notes on the nose. On the palate, some bitter chocolate with rasberries and bright cherries. Good structure. Very nice for the price. 86-87
12/14/07: Lots of variation in Tn's from this wine. Maybe from the price point? I thin Gallo took these guys over. And it's a solid bottle of wine. Not my first, or even 3rd choice for a $10 malbec. But solidly made.
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Price wise-decent. Felt there were others for $10 bones I would prefer. Dark spice and coffe ground effect to me. Some tartness on the start disappears quickly, and not that much finish for a dark wine.
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Very deep ruby red. Really nice structure on the nose, not too hot and loads of coffee and black liquorish. The taste is very different with strong coffee and hints of blackberry. The finish is somewhat long but when it tails off you get lots of bitterness. Must be from a young wine. Should be very interesting in about 3-5 years.
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6/13/2011 - The Raven wrote: 80 Points
Just not that good.
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11/25/2010 - LChaim wrote:
Poached pears.
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6/11/2010 - Matthew wrote: 90 Points
Aroma of red fruit , pepper. Medium to full bodied with a dry finish. Long lasting aftertaste and smooth. An excellent wine, but probably won't last more than a year or two more, so drink up!
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11/13/2009 - moosedogs wrote: flawed
Corked.
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8/6/2009 - wadcorp wrote:
Had this almost a year ago, and for the life of me cannot remember why the heck we bought it. Opened the first bottle months ago & it was underwhelming. Very green & vegetal. Decided to wait until the end of the drinking window to see if there would be any improvement. Opened the bottle & decanted, giving it two hours. Then, I decanted it back to the bottle. Good thing, as a fly had drown in the decanter of wine. Hey, what's one more filtration? Deep purple color. Notes of tobacco, leather, red berries. None of the vegetal noted we detected on the first bottle a year ago. Not a favourite malbec, as there are no traces of black pepper I'm looking for.
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5/4/2009 - Renegade wrote: flawed
Corked.
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4/5/2009 - garambler wrote: 90 Points
We had this with pork roast on 4/5/09. It decanted an hour, but needed more. It continued to soften and develop over the course of the meal. It had a wonderful bouquet of blackberry, mocha and spice aromas. The palate followed with blackberry, mocha, spice and licorice flavors. It was dry and just a touch chalky on the finish with prickly tannins. I really liked it.
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1/12/2009 - Fluffyruffles wrote: 90 Points
Deep color. Cherry, plum & vanilla favors. Medium tart finish. Good legs.
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12/15/2008 - winecouver wrote: 80 Points
Needed a lot of air to bring out any character. Nice balance once aerated. Low tannins with low levels of fruit, balanced acidity. Easy drinking wine.
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12/8/2008 - NavyGrog wrote: 80 Points
Flavorful!
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10/29/2008 - ggkemp wrote: 78 Points
No nose, no complexity, minor finish. Not offensive. Will offer my other bottle to a cooking class.
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10/20/2008 - LelouchViBritannia wrote: 89 Points
Very Evolutionary and almost 90. If not for slightly weaker finish but VERY aromatic throughout 4 Hours in Decanter:
HR 1, still tannic. HR 2, less tannic with bitter coffee and a little nuts. HR 3, sweeter tobacco and Vanilla came out. HR 4 just as good. ( 2nd time trying this one ) Highly recommended.
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9/16/2008 - LelouchViBritannia wrote: 88 Points
Good value. But moderate tannins and purplish color indicates it still needs time or air.
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9/13/2008 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 83 Points
World Market - Arts on Foot presented by Wines of Argentina (Washington, DC): Heavy, dark violet hue, spice and vanilla and in the californian cab league, if not old style cahors.
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9/9/2008 - Trax wrote: 81 Points
Hot, muddled- decent fruit but masked.
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9/6/2008 - SadofskyDS wrote: flawed
corked
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8/30/2008 - steveabb wrote: 82 Points
Very nice. Probably needs a bit of decanting. Gorgeous color; big fruit. Very nice for the price. Eat with something bold and meaty though.
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8/15/2008 - Hooked4Life wrote: 80 Points
For $11 you cant go wrong. Great flavor, smooth finish.
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6/28/2008 - Bret wrote:
Good, but not as godd as Xplorado which is half the price
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6/23/2008 - Alekos wrote: 82 Points
I was expecting a lot more, especially when paired with an amazing BBQ steak. A very annoying and distracting burnt tire smell with some hidden notes of cheap blackberry and blueberry. Drinkable but a very average effort.
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6/21/2008 - Mrbuzz wrote:
Yes, funk. Is there a tire fire nearby???
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6/7/2008 - bacchus wrote: 89 Points
shared this with pat at home. enjoyed with stuffed veal from our newly discovered gem- royal crown cucina. the wine is back on track. mostly plum this time. good every day drinking wine. ready to go now but can probably hold for a year if you want it to mellow out completely.
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4/23/2008 - txRedLover wrote: 70 Points
Although others rated this bottle highly, we did not enjoy it. A little too bold and heavy on the tannins to be enjoyed by itself.
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4/19/2008 - bacchus wrote: 87 Points
brought this bottle to passover seder. shared pat, vicki, leslie, max, jeff and family. let this bottle breath for an hour. no more funk, no more objectionable non-wine smells. however, the wine appears to have evolved quickly. the nose is modest and the fruit is not as intense as it was in the last bottle tasted just a few months ago. we did find and enjoy a little bit of cherry and mocha. despite the pretty label and the prestige associated with the winemaker/owner, i think it is time to move on.
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3/29/2008 - whynblog wrote: 86 Points
I have trying been to expand my knowledge of the wines of Argentina and Chile. Malbec is one of the varietal that does very well. The color is a nice deep purple. The nose was a little musty and earthy but gave a hint of mocha and blueberry. The fruit is very forward with blackberry, blueberry, chocolate, and dark cherry all in the mix. This is a simple but enjoyable wine with good QPR at $15.
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3/28/2008 - dhonig wrote:
Dark inky maroon color. Nose had cocoa, meat, and a hint of dark cherries and currants. Palate was chocolate, dark cherries, leather and blackberries. Tannins came on at the finish, which was mid-length. At $7.99 a bottle in Costco, a great bargain.
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3/26/2008 - *Vine* wrote: 89 Points
Purchased for $8.99 at retail, WA 90. Popped and poured. Deep purple, ruby on the rim. Ripe, wild mountain berries immediately jump out of the glass followed by complex notes of earth, tar, underbrush and a wild, funky, almost gamy smell that's hard to pin. Although the aromas may turn some off I love them. Medium to full bodied. Just crisp and delicious in the way I so often have heard others describe good Malbec but rarely realize for myself. Palate mirrors the ripe fruit on the nose but adds additional elements of tobacco leaf, brown sugar, and a touch of vanilla bean, all while maintaining the almost refreshing quality that is surely a sign of med. plus acidity. But then again it's hard to tell, as the mineral laden finish pushes on with a lasting impression of the biting tannins.
More finesse than the majority of Malbec's out there, this is an example of Argentina's most renowned varietal that really shows it may have roots in Bordeaux after all (well...at least to me!). Pair with steak frites or cellar 1-2 years to wait for the tannins to soften.
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3/15/2008 - bacchus wrote: 89 Points
funk? i guess so. hot crankcase fumes changing oil for the tractor in the barn. blows off in 15 minutes. could it be that this is what malbec is supposed to smell like before it gets massaged to please the palates of us yankees? although the nose never develops into anything remarkable, there is enough black cherry on the palate to provide redemption. true, there are other argentine malbecs that are more voluptuous, but this is quite adequate for occasions that do not call for a $20 wine. i think i read somewhere that nick catena has a hand in making this wine and may have an ownership stake. need to check on these facts.
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3/15/2008 - Gulelin wrote: 89 Points
Good texture here. The nose has fruit, but there is some smoke and earth there; good complexity for the price. Probably the best wine in this price point I've ever had.
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3/13/2008 - winenewb068 wrote: 86 Points
Decanted half the bottle and drank...saved the rest of the bottle for 2nd day (tonight). Wow this wine has a 'funk' on the nose....sort of bloody meat with dark dark fruits....it's not as offputting as one might think though. Full-bodied and thick...almost chewy from the viscosity...chocolate and dark black fruits....slightly bitter and finishes a bit hot. This isn't as good as my first bottle, but it's still a good deal for the price.
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3/12/2008 - Unseth wrote: 86 Points
This bottle puts in perfect perspective the difference between a $10 bottle and a $20 bottle. Upon opening, this wine had a plastic-y (think the covers on Grandma's chairs), artificial smell that (fortunately) was saved by an earthy, fruity (but sharply acidic/drying) taste/finish. In contrast, I shared a $20 bottle of malbec last night (2004 Catena) that was absolutely wonderful. I am beginning to believe that my price point for Malbec is around $20.
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3/11/2008 - pmarlo wrote: 87 Points
Opened on 3/11/08 and served with fish and roasted potatoes, decanted. My label does not resemble the one pictured here. It's very nice and impressive, actually. One of the prettiest colored wines I've seen. Reminded me of a garnet gem stone. Composite cork not deeply stained. Legs ran medium. Fruit at first seemed strong but then that tapered off. Not a dry wine. No alcohol burn either. Now fruit has faded and it is tart with slightly, very slightly bitter taste. Acidic. Usually I don't go for acidic wines but this one was not offensive. Just not a stand out either but an average wine. I think the Pascal and Alamos are better at this price point but this does not mean this is a dissappointment by no means. Think the higher acidity would lead to a good paring with certain foods.
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3/6/2008 - tthorn wrote: 84 Points
Disappointing. Earthy, but thin and tart. The Pascual Toso and Montes deliver more at the $10 mark.
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3/4/2008 - winenewb068 wrote: 88 Points
Decanted and drank over an hour or two. On the nose there's dark cherry, blackberry, and some chocolate. This wine is a mouthful...full bodied, with the right amount of tannin to round it out. Very nice indeed. A great deal for $10.
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3/1/2008 - CORSkier wrote: 85 Points
Cherries and chocolate. A bit artificial to start, but mellows on the finish into a bittersweet chocolate. Good for the price (10$) although there are more out there that are a better bargain.
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2/26/2008 - Gulelin wrote: 89 Points
Dark purple in color. Pleasant nose. Forward and fruity. Great value. Need to get more of this for an every day drinker.
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2/23/2008 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 85 Points
nice, juicy malbec for the price. inky colored with some blackberry and bacon on the nose. big and fruity, yet it has some nice blackberry and cocoa flavors. great qpr malbec.
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2/13/2008 - small_cellar wrote:
Had with a dinner with friends and don't remember too much. I do remember a metallic taste that I didn't care for. I'll have to re taste at a later time. No score.
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2/6/2008 - GreatLibations wrote: 84 Points
Aged purple with strong aromas of sulfer and earth with only mild fruit. Full, rich and chewy with flavors following the aroma to the same degree but throw in some leather and blackfruit. The finish is short.
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1/31/2008 - hutch wrote: 86 Points
Gallo Tasting: 1/31/08: Enjoyed this much more this time. SOme earthy, rubber notes on the nose. On the palate, some bitter chocolate with rasberries and bright cherries. Good structure. Very nice for the price. 86-87
12/14/07: Lots of variation in Tn's from this wine. Maybe from the price point? I thin Gallo took these guys over. And it's a solid bottle of wine. Not my first, or even 3rd choice for a $10 malbec. But solidly made.
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1/19/2008 - mpricher wrote: 84 Points
Price wise-decent. Felt there were others for $10 bones I would prefer. Dark spice and coffe ground effect to me. Some tartness on the start disappears quickly, and not that much finish for a dark wine.
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12/7/2007 - irishf8 wrote: 88 Points
Great for the price. Earthy fruity up front with long veggi aftertaste. Strong opulant nose. A nice drinking wine.
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11/17/2007 - ras2006 wrote: 79 Points
Lots of fruit, but not much complexity to go with it - making it somewhat bland.
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11/5/2007 - golfhawk wrote: 84 Points
Shows a hint of chocolate and spice.
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10/7/2007 - bjohnson350 wrote: 86 Points
Very deep ruby red. Really nice structure on the nose, not too hot and loads of coffee and black liquorish. The taste is very different with strong coffee and hints of blackberry. The finish is somewhat long but when it tails off you get lots of bitterness. Must be from a young wine. Should be very interesting in about 3-5 years.
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