A bit of a mercy ranking, maybe, but still a very good wine, holding up well over time, and nicely complimenting a good meal. That's what we bought it for, we have more left...
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Great wine if aged right. Very smooth with a slight pepper at the finish. It was soft and delightful. A great value and a nice wine. The wine looks Crimson colored. The legs are Fast. It smells like Strawberry Jam, Cranberry, Red Currant, and Black currant (cassis). It tastes like Flint, Strawberry Jam, Black currant (cassis), Blackberry, Vanilla, and Black Pepper. The body is Medium. The wine is textured Smooth. The wine finishes Short.
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Very clear garnet color, not giving up much aromatically after aerating, just got a little dark fruit and white pepper. Initial taste on the palate reveals well-integrated heat and mild cherry-plum flavors. Really quite elegant, perhaps showing of its origins in Dry Creek Valley. Medium length finish. Not much robustness as I expect to find in a Zin, but its pleasant enough.
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Enjoyable wine. Some pepper, hint of sweetness, some fruitiness - maybe cherry. Long finish. It does have a diminutive noise. It is very drinkable right now.
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Decanted for an hour before consumption. Subtle nose with light fruit. Not as fruity as most zins with a light plum finish and mild pepper taste. Nice balance with smooth tannins and moderate alcohol. Good buy at $11.
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From reading other notes on this wine there seem to be two batches out there - one with fruit and the other without. This bottle was the later. Upon opening the aromas were very closed. Little more than wood and vine coming out of glass. The glycerin on the palate seemed to carry this through a long finish - just not a finish you want to keep going. I came back to it later and on day two the aromas opened a bit with black and green peppers in the center of the glass and a bit of red fruit slipping up out of the edge. The balance was better and would have been a bit better with a steak to use the butter feel in the mouth -- I hope this gets better next year.
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Popped and poured. First impression: drinkable, but that's about it. Nothing distinctive at all, from the nose to the palate; everything's pretty flat, zero finish. It doesn't SUCK, just not memorable at all. After 2 hours: Still not much on the nose, but the palate has opened up a bit, showing some fruit and a soft, short but clean finish. Next day: still not enough for me. The nose is more distinct, the taste is fruitier but still disappointing. I had opened a couple other bottles for comparison: '06 Pascual Toso malbec, '05 Clos de L'Oratoire CdP; one everyday, one pricier. They BOTH destroyed this stuff; the Toso is a terrific everyday drinker by comparison, the CdP has much more character and structure (with a couple hours of air). Conclusion: just another low-midprice wine. Not worth the bucks IMO, and a big step down from the Lot 59 chard - which was pretty tasty.
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This bottle had been opened and left neglected on the counter for several days before I came to the rescue. The Nose shows cherry, slight herbaceousness, some olive as well. Medium bodied, peppery. The fruit is not overpowering. Overall well balanced and tasty with a good finish.
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Complex aromas that took a very long time to open up: earthy, white pepper, plum, peach pit, sandbox sand and some smoky spice mixed with mocha. Have to coax them out of the glass, though. Simpler on the palate: gravelly red fruit and plums, a bit of pepper. With air the tannins mellowed out and it became very viscous and lush. Lots of fruit now but could stand some aging.
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Translucent red with purple edges. On the nose is pure soft jammy fruit, with lots of raspberry and sour cherry. It opens up on the palate and some dusty oak and delightfully puckering powdery fruit pops out. Balanced, subtle, smooth and drinkable right now. Very nice and the QPR is hard to beat. 89
When I came back to this bottle a day later, it had opened up considerably. The toasty oak is more evident, but softer, and an upfront vanilla butter cream component has emerged. With a bit of decanting or some bottle age, this goes from good to excellent. 90
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Maybe its just me, but I was quite disappointed. Found this wine rather flat. Fruity and very little complexity on the nose or palate. Even @ $11, this wine just isn't worth it in my opinion.
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Wonderfully balanced wine with sweet fruit on the nose and a traditional darker fruit with some pepper in the glass. Not overly done or a new world fruit bomb nor is it an over the top hot or heavy zin. Nice finish and great smoothness.
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Delicious black cherry, nice acidity, touch of smooth creaminess on the palate. No hot peppery spiciness. Best impression I'm left with is smoothness and balance. A very refreshing, delicious pairing with cream-based Indian dishes.
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Clearly a blend, but just as clearly a California Zin. Individual traits are subtle, and their perception will likely depend significantly on what the wine is paired with. The major impression from opening to empty is overall balance, thoughtful structure, well developed flavors, and simple easy drinking. Significant QPR that deserves case purchase consideration for everyday drinking.
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This is a great wine. Black cherry jumps from the glass. Black fruit palate with acidity the keeps it fresh and juicy in the mouth. No sourness. Tannins are a tad strong, None of that sweetness cheaper reds seem to have. Ten-fifteen second finish that turns pleasantly sour cherry at the end. Using the Jay Miller rating system for this one ; )
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On the more mild subtle side for a CA zin. good fruit, but not overpowering. Nice alcohol; not too hot. Sweet plum finish. One of the better zins I've had recently, including the tasting at the Wine Vault.
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11/27/2014 - wordstar wrote: 87 Points
Very nice last bottle, and a great meal to finish it with!
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5/22/2014 - wordstar wrote: 88 Points
Still very, very nice for us, but only one more bottle to go.
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4/7/2013 - wordstar wrote: 87 Points
A bit of a mercy ranking, maybe, but still a very good wine, holding up well over time, and nicely complimenting a good meal. That's what we bought it for, we have more left...
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3/9/2013 - wordstar wrote: 88 Points
Still very good on our table! Glad we've got more.
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11/21/2010 - NathanT wrote: 80 Points
taste like jam with alcohol. half bottle down the drain.
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6/9/2010 - LChaim wrote: 84 Points
Great value but nothing exciting.
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3/20/2010 - doctormdj Likes this wine: 89 Points
Great wine if aged right. Very smooth with a slight pepper at the finish. It was soft and delightful. A great value and a nice wine.
The wine looks Crimson colored.
The legs are Fast.
It smells like Strawberry Jam, Cranberry, Red Currant, and Black currant (cassis).
It tastes like Flint, Strawberry Jam, Black currant (cassis), Blackberry, Vanilla, and Black Pepper.
The body is Medium.
The wine is textured Smooth.
The wine finishes Short.
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4/9/2009 - wordstar wrote: 89 Points
Holding up well, drinks smoothly from first to last glass, very solid Zin - nothing truly outstanding, but still a great value.
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1/23/2009 - LynnMJ wrote: 87 Points
Very clear garnet color, not giving up much aromatically after aerating, just got a little dark fruit and white pepper. Initial taste on the palate reveals well-integrated heat and mild cherry-plum flavors. Really quite elegant, perhaps showing of its origins in Dry Creek Valley. Medium length finish. Not much robustness as I expect to find in a Zin, but its pleasant enough.
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9/1/2008 - rickerm wrote: 88 Points
Enjoyable wine. Some pepper, hint of sweetness, some fruitiness - maybe cherry. Long finish. It does have a diminutive noise. It is very drinkable right now.
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8/19/2008 - hudamang wrote: 86 Points
Stylistically correct. Went well with my burgers but it wasn't very exciting.
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7/23/2008 - Love4Vino wrote:
A bit too sweet for me. It had spicy peppery brambly notes. It went well with BBQ ribs.
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7/5/2008 - BrewWench wrote: 85 Points
Black cherry at the start of the mouth, pepper at the end. I agree with the previous entry - it did get nicer after some time.
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7/3/2008 - Acohen wrote: 89 Points
Smooth with slight pepper and nice dark fruit. Much better after an hour
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6/30/2008 - NaturalizedTexan wrote: 89 Points
Subtle fruit and nice pepper. It needed time to breathe before drinking. Definite improvement after an hour.
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6/30/2008 - NaturalizedTexan wrote: 89 Points
An excellent value for a zinfandel that is well above average
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4/27/2008 - lagniappe wrote:
This was great. Peppery, rather dark, I would say. Just a lovely, affordable zin.
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3/31/2008 - wblake737 wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for an hour before consumption. Subtle nose with light fruit. Not as fruity as most zins with a light plum finish and mild pepper taste. Nice balance with smooth tannins and moderate alcohol. Good buy at $11.
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3/29/2008 - Johannes.knops@xjtlu.edu.cn wrote: 89 Points
Tasty, peppery, dark fruit. Nice wine.
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3/21/2008 - wordstar wrote: 91 Points
Better than the bottle consumed in 12/07. Nice balance of full-bodied flavors in the Zin tradition - good pepper! One of the better ones from CH.
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3/14/2008 - BBennett wrote: 80 Points
From reading other notes on this wine there seem to be two batches out there - one with fruit and the other without. This bottle was the later. Upon opening the aromas were very closed. Little more than wood and vine coming out of glass. The glycerin on the palate seemed to carry this through a long finish - just not a finish you want to keep going. I came back to it later and on day two the aromas opened a bit with black and green peppers in the center of the glass and a bit of red fruit slipping up out of the edge. The balance was better and would have been a bit better with a steak to use the butter feel in the mouth -- I hope this gets better next year.
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3/12/2008 - BrewWench wrote: 84 Points
Black cherry at the start of the mouth, pepper at the end - I think I liked this one more than the Lot 48 red blend; nice zin.
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3/9/2008 - texaswino wrote:
not too shabby for the price
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2/22/2008 - DeWiPe wrote: 82 Points
Popped and poured.
First impression: drinkable, but that's about it. Nothing distinctive at all, from the nose to the palate; everything's pretty flat, zero finish. It doesn't SUCK, just not memorable at all.
After 2 hours: Still not much on the nose, but the palate has opened up a bit, showing some fruit and a soft, short but clean finish.
Next day: still not enough for me. The nose is more distinct, the taste is fruitier but still disappointing.
I had opened a couple other bottles for comparison: '06 Pascual Toso malbec, '05 Clos de L'Oratoire CdP; one everyday, one pricier. They BOTH destroyed this stuff; the Toso is a terrific everyday drinker by comparison, the CdP has much more character and structure (with a couple hours of air).
Conclusion: just another low-midprice wine. Not worth the bucks IMO, and a big step down from the Lot 59 chard - which was pretty tasty.
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2/13/2008 - soyhead wrote: 87 Points
This bottle had been opened and left neglected on the counter for several days before I came to the rescue. The Nose shows cherry, slight herbaceousness, some olive as well. Medium bodied, peppery. The fruit is not overpowering. Overall well balanced and tasty with a good finish.
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2/3/2008 - monkuboy wrote: 89 Points
Complex aromas that took a very long time to open up: earthy, white pepper, plum, peach pit, sandbox sand and some smoky spice mixed with mocha. Have to coax them out of the glass, though. Simpler on the palate: gravelly red fruit and plums, a bit of pepper. With air the tannins mellowed out and it became very viscous and lush. Lots of fruit now but could stand some aging.
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1/27/2008 - neurovino wrote:
Continue to be impressed by the QPR of this wine.
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1/24/2008 - jfp wrote: 90 Points
Translucent red with purple edges. On the nose is pure soft jammy fruit, with lots of raspberry and sour cherry. It opens up on the palate and some dusty oak and delightfully puckering powdery fruit pops out. Balanced, subtle, smooth and drinkable right now. Very nice and the QPR is hard to beat. 89
When I came back to this bottle a day later, it had opened up considerably. The toasty oak is more evident, but softer, and an upfront vanilla butter cream component has emerged. With a bit of decanting or some bottle age, this goes from good to excellent. 90
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1/14/2008 - radavis3 wrote: 82 Points
Maybe its just me, but I was quite disappointed. Found this wine rather flat. Fruity and very little complexity on the nose or palate. Even @ $11, this wine just isn't worth it in my opinion.
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1/3/2008 - Acohen wrote: 90 Points
Wonderfully balanced wine with sweet fruit on the nose and a traditional darker fruit with some pepper in the glass. Not overly done or a new world fruit bomb nor is it an over the top hot or heavy zin. Nice finish and great smoothness.
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12/22/2007 - Brian1970 wrote: 90 Points
Delicious black cherry, nice acidity, touch of smooth creaminess on the palate. No hot peppery spiciness. Best impression I'm left with is smoothness and balance. A very refreshing, delicious pairing with cream-based Indian dishes.
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12/21/2007 - bahiadave wrote:
this one starts a bit thin and has a plumlike taste
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12/14/2007 - NaturalizedTexan wrote: 91 Points
A wonderful zin. Full of fruit and berries with just a hint of cream. Silky smooth. I will buy more bottles tomorrow.
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12/10/2007 - wordstar wrote: 90 Points
Clearly a blend, but just as clearly a California Zin. Individual traits are subtle, and their perception will likely depend significantly on what the wine is paired with. The major impression from opening to empty is overall balance, thoughtful structure, well developed flavors, and simple easy drinking. Significant QPR that deserves case purchase consideration for everyday drinking.
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12/9/2007 - EaglesWin wrote: 88 Points
Elegant, nice structure with a long finish. Great QPR.
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11/20/2007 - neurovino wrote:
Day 1-Just like last time (see previous note). Day 2-lost some of it's fruit and zing. Drink this one the first day.
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11/15/2007 - jimkay21 wrote: 91 Points
This is a great wine. Black cherry jumps from the glass. Black fruit palate with acidity the keeps it fresh and juicy in the mouth. No sourness. Tannins are a tad strong, None of that sweetness cheaper reds seem to have. Ten-fifteen second finish that turns pleasantly sour cherry at the end. Using the Jay Miller rating system for this one ; )
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9/24/2007 - neurovino wrote: 89 Points
On the more mild subtle side for a CA zin. good fruit, but not overpowering. Nice alcohol; not too hot. Sweet plum finish. One of the better zins I've had recently, including the tasting at the Wine Vault.
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