ruby color; nose of sois bois, cedar chest and blackberries; strong fruit-forward, even 17 years later! Blackberry stew, plums, lil' smokies and cigar box. Very pleasant, especially after an hour's breath.
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Inky black/plum color; nose thick with stewed blackberry and smoked ham; thick taste of stewed blackberries, smoked ham, tending towards toasty cedar and spiked punch. Fully-integrated tannins, good acid/fruit balance, which is remarkable for a 13 yo screwtop wine!
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Good twisted and poured but significantly better the next day. Impressively opaque black to the edge with no off putting alcohol vapors or oxidation, just an intense blackberry smell with a brush of smoked meat. Very velvety in the mouth with adequate but subdued acidity and tannin, and no heaviness or overt sweetness. The swallow glides down with a burst of blackberry, black plum and black currant fruit, plus an undertow of acidity good enough to end refreshing. Unusually enjoyable and delicious for a Barossa wine without being ponderous or over ripe.
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Nice mid-week wine. Still a bit hollow when first opened, but builds as it sits. Day two things were smooth and very enjoyable. Went well with the breaded chicken we were eating.
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nothing surprising here. dark purple color. the nose is total jam, blackberry sauce, homeade pie filling and some dark chocolate. the aromas are great. the palate is a bit disappointing. its loaded with fruit on the palate. the tannins are barely there. i like this hedonistic style, but i wish it had some more structure. since it lacks depth and tannic structure, it kinda drops off on the finish. what it's got (dark, jammy fruit) is delicious. i also get a little bit of baking spices, like baker's chocolate and some gingerbread. all things considered, fun for the price. nothing to overanalyze.
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Deep dark purple in the glass. As suspected, a total fruit bomb - actually over the top fruitiness which, when mixed with the very soft tanin was too distracting. Some cedar and cherry pipe tobacco noted in the mouth and a leathery tobacco finish. While there were some good things about this wine, the sugary sweetness was a little bit of a let down. Not a bad wine by any stretch of the imagination, but it just didn't jive like I felt it should.
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Dark, inky purple. Aroma of cassis, dark berries, and some alcohol. Flavor is an absolute fruit bomb. Loads of jammy fruit, with low acids, low tannins, and relatively high sugars to reinforce the jammy reference. Finishes with cigar and tobacco. Reminiscent of jam on toast with your morning cigarette, which if like that sort of thing is great. Otherwise, its a foul combination. I really wanted to like this one, but was disappointed. Since I have another bottle, I guess I'll see what a little age does for the flavor profile.
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The best bottle yet, but also served colder than any of the other bottles. Very smooth, and no alcohol on the nose or palate. Barely any acid, no tannins, etc. Drank well.
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Deep, deep purple. Initial earthy aromas, then dark fruit and cinnamon. On the palate, high acid, medium tannin and loads of dark fruit and a little chocolate. full bodied and long finish.
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Not a bad value, but is your basic Barossa Valley fruit bomb with a little more depth than usual. Seemed a little hot, and could have hung around another 6-12 months, but a good drink.
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Very, very tasty. Sporting a glass filling opaque purple and a nose of dark fruit and pie, this wine leaves its signature on your lips, teeth and tongue. The taste is straight-up grape and currant jelly, with a voluptuous body to smooth over the alcoholic guns it's packing. Not what I'd call sophisticated (certainly not the kind of girl to bring home to the folks), but so much fun! The sweet, long finish kept me coming back for more. Intense even for steak, if you're going to pair it, I'd recommend a spicy chili or rich lamb stew.
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as is expected of a layer cake wine it is slightly jammy and extracted with above average alcohol. good QPR. loads of fruit on the nose with a little chocolate / mocha as well. not a style for everyone, but a fun interpretation of shiraz and a wine I have enjoyed for years.
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Incredibly jammy and borderline medicinal (like a shot of Robitussin - or "Tussin" as Chris Rock would say!). If nothing else, it's impressive just how much fruit is packed into the Layer Cake, but it's too much. I wouldn't even consider serving this with food - this would make a fine steak and a big mac taste identical!
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I like it for the price point. Yes, jammy and ripe fruit up the wazoo but I kind of don't mind :) We are going to let the other bottle we have lay down for a year or so and see what it does.
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A very different character to this wine tonight compared to the two previous experiences I've had with it. Tonight it has a nose of spicy rubber raisins. The palate brings fake raisin-licorice compote. Mouthfeel is still full and relatively smooth, but the flavors are jarring. Wacky wine.
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Only thing missing on this overly jammy wine was the peanut butter. The back label makes mention of mocha and chocolate, but they were never apparent in my glass. The only thing there was frozen concentrate Welch’s Grape juice. Other than that, one dimensional with no real appeal for me.
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Interesting shiraz, more complex than many, especially at this price point. Good fruit, but not jammy. Also some chocolate and spice. Alcohol seemed a bit much at first, but that subsided in the glass.
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Fantastic nose of concord jam. Flavors unfold for ages on the palate of rich dark berries with chocolate and a lasting finish. Great wine for the money.
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This nice, fruity Shiraz does not disappoint. It has the dark fruity aroma and taste you would expect from a Shiraz, a bit of tannin (but not too much) to keep it from being cloying, and a balanced finish. Though this was a gift, if I find more, I'll probably buy it.
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Raspberry, black cherry and spice. Pretty good acidity for an Aussie Shiraz, with even a little tannin. Not as big on the dark fruit, chocolate, mocha-ness that others have, so the wine is less syrupy - a fruit bomb to be sure, but a bit lighter.
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Very interesting to compare this vintage to last year. We went through a case of the 2005 last year and really enjoyed it. Although the fundamental attributes are the same, the 2006 has more earth and minerality. The tannins are more pronounced. The wine is still very fruit-forward, but it is less of a bomb than 2005. I never thought that the 2005 was worthy of aging, but the 2006, while fine to drink now, tastes like it could benefit from another year or two. This wine still has intense cherry and blackberry flavors. It is lush with a thick almost syrup-like consistency. Both vintages are good, but it seems like the 2006 has a bit more long term potential.
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First tasted this one at Verve and really enjoyed it -- but after later purchasing, fairly disappointed in the bottle itself. The velvet, chocolate, berry flavors that I originally experienced were no where to be found. The nose was pretty much was zilch and the wine it self was overwhelmed by alcohol. Let it breathe for 45 minutes before tasting on the first night and by the second there was little if any change. Just nothing distinctive.
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Fresh, deep purple with a typical spicey pomagranite/blackcherry aromas with a touch of graphite. Medium full nectar with balanced acidity. It's a fruit bomb shoving big spicey berryfruit and citrus in my face with a medium finish. Not bad for 15$ but really uneventfull and common.
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Not much on the nose besides alcohol. Maybe a hint of black fruit. Nice palate of blackberry, plum, and pepper. Tannins and alcohol are well integrated. Nice wine, but nothing special for the price.
color 5/5 nose 5/10 taste 15/20 balance 8/10 finish 4/5
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hmmm..not loving this as much as I did the 2005. Same creamy mouthfeel, same fruit explosion..but somehow...not the same. Nose is tighter, fruit is flatter. Still gulpable, of course. But my socks are still on.
24 hour mark: starting to turn, slight vinegar on the finish. I'd say this wine is not a keeper. Drink the night you open!
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Predictable and not unique. Tons of fruit, a big wine that will dominate anything paired with it. Not as syrupy as Mollydooker perhaps, but still not my style.
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Floral and strawberry on the nose, big flavors of raspberry, cherry, and blackberry with a little black pepper on the finish. A run-of-the-mill Shiraz.
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This wine opened up the more it sat. While not a desert wine, it nonetheless has rich creamy layers that fill you up with a full fruit forward taste. A great everyday drinker.
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Even better than our first bottle with a long decant through the Vinturi aerator. Great QPR on this wine, and like some others stated, I find this better than the Mollydooker wines as they seem to have less prevelent alcohol content. I will disagree though that this is a huge fruitbomb. Yes, itis fruit forward, but not the fruitbomb as I like to consider them.
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This is a great bottle of wine. Decanted for two hours. Massive attack on the nose and palate. Fruit to the max, combined with soft tannins and judicious use of oak. Yes, it's a huge fruit bomb but it never goes overboard for me. I liked this better than the 2006 Mollydooker Boxer, which I found a bit over-oaked. Great wine to have with appetizers or just for sipping.
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I didn't decant this wine. If I had allowed some time for the wine to open up, I think the alcohol and the sharp spicy finish would have softened nicely. I agree with some of the previous posters, food did not compliment the wine. I would prefer it on its own, after an hour or so in the decanter. I will remember that detail with my second bottle.
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To me this tasted more like a jammy zinfandel than a shiraz. The color was nice dark purple, but I didn't get anything beyond alcohol and lots of fruit. The alcohol seemed to soften after becanting for an hour or so, but it was still a little off balance. I recently tried the wishing tree, which is a similar profile to this wine (over the top fruity shiraz) and enjoyed that more than the layer cake...especially at $17 versus $10 for wishing tree.
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The color layer: This wine had a deep rich almost black color. A great indicator of things to come. The aroma layer: The nose is attacked by layers of fruit and earth. Notes of black plums and black cherries overlayed on top of leather and musty soil permeated the nose. The rather high 14.9% alcohol was apparent on the nose and the tongue when the bottle was first opened, but after being decanted for an hour or two it diminished and became harmonious with the wine. The taste layer: How do you describe the heavy weight and lusciousness that this wine delivers on the palate. This wine HAS to breathe for a while before it expresses its true layers. When first opened it tasted out of balance with various flavors darting in and out but not supporting each other. After being decanted for some time the palate is first attacked by a heavy fruit of blackberries and plums mixed with hints of cherries and the slightest touch of raspberries. This was mingling with rich, earthy cocoa and leather. After airing this all came into resonance to provide a rich and satiny experience. A long finish this 'fruit bomb' was not the typical heavy, fakey, fruity Australian shiraz that we all know and tolerate. This one really appealed to my palate after it was tamed a bit. Next time I'll let it decant for at least six hours.
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Consumed at dinner at G. Joe's with spaghetti. Big, fruit-forward style, but not as good as Molly Dooker for what it is. I guess it is a great value at $15.
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very purple on pour. drank with burger from Silver Spurs (not very good with food). good nose, not earthy, but lush. spicy and thick. alcoholy, but tasty. easily drinkable and at the price a solid buy. Had an Earthworks Shiraz earlier in the day and miles beyond that. solid purchase though. nothing to RAVE about, but a good $15 spent. 87 pts is solid for this.
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This is a mood wine...and I must not be in the mood. Very dark blackberry, plum, cherry fruit that's sweet and rich. Too sweet for me. Gobs of raspberry covered mocha brownies, intense spices, vanilla oak. Like I said, this is a wine you have to be in the mood for...very rich, sweet, liqueur-like. Not as good as their Maverick Above the Law imo. Will wait on my other bottle.
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B lack cherry, respberry all over the nose. The pallet shows black and red fruit, reaspberry, cherry, with a hint of chocolate. Really nice finish, good balance.
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Big fruit on the nose with some good promise which it never seemed to deliver. Decanted and it seemed to fade a bit. Got a little chocolate and a little berry after that. OK for the $$ but not the best Shiraz around.
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Lots of plum on the nose, and on the palate some plum and dark cherry, with a medium finish of chocolate and espresso. Good QPR! I recommend decanting for an hour, or letting it sit in your glass a while. Seems a little tannic/acidic when first popped and poured.
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I was never a huge fan of the enourmously popular '05, and this vintage isn't as good as that one. Still has that ripe rasberry and chocolate on the nose. Not as lush as I remember. Short-med. finish. Some wood spiciness. Just not that interesting. 84-86
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A little pruney on the nose initially but this improved over 3hrs in the decanter. Rich style of shiraz and a little sweet but overall good balance. A reasonable QPR at $15.
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Rich and plush. Chocolate, spce, and blackberry liquor. Smoother than the 2005,and not nearly as bitter as th '05 was initiallt. A bit of sweetness, but not overwhelming. Spoof or not, I like this!
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Big, rich, and tasty. A little sweet. Quite similar to last year's release -- perhaps a little less chocolate and spice. Six of us shared the bottle and everybody liked it.
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Popped and poured. Dark ruby bordering on purple. The nose isn't giving up much initially - some grape jam notes, faint wood and a bit of alcohol at this point. The palate is fairly tight too - there are tannins present and a bitterness to the acidity. The wood on the nose shows up on the back end with some scratchiness. I will revisit in a couple of hours. No rating at this point.
After a couple hours of air, the nose has calmed down a bit. Grape preserves are still the dominant note. The palate is a bit smoother too - tannins are big but not over powering. This wine may need some bottle time to come around. It is promising from a structure point of view - maybe the fruit will develop beyond grapey-ness. The 05 version had more personality at this point. 87+ points
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4/23/2023 - nfurlong Likes this wine: 91 Points
ruby color; nose of sois bois, cedar chest and blackberries; strong fruit-forward, even 17 years later! Blackberry stew, plums, lil' smokies and cigar box. Very pleasant, especially after an hour's breath.
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10/19/2019 - nfurlong Likes this wine: 91 Points
Inky black/plum color; nose thick with stewed blackberry and smoked ham; thick taste of stewed blackberries, smoked ham, tending towards toasty cedar and spiked punch. Fully-integrated tannins, good acid/fruit balance, which is remarkable for a 13 yo screwtop wine!
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12/21/2016 - Mossrose wrote: 93 Points
Good twisted and poured but significantly better the next day. Impressively opaque black to the edge with no off putting alcohol vapors or oxidation, just an intense blackberry smell with a brush of smoked meat. Very velvety in the mouth with adequate but subdued acidity and tannin, and no heaviness or overt sweetness. The swallow glides down with a burst of blackberry, black plum and black currant fruit, plus an undertow of acidity good enough to end refreshing. Unusually enjoyable and delicious for a Barossa wine without being ponderous or over ripe.
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6/27/2011 - corkcellar wrote: 87 Points
Solid
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3/20/2011 - MCrawford wrote: 87 Points
Nice mid-week wine. Still a bit hollow when first opened, but builds as it sits. Day two things were smooth and very enjoyable. Went well with the breaded chicken we were eating.
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1/8/2011 - MCrawford wrote: 87 Points
A couple of years has helped quite a bit. This was very enjoyable. Dark fruit, medium body with a smooth mid-palate.
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6/15/2010 - ggkemp wrote: 86 Points
Smooth & enjoyable with lots of dark fruit Time to drink up...
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4/28/2010 - voscott wrote: 95 Points
We loved this red, it was playful and fruity with lots of ripe cherry and blackberry notes
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2/15/2010 - MurphyCellar wrote: 84 Points
Just okay with high alcohol content.
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11/26/2009 - maxmanx wrote: 87 Points
Nice, over-extracted, pure fruit juice. No complexity. Expensive for what you get (especially in today's wine market).
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11/13/2009 - isaacjamesbaker wrote:
nothing surprising here. dark purple color. the nose is total jam, blackberry sauce, homeade pie filling and some dark chocolate. the aromas are great. the palate is a bit disappointing. its loaded with fruit on the palate. the tannins are barely there. i like this hedonistic style, but i wish it had some more structure. since it lacks depth and tannic structure, it kinda drops off on the finish. what it's got (dark, jammy fruit) is delicious. i also get a little bit of baking spices, like baker's chocolate and some gingerbread. all things considered, fun for the price. nothing to overanalyze.
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10/10/2009 - Tantamnt wrote: 87 Points
Delightful Aussie Shiraz, the kind of thing I like to drink on a daily basis. Funny to be drinking it in the Napa Valley!
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7/19/2009 - jamscreator wrote: 85 Points
Deep dark purple in the glass. As suspected, a total fruit bomb - actually over the top fruitiness which, when mixed with the very soft tanin was too distracting. Some cedar and cherry pipe tobacco noted in the mouth and a leathery tobacco finish. While there were some good things about this wine, the sugary sweetness was a little bit of a let down. Not a bad wine by any stretch of the imagination, but it just didn't jive like I felt it should.
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7/15/2009 - sakemakibug wrote: 88 Points
jammy, gooey
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5/30/2009 - Florida wrote: 85 Points
Dark, inky purple. Aroma of cassis, dark berries, and some alcohol. Flavor is an absolute fruit bomb. Loads of jammy fruit, with low acids, low tannins, and relatively high sugars to reinforce the jammy reference. Finishes with cigar and tobacco. Reminiscent of jam on toast with your morning cigarette, which if like that sort of thing is great. Otherwise, its a foul combination. I really wanted to like this one, but was disappointed. Since I have another bottle, I guess I'll see what a little age does for the flavor profile.
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5/28/2009 - jhngo wrote: 86 Points
A bit too smooth and light. Not much of a finish just too smooth going down. Lacks tannins and backbone.
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5/12/2009 - markjahnke wrote: 90 Points
The best bottle yet, but also served colder than any of the other bottles. Very smooth, and no alcohol on the nose or palate. Barely any acid, no tannins, etc. Drank well.
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4/29/2009 - acox wrote:
Deep, deep purple. Initial earthy aromas, then dark fruit and cinnamon. On the palate, high acid, medium tannin and loads of dark fruit and a little chocolate. full bodied and long finish.
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4/25/2009 - Truemant wrote: 87 Points
Very good red
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4/20/2009 - MisterA wrote: 88 Points
Not a bad value, but is your basic Barossa Valley fruit bomb with a little more depth than usual. Seemed a little hot, and could have hung around another 6-12 months, but a good drink.
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3/1/2009 - MuleBower wrote: 88 Points
Very, very tasty. Sporting a glass filling opaque purple and a nose of dark fruit and pie, this wine leaves its signature on your lips, teeth and tongue. The taste is straight-up grape and currant jelly, with a voluptuous body to smooth over the alcoholic guns it's packing. Not what I'd call sophisticated (certainly not the kind of girl to bring home to the folks), but so much fun! The sweet, long finish kept me coming back for more. Intense even for steak, if you're going to pair it, I'd recommend a spicy chili or rich lamb stew.
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2/8/2009 - cschorr wrote: 87 Points
Grapey, with clove, coffee and hints of cinnamon. At one point I even got a taste that reminded me of a gingerbread cookie.
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1/26/2009 - alliesteve wrote: 89 Points
as is expected of a layer cake wine it is slightly jammy and extracted with above average alcohol. good QPR. loads of fruit on the nose with a little chocolate / mocha as well. not a style for everyone, but a fun interpretation of shiraz and a wine I have enjoyed for years.
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1/17/2009 - jeffv wrote:
Nice daily drinker
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12/13/2008 - ggkemp wrote: 85 Points
Good, with nothiing exciting.
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11/15/2008 - jivey wrote: 85 Points
FINEs T-DAY wines -
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9/17/2008 - markjahnke wrote: 85 Points
My least favorite of the bottles we've had thus far. Very sour, subdued fruit, not shining in the least.
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9/14/2008 - MCrawford wrote: 85 Points
Nice, but missing some depth. Previous years showed more structure and character. Better keep this in the cellar a few years.
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7/8/2008 - Green wrote: 86 Points
Good but nothing memorable.
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6/29/2008 - markjahnke wrote: 90 Points
So much better than the last time we had it! Full review to come!
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6/14/2008 - Winebof wrote: 73 Points
Incredibly jammy and borderline medicinal (like a shot of Robitussin - or "Tussin" as Chris Rock would say!). If nothing else, it's impressive just how much fruit is packed into the Layer Cake, but it's too much. I wouldn't even consider serving this with food - this would make a fine steak and a big mac taste identical!
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6/13/2008 - gerdesjohn wrote: 88 Points
I like it for the price point. Yes, jammy and ripe fruit up the wazoo but I kind of don't mind :) We are going to let the other bottle we have lay down for a year or so and see what it does.
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5/29/2008 - tarheel17 wrote: 85 Points
A very different character to this wine tonight compared to the two previous experiences I've had with it. Tonight it has a nose of spicy rubber raisins.
The palate brings fake raisin-licorice compote. Mouthfeel is still full and relatively smooth, but the flavors are jarring. Wacky wine.
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5/23/2008 - stercomm wrote: 87 Points
Lots of fruit with chocolate and mocha, a nice change of pace, is a wine you drink before dinner or on its own, to me not a food friendly wine.
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5/16/2008 - Linda wrote: 79 Points
Raisin wine. Blech.
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4/28/2008 - cabdrinker wrote: 80 Points
FRUIT BOMB
Only thing missing on this overly jammy wine was the peanut butter. The back label makes mention of mocha and chocolate, but they were never apparent in my glass. The only thing there was frozen concentrate Welch’s Grape juice. Other than that, one dimensional with no real appeal for me.
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4/25/2008 - chayward wrote: 88 Points
Interesting shiraz, more complex than many, especially at this price point. Good fruit, but not jammy. Also some chocolate and spice. Alcohol seemed a bit much at first, but that subsided in the glass.
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4/25/2008 - dke wrote: 88 Points
Goo jammy shiraz, some heat, quite smooth if a bit sweet. 87-88
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4/19/2008 - mreinitz wrote: 88 Points
Cherry, blueberry, and chocolate. Develops some nice nuance with time in the air.
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4/6/2008 - CORSkier wrote: 90 Points
Fantastic nose of concord jam. Flavors unfold for ages on the palate of rich dark berries with chocolate and a lasting finish. Great wine for the money.
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4/1/2008 - sfell wrote: 89 Points
Big, fruit-bomb - but relatively well balanced. Good value.
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3/30/2008 - trayhumphrey wrote: 88 Points
This nice, fruity Shiraz does not disappoint. It has the dark fruity aroma and taste you would expect from a Shiraz, a bit of tannin (but not too much) to keep it from being cloying, and a balanced finish. Though this was a gift, if I find more, I'll probably buy it.
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3/24/2008 - T.J.Burn wrote: 89 Points
Raspberry, black cherry and spice. Pretty good acidity for an Aussie Shiraz, with even a little tannin. Not as big on the dark fruit, chocolate, mocha-ness that others have, so the wine is less syrupy - a fruit bomb to be sure, but a bit lighter.
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3/22/2008 - TwoSmoochies wrote: 85 Points
Too fruity, extracted and not enough structure.
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3/13/2008 - Reyman wrote: 88 Points
Very interesting to compare this vintage to last year. We went through a case of the 2005 last year and really enjoyed it. Although the fundamental attributes are the same, the 2006 has more earth and minerality. The tannins are more pronounced. The wine is still very fruit-forward, but it is less of a bomb than 2005. I never thought that the 2005 was worthy of aging, but the 2006, while fine to drink now, tastes like it could benefit from another year or two. This wine still has intense cherry and blackberry flavors. It is lush with a thick almost syrup-like consistency. Both vintages are good, but it seems like the 2006 has a bit more long term potential.
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3/6/2008 - mealiffe wrote: 90 Points
one of the better values in shiraz that i've tasted. we really enjoyed this.
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3/2/2008 - Robin Masters wrote: 81 Points
First tasted this one at Verve and really enjoyed it -- but after later purchasing, fairly disappointed in the bottle itself. The velvet, chocolate, berry flavors that I originally experienced were no where to be found. The nose was pretty much was zilch and the wine it self was overwhelmed by alcohol. Let it breathe for 45 minutes before tasting on the first night and by the second there was little if any change. Just nothing distinctive.
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2/15/2008 - Bunbury wrote: 89 Points
Jammy fruit bomb. Well made but more over the top than complex or interesting.
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2/10/2008 - GreatLibations wrote: 86 Points
Fresh, deep purple with a typical spicey pomagranite/blackcherry aromas with a touch of graphite. Medium full nectar with balanced acidity. It's a fruit bomb shoving big spicey berryfruit and citrus in my face with a medium finish. Not bad for 15$ but really uneventfull and common.
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2/10/2008 - topher18 wrote: 86 Points
Not much on the nose besides alcohol. Maybe a hint of black fruit. Nice palate of blackberry, plum, and pepper. Tannins and alcohol are well integrated. Nice wine, but nothing special for the price.
color 5/5
nose 5/10
taste 15/20
balance 8/10
finish 4/5
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2/8/2008 - joshwoodward wrote: 91 Points
Smoky tobacco. Very concentrated! blueberry. Not too jammy. Interesting. Long. Good QPR
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2/8/2008 - tarheel17 wrote:
hmmm..not loving this as much as I did the 2005. Same creamy mouthfeel, same fruit explosion..but somehow...not the same. Nose is tighter, fruit is flatter. Still gulpable, of course. But my socks are still on.
24 hour mark: starting to turn, slight vinegar on the finish. I'd say this wine is not a keeper. Drink the night you open!
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2/5/2008 - ksmith wrote: 86 Points
Predictable and not unique. Tons of fruit, a big wine that will dominate anything paired with it. Not as syrupy as Mollydooker perhaps, but still not my style.
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1/28/2008 - sbreffle wrote: 87 Points
When you are in the mood for a rich Aussie red, this one delivers.
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1/26/2008 - ftibbitts wrote: 87 Points
Floral and strawberry on the nose, big flavors of raspberry, cherry, and blackberry with a little black pepper on the finish. A run-of-the-mill Shiraz.
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1/18/2008 - hld1970 wrote: 89 Points
This wine opened up the more it sat. While not a desert wine, it nonetheless has rich creamy layers that fill you up with a full fruit forward taste. A great everyday drinker.
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1/12/2008 - markjahnke wrote: 87 Points
Even better than our first bottle with a long decant through the Vinturi aerator. Great QPR on this wine, and like some others stated, I find this better than the Mollydooker wines as they seem to have less prevelent alcohol content. I will disagree though that this is a huge fruitbomb. Yes, itis fruit forward, but not the fruitbomb as I like to consider them.
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1/11/2008 - GB1963 wrote: 92 Points
This is a great bottle of wine. Decanted for two hours. Massive attack on the nose and palate. Fruit to the max, combined with soft tannins and judicious use of oak. Yes, it's a huge fruit bomb but it never goes overboard for me. I liked this better than the 2006 Mollydooker Boxer, which I found a bit over-oaked. Great wine to have with appetizers or just for sipping.
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1/9/2008 - scottmlew wrote: 86 Points
I didn't decant this wine. If I had allowed some time for the wine to open up, I think the alcohol and the sharp spicy finish would have softened nicely. I agree with some of the previous posters, food did not compliment the wine. I would prefer it on its own, after an hour or so in the decanter. I will remember that detail with my second bottle.
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1/9/2008 - rhpeters wrote: 84 Points
To me this tasted more like a jammy zinfandel than a shiraz. The color was nice dark purple, but I didn't get anything beyond alcohol and lots of fruit. The alcohol seemed to soften after becanting for an hour or so, but it was still a little off balance. I recently tried the wishing tree, which is a similar profile to this wine (over the top fruity shiraz) and enjoyed that more than the layer cake...especially at $17 versus $10 for wishing tree.
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1/1/2008 - gpownell wrote: 89 Points
Very fruity- excellent taste and finish - should age very well
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12/27/2007 - sixten38 wrote: 89 Points
Lots of fruit, would buy again.
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12/27/2007 - sixten38 wrote: 89 Points
Drank as cocktail type wine , not with food. It is a big wine and very fruit forward. Would buy again
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12/24/2007 - matterhorn78 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted a couple hours, loved it...
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12/22/2007 - Greginnd wrote: 88 Points
The color layer: This wine had a deep rich almost black color. A great indicator of things to come. The aroma layer: The nose is attacked by layers of fruit and earth. Notes of black plums and black cherries overlayed on top of leather and musty soil permeated the nose. The rather high 14.9% alcohol was apparent on the nose and the tongue when the bottle was first opened, but after being decanted for an hour or two it diminished and became harmonious with the wine. The taste layer: How do you describe the heavy weight and lusciousness that this wine delivers on the palate. This wine HAS to breathe for a while before it expresses its true layers. When first opened it tasted out of balance with various flavors darting in and out but not supporting each other. After being decanted for some time the palate is first attacked by a heavy fruit of blackberries and plums mixed with hints of cherries and the slightest touch of raspberries. This was mingling with rich, earthy cocoa and leather. After airing this all came into resonance to provide a rich and satiny experience. A long finish this 'fruit bomb' was not the typical heavy, fakey, fruity Australian shiraz that we all know and tolerate. This one really appealed to my palate after it was tamed a bit. Next time I'll let it decant for at least six hours.
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12/21/2007 - NW Winehawk wrote: 91 Points
Starts out a little over the top but gets better after a few days.
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12/19/2007 - jtcseventysix wrote:
Consumed at dinner at G. Joe's with spaghetti. Big, fruit-forward style, but not as good as Molly Dooker for what it is. I guess it is a great value at $15.
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12/18/2007 - dank wrote: 87 Points
very purple on pour. drank with burger from Silver Spurs (not very good with food). good nose, not earthy, but lush. spicy and thick. alcoholy, but tasty. easily drinkable and at the price a solid buy. Had an Earthworks Shiraz earlier in the day and miles beyond that. solid purchase though. nothing to RAVE about, but a good $15 spent. 87 pts is solid for this.
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12/16/2007 - Mrbuzz wrote: 87 Points
This is a mood wine...and I must not be in the mood. Very dark blackberry, plum, cherry fruit that's sweet and rich. Too sweet for me. Gobs of raspberry covered mocha brownies, intense spices, vanilla oak. Like I said, this is a wine you have to be in the mood for...very rich, sweet, liqueur-like. Not as good as their Maverick Above the Law imo. Will wait on my other bottle.
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12/9/2007 - campbellb5 wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful wine with layers of spice, fruit, and mocha. A big jammy mouth, very little acid. A great value.
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12/8/2007 - Cheshire wrote: 91 Points
B lack cherry, respberry all over the nose. The pallet shows black and red fruit, reaspberry, cherry, with a hint of chocolate. Really nice finish, good balance.
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12/6/2007 - wineboat wrote: 84 Points
Big fruit on the nose with some good promise which it never seemed to deliver. Decanted and it seemed to fade a bit. Got a little chocolate and a little berry after that. OK for the $$ but not the best Shiraz around.
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12/5/2007 - jackarmando wrote: 88 Points
Tasty and good QPR. Seems like it will have more oomph than it actually does. Aroma, taste, complexity and finish are there, but just very light.
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12/4/2007 - markjahnke wrote: 87 Points
Lots of plum on the nose, and on the palate some plum and dark cherry, with a medium finish of chocolate and espresso. Good QPR! I recommend decanting for an hour, or letting it sit in your glass a while. Seems a little tannic/acidic when first popped and poured.
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11/29/2007 - hutch wrote: 85 Points
I was never a huge fan of the enourmously popular '05, and this vintage isn't as good as that one. Still has that ripe rasberry and chocolate on the nose. Not as lush as I remember. Short-med. finish. Some wood spiciness. Just not that interesting. 84-86
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11/25/2007 - MattJ wrote: 88 Points
A little pruney on the nose initially but this improved over 3hrs in the decanter. Rich style of shiraz and a little sweet but overall good balance. A reasonable QPR at $15.
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11/24/2007 - Old_Winyards wrote: 90 Points
Rich and plush. Chocolate, spce, and blackberry liquor. Smoother than the 2005,and not nearly as bitter as th '05 was initiallt. A bit of sweetness, but not overwhelming. Spoof or not, I like this!
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11/22/2007 - mreinitz wrote: 89 Points
Big, rich, and tasty. A little sweet. Quite similar to last year's release -- perhaps a little less chocolate and spice. Six of us shared the bottle and everybody liked it.
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11/21/2007 - bound4er wrote: 87 Points
Popped and poured. Dark ruby bordering on purple. The nose isn't giving up much initially - some grape jam notes, faint wood and a bit of alcohol at this point. The palate is fairly tight too - there are tannins present and a bitterness to the acidity. The wood on the nose shows up on the back end with some scratchiness. I will revisit in a couple of hours. No rating at this point.
After a couple hours of air, the nose has calmed down a bit. Grape preserves are still the dominant note. The palate is a bit smoother too - tannins are big but not over powering. This wine may need some bottle time to come around. It is promising from a structure point of view - maybe the fruit will develop beyond grapey-ness. The 05 version had more personality at this point. 87+ points
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