I’ve been enjoying the ‘97 Pride merlot since visiting the winery in the summer of 1999, and buying a case. It has gone through many stages since then! Now, perhaps embellishing because I’ve known its past, it’s a distinguished, fine St Emilion-like sip - still dark ruby, sweet dark cherry and leather nose, and delicious - but entirely tertiary - flavors. Still very enjoyable but more of a wine for wine geeks than to share with typical neighbors or family. A contrasting note - @5-6 years ago I picked up @ 8-10 bottles of the 1999 merlot from WineBid. That wine was called more tannic than usual for Pride merlots by reviewers, but those bottles I bought (sadly, gone now) still had amazing primary fruit, as recently as a couple years ago. If I had the purchase opportunity, I’d definitely pick the 1999 over the 1997 merlot today.
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Reminiscent of its early days when first open. Initially elegant merlot with some back bone- but was pretty stewed on day 2. Not bad for quarter century old Cali merlot but getting tired now.
Got a glass here now and the nose is musty, dried fruit, and woodsy. It’s gone a little opaque and bricking. The wine swirls on the palate and the fruit is still intact with with dark tart cherry, dark cranberry, a little cola and some earth. It’s a great wine from a great producer and drink it now! It’s a little past it’s prime but still delicious
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Drank this at Chao Shan Cuisine to celebrate a mate's birthday. We had fried prawn fritters with ngo hiang, qing long vegetables, stir-fried prawns, steamed sio bee, barbecued black pork jaw, braised duck, claypot chicken, cai po kway teow, hokkien mee, and orh nee.
Dark red in colour with a beautiful preserved label and presence. Beautiful intensity and finesse for a wine which is more than 20 years old. Fumes of violets, blueberries, oak, chocolate and toffee. Has the characteristics of a new world Merlot; rounded, smooth with a long lingering finish while filling up with centre of the palate.
Impressed by the wine and winemaker. Will keep a lookout for this label in the future.
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Opened prior to bringing to a summer wine event and noticed right away something was off. Tastes heat damaged to me - not undrinkable, but fruit isn't where it should be, and there's a woody and pruny quality to it. Brought an '04 Price Mountain Top Merlot instead, which affirmed upon opening that the '97 was not right.
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PNP. cork perfect. color dark with slight show of age at edges. nose shows dark fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and a hint of cocoa. swishing shows significant tannin structure that is still a little rough. there is great weight on the palate and the spicy finish is lengthy. sipping shows great balance between the dense fruit and the structure. this has lots of life ahead...can wait 5-10 no sweat. hard to believe that this is merlot
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Chocolate, purple florals, slate, dominated the experience after a misleading initial bright cherry on the nose. Paired nicely w lamb burger. This wine is well made and still has plenty of life. Gonna hold for another year, maybe.
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Deep garnet color, lovely nose of ripe blackberry, currants and baking spices. Fully resolved tannins, medium acidity, medium body, long finish. Really showing very, very well at 17. Had this alongside a 20 year old Pauillac, this was so much more vibrant both with food and on its own.
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Served at our 50th Wedding Anniversary dinner party. No one would guess this is a Merlot. The 5% Cab Sauvignon infusion gives this blockbuster Merlot complexity and a touch of elegance. Absolutely palate enveloping with flavors of cherries jubilee, chocolate covered cherries and cedary kirsch.
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Bright ruby color in the glass. Light bouquet of Blackberry, Cherry, and toast. Medium body with smooth, well integrated tannins and a 40 second finish. This was so vibrant, I would not have placed this as a 16 year old Cali merlot.
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PNP. Color dark garnet. Nose w dense oak - cedar and spice. Swishing shows dense oak tannin and finish is mostly oak with some stem/skin tannin peeking through. Sipping allows the fruit to show but there is still considerable oak influence. I guess I didn't read my previous note before I pulled this one. Great with steaks, still pretty youthful but not sure that this is my bag anymore. Nonetheless will wait 3-5 before drinking another.
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Still dark red, dark cherry and chocolate aromas, dense fruit on palate, tannins show slightly, good acidity, long finish. Wine softens over 2-3 hours. Seems to be holding well and fruit not really fading.
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Popped and poured. Cork perfect. Color nearly opaque garnet with clearing ruby edges. Nose started with oak and dark fruit and evolved to show mocha and dark fruit. On palate the fruit is dense and tannic and actually has some supporting acids. Finish medium and shows some skin/stem tannin. Agree with those that feel this benefits from air, because this softened as the night wore on. This bottle was nowhere close to over the hill and wonder about bottle variation? This is not much evolved from its youth in my opinion and I intend to wait another 3-5 yrs to try the next one.
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Decanted 2 hours. Deeply colored right to the clear, purple-tinged rim. An intriguing range of aromas includes exotic plum, sweet spices, smoke and molasses. Soft, broad and viscous in the mouth, the well integrated flavors of dark plum, mocha and brown sugar are lifted by good acidity and framed by powdery tannins. Quite impressive at 14 years out and probably in need of drinking, I would do so over the next couple of years or so.
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From magnum. Not tasted blind. This was my last magnum of this wine (I already consumed 6 maggies plus a case of 750s). As this wine aged, it lost the very impressive wow factor that characterized it in its youth. In exchange, it gained smoothness, aromatic diversity and softer tannins. A delicious, hedonistic wine that made me very happy over the last 15 years. Farewell friend!
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3. Excellent Merlot The bastard of the wine industry....but something w/ super earthy, masculine, mushroomy kinda experience... My rating system 1. Nope 2. Good 3. Excellent 4. Special Occasion Cheers
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This is a very muscular Merlot loaded with sumptuous black cherries, currants and blackberry jam. It is complex and the flavors have all come together into the structure of all the ingredients. It surely is at its peak or about there. This is definitely a Parker style Merlot.
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I'm not a big fan of Pride wines and this one is why - it's just a big mass of fruit, high alcohol and moderately hot tasting, with no complexity in the palate or nose after 12 years. Just not that interesting to drink - where's the subtlety? Just a big, grapy one-dimensional uninteresting wine.
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Very nice wine, but still needs bottle time. Nose is of rich black cherries, spices, and toasty vanilla. Some grilled herbs and a meaty quality as well. The palate is rich with firm tannins and a black fruit core. Tobacco, cedar, and spices make up secondary qualities. The finish is very hot and has low acidity. The tannins are very grippy and dusty making this a candidate for another 5 yrs in bottle, however with lack of acidity, I'm afraid as to what might happen.
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This bottle was disappointing and off. I do suspect it was the bottle. Hard and astringent, it never really came together and provided a short, rough finish. Low fruit. No rating due to suspect bottle
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(From magnum). This wine showed wonderfully well, exhibitting all of the characteristics you would expect from a hot vintage. The nose was very ripe, offering caramel and red fruits. Full to medium boidied with the wood and tannin completely melted away. A hedonistic merlot that clearly showed its varietally different origin with its sibling the 1999 Pride Cabernet. This was the first vintage of Pride that I fell in love with and it is easy to see why.
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DUO, Miami Anti-SIDEWAYS BYO Merlot Dinner: Flight 4, #2. Ellen's and mine wine. Charlie and I mistook the Galtrona for the Pride, as it was much more evolved than this 10 year old sleeping giant. I now have 2 bottles left, out of an original 2cs.My experience over the last several years, is that it requires significant aeration. I had double decanted it in the am. After realizing my identification error, I tried aerating it with the Vinturi aerator, and it showed marked improvement. I am going to save my remaining bottles for at least 5 more years.
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Tasted from magnum. Ruby color. Nose of oak, vanilla, plums and cherries. Flavors of dark cherries, currants, smoky tar, and tobbacco. Medium bodied wine with a nice length finish that still has some mouth drying tannins. This wine took 3+ hours to really start singing the familiar Pride song. 5 hours after opening the magnum, it's really coming into focus. It still is a little thinner than the 2000 and 2003 vintages, but an excellent wine regardless. While it is a major exercise in self restraint to not pull the corks on the very approachable young Pride wines, I am learning that it will pay off in Spades to let them rest.
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Not as fabulous as expected -- a bit one dimensional, with pronounced glycerin. Undoubtedly some drinkers would love this wine, as it is massively concentrated, with vibrant fruit flavors, but it was a bit much for me. Better on the second night. Maybe it just needs a little more time to settle down and lose some of its youthfulness.
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This didn't show as well as other times. In part due to the poor glassware it was served in and almost certainly for the year it spent in very hot climatic conditions since last year when I left it at my parent's home. But it wasn't defective nor cooked. It lacked a bit of fruit expression but performed other wise similarly to past ocasions. Black fruits and a slight vanilla note. Full bodied and dense, this wine continues to have great texture, low acidity and a fine finish. This continues to be the most consistent Merlot producer in california for under $50.
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Drank at Cayenne (my home town's newest culinary offering).
Very dark ruby color that refuses to show its 9 years of age. Very ripe nose of black fruits, smoke and dark chocolate. Full bodied, with great texture and a deeply flavored profile. What a great Merlot this is. It's lost all of its youthful vanilla, licorice scents and is drinking incredibly well.
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Not as plush as the 2002 but very balanced and nice fruit. It has a decent amount of acid as well so it works well with food. Again, it needed a little time to open up and on the 2nd day it shows well.
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We had this wine with a Magret de Canard with a Cherry, Merlot reduction for our C’Hills Gourmet Dinner. It is everything I said in the previous note and has even gotten more delicious.
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Had this with my girlfriend at La Leche a self-described fusion cuisne restauarnat that is not so.
We shared 2 appetizers and 2 main courses that we shared: A potato based soup, a piece of fresh goat cheese, a delicious half duck with potatoes and a loin of lamb over a fig sauce.
Wine was not as flamboyant as other times I've had it, which played better with the food. The vanilla scents are long gone as this wine has entered into maturity. Fruit filled and starting to develop more aromatic nuances. I love this wine.
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At home with filet of beef roasted on the BBQ. Very nice, but slightly past its prime - a little alcohol on the finish. Not as full and lush as a couple of years ago.
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Color is very dark garnet to the rim. Nose shows dark cherry, chocolate, licorice, and smoke. Palate reveals dark cherry, berry, chocolate, and a touch of creosote. Very smooth and velvety...envelops the palate. Tannins are present, but tolerable. A big time California Merlot.
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Decanted for 1/2 hour in am, thought by now it would have required less air. I was wrong. Still tight intense opulent wine that has shown little evolution or development. Tight blackberry black currant nose. Had 2 cs at one point, 3 bottles left. I will wait a few more years before trying again.I had the 02 and 03 vintages this past summer at The Impudent Oyster in Chatham, MA. They were much more approachable than the 97.p.s.- Had 2nd half 2 nights later(after light argon treatment w PEK). Much BETTER NOSE, Softer palate. This wine needs air, as everyone attests, and may be much longer lived than anyone could have expected.SAVE SOME FOR ITS OR YOUR OLD AGE!
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Ohhh this is back to its usual top form after a couple of sub par bottles. The cork was soaked a bare one milimiter. Thank Pride for using good corks! Very deep ruby blackish color with a deep ruby rim. Pure blackberry essence and dark chocolate in the nose. Very intensely flavored, layered and unctuous texture. Tannins are very ripe but omniprescent. My gums were soaked in tannin and a little numb after experiencing this highly concentrated Merlot that ranks very, very high in my California wine experiences. What a great wine this is! Than Goodness I have a few more in the cellar. Had with USDA prime black angus New York strip at home.
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Decanted 6 hours before dinner. Intense flavorful wine. Still one of my favorites.Paid $32 6 years ago. Beautiful now, but everyone acknowledges takes time to open up, it will be interesting to see how long my last 4 bottles last.(welcome relief after 3 days of disappointoing PN's)
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Very dark ruby with (still) some purple hues. Black cherries, chocolate and a hint of vanilla. Full to medium bodied with still very noticeable (but supple) tannin and a somewhat grainy texture. Missing some intensity at the mid palate. With bottle age, this wine has lost the initial fruity exhuberance and gained little in exchange (perhaps some softenning of tannins). Not as good to my palate as it was 5 years ago, but still a great wine.
Drank during dinner at Pangea-Monterrey with seared fois gras over duck carpaccio and a gorgeous bean crusted Chilean Bass cooked to perfection (which was served erroneously to me, but I was too hingry to send it back and wait for my veal in port reduction).
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Nose of currant, anise, licorice, tar. Without food, a prelude to my vacation and night before Beth's triathalon. Found this today at Gordon's and bought the last 2 bottles. Quite tannic still. An amazing mouthfeel of earth, burnt berry, hint of mint. Finish many minutes. Put half back into the closet for another day. Has got years left on it...
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This wine is a blockbuster! We had it to celebrate our 41st Wedding Anniversary with our son Jim. The nose explodes with black cherries and roses. The taste is sensational with complex combinations of black cherries, casis, wild mushrooms and earthiness. The wine is very well balanced but will continue to improve for at least another five years.
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deep ruby color. blackberry, moca spice on nose. Wonderful mouth feel with long lingering finish. Still quite a few tannins but with plenty of fruit to wait them out.
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Last night this wine was out of balance. Over a couple hours it opened up a little but was still pretty tight, with chewey tannins and tasted a little too acidic (87pts). Tonight it has opened up to reveal some rich fruit with mocha under tones. Does this really need more time? So far I like these when they are young but this one has some promise if it keeps evolving. Cellared at 55. An hour later still improving.
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Deep ruby red color, vanilla, blueberry raspberry and violets on the nose. Nice dark fruit flavors of blueberry and slight hint of raspberry, tannins are well integrated nice balance and drinking nicely now but expecting to improve with a little more age. Should age gracefully over next 10 years. Hinting at developing some nice secondary characteristics.
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3/22/2024 - kabert Likes this wine: 92 Points
I’ve been enjoying the ‘97 Pride merlot since visiting the winery in the summer of 1999, and buying a case. It has gone through many stages since then! Now, perhaps embellishing because I’ve known its past, it’s a distinguished, fine St Emilion-like sip - still dark ruby, sweet dark cherry and leather nose, and delicious - but entirely tertiary - flavors. Still very enjoyable but more of a wine for wine geeks than to share with typical neighbors or family. A contrasting note - @5-6 years ago I picked up @ 8-10 bottles of the 1999 merlot from WineBid. That wine was called more tannic than usual for Pride merlots by reviewers, but those bottles I bought (sadly, gone now) still had amazing primary fruit, as recently as a couple years ago. If I had the purchase opportunity, I’d definitely pick the 1999 over the 1997 merlot today.
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1/10/2022 - short and confused wrote:
Reminiscent of its early days when first open. Initially elegant merlot with some back bone- but was pretty stewed on day 2. Not bad for quarter century old Cali merlot but getting tired now.
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9/26/2021 - short and confused wrote:
pruny dead and gone. Ah well
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6/11/2021 - aerosol wrote: 93 Points
Got a glass here now and the nose is musty, dried fruit, and woodsy. It’s gone a little opaque and bricking. The wine swirls on the palate and the fruit is still intact with with dark tart cherry, dark cranberry, a little cola and some earth. It’s a great wine from a great producer and drink it now! It’s a little past it’s prime but still delicious
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1/31/2021 - Stephen Rash Likes this wine:
Dark garnet in color with slight bricking around the edge.
Nose:
Glass 1 (30 min decant) - cherry, dusty plum(prune), milk chocolate
Glass 2 (2 hr decant) - cherry, prune, baking spice, potpourri
Palate:
Glass 1 - dusty cherry, plum, bakers chocolate
Glass 2 - Tart cherry, cedar, dried flower petals
Medium body, Medium acidity, Medium tannins
Long, tart cherry and cedar finish
Our first anniversary wine and we couldn't have opened a better bottle at the right time. This is drinking wonderfully right now
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7/4/2020 - stayhappy21 wrote: 91 Points
Drank this at Chao Shan Cuisine to celebrate a mate's birthday. We had fried prawn fritters with ngo hiang, qing long vegetables, stir-fried prawns, steamed sio bee, barbecued black pork jaw, braised duck, claypot chicken, cai po kway teow, hokkien mee, and orh nee.
Dark red in colour with a beautiful preserved label and presence. Beautiful intensity and finesse for a wine which is more than 20 years old. Fumes of violets, blueberries, oak, chocolate and toffee. Has the characteristics of a new world Merlot; rounded, smooth with a long lingering finish while filling up with centre of the palate.
Impressed by the wine and winemaker. Will keep a lookout for this label in the future.
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8/12/2019 - JCGuthrie wrote: flawed
Opened prior to bringing to a summer wine event and noticed right away something was off. Tastes heat damaged to me - not undrinkable, but fruit isn't where it should be, and there's a woody and pruny quality to it. Brought an '04 Price Mountain Top Merlot instead, which affirmed upon opening that the '97 was not right.
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10/27/2018 - chcook Likes this wine:
PNP. cork perfect. color dark with slight show of age at edges. nose shows dark fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and a hint of cocoa. swishing shows significant tannin structure that is still a little rough. there is great weight on the palate and the spicy finish is lengthy. sipping shows great balance between the dense fruit and the structure. this has lots of life ahead...can wait 5-10 no sweat. hard to believe that this is merlot
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5/14/2016 - beej Likes this wine:
Chocolate, purple florals, slate, dominated the experience after a misleading initial bright cherry on the nose.
Paired nicely w lamb burger.
This wine is well made and still has plenty of life. Gonna hold for another year, maybe.
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12/23/2014 - subir Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep garnet color, lovely nose of ripe blackberry, currants and baking spices. Fully resolved tannins, medium acidity, medium body, long finish. Really showing very, very well at 17. Had this alongside a 20 year old Pauillac, this was so much more vibrant both with food and on its own.
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8/16/2014 - johnwine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Served at our 50th Wedding Anniversary dinner party. No one would guess this is a Merlot. The 5% Cab Sauvignon infusion gives this blockbuster Merlot complexity and a touch of elegance. Absolutely palate enveloping with flavors of cherries jubilee, chocolate covered cherries and cedary kirsch.
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9/24/2013 - subir wrote: 90 Points
Bright ruby color in the glass. Light bouquet of Blackberry, Cherry, and toast. Medium body with smooth, well integrated tannins and a 40 second finish. This was so vibrant, I would not have placed this as a 16 year old Cali merlot.
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5/19/2013 - eBoB wrote: 90 Points
Wino do dekantacji. Poukladane piekne - nos smak czeresniowy.
---
Gift from Eric
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3/15/2013 - chcook wrote:
PNP. Color dark garnet. Nose w dense oak - cedar and spice. Swishing shows dense oak tannin and finish is mostly oak with some stem/skin tannin peeking through. Sipping allows the fruit to show but there is still considerable oak influence. I guess I didn't read my previous note before I pulled this one. Great with steaks, still pretty youthful but not sure that this is my bag anymore. Nonetheless will wait 3-5 before drinking another.
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2/6/2013 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Still dark red, dark cherry and chocolate aromas, dense fruit on palate, tannins show slightly, good acidity, long finish. Wine softens over 2-3 hours. Seems to be holding well and fruit not really fading.
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12/11/2012 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Still has good fruit after 15 years. Rich concentrated Merlot.Has years to go!
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11/23/2012 - johnwine wrote: 93 Points
Bockbuster Merlot with breed and elegance probably at its peak.
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10/25/2012 - shk5157 wrote: 91 Points
held up well, but the fruit was not as bright as a younger Pride red
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6/15/2012 - chcook wrote:
Popped and poured. Cork perfect. Color nearly opaque garnet with clearing ruby edges. Nose started with oak and dark fruit and evolved to show mocha and dark fruit. On palate the fruit is dense and tannic and actually has some supporting acids. Finish medium and shows some skin/stem tannin. Agree with those that feel this benefits from air, because this softened as the night wore on. This bottle was nowhere close to over the hill and wonder about bottle variation? This is not much evolved from its youth in my opinion and I intend to wait another 3-5 yrs to try the next one.
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6/15/2012 - Rickfell wrote: 87 Points
past it's pime
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3/23/2012 - jfagan wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Deeply colored right to the clear, purple-tinged rim. An intriguing range of aromas includes exotic plum, sweet spices, smoke and molasses. Soft, broad and viscous in the mouth, the well integrated flavors of dark plum, mocha and brown sugar are lifted by good acidity and framed by powdery tannins. Quite impressive at 14 years out and probably in need of drinking, I would do so over the next couple of years or so.
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3/3/2012 - hcampana wrote: 92 Points
From magnum. Not tasted blind. This was my last magnum of this wine (I already consumed 6 maggies plus a case of 750s). As this wine aged, it lost the very impressive wow factor that characterized it in its youth. In exchange, it gained smoothness, aromatic diversity and softer tannins. A delicious, hedonistic wine that made me very happy over the last 15 years. Farewell friend!
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1/18/2012 - peterk wrote: 90 Points
Rich, fruity, complex, silky. Drink soon as it won't get better.
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8/5/2011 - M5 wrote:
3. Excellent Merlot
The bastard of the wine industry....but something w/ super earthy, masculine, mushroomy kinda experience...
My rating system
1. Nope
2. Good
3. Excellent
4. Special Occasion
Cheers
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6/15/2011 - mgl wrote: 90 Points
very good but might be getting to the end.
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8/22/2010 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Great intense mountain fruit. Has years to go. Extraordinary.
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8/10/2010 - johnwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a very muscular Merlot loaded with sumptuous black cherries, currants and blackberry jam. It is complex and the flavors have all come together into the structure of all the ingredients. It surely is at its peak or about there. This is definitely a Parker style Merlot.
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7/2/2010 - novicedave wrote: 91 Points
Still works for me. Tasty, soft tannins and lots of fruit left.
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11/28/2009 - jfagan wrote: 87 Points
Just OK. Not flawed but rather hot and disjointed. Lacks structure and focus. Drink up.
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11/22/2009 - pmevans wrote: 86 Points
I'm not a big fan of Pride wines and this one is why - it's just a big mass of fruit, high alcohol and moderately hot tasting, with no complexity in the palate or nose after 12 years. Just not that interesting to drink - where's the subtlety? Just a big, grapy one-dimensional uninteresting wine.
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7/4/2009 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Cali Wines at the Lake for the 4th (Lakehouse): Touch muddy black fruit on the nose. Mocha menthol. A bit dried out a dusty. Past its prime.
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7/4/2009 - RR47 wrote: 90 Points
In previous bottles, this was a massive merlot. It is now very dark fruit dominated. Tannins are soft and it drinks very well.
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11/22/2008 - jjclips2 wrote: 90 Points
Very nice wine, but still needs bottle time. Nose is of rich black cherries, spices, and toasty vanilla. Some grilled herbs and a meaty quality as well. The palate is rich with firm tannins and a black fruit core. Tobacco, cedar, and spices make up secondary qualities. The finish is very hot and has low acidity. The tannins are very grippy and dusty making this a candidate for another 5 yrs in bottle, however with lack of acidity, I'm afraid as to what might happen.
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10/1/2008 - beezer6 wrote: flawed
Spoiled. Musty. Dead fruit.
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6/29/2008 - Mark wrote:
This bottle was disappointing and off. I do suspect it was the bottle. Hard and astringent, it never really came together and provided a short, rough finish. Low fruit. No rating due to suspect bottle
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6/8/2008 - KirkR wrote: 89 Points
Not quite as good as last time I tried it - good structure and tannins but fruit was somewhat lacking. May be passing its prime.
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3/29/2008 - hcampana wrote: 93 Points
(From magnum). This wine showed wonderfully well, exhibitting all of the characteristics you would expect from a hot vintage. The nose was very ripe, offering caramel and red fruits. Full to medium boidied with the wood and tannin completely melted away. A hedonistic merlot that clearly showed its varietally different origin with its sibling the 1999 Pride Cabernet. This was the first vintage of Pride that I fell in love with and it is easy to see why.
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5/21/2007 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
DUO, Miami Anti-SIDEWAYS BYO Merlot Dinner: Flight 4, #2. Ellen's and mine wine. Charlie and I mistook the Galtrona for the Pride, as it was much more evolved than this 10 year old sleeping giant. I now have 2 bottles left, out of an original 2cs.My experience over the last several years, is that it requires significant aeration. I had double decanted it in the am. After realizing my identification error, I tried aerating it with the Vinturi aerator, and it showed marked improvement.
I am going to save my remaining bottles for at least 5 more years.
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4/27/2007 - last chance wrote: 92 Points
Tasted from magnum. Ruby color. Nose of oak, vanilla, plums and cherries. Flavors of dark cherries, currants, smoky tar, and tobbacco. Medium bodied wine with a nice length finish that still has some mouth drying tannins. This wine took 3+ hours to really start singing the familiar Pride song. 5 hours after opening the magnum, it's really coming into focus. It still is a little thinner than the 2000 and 2003 vintages, but an excellent wine regardless. While it is a major exercise in self restraint to not pull the corks on the very approachable young Pride wines, I am learning that it will pay off in Spades to let them rest.
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3/27/2007 - no leashes wrote: 89 Points
Not as fabulous as expected -- a bit one dimensional, with pronounced glycerin. Undoubtedly some drinkers would love this wine, as it is massively concentrated, with vibrant fruit flavors, but it was a bit much for me. Better on the second night. Maybe it just needs a little more time to settle down and lose some of its youthfulness.
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12/24/2006 - hcampana wrote: 91 Points
Christmas Eve Dinner (1997 Pride Merlot, 1999 Canon La Gaffeliere & 2001 Zind Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl) (Culiacan, Mexico): Drank at my girlfriend's parent's home for Christmas Eve.
This didn't show as well as other times. In part due to the poor glassware it was served in and almost certainly for the year it spent in very hot climatic conditions since last year when I left it at my parent's home. But it wasn't defective nor cooked. It lacked a bit of fruit expression but performed other wise similarly to past ocasions. Black fruits and a slight vanilla note. Full bodied and dense, this wine continues to have great texture, low acidity and a fine finish. This continues to be the most consistent Merlot producer in california for under $50.
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12/20/2006 - hcampana wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Cayenne (my home town's newest culinary offering).
Very dark ruby color that refuses to show its 9 years of age. Very ripe nose of black fruits, smoke and dark chocolate. Full bodied, with great texture and a deeply flavored profile. What a great Merlot this is. It's lost all of its youthful vanilla, licorice scents and is drinking incredibly well.
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9/20/2006 - Jack wrote: 91 Points
Not as plush as the 2002 but very balanced and nice fruit. It has a decent amount of acid as well so it works well with food. Again, it needed a little time to open up and on the 2nd day it shows well.
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9/16/2006 - johnwine wrote: 96 Points
We had this wine with a Magret de Canard with a Cherry, Merlot reduction for our C’Hills Gourmet Dinner. It is everything I said in the previous note and has even gotten more delicious.
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8/8/2006 - Davinci wrote: 94 Points
One of the best Merlots i've ever had...from California! Amazing! Full body, soft tannins, dark fruit...umm!
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7/14/2006 - hcampana wrote: 91 Points
Had this with my girlfriend at La Leche a self-described fusion cuisne restauarnat that is not so.
We shared 2 appetizers and 2 main courses that we shared: A potato based soup, a piece of fresh goat cheese, a delicious half duck with potatoes and a loin of lamb over a fig sauce.
Wine was not as flamboyant as other times I've had it, which played better with the food. The vanilla scents are long gone as this wine has entered into maturity. Fruit filled and starting to develop more aromatic nuances. I love this wine.
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5/26/2006 - eastover wrote:
At home with filet of beef roasted on the BBQ. Very nice, but slightly past its prime - a little alcohol on the finish. Not as full and lush as a couple of years ago.
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4/8/2006 - Thilo wrote: 93 Points
Color is very dark garnet to the rim. Nose shows dark cherry, chocolate, licorice, and smoke. Palate reveals dark cherry, berry, chocolate, and a touch of creosote. Very smooth and velvety...envelops the palate. Tannins are present, but tolerable. A big time California Merlot.
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4/3/2006 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 1/2 hour in am, thought by now it would have required less air. I was wrong. Still tight intense opulent wine that has shown little evolution or development. Tight blackberry black currant nose. Had 2 cs at one point, 3 bottles left. I will wait a few more years before trying again.I had the 02 and 03 vintages this past summer at The Impudent Oyster in Chatham, MA. They were much more approachable than the 97.p.s.- Had 2nd half 2 nights later(after light argon treatment w PEK). Much BETTER NOSE, Softer palate. This wine needs air, as everyone attests, and may be much longer lived than anyone could have expected.SAVE SOME FOR ITS OR YOUR OLD AGE!
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3/31/2006 - hcampana wrote: 93 Points
Eclectic tasting in Hermosillo (Hermosillo, Mexico): As usual, this was a joy to drink. Balanced, concentrated, thick and chocolatey.
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3/4/2006 - hcampana wrote: 95 Points
Ohhh this is back to its usual top form after a couple of sub par bottles. The cork was soaked a bare one milimiter. Thank Pride for using good corks! Very deep ruby blackish color with a deep ruby rim. Pure blackberry essence and dark chocolate in the nose. Very intensely flavored, layered and unctuous texture. Tannins are very ripe but omniprescent. My gums were soaked in tannin and a little numb after experiencing this highly concentrated Merlot that ranks very, very high in my California wine experiences. What a great wine this is! Than Goodness I have a few more in the cellar. Had with USDA prime black angus New York strip at home.
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2/23/2006 - Jack wrote:
Didn't give it enough time to open up and I was disappointed. Others liked it more than I did.
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1/1/2006 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 6 hours before dinner. Intense flavorful wine. Still one of my favorites.Paid $32 6 years ago. Beautiful now, but everyone acknowledges takes time to open up, it will be interesting to see how long my last 4 bottles last.(welcome relief after 3 days of disappointoing PN's)
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10/6/2005 - hcampana wrote: 91 Points
Very dark ruby with (still) some purple hues. Black cherries, chocolate and a hint of vanilla. Full to medium bodied with still very noticeable (but supple) tannin and a somewhat grainy texture. Missing some intensity at the mid palate. With bottle age, this wine has lost the initial fruity exhuberance and gained little in exchange (perhaps some softenning of tannins). Not as good to my palate as it was 5 years ago, but still a great wine.
Drank during dinner at Pangea-Monterrey with seared fois gras over duck carpaccio and a gorgeous bean crusted Chilean Bass cooked to perfection (which was served erroneously to me, but I was too hingry to send it back and wait for my veal in port reduction).
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8/20/2005 - NeuroDoc wrote: 92 Points
Nose of currant, anise, licorice, tar. Without food, a prelude to my vacation and night before Beth's triathalon. Found this today at Gordon's and bought the last 2 bottles. Quite tannic still. An amazing mouthfeel of earth, burnt berry, hint of mint. Finish many minutes. Put half back into the closet for another day. Has got years left on it...
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7/5/2005 - johnwine wrote: 95 Points
This wine is a blockbuster! We had it to celebrate our 41st Wedding Anniversary with our son Jim. The nose explodes with black cherries and roses. The taste is sensational with complex combinations of black cherries, casis, wild mushrooms and earthiness. The wine is very well balanced but will continue to improve for at least another five years.
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5/23/2005 - Jack wrote: 91 Points
Upon opening I was disapointed. Very tight. After three hours this wine changed and was very enjoyable.
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4/19/2005 - Jim wrote:
deep ruby color. blackberry, moca spice on nose. Wonderful mouth feel with long lingering finish. Still quite a few tannins but with plenty of fruit to wait them out.
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3/11/2005 - bsaun wrote:
Ripe fruit, coffee and complex spice on the palate. I little tanic still, I wonder if it needs a couple more years in the cellar.
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3/7/2005 - Jack wrote: 91 Points
Last night this wine was out of balance. Over a couple hours it opened up a little but was still pretty tight, with chewey tannins and tasted a little too acidic (87pts). Tonight it has opened up to reveal some rich fruit with mocha under tones. Does this really need more time? So far I like these when they are young but this one has some promise if it keeps evolving. Cellared at 55. An hour later still improving.
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6/5/2004 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
Finally has awakened from its sleep.
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3/17/2004 - Jim wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby red color, vanilla, blueberry raspberry and violets on the nose. Nice dark fruit flavors of blueberry and slight hint of raspberry, tannins are well integrated nice balance and drinking nicely now but expecting to improve with a little more age. Should age gracefully over next 10 years. Hinting at developing some nice secondary characteristics.
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