A minute or two after opening, this was all leather, smoke, cherries, mint, spices, and a touch of bitter blackstrap molasses, but it faded completely as it moved back in the mouth, so much so that it was a surprise when the aftertaste turned out to be of very respectable length. Over the course of the next two hours in the glass, the wine became richer and more velvety (lovely Burgundian texture at the 2-hour point) and beautifully present through the entire mouth, but most of the complexity faded away as this happened. This is really astonishing for a two decade old wine that was never meant for anything but early drinking. This is very obviously a wine in decline--my (possibly wrong) memory of this wine when it was released is of a wine that deserved 93 points. But even in decline, this is still quite lovely as an everyday red wine. Nevertheless, if you have this in your cellar, the sooner you finish these the better! [Tasted over more than two hours from the Jancis Robinson glass, and briefly from the Conterno glass, with very similar results. The score started at 88 points and then kept flickering between 88 and 89 points in the course of the two hours. If there were only a stage--but there wasn't!--when all the complexity and richness and texture had been present at the same time, this would easily have deserved a score considerably higher.] (Previously tasted 1/31/22.)
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Faded and thin immediately after opening, with a slightly unpleasant earthiness, in the course of the next hour and a half in the glass the wine gradually fills out with cherries, smoke, coffee, mint, fennel, and licorice (and the earthiness goes away). This is a wine that was crafted to be at its peak on release, so it's really quite impressive that it's still enjoyable after all these years, at least as a casual everyday wine. But still, there is no way to avoid noticing that this is very much a wine in decline. If you have this in your cellar, the sooner you finish it the better. [I have now tasted a total of four bottles of this wine. Of the four, three were as described above. One, however, with identical history, seemed distinctly older and less enjoyable, with a faintly oxidized (prune-like) quality--difference in the corks?]
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Found this dusty orphan bottle on its side in the corner of the cellar tonight. I think it was a $15 bottle - I cannot remember why or where I bought it, but my notes from several prior bottles indicated some nice structure. It’s burger night in Social Distance Land; what’s the downside? So here goes nothing. Ding! Such a juicy, gentle, interesting wine. The fruits are more red than black at this point, spicy mouth with touches of tar and tobacco, nice acid, decent tannins and zero off-notes. It worked perfectly with the pan-fried burgers and home fries. What a treat... what a surprise!
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Eðalklúbbur, vínsmakk #4 vor 2018 (Hlíðarás 10): Mjög svipaður litur og á Hécula víninu. En samt meiri öldrunarmerki. Kom í ljós að þetta vín var 10 árum eldra. Í nefinu lykt úr fjöru, salt, reykur. Eftir smá stund í glasi dofnaði fjaran en eftir sat brennd karamella og bílskúr. Í munninum talsverð sýra, krydd. Fannst fyrir tannínum og þarna mátti líka finna dökk ber og eik. Flott vín (enda toppvínið frá víngerðinni) sem á eitthvað eftir. Mig minnir að Hafliði hafi sagt að þetta hafi verið síðasta flaskan hans.
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A real great showing considering the age and initial outlay. Better than the 1999 and a few bottles I kept just for fun did not disappoint. Classic mouvedre, lighter and softer with age but still with good spice and earth tones to round off the dark red blue fruits. Unfortunately later vintages tasted on release cdid not have the extraction and appeal of the early year, s so makes one wonder if this was a victim of it's own success...
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Better, fresher bottle than the last. Still dominated by tannin, with fading fruit, but with bright berries and herbs/stems on the nose, and similar profile on the palate. Enjoyable, and certainly well above its $5 auction price point.
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Decanted 2 hours.Nearly opaque with a thin clear rim. Well composed and complex aromas include licorice, tarragon and earth--all nicely integrated and polished. Sweet black and red fruit flavors are perfectly harmonious and feature some sappy but elegant herb-tinged fruit, gorgeous texture and a long bright finish. Very impressive. Drink now through 2014.
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Though Mourvèdre is a grape with Spanish roots, where it is known as Monastrell, it is most closely associated with the South of France and the Bandol appelation in particular, where the grape produces rich, powerful wines that retain rustic tannins partnered with dark, wild berry flavors and gamy, leathery nuances. It is also commonly called Mataro in California
What Purple Drank said. I would add that this put on some weight and added complexity with each successive glass. An initial attack of brett was gone in just a few minutes, leaving plenty of wet black topsoil and sous bois in its wake. Juicy and quite enjoyable. Drink thru 2014.
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Both sweeter and more herbal than last time, although the same stones and bark are there. Feels more like a youngish new school Cotes du Rhone or perhaps a New World Pinot.
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Popped and poured, drank with Cantonese Roast Pork and Chive Flowers in XO Sauce. Definitely an aging friend. A lot of sediment around the cork. Red but with a definite brick hue. A big nose of blueberries and to a lesser extent black cherries, with hints of lavender and leather. Big blueberry taste with a mild floral bouquet, hints of leather, earth, and graphite. Tannins still there but blew off over about 30 minutes. Not quite dead yet, but drink up what you may have left.
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First Tuesday of the Month - Bring What You Want (Lenny's Home, NYC): Nice, this was an $8 or $9 bottle a few years ago. Can't beat that price. More dark fruit on the nose than on the palate, but nice. A bit drying on the finish. It is probably on its last leg now, but really impressive for the price.
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Dark and almost thick looking with a strong and meaty nose of dark ripe fruit with a smokey edge. Like it looks...the palate had thick frim textures of deep fruit and a very firm edge that was a little off putting at first...but slowly endeared itself...and was not only more approachable...but inviting. Did not serve with food...this would go great with a rich hearty meal.
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Decanted for about an hour. Closed, woody, dry herbs. All the signs of a fading wine. I put the glass aside and moved on to something else. About two hours later I went back to the glass and was amazed at how the wine had changed! Fleshy black fruit, meaty, black plum flavors. I could not believe it was the same wine. I would be interested to see if anyone else has had a similar experience with this wine. When I open another bottle, I will treat it with more respect and pay better attention to it.
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Still surprisingly shy and tight. Nose of red licorice, cherry, and some bark. Med to full bodied, smooth in texture. Pleasant and well worth the $. Probably will last another 5-7 years.
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nose: black cherry and black plum, with a hint of bark or meat or licorice or something like that. Black pepper, too, in good quantities. Subtle, a bit, but very pleasant. Maybe a little raisin, as well.
palate: a bit thin, but a good transition and a nice lingering finish with a good amount of black pepper. Dark, brooding sort of wine, very delicious. Didn't decant very long, but I'm not sure I would recommend it. I feel like this is ready to drink now.
Friend said she did not like it at first, but she said she warmed to it and now she thinks it's excellent. It's a bit complex, not fruit forward, a bit muted, but VERY structured and very elegant. I would say that if you're serving this to a non-serious wine drinker, they may not enjoy or appreciate the balance, structure, and elegance on this bottle, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
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color: dark inky purlple/garnet nose: raspberry, cherry, and licorice with slight earthy & meaty notes and sweet violet essence. Also a bit of spicy pepper and a touch of creaminess. Full and extracted fruit with firm and drying tannis. nice balance of acidity and a long finish with lots of iron laced minerality. kirsch, licorice and spice are also showing in the finish. Lots going on at this price point, but not quite living up to the RP hype....but a solid effort and good value.
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Great example. Ripe, plummy, and well structured. Baby fat has gone away, and the Cab has started to show. Excellent mouthfeel. A definite hit, and drinking beautifully right now.
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Cherry and licorice dominate the nose. At its peak now, the palate is dominated by mature fruit and wet earth. A little more clean than most MO's I have had. Solid wine. Don't let it sit, gone the next day
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Classy, alluring cheap wine. Virtually opaque violet red. Cool, masculine but lifted aromas of stones, just-ripe cherry, licorice, wet bark, mostly inorganic earth, and very well integrated oak. Dry but decently rich, gently extracted and quite polished in feel, this is not very lively but there's enough refreshment to beckon another sip or glass for sure.
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Dark purple and on opening a rather rough nose of alcohol and a little brett...smoothed out over time leaving some dark berries and rich plum with a little smoke and earth components. Simple entry, but that's where it changes to a thick mouth feel at mid palate with a firm fruit texture that was almost brusk and rough. Not bad, just firm, and it did not back off over several days showing an interesting personality...will continue to hold and check on the few bottles I have left.
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Dark color. Medium-bodied with loads of blackberry and blueberry fruit. A bit of chocolate on the finish. Not terribly complex but still tasting quite youthful. Quite a value for a $10 bottle at this age.
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A bit soft with a sour barnyard nose to it. This did blow off with a bit of time open and gave way to some nice cherry, and raspberry fruit. Light spice on the palate made this a fun drink, though I will be drinking up! This wine is at or past peak. 3/5
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Very bright nose of red fruit, pleasant. Acidic taste, almost sour, but not in a bad way. Some spiciness. I expected more earthiness, but surprised by the fruit. Blackberry and bit of black pepper on the finish. Black fruit lingrers on the finish. Enough tannins to hold this wine for a few more years. Perhaps the acidity will soften over the next few years to even this wine out.
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This is not my style of wine, noticable, but reasonably integrated oak on the nose and palate; this wine had significant acid, tannin, and astringency on the palate, but seemed to have decent structure and balance, for the style...Give it several years.
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A spicy, rustic fruit profile. Medium bodied with some waxy, grenache-like traits. Nice acidity. Best of these I've had, and lots of character for the price.
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Yuk again!! My second and last bottle opened to determine if the first bottle was flawed with the same result...no fruit and plenty of acidity and tannins. Drink'em if you got'em and hope for the best. This wine sadly appears to be dead. Oh well, at least it was not expensive wine.
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Still very dark colored. Fairly full bodied. Nice acidity, not a lot of tannin. Loads of blackberry and currant with just a little vanilla. Nice nose. Slightly disjointed but better than I remember the last bottle being.
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This is the fourth time I have had this wine, the last being February of 2004. This bottle is consistent with all the others I've had, big black brawny fruit in the nose, blackberry, raspberry, scorched earth, and vanilla on the palate. Definitely improved the second night it was more open, displaying a velvety texture. Still, never the wine it was hyped, just an average experience. Three more bottles to go and will wait until early next year to try again.
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Blackberry, raspberry, and vanilla are the predominant flavors. OK and went fine with hot dogs on the grill. Like most of the bottles we've had, this has been a pleasant wine. Only a few bottles have really been spectacular and this was not one of them.
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Probably the poorest bottle of this wine I've had so far. Decent and drinkable, but unremarkable. Not even a particularly good value - I've had several bottles lately that were better and less expensive.
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still love this wine. will wait awhile before opening another. some tannins left and want to see what this wine becomes. don't want to rush it although that would be an easy thing to do. nice wine.
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($13) Mo-Mourvedre at MoMo's: Blind Red 6 - Spicy citrus nose with bark, a touch of excess alcohol. A bit of red berry, but somewhat boring and one-dimensional. Hmm.
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I thought this wine was fantastic. I'm not sure what the other neg. reviews were talking about. Probably not their kind of wine. deep almost black. inky. nice nose. soft tannins. earth and fruit at the same time. nice finish. 3-4 yrs. left easily.
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Dark opaque red. Black fruit apparent on the nose. Palate includes scorched earth and black fruit. Full bodied with harmony on the palate. The wine handled the brawniness great and all was in check. 20+ second finish. I would be happy to serve this at a party over most of the plonk on the market for $12
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I'd agree with the forgettable part - I can't remember what it tasted like - but I did enjoy it at the time. Good quaffing wine, does not improve over a day or two, and doesn't leave any strong impressions. It's almost like it was engineered to be unobtrusive.
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Very closed and bitterly acidic right now. Earthy and herbal with a black deep red color. I've had this 3 or 4 times in the last year, but the last time was 9 months ago. I'll give my next bottle a few more years. Good potential though.
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I stil don't see the 93 that RP gave this wine. I have had maybe four bottles in the past year and I keep waiting for this wine to do something. It continues to be thin and simple in my opinion with it's basic plum notes. Little fruit ever emerges even after decanting an hour. I know there has been much written on bottle variation with this wine and perhaps I have just not had an "on" bottle yet. It's not a bad bottle of wine for $14, but it's not great.
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($12) Lots of sweet new oak, ruby red fruit with strawberry, plum, cherry flavors along with a hint of wax and white pepper. Decent little wine, but this did not greatly excite me this time. Incongruous with Thai chicken salad, meatloaf pizxa, and wedge salad.
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70% Monastrell and 30% Cabernet from the Yecla region of Spain. This wine has been talked about quite a bit on the board. This is the 2nd time I have had it. Closed and tight the first night without much fruit. My wife thought it had a fishy smell but I did not detect this. Meaty texture. Chocolate and licorice notes were present on its heavy frame. The least favorite on day 1. However, there was half a bottle left over on day 2 and everyone agreed that the wine opened up quite a but and was showing more fruit. 86 on day 1 and a 90 on day 2.
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($12) April Fool's Tasting at Momo's: April Fools Tasting - Molasses, raisins, new oak, on the nose. Liqueur. Smells new world. Bit disjointed and alcoholic on the palate. Short. Lots of potential but falls apart. I was really surprised to see what this was. I enjoyed it more the other night, and almost ended up bringing it to the tasting, as I thought it hard to guess its origin then too.
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($12) 14% alcohol. Initially has a liqueur and new oak nose in a very positive sense. Smells polished and expensive. On the palate the variety becomes more evident, with a waxy quality overlaying the red fruits. Very nice QPR.
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9/11/2023 - SpenceP wrote: 89 Points
A minute or two after opening, this was all leather, smoke, cherries, mint, spices, and a touch of bitter blackstrap molasses, but it faded completely as it moved back in the mouth, so much so that it was a surprise when the aftertaste turned out to be of very respectable length. Over the course of the next two hours in the glass, the wine became richer and more velvety (lovely Burgundian texture at the 2-hour point) and beautifully present through the entire mouth, but most of the complexity faded away as this happened. This is really astonishing for a two decade old wine that was never meant for anything but early drinking. This is very obviously a wine in decline--my (possibly wrong) memory of this wine when it was released is of a wine that deserved 93 points. But even in decline, this is still quite lovely as an everyday red wine. Nevertheless, if you have this in your cellar, the sooner you finish these the better! [Tasted over more than two hours from the Jancis Robinson glass, and briefly from the Conterno glass, with very similar results. The score started at 88 points and then kept flickering between 88 and 89 points in the course of the two hours. If there were only a stage--but there wasn't!--when all the complexity and richness and texture had been present at the same time, this would easily have deserved a score considerably higher.] (Previously tasted 1/31/22.)
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1/31/2022 - SpenceP wrote: 89 Points
Faded and thin immediately after opening, with a slightly unpleasant earthiness, in the course of the next hour and a half in the glass the wine gradually fills out with cherries, smoke, coffee, mint, fennel, and licorice (and the earthiness goes away). This is a wine that was crafted to be at its peak on release, so it's really quite impressive that it's still enjoyable after all these years, at least as a casual everyday wine. But still, there is no way to avoid noticing that this is very much a wine in decline. If you have this in your cellar, the sooner you finish it the better. [I have now tasted a total of four bottles of this wine. Of the four, three were as described above. One, however, with identical history, seemed distinctly older and less enjoyable, with a faintly oxidized (prune-like) quality--difference in the corks?]
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5/10/2020 - eudora Likes this wine: 90 Points
Found this dusty orphan bottle on its side in the corner of the cellar tonight. I think it was a $15 bottle - I cannot remember why or where I bought it, but my notes from several prior bottles indicated some nice structure. It’s burger night in Social Distance Land; what’s the downside? So here goes nothing.
Ding! Such a juicy, gentle, interesting wine. The fruits are more red than black at this point, spicy mouth with touches of tar and tobacco, nice acid, decent tannins and zero off-notes. It worked perfectly with the pan-fried burgers and home fries. What a treat... what a surprise!
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4/13/2018 - bitdrerik wrote: 90 Points
Eðalklúbbur, vínsmakk #4 vor 2018 (Hlíðarás 10): Mjög svipaður litur og á Hécula víninu. En samt meiri öldrunarmerki. Kom í ljós að þetta vín var 10 árum eldra. Í nefinu lykt úr fjöru, salt, reykur. Eftir smá stund í glasi dofnaði fjaran en eftir sat brennd karamella og bílskúr. Í munninum talsverð sýra, krydd. Fannst fyrir tannínum og þarna mátti líka finna dökk ber og eik. Flott vín (enda toppvínið frá víngerðinni) sem á eitthvað eftir. Mig minnir að Hafliði hafi sagt að þetta hafi verið síðasta flaskan hans.
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1/25/2017 - bon vivant wrote: 91 Points
A real great showing considering the age and initial outlay. Better than the 1999 and a few bottles I kept just for fun did not disappoint. Classic mouvedre, lighter and softer with age but still with good spice and earth tones to round off the dark red blue fruits. Unfortunately later vintages tasted on release cdid not have the extraction and appeal of the early year, s so makes one wonder if this was a victim of it's own success...
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4/19/2016 - jakob.krummenacher@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Very well made and still holding on to the fruit and even some tannins. Drink 2016-2019
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11/18/2015 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Better, fresher bottle than the last. Still dominated by tannin, with fading fruit, but with bright berries and herbs/stems on the nose, and similar profile on the palate. Enjoyable, and certainly well above its $5 auction price point.
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7/23/2015 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Certainly beyond its drinking window, with some drying tannins and noticeable alcohol dominating the ripe fruit.
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9/13/2012 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 88 Points
Very good qpr. While old, developed nicely into the second night.
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7/17/2012 - robmatic wrote:
Kept this last bottle for a while to see how it would keep. Surpassed my expectations, as it was still holding on very nicely.
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5/2/2011 - jfagan wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours.Nearly opaque with a thin clear rim. Well composed and complex aromas include licorice, tarragon and earth--all nicely integrated and polished. Sweet black and red fruit flavors are perfectly harmonious and feature some sappy but elegant herb-tinged fruit, gorgeous texture and a long bright finish. Very impressive. Drink now through 2014.
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1/12/2011 - sergiozy wrote:
Though Mourvèdre is a grape with Spanish roots, where it is known as Monastrell, it is most closely associated with the South of France and the Bandol appelation in particular, where the grape produces rich, powerful wines that retain rustic tannins partnered with dark, wild berry flavors and gamy, leathery nuances. It is also commonly called Mataro in California
Read more: http://www.snooth.com/wine/bodegas-castano-monastrell-yecla-solanera-vinas-viejas-2001/#ixzz1Apgif73D
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1/12/2011 - sergiozy wrote:
round very well made sweet on the mouth
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7/23/2010 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
What Purple Drank said. I would add that this put on some weight and added complexity with each successive glass. An initial attack of brett was gone in just a few minutes, leaving plenty of wet black topsoil and sous bois in its wake. Juicy and quite enjoyable. Drink thru 2014.
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7/8/2010 - tcfishler wrote:
Both sweeter and more herbal than last time, although the same stones and bark are there. Feels more like a youngish new school Cotes du Rhone or perhaps a New World Pinot.
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5/4/2010 - robmatic wrote: 87 Points
Still showing bright fruit on the nose, drinking nicely, but kind of hollow in the middle. May be a little past its best.
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5/4/2010 - andtheodor wrote: 90 Points
Spanish Night (Drink Rob's Wines) (Fort Collins, CO): Rustic nose showing hints of blackberry, chocolate, and animalic tones. Cherry, graphite, mineral palate with generous acidity.
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4/11/2010 - Crash69 wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured, drank with Cantonese Roast Pork and Chive Flowers in XO Sauce. Definitely an aging friend. A lot of sediment around the cork. Red but with a definite brick hue. A big nose of blueberries and to a lesser extent black cherries, with hints of lavender and leather. Big blueberry taste with a mild floral bouquet, hints of leather, earth, and graphite. Tannins still there but blew off over about 30 minutes. Not quite dead yet, but drink up what you may have left.
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11/26/2009 - telmerco wrote: 89 Points
Just past the drinkable window
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8/4/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
First Tuesday of the Month - Bring What You Want (Lenny's Home, NYC): Nice, this was an $8 or $9 bottle a few years ago. Can't beat that price. More dark fruit on the nose than on the palate, but nice. A bit drying on the finish. It is probably on its last leg now, but really impressive for the price.
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4/2/2009 - Tejano wrote:
Dark and almost thick looking with a strong and meaty nose of dark ripe fruit with a smokey edge. Like it looks...the palate had thick frim textures of deep fruit and a very firm edge that was a little off putting at first...but slowly endeared itself...and was not only more approachable...but inviting. Did not serve with food...this would go great with a rich hearty meal.
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3/15/2009 - jfagan wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for about an hour. Closed, woody, dry herbs. All the signs of a fading wine. I put the glass aside and moved on to something else. About two hours later I went back to the glass and was amazed at how the wine had changed! Fleshy black fruit, meaty, black plum flavors. I could not believe it was the same wine. I would be interested to see if anyone else has had a similar experience with this wine. When I open another bottle, I will treat it with more respect and pay better attention to it.
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12/24/2008 - nectar14 wrote: 89 Points
Still surprisingly shy and tight. Nose of red licorice, cherry, and some bark. Med to full bodied, smooth in texture. Pleasant and well worth the $. Probably will last another 5-7 years.
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12/22/2008 - James Bornn wrote:
Whistler 2008
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12/6/2008 - bmckenna wrote: 90 Points
nose: black cherry and black plum, with a hint of bark or meat or licorice or something like that. Black pepper, too, in good quantities. Subtle, a bit, but very pleasant. Maybe a little raisin, as well.
palate: a bit thin, but a good transition and a nice lingering finish with a good amount of black pepper. Dark, brooding sort of wine, very delicious. Didn't decant very long, but I'm not sure I would recommend it. I feel like this is ready to drink now.
Friend said she did not like it at first, but she said she warmed to it and now she thinks it's excellent. It's a bit complex, not fruit forward, a bit muted, but VERY structured and very elegant. I would say that if you're serving this to a non-serious wine drinker, they may not enjoy or appreciate the balance, structure, and elegance on this bottle, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
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4/21/2008 - sa66 wrote: 89 Points
color: dark inky purlple/garnet
nose: raspberry, cherry, and licorice with slight earthy & meaty notes and sweet violet essence. Also a bit of spicy pepper and a touch of creaminess.
Full and extracted fruit with firm and drying tannis. nice balance of acidity and a long finish with lots of iron laced minerality. kirsch, licorice and spice are also showing in the finish. Lots going on at this price point, but not quite living up to the RP hype....but a solid effort and good value.
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2/2/2008 - robmatic wrote: 91 Points
Great example. Ripe, plummy, and well structured. Baby fat has gone away, and the Cab has started to show. Excellent mouthfeel. A definite hit, and drinking beautifully right now.
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12/24/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 90 Points
Smooth mild red blend. Laura likes it.
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12/16/2007 - winelovr2001 wrote: 89 Points
Cherry and licorice dominate the nose. At its peak now, the palate is dominated by mature fruit and wet earth. A little more clean than most MO's I have had. Solid wine. Don't let it sit, gone the next day
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12/15/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 90 Points
Liked this blended wine better the second time I had it. Has a lot of subtle, earthyness.
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11/13/2007 - SBA Guru wrote:
90-Nice mild red wine
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8/30/2007 - tcfishler wrote: 90 Points
Classy, alluring cheap wine. Virtually opaque violet red. Cool, masculine but lifted aromas of stones, just-ripe cherry, licorice, wet bark, mostly inorganic earth, and very well integrated oak. Dry but decently rich, gently extracted and quite polished in feel, this is not very lively but there's enough refreshment to beckon another sip or glass for sure.
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8/13/2007 - robmatic wrote: 88 Points
Open for business...very clean, unlike some other vintages of this I've had. Drinking nicely now but I don't expect this to keep for very long.
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6/1/2007 - kmack wrote:
Still plenty of blackberry and black cherry fruit. A hint of vanilla but not overpowering. Still quite fruit forward considering the price and age.
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5/10/2007 - Tejano wrote: 89 Points
Dark purple and on opening a rather rough nose of alcohol and a little brett...smoothed out over time leaving some dark berries and rich plum with a little smoke and earth components. Simple entry, but that's where it changes to a thick mouth feel at mid palate with a firm fruit texture that was almost brusk and rough. Not bad, just firm, and it did not back off over several days showing an interesting personality...will continue to hold and check on the few bottles I have left.
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4/9/2007 - kmack wrote:
Dark color. Medium-bodied with loads of blackberry and blueberry fruit. A bit of chocolate on the finish. Not terribly complex but still tasting quite youthful. Quite a value for a $10 bottle at this age.
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1/28/2007 - ajr wrote: 89 Points
very nice wine. well balanced. like my initial evaluation of this wine. not over the hill. will drink the last 2 bottles over the next 6-9 months.
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1/3/2007 - obiscoito wrote:
A bit soft with a sour barnyard nose to it. This did blow off with a bit of time open and gave way to some nice cherry, and raspberry fruit. Light spice on the palate made this a fun drink, though I will be drinking up! This wine is at or past peak. 3/5
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12/8/2006 - ml1 wrote: 86 Points
Very bright nose of red fruit, pleasant. Acidic taste, almost sour, but not in a bad way. Some spiciness. I expected more earthiness, but surprised by the fruit. Blackberry and bit of black pepper on the finish. Black fruit lingrers on the finish. Enough tannins to hold this wine for a few more years. Perhaps the acidity will soften over the next few years to even this wine out.
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10/12/2006 - ajr wrote:
much better on day 2. fuller body better integrated. perhaps this wine needs to decant several hrs.
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10/11/2006 - ajr wrote: 84 Points
this was unlike my other bottles. bottle variation?? or starting to fade?? will try another soon to see.
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10/2/2006 - mdavis wrote:
This is not my style of wine, noticable, but reasonably integrated oak on the nose and palate; this wine had significant acid, tannin, and astringency on the palate, but seemed to have decent structure and balance, for the style...Give it several years.
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9/30/2006 - psmith wrote:
A spicy, rustic fruit profile. Medium bodied with some waxy, grenache-like traits. Nice acidity. Best of these I've had, and lots of character for the price.
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9/14/2006 - RussW wrote:
Yuk again!! My second and last bottle opened to determine if the first bottle was flawed with the same result...no fruit and plenty of acidity and tannins. Drink'em if you got'em and hope for the best. This wine sadly appears to be dead. Oh well, at least it was not expensive wine.
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9/14/2006 - RussW wrote:
Yuk! All acid and not much else.
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3/12/2006 - kmack wrote:
Still very dark colored. Fairly full bodied. Nice acidity, not a lot of tannin. Loads of blackberry and currant with just a little vanilla. Nice nose. Slightly disjointed but better than I remember the last bottle being.
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2/22/2006 - R2-D2 wrote: 88 Points
This is the fourth time I have had this wine, the last being February of 2004. This bottle is consistent with all the others I've had, big black brawny fruit in the nose, blackberry, raspberry, scorched earth, and vanilla on the palate. Definitely improved the second night it was more open, displaying a velvety texture. Still, never the wine it was hyped, just an average experience. Three more bottles to go and will wait until early next year to try again.
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12/3/2005 - VDLT Wine Does not like this wine:
Definitely a Parker wine. Big, bold & in your face fruit.
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10/21/2005 - ajr wrote: 90 Points
still a very delicious wine. still young. too bad I don't read my own notes. I swear I won't touch this wine for another 6-9 months!!
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10/16/2005 - NobleRot wrote: 86 Points
I think this might be on its way down. Hardly any fruit, more pronounced acidity. Have 2 more bottles and hope they're
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10/10/2005 - kmack wrote:
Blackberry, raspberry, and vanilla are the predominant flavors. OK and went fine with hot dogs on the grill. Like most of the bottles we've had, this has been a pleasant wine. Only a few bottles have really been spectacular and this was not one of them.
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9/6/2005 - Spencer wrote: 88 Points
This seems to be holding well and showing no signs of decline. Not complex, but well balanced with nice texture and length.
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4/11/2005 - Spencer wrote: 86 Points
Probably the poorest bottle of this wine I've had so far. Decent and drinkable, but unremarkable. Not even a particularly good value - I've had several bottles lately that were better and less expensive.
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2/28/2005 - ajr wrote: 90 Points
still love this wine. will wait awhile before opening another. some tannins left and want to see what this wine becomes. don't want to rush it although that would be an easy thing to do. nice wine.
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2/9/2005 - i musicisti di boston wrote: flawed
Corked. Shit. That's two bottles in two days, one cooked the other corked. Makes you realize how much we take a clean well-made wine for granted.
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2/5/2005 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($13) Mo-Mourvedre at MoMo's: Blind Red 6 - Spicy citrus nose with bark, a touch of excess alcohol. A bit of red berry, but somewhat boring and one-dimensional. Hmm.
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1/26/2005 - ajr wrote: 90 Points
I thought this wine was fantastic. I'm not sure what the other neg. reviews were talking about. Probably not their kind of wine. deep almost black. inky. nice nose. soft tannins. earth and fruit at the same time. nice finish. 3-4 yrs. left easily.
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12/1/2004 - caldwell wrote:
I thought this was pretty good, but April didn't prefer it. Lots of interesting grapey character. It was a good bargain.
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9/9/2004 - jamiekutch wrote: 91 Points
Dark opaque red. Black fruit apparent on the nose. Palate includes scorched earth and black fruit. Full bodied with harmony on the palate. The wine handled the brawniness great and all was in check. 20+ second finish. I would be happy to serve this at a party over most of the plonk on the market for $12
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9/1/2004 - caldwell wrote:
This was a second bottle, but was pretty tasty. Obvious Monastrell, and obviously better than the 1999 that we had a couple of years ago. Pleasant.
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8/12/2004 - DianeR wrote:
I'd agree with the forgettable part - I can't remember what it tasted like - but I did enjoy it at the time. Good quaffing wine, does not improve over a day or two, and doesn't leave any strong impressions. It's almost like it was engineered to be unobtrusive.
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5/29/2004 - xpensivewino wrote:
An entirely forgettable wine. Non descript and totally average.
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2/29/2004 - R2-D2 wrote: 89 Points
Very closed and bitterly acidic right now. Earthy and herbal with a black deep red color. I've had this 3 or 4 times in the last year, but the last time was 9 months ago. I'll give my next bottle a few more years. Good potential though.
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12/6/2003 - decaturwinedude wrote: 88 Points
I stil don't see the 93 that RP gave this wine. I have had maybe four bottles in the past year and I keep waiting for this wine to do something. It continues to be thin and simple in my opinion with it's basic plum notes. Little fruit ever emerges even after decanting an hour. I know there has been much written on bottle variation with
this wine and perhaps I have just not had an "on" bottle yet. It's not a bad bottle of wine for $14, but it's not great.
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12/3/2003 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($12) Lots of sweet new oak, ruby red fruit with strawberry, plum, cherry flavors along with a hint of wax and white pepper. Decent little wine, but this did not greatly excite me this time. Incongruous with Thai chicken salad, meatloaf pizxa, and wedge salad.
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9/6/2003 - Vino Me wrote: 88 Points
70% Monastrell and 30% Cabernet from the Yecla region of Spain. This wine has been talked about quite a bit on the board. This is the 2nd time I have had it. Closed and tight the first night without much fruit. My wife thought it had a fishy smell but I did not detect this. Meaty texture. Chocolate and licorice notes were present on its heavy frame. The least favorite on day 1. However, there was half a bottle left over on day 2 and everyone agreed that the wine opened up quite a but and was showing more fruit. 86 on day 1 and a 90 on day 2.
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4/19/2003 - R2-D2 wrote: 90 Points
Similar impressions noted in my March notes, but an extra sense of jammy fruit and big tight tannins.
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4/3/2003 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($12) April Fool's Tasting at Momo's: April Fools Tasting - Molasses, raisins, new oak, on the nose. Liqueur. Smells new world. Bit disjointed and alcoholic on the palate. Short. Lots of potential but falls apart. I was really surprised to see what this was. I enjoyed it more the other night, and almost ended up bringing it to the tasting, as I thought it hard to guess its origin then too.
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3/3/2003 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($12) 14% alcohol. Initially has a liqueur and new oak nose in a very positive sense. Smells polished and expensive. On the palate the variety becomes more evident, with a waxy quality overlaying the red fruits. Very nice QPR.
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12/21/2002 - buckeye76 wrote: 91 Points
LOTS OF JUICY BERRY FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR, RASPBERRIES, AND A TOUCH OF SPICE. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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