2002 Craneford Merlot John Zilm

Community Tasting Notes

Community Tasting Notes (24) Avg Score: 92.1 points

  • Gave this a 30 min decant and drank over a couple of hrs. This would have been a very hard wine to pick up in a blind tasting as it was very unique. The closest i could think of would have been a WA red with big extraction, but one of a much younger wine. The aromas are of red fruit and a fair amount of small blue fruit and some spice which can be attributed to wood treatment but at this point it is more a note of slight cedar and spice market than barrel so it doesn't stick out. This looks and drinks more like a wine of half it's age, and as such i would extend the drinking window to another 5 years, and it would probably last longer. There is a full mouth plushness here that i can associate with old wine quality Zin, and the wine is medium to full in texture. Not much in complexity but solid flavor. An extroverted hedonistic wine, but not overdone so serve with robust foods such as stews or grilled meat and game which will appeal more to fruit lovers than those seeking old world finesse and elegance. There is plenty of underlying acidity here that keeps it all in check and well balanced with a pleasant finish. May warrant a slightly higher score id it sees more flavor development.

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  • Wow, an obscure bottle in the corner of my cellar, merlot no less. Musty, earthy nose. Soft, dark fruit mouth. Not at all tired. I think this wine is on a pleasant plateau.

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  • Nose: Sweet, Ribena
    Colour: Purple, no sign of aging
    Body: Med+ complexity with hit of lychee. long finishing

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  • Consumed over 2 days, note from day 2. Nose: Medium-plus expressiveness, obviously super rich - blueberry syrup, rhubarb pie, licorice, and shoe leather. Palate: Full bodied - full throttled, rich sweet dark fruit - stewed plums, spice, decent acidic kick that helps balance the super sweet attack, big spike of super sweet dark fruit and acid mid-palate. Finish: Lengthy sense of rhubarb and mincemeat pie. Not your traditional merlot, but it works for me in a very weird way.

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  • Wonderful black fruit and richness on the front and mid, finish is moderate and pleasant. You can immediately tell his is not a Napa Merlot, there is no dryness or dustiness in the tannins. Overall a balanced wine even though it presents with a bit of sweetness. My last bottle, wish I had more.

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  • Consumed over 2 days, note from day 2. Nose: Medium expressiveness, blueberry, black berry, mushroom, earth,and dark flowers. Palate: Full bodied, thick sweet attack of dark fruit - ripe plums with mushrooms and a little spice kick through the mid-palate. Finish: Medium-plus length sense of ripe dark fruit and spice. This wine walks a fine line between oh so nice and an over the top fruit bomb, but for my palate at least, it stays within bounds and I really enjoy it.

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  • Consumed over 2 days, note from day 2. Had this wine a few weeks ago and was so impressed I did an internet search and bought the last 3 bottles I could find in the US. While this bottle surely didn't disappoint, it didn't quite measure up to the previous bottle. Nose: Medium expressiveness, dark ripe fruit - prunes & plums, earthy loam, and a eucalyptus spiciness which really works for me. Palate: Medium full bodied, sweet blue fruit flavor up front, with spicy earthiness showing through the mid-palate that continues through the back-end dominating a medium plus length tasty finish.

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  • Popped one hour before first pour, consumed over 3 hours. Nose: Medium plus expressiveness, dark plum, grape rock candy, earthy loam, mushrooms, leather - definitely showing every one of the 10 years of age beautifully.Palate: Full bodied, sweet blue fruit upfront,tobacco and tar show up through the mid-palate with a little mint kick in the back-end. Finish: Lengthy sense of minty blue fruit and tobacco. It's hard to imagine this wine drinking any better than it is right now.

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  • Popped and poured. On the nose and up front is dead-on Borscht soup -- just add sour cream. Brussel sprouts and soy sauce also close. Ripe watermelon and cherry fruits come through later and stay with the aftertaste. One of the most interesting Merlots I've had. Body on the lighter side for a Merlot, but it's thrown its share of sediment. There is a sweetness to it, with on-the-mark acidity in counterbalance, and tannins are a mild and pleasant presence at this point. Drinking so effortlessly, can't stop pouring. With the first glass I was on the fence because it was so out there for me, but by the second I was hooked. I would buy again, and it's a bargain at this price. 4 out of 5 grapes.

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  • As good as merlot gets .. and from Oz? Crazy soy sauce / balsalmic nose. A seriously plump fruit bomb with tannins completely, perfectly integrated. Full mouth feel, would have guessed more than 14.5% alc. Has a slight earthy [mushroom?] tone that, while adding character, doesn't seem to mesh perfectly with the rest.. otherwise, this might approach "best ever" territory.

    Think I need to smoke a stogey after this one. Must. Find. More.

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  • This has been a favorite wine of mine over the years and a very good value. I've been drinking it at a rate of about once a year and maybe have one more left. I'd say that it is still very delicious and is getting easier to drink but is probably just starting on its downward path. I guess I'll drink that last one soon. This was a very good and reasonable investment in pleasurable drinking. Only sad part is that it was recommended to me by a wine store owner who had to close his store in the recent recession.

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  • Popped & poured. This has aged gorgeously with an exhilarating bouquet of soy sauce, strawberry, dark-roasted coffee, and balsamic, along with hints of ripe watermelon and bitter chocolate and occasional peeks at dark lime. Savory and complex, this is a singular and moving Merlot with seamless panache.

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  • Oxidized.

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  • oxidizes

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  • Have had this wine several times since its release with consistent tastinng notes; however, this bottle had a very unusual nose dominated by petroleum, meat and barnyard. Dissipated somewhat with aeratiion but still dominated the nose even after four hours. Not your typical old world merlot, this wine is very full bodied with intense, concentrated red berry fruit flavors; tannins are smooth and the finish is long. Overall a nice wine drinking at its peak. If you can get by the nose it is outstanding. Not sure if this is a bad bottle or not - the taste is great but the nose is difficult?

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  • I found this a little vegetative - not sure if it was brussels sprouts or broccoli, but it wasn't entirely pleasant.

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  • Nose of cherries and minerals; medium to full body; one of the biggest and most forward merlots I have tasted, consistent with a wine from Australia; finishes just a tad hot and a little hollow; overall a nice wine that is still drinking well; it will be interesting to see if a few more years will tame this interesting wine.

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  • Cherries and chocolate, wery hot in nose and.Very Dark red and to much. boiled berry when drink. Good stuff but you need to drink now. I have teste it as better before some years ago.

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  • Nothing at all like a Pomerol, this is a big burly wine that will apeal to lovers of aussie shiraz and big cal cabs. I've been drinking one of these a year since it came out and I've never been disappointed. Probably at its peak right now. We had this with a bunch of friends while watching football on tv with a variety of chips, wings, ribs etc and it was a great crowd pleaser.

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  • Nose of cherries and chocolate, and hint of soy sauce that brings a little savory note to the mix. A bit hot on the nose, but not apparent when drunk. Dark red and almost purple. Very rich on the palate and bursting with red fruit. Good acidity and very well integrated tannins. Excellent stuff and unexpected for an Australian Merlot

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  • anthonyiezzi Birthday Dinnner (Tre Vigne, Basking Ridge, NJ): WIML90,WA95?,NOWS

    Tasted July 15, 2006 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Riedel Vinum Cabernet glass. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of bell pepper (again, wondering about my glass about now!) with some roasted fennel and scorched earth (I love that term). Flavors of red berries, mocha and brown spices. Medium acidity, medium tannins. Light to medium bodied. Drink over the short to mid term. Probably needs retasting. No value recommendation.

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  • Very nice

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  • Very purple color, the aromas a bit subdued at present (didnt decant) but still showing cherries and oak. The flavors are explosive with sweet well integrated tannins. A nice long aftertaste 25+ seconds. Its drinking very well young and Im not sure my remaining two bottles gonna see their 5th birthday./steen

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  • Very good merlot. Cherry nose.

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