Fading fast so I suggest drinking asap. Fruit is reducing down to syrup but it retains some of its Paso Robles charms like black pepper and red licorice.
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From magnum: Still drinkable and quite enjoyable once open for 4 hours, and even better 24 hours later when the touch of sour cherry and a light alcohol finish left it. The bright flavors left after a few hours and it was rich, full bodied bramble-blackberry flavors with cassis and very minor plum flavors that rounded the finish. Drink ASAP from larger formats, I'm not sure 750ml bottle would still be this decent
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Drinking beautifully...decanted for 2 hours; nose of leather, tobacco, meat notes, . Lovely blend on the palate of bell pepper, dark fruit, vanilla/tobacco, black pepper notes from the oak. Long finish. Very well balanced...plenty of acidity still going on. Lots of life on this one...bummed it's our only bottle from this vintage.
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fragrant, beautiful nose, a solid wine the first evening. By day 2 had faded significantly - still pleasant but not nearly as much depth. Probably waited too long.
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Tasted over three nights. I would say the peak was night #2 and day #3. slow decanting is recommended. Very nice wine, but I am not certain I would purchase again. I may test the '06-'07-'08 side by side with others before making a decision
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Rich and ripe with a good dose of sweet oak. I usually don't like this style at all, but this is clearly well made and was enjoyable. Tasted alongside the 2007 which was very similar.
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My third bottle in the last 6 months. This wine does not disappoint. Big California Cab with lots of fruit for a 9 year old wine. Certainly seems like if still has lots of cellar life as well. Time to buy some more
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My second bottle in the last three months. Just opened and tasted before decanting. Wow, big nose and lots of fruit. I'm sure the timely decanting process will add to this wine with our meal. Definately well above average wine.
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Wonderfully easy drinking on its own, straight after popping the cork. Rich and fruity, and very tasty. Also some distinct smoky, meaty characteristics, like you'd expect from a syrah.
Very scintillating on the nose. The aromas included dark berries, tobacco, oak, and spices. As for the palate, the wine blossomed with complexity. Like the aromas, it had an abundance of flavors and a stimulating finish. I tasted peppers, dark chocolate, cherries, and oak. A big fan of this wine.
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Dark Purple color with heavy legs. Hints of oak and dark fruits on the nose. Still had a lot of fruit on the palate along with spice and oak. Overall well balanced wine, turned out much better than expected when tasted at release. Perfect time to drink now.
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A lovely wine - the Cab/Syrah blend make it a well balanced medium bodies wine, still with bright casks notes and light touch of herbs but supported by tabacco and cedar with soft tannins. Good for another few years.
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The wine is a medium to dark ruby color. The stunning nose is full of cassis, cedar, tobacco, crushed berries, chalky minerality, licorice, dark chocolate, and fresh wildflowers. This has medium body, moderate to full ripe tannins, and good acidity. On the palate a big jolt of spicy fruit hits up front with minerals, licorice and chocolate coming in on the back end. The finish is very long and shows nice balance between the fruit and savory elements, with a touch of sweet berries seeming to never totally fade. This is drinking wonderfully today but will last in the cellar for another three to five years, maybe more.
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Black licorice, cassis, black cherry, dried herbs, menthol on the nose. Everything is well integrated. Dark black fruit with enough tannin to back it up. Drinking well now.
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A big powerhouse wine with great finesse and restraint. Black and red fruits, black cherries, berries, and red raspberries, with a mocha bent and exotic baking spice of cardamom, Tahitian vanilla, vanilla and a touch of cinnamon and lavender. Juicy, rich and dynamic. Full fruit with some killer tannins when just opened, but I liked this wine best after it was opened for awhile. Fruit subsided, tannins relaxed and flavor profile knit together into a well balanced package with definite structure. Came in a little hot, but settled down nicely.
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Decanted for 6 hours Interesting mix of red and black fruit on the nose. Black cherry, raspberry, blackberry, minerality, a hint of vanilla, herbs and menthol. On the palate, teeth gripping tannins. Black fruit with earth. Hot on the finish.
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Rich nose of red berry and baking spice. The flavors on the palate follow with vibrant acid and fruit. It's dominated by red fruit. It's ripe and jammy but retains nice balance. It's luscious and decadent, but doesn't step over the line. A good "fruit bomb" in my opinion.
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Garnet and noticeable edge thinning with medium viscosity in the glass. Black fruit, bramble, currant, pepper and cocoa powder and on the nose. Secondary coffee, black cherry skin and plum. Medium-full body with black fruit, coffee and chocolate on the palate. Secondary pepper, stewed tomato and singed tobacco. Meaty mouthfeel with grippy tannin…chalky around the mouth and creamy coconut on the tongue. Pepper and herbs kick in on the back. Med-long finish. Integration and nuance showed after opening for hours.
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Awesome nose, smashed berries, cedar, earth and chalk. There is a certain weight of the fruit on the nose that smells beautiful. Bright red berries and cherry fruit, tobacco and cedar show on the palate. The tannins and acidity here are a bit strong still but nicely integrated. I pulled this out of the cooler and had it slightly chilled and liked it better than I am now at room temp, it showed more fruit and earth on the palate while keeping down the strength of the structure. Lots of fruit and sweet tobacco linger in the finish, and there is just a tiny bit of heat that can be felt but it isn't an issue for me. Paired perfectly with a white sauce veggie pizza, neither dominated the palate and the combination of the oily white sauce paired well with fruit and structure of this wine. Delicious stuff!
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Love winemaker Stephan Asseo's sytle and consistancy. I like that he can create a balanced wine with alcohol hot fruit. Went well with a sausage stuffed Turkey Roulade.
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Decanted for 1 hr and drank over another 2-3 hr. Nose: Cassis, blackberry, black cherry, vanilla, a green component, menthol, and a little of the meaty syrah character. Both varietals are well represented. Very dark fruit on the palate with lively acidity. The tannins are still very noticeable, but the wine is exceptionally balanced. One of the few producers that can consistently keep amazing balance (especially the alcohol) with Paso fruit.
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Opaque dark garnet in the glass. Rich nose of black currant, toasty oak, cassis and a pleasant pepper/spice note in the background. Full body and seemingly a little rustic and chewy with somewhat tangy red fruit midpalate. very nice.
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14.5% ABV. Opaque dark garnet in the glass. Rich nose of black currant, toasty oak, and a light, pleasant menthol note in the background. Full body and seemingly a little rustic and chewy, but certainly approachable, especially compared to the Cahors we opened next to it. Black fruit that drifts between black berry and black currant with a note of toast with jam. Tasty. 91-92.
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Popped and poured. Tight angular and a bit acidic. Good cab character in the mouth but didn't come together fully. Saved to see if it improves overnight.
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COLOR: Purple with ruby rim NOTE: Had at Ruth's Chris. From recollection, nice nose of raspberry jam and tobacco, but the mouth was only medium weight and the finish thinned out where the fruit disappeared. Ended with a tart note. Disappointing this time. Forget this vintage. Just go for the 2008 because it is the MAD BOMB!!!
DECANT: 30 min GLASS USED: Bordeaux TASTE: 8.9 COST: 100 (restaurant markup which sucks) VALUE: 1.0 PREVIOUSLY TASTED: 11/09 TRY AGAIN: never PAIRING: Bone-in ribeye!
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14.5% ABV. Popped and poured. Just opaque, dark black garnet in the glass. Black fruit with some woody tannin on the nose. Full bodied and a little chunky/angular/brawny relative to my memory of the last bottle we opened. Late tangy acidity. Not bad, but this wine has shown better.
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Nice on the nose and beautiful deep garnet red in the glass... Mid acid accross the palet that continues to burn long after you swallow. A drinkable wine however will probably improve another couple year in the bottle.
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Dark color. Cork was being pushed out a little, so I was nervous. But if this bottle was flawed, the next should be spectacular. Nose of blackberry, cassis and a bit of raspberry syrup. Strong oak, but mellowed after about 30 minutes. A touch of dusty leather and a slight herbal note (eucalyptus?), so this was definitely too young to drink. Great mouthfeel. Sweet, meaty tannins; softened acid and long finish. Sweet, viscous raspberry showed as it came to room temp, with a later note of oak.
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14.5% ABV. Dark black garnet, slightly translucent at the rim. Aromas of toast, cassis and a higher toned pepper and spice (anise?) note that harkens of Syrah. Full bodied, concentrated and palate coating with somewhat tangy red fruit midpalate. Pretty nice. No rush on these.
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Aerated 2 hours. Getting below the traditional dark fruit flavors of Syrah and Cab, depth reveals a visit to the Desert South West! I get amazing bone-dry aromas of stone, flowers on the wind, and, of course, cactus and tequilla! A bit too much heat for me after warming to Socal room temperature; I recommened to keep a bit cooler, if possible. T
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Open 3 hours: Beautiful nose, smashed ripe blackberry, cherry and red apple mix with oak and tobacco. The oak is strong but not overwhelming. Nice medium intensity palate, the cherries and dark fruits hit well with some cigar tobacco and taper off nicely into the finish. The acidity and tannins are present but balanced at this point. This is a really good drink that is open for business right now. I like the intensity a lot, not to strong and not to light. The fruit stands out in the palate but has a creamy texture, very silky.
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Une cuvée de base offrant un assemblage de Cabernet (50%), Syrah (45%) et Petit Verdot (5%). Vin concentré, boisé, avec un fruité confituré proéminent. Je ne suis pas convaincu par l’équilibre chancelant.
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This was pretty incredible. Served around 60 degrees. Color was nice deep purple. Nose was very powerful - lots of red berry fruit (cherry) along with blackberry and smoke. Palate was smooth, silky, and tasty. Finish was smooth and long. Great wine. 50, 5, 13, 17, 8 = 93 (Outstanding)
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Cab & Syrah. Plum, smoke, oak, apple. Quite dry, with nice tannins and astrigence. Cab rib cage fills out the syrah backbone, if you will. Tasted at the winery.
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Paso Robles Tour and Seminar (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Beautiful dark cherry. Chocolate, leather and some nice spice on the mid palate. Solid long finish. Excellent silky mouth feel. Enjoyed this more than the treasured Estate Cuvee interestingly enough. I felt this was more accessible and showed more refined elegance than the Cuvee's currently awkward masculinity.
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Ripe, but classically styled with muddled aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, red currant, dried herbs and hints of cedar. Fruit forward and soft on the palate with noticeable acidity and soft, rounded tannin. Moderate sour cherry filled finish. Decidedly food-friendly for such a big wine.
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I fall into the camp on CT believing this wine is out of balance compared to the normal standard set at L'Aventure. Beautiful fruit lurking underneath. Definitely a subpar showing compared to previous vintages.
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The Optimus blend delivers big mouthfilling black fruits with firm tannins - a massive, but not exactly elegant wine. As a previous taster indicated, the extremely high acidity in this wine knocks it down.
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Overwhelming feeling of youth in this wine. Good fruit nose. Early taste is somewhat overwhelmed with acidity. Over time, the acidity faded and the fruit came forward with a long finish. Suprisingly, the fruit started fading after an hour also. Not sure how this will age.
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This is a classic L'Aventure optimus with full throttle fruit and very present tannins. Purple and red fruits dominate the pallet with a kirsh-like viscosity. The wine is a little hot and that detracts from the overall experience of the wine. This wine is still a baby, and with all the cabernet in it I believe that it has another 10 years ahead of it. Drank with Steven Hentges at LBV Lounge.
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3/12/2024 - Sanlucar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fading fast so I suggest drinking asap. Fruit is reducing down to syrup but it retains some of its Paso Robles charms like black pepper and red licorice.
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12/11/2023 - dino_mike Likes this wine: 92 Points
From magnum: Still drinkable and quite enjoyable once open for 4 hours, and even better 24 hours later when the touch of sour cherry and a light alcohol finish left it. The bright flavors left after a few hours and it was rich, full bodied bramble-blackberry flavors with cassis and very minor plum flavors that rounded the finish. Drink ASAP from larger formats, I'm not sure 750ml bottle would still be this decent
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4/11/2020 - behm0027 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking beautifully...decanted for 2 hours; nose of leather, tobacco, meat notes, . Lovely blend on the palate of bell pepper, dark fruit, vanilla/tobacco, black pepper notes from the oak. Long finish. Very well balanced...plenty of acidity still going on. Lots of life on this one...bummed it's our only bottle from this vintage.
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10/28/2018 - hoops92 Likes this wine: 90 Points
fragrant, beautiful nose, a solid wine the first evening. By day 2 had faded significantly - still pleasant but not nearly as much depth. Probably waited too long.
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9/23/2018 - jpbach13C wrote:
Still in great shape.
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7/4/2017 - Grant_gib wrote: 90 Points
Always a favorite.
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5/27/2017 - prh wrote:
Held too long. Spoiled.
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6/4/2016 - mattdathan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great
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4/8/2016 - mattdathan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautifully smooth and elegant. Drinking very well, but may be starting to fade?
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12/29/2015 - odds Likes this wine:
Tasted over three nights. I would say the peak was night #2 and day #3. slow decanting is recommended. Very nice wine, but I am not certain I would purchase again. I may test the '06-'07-'08 side by side with others before making a decision
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9/8/2015 - mmm.345@sbcglobal.net wrote:
Delicious. Beautifully mature and lovely.
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7/4/2015 - PIntag wrote: 89 Points
Rich and ripe with a good dose of sweet oak. I usually don't like this style at all, but this is clearly well made and was enjoyable. Tasted alongside the 2007 which was very similar.
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2/13/2015 - Semoore Likes this wine: 93 Points
My third bottle in the last 6 months. This wine does not disappoint. Big California Cab with lots of fruit for a 9 year old wine. Certainly seems like if still has lots of cellar life as well. Time to buy some more
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11/29/2014 - longhorncab Likes this wine: 87 Points
Good, but past it's prime
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11/16/2014 - Semoore Likes this wine: 93 Points
My second bottle in the last three months. Just opened and tasted before decanting. Wow, big nose and lots of fruit. I'm sure the timely decanting process will add to this wine with our meal. Definately well above average wine.
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10/5/2014 - silbakor wrote: 92 Points
Wonderfully easy drinking on its own, straight after popping the cork. Rich and fruity, and very tasty. Also some distinct smoky, meaty characteristics, like you'd expect from a syrah.
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4/12/2014 - Satoshi Nakamoto Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very scintillating on the nose. The aromas included dark berries, tobacco, oak, and spices. As for the palate, the wine blossomed with complexity. Like the aromas, it had an abundance of flavors and a stimulating finish. I tasted peppers, dark chocolate, cherries, and oak. A big fan of this wine.
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3/30/2014 - Mscruggs Likes this wine: 90 Points
Red fruit especially red cherry on the palate with a hint of pepper. The wine had a somewhat astringent clipped finish.
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3/22/2014 - West Coast Wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark Purple color with heavy legs. Hints of oak and dark fruits on the nose. Still had a lot of fruit on the palate along with spice and oak. Overall well balanced wine, turned out much better than expected when tasted at release. Perfect time to drink now.
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1/4/2014 - crikel wrote: 85 Points
Tart, sour cherry, lacking depth or complexity. Disappointing
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12/25/2013 - senorvino wrote: 93 Points
A lovely wine - the Cab/Syrah blend make it a well balanced medium bodies wine, still with bright casks notes and light touch of herbs but supported by tabacco and cedar with soft tannins. Good for another few years.
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9/2/2013 - cbbrown3 wrote: 93 Points
The wine is a medium to dark ruby color. The stunning nose is full of cassis, cedar, tobacco, crushed berries, chalky minerality, licorice, dark chocolate, and fresh wildflowers. This has medium body, moderate to full ripe tannins, and good acidity. On the palate a big jolt of spicy fruit hits up front with minerals, licorice and chocolate coming in on the back end. The finish is very long and shows nice balance between the fruit and savory elements, with a touch of sweet berries seeming to never totally fade. This is drinking wonderfully today but will last in the cellar for another three to five years, maybe more.
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5/6/2013 - cbkamp Likes this wine: 91 Points
Black licorice, cassis, black cherry, dried herbs, menthol on the nose. Everything is well integrated. Dark black fruit with enough tannin to back it up. Drinking well now.
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3/9/2013 - soyhead wrote: 89 Points
tasted blind
nose - plum, cocoa
mouth - lush, plummy, lovely fruit, but not a lot of structure. We guessed this to be a California Merlot.
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1/13/2013 - bonedoc wrote: 90 Points
Tangy underripe cherries, structured, better as a food wine.
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9/16/2012 - fredman wrote: 87 Points
Half-hour decant. The rich layers of dark cherry and rich blackberry were overshadowed by an abundance of smoke/oak.
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5/30/2012 - rosesandthorns wrote: 91 Points
A big powerhouse wine with great finesse and restraint. Black and red fruits, black cherries, berries, and red raspberries, with a mocha bent and exotic baking spice of cardamom, Tahitian vanilla, vanilla and a touch of cinnamon and lavender. Juicy, rich and dynamic. Full fruit with some killer tannins when just opened, but I liked this wine best after it was opened for awhile. Fruit subsided, tannins relaxed and flavor profile knit together into a well balanced package with definite structure. Came in a little hot, but settled down nicely.
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5/6/2012 - cbkamp Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 6 hours Interesting mix of red and black fruit on the nose. Black cherry, raspberry, blackberry, minerality, a hint of vanilla, herbs and menthol. On the palate, teeth gripping tannins. Black fruit with earth. Hot on the finish.
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3/17/2012 - bvanbower wrote: 91 Points
Lovely berry nose and extremely smooth on the palet.
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2/18/2012 - vegasoenophile wrote: 92 Points
Rich nose of red berry and baking spice. The flavors on the palate follow with vibrant acid and fruit. It's dominated by red fruit. It's ripe and jammy but retains nice balance. It's luscious and decadent, but doesn't step over the line. A good "fruit bomb" in my opinion.
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2/10/2012 - mn47 wrote: 90 Points
Après 8 h en carafe, nez invitant, bouche texturée, bien équilibré, mais à ce prix, je lui ai préféré le Caymus. Excellent avec une grillade de boeuf.
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12/7/2011 - christophee Likes this wine: 91 Points
Garnet and noticeable edge thinning with medium viscosity in the glass. Black fruit, bramble, currant, pepper and cocoa powder and on the nose. Secondary coffee, black cherry skin and plum. Medium-full body with black fruit, coffee and chocolate on the palate. Secondary pepper, stewed tomato and singed tobacco. Meaty mouthfeel with grippy tannin…chalky around the mouth and creamy coconut on the tongue. Pepper and herbs kick in on the back. Med-long finish. Integration and nuance showed after opening for hours.
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11/12/2011 - gripNsip wrote: 90 Points
Awesome nose, smashed berries, cedar, earth and chalk. There is a certain weight of the fruit on the nose that smells beautiful. Bright red berries and cherry fruit, tobacco and cedar show on the palate. The tannins and acidity here are a bit strong still but nicely integrated. I pulled this out of the cooler and had it slightly chilled and liked it better than I am now at room temp, it showed more fruit and earth on the palate while keeping down the strength of the structure. Lots of fruit and sweet tobacco linger in the finish, and there is just a tiny bit of heat that can be felt but it isn't an issue for me. Paired perfectly with a white sauce veggie pizza, neither dominated the palate and the combination of the oily white sauce paired well with fruit and structure of this wine. Delicious stuff!
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10/24/2011 - bvanbower wrote: 90 Points
Love winemaker Stephan Asseo's sytle and consistancy. I like that he can create a balanced wine with alcohol hot fruit. Went well with a sausage stuffed Turkey Roulade.
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9/29/2011 - Flesh wrote: 89 Points
Good wine, but didn't bLow our socks off.
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5/31/2011 - cbkamp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for 1 hr and drank over another 2-3 hr. Nose: Cassis, blackberry, black cherry, vanilla, a green component, menthol, and a little of the meaty syrah character. Both varietals are well represented. Very dark fruit on the palate with lively acidity. The tannins are still very noticeable, but the wine is exceptionally balanced. One of the few producers that can consistently keep amazing balance (especially the alcohol) with Paso fruit.
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5/10/2011 - short and confused wrote: 92 Points
Opaque dark garnet in the glass. Rich nose of black currant, toasty oak, cassis and a pleasant pepper/spice note in the background. Full body and seemingly a little rustic and chewy with somewhat tangy red fruit midpalate. very nice.
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5/3/2011 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine: 91 Points
14.5% ABV. Opaque dark garnet in the glass. Rich nose of black currant, toasty oak, and a light, pleasant menthol note in the background. Full body and seemingly a little rustic and chewy, but certainly approachable, especially compared to the Cahors we opened next to it. Black fruit that drifts between black berry and black currant with a note of toast with jam. Tasty. 91-92.
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1/10/2011 - winestem wrote: 89 Points
Light in body, lovely color, and cherry flavor but not much else going on
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12/5/2010 - Beachgrub wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. Tight angular and a bit acidic. Good cab character in the mouth but didn't come together fully. Saved to see if it improves overnight.
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10/11/2010 - tp096255 wrote: 89 Points
COLOR: Purple with ruby rim
NOTE: Had at Ruth's Chris. From recollection, nice nose of raspberry jam and tobacco, but the mouth was only medium weight and the finish thinned out where the fruit disappeared. Ended with a tart note. Disappointing this time. Forget this vintage. Just go for the 2008 because it is the MAD BOMB!!!
DECANT: 30 min
GLASS USED: Bordeaux
TASTE: 8.9
COST: 100 (restaurant markup which sucks)
VALUE: 1.0
PREVIOUSLY TASTED: 11/09
TRY AGAIN: never
PAIRING: Bone-in ribeye!
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10/5/2010 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine: 90 Points
14.5% ABV. Popped and poured. Just opaque, dark black garnet in the glass. Black fruit with some woody tannin on the nose. Full bodied and a little chunky/angular/brawny relative to my memory of the last bottle we opened. Late tangy acidity. Not bad, but this wine has shown better.
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6/12/2010 - Laree wrote: 76 Points
Nice on the nose and beautiful deep garnet red in the glass... Mid acid accross the palet that continues to burn long after you swallow. A drinkable wine however will probably improve another couple year in the bottle.
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5/27/2010 - mn47 wrote: 90 Points
Très très bon, mais presque le clone de J. Lohr Hilltop (2006) coûtant 25% moins cher
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4/11/2010 - j.michael.kilgore wrote: 91 Points
Dark color. Cork was being pushed out a little, so I was nervous. But if this bottle was flawed, the next should be spectacular. Nose of blackberry, cassis and a bit of raspberry syrup. Strong oak, but mellowed after about 30 minutes. A touch of dusty leather and a slight herbal note (eucalyptus?), so this was definitely too young to drink. Great mouthfeel. Sweet, meaty tannins; softened acid and long finish. Sweet, viscous raspberry showed as it came to room temp, with a later note of oak.
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4/2/2010 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine: 92 Points
14.5% ABV. Dark black garnet, slightly translucent at the rim. Aromas of toast, cassis and a higher toned pepper and spice (anise?) note that harkens of Syrah. Full bodied, concentrated and palate coating with somewhat tangy red fruit midpalate. Pretty nice. No rush on these.
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2/7/2010 - kidsmurf2000 wrote: 86 Points
Enjoyable, missing complexity of the last bottle. Served cooler, which might explain why.
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1/22/2010 - kidsmurf2000 wrote: 90 Points
Aerated 2 hours. Getting below the traditional dark fruit flavors of Syrah and Cab, depth reveals a visit to the Desert South West! I get amazing bone-dry aromas of stone, flowers on the wind, and, of course, cactus and tequilla! A bit too much heat for me after warming to Socal room temperature; I recommened to keep a bit cooler, if possible. T
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12/14/2009 - IrvineCellar wrote: 93 Points
One of my favorite wines.
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10/11/2009 - leonardo_de_araujo wrote: 91 Points
blackcurrant
chocolate
tabac
nice and long
91 very goood
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10/10/2009 - gripNsip wrote: 91 Points
Open 3 hours: Beautiful nose, smashed ripe blackberry, cherry and red apple mix with oak and tobacco. The oak is strong but not overwhelming. Nice medium intensity palate, the cherries and dark fruits hit well with some cigar tobacco and taper off nicely into the finish. The acidity and tannins are present but balanced at this point. This is a really good drink that is open for business right now. I like the intensity a lot, not to strong and not to light. The fruit stands out in the palate but has a creamy texture, very silky.
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10/7/2009 - peeks13 wrote: 91 Points
A Night of Classic Cabernet (9/23/2009) (Wine Discount Center Barrington): Very nice nose and taste. For exact same price would choose Chappellet "Signature" '06 Napa cab.
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7/11/2009 - ludwigbpm wrote: 88 Points
Une cuvée de base offrant un assemblage de Cabernet (50%), Syrah (45%) et Petit Verdot (5%). Vin concentré, boisé, avec un fruité confituré proéminent. Je ne suis pas convaincu par l’équilibre chancelant.
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6/28/2009 - IrvineCellar wrote: 93 Points
This was pretty incredible. Served around 60 degrees. Color was nice deep purple. Nose was very powerful - lots of red berry fruit (cherry) along with blackberry and smoke. Palate was smooth, silky, and tasty. Finish was smooth and long. Great wine.
50, 5, 13, 17, 8 = 93 (Outstanding)
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6/20/2009 - gdykema wrote: 90 Points
Cab & Syrah. Plum, smoke, oak, apple. Quite dry, with nice tannins and astrigence. Cab rib cage fills out the syrah backbone, if you will. Tasted at the winery.
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4/29/2009 - LPskeleton wrote: 89 Points
consumed at trade tasting, no note taken
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4/15/2009 - bigdogflow wrote: 92 Points
Paso Robles Wine Experience (Pearl Stable, San Antonio, TX): Smooth and balanced from nose to finish. Very good!
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3/11/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Paso Robles Tour and Seminar (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Beautiful dark cherry. Chocolate, leather and some nice spice on the mid palate.
Solid long finish. Excellent silky mouth feel. Enjoyed this more than the treasured Estate Cuvee interestingly enough.
I felt this was more accessible and showed more refined elegance than the Cuvee's currently awkward masculinity.
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2/11/2009 - wino_tim wrote: 90 Points
Ripe, but classically styled with muddled aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, red currant, dried herbs and hints of cedar. Fruit forward and soft on the palate with noticeable acidity and soft, rounded tannin. Moderate sour cherry filled finish. Decidedly food-friendly for such a big wine.
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12/27/2008 - cck wrote: 87 Points
I fall into the camp on CT believing this wine is out of balance compared to the normal standard set at L'Aventure. Beautiful fruit lurking underneath. Definitely a subpar showing compared to previous vintages.
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12/27/2008 - sbwino wrote: 88 Points
The Optimus blend delivers big mouthfilling black fruits with firm tannins - a massive, but not exactly elegant wine. As a previous taster indicated, the extremely high acidity in this wine knocks it down.
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12/24/2008 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful, rich black cherry fruit, very forward, mouthfilling, best value on the market, stood up to several excellent cabernets when tasted
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12/17/2008 - HOS wrote: 87 Points
Overwhelming feeling of youth in this wine. Good fruit nose. Early taste is somewhat overwhelmed with acidity. Over time, the acidity faded and the fruit came forward with a long finish. Suprisingly, the fruit started fading after an hour also. Not sure how this will age.
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11/21/2008 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Delicious, rich blackberry/cherry fruit, ample tannin & structure, beautifully full, round, and forward on the palate, slight sweet cherry flavors
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10/11/2008 - jivey wrote: 89 Points
Backstreet Wine tasting - Nice wine, big blue fruits, oak, tannins.
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8/20/2008 - sbwino wrote: 87 Points
Muscular Tannic Wine, Needs some time in the bottle.
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8/6/2008 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
rich delicious blackberry fruit with chocolate, tarry flavors, full bodied, long finish, terrific value
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6/7/2008 - lars1014 wrote: 91 Points
This is a classic L'Aventure optimus with full throttle fruit and very present tannins. Purple and red fruits dominate the pallet with a kirsh-like viscosity. The wine is a little hot and that detracts from the overall experience of the wine. This wine is still a baby, and with all the cabernet in it I believe that it has another 10 years ahead of it. Drank with Steven Hentges at LBV Lounge.
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5/28/2008 - rsepulve wrote: 86 Points
Well made wine if a bit simple. Much better nose than on the palate.
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