One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Sediment in the bottle and the screen. Moderate nose of blackberry jam during decant. Wine was clear; deep purple with no bricking and a moderate clear halo. After resting, nose added a chocolate mousse component to what can only be described as a blackberry-blueberry compote. In the mouth: more of the same with plenty of acid in support without it upsetting the harmony of the wine. These wines are usually a little fruit-bombish but they are a crowd pleaser at the table. Long finish ending with chocolate mousse. I was pleased to say the least.
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On opening, the first thought was uh-oh I waited too long to enjoy this bottle. But, over next four days (was sealing the bottle with a vac-u vin) the wine started getting back on it's feet and almost back to the level that caused me to fall in love with it. I wouldn't ignore the signals though and will get to my last bottle sooner rather than later.
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Baked dark red fruit. Hint of bret. Fruit is slightly drying up. A bit hot and alcoholic. 15.5%. Absolutely zero merlot flavors. Pencil lead. Not my favorite but i can see why they get the scores. Old world palates will not be fans. 2 hours in and is way more harmonious. Still baked fruit and alcoholic but lots of upfront juicy fruit.
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My Xmas wine, paired with a rib roast covered in a coffee/brown sugar/nacho chilli rub.
Decanted for three hours (not sure it needed it, but what the hell...). Wine is fully mature, balanced in every way. Super dark color, definitely undertones of chocolate.
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In OCNJ with Stephanie/Chris/Valerie. Decanted about 2 hours prior, last bottle in 2018 felt like it had not quite settled and opened. Paired with sausage and peppers (courtesy of Steph). Drank over an hour.
Deep ruby/garnet color, no signs of age. Nose showing dark and blue fruits, licorice. Palate of "plum syrup", black raspberry, mocha, mushroom. Viscous texture through the mid palate. Full body and long finish.
The decant with this bottle made a big difference - the alcohol and show polish was gone. This is a big, lush wine that may be too syrupy for some palates. Did well with the sausages and spice. I recall the 90s vintages of this wine to be more restrained. I am a fan of Pahlmeyer's wines but this one stylistically is not what I would seek in a Merlot
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Dark crimson in color. 15.2% ABV. Gorgeous nose of red and blue fruits, Whitman Sampler box and violets. Full bodied with ample acidity and notable balance. The wine has a great core of sweet, rich fruit. Cherry, blueberry liqueur, cassis and cocoa on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Stunning Merlot that has aged brilliantly. Best over the next 2-4 years.
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Strawberries mixed with volatile acidity, I correctly guess this double blind as a California Merlot. Yuck! High alcohol and high tannins this was quite terrible. Admittedly, I’ve become a Red Burgundy drinker recently, but did I used to like this stuff or is this bottle particularly bad?
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Fragrant nose. Sweet blueberry and raspberry fruit mixed with chocolate and a hint of pepper. Very fine tannins give this a beautiful mouth feel. A bit of heat but not overly distracting. Very full-bodied and saturated. A big wine.
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Dark red/black color with clear meniscus. On nose, sweet red fruits, red liquor (maybe cassis?), red licorice, and touch of oak. Very smooth on the palate. Full body, medium acidity, medium+ tannins and long finish - palate profile similar to nose. Got better with air. this has aged very well. 92+/-
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Bright crimson in color. 15.2% ABV. Soaring nose of red and blue fruits, leather, licorice and spice box. Powerful, dense and full bodied. Well balanced. Cassis liqueur, plum sauce, blueberries and chocolate on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and silky. Just a stunning Merlot and without question one of the very best examples of this variety from the state of California. Best over the next 1-3 years.
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Sweet, soft and fruity at first. Dark loam and plums Merlot essence on the nose. Dense and concentrated with chocolate flavors. This will easily last another 10+ years.
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2.5 years later and still a beautiful bottle of wine. Dark fruit and chocolate on the nose. The palate is dark berries, plums, tobacco, some chocolate and a touch of nutmeg. The finish is long and full. At 12 years old this wine is still singing. Unfortunately my last bottle.
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In OCNJ for bday party/July 4 celbration. Good excuse to try this, bought several years ago at auction. Slow oxed for an hour, drank over 90 minutes
Rich ruby/purple color. Nose was dark fruits, licorice, olives and some alcohol/shoe polish (not in an interesting way) that started to blow off later...Palate was lush, plums, black raspberry, dark fruits, mocha and earth. Nice texture through the mid palate, finish about 30 seconds.
I am a big fan of Pahlmeyer's wines. for this one I had to get through the heat/shoe polish on the nose. This is more of a "bug" than a "feature"...some might disagree but it doesn't add to the wine (IMO). Would give it a long decant next time to see if I can get this to dissipate.
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concentrated with a nice bouquet, lots of red fruit with a hint of spice on the palate and good depth but some sig. heat from the etoh. better the 2nd day. Still pretty awesome.
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Ready to go as a pop and pour. Still highly structured and drank almost like the Cabernet blend but a little flabbier. Baked blackberry, blueberry, toasted vanilla, and damp wood/earth. Will make it 5 more years plus but definitely peaking.
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An over the top heavily extracted and alcoholic Merlot. Dark chocolate (almost unsweetened) over overripe blueberries. Some Oak and hints of blackberries. Still a pretty fine wine that is more than just a fruit bomb.
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Agree with the very positive notes below, while even very good Merlot is not my varietal preference, this was a very smooth, flavorful bottle of wine with enough interest at the finish to avoid the Merlot flabby aftertaste problem. Really nice wine. Suspect the bad reviews were damaged wine.
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Wine was properly stored from purchase until consumed. The wine had virtually no bouquet. Initial scent had a very faint touch of raspberry, which faded immediately. After aeration, decanting and waiting an hour, there was a slight smell of cocoa, followed by chocolate. That was all there was. How disappointing for a producer like Pahlmeyer whose other wines we have enjoyed on several occasions. If you have this, perhaps it should be used for cooking.
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Decanted through a vinturi and let sit for an hour and a half. Beautiful nose of dark fruit and chocolate. The palate was dark plums, berries, toffee and a touch of nutmeg. Long smooth finish. Just a beautiful bottle of wine.
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Beautiful bouquet with a lot of sweet spices, chocolate, some medicine and licorice. On the palate a firm amount of sweetness, ripe dark forest fruits; ripe cassis, blackberry and blueberry, licorice, laurel and toast. Beautiful acidity and soft tannin. Beautiful and concentrated wine. Ready now and no problem cellaring this until 2019+
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Amazed by this bottle, Bordeaux like, all at table were similarly struck. I've generally drunk the Merlot quickly, but had saved a few of the older years, and now I'm thinking, that just as I buy Peter Michael Les Pavots in part to maximize the access to the Chards, here, the Merlot might be the real Pahlmeyer Grail. I've never been as impressed with an older Pahlmeyer( ok, 2006 isn't that old) as I was this merlot. I think it's fully mature, and if you have, and have been waiting, give it a try. Excellent.
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Agree with the most recent note below. This bottle is really entering primetime. Also agree that the Merlot is my favorite bottling from Pahlmeyer. Consistently at the top of the heap. Special stuff with minimal air.
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Blackcurrant, blackberry, leather and mocha, with a silky texture. In an earlier note in 2011 I thought the enjoyment of this wine was tempered by an overly firm acidity. Now, this wine is really singing. Voluptuous and silky.
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A muscular merlot that takes charge. Polished and silky with the tannins starting to fade. Needs an hour of air to sing. Easily the best domestic merlot I've had. Bravo!
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Really in a prime drinking window right now. Gained depth and complexity over the hour or so in the glass. Nice lush plum, cherry and chocolate notes on the nose and palate. Some crushed herbs back up the primary flavors and add a level of nuance. If drinking now recommend an hour decant.
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Excellent bottle. Decanted for 30 minutes and enjoyed with grilled burgers. Did not take notes but we really enjoyed this and it went great with the cheeseburgers. 92+ Medium body, nice acids, red-currant, black cherry, sweet tobacco on nose & palate.
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Napa Merlots for Cab Lovers -NYC Wine Tasting Group (New York, NY): After having tried the 07 Pahlmeyer Merlot, this one was a tad disappointed, it seemed it lacked the structure and depth of the 07. Perhaps being a slightly picky, just not what I expected but still worthy of 93 points.
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Great nose, but a little hollow in the midpalate. It put on weight after about an hour, giving umph to black raspberry and mocha flavors. Long sweet finish.
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Lovely merlot. Can't tell if it's peaking now or not. PnP and probably should have decanted for awhile but went right into it. As we drank it opened up more. Big aromas of dark fruits, caramels, chocolate, and mocha with an impressive finish. Not quite as big as Foley's Merlots, but right up there.
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I had been prepared to aerate this in a decanter, but a quick taste suggested this was a PnP. This is already at peak and does not show the structure for additional cellaring. Full-bodied, with low-ish acids, mature cassis fruit, and aromas and flavors of pie crust and chocolate and ripe blueberry. Good but not great. Drink thru 2019, 15,5% abv
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I have drunk this wine several times, I had half a case before I started using cellar tracker. This was my second-to-last bottle (whaaaah). I like this wine it is very warm and fruity, but it's got a classic merlot edge. It's big, but balanced. Yum.
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Very dark red; open nose, strawberry, some pepper; in the mouth dense chocolate, soft, silky with sufficient acidity to keep it together, caramel; long lingering aftertaste; clearly a very bold as opposed to a refined wine, works well with the barbecue
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Very well made wine. Fantastic structure, nose and body. Deep, dark color - black in the middle. Drinks like a soft cab with a beautiful long finish shortly after opening. Blue fruits galore. Such a long finish. I'd say this is every bit as good as the 2001 and I tend to prefer this over the Cab.
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I really liked this wine. It showed me what Merlot could actually become if it was treated properly. The flavor was intense for a Merlot with a great deal of plum and hint of earth. It's been a while since I actually had this wine but I did make a note of it in my cellphone. All it said was, "92 rating: Awesome Merlot!"
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this was much better - last bottle was definitely corked or something. great deep merlot taste - more cab like really with vanilla, perfume and subtle spice
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Holy cow, this was good. Has that Bordeaux look in the glass. The best merlot I've ever had. From my foggy memory last night, the transition was outstanding, as was the look, feel, and taste.
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Nose of cassis and leather. On the palate blackcurrant, dark fruits, mocha, and a hint of leather and cigar box. Not a lot of tannins, but a firm beam of acidity. This tempers the overall hedonistic quality of the wine.
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Opened and decanted for 60 minutes. Deep ruby, dark to the edge. Nose loaded with black cherry, plums, vanilla, spice and cocoa that carries through onto the palate. big, young, well integrated tannins, and almost silky in the mouth. Long finish.
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Beautiful wine ... last time, my palate must have been off, long finish, good structure, fruit is well balanced and has nice complexity ... a really wonderful wine!
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Minneapolis Wine Club does Right Bank (A few US wines) (Kevin's House): A nice wine overall with cherry, spice, vanilla, dust and oak on the nose. The palate picks up some sour cherry. The wine is balanced overall and has a nice finish. Certainly one of the better Merlots I have tasted from California.
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Right Bank Bordeaux with some Napa merlot/blends (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark red color. Nose of black cherry, mulberry, vanillla, chocolate. The palate has a lush mouthfeel, with good depth, round integrated tannin and medium finish. This was a lovely wine, an excellent Napa merlot. Not the greatest of QPR's however.
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I had this with steaks (great match) after decanting for ~ 1 hour and then pouring back into the bottle. Did not take notes given locale but a very nice wine - gained weight & complexity with airtime so I'd sit on these for another year or two.
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Ordered at a restaurant with limited time to decant. Lots of dark sweet cherry and blackberry fruit and alchohol, but disappointed at the lack of depth and complexity at this price point. I would not seek this out, but if I had a bottle I'd hold onto for awhile and decant to see if it improves.
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Decanted 5+ hours. The bouquet was all sweet black and red fruit, along with oak notes. Extremely ripe and sweet on the palate- tons of black, blue, and red fruit; soft and sweet oak spice notes. Supple tannins with a sweet finish and a little heat from the high alcohol. Large and clunky. Not a fan.
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decanted 2 hrs. Rich and sauve, this wine seldom seems to disappoint. Layers of elegant black and blue fruits on the palate with fine grained tannins and a 30 second finish. Aromas and flavors of pie crust and baking spices add to the complexity and enjoyment. Drink thru 2019.
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Decanted 3 hours. Outstanding. A deep, dark nose with plum, leather and tobacco, which followed to a big but svelte palate loaded with fruit, good nuance and soft tannins. A big wine, but not clumsy or jammy. Beautifully done for the style.
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Full on blackberries, with brambles, appear on the nose along with some baked pie crust. The wine is nice and clean all across the palate. It's gentle and light up front and the tannins roll in late for a big firm experience full of juicy plum. Some good blackberry flavors show up as well. This wine is very masculine in nature.
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Now here is a rich nose with some depth, jammy and forward again but with some chocolate and leather. Despite being big on the palate the balance here is nice, the fruit/acid/tannin/heat are all in line. Berry pie, Merlot fruit, full figured and soft. Great length on the finish. I really like this, to bad my wife wasn't there to try it because she would have loved this.
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Dense purple color, Nose of French oak-vanilla, super ripe red fruit and sage.. Nice round and silky mouth feel. Very structured and fruit forward on the palate. Very nice wine but is it worth $60.00+ per bottle?
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1/26/2024 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 92 Points
One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Sediment in the bottle and the screen. Moderate nose of blackberry jam during decant. Wine was clear; deep purple with no bricking and a moderate clear halo. After resting, nose added a chocolate mousse component to what can only be described as a blackberry-blueberry compote. In the mouth: more of the same with plenty of acid in support without it upsetting the harmony of the wine. These wines are usually a little fruit-bombish but they are a crowd pleaser at the table. Long finish ending with chocolate mousse. I was pleased to say the least.
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8/12/2023 - OneOfTheBasicFoodGroups Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sadly, the last one. Happily there's the 2007s.
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1/1/2023 - patatty Likes this wine: 94 Points
Soft tannins with cassis flavors and aromas. Dark red color. Opened up with fruit flavors (cherry and blueberry) after decanting for several hours.
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12/30/2022 - OneOfTheBasicFoodGroups Likes this wine: 94 Points
On opening, the first thought was uh-oh I waited too long to enjoy this bottle. But, over next four days (was sealing the bottle with a vac-u vin) the wine started getting back on it's feet and almost back to the level that caused me to fall in love with it. I wouldn't ignore the signals though and will get to my last bottle sooner rather than later.
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11/29/2022 - Manuaia wrote: 89 Points
Baked dark red fruit. Hint of bret. Fruit is slightly drying up. A bit hot and alcoholic. 15.5%. Absolutely zero merlot flavors. Pencil lead. Not my favorite but i can see why they get the scores. Old world palates will not be fans.
2 hours in and is way more harmonious. Still baked fruit and alcoholic but lots of upfront juicy fruit.
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5/19/2022 - fdub Likes this wine: 94 Points
Round and plummy flavors. In a nice spot and great out of Mag.
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12/25/2021 - OneOfTheBasicFoodGroups Likes this wine: 96 Points
My Xmas wine, paired with a rib roast covered in a coffee/brown sugar/nacho chilli rub.
Decanted for three hours (not sure it needed it, but what the hell...). Wine is fully mature, balanced in every way. Super dark color, definitely undertones of chocolate.
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8/28/2021 - fdub Likes this wine: 95 Points
From Mag. Super impressive rich chocolate nose and intense baked spices.
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8/5/2021 - walkerjfw wrote:
In OCNJ with Stephanie/Chris/Valerie. Decanted about 2 hours prior, last bottle in 2018 felt like it had not quite settled and opened. Paired with sausage and peppers (courtesy of Steph). Drank over an hour.
Deep ruby/garnet color, no signs of age. Nose showing dark and blue fruits, licorice. Palate of "plum syrup", black raspberry, mocha, mushroom. Viscous texture through the mid palate. Full body and long finish.
The decant with this bottle made a big difference - the alcohol and show polish was gone. This is a big, lush wine that may be too syrupy for some palates. Did well with the sausages and spice. I recall the 90s vintages of this wine to be more restrained. I am a fan of Pahlmeyer's wines but this one stylistically is not what I would seek in a Merlot
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7/4/2021 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Hour decant. I preferred this to the 2006 Red. Loads of ripe blueberries coated with vanilla Oak. Very smooth with a long finish.
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5/9/2021 - tomlee wrote: 94 Points
Dark crimson in color. 15.2% ABV. Gorgeous nose of red and blue fruits, Whitman Sampler box and violets. Full bodied with ample acidity and notable balance. The wine has a great core of sweet, rich fruit. Cherry, blueberry liqueur, cassis and cocoa on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Stunning Merlot that has aged brilliantly. Best over the next 2-4 years.
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4/28/2021 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
Nose: 90. Palate: 90. (Tasted blind)
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4/28/2021 - Bordeaux_Jon Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Strawberries mixed with volatile acidity, I correctly guess this double blind as a California Merlot. Yuck! High alcohol and high tannins this was quite terrible. Admittedly, I’ve become a Red Burgundy drinker recently, but did I used to like this stuff or is this bottle particularly bad?
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8/21/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
Fragrant nose. Sweet blueberry and raspberry fruit mixed with chocolate and a hint of pepper. Very fine tannins give this a beautiful mouth feel. A bit of heat but not overly distracting. Very full-bodied and saturated. A big wine.
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11/29/2019 - JGvine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beautiful Merlot perhaps we caught it at it s peak
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11/29/2019 - CWilliam wrote:
Served at Thanksgiving.
Dark red/black color with clear meniscus. On nose, sweet red fruits, red liquor (maybe cassis?), red licorice, and touch of oak. Very smooth on the palate. Full body, medium acidity, medium+ tannins and long finish - palate profile similar to nose. Got better with air. this has aged very well. 92+/-
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10/11/2019 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Plenty of alcohol, but also plenty rich blue and black fruits with some sweet Oak. Smooth despite the alcohol and a long finish.
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9/24/2019 - dransford Likes this wine: 95 Points
Awesome, sweet but not overly so. Such good blue fruits. In a good spot.
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2/17/2019 - tomlee wrote: 94 Points
Bright crimson in color. 15.2% ABV. Soaring nose of red and blue fruits, leather, licorice and spice box. Powerful, dense and full bodied. Well balanced. Cassis liqueur, plum sauce, blueberries and chocolate on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and silky. Just a stunning Merlot and without question one of the very best examples of this variety from the state of California. Best over the next 1-3 years.
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2/8/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
Sweet, soft and fruity at first. Dark loam and plums Merlot essence on the nose. Dense and concentrated with chocolate flavors. This will easily last another 10+ years.
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1/21/2019 - Bonanza wrote: 93 Points
Still lots of fruit, but aging improved wine.
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11/15/2018 - markcic Likes this wine: 93 Points
2.5 years later and still a beautiful bottle of wine. Dark fruit and chocolate on the nose. The palate is dark berries, plums, tobacco, some chocolate and a touch of nutmeg. The finish is long and full. At 12 years old this wine is still singing. Unfortunately my last bottle.
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8/12/2018 - czender1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
94. With the age it has really developed well. The balance with nice red fruit, some clove and pepper and well integrated tannins. Long on the palate.
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7/4/2018 - walkerjfw wrote: 89 Points
In OCNJ for bday party/July 4 celbration. Good excuse to try this, bought several years ago at auction. Slow oxed for an hour, drank over 90 minutes
Rich ruby/purple color. Nose was dark fruits, licorice, olives and some alcohol/shoe polish (not in an interesting way) that started to blow off later...Palate was lush, plums, black raspberry, dark fruits, mocha and earth. Nice texture through the mid palate, finish about 30 seconds.
I am a big fan of Pahlmeyer's wines. for this one I had to get through the heat/shoe polish on the nose. This is more of a "bug" than a "feature"...some might disagree but it doesn't add to the wine (IMO). Would give it a long decant next time to see if I can get this to dissipate.
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3/31/2018 - czender1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
concentrated with a nice bouquet, lots of red fruit with a hint of spice on the palate and good depth but some sig. heat from the etoh. better the 2nd day. Still pretty awesome.
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7/4/2017 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 93 Points
Ready to go as a pop and pour. Still highly structured and drank almost like the Cabernet blend but a little flabbier. Baked blackberry, blueberry, toasted vanilla, and damp wood/earth. Will make it 5 more years plus but definitely peaking.
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6/19/2017 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
An over the top heavily extracted and alcoholic Merlot. Dark chocolate (almost unsweetened) over overripe blueberries. Some Oak and hints of blackberries. Still a pretty fine wine that is more than just a fruit bomb.
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6/7/2017 - ddingley Likes this wine: 93 Points
Agree with the very positive notes below, while even very good Merlot is not my varietal preference, this was a very smooth, flavorful bottle of wine with enough interest at the finish to avoid the Merlot flabby aftertaste problem. Really nice wine. Suspect the bad reviews were damaged wine.
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12/25/2016 - kamead wrote:
This wine was lackluster, but fine. I expected more from a wine of this vintage and quality.
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12/9/2016 - Wine_Bear Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Wine was properly stored from purchase until consumed.
The wine had virtually no bouquet. Initial scent had a very faint touch of raspberry, which faded immediately. After aeration, decanting and waiting an hour, there was a slight smell of cocoa, followed by chocolate. That was all there was.
How disappointing for a producer like Pahlmeyer whose other wines we have enjoyed on several occasions.
If you have this, perhaps it should be used for cooking.
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11/1/2016 - Rezy13 wrote:
Tuesday Night Double Blind <$40 (Alpharetta, GA): Opaque core with thinner reddish violet rim; strong oak, pen ink, cedar, sweet, big, nutty, dill, very NW; thick texture, sweet, fig and blackberry preserves, still young and monstrous.
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4/29/2016 - markcic Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted through a vinturi and let sit for an hour and a half. Beautiful nose of dark fruit and chocolate. The palate was dark plums, berries, toffee and a touch of nutmeg. Long smooth finish. Just a beautiful bottle of wine.
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4/29/2016 - Bankpin wrote: 94 Points
- Garnet color.
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1/29/2016 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful bouquet with a lot of sweet spices, chocolate, some medicine and licorice. On the palate a firm amount of sweetness, ripe dark forest fruits; ripe cassis, blackberry and blueberry, licorice, laurel and toast. Beautiful acidity and soft tannin. Beautiful and concentrated wine. Ready now and no problem cellaring this until 2019+
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8/30/2015 - capacious Likes this wine: 93 Points
Amazed by this bottle, Bordeaux like, all at table were similarly struck. I've generally drunk the Merlot quickly, but had saved a few of the older years, and now I'm thinking, that just as I buy Peter Michael Les Pavots in part to maximize the access to the Chards, here, the Merlot might be the real Pahlmeyer Grail. I've never been as impressed with an older Pahlmeyer( ok, 2006 isn't that old) as I was this merlot. I think it's fully mature, and if you have, and have been waiting, give it a try. Excellent.
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8/29/2015 - fdub Likes this wine: 95 Points
Agree with the most recent note below. This bottle is really entering primetime. Also agree that the Merlot is my favorite bottling from Pahlmeyer. Consistently at the top of the heap. Special stuff with minimal air.
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8/8/2015 - Jeff U Likes this wine:
Delicious wine, buy if you find it
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6/22/2015 - richardkim Likes this wine: 94 Points
Blackcurrant, blackberry, leather and mocha, with a silky texture. In an earlier note in 2011 I thought the enjoyment of this wine was tempered by an overly firm acidity. Now, this wine is really singing. Voluptuous and silky.
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12/30/2014 - gf2182 Likes this wine: 93 Points
from magnum...Beautiful bouquet with full body and wonderful mouthfeel. Love this wine! drats... all out
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12/2/2014 - JS199 wrote: 93 Points
A muscular merlot that takes charge. Polished and silky with the tannins starting to fade. Needs an hour of air to sing. Easily the best domestic merlot I've had. Bravo!
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9/29/2014 - jcasey555 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine has matured beautifully. The tannins are smooth with dark fruit and olives on the nose and palate. It was worth the wait
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8/19/2014 - fdub Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really in a prime drinking window right now. Gained depth and complexity over the hour or so in the glass. Nice lush plum, cherry and chocolate notes on the nose and palate. Some crushed herbs back up the primary flavors and add a level of nuance. If drinking now recommend an hour decant.
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7/19/2014 - Surfdoc wrote: 92 Points
Rich, ripe dark berries with full body and smooth texture. Well balanced with soft oak vanillin on the finish.
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6/16/2014 - CWilliam wrote:
Excellent bottle. Decanted for 30 minutes and enjoyed with grilled burgers. Did not take notes but we really enjoyed this and it went great with the cheeseburgers. 92+ Medium body, nice acids, red-currant, black cherry, sweet tobacco on nose & palate.
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3/27/2014 - JS199 wrote: 94 Points
A high end merlot that was seductive from beginning to end. No fading. A big wine with fantastic texture.
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10/26/2013 - soyhead wrote:
a big wine, needs more time in bottle i think
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7/26/2013 - gmbdds wrote: 91 Points
Notes of black cherry, pepper and earth. A nice mix of riper fruit with the secondary notes of a less ripe wine. Reminiscent of certain zins.
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5/26/2013 - jcasey555 wrote: 90 Points
tannins have smoothed and very drinkable now.
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4/16/2013 - vinomex wrote: 93 Points
Napa Merlots for Cab Lovers -NYC Wine Tasting Group (New York, NY): After having tried the 07 Pahlmeyer Merlot, this one was a tad disappointed, it seemed it lacked the structure and depth of the 07. Perhaps being a slightly picky, just not what I expected but still worthy of 93 points.
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4/13/2013 - carstenf wrote: 93 Points
Better than last bottle. This time with charme and fullbodied taste and smell.....Just a nice wine , easy drinking with many good thinks !
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1/8/2013 - Colia wrote: 90 Points
Great nose, but a little hollow in the midpalate. It put on weight after about an hour, giving umph to black raspberry and mocha flavors. Long sweet finish.
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1/1/2013 - carstenf wrote: 90 Points
Last time , about 2 years ago , it was more full of wood and sexy , now more of a wine.
Excellent and fullbodied. Why wait anymore.....
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12/27/2012 - Camacarthur wrote: 88 Points
Big wine with intense fruit like the heavy bottle it comes in. Muscular but not subtle. Bit disappointed that it hasn't developed better.
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7/10/2012 - Tri Wine wrote: 92 Points
Lovely merlot. Can't tell if it's peaking now or not. PnP and probably should have decanted for awhile but went right into it. As we drank it opened up more. Big aromas of dark fruits, caramels, chocolate, and mocha with an impressive finish. Not quite as big as Foley's Merlots, but right up there.
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6/4/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
I had been prepared to aerate this in a decanter, but a quick taste suggested this was a PnP. This is already at peak and does not show the structure for additional cellaring. Full-bodied, with low-ish acids, mature cassis fruit, and aromas and flavors of pie crust and chocolate and ripe blueberry. Good but not great. Drink thru 2019, 15,5% abv
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5/28/2012 - jmathews Likes this wine: 93 Points
I have drunk this wine several times, I had half a case before I started using cellar tracker. This was my second-to-last bottle (whaaaah). I like this wine it is very warm and fruity, but it's got a classic merlot edge. It's big, but balanced. Yum.
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5/27/2012 - Miceri wrote: 94 Points
Very dark red; open nose, strawberry, some pepper; in the mouth dense chocolate, soft, silky with sufficient acidity to keep it together, caramel; long lingering aftertaste; clearly a very bold as opposed to a refined wine, works well with the barbecue
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4/22/2012 - J0R0 wrote: 93 Points
Very well made wine. Fantastic structure, nose and body. Deep, dark color - black in the middle. Drinks like a soft cab with a beautiful long finish shortly after opening. Blue fruits galore. Such a long finish. I'd say this is every bit as good as the 2001 and I tend to prefer this over the Cab.
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3/24/2012 - zolano wrote: 92 Points
I really liked this wine. It showed me what Merlot could actually become if it was treated properly. The flavor was intense for a Merlot with a great deal of plum and hint of earth. It's been a while since I actually had this wine but I did make a note of it in my cellphone. All it said was, "92 rating: Awesome Merlot!"
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3/7/2012 - sjdcellar wrote: 93 Points
this was much better - last bottle was definitely corked or something. great deep merlot taste - more cab like really with vanilla, perfume and subtle spice
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1/23/2012 - sjdcellar wrote: 85 Points
could have been a bad bottle - somewhat sour and light at the edge. not typical Pahlmeyer
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1/1/2012 - AGee wrote: 94 Points
Holy cow, this was good. Has that Bordeaux look in the glass. The best merlot I've ever had. From my foggy memory last night, the transition was outstanding, as was the look, feel, and taste.
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11/10/2011 - Fugu Me wrote:
A powerful, sumptuous merlot with a solid tannic backbone by virtue of the 11% Cab in the mix. A great example of what Merlot can be.
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9/11/2011 - richardkim wrote: 91 Points
Nose of cassis and leather. On the palate blackcurrant, dark fruits, mocha, and a hint of leather and cigar box. Not a lot of tannins, but a firm beam of acidity. This tempers the overall hedonistic quality of the wine.
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8/28/2011 - holly.m.house wrote: 94 Points
- Brick color and has flavours of molasses and black pepper.
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5/31/2011 - rob3putt wrote: 89 Points
Lack of depth
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4/11/2011 - CMz wrote: 90 Points
Opened and decanted for 60 minutes. Deep ruby, dark to the edge. Nose loaded with black cherry, plums, vanilla, spice and cocoa that carries through onto the palate. big, young, well integrated tannins, and almost silky in the mouth. Long finish.
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4/4/2011 - cns wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful wine ... last time, my palate must have been off, long finish, good structure, fruit is well balanced and has nice complexity ... a really wonderful wine!
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4/3/2011 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club does Right Bank (A few US wines) (Kevin's House): A nice wine overall with cherry, spice, vanilla, dust and oak on the nose. The palate picks up some sour cherry. The wine is balanced overall and has a nice finish. Certainly one of the better Merlots I have tasted from California.
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4/2/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Right Bank Bordeaux with some Napa merlot/blends (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark red color. Nose of black cherry, mulberry, vanillla, chocolate. The palate has a lush mouthfeel, with good depth, round integrated tannin and medium finish. This was a lovely wine, an excellent Napa merlot. Not the greatest of QPR's however.
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2/27/2011 - CWilliam wrote: 92 Points
I had this with steaks (great match) after decanting for ~ 1 hour and then pouring back into the bottle. Did not take notes given locale but a very nice wine - gained weight & complexity with airtime so I'd sit on these for another year or two.
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12/6/2010 - jimmythesaint wrote: 92 Points
Given as a gift and always seem to enjoy these wines more as such. When you go in with no great expectation you leave amazed. Lovely bottle.
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12/6/2010 - cns wrote: 94 Points
Wait ... or decant ... waiting will be rewarded.
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10/3/2010 - StainedGlass wrote: 87 Points
Ordered at a restaurant with limited time to decant. Lots of dark sweet cherry and blackberry fruit and alchohol, but disappointed at the lack of depth and complexity at this price point. I would not seek this out, but if I had a bottle I'd hold onto for awhile and decant to see if it improves.
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9/26/2010 - MattMauldin wrote: 83 Points
Decanted 5+ hours. The bouquet was all sweet black and red fruit, along with oak notes. Extremely ripe and sweet on the palate- tons of black, blue, and red fruit; soft and sweet oak spice notes. Supple tannins with a sweet finish and a little heat from the high alcohol. Large and clunky. Not a fan.
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8/15/2010 - jcasey555 wrote: 88 Points
too young, high alcohol lacking finish and nose.
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7/5/2010 - cns Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful wine. Really young, though. Wait 5 more years.
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6/21/2010 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
decanted 2 hrs. Rich and sauve, this wine seldom seems to disappoint. Layers of elegant black and blue fruits on the palate with fine grained tannins and a 30 second finish. Aromas and flavors of pie crust and baking spices add to the complexity and enjoyment. Drink thru 2019.
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5/25/2010 - mdstenner wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Outstanding. A deep, dark nose with plum, leather and tobacco, which followed to a big but svelte palate loaded with fruit, good nuance and soft tannins. A big wine, but not clumsy or jammy. Beautifully done for the style.
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4/19/2010 - AlkiTrader Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine was brought to our table by a table mate at a recent dinner auction. Very nice...smooth and silky.
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3/3/2010 - subtlet Likes this wine: 90 Points
Full on blackberries, with brambles, appear on the nose along with some baked pie crust. The wine is nice and clean all across the palate. It's gentle and light up front and the tannins roll in late for a big firm experience full of juicy plum. Some good blackberry flavors show up as well. This wine is very masculine in nature.
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3/3/2010 - gripNsip wrote: 92 Points
Now here is a rich nose with some depth, jammy and forward again but with some chocolate and leather. Despite being big on the palate the balance here is nice, the fruit/acid/tannin/heat are all in line. Berry pie, Merlot fruit, full figured and soft. Great length on the finish. I really like this, to bad my wife wasn't there to try it because she would have loved this.
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3/1/2010 - profiler54 wrote: 92 Points
Dense purple color, Nose of French oak-vanilla, super ripe red fruit and sage.. Nice round and silky mouth feel. Very structured and fruit forward on the palate. Very nice wine but is it worth $60.00+ per bottle?
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