Despite being 15 years old, opaque dark purple. Enticing aromas of black cherry, Just enough tannin to be firm and dry without being tight or astringent. Enters the mouth very rounded and integrated, even near caressing. The swallow shows the most acidity and dryness. A beautifully aged treat to taste. Will drink equally well for at least years more. 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 62% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petite Verdot.
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I'm hoping that this may come around on the second day. I bought this three years ago after tasting it. So I must have liked it then. Anyway, now this seems over ripe, over fruity, over powering. I did not enjoy it at all. The nose developed some strange notes, most notably the "army surplus store" aroma. (????????) I decanted for well over four hours and it seems that nothing much happened in that time. I agree with another member who says that this seems "candied." I'll revisit this tomorrow......Day Two: It definitely improved. More pleasant aromas of cherry and cola came out. The harshness of the over-concentration was gone and it now drinks very easily. I actually wanted to finish the bottle.
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Nice color in the glass with slight hints of cedar and cigar. The majority of the blend is Merlot - so the wine overall is softer on the palate. It probably drank better one year ago - but not bad now. I wouldn't wait to consume any bottles as this wine appears to have already hit its peak.
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Intense spicy aromas along with cassis and rosemary. Flavors of cassis & black cherry, bitter chocolate, cedar, coat the palate before another hit of spiciness sneaks in at the end. Nice length. Delicious and very well made. My bottle was in a great place, and I'm putting the rest on my drink list (Now-2014).
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Very fruity. A bit ripe for my taste and slightly candied. A nice effort, but missing something to provide more balance. Nice dark berries with a hint of spice. Slight astringency, still some tannins. Not convinced this will get better given the slight confectionary notes.
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Deep dark color. Nose is dark cherries, cocoa and dustiness. Palate is cherries and dark fruit with a little vanilla and maybe some mocha. Excellent mouth feel with soft but present tannins that carry the taste throughout and a pleasant long finish.
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Color: Dark purple. Nose: Bing cherries, dark chocolate and a strong essence of blueberry. Palate: Vanilla, spice box, blackberries and mocha. I enjoyed the aroma of this wine but felt it was “over oaked” for my palate.
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Beautiful claret. Beautiful. Blueberries and milk chocolate. Balanced and elegant. A great value. Luscious and velvety mouthfeel. Sweet yet with bracing acidity.
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Decanted for two hours. Dark fruits on the nose. On palate this wine has a nice combination of cherries and black fruits. It has nice purity with an authentic taste of fresh fruit (not confectioned). The wine was still not fully open at the two hour point, but was consumed by our party of four never the less. The finish is delicious about 10 seconds in length, and still tannic. Drink with a 3 hour + decant or hold (3-7 years). Easily a 90+ bottle in a few years.
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Pretty nose of cherries and berries, with a little vanilla; bright red and purple cherry and berry flavors, some vanilla, and cocoa towards the end; supple tannins and a wonderful lingering finish. Delicious! 62% merlot, 33% cabernet sauvignon, with some cabernet franc and petite verdot.
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Light nose with spice box hints. Medium bodied red fruit with slight mineral/dust flavors. Somewhat disappointing, this was not as good as some bottles of three vineyards I have had, perhaps this was a bad bottle?
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Dark Purple in the glass all the way to the rim. Blackberry, a ton of Mocha and a hint of Vanilla on the nose. Lush wine with gripping tannins at first which slowly integrated over the hour or so I had it on the first day. The only problem was that this really fell off on the second day. I would have given it a higher score, but on the second day, it felt a little austere and thin. Not nearly as good as the first day. So the score is somehwat an "average of the 2 nights.
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One leg in the old world and one leg in the new. Red fruit one the nose, forest floor. Holds up well on the palate with mushrooms, earth and medium fruit. Slightly oaky, but not distracting.
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Nice nose with black cherry spice, red and dark fruit on the palate, some black cherry, cherry, and small spice on the end. Nice mouthfeel, structure, as well as a decent finish.
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Nice color and good amount of black fruit on the nose and spiciness that first reminded me of Vicks vapor rub. Nice mouth feel and the spiciness become more apparent with hints of vanilla and forest. Though it was spicy, the merlot base definitely smoothed out the overall balance of the wine for me. Finish didn’t last a whole long time, but it was nice.
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A bit angular at first, this wine opened up over the hour plus it was consumed. Made an excellent match for the prime rib it was served with. It shows good balance, plenty of fruit, and a nice finish. Mostly primary flavors though, not a lot in the way of secondary nuances. This will please the hedonist more than the intellectual. Everyone at the table preferred this to the 98 Smith Haut Laffite it was consumed with.
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Overall, good value. Big generous nose, but doesn't deliver completely on the palette. Red fruit is a touch too bitter, but well balanced with crisp acidity. Nice soft tannin structure that lingers on the finish. Nice wine for the price. B/B-.
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We drank with Apricot Lamb Chops on 12/10/07. It decanted it for 2 hours and was very mild and silky with cedar, smoke, and perfume aromas. It followed with black plum, raspberry, and spices on the palate. It had good balance and a long tannic finish (dry and a little astringent).
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A great wine - especially for the buck. The color is deep ruby with excellent legs. The merlot blend leads to a nose of vanilla, spearmint and espresso. Beautiful body and a round finish. The palate has flavors of chocolate and dark red berries. This is a great example of how Washington wines show excellent value. Enjoyable even for the most discerning palate.
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A worthwhile purchase from Washington state's Red Mountrain. Really food freindly. Has lots of oak and fruit. Must be a significant percentage of Merlot but I don't see the mix.
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Reminds me of a Pomerol. Very delicate but delicious red cherry, spice, and oak. Medium bodied wine with a clean and fruit driven finish. This Merlot dominated wine would be a compliment to a variety of game dishes.
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Yummy nose, full of dark fruits. The aromas promise a serious wine. On the palate, gorgeous blackberry fruit delivers. But this seems much different then the '03. Much lower acidity, and lighter tannins. This is a softer, lusher wine. Some chocolate notes come on in the finish. This is still a nice wine, and a great value, but it seems like a more friendlier version of the more structured '03.
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I liked this wine, great nose, spice, blackberry, Taste was good not as good as the nose, but it was smooth, decent tannin structure with good acidity. Decent finish that had some dark chocolate on the finish.
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Washington Wine Highway (Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA): Dark ruby color. The nose of this wine had cherry, blueberry and blackberry aromas. The palate didn't quite live up to the nose, but it was close. The flavors of dark fruits were there under the smoky spices that dominated the palate. Medium to full bodied wine with good mouthfeel, but a short to medium finish.
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Some alchohol on the nose but mainly good strong earthy fruit; relatively light color; Full round palate with some tannins but not to the point of interfering; 4-12-16-8
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7/18/2021 - cebo2hot wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured, still tasty, juicy, smooth. A little musty, but almost 20yrs old.
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6/2/2019 - Mossrose wrote: 93 Points
Despite being 15 years old, opaque dark purple. Enticing aromas of black cherry, Just enough tannin to be firm and dry without being tight or astringent. Enters the mouth very rounded and integrated, even near caressing. The swallow shows the most acidity and dryness. A beautifully aged treat to taste. Will drink equally well for at least years more. 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 62% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petite Verdot.
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3/12/2013 - ecola Likes this wine: 89 Points
A little over oaked but very good. Red and black berries. Smooth from start to finish.
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9/18/2011 - truckseller wrote: 91 Points
Black cherry, licorice and earth on the nose, dark chocolate and cherry leading to a long finish. last bottle of this, sorry to see it go.
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5/29/2011 - MikenSue wrote: 91 Points
Just finished the last bottle of the 04. still very good. Like saying goodbye to an old friend.
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4/24/2011 - pouncey wrote: 88 Points
I'm hoping that this may come around on the second day. I bought this three years ago after tasting it. So I must have liked it then. Anyway, now this seems over ripe, over fruity, over powering. I did not enjoy it at all. The nose developed some strange notes, most notably the "army surplus store" aroma. (????????) I decanted for well over four hours and it seems that nothing much happened in that time. I agree with another member who says that this seems "candied." I'll revisit this tomorrow......Day Two: It definitely improved. More pleasant aromas of cherry and cola came out. The harshness of the over-concentration was gone and it now drinks very easily. I actually wanted to finish the bottle.
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4/22/2011 - kuhawk88 wrote: 86 Points
Nice color in the glass with slight hints of cedar and cigar. The majority of the blend is Merlot - so the wine overall is softer on the palate. It probably drank better one year ago - but not bad now. I wouldn't wait to consume any bottles as this wine appears to have already hit its peak.
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4/7/2011 - MountainMak wrote: 89 Points
great dark cherries, still some nice fruit flavor and freshness. Still great the second day (vino stopper). sad to see it go.
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11/25/2010 - stevemn wrote: 84 Points
Full and rich dark fruits with smooth tannins.
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9/7/2010 - MarkLA wrote: 89 Points
Intense spicy aromas along with cassis and rosemary. Flavors of cassis & black cherry, bitter chocolate, cedar, coat the palate before another hit of spiciness sneaks in at the end. Nice length.
Delicious and very well made. My bottle was in a great place, and I'm putting the rest on my drink list (Now-2014).
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5/3/2010 - winegr wrote: 87 Points
Very fruity. A bit ripe for my taste and slightly candied. A nice effort, but missing something to provide more balance. Nice dark berries with a hint of spice. Slight astringency, still some tannins. Not convinced this will get better given the slight confectionary notes.
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10/2/2009 - cabdrinker wrote: flawed
Flawed.
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9/2/2009 - Bellissimo wrote: 89 Points
Deep dark color. Nose is dark cherries, cocoa and dustiness. Palate is cherries and dark fruit with a little vanilla and maybe some mocha. Excellent mouth feel with soft but present tannins that carry the taste throughout and a pleasant long finish.
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8/13/2009 - dawgdaze wrote: 85 Points
Color: Dark purple. Nose: Bing cherries, dark chocolate and a strong essence of blueberry. Palate: Vanilla, spice box, blackberries and mocha. I enjoyed the aroma of this wine but felt it was “over oaked” for my palate.
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5/22/2009 - TannicBeast wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful claret. Beautiful. Blueberries and milk chocolate. Balanced and elegant. A great value. Luscious and velvety mouthfeel. Sweet yet with bracing acidity.
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4/4/2009 - Cellar Fiend wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for two hours. Dark fruits on the nose. On palate this wine has a nice combination of cherries and black fruits. It has nice purity with an authentic taste of fresh fruit (not confectioned). The wine was still not fully open at the two hour point, but was consumed by our party of four never the less. The finish is delicious about 10 seconds in length, and still tannic. Drink with a 3 hour + decant or hold (3-7 years). Easily a 90+ bottle in a few years.
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1/18/2009 - Bellissimo wrote: 88 Points
Deep dark color, with loads of dark cherries, chocolate and a bit of dustiness. Present tannins lead to a medium finish.
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12/3/2008 - wahoo70 wrote: 89 Points
Pretty nose of cherries and berries, with a little vanilla; bright red and purple cherry and berry flavors, some vanilla, and cocoa towards the end; supple tannins and a wonderful lingering finish. Delicious! 62% merlot, 33% cabernet sauvignon, with some cabernet franc and petite verdot.
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10/27/2008 - RPerro wrote: 90 Points
Decanted, but not really needed. This wine is dark, fruity, smells and tastes like liquid chocolate, and is ready to drink now!
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9/15/2008 - Bellissimo wrote: 88 Points
Again dark cherries and chocolate in a bottle. Who needs port and chocolate when you can have it all in one bottle?
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8/28/2008 - Bellissimo wrote: 88 Points
Dark berries and chocolate in a bottle
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8/12/2008 - winejnky wrote: 86 Points
Light nose with spice box hints. Medium bodied red fruit with slight mineral/dust flavors. Somewhat disappointing, this was not as good as some bottles of three vineyards I have had, perhaps this was a bad bottle?
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7/13/2008 - EMichels wrote: 90 Points
Bright, sweet cherry; Meaty
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6/3/2008 - vinoceros wrote: 90 Points
Repeat.
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4/16/2008 - yonster24 wrote: 87 Points
Dark Purple in the glass all the way to the rim. Blackberry, a ton of Mocha and a hint of Vanilla on the nose. Lush wine with gripping tannins at first which slowly integrated over the hour or so I had it on the first day. The only problem was that this really fell off on the second day. I would have given it a higher score, but on the second day, it felt a little austere and thin. Not nearly as good as the first day. So the score is somehwat an "average of the 2 nights.
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4/12/2008 - dubdub wrote:
One leg in the old world and one leg in the new. Red fruit one the nose, forest floor. Holds up well on the palate with mushrooms, earth and medium fruit. Slightly oaky, but not distracting.
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3/8/2008 - manonthemoon wrote: 87 Points
Nice nose with black cherry spice, red and dark fruit on the palate, some black cherry, cherry, and small spice on the end.
Nice mouthfeel, structure, as well as a decent finish.
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3/5/2008 - vinoceros wrote: 90 Points
Repeat.
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2/19/2008 - cabdrinker wrote: 87 Points
Nice color and good amount of black fruit on the nose and spiciness that first reminded me of Vicks vapor rub. Nice mouth feel and the spiciness become more apparent with hints of vanilla and forest. Though it was spicy, the merlot base definitely smoothed out the overall balance of the wine for me. Finish didn’t last a whole long time, but it was nice.
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1/19/2008 - mikecase00 wrote: 91 Points
A bit angular at first, this wine opened up over the hour plus it was consumed. Made an excellent match for the prime rib it was served with. It shows good balance, plenty of fruit, and a nice finish. Mostly primary flavors though, not a lot in the way of secondary nuances. This will please the hedonist more than the intellectual. Everyone at the table preferred this to the 98 Smith Haut Laffite it was consumed with.
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12/27/2007 - vinoceros wrote: 90 Points
Very nice wine. Baking spices, dark berries and chocolate.
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12/21/2007 - Combee1 wrote: 87 Points
Overall, good value. Big generous nose, but doesn't deliver completely on the palette. Red fruit is a touch too bitter, but well balanced with crisp acidity. Nice soft tannin structure that lingers on the finish. Nice wine for the price. B/B-.
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12/10/2007 - garambler wrote: 90 Points
We drank with Apricot Lamb Chops on 12/10/07. It decanted it for 2 hours and was very mild and silky with cedar, smoke, and perfume aromas. It followed with black plum, raspberry, and spices on the palate. It had good balance and a long tannic finish (dry and a little astringent).
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12/9/2007 - vinoceros wrote: 91 Points
A great wine made in more of an old world style. Dark fruit and chocolate flavors. Medium length finish.
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11/4/2007 - beezer6 wrote: 91 Points
A great wine - especially for the buck.
The color is deep ruby with excellent legs.
The merlot blend leads to a nose of vanilla, spearmint and espresso.
Beautiful body and a round finish. The palate has flavors of chocolate and dark red berries.
This is a great example of how Washington wines show excellent value.
Enjoyable even for the most discerning palate.
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10/4/2007 - N2Vin wrote: 90 Points
A worthwhile purchase from Washington state's Red Mountrain. Really food freindly. Has lots of oak and fruit. Must be a significant percentage of Merlot but I don't see the mix.
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10/2/2007 - MarcInDSM wrote: 86 Points
Loads od earth, dirt, manure. Not bad.
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9/15/2007 - N2Vin wrote: 90 Points
Reminds me of a Pomerol. Very delicate but delicious red cherry, spice, and oak. Medium bodied wine with a clean and fruit driven finish. This Merlot dominated wine would be a compliment to a variety of game dishes.
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9/2/2007 - vinole wrote: 88 Points
Dark fruit flavors, with a little acidity, earth, and sourness and a medium length, hot finish.
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8/20/2007 - hutch wrote: 88 Points
Yummy nose, full of dark fruits. The aromas promise a serious wine. On the palate, gorgeous blackberry fruit delivers. But this seems much different then the '03. Much lower acidity, and lighter tannins. This is a softer, lusher wine. Some chocolate notes come on in the finish. This is still a nice wine, and a great value, but it seems like a more friendlier version of the more structured '03.
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8/20/2007 - Noto Bene wrote: 90 Points
I liked this wine, great nose, spice, blackberry, Taste was good not as good as the nose, but it was smooth, decent tannin structure with good acidity. Decent finish that had some dark chocolate on the finish.
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5/26/2007 - last chance wrote: 84 Points
Washington Wine Highway (Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA): Dark ruby color. The nose of this wine had cherry, blueberry and blackberry aromas. The palate didn't quite live up to the nose, but it was close. The flavors of dark fruits were there under the smoky spices that dominated the palate. Medium to full bodied wine with good mouthfeel, but a short to medium finish.
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3/22/2007 - EMichels wrote: 90 Points
Some alchohol on the nose but mainly good strong earthy fruit; relatively light color; Full round palate with some tannins but not to the point of interfering; 4-12-16-8
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