Nice nose of plum and chocolate. The medium-bodied palate showed blackberries, plum, vanilla, along with tobacco, and a touch of mocha and acidity, and a medium finish. Lots of sediment! It faded over two hours, so probably time to drink up.
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Ruby color. Nose of cherries, blackberries, toasted oak and a little bit of violet poking through. It has a soft attack with sour cherry and cranberry sauce (not the canned stuff) on the palate. Tannins are well integrated and very soft. More cherries and vanilla on the finish, very enjoyable wine! This has at least a few more years left in it.
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Nice nose of blackberry jam with a bit of smoke. The first night, the palate tasted thin & jammy with a short finish and I was ready to dump the bottle. Leaving it with the cork in overnight, the wine was significantly improved. Full of blackberry/raspberry/blueberry jam, adding smoked meat on the midpalate and finish. Lacks tannic structure that could make it much better, but pleasant if you like a fruit-forward wine.
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This is still very good and drinkable. merryberry's 5/16/2011 tasting note is spot on. I could not even come close to writing such an exact and descriptive tasting note.
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Red fruit with a touch of earth, i like the medium finish with a little cola. Bonus points to the wine diamonds, it really didn't have any negative taste to it
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Poked the crystal plug out with a plastic fork handle. Dark crimson red. Raspberry, vanilla, and a bit of spice on the nose. Light to medium bodied, highly extracted cherries, almost jammy, some menthal, soft well integrated tannins, and a cola-tinged, short to medium finish. What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in easy drinkability.
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PnP through vinturi - nose of blackberry and raspberry, something woodsy as well, but not over-oaked, a bit of (good) funk, wish there was more. the nose really starts to sweeten up after some time in the glass, nice tangy fruits. good acidity, and very good finish. Medium-body wine and feels like a Cali-S. Rhone as I believe was the intent. This is a steal at this price from woot. next time I'm getting the max.
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This is a mellow wine. It shows a lot of red fruit and the color is somewhere between Grenache and Syrah. It does feel a little thin but has a wonderful nose and medium finish. The tartrates are somewhat off putting upon opening the bottle but in the end it is a solid bottle of wine. Recommended at under $20
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full review at: http://www.simplehedonisms.com/archives/3379
A red Rhone blend consisting of 42% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 19% Mourvèdre, 9% Petite Sirah. (The latter always debated if a Rhone, but let that slide. ) This wine seems clearly intended to be a pleasant, fruit expressive and easy to drink. I am usually good at pulling out Rhone individual varietal components, but these are quite integrated.
Color: Dark Red/Purple. Clear On the Nose: Blueberry, Black fruit, a touch of smoke, meat. On the Palette: Berries and bright red fruit. Not sophisticated per se, but incredibly easy to drink, well balanced, and enjoyable. Which is what wine is designed for.
An enjoyable red blend that goes down quite nicely alone, sitting on the couch with a book or a movie. Its versatility would pair it well with most meats, many pastas, or even a burger or BBQ.
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Deep magenta color. Blueberry, blackberry, pepper, and a touch of leather on the nose. Bright red cherry juice, crushed pomegranites, almost light bodied, with softly integrated tannins, and a medium finish. Not really a food wine, but easy drinking and undeniably enjoyable. Good QPR.
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Nice, fruit forward juice. I was expecting much more of a tannic hit from the petite sirah in the blend, but that would have affected the easy drinkability of the wine, I suppose.
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A bit more fruit-froward than I would ordinarily want, but it comes out so well. Gotta serve it at the right temp or some of the herby notes come out more. Strong berry flavors make it a really fun summer wine IMO. Well balanced with no heat. Very tasty. Ortman, in general, knows how to make a very tasty pinot
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Great bottle to go with bison burgers and goat cheese. Wonderful purple (yes, purple) color. Plenty of sediment in the form of tartrates, had to puncture them in the neck of the bottle before decanting. Will take more tasting notes on the next two.
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Corks: Rhone v. Rangers: This had been open on the counter for a couple of days. Smoky nose, pencil lead and cigarette. Olives, elegant, blueberry, structured. Impressive effort for $16!
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10/15/2016 - Smcwine Likes this wine: 87 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It tastes like cherry. The body is light/medium.
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2/19/2016 - NoWineWiz wrote: 88 Points
Nice nose of plum and chocolate. The medium-bodied palate showed blackberries, plum, vanilla, along with tobacco, and a touch of mocha and acidity, and a medium finish. Lots of sediment! It faded over two hours, so probably time to drink up.
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4/26/2015 - boylan wrote: 91 Points
Dark berries - baked berries. Vanilla, chocolate, coffee on the nose. Wish it had more acid. Every mouthful different.
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12/25/2014 - jaalol wrote: 88 Points
best & last bottle of the case - absolutely no sediment
unfortunately shared with four family members and only had one glass
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12/5/2014 - jaalol wrote: 89 Points
best bottle of the case - only 1 left
very inconsistent
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1/9/2013 - zards4 wrote:
Just a super solid QPR. Great blend a great balance.
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11/4/2012 - jonb72 wrote: 89 Points
nice smooth bottle. drank over two days - vacuum sealed overnight in the cellar. ripe and fruity but not at all raisiny the next day
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8/16/2012 - Ajrod27 wrote: 88 Points
Ruby color. Nose of cherries, blackberries, toasted oak and a little bit of violet poking through. It has a soft attack with sour cherry and cranberry sauce (not the canned stuff) on the palate. Tannins are well integrated and very soft. More cherries and vanilla on the finish, very enjoyable wine! This has at least a few more years left in it.
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4/17/2012 - boylan wrote: 88 Points
Sour cherries. Medium body. Lost it's aroma fairly quick - drink it in one day. Not a long swallow but it's nice.
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10/14/2011 - BlackIce wrote: 88 Points
Consistent with prior notes. This is a fantastic wine for the price. And it gets even better on Day 2. Yum.
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10/11/2011 - merryberry wrote: 88 Points
Consistent with prior notes. Good fruit with a smokey tinge. High yum factor.
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10/4/2011 - David_T wrote: 86 Points
Nice nose of blackberry jam with a bit of smoke. The first night, the palate tasted thin & jammy with a short finish and I was ready to dump the bottle. Leaving it with the cork in overnight, the wine was significantly improved. Full of blackberry/raspberry/blueberry jam, adding smoked meat on the midpalate and finish. Lacks tannic structure that could make it much better, but pleasant if you like a fruit-forward wine.
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8/30/2011 - BlackIce wrote: 87 Points
This is still very good and drinkable. merryberry's 5/16/2011 tasting note is spot on. I could not even come close to writing such an exact and descriptive tasting note.
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8/10/2011 - cpsmith33 wrote: 87 Points
Tasting at Ortman Family Wines: Pretty good for $20 or less Rhone style blend. Medium bodied, fruit forward wine.
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7/6/2011 - ShermanH wrote: 85 Points
Red fruit with a touch of earth, i like the medium finish with a little cola. Bonus points to the wine diamonds, it really didn't have any negative taste to it
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5/30/2011 - ek287 wrote: 88 Points
Great drinking wine for $15 a bottle
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5/21/2011 - wuwei Likes this wine: 84 Points
balanced and pleasant to drink, but nothing special
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5/16/2011 - merryberry wrote: 87 Points
Poked the crystal plug out with a plastic fork handle. Dark crimson red. Raspberry, vanilla, and a bit of spice on the nose. Light to medium bodied, highly extracted cherries, almost jammy, some menthal, soft well integrated tannins, and a cola-tinged, short to medium finish. What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in easy drinkability.
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5/6/2011 - jhkey wrote: 89 Points
PnP through vinturi - nose of blackberry and raspberry, something woodsy as well, but not over-oaked, a bit of (good) funk, wish there was more. the nose really starts to sweeten up after some time in the glass, nice tangy fruits. good acidity, and very good finish. Medium-body wine and feels like a Cali-S. Rhone as I believe was the intent. This is a steal at this price from woot. next time I'm getting the max.
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4/25/2011 - nlassow wrote:
Decant this one. Once again, we had to puncture the sediment just to pour the wine.
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4/24/2011 - BlackIce wrote: 87 Points
Consistent with all other comments. Very good and yummy.
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4/15/2011 - trifecta wrote: 89 Points
Drinking well. More integrated than my last bottle
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2/4/2011 - TottenCellars wrote:
This is a mellow wine. It shows a lot of red fruit and the color is somewhere between Grenache and Syrah. It does feel a little thin but has a wonderful nose and medium finish. The tartrates are somewhat off putting upon opening the bottle but in the end it is a solid bottle of wine. Recommended at under $20
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12/1/2010 - SonomaWilliam wrote: 89 Points
full review at: http://www.simplehedonisms.com/archives/3379
A red Rhone blend consisting of 42% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 19% Mourvèdre, 9% Petite Sirah. (The latter always debated if a Rhone, but let that slide. ) This wine seems clearly intended to be a pleasant, fruit expressive and easy to drink. I am usually good at pulling out Rhone individual varietal components, but these are quite integrated.
Color: Dark Red/Purple. Clear
On the Nose: Blueberry, Black fruit, a touch of smoke, meat.
On the Palette: Berries and bright red fruit. Not sophisticated per se, but incredibly easy to drink, well balanced, and enjoyable. Which is what wine is designed for.
An enjoyable red blend that goes down quite nicely alone, sitting on the couch with a book or a movie. Its versatility would pair it well with most meats, many pastas, or even a burger or BBQ.
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8/24/2010 - dlstrauss wrote: 88 Points
Good. Very drinkable and smooth. Nothing very interesting/exciting.
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6/19/2010 - merryberry wrote: 88 Points
Deep magenta color. Blueberry, blackberry, pepper, and a touch of leather on the nose. Bright red cherry juice, crushed pomegranites, almost light bodied, with softly integrated tannins, and a medium finish. Not really a food wine, but easy drinking and undeniably enjoyable. Good QPR.
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5/31/2010 - JJHACamp wrote: 90 Points
jammy..little touch of sweetness on the front..would almost mistake this for an Australian shiraz..would/will definitely buy more
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5/30/2010 - ftleistn wrote: 86 Points
Very good wine for the price. Fruit is excellent and nicely balanced. The blend makes for a unique wine
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5/28/2010 - saxwizerd45 Likes this wine: 87 Points
Nice, fruit forward juice. I was expecting much more of a tannic hit from the petite sirah in the blend, but that would have affected the easy drinkability of the wine, I suppose.
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5/28/2010 - rmm wrote: 87 Points
A bit more fruit-froward than I would ordinarily want, but it comes out so well. Gotta serve it at the right temp or some of the herby notes come out more. Strong berry flavors make it a really fun summer wine IMO. Well balanced with no heat. Very tasty. Ortman, in general, knows how to make a very tasty pinot
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5/24/2010 - nlassow wrote: 87 Points
Great bottle to go with bison burgers and goat cheese. Wonderful purple (yes, purple) color. Plenty of sediment in the form of tartrates, had to puncture them in the neck of the bottle before decanting. Will take more tasting notes on the next two.
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3/4/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 91 Points
Corks: Rhone v. Rangers: This had been open on the counter for a couple of days. Smoky nose, pencil lead and cigarette. Olives, elegant, blueberry, structured. Impressive effort for $16!
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7/4/2009 - kstoddard wrote: 86 Points
Blackberry, Blueberry, raspberry and chocolate. Rich earthy finish. 1600 cases made.
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2/27/2009 - Hazeo wrote: 88 Points
Bright rhone blend, definitely a different style as there's not much licorice or dark plum, lacks sophistication overall but also no big flaws either.
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