Worth the wait. Just fantastic. Perfectly balanced, right fruit, tannins integrated, secondary aromas and flavours have come out. Leafy, herbaceous, and enough cherry fruit to balance out all out. This is to me the ideal merlot.
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Decanted about a half hour before dinner (grilled petite sirloin, oven fries and fresh broccoli.) Still magnificent. Still getting a nice graphite/cedar note, along with lots of dark fruit. This was my last bottle - wish I had one or two more!
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Sad to say my last bottle of Merlot Helios from Cathy Corison was a corked bottle. The only positive was the glug glug sound as it was poured down the drain. Very sad....
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Tight at first, opens up over the next couple of hours. Aromas of cedar and cranberries. Lovely flavors of cassis and spice. Lingering spicy finish. Beautifully balanced, classic Napa merlot.
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Fantastic wine. Lots of time left on it. Flavours of ripe bramble fruit and cedar with a bit of meat. Good tannin that is not all the way resolved, and great acid. Tasting good now and will go for probably 2-3 more years.
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A little angular and disjointed on day 1, gorgeous on day 2. Possibly due to warmer temp (had only recently been pulled from 55 deg cellar). Nicely balanced, red fruits.
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Wonderful straight out of the bottle, w/o decant or Vinturi. Definitely tasting the cedar/pencil lead. Wonderful mouthfeel, just a little bite to the tannins.
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Most likely the best bottle of Merlot I've ever had. Opened the bottle the night before. Upon pop and pour, there was fruit with quite a bit of pencil lead (of all things). Try equating the smell of freshly sharpened pencil as a kid but then putting into a taste. Odd but very good. The 2nd night, it had smoothed out with the same fruit but less of the pencil lead note. This is superb.
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Right in my wheelhouse, black cherry cedar and leather. Decant one hour and the fruit is bright medium body nice acid, very well balanced. I think there is more leather on the finish than wood, very true to the varietal. Nice work for a second label.
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Nose: sour cherry and plum or raspberry followed by hints of leather and cedar
Taste: black cherry followed by spices and a lingering tobacco/leather/woody finish. Subdued but balanced acidity. A bit of very fine tannin. Medium body
I like it and the gal gives it a thumbs up except the finish (not a fan of woody)
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Had this with a goose shot in ME. The wine was great, not so sure about the goose. Decanted about an hour before dinner. Nice color. Good fruit, nice acidity.
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Great hints of barnyard and musty earth on the nose. Complimenting structure of rich (but not jammy) deep red fruit. A little rough around the edges. Not sure if needed more opening-up or not.
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Should have written this during the first glass, not the second. Also noticed that the "power" of this wine went away fairly quickly ... it's still a lovely drinker, but much more muted than originally.
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Nose of licorice, cola and some green pepper. Dark fruit flavors are a little "green" with a little bite and plenty of spice. The body is still thin and lacking a bit, as is the finish.
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Incredibly smooth. Very little complexity, but it is a pleasant bottle of wine nonetheless. It is a little thin for my palette, but perhaps I am not used to 100% Merlot in my Merlot's. Bottom line is that it didn't blow me away, but I found it to be a very easy drinking wine.
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Wow. Great bottle of wine. Pop and pour, it was excellent with a lot of cherry and some floral notes. The one negative was that it died fairly quickly. I came back to it a few hours later and it was definitely on it's way down.
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This was one of the best Merlot's I have ever had. I can not believe this is a second label. Started out with a real floral taste with some spice, almost too much on the floral side for me. After sitting for about 20 minutes the floral notes faded and the fruit and a little spice/heat came out to make this one of the most enjoyable merlots for me. Would snatch it up again in a heartbeat and can not wait to try the Helios Cab
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7/31/2015 - klezman wrote:
Worth the wait. Just fantastic. Perfectly balanced, right fruit, tannins integrated, secondary aromas and flavours have come out. Leafy, herbaceous, and enough cherry fruit to balance out all out. This is to me the ideal merlot.
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7/11/2015 - foobarski Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted about a half hour before dinner (grilled petite sirloin, oven fries and fresh broccoli.) Still magnificent. Still getting a nice graphite/cedar note, along with lots of dark fruit. This was my last bottle - wish I had one or two more!
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7/17/2012 - BlackIce wrote: flawed
Sad to say my last bottle of Merlot Helios from Cathy Corison was a corked bottle. The only positive was the glug glug sound as it was poured down the drain. Very sad....
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5/26/2012 - vaaccess wrote: 90 Points
Very smooth, what a good Merlot should be!!!
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2/19/2012 - wineshlub wrote: 91 Points
Tight at first, opens up over the next couple of hours. Aromas of cedar and cranberries. Lovely flavors of cassis and spice. Lingering spicy finish. Beautifully balanced, classic Napa merlot.
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12/5/2011 - klezman Likes this wine:
Fantastic wine. Lots of time left on it. Flavours of ripe bramble fruit and cedar with a bit of meat. Good tannin that is not all the way resolved, and great acid. Tasting good now and will go for probably 2-3 more years.
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10/13/2011 - aces219 wrote:
A little angular and disjointed on day 1, gorgeous on day 2. Possibly due to warmer temp (had only recently been pulled from 55 deg cellar). Nicely balanced, red fruits.
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9/17/2011 - foobarski wrote: 90 Points
Wonderful straight out of the bottle, w/o decant or Vinturi. Definitely tasting the cedar/pencil lead. Wonderful mouthfeel, just a little bite to the tannins.
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9/14/2011 - BlackIce wrote: 91 Points
Most likely the best bottle of Merlot I've ever had. Opened the bottle the night before. Upon pop and pour, there was fruit with quite a bit of pencil lead (of all things). Try equating the smell of freshly sharpened pencil as a kid but then putting into a taste. Odd but very good. The 2nd night, it had smoothed out with the same fruit but less of the pencil lead note. This is superb.
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9/5/2011 - AGenochio wrote: 88 Points
drinking well right now
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8/18/2011 - AMV8_79 wrote: 89 Points
tried a day after a bottle of 2003 Corison cab and preferred this.
wonderfully balanced and drinkable for a merlot. finish feels a little flat
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4/13/2011 - fullpour wrote:
Really beautiful stuff, very European in intent and affect. Wonderfully balanced; all elements in harmony with each other.
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3/13/2011 - mbmiche wrote: 90 Points
ran through vinturi. leather on the nose and finish. subdued flavors. not peppery. tasty with dark chocolate (80%). good QPR
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3/3/2011 - scott w wrote: 90 Points
Right in my wheelhouse, black cherry cedar and leather. Decant one hour and the fruit is bright medium body nice acid, very well balanced. I think there is more leather on the finish than wood, very true to the varietal. Nice work for a second label.
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2/19/2011 - cmaldoon Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted 45 min
Color: slightly brownish red. Fairly transparent.
Nose: sour cherry and plum or raspberry followed by hints of leather and cedar
Taste: black cherry followed by spices and a lingering tobacco/leather/woody finish. Subdued but balanced acidity. A bit of very fine tannin. Medium body
I like it and the gal gives it a thumbs up except the finish (not a fan of woody)
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2/13/2011 - PolarBear22 wrote: 89 Points
Had this with a goose shot in ME. The wine was great, not so sure about the goose. Decanted about an hour before dinner. Nice color. Good fruit, nice acidity.
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11/27/2010 - joannevicious wrote: 89 Points
Great hints of barnyard and musty earth on the nose. Complimenting structure of rich (but not jammy) deep red fruit. A little rough around the edges. Not sure if needed more opening-up or not.
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10/19/2010 - jeffu wrote: 89 Points
Good value - a little lighter than I remember.
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9/28/2010 - nlassow wrote:
Drink up. This went down a little too easy last night. Agree with other tasters, somewhat muted. Enjoyed none the less.
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1/30/2010 - PolarBear22 wrote: 89 Points
Used Vinituri. Great color. Nice nose. Wine had good body with some smooth tannins.
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1/30/2010 - foobarski wrote: 89 Points
Should have written this during the first glass, not the second. Also noticed that the "power" of this wine went away fairly quickly ... it's still a lovely drinker, but much more muted than originally.
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12/10/2009 - gvmoore wrote: 87 Points
Nose of licorice, cola and some green pepper. Dark fruit flavors are a little "green" with a little bite and plenty of spice. The body is still thin and lacking a bit, as is the finish.
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10/23/2009 - dsapp wrote: 87 Points
A bit thin and lacking complexity. I love Corison wines, but this wasn't my favorite.
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10/19/2009 - RossR wrote: 90 Points
Wow, if all merlot tasted like this I'd drink more of it!!!
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6/25/2009 - nibiru wrote: 90 Points
See jeffu remarks.
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6/9/2009 - jeffu wrote:
90 - Fantastic Merlot - great fruit on the nose that follows through on the palate - not over ripe, just right.
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5/28/2009 - dublwrap wrote: 90 Points
Another fabulous Cathy Corison offering. Great QPR.
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5/19/2009 - schuey wrote: 88 Points
Incredibly smooth. Very little complexity, but it is a pleasant bottle of wine nonetheless.
It is a little thin for my palette, but perhaps I am not used to 100% Merlot in my Merlot's.
Bottom line is that it didn't blow me away, but I found it to be a very easy drinking wine.
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5/8/2009 - mzf wrote: 92 Points
Wow. Great bottle of wine. Pop and pour, it was excellent with a lot of cherry and some floral notes. The one negative was that it died fairly quickly. I came back to it a few hours later and it was definitely on it's way down.
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4/12/2009 - dsm0721 wrote: 90 Points
This was one of the best Merlot's I have ever had. I can not believe this is a second label. Started out with a real floral taste with some spice, almost too much on the floral side for me. After sitting for about 20 minutes the floral notes faded and the fruit and a little spice/heat came out to make this one of the most enjoyable merlots for me. Would snatch it up again in a heartbeat and can not wait to try the Helios Cab
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3/29/2009 - RossR wrote: 90 Points
This is a second label wine? really?
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3/11/2009 - jwh wrote: 89 Points
An excellent Merlot. A lot of the complexity I typically expect from more expensive cabs. Definitely recommend.
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