Intense dark fruit balanced with aged tannins and great acidity. The nose was a good preview of the taste, full and intense. Decanted and filtered... opened up in about a half hour. Easily can hold up for several more years.
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Bright, medium/deep garnet. Aromas of blueberry, black cherry, cinnamon, leather, smoked meat, broiled steak?, anise, and cigar box. Deep flavors of blueberry, black cherry, black olive, anise, and cigar box, with a long finish and balanced tannins. Great with 70% cacao dark chocolate!
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I can't believe I only paid $20 for this Cab. 2007 was such a wonderful year. This is a well balanced, integrated, tasty Cab with good structure. So very sad I didn't purchase a case or 3 when I had the chance. This is great with lasagna---but won't over power a lighter dish such as chicken either.
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Four years I opened this on Jan 10th and I'm down to my last bottle. Aromas of grilled meat, dark fruits, cocoa and coffee. The palate shows blackberry, black currant, cocoa, and dried herbs/earth. Integrated, medium acid/tannins and a medium finish. Tasting like its at or nearing its peak with the fruit starting to subside and the non-fruit notes starting to shine. Should last several more years but don't wait too much longer. Enjoyable wine.
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Took a couple of hours in the decanter for it to open fully. Licorice and green pepper aromas. Loads of fruit (black cherry, plum, black raspberry, and cassis) on the palate. Still plenty of tannins, so this will hold in the cellar. Only adequate acidity. Good finish.
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Drinking very well right now. Smooth mouthfeel with red berries, smoked meat, and some black pepper. Pretty tight on the back end. The finish may soften with food.
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Three years in a row and another solid showing. The aromas/flavors match my note from a year ago perfectly, and at this point the acid/tannins/fruit are fully integrated making for a smooth glass of wine.
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Smoked cherry and cranberry mingle with brick and earthy aromas. Smooth, weighty mouthfeel with plenty of soft cherry fruit, pretty floral, nutmeg, chocolate, brick and black coffee flavors. With a dashing finish which lasts for a full minute.
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Fresh and vibrant, with a smooth mouthfeel and a gulpable palate of dark berries and cocoa notes. Not super concentrated or very long, but a better-than-average cab at a fair price.
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The nose is a bit flat but filled with ripe inky ripe blue/black fruit, mocha, and vanilla extract. The palate is much of the same, initially focused on sweet black fruits, vanilla, and cedar. The mid-palate integrates a bit more spicy fruit, focusing more on black current and cassis with warm baking spice. The finish is medium in length with moderate tannins to lend structure to flavors of fig, toasty oak, and dark chocolate. The wine is full and lush, stopping only a bit short of going over the top. This has nice primary flavors but is somewhat flat and may appeal more to those who enjoy bigger wines. It did, however, improve with more time in the glass. R&M 83
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This bottle again has tons of chocolate along with cherry on the nose. I didn't read my last note before opening this and it was still obvious. The palate isn't doing quite as much for me now as my last bottle. The fruit seems to have faded somewhat, with the tannins overwhelming it a bit. Notes of black currant, spice and cedar. Opened up somewhat with about an hour of air. It will be interesting to see how it evolves on day two and I will update this note if it changes. It will also be interesting to see whether it improves with age or if the fruit continues to fall off. Day two is slightly better; things seem more integrated and a nice herbal note came through on both the nose and palate.
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Had this three different times in a 4 month time span. It was good the first time, great the second time and fair the third time. The score is kind an average of the bunch. If you come across it and are looking for a solid new world style Cab, it is hard to do better IMHO. Even the last bottle was better than most wines offered at this price point from the west coast.
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I was really hard on this wine earlier this year and rescind the 85. I let this one decant for 2 hours and it came together nicely. It still wasn't a rockstar wine but was quite enjoyable. It still have classic washington cabernet flavors...dark black fruits with more herbal tones. The improvement was felt in the finish which is substantially longer.
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Very oakey up front. Dark fruit and herbal. Aerated but still took to the last couple of glasses to smooth out. I would still rate this a very good wine for the price.
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A bit too much oak for me. In fact, way more than I remembered. It did blow off a bit after an hour or so in bottle (or maybe I just acclimated). Also, it was consumed after/next to a 2008 Zweigelt, so the oak was likely pronounced in comparison.
But all things equal, still a very nice wine.
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Consumed over several days, last glass was the best. A little more refined and less fruity than the last bottle (1 yr ago), still plenty of fruit and that funky-almost- barossa-like aroma, good balance, strong mid-palate. Looking forward to seeing how the rest develop.
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Great everyday drinker! Can't beat it for the price. Served to some guests who like Cab and they loved it. Couldn't believe it when I told them what it costs. Great bargain.
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off smell, wine was off as welll, shared with a guest who still drank it...go figure Too bad considering the reviews. This was a gift, maybe someone let it get hot in a car or something. Didn't taste particularly corky, just off.
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THis is really quite a lovely wine. Nicely structured, with high quality fruit, robust tannin, well-balanced acid and a fairly long finish. Oak influence remains congruent with a greenness that is altogether delicious. Beats the pants off many other WA cabs at half the price.
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Second of two bottles opened last night. Most of this one was sealed and put in the fridge until today. Time brought more balance. Consistent with previous note. Would buy again so i can try it with a bit more bottle age.
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I am stunned by this wine. Beautiful, pure, dark, rich and lingering. I enjoyed this over THREE DAYS, and the wine never lost a step. Boisterous nose, long, grippy finish. Delicious juice, to be sure. And, an absolute steal at 22 dollars.
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This was very tight with expressed earth and black fruit aromas. After an hour ox'd fleshy blueberry, black cherry and mocha revealed itself. Hints of asphalt-minerality peaked through the hind palate. Still a bit green and closed down, needs another year to fully blossom.
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Alright, GV. I tracked this sucker down for $26/bottle x3 bottles. It is good, but not >90+. Great, well balanced wine, but I was kinda looking for a tad more 'oomph,' this is the kind of wine that might really benefit from some cellaring, but at 25 and about to finish grad school, this isn't an easy option. So: Tasting notes: This wine has some good tannin structure balanced out with the sense that I'm biting into a plum. The mouthfeel is luscious, but not overly dense or velvety. Beyond those notes, this is mostly a really good balanced effort that has some different 'terroir' than most Cabs. I also guess I'm looking for a little more 'french' cote du rhone feel & earth, spice, fruit or something at this price point. Good solid wine, but if you can't find it (which I had a hard time doing), and you're like me, a good spanish or italian wine will bring more thunder, especially around $20.
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Fruit forward aromas of red raspberries and red cherries, then comes a bit of sweet cream. Intense, bright, and lively flavors of red raspberries on the palate. Seet and gripping tannins on the back end. Will be interested to revisit this in a few years.
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Very solid, get the sense it needs to open up a bit more. Nice chocolate and fruit, tiny bit of vegetal undertones gives it some interesting character.
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Beautiful nose of chocolate covered cherries. I could smell this wine for days. Smooth palate of cherries, cassis, plum and chocolate. Well integrated tannins and a 30+ second finish. Elegant, nice wine. Drinking well now but will easily last several more years.
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PnP at an italian BYO for New Year's Eve. Excellent Red fruit, more pronounced oak than the last bottle that we had, manifesting itself as caramel towards the finish. Sweet soft tannins make this eminently drinkable and a tasty bottle that drinks at about its $22 price point. Mrs. Coupe did not enjoy as much as our last bottle
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I am going to cellar my remaining bottles for at least a 1-2 years. This bottle didn't really start shining until day 2. No formal tasting notes but I remember there being lots of nice minerality to this wine to complement the fruit. I love the style. 91+ ??
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PnD breathed for 2 hours. Plummy feint cedar aromas. Medium wigth more texture than the 2005. Plummy with a red fruit finish. Not as good as the 2005 but need to try it with two more years of bottle age. Will get more.
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This is a damn nice weekday wine. No doubt about it. And, at a great price point of low - mid $20's. On the nose, smells like dark chocolate moose munch - not the all dark chocolate, but part dark chocolate, part regular moose munch. A bit sweet, a bit chocolate and a bit savory. There's also some red cherry and, of all things, blood orange. On the palate, it's more cherry, chocolate and a touch of pomegranate. Big tannins on this wine and a lot more sediment than I expected, but, overall, a very nice wine for the price. One of the better Washington Cabs that I've tasted in this price range.
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I pulled a bottle from a cold cellar and poured a glass. The dark red liquid wasn't expressing much in its bouquet, so I walked back to a warmer room and held a long conversation with my wife. After around 30 minutes of swirling the wine warmed some and somewhere along the way started to spew out some pretty fine aromas; I'm talking about a sweet floral "spring rain" essential oil freshener type smell, deep crushed violets, cherry juice, blueberry pie, and a little loganberry funk. ON the palate, the first three quarters display a medium bodied, full flavored recreation of the nose preamble, not entirely typical of most cabernet, this comes across more like syrah meets a ripe cab franc. The latter quarter brings with it more traditional cabernet elements of caramel and oak, a little stemmy green pepper with bitter creamy cassis and reasonably astringent tannins. Medium length and linear finish. The balance of this wine is superb; very well poised and elegant mouthfeel. That and it's ultra perfumed bouquet are it's most notable attributes. This strikes high on my scale. Some sips bring out raspberry -- that deep Washington Walla Walla silt in action I suspect.
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Not decanted, but opened for several hours. Dark, garnet, opaque in appearance. Mellow oak notes on the bouquet- cocoa, vanilla, coffee- along with a little leafy tobacco, anise, and black cherry/black raspberry. The palate brings blackberry, cherry, black tea, and mineral notes; enhanced with strains of pepper, eastern spices, and vanilla. Very well balanced flavors. Drinks with a beautifully silky mouthfeel, lithe tannins, and a pleasing finish with strains of mineral, pepper, and fruit. Well-layered and good structure. A really pretty Cabernet.
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PnP, fruit forward plum and blueberry taste. Enjoyable wine with nice acidity, perhaps just a hint too much alcohol on the finish...Soft tannins (hint of sweetness). Tasty wine that drinks at about its low $20 price point.
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Bordeaux Varietal Blind tasting (My place): Ruby color. Interesting but subdued nose with hints of molasses. Silky texture on the palate with flavors of chocolate, black currant, and tar. Medium finish. Uniformly pegged as a merlot by blind tasters.
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Cherries, roasted herbs, a hint of green pepper. Gains a bit of sweetness w/ air, plus a nice ashy finish emerges, but this never turns into anything memorable. Regardless, quite good; but plenty of better options at this price point.
Drink now or hold a year or two. 87+ -JRS
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Creamy sexy smooth Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon. Lush plum and black cherry with smooth sexy oak. Enough mineral, mint, and other complex notes to make this wine rise above. Also very reasonable alcohol levels (under 14)
www.austinbeeman.com
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Deep purple with more ruby on the rim. Mintiness and mild dark fruit on the nose. Great structure and mouthfeel. Medium body. Blueberry with slight herbalness on taste. Moderate length finish. Tannins would lead me to believe we have a little longer to wait for this wine to be at its' best.
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Dark deep red; nose not particularly pronounced; immediate big tanin rush, berry, could be more fruit underneath but hard to say if it will outlive the tanins. While I had it without food and found it fine, I would recommend beef.
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Nose: Blueberry. Taste: Blueberry/blackberry transitioning to tobacco. Not much on the finish. Enough tannic structure to suggest this might still improve, but the flavors are already somewhat subtle. Food brings out a bit more oak.
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Good effort. Nose - smoke, a little herbs, spicy grass, not over the top though. Pallate - mintiness (weird but good) leather, nice tannins. Averall a very good wine. came recommended by GV and it is very good. In fact for QPR it is one of the best New World wines I have had.
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Decanted for one hour. Garnet and ruby in colour. An intriguing nose of licorice, roasted chicken, plum sauce and oak. Decent complexity and a refreshing finish. Well endowed in concentration and drinking nicely. Soft tannins. Drink now - 2015.
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The nose displays the characteristics of a typical, medium - heavy bodied Washington Cabernet with lighter fruit than its southern cousins. Blueberry, spice and a hint of ginger. Fruit forward, with rich blue berry, blackberry and a little caramel toast balanced with a little black pepper bight. Definately closer to sweet than dry but not cloyingly so.
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Nose: leafs and green bell pepper; herbacious Taste: soy, tobacco, menthol Feel: moderate acidity with good amount of tannins Pair with: Lamb, saucy meat dishes, mushrooms, filet
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Really good mouth feel. There are hints of chocolate along with the dark fruit. Definitely better the longer it stayed open. Great qpr wine and a perfect match with some steak.
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Has some merlot, CF, syrah. Color is purple with slight ruby transparency; nose is nice, has a bit of mossiness with round fruit and oak. Like this nose quite a bit more than the syrah. The palate brings strong concentration, even some spice. Tannic, quite good for a budget cab, but definitely for those who like the big and bold style. 88-89+
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After pouring out a different Cabernet, I decided to reward myself with something I knew would be tasty, and it certainly was. Love the dark cherry hints, and the aroma.
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Decanted for about 30 minutes. This is really drinking well now. Delicious fruit and has a light sweet component which complements the full flavor. Had alone & eventually with steak - perfect both ways.
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taste: full bodied with a good richness to it with well balanced and expressive tones of black cherries, smoke, and blackberries. Good tannins and depth, this is a bruiser on teh palate right now
overall: a real quality cab at a good price. Needs a bit of time to hammer out the brutishness for me, but if you want something that won't mess about, this is great right now with a good decant and would go great with various steaks
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The color is deep burgundy. The taste was consistent over two hours and the wine is immediately approachable. There is a subdued cherry flavor with hints of vanilla and a bit of spice on the aftertaste. The wine is mildly sweet. The small Syrah component is evident. For a cab, it is quite mild and smooth. No fruit bomb. My one caveat is that the oak is a tad strong at this point, although I expect that this will soften with a few years in the cellar. My gut tells me that this wine will peak in two to four years.
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12/14/2017 - Decadent wrote: 92 Points
Intense dark fruit balanced with aged tannins and great acidity. The nose was a good preview of the taste, full and intense. Decanted and filtered... opened up in about a half hour. Easily can hold up for several more years.
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4/2/2017 - John O' Likes this wine:
plenty of life left
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12/2/2015 - TheBosWineGuy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quite a few secondary characteristics coming through now. Smoked meats as well as Christmas cake spices. Great value.
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3/14/2015 - LaiJien Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bright, medium/deep garnet. Aromas of blueberry, black cherry, cinnamon, leather, smoked meat, broiled steak?, anise, and cigar box. Deep flavors of blueberry, black cherry, black olive, anise, and cigar box, with a long finish and balanced tannins. Great with 70% cacao dark chocolate!
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2/8/2015 - costacasa Likes this wine: 89 Points
I can't believe I only paid $20 for this Cab. 2007 was such a wonderful year. This is a well balanced, integrated, tasty Cab with good structure. So very sad I didn't purchase a case or 3 when I had the chance. This is great with lasagna---but won't over power a lighter dish such as chicken either.
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8/29/2014 - bemeyer wrote: 89 Points
solid wine in its prime
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4/19/2014 - bemeyer wrote: 89 Points
driking nicely, aged well since last bottle, wait another 6 months
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1/10/2014 - David_T wrote: 89 Points
Four years I opened this on Jan 10th and I'm down to my last bottle. Aromas of grilled meat, dark fruits, cocoa and coffee. The palate shows blackberry, black currant, cocoa, and dried herbs/earth. Integrated, medium acid/tannins and a medium finish. Tasting like its at or nearing its peak with the fruit starting to subside and the non-fruit notes starting to shine. Should last several more years but don't wait too much longer. Enjoyable wine.
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9/12/2013 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 88 Points
Nice. A few years since my last bottle, and this was much better.
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7/6/2013 - pinoteer wrote: 90 Points
My second bottle of this. An excellent WA cab and good QPR. Writing this note several days later, so see my earlier review for more details.
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6/17/2013 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Took a couple of hours in the decanter for it to open fully. Licorice and green pepper aromas. Loads of fruit (black cherry, plum, black raspberry, and cassis) on the palate. Still plenty of tannins, so this will hold in the cellar. Only adequate acidity. Good finish.
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5/12/2013 - ecola Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking very well right now. Smooth mouthfeel with red berries, smoked meat, and some black pepper. Pretty tight on the back end. The finish may soften with food.
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2/17/2013 - TheBosWineGuy Likes this wine: 90 Points
definitely improved from a year ago. fruit driven but much more balanced this time around.
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1/10/2013 - David_T wrote: 89 Points
Three years in a row and another solid showing. The aromas/flavors match my note from a year ago perfectly, and at this point the acid/tannins/fruit are fully integrated making for a smooth glass of wine.
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11/24/2012 - hende14 wrote: 90 Points
This wine is coming together nicely with some extended cellar time. Very balanced with more depth and complexity than previous bottles.
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7/8/2012 - VinLancaster wrote: 88 Points
Smoked cherry and cranberry mingle with brick and earthy aromas. Smooth, weighty mouthfeel with plenty of soft cherry fruit, pretty floral, nutmeg, chocolate, brick and black coffee flavors. With a dashing finish which lasts for a full minute.
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7/4/2012 - bemeyer wrote: 89 Points
nice smooth taste. not much complexity. Drank following a bottle of Merryvale Cab. group was not impressed with the the
amavi
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5/22/2012 - pgb67 wrote: 90 Points
Fresh and vibrant, with a smooth mouthfeel and a gulpable palate of dark berries and cocoa notes. Not super concentrated or very long, but a better-than-average cab at a fair price.
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2/24/2012 - Rob and Meg wrote: 83 Points
The nose is a bit flat but filled with ripe inky ripe blue/black fruit, mocha, and vanilla extract. The palate is much of the same, initially focused on sweet black fruits, vanilla, and cedar. The mid-palate integrates a bit more spicy fruit, focusing more on black current and cassis with warm baking spice. The finish is medium in length with moderate tannins to lend structure to flavors of fig, toasty oak, and dark chocolate. The wine is full and lush, stopping only a bit short of going over the top. This has nice primary flavors but is somewhat flat and may appeal more to those who enjoy bigger wines. It did, however, improve with more time in the glass. R&M 83
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2/17/2012 - green-steve wrote: 88 Points
Nice Washington Cab - won't blow your socks off but still delivers alot of pleasure for the money. Great weeknight quaffer.
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1/17/2012 - Varus wrote: 92 Points
My last bottle of this stunning, pure, rich, dark and delicious Cabernet.
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1/10/2012 - David_T wrote: 88 Points
This bottle again has tons of chocolate along with cherry on the nose. I didn't read my last note before opening this and it was still obvious. The palate isn't doing quite as much for me now as my last bottle. The fruit seems to have faded somewhat, with the tannins overwhelming it a bit. Notes of black currant, spice and cedar. Opened up somewhat with about an hour of air. It will be interesting to see how it evolves on day two and I will update this note if it changes. It will also be interesting to see whether it improves with age or if the fruit continues to fall off.
Day two is slightly better; things seem more integrated and a nice herbal note came through on both the nose and palate.
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1/8/2012 - Klensing wrote: 89 Points
Slightly restrained. Good with steak. Fruit seems to fade quickly. Interesting.
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1/5/2012 - junglejuice wrote: 90 Points
Had this three different times in a 4 month time span. It was good the first time, great the second time and fair the third time. The score is kind an average of the bunch. If you come across it and are looking for a solid new world style Cab, it is hard to do better IMHO. Even the last bottle was better than most wines offered at this price point from the west coast.
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11/28/2011 - Bandonista wrote: 90 Points
Shows nice restraint for a value priced new world cab. There's fruit there but not too much. Very good QPR.
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11/1/2011 - What I'm Drinking Now wrote: 88 Points
I was really hard on this wine earlier this year and rescind the 85. I let this one decant for 2 hours and it came together nicely. It still wasn't a rockstar wine but was quite enjoyable. It still have classic washington cabernet flavors...dark black fruits with more herbal tones. The improvement was felt in the finish which is substantially longer.
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10/28/2011 - oog wrote: 88 Points
Eerily consistent with my note from a year ago. This wine has nearly no finish, and what it does have is a bit bitter...
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10/13/2011 - diane.forgy@dianeforgy.com wrote: 88 Points
Very oakey up front. Dark fruit and herbal. Aerated but still took to the last couple of glasses to smooth out. I would still rate this a very good wine for the price.
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9/21/2011 - What I'm Drinking Now wrote: 85 Points
This has classic washington cabernet flavors. Dark black fruits with more herbal tones. Unfortunately, it lacks a finish.
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9/12/2011 - Zo65 wrote: 80 Points
Over oaked. Disjointed. Maybe a bad but quite disappointing. Maybe I am too Napa-centric with my Cab palate.
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8/31/2011 - IamNotDrinkingAny#@!%Merlot wrote: 88 Points
A bit too much oak for me. In fact, way more than I remembered. It did blow off a bit after an hour or so in bottle (or maybe I just acclimated). Also, it was consumed after/next to a 2008 Zweigelt, so the oak was likely pronounced in comparison.
But all things equal, still a very nice wine.
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7/21/2011 - Timporter wrote:
Consumed over several days, last glass was the best. A little more refined and less fruity than the last bottle (1 yr ago), still plenty of fruit and that funky-almost- barossa-like aroma, good balance, strong mid-palate. Looking forward to seeing how the rest develop.
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7/4/2011 - mr21cbs wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding. Great balance of fruit and alcohol, solid length, firm body. A pleasure to drink after an our in the decanter.
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7/2/2011 - TSTEW22 Likes this wine:
Great everyday drinker! Can't beat it for the price. Served to some guests who like Cab and they loved it. Couldn't believe it when I told them what it costs. Great bargain.
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5/31/2011 - truckseller wrote: flawed
off smell, wine was off as welll, shared with a guest who still drank it...go figure
Too bad considering the reviews. This was a gift, maybe someone let it get hot in a car or something. Didn't taste particularly corky, just off.
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4/26/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Spicy on the aromatics, fresh, vibrant, across the palate.
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4/20/2011 - bajayngo wrote:
was served way to warm. put on ice and came around w/dark black fruit, dill, green olives and jalapenos, spice and red fruit hints. great qpr cab!
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4/17/2011 - tarheel17 wrote: 91 Points
THis is really quite a lovely wine. Nicely structured, with high quality fruit, robust tannin, well-balanced acid and a fairly long finish. Oak influence remains congruent with a greenness that is altogether delicious. Beats the pants off many other WA cabs at half the price.
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4/12/2011 - aharrover wrote: 88 Points
nice.
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4/10/2011 - Nursing a Hangover wrote: 89 Points
consistent with what everyone describes.
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4/2/2011 - df1962 wrote: 90 Points
Second of two bottles opened last night. Most of this one was sealed and put in the fridge until today. Time brought more balance. Consistent with previous note. Would buy again so i can try it with a bit more bottle age.
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4/1/2011 - df1962 wrote: 90 Points
PnVnD let air for 3hrs. Consistent with previous notes with a bit more cassis rather than red fruits. Nice minerality at the end.
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3/26/2011 - ORWWValley wrote: 93 Points
Great cabernet value from Walla Walla, excellent body and nose
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3/24/2011 - Varus wrote: 92 Points
This wine continues to surprise for the price. Truly crushing juice for the price. Incredible QPR. Consistent with previous note.
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3/23/2011 - spretzer wrote: 87 Points
solid tuesday night wine
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3/15/2011 - Varus wrote: 92 Points
I am stunned by this wine. Beautiful, pure, dark, rich and lingering. I enjoyed this over THREE DAYS, and the wine never lost a step. Boisterous nose, long, grippy finish. Delicious juice, to be sure. And, an absolute steal at 22 dollars.
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3/9/2011 - BuffaloLou wrote:
Fantastic! Killer QPR!
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2/25/2011 - Naso wrote: 90 Points
Big nose and taste for a small price. Highly recommend this wine.
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2/11/2011 - VinLancaster wrote: 86 Points
This was very tight with expressed earth and black fruit aromas. After an hour ox'd fleshy blueberry, black cherry and mocha revealed itself. Hints of asphalt-minerality peaked through the hind palate. Still a bit green and closed down, needs another year to fully blossom.
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2/6/2011 - Dana119 wrote: 89 Points
Very good and got better the longer it was open. I actually had it with grouper and it really opened up
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2/2/2011 - wordsofglass wrote: 89 Points
Alright, GV. I tracked this sucker down for $26/bottle x3 bottles. It is good, but not >90+. Great, well balanced wine, but I was kinda looking for a tad more 'oomph,' this is the kind of wine that might really benefit from some cellaring, but at 25 and about to finish grad school, this isn't an easy option. So: Tasting notes: This wine has some good tannin structure balanced out with the sense that I'm biting into a plum. The mouthfeel is luscious, but not overly dense or velvety. Beyond those notes, this is mostly a really good balanced effort that has some different 'terroir' than most Cabs. I also guess I'm looking for a little more 'french' cote du rhone feel & earth, spice, fruit or something at this price point. Good solid wine, but if you can't find it (which I had a hard time doing), and you're like me, a good spanish or italian wine will bring more thunder, especially around $20.
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2/1/2011 - ecola Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fruit forward aromas of red raspberries and red cherries, then comes a bit of sweet cream. Intense, bright, and lively flavors of red raspberries on the palate. Seet and gripping tannins on the back end. Will be interested to revisit this in a few years.
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1/21/2011 - svbmark wrote: 91 Points
Came in 2nd of 8 in blind tasting of 2007 vintage cabs. Very nice, and best value play by far.
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1/20/2011 - Bdbrutus wrote: 89 Points
Very solid, get the sense it needs to open up a bit more. Nice chocolate and fruit, tiny bit of vegetal undertones gives it some interesting character.
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1/16/2011 - Kimberlympayton wrote: 68 Points
Watery without substance
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1/10/2011 - David_T wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful nose of chocolate covered cherries. I could smell this wine for days. Smooth palate of cherries, cassis, plum and chocolate. Well integrated tannins and a 30+ second finish. Elegant, nice wine. Drinking well now but will easily last several more years.
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12/31/2010 - Coupe 60 wrote: 88 Points
PnP at an italian BYO for New Year's Eve. Excellent Red fruit, more pronounced oak than the last bottle that we had, manifesting itself as caramel towards the finish. Sweet soft tannins make this eminently drinkable and a tasty bottle that drinks at about its $22 price point.
Mrs. Coupe did not enjoy as much as our last bottle
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12/30/2010 - ocperu wrote: 93 Points
silky smooth from start to finish.
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12/29/2010 - TheBosWineGuy wrote: 91 Points
I am going to cellar my remaining bottles for at least a 1-2 years. This bottle didn't really start shining until day 2. No formal tasting notes but I remember there being lots of nice minerality to this wine to complement the fruit. I love the style. 91+ ??
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12/28/2010 - df1962 wrote: 89 Points
PnD breathed for 2 hours. Plummy feint cedar aromas. Medium wigth more texture than the 2005. Plummy with a red fruit finish. Not as good as the 2005 but need to try it with two more years of bottle age. Will get more.
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12/27/2010 - idaho wrote: 89 Points
Nice wine, better than I expected
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12/22/2010 - rjhilgers@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
This is a damn nice weekday wine. No doubt about it. And, at a great price point of low - mid $20's. On the nose, smells like dark chocolate moose munch - not the all dark chocolate, but part dark chocolate, part regular moose munch. A bit sweet, a bit chocolate and a bit savory. There's also some red cherry and, of all things, blood orange. On the palate, it's more cherry, chocolate and a touch of pomegranate. Big tannins on this wine and a lot more sediment than I expected, but, overall, a very nice wine for the price. One of the better Washington Cabs that I've tasted in this price range.
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12/16/2010 - z_willus_d wrote: 91 Points
I pulled a bottle from a cold cellar and poured a glass. The dark red liquid wasn't expressing much in its bouquet, so I walked back to a warmer room and held a long conversation with my wife. After around 30 minutes of swirling the wine warmed some and somewhere along the way started to spew out some pretty fine aromas; I'm talking about a sweet floral "spring rain" essential oil freshener type smell, deep crushed violets, cherry juice, blueberry pie, and a little loganberry funk. ON the palate, the first three quarters display a medium bodied, full flavored recreation of the nose preamble, not entirely typical of most cabernet, this comes across more like syrah meets a ripe cab franc. The latter quarter brings with it more traditional cabernet elements of caramel and oak, a little stemmy green pepper with bitter creamy cassis and reasonably astringent tannins. Medium length and linear finish. The balance of this wine is superb; very well poised and elegant mouthfeel. That and it's ultra perfumed bouquet are it's most notable attributes. This strikes high on my scale. Some sips bring out raspberry -- that deep Washington Walla Walla silt in action I suspect.
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11/30/2010 - MattMauldin wrote: 92 Points
Not decanted, but opened for several hours. Dark, garnet, opaque in appearance. Mellow oak notes on the bouquet- cocoa, vanilla, coffee- along with a little leafy tobacco, anise, and black cherry/black raspberry. The palate brings blackberry, cherry, black tea, and mineral notes; enhanced with strains of pepper, eastern spices, and vanilla. Very well balanced flavors. Drinks with a beautifully silky mouthfeel, lithe tannins, and a pleasing finish with strains of mineral, pepper, and fruit. Well-layered and good structure. A really pretty Cabernet.
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11/28/2010 - enjoyvino wrote:
Fourth bottle of the night. Dont remember the notes but my wife said it was her favorite of the night.
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11/28/2010 - Coupe 60 wrote: 88 Points
PnP, fruit forward plum and blueberry taste. Enjoyable wine with nice acidity, perhaps just a hint too much alcohol on the finish...Soft tannins (hint of sweetness). Tasty wine that drinks at about its low $20 price point.
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11/21/2010 - dkoontz wrote: 89 Points
Bordeaux Varietal Blind tasting (My place): Ruby color. Interesting but subdued nose with hints of molasses. Silky texture on the palate with flavors of chocolate, black currant, and tar. Medium finish. Uniformly pegged as a merlot by blind tasters.
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11/19/2010 - tourette wrote: 90 Points
Very round and lush. Cherry and cola and a bit of herb. Well oaked, but not too much. Very nice effort here, if not a bit on the simple side. Yummy.
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11/17/2010 - CdP in NYC wrote: 87 Points
Cherries, roasted herbs, a hint of green pepper. Gains a bit of sweetness w/ air, plus a nice ashy finish emerges, but this never turns into anything memorable. Regardless, quite good; but plenty of better options at this price point.
Drink now or hold a year or two. 87+ -JRS
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11/6/2010 - austinbeeman- austinbeeman.com wrote: 91 Points
Creamy sexy smooth Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon. Lush plum and black cherry with smooth sexy oak. Enough mineral, mint, and other complex notes to make this wine rise above. Also very reasonable alcohol levels (under 14)
www.austinbeeman.com
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11/1/2010 - spretzer wrote: 87 Points
Good not great
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10/31/2010 - hende14 wrote: 89 Points
Once again the real star of this wine is its structure and mouthfeel. Muted dark fruit and a little herb and mint. Good but not great.
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10/26/2010 - hende14 wrote: 89 Points
Deep purple with more ruby on the rim. Mintiness and mild dark fruit on the nose. Great structure and mouthfeel. Medium body. Blueberry with slight herbalness on taste. Moderate length finish. Tannins would lead me to believe we have a little longer to wait for this wine to be at its' best.
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10/24/2010 - Steve Brickley wrote: 89 Points
Dark deep red; nose not particularly pronounced; immediate big tanin rush, berry, could be more fruit underneath but hard to say if it will outlive the tanins. While I had it without food and found it fine, I would recommend beef.
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10/22/2010 - oog wrote: 89 Points
Nose: Blueberry. Taste: Blueberry/blackberry transitioning to tobacco. Not much on the finish. Enough tannic structure to suggest this might still improve, but the flavors are already somewhat subtle. Food brings out a bit more oak.
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10/18/2010 - Prion911 wrote: 90 Points
Good effort. Nose - smoke, a little herbs, spicy grass, not over the top though. Pallate - mintiness (weird but good) leather, nice tannins. Averall a very good wine. came recommended by GV and it is very good. In fact for QPR it is one of the best New World wines I have had.
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10/8/2010 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 90 Points
Smooth and round with coconut and vanilla overtones playing against dark berry and black cherry fruit, lingering effectively on the deft finish.
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10/4/2010 - jad1964 wrote: 89 Points
a nice everyday cab for $22. not much of a finish but decent all the way home.
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10/2/2010 - gwkozar wrote: 87 Points
everyday cab. some chocolate and dark berry, light-midweight.
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9/11/2010 - Matt Scott wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for one hour. Garnet and ruby in colour. An intriguing nose of licorice, roasted chicken, plum sauce and oak. Decent complexity and a refreshing finish. Well endowed in concentration and drinking nicely. Soft tannins. Drink now - 2015.
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6/13/2010 - CooGAR wrote: 86 Points
Ok wine......good everyday Cab or for parties.
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6/12/2010 - RMundell Likes this wine: 87 Points
Nice young wine. A little light finish. Good value.
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5/22/2010 - gdenner wrote: 87 Points
ok for cheap cab
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4/15/2010 - NomadicEntrepreneur wrote: 88 Points
dry chocolate
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4/13/2010 - jmoskow wrote: 88 Points
Very very fruity with strong chocolate but not overpowering. It's not complex but very tasty.
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3/28/2010 - BenRoberts wrote:
The nose displays the characteristics of a typical, medium - heavy bodied Washington Cabernet with lighter fruit than its southern cousins. Blueberry, spice and a hint of ginger. Fruit forward, with rich blue berry, blackberry and a little caramel toast balanced with a little black pepper bight. Definately closer to sweet than dry but not cloyingly so.
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3/15/2010 - Purple Cafe & Wine Bar wrote:
Nose:
leafs and green bell pepper; herbacious
Taste:
soy, tobacco, menthol
Feel:
moderate acidity with good amount of tannins
Pair with:
Lamb, saucy meat dishes, mushrooms, filet
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3/7/2010 - TJolley wrote: 92 Points
3-6-10 Kim P's B-day party
This is the third time I have this wine in a short period of time, very consistant!
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2/28/2010 - woodwardcellar wrote: 88 Points
Really good mouth feel. There are hints of chocolate along with the dark fruit. Definitely better the longer it stayed open. Great qpr wine and a perfect match with some steak.
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2/2/2010 - amateurwino wrote: 88 Points
Has some merlot, CF, syrah. Color is purple with slight ruby transparency; nose is nice, has a bit of mossiness with round fruit and oak. Like this nose quite a bit more than the syrah. The palate brings strong concentration, even some spice. Tannic, quite good for a budget cab, but definitely for those who like the big and bold style. 88-89+
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1/15/2010 - qwerty2 wrote: 90 Points
After pouring out a different Cabernet, I decided to reward myself with something I knew would be tasty, and it certainly was. Love the dark cherry hints, and the aroma.
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12/2/2009 - bkarney wrote:
not bad from what I remember. Fresh and fruity, needs some time. nice wine
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11/23/2009 - SirWinesALot wrote:
Decanted for about 30 minutes. This is really drinking well now. Delicious fruit and has a light sweet component which complements the full flavor. Had alone & eventually with steak - perfect both ways.
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10/4/2009 - SLOPPYdeCHAO wrote: 90 Points
Delicious core of black fruit somewhat masked by the tannins. Should open up more in a couple of years. Did not decant.
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9/14/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 89 Points
Washington Wine Commision tasting (Rooftop Terrace, Millenium Park, Chicago IL): nose: real nice dark and expressive nose of black cherries, smokey tones, blackberries, and bits of spice tones lurk underneath
taste: full bodied with a good richness to it with well balanced and expressive tones of black cherries, smoke, and blackberries. Good tannins and depth, this is a bruiser on teh palate right now
overall: a real quality cab at a good price. Needs a bit of time to hammer out the brutishness for me, but if you want something that won't mess about, this is great right now with a good decant and would go great with various steaks
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9/1/2009 - kas wrote: 90 Points
The color is deep burgundy. The taste was consistent over two hours and the wine is immediately approachable. There is a subdued cherry flavor with hints of vanilla and a bit of spice on the aftertaste. The wine is mildly sweet. The small Syrah component is evident. For a cab, it is quite mild and smooth. No fruit bomb. My one caveat is that the oak is a tad strong at this point, although I expect that this will soften with a few years in the cellar. My gut tells me that this wine will peak in two to four years.
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