Dark red with a clear edge, decanted 45 minute before dinner, earthy blackberry and spice aromas improved over time (21/2 hours anyway), blackberry, anise, mint and spice on palate, medium weight with some acidity backbone and mostly integrated tannins. Medium long blackberry finish with noticeable tannins and a bit of alcohol. Went well with pan roasted hanger steak.
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Enjoyable wine, in drinking window. Nose of blackberry, fennel, and mulled spices. A fair amount of acidity on the palate. Same score as with my prior tasting 3 years ago. Nice wine.
Quite good on day 2. Bordeaux like with WA characteristics.
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This was tasting VERY well at this point in time. The Petit Verdot really came out strong in this, but the Cab Franc kept it in check Deep, dense and dark, but great structure and balance. This easily has another 10 years of life left in it. Bravo Ben Smith and CdC vineyard!
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A wonderful WA state Bordeaux-style blend. I found myself continually topping up my glass so that it wouldn't be empty. Not sure it will get any better with time so drink up and enjoy.
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This was singing on pop and pour! Great enveloping nose a cedar, leather, blue and red fruits, spice, menthol, and meat. Really hit its stride as it washed down a lamb chop smothered in herbs. Big and juicy WA state fruit with a smooth mouthfeel. Complex and very enjoyable sipping on its own, but please throw some red meat at this. Has years to go but no harm in killing now.
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Nose of blueberries and other sweet fruit. Lightly colored but big and beautiful. Great wine. On the nose I get oatmeal raisin cookies. Love it. But definitely get the oatmeal cookies. Nose had candied cherries too. This wine is incredible. Need to buy more of this.
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Ripe blue and black fruit. Pronounced current and graphite notes. Well balanced, as rich as this is, there is a level of freshness not often seen in New World Bordeaux blends.
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Exquisite nose with strong notes of blueberries. Smooth on the pallette with a long finish. Fresh fruit, cherries, and some anise. Drank over two days, against a 2006 Betz Family Clos de Betz (rated 92). Didn't evolve as much as some of the other reviewers mentioned. Great examples of new world bordeaux.
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dark red color, initially closed but opened nicely over the next two hours. Concentrated dark cherry & Raspberry fruit, nice balance, still a bit tannic but not unpleasant at all. Probably could take another year or two in the cellar. Nice smooth finish.Happy tp have two more bottles to try again.
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ruby red, a little hot on the nose, could use some more time in the cellar...smooth, well-balanced, a nice blend, but maybe the grapes are too young to have depth
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Château Cos d'Estournel Vertical (garambler's house): This had a deep and rich bouquet of blackberry, black currant, black cherry, mocha, cocoa, licorice and spice aromas. The palate was rich and ripe with flavors that followed the nose. It was much more fruit forward than any of the Cos d’Estournel tasted with it. The group’s average score was 93.1
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I opened this when friends dropped by on 12/31/11. It had an incredibly wonderful bouquet of black currant, black cherry, cocoa, mocha, licorice, spice and a hint of cedar aromas. The palate was smooth, beautifully integrated and delicious with flavors of black currant, sour cherry, cocoa, mocha, licorice and spice.
I think team-blackburn is right...it still needs a year or two to reach it's peak
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WOW PNP a glass and decanted the remainder of the bottle for two hours. Very little on the nose right out of the bottle, but the taste is smooth and very well balanced. The tannis are well integrated. Lots of depth here I saved a glass to drink on day 3. I still think this needs a year or two to reach its potential.
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Medium fruit, smooth with a rather short finish and hints of vanilla.
Had this wine over the weekend during a 5 person blind tasting against 4 other Bordeaux blends from WA, CA and France. The order of finish for this tasting was as follows 1) Corliss 2004 Red Wine, 2) 2003 Bond Matriach, 3) 2004 Grand Reve Collab I, 4) 1999 Col Solare and 5) 2005 La Fleur de Bouard, Lalande-Pomerol.
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Fascinating tale of a wine unfolding over time here...cracked at dinner (Shimo in H-Burg), initially reticent and cloaked somewhat...nothing offensive, but very shy, and way overshadowed by a '94 ZD Reserve. But over the next two hours, it slowly opened up to reveal many layers and a very appealing depth. Very balanced, with emerging scents of menthol (in a good way) along with euc and brown spices...got longer and longer on the fiinsh...just lovely.
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Very nice wine...brick color. Nice fruits, great nose, and smooth and easy to drink. A little too sweet for my taste maybe? Definitely kept going back for more though... Better the second day, with more pepper, complexity
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Ruby brick colored with some hints of browning. The nose is wonderful, though the smell of pencil lead dominates a bit more than I would like, otherwise it smells like a subdued, maybe aged version of a stags leap cab as "wet baseball mitt" jumps out to me.
Anyhow, I popped and poured to find that the flavor is smooth and very balanced. I appreciate that neither the alcohol nor the oak dominate the wine.
Day 2 (I poured a glass on Day 1, re-corked and placed the bottle back in the cellar overnight). Day two is an impressive showing of balance and finesse. The finish really lingers and has me going back for more.
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--- COLOR: Ruby-garnet with brickish-ruby rim NOTE: My first wine with almost normal olfactory function after this flu. Nose is a nice lightly buttered scone with raspberry preserves, a little clove, cedar and black licorice. Different, but very inviting and no heat. Mouth is med-hvy with lots of ripe, sweet tannins, blackberry syrup and raspberry syrup. Almost a little too sweet, but it pulled back just a tad from the edge and reedemed itself. The finish wraps the black/red fruits up in a nice smokey blanket, almost bacon-like. It's a weird Bordeaux-style wine, a bit Port-like and similar to the Quilceda Creek Red Wine. Expensive for what it is but nicely made.
DECANT: 3 hr GLASS USED: Bordeaux TASTE: 9.2- COST: 65 VALUE: 5.0 PREVIOUSLY TASTED: n/a TRY AGAIN: n/a PAIRING: n/a Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net ---
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A remarkable blend (64% cabernet sauvignon, 18% cabernet franc, 18% petite verdot) .. very different from what I'm accustomed to drinking but it won't stay that was as this is an excellently constructed wine and very enjoyable in every sense. Great nose literally draws you into the wine. Soft, smooth mouthfeel with oodles of body and an excellent mix of blue and red fruits. Very soft and round with smooth yet bold tannins and subtle oak spices. From somewhere, vanilla. Long, smooth and layered finish. Very, very nice cab. Happy to have a few more in the cellar.
Not sure what RJSWINEBLOB was drinking but I can't imagine how it could possibly be this wine ... and looking at other scorings it seems that 98% of them would agree.
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When I last posted about this wine, I didn't like it - gave it an 80 and didn't really get what the wine was about. I thought maybe it was because it was the first run of Grand Reve and they still had some kinks to work out. But, turns out I may have gotten a bottle that, if not fully corked, was at the very least not the best bottle of the lot.
So, the good folks at Grand Reve saw my reaction and reached out with a new bottle of the 2004 and an additional bottle of the 2006. This new bottle was much better. I will stand by what I said that the Series I is not my favorite of the Grand Reve series (the Series III is my consistent favorite), but this 2004 showed much better than the previous bottle. Dark red fruits, menthol and bacon on the nose, followed by an additional mocha note on the palate. There is a definite savory undertone to this wine that can be off-putting to some, but to those who appreciate a savory note now and again (you know who you are, Cayuse fans), this is probably right up your alley.
NOTE: this wine was sent to me as a free sample.
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I want to be a fan of all the Grand Reve wines, I really do, but I'm just not. Series III (from Mark Ryan) is consistently a good wine, but most of the others don't do much for me. This one, the 2004 Series I, is the kickoff, inaugural wine for Grand Reve and it just felt very off to me. Not corked, but just very out of balance. On the nose, a massive blast of chocolate cupcakes, with licorice, chocolate and maple on a sweet palate. Not for me.
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Opened for four hours and kept on evolving and showing more nuance. Started very tight and dark but more red fruit and cassis came out as it opened and showed itself. Serious wine with a great midpalate and finish.
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My first experience with this gorgeous wine. Fruit forward, but not over the top. Great weight, but not heavy. Fresh fruit of black cherry, plum and blackberry without the fruit bomb sugar rush. Secondary forest flavors and some leafiness that isn't vegetal. At first glance, this wine is made for my palate to be consumed in it's first 5 to 7 years. I like it. A a lot !
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This was the 3rd time I've had this and it's been getting better every time! It had an awesome bouquet of sweet cassis, black cherry, cocoa, licorice and spice aromas. The palate was superbly balanced, smooth and delicious with flavors that followed the nose. 93+
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I had this at the Wicked Cellars Grand Rêve dinner on 4/23/10. It had a great bouquet of cassis, cherry, coffee, cocoa, spice, graphite and mineral aromas. The palate was extremely smooth, balanced and earthy with flavors that followed the nose….extremely good.
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The real story here is that after 40 minutes I got graham cracker. I haven't detected that since tasting some high end Foley a few weeks back. Then it was off putting but strangely alluring. But anyway... this is amazing wine, the superb fruit from Grand Reve and the deft ability of Ben Smith come through again and again. Just tasted the 2007 I at the release today and Ben is right: Fruit forward lovers need to drink this in the first ~5 years, and since that's me I'm loving the 04 right now -- both fruit and balance and some subtle complexity as well. Mmmmm.
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We drank our first bottle with friends on 2/13/10. It had cassis, cherry, chocolate, vanilla and mushroom aromas. It was smooth, balanced and well structured with flavors that followed the nose.
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Wow. I mean, wow! The Grand Reve is very impressive. We drank a 2000 Opus One last night (the pride of Napa) and the Grand Reve '04 Series I tonight and it was no contest. The Grand Reve was outstanding! The complexity of scents was matched only by the amazing blend of flavors. Leather and oak were strong with an overtone of smooth berries. Long finish and dark ruby color. This wine is drinking very well right now, but could easily go down for a couple more years. I'll need to acquire a few more bottles of these while they are still around. I know that the '05's are gone already! Simply brilliant!
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Awesome nose on the pop and pour, cab franc coming thru? Subtle dark fruit and a hint of the acids to come. Great dark ruby color in the glass, but soft on the edges suggesting this may only need another couple years in bottle to be peaking. Chocolate and dark berry on the tongue, with the fruit showing strong at the finish, but before the finish comes you get the oak and the butter that trails to the light almost sweet fruit finish. Amazing. Need more, even at this price point. Likely under-rating it at 92. Wow.
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1/23/2019 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Dark red with a clear edge, decanted 45 minute before dinner, earthy blackberry and spice aromas improved over time (21/2 hours anyway), blackberry, anise, mint and spice on palate, medium weight with some acidity backbone and mostly integrated tannins. Medium long blackberry finish with noticeable tannins and a bit of alcohol. Went well with pan roasted hanger steak.
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12/9/2018 - dlcass Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyable wine, in drinking window. Nose of blackberry, fennel, and mulled spices. A fair amount of acidity on the palate. Same score as with my prior tasting 3 years ago. Nice wine.
Quite good on day 2. Bordeaux like with WA characteristics.
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12/31/2017 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Took about an hour to come around after decanting. Aging well but towards the end of the middle age. Enjoyed this. One more bottle for the next year
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9/2/2016 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sharp, full, and on! Cassis, earth, and viscous texture. Bottle was devoured like hungry vultures on 10 day old carrion.
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12/13/2015 - dlcass Likes this wine: 93 Points
Yum was my first impression. Will add more later as it opens up.
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2/27/2014 - devman wrote: 94 Points
This was tasting VERY well at this point in time. The Petit Verdot really came out strong in this, but the Cab Franc kept it in check Deep, dense and dark, but great structure and balance. This easily has another 10 years of life left in it. Bravo Ben Smith and CdC vineyard!
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12/8/2013 - curtispomeroy Likes this wine: 92 Points
A wonderful WA state Bordeaux-style blend. I found myself continually topping up my glass so that it wouldn't be empty. Not sure it will get any better with time so drink up and enjoy.
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4/12/2013 - lirvingham wrote: 93 Points
Consistent w previous bottles. Really fantastic washington bordeaux style blend.
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3/19/2013 - Vinsant wrote:
This was singing on pop and pour! Great enveloping nose a cedar, leather, blue and red fruits, spice, menthol, and meat. Really hit its stride as it washed down a lamb chop smothered in herbs. Big and juicy WA state fruit with a smooth mouthfeel. Complex and very enjoyable sipping on its own, but please throw some red meat at this. Has years to go but no harm in killing now.
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11/3/2012 - lirvingham wrote: 93 Points
Nose of blueberries and other sweet fruit. Lightly colored but big and beautiful. Great wine. On the nose I get oatmeal raisin cookies. Love it. But definitely get the oatmeal cookies. Nose had candied cherries too. This wine is incredible. Need to buy more of this.
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10/10/2012 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 92 Points
Ripe blue and black fruit. Pronounced current and graphite notes. Well balanced, as rich as this is, there is a level of freshness not often seen in New World Bordeaux blends.
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9/9/2012 - lirvingham wrote: 94 Points
Exquisite nose with strong notes of blueberries. Smooth on the pallette with a long finish. Fresh fruit, cherries, and some anise. Drank over two days, against a 2006 Betz Family Clos de Betz (rated 92). Didn't evolve as much as some of the other reviewers mentioned. Great examples of new world bordeaux.
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9/2/2012 - garambler wrote: 93 Points
We drank this with leg of lamb on 9/2/12 (VIP guests). My notes were identical to those written on 3/17/12…Beautiful wine!
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8/14/2012 - Schwarzer Hund wrote:
dark red color, initially closed but opened nicely over the next two hours. Concentrated dark cherry & Raspberry fruit, nice balance, still a bit tannic but not unpleasant at all. Probably could take another year or two in the cellar. Nice smooth finish.Happy tp have two more bottles to try again.
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7/11/2012 - team-blackburn wrote: 94 Points
Consistent with previous notes, After a 3 hour decant it rounded out well structured with fantastic balance. Sad this is my last 04.
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3/31/2012 - 9 and 3/4 wrote: 90 Points
ruby red, a little hot on the nose, could use some more time in the cellar...smooth, well-balanced, a nice blend, but maybe the grapes are too young to have depth
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3/17/2012 - garambler wrote: 93 Points
Château Cos d'Estournel Vertical (garambler's house): This had a deep and rich bouquet of blackberry, black currant, black cherry, mocha, cocoa, licorice and spice aromas. The palate was rich and ripe with flavors that followed the nose. It was much more fruit forward than any of the Cos d’Estournel tasted with it. The group’s average score was 93.1
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12/31/2011 - garambler wrote: 94 Points
I opened this when friends dropped by on 12/31/11. It had an incredibly wonderful bouquet of black currant, black cherry, cocoa, mocha, licorice, spice and a hint of cedar aromas. The palate was smooth, beautifully integrated and delicious with flavors of black currant, sour cherry, cocoa, mocha, licorice and spice.
I think team-blackburn is right...it still needs a year or two to reach it's peak
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12/20/2011 - team-blackburn wrote: 94 Points
WOW PNP a glass and decanted the remainder of the bottle for two hours. Very little on the nose right out of the bottle, but the taste is smooth and very well balanced. The tannis are well integrated. Lots of depth here I saved a glass to drink on day 3. I still think this needs a year or two to reach its potential.
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11/28/2011 - hdchappy wrote: 93 Points
Medium fruit, smooth with a rather short finish and hints of vanilla.
Had this wine over the weekend during a 5 person blind tasting against 4 other Bordeaux blends from WA, CA and France. The order of finish for this tasting was as follows 1) Corliss 2004 Red Wine, 2) 2003 Bond Matriach, 3) 2004 Grand Reve Collab I, 4) 1999 Col Solare and 5) 2005 La Fleur de Bouard, Lalande-Pomerol.
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10/9/2011 - Acohen wrote: 92 Points
Deep aroma of mocha and had to open. Nice tightly integrated tannin with cassis, dark fruit and chocolate
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9/21/2011 - Fooze wrote: 90 Points
Nice brick color. Great nose. Took an hour or so to open up and showed layers with fruit, eucalyptus, pepper and a good (albeit sweet) finish.
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7/12/2011 - zoeldar wrote: 92 Points
Fascinating tale of a wine unfolding over time here...cracked at dinner (Shimo in H-Burg), initially reticent and cloaked somewhat...nothing offensive, but very shy, and way overshadowed by a '94 ZD Reserve. But over the next two hours, it slowly opened up to reveal many layers and a very appealing depth. Very balanced, with emerging scents of menthol (in a good way) along with euc and brown spices...got longer and longer on the fiinsh...just lovely.
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6/3/2011 - cpsmith33 wrote: 91 Points
Very nice wine...brick color. Nice fruits, great nose, and smooth and easy to drink. A little too sweet for my taste maybe? Definitely kept going back for more though...
Better the second day, with more pepper, complexity
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4/24/2011 - spretzer wrote: 91 Points
enjoyed with the mcclatcheys. 2 weeks ago no notes but well recieved.
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2/21/2011 - Fooze wrote: 89 Points
a bit too young for my taste still. Have to wait for a 1-2 more years.
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2/16/2011 - DuaneT wrote: 94 Points
Ruby brick colored with some hints of browning. The nose is wonderful, though the smell of pencil lead dominates a bit more than I would like, otherwise it smells like a subdued, maybe aged version of a stags leap cab as "wet baseball mitt" jumps out to me.
Anyhow, I popped and poured to find that the flavor is smooth and very balanced. I appreciate that neither the alcohol nor the oak dominate the wine.
Day 2 (I poured a glass on Day 1, re-corked and placed the bottle back in the cellar overnight). Day two is an impressive showing of balance and finesse. The finish really lingers and has me going back for more.
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2/11/2011 - tp096255 wrote: 92 Points
---
COLOR: Ruby-garnet with brickish-ruby rim
NOTE: My first wine with almost normal olfactory function after this flu. Nose is a nice lightly buttered scone with raspberry preserves, a little clove, cedar and black licorice. Different, but very inviting and no heat. Mouth is med-hvy with lots of ripe, sweet tannins, blackberry syrup and raspberry syrup. Almost a little too sweet, but it pulled back just a tad from the edge and reedemed itself. The finish wraps the black/red fruits up in a nice smokey blanket, almost bacon-like. It's a weird Bordeaux-style wine, a bit Port-like and similar to the Quilceda Creek Red Wine. Expensive for what it is but nicely made.
DECANT: 3 hr
GLASS USED: Bordeaux
TASTE: 9.2-
COST: 65
VALUE: 5.0
PREVIOUSLY TASTED: n/a
TRY AGAIN: n/a
PAIRING: n/a
Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net
---
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1/28/2011 - calicabnut Likes this wine: 94 Points
A remarkable blend (64% cabernet sauvignon, 18% cabernet franc, 18% petite verdot) .. very different from what I'm accustomed to drinking but it won't stay that was as this is an excellently constructed wine and very enjoyable in every sense. Great nose literally draws you into the wine. Soft, smooth mouthfeel with oodles of body and an excellent mix of blue and red fruits. Very soft and round with smooth yet bold tannins and subtle oak spices. From somewhere, vanilla. Long, smooth and layered finish. Very, very nice cab. Happy to have a few more in the cellar.
Not sure what RJSWINEBLOB was drinking but I can't imagine how it could possibly be this wine ... and looking at other scorings it seems that 98% of them would agree.
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1/10/2011 - rjhilgers@gmail.com Likes this wine: 89 Points
When I last posted about this wine, I didn't like it - gave it an 80 and didn't really get what the wine was about. I thought maybe it was because it was the first run of Grand Reve and they still had some kinks to work out. But, turns out I may have gotten a bottle that, if not fully corked, was at the very least not the best bottle of the lot.
So, the good folks at Grand Reve saw my reaction and reached out with a new bottle of the 2004 and an additional bottle of the 2006. This new bottle was much better. I will stand by what I said that the Series I is not my favorite of the Grand Reve series (the Series III is my consistent favorite), but this 2004 showed much better than the previous bottle. Dark red fruits, menthol and bacon on the nose, followed by an additional mocha note on the palate. There is a definite savory undertone to this wine that can be off-putting to some, but to those who appreciate a savory note now and again (you know who you are, Cayuse fans), this is probably right up your alley.
NOTE: this wine was sent to me as a free sample.
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12/24/2010 - Maliblue wrote: 92 Points
Excellent wine. Nice body, with silky fruit on the front end. Did notice a little heat on the end.
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11/7/2010 - garambler wrote: 94 Points
Some friends brought this over on 11/7/10. It was just as fabulous as the last time I had it. My notes were identical to the ones I wrote on 9/20/10.
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10/24/2010 - rjhilgers@gmail.com Does not like this wine: 80 Points
I want to be a fan of all the Grand Reve wines, I really do, but I'm just not. Series III (from Mark Ryan) is consistently a good wine, but most of the others don't do much for me. This one, the 2004 Series I, is the kickoff, inaugural wine for Grand Reve and it just felt very off to me. Not corked, but just very out of balance. On the nose, a massive blast of chocolate cupcakes, with licorice, chocolate and maple on a sweet palate. Not for me.
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10/3/2010 - Acohen wrote: 93 Points
Opened for four hours and kept on evolving and showing more nuance. Started very tight and dark but more red fruit and cassis came out as it opened and showed itself. Serious wine with a great midpalate and finish.
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9/29/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 94 Points
My first experience with this gorgeous wine. Fruit forward, but not over the top. Great weight, but not heavy. Fresh fruit of black cherry, plum and blackberry without the fruit bomb sugar rush. Secondary forest flavors and some leafiness that isn't vegetal. At first glance, this wine is made for my palate to be consumed in it's first 5 to 7 years. I like it. A a lot !
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9/19/2010 - garambler wrote: 94 Points
This was the 3rd time I've had this and it's been getting better every time! It had an awesome bouquet of sweet cassis, black cherry, cocoa, licorice and spice aromas. The palate was superbly balanced, smooth and delicious with flavors that followed the nose. 93+
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8/21/2010 - bpvrm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had this and a 2004 Cadence Camerata next to each other, both were great.
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6/18/2010 - grapemaven wrote: 91 Points
Good effort and, to my taste, better than the IV - will buy more to see how this evolves over a few years.
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5/20/2010 - Acohen wrote: 92 Points
opened up nicely with rich dark fruit with coffee, spice and great smooth finish
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4/23/2010 - garambler wrote: 93 Points
I had this at the Wicked Cellars Grand Rêve dinner on 4/23/10. It had a great bouquet of cassis, cherry, coffee, cocoa, spice, graphite and mineral aromas. The palate was extremely smooth, balanced and earthy with flavors that followed the nose….extremely good.
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4/10/2010 - jcable wrote: 94 Points
The real story here is that after 40 minutes I got graham cracker. I haven't detected that since tasting some high end Foley a few weeks back. Then it was off putting but strangely alluring. But anyway... this is amazing wine, the superb fruit from Grand Reve and the deft ability of Ben Smith come through again and again. Just tasted the 2007 I at the release today and Ben is right: Fruit forward lovers need to drink this in the first ~5 years, and since that's me I'm loving the 04 right now -- both fruit and balance and some subtle complexity as well. Mmmmm.
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2/14/2010 - garambler wrote: 92 Points
We drank our first bottle with friends on 2/13/10. It had cassis, cherry, chocolate, vanilla and mushroom aromas. It was smooth, balanced and well structured with flavors that followed the nose.
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1/17/2010 - ronscottf wrote: 95 Points
Wow. I mean, wow! The Grand Reve is very impressive. We drank a 2000 Opus One last night (the pride of Napa) and the Grand Reve '04 Series I tonight and it was no contest. The Grand Reve was outstanding! The complexity of scents was matched only by the amazing blend of flavors. Leather and oak were strong with an overtone of smooth berries. Long finish and dark ruby color. This wine is drinking very well right now, but could easily go down for a couple more years. I'll need to acquire a few more bottles of these while they are still around. I know that the '05's are gone already! Simply brilliant!
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12/19/2009 - jcable wrote: 92 Points
Awesome nose on the pop and pour, cab franc coming thru? Subtle dark fruit and a hint of the acids to come. Great dark ruby color in the glass, but soft on the edges suggesting this may only need another couple years in bottle to be peaking. Chocolate and dark berry on the tongue, with the fruit showing strong at the finish, but before the finish comes you get the oak and the butter that trails to the light almost sweet fruit finish. Amazing. Need more, even at this price point. Likely under-rating it at 92. Wow.
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