After having this in the cellar for nearly 15 years I opened.
Still vivid but with tawny and almost brown color around the glass edge. Still features a raspberry profile with a tobacco leaf and bell pepper mid palette. Finish is more earthy with coffee bean and chocolate flavor remaining for almost 30 seconds.
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even though past the drink date wine is very well made and fruit forward slightly acidic in first 10-15 minutes but wonderful after 30 minutes of decanting
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Nice higher end chilean cab at a decent price. Nicely aged, good availability, and at around $20. Rich ruby red color with brown hues around the edges marking its aged condition. Nice red raspberry and cassis, with a bit of tobacco, coffee, and herb. Subtle hints of flower and spice. The tannins could use a little more time to round out, but not sure how much longer the fruit, flavors, and overall structure of the wine can hold out. Nice big new world cab that can stand up and work nicely with food, due to its tannins and acid.
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WOW, what a 'tannic monster', it's 5 years old, and I decanted for close to 3 hours and it's still mouth 'puckering' to a certain degree, although the roast beef dinner helped smooth out the roughness - Black, well concentrated with notes of extreme black fruit, plum, chocolate, mocha and vanilla on the nose, very well structured, still not as integrated as one would think, sweet and silky smooth on the palate with a very good finish (90 Points).
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With some bottle age, this wine has shown that it has class and backbone. There is a nice blending of fruit, oak, and minerality on the nose. Color still a youthful dark purple. Tannins are more resolved on the palate, allowing the generous black fruit and oak with notes of cassis and chocolate. Also a road tar component inserts itself during the mid palate. Finish was smoothwith soft red fruit and dusty tannins.
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Nice, but still young - Very dark and concentrated, with notes of chocolate, coffee, black fruit and oak, this was extremely tannic, subdued by our steaks this evening, good value in my opinion (90 Points).
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Color is a very dark purple all the way to the rim. Nose is full of currant, violet and plumb. Tannins are well structured and fit nicely. Lots of cassis flavor with a touch of dill and toasty vanilla. Not sure what others have tasted but this wine seems very well made to me.
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This one was heavy oak and very tannic upon opening but it quickly opened up. good fruit, dark cherry, cassis, very varietal cabernet, the oak dissipated; deep dark color; the flavors were somewhat muddy but a very enjoyable wine. As I read the reviews by others I have to wonder whether there are storage or transport issues with this wine - it si hard to believe reviews could vary so drastically. I will have to try another bottle.
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First night - very little on the nose, hot and disjointed in the mouth - way too much oak. Second night - heat had calmed down a bit, but the oak still held any hint of fruit captive. Third night - no improvement, used some to make a pan sauce for dinner and dumped the rest. Disappointment.
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It was interesting to see the points rise and fall with this one. Perhaps it was a bad bottle (it did have two lead wrappers and it looked like there was an bit of an alignment error with the cork machine they were using, but this wine was simply awefull. Bitter after even two hours, it had a nose that smelled a bit like Round up. It was flat on the palate with some hits of berries and fruit and bitters, with very little finish.
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This one took a while to open up. After a couple of hours it really showed good balance. Good fruit showing through the well defined structure. Just a slight astringency on the finish.
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Popped & poured. A very enjoyable cabernet. Full-bodied with notes of currants, cherries, a touch of vanilla and a touch of oak. Still very tannic but the tannins helped to create a nicely structured wine (I am getting tired of the over oak, fruit-bombs full of creamy vanilla coming out of California for the same price). The only knock on the wine is that the mid-palate was a tad hollow.
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This wine was certainly drinkable, but I didn't care for the over-ripe fruit. Should probably try a different year because there is a lot of hype about this wine that I didn't see in this bottle.
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A little bitter to start, but calmed down quite a bit as it aired. Looking at the previous comments seems this was a dog a year ago, but recent notes say it has come of age. It's still a bit rough, but I think it will be really good in another year. Too bad this is my only one... would be interesting to see what happens to it.
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No way this deserves the sub 80 scores that others have given it. Maybe they had bad bottles. Nice dark color with dark fruit and oak notes. full bodied and a little tannic as it is still very young. Matched very well with big steaks.
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Saw four sub 80 scores on this bottle and had several in the cellar, so I was curious. I have always foud this wine to be of a consistent quality (more so than the Clos Apalta).
First, let me say, I tasted no obvious flaws that would take 20 points off. The wine had a fine cab nose, leaning more toward a Cali cab than normal for a Colchagua cab. This wine is young, and the tannins are not nearly resolved. There was a somewhat bitter or metallic taste the was offputting initially, but the wine settled down into a youthful, brawny, tannic cab. There was fruit, cassis, smoke, and a stewed plum that I didn't care for. Tannins are a bit grainy on the finish, but I felt that there was true varietal character in this wine.
I rate an 86.
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Really horrible and disappointing. As one of my favorite value wines, I have come to expect some amount manufacturing it in this line. This wine is ridiculous in its construction. It is a Frankenwine of the worst kind. Yuck.
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Very light body for a cab; spicy, perhaps cinnamon. Pretty tannic. More fruit flavors may show themselves after cellar time, but not much shows through currently. On the second night, after being vacced and refrigerated, the wine mellows out a bit; not so edgy but still not worth writing home about. Not recommended. I'll give it another shot next year.
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A shockingly low score for such a reliable producer, I know. I'm pretty certain it's not cooked; it simply tastes harsh. This is a straight-up Cab, with a straight-up Cab color, with straight-up Cab fruit on the nose (cassis and currant, although built in that jammy Southern Hemisphere mold). On the palate, though, everything goes haywire. There are unpleasant floral notes and overpowering, brutish tannins that throw the wine completely out of whack. Indeed, drinking this is like licking a dry balloon. I recognize that this is still young for a Cab, but it's so unbalanced at this stage that I doubt its ability to improve with time. The finish is incredibly hot, and nearly as mouth-drying as the mid-palate. I loved Casa Lapostolle's Merlot Cuvee Alexandre, and so perhaps the better explanation for my bad experience with this bottle is that it is indeed cooked. Or perhaps I'm simply mistaken about the tannins and the balance. Or perhaps it's just as bad as I think it is.
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12/16/2021 - tomoem wrote: 89 Points
After having this in the cellar for nearly 15 years I opened.
Still vivid but with tawny and almost brown color around the glass edge. Still features a raspberry profile with a tobacco leaf and bell pepper mid palette. Finish is more earthy with coffee bean and chocolate flavor remaining for almost 30 seconds.
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2/10/2014 - Graniwinkle wrote: 90 Points
Dark garnet. Nose: plums, spice, vanilla, graphite. Taste: crisp, dusty tannin, plums, sweet spice, graphite. Finish: long, toasted plums with burnt caramel. Complex, held up well.
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2/9/2013 - golfhawk Likes this wine: 88 Points
Last wine of the night but it was from what I can remember, it was very good. Drinking great right now with very good balance.
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11/16/2011 - jperez68 wrote: 88 Points
even though past the drink date wine is very well made and fruit forward slightly acidic in first 10-15 minutes but wonderful after 30 minutes of decanting
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3/3/2010 - PolarBear22 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for under an hour. Great red color. Nose of dark fruit and mocha. Well integrated with smooth tannins. This aged to a wonderful wine.
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1/23/2010 - curiouscellars wrote: 91 Points
Nice higher end chilean cab at a decent price. Nicely aged, good availability, and at around $20. Rich ruby red color with brown hues around the edges marking its aged condition. Nice red raspberry and cassis, with a bit of tobacco, coffee, and herb. Subtle hints of flower and spice. The tannins could use a little more time to round out, but not sure how much longer the fruit, flavors, and overall structure of the wine can hold out. Nice big new world cab that can stand up and work nicely with food, due to its tannins and acid.
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1/1/2009 - golfhawk wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for a couple hours and it revealed the true colors of the wine. I am going to sit on these for another year before I try it again.
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12/14/2008 - Tarrant wrote: 90 Points
WOW, what a 'tannic monster', it's 5 years old, and I decanted for close to 3 hours and it's still mouth 'puckering' to a certain degree, although the roast beef dinner helped smooth out the roughness - Black, well concentrated with notes of extreme black fruit, plum, chocolate, mocha and vanilla on the nose, very well structured, still not as integrated as one would think, sweet and silky smooth on the palate with a very good finish (90 Points).
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8/17/2008 - N2Vin wrote: 90 Points
With some bottle age, this wine has shown that it has class and backbone. There is a nice blending of fruit, oak, and minerality on the nose. Color still a youthful dark purple. Tannins are more resolved on the palate, allowing the generous black fruit and oak with notes of cassis and chocolate. Also a road tar component inserts itself during the mid palate. Finish was smoothwith soft red fruit and dusty tannins.
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6/14/2008 - drunkstar wrote: 85 Points
big ole new world cab sav.....lot of oak...quite tannic....needs big lumps of grilled meat and a few hours in a decanter
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1/1/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 86 Points
Not quite as good as the previous bottle but still quite good for the $18 price.
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11/25/2007 - golfhawk wrote: 90 Points
This was the best of the night of Wines of the World. A seductive Cab that has a nice balance. Could last up to five more years.
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11/20/2007 - rmodak wrote: 88 Points
Lush black cherry, loam, iodine, and iron in a silky frame with very firm tannins.
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9/8/2007 - Tarrant wrote: 90 Points
Nice, but still young - Very dark and concentrated, with notes of chocolate, coffee, black fruit and oak, this was extremely tannic, subdued by our steaks this evening, good value in my opinion (90 Points).
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8/16/2007 - wineward wrote: 88 Points
Rich nose of rosemary, mentholated currants. Chalky palate of black currants, red cherry and heavy oak. I would give this several years.
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6/1/2007 - whynblog wrote: 90 Points
Color is a very dark purple all the way to the rim. Nose is full of currant, violet and plumb. Tannins are well structured and fit nicely. Lots of cassis flavor with a touch of dill and toasty vanilla. Not sure what others have tasted but this wine seems very well made to me.
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3/25/2007 - amax wrote: 89 Points
This one was heavy oak and very tannic upon opening but it quickly opened up. good fruit, dark cherry, cassis, very varietal cabernet, the oak dissipated; deep dark color; the flavors were somewhat muddy but a very enjoyable wine. As I read the reviews by others I have to wonder whether there are storage or transport issues with this wine - it si hard to believe reviews could vary so drastically. I will have to try another bottle.
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3/10/2007 - SuitePhoto wrote: 80 Points
First night - very little on the nose, hot and disjointed in the mouth - way too much oak. Second night - heat had calmed down a bit, but the oak still held any hint of fruit captive. Third night - no improvement, used some to make a pan sauce for dinner and dumped the rest. Disappointment.
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2/9/2007 - Arch57 wrote: 87 Points
Got better as the night went on
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1/26/2007 - cvvhrn wrote: 70 Points
It was interesting to see the points rise and fall with this one. Perhaps it was a bad bottle (it did have two lead wrappers and it looked like there was an bit of an alignment error with the cork machine they were using, but this wine was simply awefull. Bitter after even two hours, it had a nose that smelled a bit like Round up. It was flat on the palate with some hits of berries and fruit and bitters, with very little finish.
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1/13/2007 - cbraun wrote: 90 Points
This one took a while to open up. After a couple of hours it really showed good balance. Good fruit showing through the well defined structure. Just a slight astringency on the finish.
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12/2/2006 - raadams wrote: 90 Points
Popped & poured. A very enjoyable cabernet. Full-bodied with notes of currants, cherries, a touch of vanilla and a touch of oak. Still very tannic but the tannins helped to create a nicely structured wine (I am getting tired of the over oak, fruit-bombs full of creamy vanilla coming out of California for the same price). The only knock on the wine is that the mid-palate was a tad hollow.
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11/19/2006 - mwilliams923 wrote: 82 Points
This wine was certainly drinkable, but I didn't care for the over-ripe fruit. Should probably try a different year because there is a lot of hype about this wine that I didn't see in this bottle.
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11/13/2006 - jsokel wrote: 88 Points
A little bitter to start, but calmed down quite a bit as it aired. Looking at the previous comments seems this was a dog a year ago, but recent notes say it has come of age. It's still a bit rough, but I think it will be really good in another year. Too bad this is my only one... would be interesting to see what happens to it.
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9/14/2006 - Julex wrote: 88 Points
Drinking much better now that 1 year ago when I bought it. Try my last one in another 12 months
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5/16/2006 - juggernt wrote: 89 Points
Nice Cab character without being overbearing. Excellent pairing with grilled steaks.
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5/7/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote: 88 Points
No way this deserves the sub 80 scores that others have given it. Maybe they had bad bottles. Nice dark color with dark fruit and oak notes. full bodied and a little tannic as it is still very young. Matched very well with big steaks.
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4/18/2006 - N2Vin wrote: 86 Points
Saw four sub 80 scores on this bottle and had several in the cellar, so I was curious. I have always foud this wine to be of a consistent quality (more so than the Clos Apalta).
First, let me say, I tasted no obvious flaws that would take 20 points off. The wine had a fine cab nose, leaning more toward a Cali cab than normal for a Colchagua cab. This wine is young, and the tannins are not nearly resolved. There was a somewhat bitter or metallic taste the was offputting initially, but the wine settled down into a youthful, brawny, tannic cab. There was fruit, cassis, smoke, and a stewed plum that I didn't care for. Tannins are a bit grainy on the finish, but I felt that there was true varietal character in this wine.
I rate an 86.
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4/15/2006 - johnnywebs wrote: 75 Points
Really horrible and disappointing. As one of my favorite value wines, I have come to expect some amount manufacturing it in this line. This wine is ridiculous in its construction. It is a Frankenwine of the worst kind. Yuck.
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3/28/2006 - East Dallas Wino wrote: 78 Points
Very light body for a cab; spicy, perhaps cinnamon. Pretty tannic. More fruit flavors may show themselves after cellar time, but not much shows through currently. On the second night, after being vacced and refrigerated, the wine mellows out a bit; not so edgy but still not worth writing home about. Not recommended. I'll give it another shot next year.
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3/16/2006 - Seanr7 wrote: 75 Points
Tasted over three nights. First night this wine was very harsh and disjointed, no fruit showing. I vacu-vined and opened on the next night.
Second night this wine has opened up somewhat, more dark cherry but not much, still very tanic and somewhat acidic.
Third night. This wine is just not coming together, still way to tanic, tonight the acid is overpowering the rest of the wine. Not pleasent.
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4/6/2005 - Stephan O wrote: 76 Points
A shockingly low score for such a reliable producer, I know. I'm pretty certain it's not cooked; it simply tastes harsh. This is a straight-up Cab, with a straight-up Cab color, with straight-up Cab fruit on the nose (cassis and currant, although built in that jammy Southern Hemisphere mold). On the palate, though, everything goes haywire. There are unpleasant floral notes and overpowering, brutish tannins that throw the wine completely out of whack. Indeed, drinking this is like licking a dry balloon. I recognize that this is still young for a Cab, but it's so unbalanced at this stage that I doubt its ability to improve with time. The finish is incredibly hot, and nearly as mouth-drying as the mid-palate. I loved Casa Lapostolle's Merlot Cuvee Alexandre, and so perhaps the better explanation for my bad experience with this bottle is that it is indeed cooked. Or perhaps I'm simply mistaken about the tannins and the balance. Or perhaps it's just as bad as I think it is.
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