Cork broke but this bottle is ripping tonight! Having it with our neighbors who have a son named Luca. Fairly dense coloring with ruby edges. Killer nose of dark fruits, earth, earthy funk, graphite, and a great herbal component. Medium body and acid, medium (+) finish, and flavors of dark fruits, licorice, mineral, and herbs. Really enjoying this tonight.
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The last bottle of wine of the evening. Dark berries on the nose. The palate is berries, cassis, leather and a hint of spice. Finish was moderate to long.
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Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about two hours.
Purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of blueberry, smoke and plum. Flavors of berries, plums and a hint of cherries. Medium acidity, fully resolved tannin, medium to full bodied. Drink now. Do not hold.
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Deep ruby hue with a nose of blackberry and spicebox. Enticing aroma, leading to a smooth and polished mouth feel. Tastes of ripe blackberries, vanilla and a hint of tobacco. Good length on the finish fading away with a blanket of dark berry.
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Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about an hour.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of boysenberries, black berries and black cherries. Flavors of black berries, plums and loganberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink over the next few years. Ready to go.
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This is a fairly well made wine, but tastes fairly generic to me. Cassis, vanilla, mocha, and a hint of espresso. Blind I probably would have guessed Napa cab. My opinion is that it doesn't seem to have any sense of place and seems basically to be made by the standard "recipe" of new oak, cold soak, and lots of dark fruit flavors. If I want a Napa cab I will drink one…
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Pretty floral notes, deep ruby malbec. Typical malbec flavor profile with some acidity and depth to balance the fruit. Have a couple more bottles but wish I had a case. Very nice QPR play. 90 - 92.
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Really happy with this. Just the way I like Arg malbec. Maybe just a hair behind the Trapiche single vineyards? A warm burly wine, not too sweet but filled with fruit. A warm blanket. Solid finish that made this a hit with NY Strips.
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Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for 2.5 hours. Nose of blackberry, currant, cocoa, vanilla and spice. Dark berries and soft tannins lead to a medium to long smooth finish. Medium to full bodied. Paired with Irish stout beef stew.
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Another good experience: inky black color. Black fruit, leather, oak on the nose. Black fruit, spice and even a little black pepper on the palate. Tight initially; smooth, long finish. Great QPR.
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Fanatastic wine. Red fruits nose ,very tasty with an amazing finish, balanced and we believe it will evolve more the years to come ! Ready to drink the moment we opened , but it got even better after .
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Oak, coffee, chocolate and glue on the nose; juicy red and black fruits, spice, zingy acidity, tannins are there but fine; medium finish is fresh and balanced. One of the better malbecs ive had, not overly fruity or concentrated with nice acid as others have noted.
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Nice wine. I got a bunch of 1/2 bottles at a steal. Nice to have for times when you don't want a full bottle. This wine is holding up ok, but I think it needs to be drunk in the next couple years.
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Nice red fruit on the nose but coloring is very dark. Dark purple core yet very aromatic and lively. Not very tannic and is silky smooth. Went well with BBQ chicken and corn. Would definitely seek out at the right price
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As usual liked this much better than many of the premium cabs at dinner. Consistent with 01/11 notes; red fruit profile, spice, minerals. Only a handful of Malbecs are great food wines, and this is one.
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San Antonio Wine Geeks; 4/13/2012-4/14/2012 (Tre Trattoria): Really stood out in a sea of cab with it’s high toned fruit and crunchy tannins. Nose of red berries, cassis, cedar. Palate had plenty of energy and acidity, but avoided the overripe jammy fruit of many malbecs. Moderate finish with chewy tannins, and adding a little mocha and cedar. Good concentration but still seems light in the mouth. Oak is there but not overdone.
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Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for 2 hours. Black currant, cedar, spice, and vanilla notes. Dark fruit and tannins lead to a medium length, dry finish. Medium-to-full bodied. Paired with pot roast.
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Took time to aerate. But after an hour or two, the flavour really came through. Fruit bomb, as they say. Blackberry and blueberry mainly. Very pleasant flavour. Very dense colour, with some natural sediment in the last glass. Excellent.
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excellent. deep purple color and nice mix of spice and blueberry, but a fairly short finish. probably a bit too pricey for what it is...a nice smooth malbec, good with a grilled steak but not a special wine.
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Tasted this gem so many times, never fails to impress everytime. A gentle swirl in the glass releases strong and complex aromatics of warm Asian spices. Upon entry, builds up and up in flavours and complexity. Dark chocolates with hint (pleasant) of bitterness. Mouth-coating, lucious. Strong lingering finish. Superb (8.6/10).
The thing about young New World wines is that they're almost always immediately accessible - on the other hand drinking a GCC left bank Bordeaux 3 years old will more likely yield a tannic torture experience than any real pleasure. http://sgbordeaux.blogspot.com/2011/04/luca-2008.html
This took about 2-3 hours to come around. Still a huge wine that is wound pretty tight. After some time, this turned out extraordinarily well. Nose was sweet blueberry and blackberry, a little oak, sage, and mint. The palate was concentrated with plenty of tannins but still nicely balanced. Bramblefruit with a little dirty minerality mixed in. A little hot on the finish.
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Very nice malbec, should have decanted it as it opened up and the tannins let go a bit on the second day.
Gorgeous dark purple/red in the glass. The wine has a lovely nose of brambly fruit with a hint of spice that is confirmed by the palette and continues on the finish. There was just a touch of sediment at the very bottom of the bottle.
90-91; hold for another year or so.
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2 hour decant. Currants, blackberry, spice, and vanilla notes. Dark fruit with smooth tannins on the mid-palate. Long soft finish. Fruit forward style, and very enjoyable. Paired with steak.
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Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (Rich & Dana's): Inky purple color. Aromas of brown sugar.caramel, blue fruits, violets and dark fruit. Becomes more perfumed as it opens in the glass. Firm tannins, with a sweet edge; flavors of black fruit and spice.
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Decant produced a couple grams of sediment and flavor was better after an hour or so. Delicious nose of plum, black cherry, and vanilla/oak. Smooth flavor follows nose with soft tannins and light to balanced acidity. I prefer my malbecs a little more rugged, as this is on the soft and smooth side. Very nice quaffer that goes down easily with or without food. A little steep on the QPR.
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We had malbec night and this one won. It had an abundance of black fruit and nice tannins. Very smooth with a good finish. Super dark purple in the glass.
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overall deep, beginning with the intense, glass staining purple color through the floral, meaty, smoky nose, and then on to the rich, powerful palate, which displays balanced dark fruit, charred earth and pepper nuances, strong mineral shows on the finish, complex and full of identity, dry, drink now with a decant or hold for a few years, designed to be shared at the dinner table with beef
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Medium to full body, with layers of tannins and a hearty does of oak. Undoubtedly much better on the second day, or after being poured through an aerator. This will be a quaffable treat in a few years. 86-88
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Deep dark purple color. The nose has lots of black fruits as well as some high pitched almost ceder like aromas. Good on the palate as well. Not terribly complex but a real good bar-b-cue wine.
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Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of fertilizer, roasted meat, white pepper and plums. Flavors of black berries, plums and a bit of raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body. Drink now through the next 5-7 years plus or minus.
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1.5 hour decant. Dark purple color. Blackberry, currants, black cherry, and vanilla on the nose. Dark fruit and soft integrated tannins on the mid-palate. Very soft, smooth finish. Good balance and acidity. Paired well with steak and a cognac, tarragon, mustard sauce.
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I had this at a dinner party along with another wine, so I'll defer a point rating. Very nice round nose leads to restrained fruits, earth and spice. Not as forward as many malbecs and well balanced, but not very complex.
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A very well balanced Malbec. The nose is spicy plum and black cherry with some leather or I would call it 'peat moss'. The taste is a well crafted blend of spices, coffee, plum, and sour cherries. Its nicely put together, with less of an overpowering spice or fruit dominant bomb than many other Malbecs.
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Bright reddish-purple, clear throughout. Tightly wound, needs a bunch of air. After using a decanter contraption and swirling quite a bit, got a nose of raspberries, a little mint, definite earthy/leathery notes, a bit floral with a bit of caramel too (it is, after all, 14.5%abv). A pleasure just to sniff. I can imagine this would get better with more time and air.
Quite full bodied on the palate (thick). Fruit that is slightly retrained and quite balanced with acidity - quite amazing, because most Malbecs I taste are borderline cloying. Silky and slightly dusty tannins, with and earthy, leathery and slightly oak-spicy finish that lingers and is just ever so slightly savory.
A bit heavy on the palate and not crisp enough for my tastes, but I guess that's to be expected for a Malbec. An amazing wine for the price ($24) that shows the potential, and also, the limitations of this varietal, as this bottling is 100% Malbec. I can't wait till I can justify buying a bottle of Cheval des Andes, because Cab + Malbec + amazing winemaking would probably make my heart stop. But just like when I watched Avatar, I should probably bring my expectations down a notch or five.
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Tasted after a 30 minute decant. Opaque purple. Nose of earth and black fruit. Blackberry, plum. mineral and spice notes. Tart finish with modest tannins. Good wine but, this bottle at least, seems a bit unbalanced. The 2007 was more to my taste.
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Wow. The QPR was fantastic on this. The wine is big and a bit bombastic, but not overly so. Went back and bought two more. Thinking I shoulda bought a half case, because it will be interesting to see how this ages.
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Terrific Malbec. Great nose of licorice, cocoa beans, and cherries. Very dense palate with chewy tannins, notes of tart cherries, blueberries, spice, and plums. Nice mineral earthy notes along with a rich raspberry touch. Wonderful deep and long finish. A really balanced Argentine wine. Very impressive.
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Used a Vinturi. Almost black and a dark, garnet rim. Nose of gravel, licorice, mixed berry and white pepper. The palate is not as enthralling and yet it's still a great wine, with a nice finish. A little simple on the paltate and the concentration does come through, though. A wonderful food wine and an enjoyable Malbec - especially the nose. Drink now.
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Dark, almost purple color. Distinctive nose of black fruit, spice and leather. First impression of dark fruits and leather give way to juicy berry at mid-palate and a big, round finish. Stains your teeth with it's inkiness! Nice complement to roasted chicken, and a good value for the price.
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Tasted January 23, 2010 at a retail tasting. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of currants, blueberries, toast, dark chocolate and a hint of leather. Flavors of black berries, black cherries, a little blueberries and some bitters. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full body. Drink now with some air or continue to hold over the medium term.
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South America (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had raspberry, mocha, plum, and earth. The palate was soft, and had raspberry, chocolate, earth, and an oaky finish.
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This is a special wine. First it is big, possibly the most concentrated, and approachable black fruit of any wine I have ever tasted. Purple teeth time. Second, there is lots of complexity. With all that fruit, the initial aroma is one of leather and spice. Third, by far the best part of this wine is the finish, which also brings complexity to a 93 point level. With all that chewy fruit, and big feel in the mouth, there is still an elegance that lingers all the way down with licorice, cola, tea, chocolate, mint, and black fruit. The color is a highly extracted super dark purple. Everything is working in harmony. A touch light on the mid palate. There was lots of change in the glass as it aired out, leading me to believe that there is more potential to this wine with decanting, a vinturi, and some bottle age.
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4/26/2021 - studleytrey Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork broke but this bottle is ripping tonight! Having it with our neighbors who have a son named Luca. Fairly dense coloring with ruby edges. Killer nose of dark fruits, earth, earthy funk, graphite, and a great herbal component. Medium body and acid, medium (+) finish, and flavors of dark fruits, licorice, mineral, and herbs. Really enjoying this tonight.
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5/9/2020 - Fabio.Alp wrote: 87 Points
Fábio e teté
Massa e carne do chef
Vinho apenas OK
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10/21/2019 - markcic Likes this wine: 90 Points
The last bottle of wine of the evening. Dark berries on the nose. The palate is berries, cassis, leather and a hint of spice. Finish was moderate to long.
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1/14/2018 - bluepeter2020@outlook.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
lots of very ripe blackberrry, some spice and subtle earth. full round mouth feel, subtle tannins, long finish. Drink now.
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12/11/2017 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
WIML91
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about two hours.
Purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of blueberry, smoke and plum. Flavors of berries, plums and a hint of cherries. Medium acidity, fully resolved tannin, medium to full bodied. Drink now. Do not hold.
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5/20/2017 - The Kokopelli wrote: 90 Points
Deep ruby hue with a nose of blackberry and spicebox. Enticing aroma, leading to a smooth and polished mouth feel. Tastes of ripe blackberries, vanilla and a hint of tobacco. Good length on the finish fading away with a blanket of dark berry.
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3/18/2017 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 92 Points
WIML92
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about an hour.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of boysenberries, black berries and black cherries. Flavors of black berries, plums and loganberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink over the next few years. Ready to go.
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2/7/2017 - cgrohman Likes this wine: 94 Points
Luscious fruit; perfect time to drink
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12/6/2015 - jnewman77 wrote:
This is a fairly well made wine, but tastes fairly generic to me. Cassis, vanilla, mocha, and a hint of espresso. Blind I probably would have guessed Napa cab. My opinion is that it doesn't seem to have any sense of place and seems basically to be made by the standard "recipe" of new oak, cold soak, and lots of dark fruit flavors. If I want a Napa cab I will drink one…
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10/26/2015 - steinbrl12 wrote: 89 Points
good dark fruit depth and fullness.
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8/12/2015 - depdoc wrote: 90 Points
This wine has improved markedly in the last two years. It has dark fruit and minimal tannins.
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3/11/2015 - Rarffa wrote: 91 Points
Delicious. Rich blackberry and blueberry fruit with well-integrated tannins.
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8/12/2014 - WDSteers wrote: 89 Points
not much nose, fruit forward dark berry fruit, little cocoa, tannic finish.
not sure how much this wine will evolve.
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12/22/2013 - falp wrote: 88 Points
not ready yet - wait for 2 more years at least. Full of berries.
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6/4/2013 - Joegish Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pretty floral notes, deep ruby malbec. Typical malbec flavor profile with some acidity and depth to balance the fruit. Have a couple more bottles but wish I had a case. Very nice QPR play. 90 - 92.
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4/20/2013 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Really happy with this. Just the way I like Arg malbec. Maybe just a hair behind the Trapiche single vineyards? A warm burly wine, not too sweet but filled with fruit. A warm blanket. Solid finish that made this a hit with NY Strips.
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2/2/2013 - hoservin wrote: 90 Points
Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for 2.5 hours. Nose of blackberry, currant, cocoa, vanilla and spice. Dark berries and soft tannins lead to a medium to long smooth finish. Medium to full bodied. Paired with Irish stout beef stew.
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1/13/2013 - awineo Likes this wine: 91 Points
I think this is a good malbec for the money.
It has solid fruit and tannins and a decent finish.
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11/6/2012 - awineo Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decent Malbec, but nothing really special. Expected a little more from Luca.
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10/29/2012 - vino_per_tutti wrote: 90 Points
Another good experience: inky black color. Black fruit, leather, oak on the nose. Black fruit, spice and even a little black pepper on the palate. Tight initially; smooth, long finish. Great QPR.
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10/28/2012 - Gabriel & Priscila wrote: 93 Points
Fanatastic wine. Red fruits nose ,very tasty with an amazing finish, balanced and we believe it will evolve more the years to come ! Ready to drink the moment we opened , but it got even better after .
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10/18/2012 - briquette wrote: 90 Points
very nice finish for value wine.
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9/17/2012 - bullmrkt wrote: 90 Points
Oak, coffee, chocolate and glue on the nose; juicy red and black fruits, spice, zingy acidity, tannins are there but fine; medium finish is fresh and balanced. One of the better malbecs ive had, not overly fruity or concentrated with nice acid as others have noted.
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6/29/2012 - awineo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice wine. I got a bunch of 1/2 bottles at a steal. Nice to have for times when you don't want a full bottle. This wine is holding up ok, but I think it needs to be drunk in the next couple years.
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5/6/2012 - TottenCellars wrote:
Nice red fruit on the nose but coloring is very dark. Dark purple core yet very aromatic and lively.
Not very tannic and is silky smooth. Went well with BBQ chicken and corn.
Would definitely seek out at the right price
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4/14/2012 - macker100 wrote: 92 Points
As usual liked this much better than many of the premium cabs at dinner. Consistent with 01/11 notes; red fruit profile, spice, minerals. Only a handful of Malbecs are great food wines, and this is one.
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4/14/2012 - Nutty08 wrote: 92 Points
San Antonio Wine Geeks; 4/13/2012-4/14/2012 (Tre Trattoria): Really stood out in a sea of cab with it’s high toned fruit and crunchy tannins. Nose of red berries, cassis, cedar. Palate had plenty of energy and acidity, but avoided the overripe jammy fruit of many malbecs. Moderate finish with chewy tannins, and adding a little mocha and cedar. Good concentration but still seems light in the mouth. Oak is there but not overdone.
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4/8/2012 - rexmerlot wrote: 84 Points
Clear dark ruby in colour. Clean nose of black fruit. Dry, med acidity, med tannins, med body, black cherry on palate. Not very complex. Overpriced.
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4/7/2012 - hoservin wrote: 90 Points
Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for 2 hours. Black currant, cedar, spice, and vanilla notes. Dark fruit and tannins lead to a medium length, dry finish. Medium-to-full bodied. Paired with pot roast.
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4/4/2012 - jamesmichaelgardner wrote:
If I had the choice, I would skip this one all together. Thanks but no thanks
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3/29/2012 - jamesmichaelgardner wrote: 85 Points
Prior reviews consistent. Thick, oak on open. Put in a decanter and forget for an hour.
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3/4/2012 - 10izguy wrote:
great wine, very enjoyable, agree with posted comments, definitely improved after decanting with time.
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3/2/2012 - Frabjous Likes this wine: 90 Points
Aging nicely, very tasty!
90-91; Drink or hold
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1/22/2012 - eldiabloazul wrote: 87 Points
Solid wine. Juicy, thick, and oak. Limited WOW factor...probably a skip at 24 bucks.
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1/22/2012 - CarpeVinoDiem wrote: 89 Points
No notes taken.
Fine, not as good or big as before tried.
89 pts.
Maybe decant 2 hrs will help vs just 1 hr.
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1/17/2012 - Ombibulous wrote: 88 Points
Took time to aerate. But after an hour or two, the flavour really came through. Fruit bomb, as they say. Blackberry and blueberry mainly. Very pleasant flavour. Very dense colour, with some natural sediment in the last glass. Excellent.
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1/13/2012 - rhanke wrote: 90 Points
Liked the thick tannins. Dark purple, nice.
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11/29/2011 - Christensen wrote: 90 Points
Could drink any night of the week.
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11/5/2011 - Frabjous wrote: 89 Points
Consistent with prior notes.
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10/30/2011 - daisy1212 wrote: 89 Points
excellent. deep purple color and nice mix of spice and blueberry, but a fairly short finish. probably a bit too pricey for what it is...a nice smooth malbec, good with a grilled steak but not a special wine.
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10/19/2011 - bubbachumps wrote: 92 Points
A complete wine. Complex nose, long integrated finish and all in balance. Really tasty stuff and great value for the price tag.
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10/9/2011 - Andice wrote: 86 Points
Tasted this gem so many times, never fails to impress everytime. A gentle swirl in the glass releases strong and complex aromatics of warm Asian spices. Upon entry, builds up and up in flavours and complexity. Dark chocolates with hint (pleasant) of bitterness. Mouth-coating, lucious. Strong lingering finish. Superb (8.6/10).
The thing about young New World wines is that they're almost always immediately accessible - on the other hand drinking a GCC left bank Bordeaux 3 years old will more likely yield a tannic torture experience than any real pleasure. http://sgbordeaux.blogspot.com/2011/04/luca-2008.html
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10/7/2011 - cbkamp Likes this wine: 91 Points
This took about 2-3 hours to come around. Still a huge wine that is wound pretty tight. After some time, this turned out extraordinarily well. Nose was sweet blueberry and blackberry, a little oak, sage, and mint. The palate was concentrated with plenty of tannins but still nicely balanced. Bramblefruit with a little dirty minerality mixed in. A little hot on the finish.
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10/2/2011 - TheEngineer wrote: flawed
Corked
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9/16/2011 - Frabjous Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice malbec, should have decanted it as it opened up and the tannins let go a bit on the second day.
Gorgeous dark purple/red in the glass. The wine has a lovely nose of brambly fruit with a hint of spice that is confirmed by the palette and continues on the finish. There was just a touch of sediment at the very bottom of the bottle.
90-91; hold for another year or so.
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9/4/2011 - hoservin wrote: 90 Points
2 hour decant. Currants, blackberry, spice, and vanilla notes. Dark fruit with smooth tannins on the mid-palate. Long soft finish. Fruit forward style, and very enjoyable. Paired with steak.
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9/2/2011 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (Rich & Dana's): Inky purple color. Aromas of brown sugar.caramel, blue fruits, violets and dark fruit. Becomes more perfumed as it opens in the glass. Firm tannins, with a sweet edge; flavors of black fruit and spice.
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9/2/2011 - Ron Van Holland wrote: 90 Points
Decant produced a couple grams of sediment and flavor was better after an hour or so. Delicious nose of plum, black cherry, and vanilla/oak. Smooth flavor follows nose with soft tannins and light to balanced acidity. I prefer my malbecs a little more rugged, as this is on the soft and smooth side. Very nice quaffer that goes down easily with or without food. A little steep on the QPR.
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8/1/2011 - awineo Likes this wine: 92 Points
We had malbec night and this one won. It had an abundance of black fruit and nice tannins. Very smooth with a good finish. Super dark purple in the glass.
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7/8/2011 - whits wrote: 91 Points
overall deep, beginning with the intense, glass staining purple color through the floral, meaty, smoky nose, and then on to the rich, powerful palate, which displays balanced dark fruit, charred earth and pepper nuances, strong mineral shows on the finish, complex and full of identity, dry, drink now with a decant or hold for a few years, designed to be shared at the dinner table with beef
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6/30/2011 - cybernco Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very fruity, medium body with a pepper and mineral after taste. I'm buying a case of this wine for sure.
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6/29/2011 - joraesque wrote: 87 Points
Medium to full body, with layers of tannins and a hearty does of oak. Undoubtedly much better on the second day, or after being poured through an aerator. This will be a quaffable treat in a few years. 86-88
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6/2/2011 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 90 Points
Deep dark purple color. The nose has lots of black fruits as well as some high pitched almost ceder like aromas. Good on the palate as well. Not terribly complex but a real good bar-b-cue wine.
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5/21/2011 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
Saturdays at One - Volume 48: WIML90
Tasted non blind at a retail tasting.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of fertilizer, roasted meat, white pepper and plums. Flavors of black berries, plums and a bit of raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body. Drink now through the next 5-7 years plus or minus.
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5/19/2011 - socidelvino wrote: 88 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tour Boston 2011
Eye: dark garnet. Nose: plums, spice, terroir. Palate: dark berries, good fruit, nice structure and tannins, medium finish. Very drinkable.
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5/7/2011 - hoservin wrote: 90 Points
1.5 hour decant. Dark purple color. Blackberry, currants, black cherry, and vanilla on the nose. Dark fruit and soft integrated tannins on the mid-palate. Very soft, smooth finish. Good balance and acidity. Paired well with steak and a cognac, tarragon, mustard sauce.
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4/7/2011 - bullmrkt wrote:
I had this at a dinner party along with another wine, so I'll defer a point rating. Very nice round nose leads to restrained fruits, earth and spice. Not as forward as many malbecs and well balanced, but not very complex.
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4/1/2011 - nogohawk wrote: 90 Points
A very good malbec - purple color with blackberry and cocoa - nice finish
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3/28/2011 - andy.serwin wrote: 85 Points
Very balanced fruit with strong mineral flavors. Not as fruit forward as many Malbecs.
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3/22/2011 - tb_baltimore Likes this wine: 90 Points
A very well balanced Malbec. The nose is spicy plum and black cherry with some leather or I would call it 'peat moss'. The taste is a well crafted blend of spices, coffee, plum, and sour cherries. Its nicely put together, with less of an overpowering spice or fruit dominant bomb than many other Malbecs.
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3/22/2011 - ecola Likes this wine: 91 Points
Huge fruit of cherry and blackberry on the palate. Smooth tannins finish this off well.
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3/20/2011 - BruceHubbard wrote: 90 Points
Mild fruit with mineral on the nose, moderately solid mouthfeel, good tannins, balanced berries. Great malbec.
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3/19/2011 - dontime wrote: 90 Points
PA Wine Talk Number 16 - Wines from South America (Bigelow Grille - Pittsburgh): Decanted two hours prior to tasting. Dark purple in color. Nose of black fruit and mineral. Blackberries, plum and mineral on the palate. Quite nice.
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2/28/2011 - bugdoced wrote: 90 Points
6 months in the cellar has helped
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2/23/2011 - Metanoia wrote: 89 Points
Bright reddish-purple, clear throughout. Tightly wound, needs a bunch of air. After using a decanter contraption and swirling quite a bit, got a nose of raspberries, a little mint, definite earthy/leathery notes, a bit floral with a bit of caramel too (it is, after all, 14.5%abv). A pleasure just to sniff. I can imagine this would get better with more time and air.
Quite full bodied on the palate (thick). Fruit that is slightly retrained and quite balanced with acidity - quite amazing, because most Malbecs I taste are borderline cloying. Silky and slightly dusty tannins, with and earthy, leathery and slightly oak-spicy finish that lingers and is just ever so slightly savory.
A bit heavy on the palate and not crisp enough for my tastes, but I guess that's to be expected for a Malbec. An amazing wine for the price ($24) that shows the potential, and also, the limitations of this varietal, as this bottling is 100% Malbec. I can't wait till I can justify buying a bottle of Cheval des Andes, because Cab + Malbec + amazing winemaking would probably make my heart stop. But just like when I watched Avatar, I should probably bring my expectations down a notch or five.
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1/17/2011 - tantotinto wrote: 89 Points
Tasted after a 30 minute decant. Opaque purple. Nose of earth and black fruit. Blackberry, plum. mineral and spice notes. Tart finish with modest tannins. Good wine but, this bottle at least, seems a bit unbalanced. The 2007 was more to my taste.
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1/5/2011 - Sparkotron wrote: 92 Points
Wow. The QPR was fantastic on this. The wine is big and a bit bombastic, but not overly so. Went back and bought two more. Thinking I shoulda bought a half case, because it will be interesting to see how this ages.
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1/1/2011 - macker100 wrote: 92 Points
Terrific Malbec. Great nose of licorice, cocoa beans, and cherries. Very dense palate with chewy tannins, notes of tart cherries, blueberries, spice, and plums. Nice mineral earthy notes along with a rich raspberry touch. Wonderful deep and long finish. A really balanced Argentine wine. Very impressive.
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12/17/2010 - Djl531 wrote: 83 Points
Heavy and a bit of spice. Earthy like most malbecs.
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12/16/2010 - Matt Scott wrote: 89 Points
In Wailea....
Used a Vinturi. Almost black and a dark, garnet rim. Nose of gravel, licorice, mixed berry and white pepper. The palate is not as enthralling and yet it's still a great wine, with a nice finish. A little simple on the paltate and the concentration does come through, though. A wonderful food wine and an enjoyable Malbec - especially the nose. Drink now.
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12/3/2010 - Rkmase wrote: 95 Points
Took a bit to open up, but wonderful with a very rich dinner
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9/21/2010 - h2o wrote: 92 Points
2 hour decant
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6/11/2010 - vino_per_tutti wrote: 89 Points
Dark, almost purple color. Distinctive nose of black fruit, spice and leather. First impression of dark fruits and leather give way to juicy berry at mid-palate and a big, round finish. Stains your teeth with it's inkiness! Nice complement to roasted chicken, and a good value for the price.
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6/8/2010 - rstark wrote: 91 Points
Jerry Feitel Monthly Blind Tasting - Malbecs from Argentina (Del Mar, CA): Big open dark fruits, blackberry and black plum. Oaky mocha finish, but much more integrated than the '07 Tikal, which is a sister project. #2 out of eight.
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5/5/2010 - rjhilgers@gmail.com Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Diluted and way out of balance.
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1/23/2010 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
WIML90-91
Tasted January 23, 2010 at a retail tasting. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of currants, blueberries, toast, dark chocolate and a hint of leather. Flavors of black berries, black cherries, a little blueberries and some bitters. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full body. Drink now with some air or continue to hold over the medium term.
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1/23/2010 - mmurry wrote: 89 Points
South America (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had raspberry, mocha, plum, and earth. The palate was soft, and had raspberry, chocolate, earth, and an oaky finish.
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12/29/2009 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 93 Points
This is a special wine. First it is big, possibly the most concentrated, and approachable black fruit of any wine I have ever tasted. Purple teeth time. Second, there is lots of complexity. With all that fruit, the initial aroma is one of leather and spice. Third, by far the best part of this wine is the finish, which also brings complexity to a 93 point level. With all that chewy fruit, and big feel in the mouth, there is still an elegance that lingers all the way down with licorice, cola, tea, chocolate, mint, and black fruit. The color is a highly extracted super dark purple. Everything is working in harmony. A touch light on the mid palate. There was lots of change in the glass as it aired out, leading me to believe that there is more potential to this wine with decanting, a vinturi, and some bottle age.
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