Medium bodied. Best after 20-30 min of air. Well balanced acidity and light pepper on the finish. This has aged well and could probably go longer. Definitely something on the QPR that could be enjoyed regularly.
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Medium body, opaque garnet color. Nose of cherry/blackberry, meat, vanilla. Palate: red fruit, meat, white pepper, good minerality and decent acid. Good purity and freshness, and spot on typicity. Perfect for a causal summer evening under the stars. Unfortunately this is my last bottle -- wish I had more.
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Nice spicy character earthy barnyard aromas, leathery with ripe plum, and cherries.. Very pleasant wine . Excellent especially for the money.. this is one to buy by the case load. This wine could cellar for 3-5 years and be great
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The nose does not offer much, kind of metallic, a little funk. The palate though is nice, understated and easy going. A little vanilla. This is a great qpr. Blind I would give it an 86. Rating it with price taken into account, 91.
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This was a pleasant surprise, having a history of tight and thin. But lo and behold, this has matured quite nicely: moderately complex, very smooth, almost silky, with medium legs and finish. A terrific bottle of wine for the money.
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Smoky, earthy aromas of dark fruits, sous-bois, spice and meat on the nose. Full-bodied and with a very dense, plush mouth feel, this has got lots of ripe plum and boysenberry fruit character. There's good length and a hint of pepper on the graphite- and mineral-tinged finish too. Could use just a bit more aciditiy to liven it up though. Definitely shows a sense of place and is very enjoyable for a $12 Cotes du Roussillon. 50+5+12+15+7=89
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Decanted three hours before tasting. Pronounced nose of forest floor, leather, dry leaves, cherry/berry, hint of some pungent herb (rosemary? mint?) in the background. Palate adds red and black fruit (cherry, blackberry, blueberry). Firm tannins, no sweetness with the fruit, medium finish. This is much better than the previous bottle which we rated 77-79. Perhaps that one was indeed corked.
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High QPR. Grenache, Syrah, Carignan blend. Not high in alcohol at 13.5, this is quite drinkable. If you can find this wine, just buy a case, you will not be disappointed and you will drink it. Nose is highly imperceptible; palate slightly dry, earth is noticeable, some minerality, alcohol is present even though low in spec. I'm going back for more
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Good, still kickin'. Some dark red wild berries, a touch of herb undertone, lively supporting acid & grip. Decent length to the finish. Supple; enjoyed this more than previous bottles.
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Had with fresh broiled seafood at shore. Popped and poured. Nice fragrant nose with good fruit. Nice smooth taste - good fruit, balance and complexity. Nice Rhone blend - buy again.
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Tasted after an hour in decanter. Nose of garrigue, leather, maybe white pepper. Palate has hints of blackberry, spice, mint; bitter tannins, no fruit. Corked? Feels tight; left in decanter to see if it loosens up tomorrow. Unrated since the bottle may be bad; would give it 77-79 otherwise.
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Pretty nose, bright raspberry and plum fruit with a touch of vanilla. Acidity is in balance, which makes this very versatile with food pairings. Finish a little short. Nice effort for $10.
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90-91 This wine is more classically styled than some like. Slightly leaner rather than syrupy and extracted. Probably the kind of wine tanzer or schildknecht would like more than RP or Jay Miller. This is a killer QPR. This $11 wine blows most CdR and some CdP out of the water. This is what i wish i got in low priced CdRs all of the time but rarely do. This is true to the varietals and region. All of the classic Rhone-like notes that often time get muddled in riper vintages. This is balanced, has tannic structure, acidity and is true to place. There is a little heat on the finish, otherwise i would go 91. Wish i had more.
Day 2: No better, maybe a bit smoother, but not as precise and focused. 89-90.
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Dark purple-red color. Medium body. Let breathe about 30 minutes. Lots of blue fruit, as well as some minerality (dust, charcoal). Very simple and straightforward; for $15 an excellent middle-of-the-road wine to enjoy with supper. Not a world-beater, but a good value. No reason to age; drink now or relatively soon.
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PnVnD. Let air for 2 hrs. Very purple almost black from core to rim just shy of saturated. Tar and plum black cherry and blackberry pastille with a touch of herbs de province. Medium weight mostly polished taninns with a bit of espresso grip at the end. Flavors of plum cassis blackberry herbs and coffee. Quick thin finish makes it a bit disappointing.
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The grenache comes though nicely after a touch of air. A lot of life left here and a pretty long finish. Maybe a touch of boysenberry giving it some spice.
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Got some on second day of being opened. Reserved, balanced, almost savory. Dark fruits, a bit of coffee and pepper. Medium to short finish. Wonder what it had been like on the first day.
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Spice box meets a dark fruit compote. I am usually not a fan of something with this much dark fruit, but the hints of dark cherries and something almost herbal (rosemary) made this a great match for grilled tuna this evening. Very delicious.
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Inky ruby red with a ripe, primary nose of blackberry and redcurrant. Very spicy, medium bodied and quite rustic in style with notes of raspberry, dried meat and coffee. The tannins are young and slightly dry but this is great value for £6.49; it just needs more time.
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Much better than the faulty bottle recently tasted. Quite mild and elegant for a grenache based wine. Some pongy raspberry fruits and good underlying zingy minerals. Slightly bitter finish.
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Unfortunately corked but not a total disaster. Looking beyond a musty note this wine shows very good fruit purity and surprsingly firm tannin. That said fruits are muted but I will point to the cork taint. I've given points as a reference only and will re-try soon.
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I will not repeat tasting notes here. Consistent with prior tasting notes, but would say that a proper 2 hour decant did wonders for this Rhone blend. a very nice pour, and very food flexible and friendly.
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Tight at first, but opened up wonderfully over some time (1/2 hour or so). Nice balance of black cherry with minerals - so French. Decent finish. Not much of a nose though, although that could have been because it hadn't completely opened. Enjoyed with grilled flank steak w/ onions.
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Interesting Rhone. Not surprised in made the WS list, and caught most of the references for ripe berry and plum fruits. The chocolate bit on the back-end was there as well. It had nice balance between acidity and tannins, which makes it a nice pair with food. Good dark purple like colors. Medium body, with a nice plush mouthfeel. This is for a Rhone lover, and sort of a CNdP light.
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Delivers for the price. A nice CdP style blend, with good hearty dark plum and currant fruit, strong acidity with a little earth and funk mixed in. Not terribly complex, but enjoyable.
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It had a really nice bouquet of black cherry, plum, boysenberry, dark chocolate, toast, pepper, spice, vanilla, cedar and tobacco aromas. The palate was moderately tannic smooth and balanced with flavors of black cherry, plum, dark chocolate, spice, tobacco, vanilla and burnt toast. It was good, but nothing special.
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Very good wine. Frangrant with nice balance. Great value. Gained complexity over the two hours we had it open. The old world makeup of this wine vertainly did not overwhelm my new world palate!
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I drank this wine over 4 nights. Properly sealed every night, but this wine got better each glass. This wine has a pair of balls. It reminded me a a fig covered in very good dark chocalate with tannins. Would get again and decant for 2+ if i was serving
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Blackberry, blueberry and mineral are predominant. Reserved but nicely balanced. Serious structure, with tannins rearing their heads pretty strongly at times. The final sip was downright mouth-puckering.
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Deep purple. Clean, moderately intense nose opening in decanter over two hours to show straightforward aromas of black cherries, tar, and roasted herbs. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with high acidity and generous, quite coarse tannins. The flavors are black fruit and mineral-dominated, and the middle palate is solid, albeit laden with acid and astringency. Medium, mouth-puckering finish. Compared with the '09 (tasted 18 days ago), this version is far more rustic. Although the alcohol (listed as 13.5%) is not hot, this wine was probably over-acidified during elevage and now, combined with the much less-integrated tannins, is out-of-balance. If you are going to purchase this wine, I would recommend the '09 over the '08. I doubt that cellaring will help this wine to any significant degree. Drink now-12/13.
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Hard to judge because we brought it to a hotel and ended up drinking it out of plastic cups. Not a good thing. Nice structure and balance though, with blackberry fruit.
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Really, really tough. No letup even after several days open. Much too young. Should be interesting, likely very interesting, in two (?) years. 7/2011: Much better. Tannins still not completely resolved, but OK. Interesting wine. 11/2012: Still pretty tough, but opens up a bit in about 30 min. Interesting, raisins, black fruit, spice. Let it sleep! 12/22/2017: Fully mature now, and very nicely smoothed out. Dark and a bit thick but interesting, lots of dark fruit. 12/24/17: Consistent with previous bottle. 9/17/18: Consistent again. This has definitely matured, some secondary notes are showing, and they are quite interesting. Held up well under vacuvin for about four days. 3/5/22: Consistent. Nice wine, but not super.
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Bright red color, bright fruit to match, except for a note of ripe fig that is hard to miss; drink up day one... this wine does not like to rest overnight
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Nat cork. Quite dark, a juicy purple. Muddled nose of dark fruit and damp earth. Nice dark fruit flavors - blackberry, raspberry, lots of black pepper, well balanced, medium frame, hint of raisin, bit mesquite, plenty of tannin but approachable - not too sharp. Not tons of complexity and a hint of heat appears, but only on the finish. Great grilling wine amd should hope up for another couple of years no problem. Great QPR.
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Dark Purple, a bit light on the nose upon opening but with some coaxing, came out smelling beautiful. This is a great food friendly crowd pleaser. Recommended. 89 plus one point for value.
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I remember drinking this, but I don't remember anything about the taste, but I was not dissapointed. I just remember it being a solid effort, but nothing stood out taste-wise.
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* Color: slightly transparent edges. * Nose: raspberry, muted cinnamon and soil. * Taste: primarily raspberry, but also tempered notes of nitrogen/soil and graphite/lead. Dry, medium tannin. All of the elements are very well integrated. Balanced
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Dark ruby color. Raspberry fruit and white pepper on the nose and palate. Good balance. Medium bodied. Chewy tannins. Earthy finish. Well made but nothing extraordinary.
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Pretty decent and another example of why the best values for the buck are in the southern rhone, at least for my palate. Black cherries, a little bit of meat and spice.
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Solid effort. Cherry and other red fruit. I am usually turned off by the pepper component of Grenache, but this wasnt overpowering. Pretty darn good for $13. Medium bodied with decent grip and nice finish. food friendly.
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A nice wine. Dark fruit on the nose with dark fruit and white pepper on the palate. Short to medium finish. Comparable to CDR's from Rhone Valley. Pretty good QPR.
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Pop n pour. A wonderful blend of old world and new world styles. A smooth and easy-drinking Syrah with good acidity and just enough tannic grip. Excellent secondary flavors of cigar and tar...a welcome surprise! It's been several months since my last bottle and time has certainly been kind to this juice. Excellent QPR.
*Edit - had one glass remaining in the bottle 2 days after the initial "pop". I decided to partake, but ended up pouring half down the drain...it had completely fallen apart! I'll leave the initial score untouched, but this is certainly NOT a wine that enjoys extended air - I'll consume my remaining bottles over the next year.
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A nose of dark fruit and some spice, deep ruby in color. A smooth, medium bodied blend with black raspberry, black cherry, plum with some spice and chocolate. A very good value for this price.
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Very nice floral and red berry aromas -- really quite fragrant and did not need any decanting. On the palate, definitely old world -- no sweetness or jamminess at all. Generous dark fruit, albeit a bit simple, with good acidity and some nice smooth tannins on the finish. Medium bodied with quite good balance. More of a food wine than one to drink on its own, but very very good in this role.
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This wine is best decanted or allowed to breath for up to 4 housrs before drinking for it shows any nose. The wine is a inky dark purple with good legs. The nose reveals Blackberry, a slight barnyard odor, Black Pepper and loam. The taste is a reserved fruit, high acidity and big tannin running out well over a minute. 85, Interesting, need time.
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Respi-aerate to decanter and serve. Dark cherry red with lots of black tones, inky and opaque, and an unusually full body for a CdR. Thick nose of dark plums, figs, cherries, garrigue, and a nice hint of barnyard. No petrol aroma as noted by others. On the palate a dense juice of black fruits, licorice, twinges of bittersweet chocolate. Medium acid, big firm structure of tannins, extended dry finish of dark fruit, charcoal, herbs. Big wine for a CdR. Quite enjoyable, but between the primary fruit flavors and firm tannins, it seems like it will be better in a year. Not as big or complex as the Bila-Haut Occultum, but then that's about 7 bucks more. Smartly priced and a very good wine (89+).
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Consistent with others' notes, this wine too a long time to open and was much better on the second day. Simple, easy drinking wine, should be better in a year or two.
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Same as last bottle. Beautiful dark purple. Over ripe cherry nose. Well rounded structure. Dirty black cherries, figs, and dark chocolate taste. A worthy wine. Very good.
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Beautful dark inky color on the pour. Nose of strawberry and cherry with hints of cedar and plum. Big mouth of cherry and strawberry with spicy earth tones. Nice tannic balance leaving this dry but tastefully so.
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Definitely needs time to breathe (around 2 hours), very closed on opening the bottle. Once it has breathed, a very nice wine, shiraz dominant blend, medium weight.
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Good but not great. A serious value offering from a well known producer.This is very young, a little rustic, and probably not ready yet. Got quite a bit of that smoky, burnt cocoa aroma on the nose, and to the palate. A little tight on the mid palate. Loads of fresh bright cherry and plum. Tasty and well integrated.
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Give this wine at least 90 minutes to open up. Strong and intense with a flavor profile of raspberry and cherry. Nose of spice and leather. Dense and long on the finish with hints of dark chocolate and smoke. Tannins are firm and well structured. Will improve with a few more years of cellaring.
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Popped and poured. Nice dark garnet/blueberry color, very fragrant nose with lots of fruit, lots more fruit on the forward palate, nice mouth feel, complexity and structure. Medium finish. This tasted very much like a Rhone blend with Pinot Noir notes.
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Pat Kerns Mini Tasting (My House): Grenache, Syrah, and Carignane blend. Nose: Unique funky and petrol-like aromas. Palate: Lip smacking tannins and dark fruits with a very clean, medium length finish. A unique wine and good value.
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Beautiful dark purple. Over ripe cherry nose. Well rounded structure. Dirty black cherries, figs, and dark chocolate taste. A worthy wine. Very good. A deal and a half at $11.99. Wow.
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Almost 4 hours after pouring into decanter, this is a very smooth, but simple wine. The first 1-1.5 hours it was very rough. Maybe it will age and become more interesting, or maybe between 1.5 and 4 hours it tasted better (we went out to dinner).
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Very young but nice potential. Inky purple. Very dry CDR like at first with a clean short finish, but with some air gets bigger than most CDRs and a longer more satisfying finish and longer palate. A bit of earth and mineral, with some wood and fruit. The fruit comes out after a couple hours and the wine goes from light medium to fuller bodied. Nicely balanced. Very agreeable.
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Strange, and not what I expected based on recent WS top 100 rating. I think it just needs time or a longer decant, but it wasnt tannic or even boozy, it was super dark and very smoothe, but nothing jumped at me either. Will let future bottles breathe more.
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Inky purple color. Bigger than typical CdR at same price point. Grenache and a little funk on the nose. Same on palate. Finishes a little hot. Very young still. Nice value. Drink over the next few years.
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2/29/2020 - Drusus Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium bodied. Best after 20-30 min of air. Well balanced acidity and light pepper on the finish. This has aged well and could probably go longer. Definitely something on the QPR that could be enjoyed regularly.
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4/29/2017 - Krembil93 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark in colour, great bouquet. Medium bodied wine, good level of acidity and has a great peppery finish. Needs a 1-2 hour decant. Really enjoyed it.
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11/7/2015 - deschamp52 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking beautifully. Bright crimson, medium bodied, fine tannins, nice acidity. Wish I had more.
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6/21/2014 - babaji wrote: 88 Points
Not bad at this price point.
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6/6/2014 - macliii Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nicely balanced with good acidity. Went well with grilled cocoa rubbed pork tenderloin.
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9/4/2013 - joncohen wrote: 88 Points
Medium body, opaque garnet color. Nose of cherry/blackberry, meat, vanilla. Palate: red fruit, meat, white pepper, good minerality and decent acid. Good purity and freshness, and spot on typicity. Perfect for a causal summer evening under the stars. Unfortunately this is my last bottle -- wish I had more.
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7/28/2013 - Quarked wrote: 89 Points
This has really improved since my last bottle a couple years ago. Very smooth and enjoyable. Classic southern France taste profile.
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7/21/2013 - familydoc wrote: 85 Points
Nose: citrus, melon, apple
Taste: decent
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6/16/2013 - joet626 wrote: 88 Points
Ok. Not much fruit. Was good with steaks but not much flavor without the meat
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5/20/2013 - familydoc Likes this wine: 86 Points
Nose: grape juice, meat gravy
Taste: blueberry, light body, nice finish which is long and somewhat herbal with rosemary and oregano
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4/28/2013 - profiler54 wrote: 88 Points
Nice spicy character earthy barnyard aromas, leathery with ripe plum, and cherries.. Very pleasant wine . Excellent especially for the money.. this is one to buy by the case load. This wine could cellar for 3-5 years and be great
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4/3/2013 - Mtpisgah Likes this wine:
The nose does not offer much, kind of metallic, a little funk. The palate though is nice, understated and easy going. A little vanilla.
This is a great qpr. Blind I would give it an 86. Rating it with price taken into account, 91.
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1/24/2013 - navybrat Likes this wine: 91 Points
This was a pleasant surprise, having a history of tight and thin. But lo and behold, this has matured quite nicely: moderately complex, very smooth, almost silky, with medium legs and finish. A terrific bottle of wine for the money.
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12/15/2012 - Plheureux wrote:
- Garnet color.
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12/6/2012 - Bam_Man wrote: 89 Points
Smoky, earthy aromas of dark fruits, sous-bois, spice and meat on the nose. Full-bodied and with a very dense, plush mouth feel, this has got lots of ripe plum and boysenberry fruit character. There's good length and a hint of pepper on the graphite- and mineral-tinged finish too. Could use just a bit more aciditiy to liven it up though. Definitely shows a sense of place and is very enjoyable for a $12 Cotes du Roussillon.
50+5+12+15+7=89
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11/16/2012 - snarfglk wrote: 87 Points
Found this to be OK. Maybe on the downhill side or an off bottle. Just not as vibrant or concentrated as I expected.
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11/14/2012 - tautlinehitch wrote: 87 Points
Decanted three hours before tasting. Pronounced nose of forest floor, leather, dry leaves, cherry/berry, hint of some pungent herb (rosemary? mint?) in the background. Palate adds red and black fruit (cherry, blackberry, blueberry). Firm tannins, no sweetness with the fruit, medium finish. This is much better than the previous bottle which we rated 77-79. Perhaps that one was indeed corked.
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11/7/2012 - babaji wrote: 89 Points
High QPR. Grenache, Syrah, Carignan blend. Not high in alcohol at 13.5, this is quite drinkable. If you can find this wine, just buy a case, you will not be disappointed and you will drink it. Nose is highly imperceptible; palate slightly dry, earth is noticeable, some minerality, alcohol is present even though low in spec. I'm going back for more
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10/7/2012 - cobbpa Likes this wine: 84 Points
Good, still kickin'. Some dark red wild berries, a touch of herb undertone, lively supporting acid & grip. Decent length to the finish. Supple; enjoyed this more than previous bottles.
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8/25/2012 - Redrunners wrote: 89 Points
Had with fresh broiled seafood at shore.
Popped and poured. Nice fragrant nose with good fruit.
Nice smooth taste - good fruit, balance and complexity.
Nice Rhone blend - buy again.
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7/24/2012 - tautlinehitch wrote:
Tasted after an hour in decanter. Nose of garrigue, leather, maybe white pepper. Palate has hints of blackberry, spice, mint; bitter tannins, no fruit. Corked? Feels tight; left in decanter to see if it loosens up tomorrow. Unrated since the bottle may be bad; would give it 77-79 otherwise.
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5/12/2012 - Plheureux wrote:
- Brick color with medium forming legs.
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5/7/2012 - Pour Boy wrote: 86 Points
Nice nose, and smooth and supple on the palate. But the finish is a tad bitter. Blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan.
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4/1/2012 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pretty nose, bright raspberry and plum fruit with a touch of vanilla. Acidity is in balance, which makes this very versatile with food pairings. Finish a little short. Nice effort for $10.
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3/28/2012 - ctjared wrote:
This is solid stuff and coming into its own
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1/28/2012 - winegr wrote: 90 Points
90-91 This wine is more classically styled than some like. Slightly leaner rather than syrupy and extracted. Probably the kind of wine tanzer or schildknecht would like more than RP or Jay Miller. This is a killer QPR. This $11 wine blows most CdR and some CdP out of the water. This is what i wish i got in low priced CdRs all of the time but rarely do. This is true to the varietals and region. All of the classic Rhone-like notes that often time get muddled in riper vintages. This is balanced, has tannic structure, acidity and is true to place. There is a little heat on the finish, otherwise i would go 91. Wish i had more.
Day 2: No better, maybe a bit smoother, but not as precise and focused. 89-90.
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12/25/2011 - urban_dk wrote: 85 Points
Big wine, displaying CdR-like garrigue. Doesn't display the prominent fruit of a good CdR, however. Too much spicy oak.
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11/19/2011 - Mike Ritner wrote:
Dark purple-red color. Medium body. Let breathe about 30 minutes. Lots of blue fruit, as well as some minerality (dust, charcoal). Very simple and straightforward; for $15 an excellent middle-of-the-road wine to enjoy with supper. Not a world-beater, but a good value. No reason to age; drink now or relatively soon.
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11/9/2011 - df1962 wrote: 88 Points
PnVnD. Let air for 2 hrs. Very purple almost black from core to rim just shy of saturated. Tar and plum black cherry and blackberry pastille with a touch of herbs de province. Medium weight mostly polished taninns with a bit of espresso grip at the end. Flavors of plum cassis blackberry herbs and coffee. Quick thin finish makes it a bit disappointing.
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10/15/2011 - scott@sgrmanagement.com wrote: 92 Points
Very good
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9/25/2011 - jeffal66 wrote: 87 Points
No notes. Drank with our Greek meal at Kanella in Philly. Classic Grenache. Good value.
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8/29/2011 - ctjared wrote:
The grenache comes though nicely after a touch of air. A lot of life left here and a pretty long finish. Maybe a touch of boysenberry giving it some spice.
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7/19/2011 - Dave124 wrote: 91 Points
Still nice. Great blend.
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7/16/2011 - Bellissimo wrote:
Got some on second day of being opened. Reserved, balanced, almost savory. Dark fruits, a bit of coffee and pepper. Medium to short finish. Wonder what it had been like on the first day.
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5/21/2011 - Surfdoc wrote: 87 Points
Light and dry. Prominent minerals on the palate with a woodsy finish. Not much fruit to speak of.
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5/8/2011 - bcmatthias wrote: 87 Points
Light, easy drinking.
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4/15/2011 - Annie1 wrote: 87 Points
Easy drinking every day wine. Didn't decant and it was fine. Nothing special but fine for the price.
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4/9/2011 - gris wrote: 92 Points
Spice box meets a dark fruit compote. I am usually not a fan of something with this much dark fruit, but the hints of dark cherries and something almost herbal (rosemary) made this a great match for grilled tuna this evening. Very delicious.
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3/29/2011 - AleksanderDye wrote: 89 Points
mer enn verdt prisen!
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3/26/2011 - Biggsy wrote: 87 Points
Inky ruby red with a ripe, primary nose of blackberry and redcurrant. Very spicy, medium bodied and quite rustic in style with notes of raspberry, dried meat and coffee. The tannins are young and slightly dry but this is great value for £6.49; it just needs more time.
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3/26/2011 - Serge wrote: 88 Points
Plum and dark fruit. Pepper that goes away with time.
Simple but goot QPR.
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2/21/2011 - sully13 wrote: 88 Points
Nose: Dark Fruit, Vegetables
Taste: Tar, Black Cherry and a little bit of white pepper on the smooth finish.
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2/6/2011 - Serge wrote: 88 Points
Grenache, Syrah, Carrignan Very basic taste, but great value. Goes well with food. Decant at least 1h.
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1/10/2011 - holon wrote: 86 Points
strong tannins, fruity
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1/9/2011 - StewartWent wrote: 86 Points
Much better than the faulty bottle recently tasted. Quite mild and elegant for a grenache based wine. Some pongy raspberry fruits and good underlying zingy minerals. Slightly bitter finish.
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1/2/2011 - StewartWent wrote: 82 Points
Unfortunately corked but not a total disaster. Looking beyond a musty note this wine shows very good fruit purity and surprsingly firm tannin. That said fruits are muted but I will point to the cork taint. I've given points as a reference only and will re-try soon.
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12/27/2010 - danstrings wrote: 89 Points
Similar to last bottle -- deep, dark, ripe yet balanced, good value.
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12/25/2010 - CGM wrote: 89 Points
Tannic but get better in one hour. Good everyday wine.
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12/19/2010 - mpricher wrote: 89 Points
I will not repeat tasting notes here. Consistent with prior tasting notes, but would say that a proper 2 hour decant did wonders for this Rhone blend. a very nice pour, and very food flexible and friendly.
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12/17/2010 - danstrings wrote: 89 Points
Good dark, inky, fruity easy drinking red.
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12/13/2010 - shalansky Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tight at first, but opened up wonderfully over some time (1/2 hour or so). Nice balance of black cherry with minerals - so French. Decent finish. Not much of a nose though, although that could have been because it hadn't completely opened. Enjoyed with grilled flank steak w/ onions.
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12/10/2010 - mpricher wrote: 89 Points
Interesting Rhone. Not surprised in made the WS list, and caught most of the references for ripe berry and plum fruits. The chocolate bit on the back-end was there as well. It had nice balance between acidity and tannins, which makes it a nice pair with food. Good dark purple like colors. Medium body, with a nice plush mouthfeel. This is for a Rhone lover, and sort of a CNdP light.
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12/3/2010 - Nutty08 wrote: 88 Points
Delivers for the price. A nice CdP style blend, with good hearty dark plum and currant fruit, strong acidity with a little earth and funk mixed in. Not terribly complex, but enjoyable.
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12/3/2010 - Dave124 wrote: 91 Points
Dark fruit. Figs galore. Great Deal. Drinking well now but still has some time.
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12/2/2010 - yui wrote: 86 Points
Thxgivin
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11/21/2010 - garambler wrote: 87 Points
It had a really nice bouquet of black cherry, plum, boysenberry, dark chocolate, toast, pepper, spice, vanilla, cedar and tobacco aromas. The palate was moderately tannic smooth and balanced with flavors of black cherry, plum, dark chocolate, spice, tobacco, vanilla and burnt toast. It was good, but nothing special.
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11/10/2010 - Tri Wine wrote: 89 Points
Very good wine. Frangrant with nice balance. Great value. Gained complexity over the two hours we had it open. The old world makeup of this wine vertainly did not overwhelm my new world palate!
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10/31/2010 - TheMarshall wrote: 89 Points
I drank this wine over 4 nights. Properly sealed every night, but this wine got better each glass. This wine has a pair of balls. It reminded me a a fig covered in very good dark chocalate with tannins. Would get again and decant for 2+ if i was serving
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10/31/2010 - yipen wrote: 86 Points
it is not as good as I expected from all the review. I think a bit rustic
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10/28/2010 - valecnik wrote: 88 Points
Blackberry, blueberry and mineral are predominant. Reserved but nicely balanced. Serious structure, with tannins rearing their heads pretty strongly at times. The final sip was downright mouth-puckering.
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10/28/2010 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 81 Points
Deep purple. Clean, moderately intense nose opening in decanter over two hours to show straightforward aromas of black cherries, tar, and roasted herbs. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with high acidity and generous, quite coarse tannins. The flavors are black fruit and mineral-dominated, and the middle palate is solid, albeit laden with acid and astringency. Medium, mouth-puckering finish. Compared with the '09 (tasted 18 days ago), this version is far more rustic. Although the alcohol (listed as 13.5%) is not hot, this wine was probably over-acidified during elevage and now, combined with the much less-integrated tannins, is out-of-balance. If you are going to purchase this wine, I would recommend the '09 over the '08. I doubt that cellaring will help this wine to any significant degree. Drink now-12/13.
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10/23/2010 - valecnik wrote:
Hard to judge because we brought it to a hotel and ended up drinking it out of plastic cups. Not a good thing. Nice structure and balance though, with blackberry fruit.
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10/10/2010 - Peter Kleban Likes this wine:
** (when mature)
Really, really tough. No letup even after several days open. Much too young. Should be interesting, likely very interesting, in two (?) years.
7/2011:
Much better. Tannins still not completely resolved, but OK. Interesting wine.
11/2012:
Still pretty tough, but opens up a bit in about 30 min. Interesting, raisins, black fruit, spice. Let it sleep!
12/22/2017:
Fully mature now, and very nicely smoothed out. Dark and a bit thick but interesting, lots of dark fruit.
12/24/17:
Consistent with previous bottle.
9/17/18:
Consistent again. This has definitely matured, some secondary notes are showing, and they are quite interesting. Held up well under vacuvin for about four days.
3/5/22:
Consistent. Nice wine, but not super.
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10/2/2010 - DWSmith wrote: 92 Points
Absolutely brilliant wine for $15. Powerful bouquet with overtones of berry and earth, and strong tannins ... a pleasure to drink
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10/1/2010 - whelanpg Likes this wine: 91 Points
Brilliant wine for $15. Hope to find more like this to have around when a lighter red is called for.
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9/10/2010 - jeremy_ross Likes this wine: 86 Points
Dark purple. Ripe dark + red fruit on nose. Pretty fruity, mainly plums, on palate after breathing for an hour or so. Rather short finish.
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9/7/2010 - hutch wrote: 89 Points
Still delicious, and full of black pepper notes. Tastes more syrah like then I remember.
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8/31/2010 - sdatl wrote: 88 Points
Bright red color, bright fruit to match, except for a note of ripe fig that is hard to miss; drink up day one... this wine does not like to rest overnight
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8/14/2010 - Riezin wrote:
Nat cork. Quite dark, a juicy purple. Muddled nose of dark fruit and damp earth. Nice dark fruit flavors - blackberry, raspberry, lots of black pepper, well balanced, medium frame, hint of raisin, bit mesquite, plenty of tannin but approachable - not too sharp. Not tons of complexity and a hint of heat appears, but only on the finish. Great grilling wine amd should hope up for another couple of years no problem. Great QPR.
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8/13/2010 - PatrickinKW wrote: 90 Points
Dark Purple, a bit light on the nose upon opening but with some coaxing, came out smelling beautiful. This is a great food friendly crowd pleaser. Recommended. 89 plus one point for value.
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8/11/2010 - Baylorwine wrote: 88 Points
I remember drinking this, but I don't remember anything about the taste, but I was not dissapointed. I just remember it being a solid effort, but nothing stood out taste-wise.
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8/2/2010 - TLHWG wrote: 88 Points
* Color: slightly transparent edges.
* Nose: raspberry, muted cinnamon and soil.
* Taste: primarily raspberry, but also tempered notes of nitrogen/soil and graphite/lead. Dry, medium tannin. All of the elements are very well integrated. Balanced
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7/25/2010 - FieldingYost wrote: 88 Points
Spicy and floral notes, blackberry. This is hearty, solid, if straight-forward, with red berry fruit, white pepper, black pepper, and ample acidity.
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7/23/2010 - winepog wrote: 89 Points
Liked this tonight, fragrant with some graphite qualities....
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7/19/2010 - kstoddard wrote: 88 Points
Dark ruby color. Raspberry fruit and white pepper on the nose and palate. Good balance. Medium bodied. Chewy tannins. Earthy finish. Well made but nothing extraordinary.
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7/18/2010 - demiurg wrote: 80 Points
still too young, perhaps better in 2 years?
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7/17/2010 - lumpyelbow wrote: 88 Points
A little light bodied but put together well. Easy to drink. Worth getting more.
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7/14/2010 - Outplaying wrote:
Pretty decent and another example of why the best values for the buck are in the southern rhone, at least for my palate. Black cherries, a little bit of meat and spice.
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7/4/2010 - pian0_player wrote: 88 Points
Solid effort. Cherry and other red fruit. I am usually turned off by the pepper component of Grenache, but this wasnt overpowering. Pretty darn good for $13. Medium bodied with decent grip and nice finish. food friendly.
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6/26/2010 - smidler wrote: 88 Points
Decent Languedoc rouge with a good QPR.
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6/18/2010 - beezer6 wrote: 88 Points
Taste at Elysian.
Medium dark red fruit. Nice grip. Some light spice and earth.
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6/11/2010 - toddmk wrote: 88 Points
A nice wine. Dark fruit on the nose with dark fruit and white pepper on the palate. Short to medium finish. Comparable to CDR's from Rhone Valley. Pretty good QPR.
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6/4/2010 - Philly NQ King wrote: 88 Points
Pop n pour. A wonderful blend of old world and new world styles. A smooth and easy-drinking Syrah with good acidity and just enough tannic grip. Excellent secondary flavors of cigar and tar...a welcome surprise! It's been several months since my last bottle and time has certainly been kind to this juice. Excellent QPR.
*Edit - had one glass remaining in the bottle 2 days after the initial "pop". I decided to partake, but ended up pouring half down the drain...it had completely fallen apart! I'll leave the initial score untouched, but this is certainly NOT a wine that enjoys extended air - I'll consume my remaining bottles over the next year.
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5/31/2010 - shalansky Likes this wine: 88 Points
Fruit forward. Great value.
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5/31/2010 - corkscrews wrote: 90 Points
A nose of dark fruit and some spice, deep ruby in color. A smooth, medium bodied blend with black raspberry, black cherry, plum with some spice and chocolate. A very good value for this price.
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5/27/2010 - PIntag wrote: 88 Points
Very nice floral and red berry aromas -- really quite fragrant and did not need any decanting. On the palate, definitely old world -- no sweetness or jamminess at all. Generous dark fruit, albeit a bit simple, with good acidity and some nice smooth tannins on the finish. Medium bodied with quite good balance. More of a food wine than one to drink on its own, but very very good in this role.
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5/25/2010 - balarsen wrote:
Karla really liked this one. Had in in Mass after I left.
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5/24/2010 - sdatl Likes this wine: 88 Points
Ripe, rich, fruity, and a perfect red for casual food hot off the grill.
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5/10/2010 - Harpguitarjfk wrote: 88 Points
Black cherry, dark plum, hint of cedar. Good wine for lamb or pasta with marinara
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4/29/2010 - Jiu wrote: 86 Points
Dark fruit, slight barnyard. Paired with leg of lamb and lentils with harissa remoulade
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4/20/2010 - juniorbird wrote: 84 Points
Slightly acidic nose of black cherry. Rich flavor with sharp tannins, black fruit, and soapy minerals. Rounds out with meat.
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4/14/2010 - OregonWineGeeks Likes this wine: 85 Points
This wine is best decanted or allowed to breath for up to 4 housrs before drinking for it shows any nose. The wine is a inky dark purple with good legs. The nose reveals Blackberry, a slight barnyard odor, Black Pepper and loam. The taste is a reserved fruit, high acidity and big tannin running out well over a minute.
85, Interesting, need time.
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4/4/2010 - rharlow wrote: 85 Points
nothing special at all, a bit too new world fruity for me.
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3/29/2010 - Dave124 wrote: 91 Points
Drink Now.
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3/6/2010 - Vinacull wrote: 89 Points
Respi-aerate to decanter and serve. Dark cherry red with lots of black tones, inky and opaque, and an unusually full body for a CdR. Thick nose of dark plums, figs, cherries, garrigue, and a nice hint of barnyard. No petrol aroma as noted by others. On the palate a dense juice of black fruits, licorice, twinges of bittersweet chocolate. Medium acid, big firm structure of tannins, extended dry finish of dark fruit, charcoal, herbs. Big wine for a CdR. Quite enjoyable, but between the primary fruit flavors and firm tannins, it seems like it will be better in a year. Not as big or complex as the Bila-Haut Occultum, but then that's about 7 bucks more. Smartly priced and a very good wine (89+).
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3/4/2010 - elefkowitz wrote: 88 Points
Consistent with others' notes, this wine too a long time to open and was much better on the second day. Simple, easy drinking wine, should be better in a year or two.
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3/4/2010 - Dave124 wrote: 91 Points
Same as last bottle. Beautiful dark purple. Over ripe cherry nose. Well rounded structure. Dirty black cherries, figs, and dark chocolate taste. A worthy wine. Very good.
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2/22/2010 - Mattshank wrote: 90 Points
Notes similar to last bottle (1/15/10) but with none of the petrol funk initially found on the last bottle. Remains a great QPR Rhone.
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2/17/2010 - dsharp1222 wrote:
88 used venturi aerator. very nice strawberries, mild tannins
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2/10/2010 - Philly NQ King wrote: 88 Points
This bottle benefited from a 4 hour decant. Slight improvement vs. previous bottle which we popped and poured.
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2/10/2010 - winepog wrote: 89 Points
Enjoyed this more the second time around. A fuller more meaty wine, with fragrance and staying power. Dark fruits.
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2/9/2010 - mos wrote: 89 Points
Beautful dark inky color on the pour. Nose of strawberry and cherry with hints of cedar and plum. Big mouth of cherry and strawberry with spicy earth tones. Nice tannic balance leaving this dry but tastefully so.
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2/3/2010 - Dormouse99 wrote: 89 Points
Rich color. Full body. Tannic. Wonderful dark fruit. Long finish. Wonderful!
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2/2/2010 - danstrings wrote: 88 Points
Fresh, clean, lively. A nice drink, pretty brilliant dark color.
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2/1/2010 - kdm wrote: 89 Points
Definitely needs time to breathe (around 2 hours), very closed on opening the bottle. Once it has breathed, a very nice wine, shiraz dominant blend, medium weight.
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1/24/2010 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 89 Points
Good but not great. A serious value offering from a well known producer.This is very young, a little rustic, and probably not ready yet. Got quite a bit of that smoky, burnt cocoa aroma on the nose, and to the palate. A little tight on the mid palate. Loads of fresh bright cherry and plum. Tasty and well integrated.
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1/24/2010 - Black_Pine wrote: 89 Points
Give this wine at least 90 minutes to open up. Strong and intense with a flavor profile of raspberry and cherry. Nose of spice and leather. Dense and long on the finish with hints of dark chocolate and smoke. Tannins are firm and well structured. Will improve with a few more years of cellaring.
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1/19/2010 - DTWOB Likes this wine: 89 Points
Popped and poured. Nice dark garnet/blueberry color, very fragrant nose with lots of fruit, lots more fruit on the forward palate, nice mouth feel, complexity and structure. Medium finish. This tasted very much like a Rhone blend with Pinot Noir notes.
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1/15/2010 - Mattshank wrote: 90 Points
Pat Kerns Mini Tasting (My House): Grenache, Syrah, and Carignane blend. Nose: Unique funky and petrol-like aromas. Palate: Lip smacking tannins and dark fruits with a very clean, medium length finish. A unique wine and good value.
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1/15/2010 - Dave124 wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful dark purple. Over ripe cherry nose. Well rounded structure. Dirty black cherries, figs, and dark chocolate taste. A worthy wine. Very good. A deal and a half at $11.99. Wow.
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1/9/2010 - maxmanx wrote: 87 Points
Almost 4 hours after pouring into decanter, this is a very smooth, but simple wine. The first 1-1.5 hours it was very rough. Maybe it will age and become more interesting, or maybe between 1.5 and 4 hours it tasted better (we went out to dinner).
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1/8/2010 - hutch wrote: 89 Points
Oh, yummy! Medium bodied, and with a lush mouthfeel, but there's all this spicy black pepper and herbs throughout the palate. Just delicious.
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1/5/2010 - j.michael.kilgore wrote: 90 Points
A real steal.
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12/27/2009 - CkenS wrote: 92 Points
Very young but nice potential. Inky purple. Very dry CDR like at first with a clean short finish, but with some air gets bigger than most CDRs and a longer more satisfying finish and longer palate. A bit of earth and mineral, with some wood and fruit. The fruit comes out after a couple hours and the wine goes from light medium to fuller bodied. Nicely balanced. Very agreeable.
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12/20/2009 - Battleship wrote: 88 Points
Strange, and not what I expected based on recent WS top 100 rating. I think it just needs time or a longer decant, but it wasnt tannic or even boozy, it was super dark and very smoothe, but nothing jumped at me either. Will let future bottles breathe more.
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12/17/2009 - dwoody wrote: 88 Points
Inky purple color. Bigger than typical CdR at same price point. Grenache and a little funk on the nose. Same on palate. Finishes a little hot. Very young still. Nice value. Drink over the next few years.
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9/14/2009 - hutch wrote: 88 Points
Walker Trade Show (Providence): Spicy, peppery. Good. Very CDRish, but bigger. This is good stuff.
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