Nose: blueberry and raspberry jam, seasoned cedar wood, vanilla bean, hint of eucalyptus, black pepper. Very fruit forward nose; attractive but not a big nose at all. Taste: dry, medium body, very fruit-driven. Blackberry all day, plus some black currant, ripe juicy black plum, fig. On the mid palate a nice hint of pine needle and pine gum, willow bark, and vanilla pull through. Nice dry tannins round out the finish - black tea. Excellent, a crowd pleaser and definitely aged well. has the blackberry profile I like. 91.
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Enjoyed this bottle very much... Beautiful dark berries with a lengthy finish and excellent balance. The tannins have smoothed out quite nicely and this vintage is in the prime of the drinking window. Could go another 3-5 years, but I would enjoy it now. Excellent QPV
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Liked it, pretty intense wine. Fruit bomb. Was much better and smoother after being opened 3-4 hours. Will wait at least 3 years to open the next bottle.
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The wine looks Ruby colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Blackberry, and Plum. It tastes like Blackberry, Forest floor, and Plum. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Round texture. The wine finishes Medium.
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plums cherry tobacco. Cola Some inky greenness... good, with some smoke touch. almost chocolate. Had it with a great chicken and Pork skewers, Greek style with Tzatziki sauce. Powerful wine with rustic traits.
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As per my last and the other recent ones - heavy hitter with fruit and tonight i'm getting lots of oak related notes - ashtray comes to mind...Needs some summer BBQ to be enjoyed at its prime. Otherwise be sure to serve 1-2 degrees cool and decant/air out for a good 60 mins.
The '09 is on the shelf and will try.
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Notes of ashtray and oak on the nose (in a bit of a disjointed but strangely appealing combination). In the mouth this wine explodes with blackberry and sugar thoughtout. A fruitbomb by any standards. This wine will get much traction at parties as it is delicious yet with some structure to cater to all but those that detest the heavily extracted type.
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This wine possesses a cherry color. There is a light nose, more lifted berries, and gritty toast notes. There is similar intensity with more blue fruit and some creaminess to the texture. The finish falls off some with dark toast flavors coming through and a small amount of light tannins.
Personal Background Notes
Jumilla is a DO located in the southeast portion of Spain. It is characterized by wide valleys and plains and surrounded by mountains. It is very dry with only 300mm of erratic rain per year and hot temperatures of 104 F during the summer. These conditions produce wines of naturally high alcohol levels. Jumilla is one of the most unique wine growing regions I’ve visited in my travels. A very quiet, dusty place full of very old vines. The potential to make consistent, excellent wines is here, but sometimes the wines can taste ‘baked’ or ‘pruney’ if growers aren’t careful.
This estate started in 1916 when Juan Gil Gimenez built a winery in Jumilla. The grandsons Juan Gil Gonzalez and Paco have worked to bring technical advances to the estate. They have recently completed a new winery that is fully temperature controlled and located in the middle of the estate. There are 350 hectares of vineyards that lie between 700 and 850 meters. The winery sits in a 120 hectare parcel with their remaining 230 hectares scattered about. All parcels are located in Termino de Arriba. The majority of the vineyards are planted with Monastrell but Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and Petit Verdot are planted as well.
The vineyards are not irrigated. The soils very greatly so the grapes are vinified separately then blended at the end. The Silver Label wine is 100% Monastrell from 40-year old vines. These parcels have soils that are shallow, chalky and on top of limestone and rock. The wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.
Based on my limited experience and this current bottle, I believe this wine is worth trying out as a modern, but still somewhat coarse and gutsty, style wine from Jumilla.
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I have not popped a bottle of this one for more than a year. When I originally bought it it came with a high recommendation and I was unimpressed. I opened one tonight as it was teh first thing I grabbed and was pleasantly surprised. It had nice vanilla notes, mixed with tobacco and cherry. Deep purple color and a nice finish. I have one bottle left - hopefully it will be as good as the one I just had.
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You've got to appreciate the style, but if you do, it's done quite well. Very modern, sweet fruit. But it has spice and is quite well balanced. You'd never guess the ABV. A little disjointed on the midpalate.
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Very nice, amazing cherry/raspberry sensation, very tasty - Dark, full bodied with a nose of cherry, raspberry, chocolate, spice and vanilla, well structured, balanced and complex, sour, smooth on the palate with excellent length, nice! (90 Points).
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This is another one of those wines that probably is well conceived, and well made, but does not match my palate. Immediately on the nose there was too much oak, maybe American. It smelled like a wine barrel. Some people love this, and I'm sure they sell a lot, but this much oak affects everything on the taste. Beside the oak monster, there is lots to like here. Nice dark color. Concentrated dark and red fruit. Some decent structure with layers of licorice, cola, and spice. Feels big in the mouth. Balanced. Smooth little tannins. I think this wine could handle some bottle age, or needs decanting, or the vinturi.
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Right now this is a robust baby. Let breathe and decant for a few hours if drinking young. Notes are from second night after opening (about 60% of bottle left). Deep purple color and looks dense. Nose of dark blueberries camouflaged by damp earth/soil and some vanilla bean at the end. On the palate, predominant mineral notes throughout but the fruit is there to be noticed and the wine is very balanced with virtually no tannins; the mouthfeel is lighter than expected (than what it looks); medium finish. Must have with food. Really nice on night 2.
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Drank this against a Cline Mourvedre, and this won, big. Had previous vintages that were better, but about an hour after opening, this was plush and fruit-laden. Lots of ripe plum, blackberry, not a lot of the barnyardy, sometimes bretty character mourvedre can have, which can be a plus or minus. A good intro to European wines for drinkers of simpler cabs and warm weather syrahs from California. And a really good value.
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PnP. Pretty, but too confected and contrived for my tastes. Others at the table could't drink it fast enough. When I think of Monastrell, I don't want to have to get past a heavy component of vanilla bean in order to appreciate the grape. Very modern, juicy. This serves a purpose, I suppose, and I'm just fine with that, but I would only purchase if I was having a lot of non-wine friends as guests. More akin to modernly-styled Grenache than Monastrell. Drink thru 2014, 15% abv.
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i thought this was very good borderline excellent. deep dark purple in the glass. a massively concentrated nose of blue and purple fruits mixed with sweaty, meaty mourvedre aromas. the palate had thick ripe fruits and the finish brought in really interesting peppery and vanilla bean notes. probably one of the best qpr wines i've had to date.
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Boerne Wine Club - Spain (Scenic Loop Cafe, San Antonio, TX)): Bright red fruits turning more black with a strong coffee and cola element on the palate. Chalky tannins on a medium finish. Fruit was forward, but nicely structured, if slightly jammy.
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This wine, excellent for the price, has always been a great QPR and a sure-fire crowd pleaser. A pop n' pour, this is very fruit forward, almost jammy, and full-bodied. Great with apps or a main course, though this not what you'd call a subtle wine.
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This was aerated (Vinturi) and decanted for ~30 minutes before consumption. The nose is sweet without being too overdone, showing sweet berries, cinnamon/sugar, licorice, and toasty oak. The palate follows in fashion, opening with tart red cherries and bittersweet chocolate, both progressing to cranberry and violet on the mid-palate. It carries medium length, ending with notes of tobacco, dried red fruit, and semi firm tannins. The wine has medium body and more lean structure than expected. Overall it is interesting and well made for the price, but lacks a corresponding level of texture.
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This wine has history of good ratings. Over the last seven or eight years, it has received 90-92 points. What I remember of this wine, though I may not have had this year, is that it was muscular.
It smells delicious. It smells like Spain. Like a Grancha, almost. There's chocolate and cherries.
This is a jammy wine. Raspberry jam. Thick raspberry jam. Followed by a spicy, dry finish.
This wine is making me change my meal plans. I will not be having Italian Wedding soup, which may be my favorite soup. No, this needs a pizza or pasta with red sauce.
The body of this wine reminds me of a big Merlot (a Merlot with green apples), but it behaves like a red Zin, but not as full bodied, but damned delicious.
You know what, I think it might be hot, while retaining balance.
This is a wonderful wine for $14. I give it an A.//
For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-three-juan-gil-jumilla-red-2008/
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big chewy red wine with dark fruits jammy and oaky. Decent QPR but rather one sided in it's fruit and a touch hot and a touch oaky for my palate otherwise very nice fruit forward wine.
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A very hot wine, tart and racy. A good amount of fruit up front with a warm dizzying finish that carries a hint of old-world pungency. A great dinner wine.
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New vintage @ MLCC in MB. More pricey than '07 @ 25$ CAN! I'm still liking this spanish red and its robust style. The tasting notes are fairly consistent and i agree - needs a good 60 mins in air to open up and mellow. Nice complex nose and taste profile as described - you get things like dark fruit, plum, smoked spice notes, maybe even a little mint in there somewhere...Nice light acid and tannins that give this some backbone. It is 15% ETOH which is more than last year - but i don't get a lot of heat on the palate. I think this is a winner for what you get/price. Would match well of course with food/tapas/solo.
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A nose of dark fruits and spice, dark purple in color. A full bodied red, with blueberry, cherry, cola, spice and earth, a bit chunky at times but decent for the price.
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This is a wine that kind of sneaks up on you: at first sight and smell it seems like a pleasant, fruity, but almost tame sipping wine, and then you taste it and BAM! — it jumps all over your palate with wild abandon. It has a translucent, almost transparent, ruby colour and a quiet, deceiving nose primarily of sweet cherry (almost like Nibs licorice) and dusty earth. None of that foreshadows the huge, immediate, dense flavour explosion on the palate, where sweet raspberry and cherry fruits, cherry cola, cinnamon, brambly/earthy notes and strong smoke and cedar flavours detonate instantaneously as soon as the wine touches your tongue. Accompanying this barrage of flavour is an underlying sense of heat from the (tsk) 15% alcohol level which is part-pleasant, part-distracting. The high alcohol is mostly balanced by the Juan Gil’s bright acidity and fine, smooth tannins, but not entirely.
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Pop and pour. Big fruit on the nose, dominated by blueberry jam, blackberry, cassis, tar and a hit of spice. The alcohol is quite evident on the palate, showing blackberry jam and clove spice. Long drying finish, ending with some currant bitterness. Lots of tannin. Pretty one dimensional all the way around at this point, will be much better with some bottle age.
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Nose: Blueberry cream pie, boysenberry, bramble, tar, behind it a hint of caramel and roasted coffee beans. Palate: Ripe, primary black and blue berries up front. Loads of cream and vanilla as well. Delicious. Excellent acidity and tannic structure on the mid-palate. Loads more blueberries & cream on the long, rich, sweet finish.
New world all the way, but the richness and sweetness are in check. Restrained and extremely well textured. Excellent QPR.
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This wine needs time. Either set it aside for another year or be sure to open it and decant for an hour before drinking. It is along the same lines as the 2007, but not quite as well made. Fruit is less concentrated and the wine is not quite as luscious, but still a great bottle for the price. the wine has very nice fruit forward and a background of earth and tobacco, perhaps a bit of chocolate. It is a dark color and the tannins are evident but not unsettling. Save it for a hearty steak or the like.
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Spanish Wines (Farpointe Cellar): Very floral on the nose, with hints of cherry, meat juice, and blackberry underneath. Rich and juicy on the palate, the cherry and blackberry fruit are right upfront, with the meat and spice notes coming in on the mid-palate. It finishes with nice floral notes.
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The nose of this wine is filled with dark red fruits and chocolate with a hint of tobacco. On the palate I got mouthfuls of ripe dark red fruit like cherry and red plum. The mid palate had chocolate and an herbal earthiness about it. The finish had more fruit and more chocolate flavored rock. The tannins were firm and there was not a hint of alcohol. This wine has a medium weight and is smooth. I like multiple vintages of this wine.
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Ever heard the expression "pungency"? Well this is a wine that does justice to this word. Wealth of aromas and flavors, capable of arousing the existing oenophile even in an ogre like me. Intense and persistent aromas of vanilla, caramel and red fruits, followed by oak, chocolate and toasty. All this in a round wine and excellent body. There are of course people do not like so much pungency. Patience!
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Very dark inky ruby-red, chocolate, black cherry. A little astringent; the tannins are strong in this one. Leather, vanilla, tobacco. Cooked fruit notes in the finish. I have to agree with what's come before me -- too much fruit, too much oak, and I can't really see a good potential for this one settling down.
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Decanted a couple of hours based on previous notes. Never really improved over the course. Ripe, raisiny nose with blackberry, milk chocolate, and vanilla. Mocha, sweet black cherry palate. Lacking grip and balance. To put it simply, this is overripe and overoaked. Really disappointing based on my experience with the 2007 vintage.
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I first tasted this wine several weeks ago in a blind tasting and it was a hit with myself and fellow tasters. Was able to find four bottles at a local store. Opened one last night as the second bottle after a syrah with some friends over for pizza.
To fully appreciate this wine, it needs to be open at least an hour before you drink it and two plus hours wouldn't hurt. This is a big wine with lots of spice and flavors on your first sip. It has a long finish with pepper accents but falls apart a little in the middle. It's when the wine has been opened for several hours that it really starts to balance out nicely blending the fruit and spice with an even finish throughout. For folks who like a big wine for $16, a very good buy.
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Dark ruby color. This wine is still all about the nose. The mouth component is never quite where I would like it based on my score. A good wine with pizza! EG WineArchitect
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New Years Eve (Graney's house in Dana Point, CA): Do yourself a favor, decant this wine for 3-4 hours and you will be rewarded. I took a taste when I decanted this initially and the backend was very disjointed and rough.
Really dark colored purple. Great nose of gamey mourvedre, violet, and some perfume. Mouthfeel was silky but tannins show on the finish. Was noticably less astringent after decanting.
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Really not that good. Very modern, spoofulated style, heavy alcohol, soft, spice box taste. Fat, flabby, and hot. This is why people look down their nose at 'new world' wine. No me gusta.
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wine was tasted blind. very young on the nose. extremely powerful wine with high alcohol content and full blast that punches you in the face on the first sip. The wine is extremely spicy on the palate, with dark cherry flavors. forget to mention that the color is dark purplish and borderlines black. My guess was a wine younger than 2006 from rhone that is Grenache based but feels like a blend between old/new worlds.
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Had this wine with spaghetti and meatballs. Decanted for 1 hour. Very dark colour, dense and fullbodied.
Nose: huge nose. On the nose I get scents of sweet licour, smoky and dusty accents, licorice with some peppery and asian spices. Nose is very similar to a Zin nose. Very nice nose.
Taste: This wine is huge, dense,very full bodied and very concentrated. A real puckerer. This wine is very fruit forward and a bit sweet at first ( I will add more later). I also get evident shades of peppery spices, especially toward the end. Really nice peppery accents. Yet, the wine , with allof its dearth of fruit and oak, still manages to keep everything within its balance. Very nicely acidity nicely balances out the fruit, oak and tannins. This wine kind of reminds me of a big Zin in its characteristics. After an hour or more of decant, this wine begins to really shine. The spice and the acidity really tames down and this wine seems to show a more creamy characteristics. Really nice.
Finish; Fantastic finish; Sweet, long that never stops pumping the great fruit character. Very good.
Overall: Very good wine for the money. In my opinion, ab better vintage than the 2007. more balance and less sugary. 89-90 pts
My first bottle of the 08. Medium ruby garnet color. Aromatics of smoke and bright red fruit with a touch of menthol. There is a bit of heat on the finish, unlike the 07, : ( The wine began to tail off in intensity after aeration. EG WineArchitect
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Monastrell is a beautiful native grape in Spain. This wine is a good expression of it.
It is pretty well done, it smells and tastes something that you are not used to; it is like walking in an unknown city with full of unusual stuff going on around you (think about some older places in Delphi).
Mostly rape fruits and roasted stuff.
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eerily similar to my grandmother's figgy pudding, even down to the attendant "foamy sauce" (i think that's what we called it... sounds kinda weird now though) we'd always dump all over it. but, uh... less esoterically: candied citrus, black tea, vanilla, bran muffin (seriously?)... all together, quite a funny fruitcake of a mourvédre, but it works. commendable QPR, too.
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Cinnamon/Nutmeg notes hit the nose right away. Nice sweet black fruits and the oak/cinnamon flavors. There is a tasty factor to this wine, but it feels a bit unbalanced. Decent deal for price. I remember liking past vintages better than this '08.
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Last bottle wasn't as good. This bottle I opened and double decanted and let sit for 1.5 hours. Excellent, vanilla, oak, dark fruit. subtle tannins and mild acidity. Went GREAT with seafood enchiladas and black beans.
WOW, this wine opened and mellowed and is an absolute steal for the price. Bold legs, great color and full bodied with oak, vanilla, dark chocolate, leather, firm tannins and mild acidity with a smooth velvety mouth feel and finish.
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1/14/2022 - europat55 wrote: 87 Points
Juan Gil and El Nido Jumillas 2002-2012 (Tasted Blind) (Virtual Tasting): Nose: 85; Palate: 89 (Tasted blind) Over the hill...
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12/30/2016 - Ace5glassesinthesky Likes this wine: 88 Points
Great herby oaky nose. Still dark fruit taste, decent tannin and acidity. Not dead
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2/28/2015 - thirsty_cat wrote: 91 Points
Nose: blueberry and raspberry jam, seasoned cedar wood, vanilla bean, hint of eucalyptus, black pepper. Very fruit forward nose; attractive but not a big nose at all. Taste: dry, medium body, very fruit-driven. Blackberry all day, plus some black currant, ripe juicy black plum, fig. On the mid palate a nice hint of pine needle and pine gum, willow bark, and vanilla pull through. Nice dry tannins round out the finish - black tea. Excellent, a crowd pleaser and definitely aged well. has the blackberry profile I like. 91.
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10/24/2014 - Pitbozz wrote: 93 Points
Enjoyed this bottle very much... Beautiful dark berries with a lengthy finish and excellent balance. The tannins have smoothed out quite nicely and this vintage is in the prime of the drinking window. Could go another 3-5 years, but I would enjoy it now. Excellent QPV
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4/8/2013 - winolee wrote: 88 Points
Will be an instant crowd pleaser, albeit high in alcohol content. Chewy, dark fruits, chocolate.
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3/12/2013 - Kento61 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking very well right now. Juicy, med. to full body. Excellent with heavier beef dishes. Not overly dry like some Spanish reds may show.
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12/31/2012 - mechoui Likes this wine: 88 Points
Liked it, pretty intense wine. Fruit bomb. Was much better and smoother after being opened 3-4 hours. Will wait at least 3 years to open the next bottle.
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10/28/2012 - michigan dogs wrote: 88 Points
great value, always a hit, one of my go to bottles at annual wine tasting
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10/1/2012 - Stlam wrote:
excellant vin! des note de fruit et d'épice, aurrait été capable de supporter 1 a 2 an de cave encore.
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9/23/2012 - thorner@shaw.ca wrote: 89 Points
The wine looks Ruby colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Blackberry, and Plum. It tastes like Blackberry, Forest floor, and Plum. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Round texture. The wine finishes Medium.
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8/27/2012 - Leathem Likes this wine: 85 Points
Long spicy finish.
Ripe flavor.
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6/3/2012 - leonardo_de_araujo wrote: 89 Points
plums cherry tobacco.
Cola
Some inky greenness...
good, with some smoke touch. almost chocolate.
Had it with a great chicken and Pork skewers, Greek style with Tzatziki sauce.
Powerful wine with rustic traits.
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5/10/2012 - Weston3220 Likes this wine: 88 Points
These notes were of Day 2, as Day 1 was big and fruity and need time to calm down
med+ intensity, developing
Fruit, Meat, Savory, umami, floral notes maybe from oak but pretty
T: Med+ Acid, Full body, med+ int,
raspberry jam, chocolate, spice, pepper
conc: Day 2 I like this wine it has come together brings fruit and structure with its power but very nice,
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4/14/2012 - YWG Wine Guy Likes this wine: 88 Points
As per my last and the other recent ones - heavy hitter with fruit and tonight i'm getting lots of oak related notes - ashtray comes to mind...Needs some summer BBQ to be enjoyed at its prime. Otherwise be sure to serve 1-2 degrees cool and decant/air out for a good 60 mins.
The '09 is on the shelf and will try.
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4/7/2012 - RandyC wrote: 89 Points
Notes of ashtray and oak on the nose (in a bit of a disjointed but strangely appealing combination). In the mouth this wine explodes with blackberry and sugar thoughtout. A fruitbomb by any standards. This wine will get much traction at parties as it is delicious yet with some structure to cater to all but those that detest the heavily extracted type.
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4/1/2012 - AIB wrote: 90 Points
Still enjoyed this wine. Nice ruby colour and good fruit. Worked well with short ribs.
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3/10/2012 - bbcc66 Likes this wine: 85 Points
Enjoyable wine for the price. Nice soft cherry & berry tastes.
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3/4/2012 - Alain Harvey wrote: 88 Points
This wine possesses a cherry color. There is a light nose, more lifted berries, and gritty toast notes. There is similar intensity with more blue fruit and some creaminess to the texture. The finish falls off some with dark toast flavors coming through and a small amount of light tannins.
Personal Background Notes
Jumilla is a DO located in the southeast portion of Spain. It is characterized by wide valleys and plains and surrounded by mountains. It is very dry with only 300mm of erratic rain per year and hot temperatures of 104 F during the summer. These conditions produce wines of naturally high alcohol levels. Jumilla is one of the most unique wine growing regions I’ve visited in my travels. A very quiet, dusty place full of very old vines. The potential to make consistent, excellent wines is here, but sometimes the wines can taste ‘baked’ or ‘pruney’ if growers aren’t careful.
This estate started in 1916 when Juan Gil Gimenez built a winery in Jumilla. The grandsons Juan Gil Gonzalez and Paco have worked to bring technical advances to the estate. They have recently completed a new winery that is fully temperature controlled and located in the middle of the estate. There are 350 hectares of vineyards that lie between 700 and 850 meters. The winery sits in a 120 hectare parcel with their remaining 230 hectares scattered about. All parcels are located in Termino de Arriba. The majority of the vineyards are planted with Monastrell but Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and Petit Verdot are planted as well.
The vineyards are not irrigated. The soils very greatly so the grapes are vinified separately then blended at the end. The Silver Label wine is 100% Monastrell from 40-year old vines. These parcels have soils that are shallow, chalky and on top of limestone and rock. The wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.
Based on my limited experience and this current bottle, I believe this wine is worth trying out as a modern, but still somewhat coarse and gutsty, style wine from Jumilla.
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3/1/2012 - AIB wrote: 90 Points
I have not popped a bottle of this one for more than a year. When I originally bought it it came with a high recommendation and I was unimpressed. I opened one tonight as it was teh first thing I grabbed and was pleasantly surprised. It had nice vanilla notes, mixed with tobacco and cherry. Deep purple color and a nice finish. I have one bottle left - hopefully it will be as good as the one I just had.
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1/14/2012 - greenwalter wrote: 90 Points
You've got to appreciate the style, but if you do, it's done quite well. Very modern, sweet fruit. But it has spice and is quite well balanced. You'd never guess the ABV. A little disjointed on the midpalate.
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1/5/2012 - Tarrant wrote: 90 Points
Very nice, amazing cherry/raspberry sensation, very tasty - Dark, full bodied with a nose of cherry, raspberry, chocolate, spice and vanilla, well structured, balanced and complex, sour, smooth on the palate with excellent length, nice! (90 Points).
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12/10/2011 - EaglesWin wrote: 91 Points
Dringin beautifully right now.
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11/21/2011 - YWG Wine Guy Likes this wine: 88 Points
Per my last note - same experience - bought based on some recent awards and stuck one in the shelf for next year.
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11/16/2011 - michigan dogs wrote: 90 Points
consistently excellent value, I always serve Juan Gil at parties and no one has not loved it. Best value for red
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11/8/2011 - jlangley Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted 1-2 hours and it really opened up to complex aromas and flavors.
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10/13/2011 - michigan dogs wrote: 90 Points
great! qpr, my go to wine when having a large wine party, never dissappoints.
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9/29/2011 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 86 Points
This is another one of those wines that probably is well conceived, and well made, but does not match my palate. Immediately on the nose there was too much oak, maybe American. It smelled like a wine barrel. Some people love this, and I'm sure they sell a lot, but this much oak affects everything on the taste. Beside the oak monster, there is lots to like here. Nice dark color. Concentrated dark and red fruit. Some decent structure with layers of licorice, cola, and spice. Feels big in the mouth. Balanced. Smooth little tannins. I think this wine could handle some bottle age, or needs decanting, or the vinturi.
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9/22/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 88 Points
Remains consistant and reliable.
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9/19/2011 - Merengue wrote: 89 Points
Right now this is a robust baby. Let breathe and decant for a few hours if drinking young. Notes are from second night after opening (about 60% of bottle left). Deep purple color and looks dense. Nose of dark blueberries camouflaged by damp earth/soil and some vanilla bean at the end. On the palate, predominant mineral notes throughout but the fruit is there to be noticed and the wine is very balanced with virtually no tannins; the mouthfeel is lighter than expected (than what it looks); medium finish. Must have with food. Really nice on night 2.
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9/19/2011 - Mark216 wrote: 88 Points
Dark ruby color; medium body, intensity; good fruit on the palate; spice on the finish.
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9/9/2011 - Arthur4wine wrote: 89 Points
A favorite of mine. An amazingly good wine for the price.
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9/5/2011 - Not647f wrote: 89 Points
Drank this against a Cline Mourvedre, and this won, big. Had previous vintages that were better, but about an hour after opening, this was plush and fruit-laden. Lots of ripe plum, blackberry, not a lot of the barnyardy, sometimes bretty character mourvedre can have, which can be a plus or minus. A good intro to European wines for drinkers of simpler cabs and warm weather syrahs from California. And a really good value.
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9/3/2011 - Tim Heaton wrote:
PnP. Pretty, but too confected and contrived for my tastes. Others at the table could't drink it fast enough. When I think of Monastrell, I don't want to have to get past a heavy component of vanilla bean in order to appreciate the grape. Very modern, juicy. This serves a purpose, I suppose, and I'm just fine with that, but I would only purchase if I was having a lot of non-wine friends as guests. More akin to modernly-styled Grenache than Monastrell. Drink thru 2014, 15% abv.
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8/20/2011 - Grapacious wrote: 87 Points
A solid wine and easy drinking, despite being quite rich. Low tannis and a silky sweetness help. Flavoursome with a medium finish.
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8/6/2011 - Firepuff104 wrote: 68 Points
Gross!!
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7/17/2011 - flaco22 wrote: 90 Points
Party favorite.
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6/28/2011 - caeleric Likes this wine:
i thought this was very good borderline excellent. deep dark purple in the glass. a massively concentrated nose of blue and purple fruits mixed with sweaty, meaty mourvedre aromas. the palate had thick ripe fruits and the finish brought in really interesting peppery and vanilla bean notes. probably one of the best qpr wines i've had to date.
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6/18/2011 - cnr128 Likes this wine: 86 Points
Fairly bold, fruit forward wine with lots of berry and spice/pepper. I really liked this...my only complaint is that it was a bit hot (15%).
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6/18/2011 - Son888 wrote: 85 Points
Too hot and sweet 85pts
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6/13/2011 - Nutty08 wrote: 87 Points
Boerne Wine Club - Spain (Scenic Loop Cafe, San Antonio, TX)): Bright red fruits turning more black with a strong coffee and cola element on the palate. Chalky tannins on a medium finish. Fruit was forward, but nicely structured, if slightly jammy.
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6/11/2011 - prism wrote: 89 Points
This wine, excellent for the price, has always been a great QPR and a sure-fire crowd pleaser. A pop n' pour, this is very fruit forward, almost jammy, and full-bodied. Great with apps or a main course, though this not what you'd call a subtle wine.
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6/8/2011 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep Purple, medium viscosity
Nose: Black Olives, and Stems.
Palate: Mouth filling, Meaty, Juicy, Jammy with a medium finish
A daily drinker-Great value
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6/6/2011 - HollywoodJones wrote: 85 Points
BAM complex flavor at first, better on second day. Decent at $15
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5/26/2011 - Rob and Meg wrote: 83 Points
This was aerated (Vinturi) and decanted for ~30 minutes before consumption. The nose is sweet without being too overdone, showing sweet berries, cinnamon/sugar, licorice, and toasty oak. The palate follows in fashion, opening with tart red cherries and bittersweet chocolate, both progressing to cranberry and violet on the mid-palate. It carries medium length, ending with notes of tobacco, dried red fruit, and semi firm tannins. The wine has medium body and more lean structure than expected. Overall it is interesting and well made for the price, but lacks a corresponding level of texture.
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5/19/2011 - thelinebreak Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine has history of good ratings. Over the last seven or eight years, it has received 90-92 points. What I remember of this wine, though I may not have had this year, is that it was muscular.
It smells delicious. It smells like Spain. Like a Grancha, almost. There's chocolate and cherries.
This is a jammy wine. Raspberry jam. Thick raspberry jam. Followed by a spicy, dry finish.
This wine is making me change my meal plans. I will not be having Italian Wedding soup, which may be my favorite soup. No, this needs a pizza or pasta with red sauce.
The body of this wine reminds me of a big Merlot (a Merlot with green apples), but it behaves like a red Zin, but not as full bodied, but damned delicious.
You know what, I think it might be hot, while retaining balance.
This is a wonderful wine for $14. I give it an A.//
For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-three-juan-gil-jumilla-red-2008/
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5/10/2011 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 90 Points
Consistent. 2008 is definitely better than the other vintages I have tried.
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5/9/2011 - jpakma wrote: 88 Points
big chewy red wine with dark fruits jammy and oaky. Decent QPR but rather one sided in it's fruit and a touch hot and a touch oaky for my palate otherwise very nice fruit forward wine.
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5/5/2011 - Mezz wrote: 89 Points
A very hot wine, tart and racy. A good amount of fruit up front with a warm dizzying finish that carries a hint of old-world pungency. A great dinner wine.
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4/19/2011 - Stevecci wrote: 90 Points
Fantastic everyday wine. Nice red and dark fruits, oak, and tannins. Faint hint of raw honey in the finish. Great QPR.
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4/17/2011 - Bd_hughes wrote: 89 Points
Great value for a medium to full bodied red. Needs to breath to open up. Best with a grilled steak.
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4/14/2011 - YWG Wine Guy Likes this wine: 88 Points
New vintage @ MLCC in MB. More pricey than '07 @ 25$ CAN! I'm still liking this spanish red and its robust style. The tasting notes are fairly consistent and i agree - needs a good 60 mins in air to open up and mellow. Nice complex nose and taste profile as described - you get things like dark fruit, plum, smoked spice notes, maybe even a little mint in there somewhere...Nice light acid and tannins that give this some backbone. It is 15% ETOH which is more than last year - but i don't get a lot of heat on the palate. I think this is a winner for what you get/price. Would match well of course with food/tapas/solo.
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4/6/2011 - corkscrews wrote: 87 Points
A nose of dark fruits and spice, dark purple in color. A full bodied red, with blueberry, cherry, cola, spice and earth, a bit chunky at times but decent for the price.
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4/3/2011 - ewasowicz wrote: 90 Points
Nose: blackberry, blueberry, some anise
Taste: some big dart fruit with a lasting finish. Reminds me of a big dark fruit Australian blend.
A very good value wine.
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3/28/2011 - grantsky wrote: 88 Points
Big, balanced wine. Still very young, needs some time.
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3/25/2011 - veni_vidi_vinum wrote: 87 Points
Trying a bottle from Calvert Woodley. Blueberry and blackberry notes on the nose and tongue with a hint of vanilla.
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3/22/2011 - pvetsch wrote: 87 Points
This is a wine that kind of sneaks up on you: at first sight and smell it seems like a pleasant, fruity, but almost tame sipping wine, and then you taste it and BAM! — it jumps all over your palate with wild abandon. It has a translucent, almost transparent, ruby colour and a quiet, deceiving nose primarily of sweet cherry (almost like Nibs licorice) and dusty earth. None of that foreshadows the huge, immediate, dense flavour explosion on the palate, where sweet raspberry and cherry fruits, cherry cola, cinnamon, brambly/earthy notes and strong smoke and cedar flavours detonate instantaneously as soon as the wine touches your tongue. Accompanying this barrage of flavour is an underlying sense of heat from the (tsk) 15% alcohol level which is part-pleasant, part-distracting. The high alcohol is mostly balanced by the Juan Gil’s bright acidity and fine, smooth tannins, but not entirely.
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3/19/2011 - MattTM wrote:
Pop and pour. Big fruit on the nose, dominated by blueberry jam, blackberry, cassis, tar and a hit of spice. The alcohol is quite evident on the palate, showing blackberry jam and clove spice. Long drying finish, ending with some currant bitterness. Lots of tannin. Pretty one dimensional all the way around at this point, will be much better with some bottle age.
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3/13/2011 - spts1000 wrote: 89 Points
young big wine. very good and exactly as advertised. tannins were a little strong, but a nice bottle showing very well.
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3/13/2011 - gunpwdr wrote: 90 Points
Nose: Blueberry cream pie, boysenberry, bramble, tar, behind it a hint of caramel and roasted coffee beans. Palate: Ripe, primary black and blue berries up front. Loads of cream and vanilla as well. Delicious. Excellent acidity and tannic structure on the mid-palate. Loads more blueberries & cream on the long, rich, sweet finish.
New world all the way, but the richness and sweetness are in check. Restrained and extremely well textured. Excellent QPR.
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3/8/2011 - jkemple wrote: 89 Points
Big bold from start to finish. One of my favorite everyday wines.
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3/3/2011 - pmk wrote: 89 Points
This wine needs time. Either set it aside for another year or be sure to open it and decant for an hour before drinking. It is along the same lines as the 2007, but not quite as well made. Fruit is less concentrated and the wine is not quite as luscious, but still a great bottle for the price. the wine has very nice fruit forward and a background of earth and tobacco, perhaps a bit of chocolate. It is a dark color and the tannins are evident but not unsettling. Save it for a hearty steak or the like.
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2/19/2011 - mmurry Likes this wine: 91 Points
Spanish Wines (Farpointe Cellar): Very floral on the nose, with hints of cherry, meat juice, and blackberry underneath. Rich and juicy on the palate, the cherry and blackberry fruit are right upfront, with the meat and spice notes coming in on the mid-palate. It finishes with nice floral notes.
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1/29/2011 - Briangray77 wrote: 91 Points
The nose of this wine is filled with dark red fruits and chocolate with a hint of tobacco. On the palate I got mouthfuls of ripe dark red fruit like cherry and red plum. The mid palate had chocolate and an herbal earthiness about it. The finish had more fruit and more chocolate flavored rock. The tannins were firm and there was not a hint of alcohol. This wine has a medium weight and is smooth. I like multiple vintages of this wine.
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1/28/2011 - alexaraujo Likes this wine: 88 Points
Ever heard the expression "pungency"? Well this is a wine that does justice to this word. Wealth of aromas and flavors, capable of arousing the existing oenophile even in an ogre like me. Intense and persistent aromas of vanilla, caramel and red fruits, followed by oak, chocolate and toasty. All this in a round wine and excellent body. There are of course people do not like so much pungency. Patience!
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1/27/2011 - atubbs wrote: 85 Points
Very dark inky ruby-red, chocolate, black cherry. A little astringent; the tannins are strong in this one. Leather, vanilla, tobacco. Cooked fruit notes in the finish. I have to agree with what's come before me -- too much fruit, too much oak, and I can't really see a good potential for this one settling down.
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1/23/2011 - cartime wrote: 85 Points
Decanted a couple of hours based on previous notes. Never really improved over the course. Ripe, raisiny nose with blackberry, milk chocolate, and vanilla. Mocha, sweet black cherry palate. Lacking grip and balance. To put it simply, this is overripe and overoaked. Really disappointing based on my experience with the 2007 vintage.
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1/21/2011 - que syrah syrah Likes this wine: 88 Points
I first tasted this wine several weeks ago in a blind tasting and it was a hit with myself and fellow tasters. Was able to find four bottles at a local store. Opened one last night as the second bottle after a syrah with some friends over for pizza.
To fully appreciate this wine, it needs to be open at least an hour before you drink it and two plus hours wouldn't hurt. This is a big wine with lots of spice and flavors on your first sip. It has a long finish with pepper accents but falls apart a little in the middle. It's when the wine has been opened for several hours that it really starts to balance out nicely blending the fruit and spice with an even finish throughout. For folks who like a big wine for $16, a very good buy.
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1/15/2011 - WineArchitect Likes this wine: 87 Points
Dark ruby color. This wine is still all about the nose. The mouth component is never quite where I would like it based on my score. A good wine with pizza! EG WineArchitect
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1/11/2011 - WineArchitect Likes this wine: 87 Points
A simple bottle for a simple evening! EG WineArchitect
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1/6/2011 - mikacz wrote: 87 Points
Pierwszy noc osocowy. Usta początkowe lekko gazowane, świeże. Pozniej aromaty kakao i owocow. Przyjemne wino, ale takie młode.
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12/31/2010 - brigcampbell wrote: 88 Points
New Years Eve (Graney's house in Dana Point, CA): Do yourself a favor, decant this wine for 3-4 hours and you will be rewarded. I took a taste when I decanted this initially and the backend was very disjointed and rough.
Really dark colored purple.
Great nose of gamey mourvedre, violet, and some perfume.
Mouthfeel was silky but tannins show on the finish. Was noticably less astringent after decanting.
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12/29/2010 - dmm333 wrote: 86 Points
Nice gamey notes on the nose (classic Mourvedre) but fairly disappointing conveying much flavor on the palate.
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12/22/2010 - sidenote wrote: 83 Points
Really not that good. Very modern, spoofulated style, heavy alcohol, soft, spice box taste. Fat, flabby, and hot. This is why people look down their nose at 'new world' wine. No me gusta.
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12/17/2010 - Cloverstudio wrote: 86 Points
Moments of greatness, but not quite ready for primetime.
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12/15/2010 - kentuh03 wrote: 88 Points
wine was tasted blind. very young on the nose. extremely powerful wine with high alcohol content and full blast that punches you in the face on the first sip. The wine is extremely spicy on the palate, with dark cherry flavors. forget to mention that the color is dark purplish and borderlines black. My guess was a wine younger than 2006 from rhone that is Grenache based but feels like a blend between old/new worlds.
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12/12/2010 - Eduhersp wrote: 90 Points
Had this wine with spaghetti and meatballs. Decanted for 1 hour. Very dark colour, dense and fullbodied.
Nose: huge nose. On the nose I get scents of sweet licour, smoky and dusty accents, licorice with some peppery and asian spices. Nose is very similar to a Zin nose. Very nice nose.
Taste: This wine is huge, dense,very full bodied and very concentrated. A real puckerer. This wine is very fruit forward and a bit sweet at first ( I will add more later). I also get evident shades of peppery spices, especially toward the end. Really nice peppery accents. Yet, the wine , with allof its dearth of fruit and oak, still manages to keep everything within its balance. Very nicely acidity nicely balances out the fruit, oak and tannins. This wine kind of reminds me of a big Zin in its characteristics. After an hour or more of decant, this wine begins to really shine. The spice and the acidity really tames down and this wine seems to show a more creamy characteristics. Really nice.
Finish; Fantastic finish; Sweet, long that never stops pumping the great fruit character. Very good.
Overall: Very good wine for the money. In my opinion, ab better vintage than the 2007. more balance and less sugary. 89-90 pts
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11/28/2010 - WineArchitect Likes this wine: 88 Points
My first bottle of the 08. Medium ruby garnet color. Aromatics of smoke and bright red fruit with a touch of menthol. There is a bit of heat on the finish, unlike the 07, : ( The wine began to tail off in intensity after aeration. EG WineArchitect
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11/21/2010 - Leejgreen wrote: 88 Points
Enjoyed. Good table wine. Not as good as 2007, but I will buy more.
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11/15/2010 - jjlobi wrote: 86 Points
Not as good as the 2007 vintage. Still ok, but flavor is off a bit. Hard to be specific, just not as good as '07.
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11/11/2010 - Leejgreen wrote: 87 Points
Like the 2007 much more. Miss the pepper finish. Still good though for an every day wine.
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10/15/2010 - neoasimov Likes this wine: 83 Points
Monastrell is a beautiful native grape in Spain. This wine is a good expression of it.
It is pretty well done, it smells and tastes something that you are not used to; it is like walking in an unknown city with full of unusual stuff going on around you (think about some older places in Delphi).
Mostly rape fruits and roasted stuff.
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10/7/2010 - BillyT wrote: 90 Points
Previous notes apply
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10/3/2010 - frank hertz wrote: 89 Points
eerily similar to my grandmother's figgy pudding, even down to the attendant "foamy sauce" (i think that's what we called it... sounds kinda weird now though) we'd always dump all over it. but, uh... less esoterically: candied citrus, black tea, vanilla, bran muffin (seriously?)... all together, quite a funny fruitcake of a mourvédre, but it works. commendable QPR, too.
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9/23/2010 - sbreffle wrote: 86 Points
Cinnamon/Nutmeg notes hit the nose right away. Nice sweet black fruits and the oak/cinnamon flavors.
There is a tasty factor to this wine, but it feels a bit unbalanced. Decent deal for price. I remember liking past vintages better than this '08.
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8/24/2010 - BillyT wrote: 90 Points
Last bottle wasn't as good. This bottle I opened and double decanted and let sit for 1.5 hours. Excellent, vanilla, oak, dark fruit. subtle tannins and mild acidity. Went GREAT with seafood enchiladas and black beans.
WOW, this wine opened and mellowed and is an absolute steal for the price. Bold legs, great color and full bodied with oak, vanilla, dark chocolate, leather, firm tannins and mild acidity with a smooth velvety mouth feel and finish.
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8/18/2010 - coremill wrote: 82 Points
I've had this wine before in other vintages and this was the worst one I've had. Big but simple fruit, oaky, heat. Not to my liking.
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