Beautiful wine, with nice aged notes, and that special Merlot brand that is not the same as CS. The early palate is an elegant, soft chocolatey melange. Great acid/tannin balance, though both are probably at their peak. Not a lot of berry in this wine, more soft earth and leather. Medium weight. A very enjoyable wine.
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An incredible wine that barely showed its age. Soft, slightly herbal nose with big notes of plums and blackberries. The palate was soft with plush tannins and a gentile touch of acidity. Flavors of plum, blackberry and black raspberry mingled with soft earth tones and just a touch of the classic Merlot spice box. The finish was long and rounded with a juicy touch and soft, lingering acidity. This wine is in a perfect place but certainly has more time to give.
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What a pleasant surprise. Enjoyed with our Easter Dinner of brisket/pot roast. Still fruity, balanced. No decanting necessary. Opened a 2008 Viader, and a 2004 Paloma Syrah for this dinner. The Pride was the house favorite. Just a fantastic, easy to enjoy bottle of wine! (The Paloma Syrah was my favorite, because it was still a contender.). The Viader was a great bottle as well. No complaints, but on this evening the Pride Merlot was voted #1.)
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Drink it if you got it! Huge black fruits and robust cedar. Well balanced and all around very enjoyable. Not sure what the future holds but its great right now!!!
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Spectacular merlot. Over the years, we have enjoyed Pride merlot (and their cab franc). The flavor profile is mocha, chocolate with a hint of berries and spice. The finish was smooth and silky..and, it paired superbly with dark chocolate (after dinner).
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Good. Not as good as the '08. Better the second day. Makes me wonder whether we should wait on the next bottle from our cellar. Regardless, I have to say that Pride does a nice job on their merlots. Thank you.
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Wine dinner of Pride Mountain wines. Something had to finish last. Not a terrible wine, but just compared to the other wines of the night, it was lacking. A bit thin, and it tasted "hot" even though the listed alcohol wasn't that high. Some of my group used "spice" instead of hot as an adjective.
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Pride merlot never, ever disappoints!! A wonderfully balanced merlot with a hint of spice. The tannins are very gentle. For the "heck of it", just looked at the Pride website and one of the descriptors for the 2009 was that there a subtle hint of "Mahogany chest". Anyone out there tasted any furniture lately?? I know oak but not Mahogany:-)
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Overripe, almost like a cherry pie with too much sugar: sweet, overpowering, and - after a while - too much of a good thing. Deep purple in color. Tastes of plum, cherry, raisin, and oak. 14.6% alcohol, but tastes higher. I love bigger Merlots (eg, Pahlmeyer, Shafer, Hourglass), and I have loved Pride Merlots in the past - but the fruit in this vintage is just a bit over the line, at least for me.
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The complete opposite of my March note. Pop and pour though a Vinturi and it was excellent. Tannins well integrated; nice long finish. A surprising hint of vanilla. Overall, very tasty. Last bottle. Wish I had more.
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From 3L. This was supposed to sleep a lot longer, but opened yesterday in dad's honor at a family event. The name (Pride) and the presence of their large formats matched the occasion perfectly, and he was liking CA Merlot toward the end. Luckily the wine showed really well to cap it off.
Full purple/dark fruit flavors of ripe plum and licorice offset by mild to medium tannins and spice. Acidity is also on the softer side, but bright enough to hold it together. Short to medium finish. 14.6 Abv. Had to keep this cool to show its best...luckily there was an industrial sized freezer close to where I had it set up. So glad I bought this, really came through.
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Decanted for about 30 minutes but still needed time to open. Bright, sharp fruits mellowed to great balance of fruit and tannins over the course of the next hour.
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A great example of a Napa Merlot, full bodied and rich, with lots of dark fruit. Good balance between fruit and tannins. Would benefit from openning earlier and decanting, but still a fine pour
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First of all, this is not a pop and pour wine. Right out of the bottle, it was tart, almost bitter. And this was through an aerator. However, as it sat in the glass (and in the bottle), the oxygen did its job and the wine evolved and became very smooth with notes of blueberry and a nice finish. I'd say this wine probably needs another couple of years in the bottle.
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The mistake is to evaluate before decanting three hours. After that point, wine's smooth taste is matched by its nose. Part of a great tradition of Pride wines!
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Expressive nose of cherry intermixed with vanilla which leads way to a bright berried fruit profile with sweet vanilla oak, chocolate and some spice with a minty aftertaste. Certainly made a lighter, softer rendition than in previous vintages but it is smooth as silk and still delivers.
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2 hour decant allowed this youngster to open up; nice color; smooth & tasty quaff; went along with all meals, from rack of lamb to lobster; nice 15 sec finish
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Outstanding! Decanted for 3 hours. Notes of dark cherry, charcoal, some vanilla, great intensity for a merlot but more balanced than expected. Handled itself well with rib-eye steaks.
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From a 375. Immediately excellent without a decant. Bright, sleek and balanced with red fruits, pepper, chocolate and oak notes with a lingering finish. When Pride merlot is on it's among my favorite domestic versions.
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Wonderful Dark Cherry flavors on the nose with tight flavors of Dark fruit and herbs on the palate. Got much much better a few hours after opening the bottle and could definitely use a few more years of bottle age to soften and really open up. Will wait a while before drinking my last bottle.
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I have a decent amount of experience with back vintage bottles of this wine - mostly 04, 05, 07, 08 - and this 2009 seems like a bit of a different wine. It's taken a step back from the extreme extraction of prior vintages and is a little more supple, soft, smooth and medium bodied. It seems like gone are the super chocolate mocha and blueberry and chewy heavy elements of this wine. The color is a good purple and the nose is still bright fruit and decent heat. Mouth feel a little extreme and finish is good with some carryover fruit, cool eucalyptus, chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, blueberry. This wine, however seemed a little one note but was only open/decant for about 30 minutes so perhaps just tight. Will reserve score as a result.
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The wine appears Crimson colored in the glasswith medium legs. Nose is full of fruit with some spices. Palate of berry fruits with a medium finish. Nice body to this wine that finishes oh so smoothly. Drinks well now with some air but I will wait for awhile on the other bottle.
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Full bodied with sweet red fruit framed by a good dose of acidity and soft tannins. Needs a bit of time in the decanter to breathe, but also for the fairly large amount of sediment that it's throwing off. (May also need to filter the finer, grit particles if they would otherwise bother you.)
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Excellent merlot. Actually tastes like MERLOT, not just "red wine," as is common with this varietal...to me, at least. Tannins soft, jammy fruit. Opened for 45-60 minutes prior to first sip. I love Pride.
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My favorite of the '09 Pride reds. Not as screamingly obvious as a Pride bottling (when did Bob Foley leave?) but plenty of Spring Mtn opulence. Well-developed tannins, nice use of new oak. Delicious.
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Heady strong vanilla oak aromas pour from the glass. Velvety supple mouthfeel with a hint of tannins. Delicious on the first sip, walloping with sweet vanilla, oak, chocolate, full on plummy fruit. Disclosure: this is not a style I favor, and this wine is a perfect example of why--after the first sip the sweet vanilla oak becomes exhausting, and I don't know what food this would work with. I am not familiar enough with this sort of wine to know if more time in the bottle would mellow it or bring out more complexity. To be fair, with time in the glass this improves and the overwhelming vanilla integrates a bit. However, I have finished eating and am now drinking this alone--probably the best way to enjoy this style.
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Honeymoon Wine Tasting; 6/25/2012-7/3/2012 (California - Napa & Sonoma Counties): Tasted at Winery. 88% Merlot, 9% cab sav, 2 1/2% petit verdot, and 1/2% cab franc. Ruby red in color, with aromas of raspberry, spice, and oak. Nice layered structure with a full mouthfeel yet seeming light in body. Currently fruit-forward yet still showing firm tannins, this could use a year or two. Smooth short finish without much complexity. Tasty now, but hold 1+ yrs.
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Crimson. Lots of sediment -- decant or filter if that bugs you. I don't necessarily think the wine needs decanting to drink well, though. Explosive red fruit on the nose. Palate is, as described by others, heavy with cherry and oak and some chocolate notes. A quick tart flash transitions into that gorgeous long, smooth Pride finish. Great with a grilled T-bone tonight. Inclined to drink more of these before my 2008s, as I think it's drinking really nicely right now.
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Pop and pour with pizza, watching the Giants beat the Niners. Excellent fruit-forward Merlot, but with a fair degree of complexity underneath. Long finish, great mouthfeel.
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Cherry and chocolate saturated palate, with well integrated vanilla oak. Good potency to the fruit, and enough acidity to keep it fresh. Medium finish. Bouquet hasn't quite yet developed, but that could be due to this not having much bottle age at this point. Looking forward to breaking out my remaining 3L sometime long in the future, and have to consider buying some Vinter's Select to see how it stacks up.
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Huge bright cherry nose. Taste is predominantly oak. Good structure, but it hides the fruit and the result is not as balanced or interesting as I would hope. Probably goes great with grilled meats with lots of char though.
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Generally, think Pride wines are outstanding, but this 09 Merlot was good, perhaps very good, but not amazing. While this wine is smooth as silk, nice acidity and balance, it lacks weight, concentration and deep, rich fruit flavor. Find the fruit a bit restrained but what fruit is there has a cherry like quality...unusual for a Merlot...hoping this wine will mature and gain weight and flavor over the next few years...maybe opened too early.
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- Brick color - Beautiful nose of red berries with just a touch of heat. Smooth texture, but somewhat tart. Mid palate offers some mocha, chocolate and a bit of mint. Finish is long. Overall a bit sweeter than most Pride merlots but none the less great.
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Very nice and expressive nose with cherry liqueur, flowers, and chocolate. Chocolate laced cherry, raspberry, and some sweet soil in the mouth. Coats the mouth very well, medium + bodied, can pass for silky tannins, as they show some activity but they're well resolved and it's absolutely ready to drink. Fruit dominated palate, balanced with decent acidity that pierces through the palate pretty well, and showing some earth notes. Medium finish. 91 points
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This was a barrel tasting of one of the eight or nine blocks going into their 09 Merlot, the Wind Whistle block. Bright red, medium plus toast, zero soak oak barrel; tannic, dry, cherry. This has very good potential, but, of course, a long route to go along with blending. I left it unrated, but if I could vineyard designate this I would go (90-91).
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10/22/2023 - Supercuts wrote:
Showed poorly. Bought online so perhaps stored poorly.
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8/27/2023 - redz wrote: 93 Points
Happy to report this merlot still has legs. In a great place now.
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2/10/2022 - JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 93 Points
Luscious! Surprisingly very primary with loads of cherry and berry and some tobacco. Fabulous texture. Drink or hold.
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11/14/2020 - Bethesda Paul wrote: 93 Points
Needs a few hours to open up. Big berry notes on the front end.
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9/23/2020 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine, with nice aged notes, and that special Merlot brand that is not the same as CS. The early palate is an elegant, soft chocolatey melange. Great acid/tannin balance, though both are probably at their peak. Not a lot of berry in this wine, more soft earth and leather. Medium weight. A very enjoyable wine.
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4/25/2020 - Ketch1288 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aged great, fruit forward, plum colored, never disappoints. One of top merlots out there for my money
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4/16/2020 - Vinobc wrote: 93 Points
Stuck at home for Easter, this was a gem. Lots of blue fruit, nice balance.
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4/2/2020 - KAP Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully now.
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6/24/2019 - jroberts86 Likes this wine: 92 Points
All that Pride is known for--rich deep lucious fruit. Well balanced and integrated. Lengthy finish. No signs of fading.
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5/25/2019 - martin_e Does not like this wine: 70 Points
Old
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12/4/2018 - floating_cellar wrote: 88 Points
too old...
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10/8/2018 - floating_cellar wrote: 89 Points
Getting old, drink up!
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8/21/2018 - JBD wrote: 94 Points
This was exquisite. Loooong finish.
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7/21/2018 - jroberts86 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Such a great merlot. No sign of fading. Rich, luscious fruit and enough tannins to make a plesant, medium long finish.
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4/28/2018 - KAP wrote: 92 Points
Great with spicy pizza
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4/22/2018 - mas746 Likes this wine: 94 Points
An incredible wine that barely showed its age. Soft, slightly herbal nose with big notes of plums and blackberries. The palate was soft with plush tannins and a gentile touch of acidity. Flavors of plum, blackberry and black raspberry mingled with soft earth tones and just a touch of the classic Merlot spice box. The finish was long and rounded with a juicy touch and soft, lingering acidity. This wine is in a perfect place but certainly has more time to give.
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2/11/2018 - awkiii Likes this wine: 92 Points
great
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6/14/2017 - jswine15 Likes this wine: 89 Points
A bit thin, probably mostly because of the vintage, but nevertheless disappointing, especially since Pride made its name on Merlot
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6/3/2017 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 91 Points
Had it at a banquet, where I snuck it into my table. No formal notes taken, but I liked it much better than my previous bottle from 2 years ago.
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4/16/2017 - sw92130 Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a pleasant surprise. Enjoyed with our Easter Dinner of brisket/pot roast. Still fruity, balanced. No decanting necessary. Opened a 2008 Viader, and a 2004 Paloma Syrah for this dinner. The Pride was the house favorite. Just a fantastic, easy to enjoy bottle of wine! (The Paloma Syrah was my favorite, because it was still a contender.). The Viader was a great bottle as well. No complaints, but on this evening the Pride Merlot was voted #1.)
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3/14/2017 - dougie Likes this wine: 91 Points
Typical pride- lush and Cali merlot done well.
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12/28/2016 - mml039 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drink it if you got it! Huge black fruits and robust cedar. Well balanced and all around very enjoyable. Not sure what the future holds but its great right now!!!
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12/28/2016 - budman Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a great place right now!!!
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12/11/2016 - kennyd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice. Really quite nice. I wish it wasn't the last one in our cellar, although if we had any more, I would be drinking it soon.
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10/19/2016 - Tetherton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Spectacular merlot. Over the years, we have enjoyed Pride merlot (and their cab franc). The flavor profile is mocha, chocolate with a hint of berries and spice. The finish was smooth and silky..and, it paired superbly with dark chocolate (after dinner).
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10/1/2016 - kennyd Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quite good, although there was a tremendous amount of sediment. Also, at this point I'm saying drink: no need to wait longer.
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7/9/2016 - moxielady wrote: flawed
Horribly corked
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5/27/2016 - PSMB wrote: 91 Points
Drinking well, but probably time to start drinking up.
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1/3/2016 - kennyd Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good. Not as good as the '08. Better the second day. Makes me wonder whether we should wait on the next bottle from our cellar. Regardless, I have to say that Pride does a nice job on their merlots. Thank you.
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12/24/2015 - Ceo wrote: 92 Points
This is a beautiful wine I could not wait anymore!!
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11/4/2015 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 88 Points
Wine dinner of Pride Mountain wines. Something had to finish last. Not a terrible wine, but just compared to the other wines of the night, it was lacking. A bit thin, and it tasted "hot" even though the listed alcohol wasn't that high. Some of my group used "spice" instead of hot as an adjective.
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10/31/2015 - Tetherton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pride merlot never, ever disappoints!! A wonderfully balanced merlot with a hint of spice. The tannins are very gentle. For the "heck of it", just looked at the Pride website and one of the descriptors for the 2009 was that there a subtle hint of "Mahogany chest". Anyone out there tasted any furniture lately?? I know oak but not Mahogany:-)
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8/20/2015 - MXL wrote: 91 Points
A few more years and I think it will be awesome-er. Notes of chocolate and blueberries abound. Soft tannins and short finish.
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5/25/2015 - moxielady wrote: 92 Points
Full bodied. Very dark cherry. Moderate tannins. Nice structure overall.
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4/11/2015 - dkwins Likes this wine: 91 Points
My last 09 and probably time. Rich fruit, but not complex. Still prefer the 2010 to this or the 2011, but hard to go wrong with Pride.
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3/20/2015 - msuwine wrote: 87 Points
Overripe, almost like a cherry pie with too much sugar: sweet, overpowering, and - after a while - too much of a good thing. Deep purple in color. Tastes of plum, cherry, raisin, and oak. 14.6% alcohol, but tastes higher. I love bigger Merlots (eg, Pahlmeyer, Shafer, Hourglass), and I have loved Pride Merlots in the past - but the fruit in this vintage is just a bit over the line, at least for me.
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2/15/2015 - davidchwong wrote: 91 Points
Drank this wine on Valentine's Day 2015
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2/13/2015 - George Lopez Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice finish, but not terribly complex. This is a good, but not great bottle of Merlot.
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11/28/2014 - davegorton54 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Day after Thanksgiving wine. Hearty merlot. Dusty blue fruits and fine tannin.
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11/9/2014 - DCSteve Likes this wine: 91 Points
The complete opposite of my March note. Pop and pour though a Vinturi and it was excellent. Tannins well integrated; nice long finish. A surprising hint of vanilla. Overall, very tasty. Last bottle. Wish I had more.
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8/31/2014 - Sonoma-W Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium bodied for a Pride -- but always great fruit
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8/9/2014 - Tetherton Likes this wine: 92 Points
A terrific merlot from Pride. The Pride merlots are terrific and never disappoint! It paired well with salmon!!
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7/22/2014 - Steve's Cellar wrote:
Gave to Chris Ellis (next door) hoping he would have a "wine moment".
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6/4/2014 - Steve's Cellar wrote:
Sandy took to High School girls party.
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5/12/2014 - Robert Pavlovich Likes this wine:
From 3L. This was supposed to sleep a lot longer, but opened yesterday in dad's honor at a family event. The name (Pride) and the presence of their large formats matched the occasion perfectly, and he was liking CA Merlot toward the end. Luckily the wine showed really well to cap it off.
Full purple/dark fruit flavors of ripe plum and licorice offset by mild to medium tannins and spice. Acidity is also on the softer side, but bright enough to hold it together. Short to medium finish. 14.6 Abv. Had to keep this cool to show its best...luckily there was an industrial sized freezer close to where I had it set up. So glad I bought this, really came through.
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4/24/2014 - egd584 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for about 30 minutes but still needed time to open. Bright, sharp fruits mellowed to great balance of fruit and tannins over the course of the next hour.
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3/23/2014 - jswine15 wrote: 92 Points
A great example of a Napa Merlot, full bodied and rich, with lots of dark fruit. Good balance between fruit and tannins. Would benefit from openning earlier and decanting, but still a fine pour
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3/21/2014 - DCSteve wrote: 90 Points
First of all, this is not a pop and pour wine. Right out of the bottle, it was tart, almost bitter. And this was through an aerator. However, as it sat in the glass (and in the bottle), the oxygen did its job and the wine evolved and became very smooth with notes of blueberry and a nice finish. I'd say this wine probably needs another couple of years in the bottle.
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3/6/2014 - gesusser wrote: 91 Points
PNP spur of the moment Cheesecake Factory dinner in Boca....surprisingly very good, smooth, and tasty with cod fish tacos and pizza
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3/2/2014 - Dasher wrote: 90 Points
smooth wine
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1/13/2014 - Trolson wrote: 93 Points
The mistake is to evaluate before decanting three hours. After that point, wine's smooth taste is matched by its nose. Part of a great tradition of Pride wines!
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1/12/2014 - Billandsuzy wrote:
Tom says okay. Cab is better.
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12/13/2013 - Cow Town wrote: 87 Points
Not up to normal Pride standards. Just ok. Good color, muted nose, and a short finish. Lacking in complexity. Hopefully it gets better with time.
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10/18/2013 - CK6865 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for 3 hours , nice ruby pour, lots of dark cherry, a nice merlot but not great ,so so finish
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7/26/2013 - Donjcorleone Likes this wine: 91 Points
Expressive nose of cherry intermixed with vanilla which leads way to a bright berried fruit profile with sweet vanilla oak, chocolate and some spice with a minty aftertaste. Certainly made a lighter, softer rendition than in previous vintages but it is smooth as silk and still delivers.
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7/14/2013 - RobertoM Does not like this wine: 85 Points
disappointing
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7/4/2013 - gesusser wrote: 91 Points
2 hour decant allowed this youngster to open up; nice color; smooth & tasty quaff; went along with all meals, from rack of lamb to lobster; nice 15 sec finish
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6/15/2013 - Sonoma-W Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding! Decanted for 3 hours. Notes of dark cherry, charcoal, some vanilla, great intensity for a merlot but more balanced than expected. Handled itself well with rib-eye steaks.
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4/30/2013 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted great. Flavor of cherry with a hint of vanilla. Great wine.
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4/25/2013 - gmbdds wrote: 92 Points
From a 375. Immediately excellent without a decant. Bright, sleek and balanced with red fruits, pepper, chocolate and oak notes with a lingering finish. When Pride merlot is on it's among my favorite domestic versions.
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4/9/2013 - macliii Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wonderful Dark Cherry flavors on the nose with tight flavors of Dark fruit and herbs on the palate. Got much much better a few hours after opening the bottle and could definitely use a few more years of bottle age to soften and really open up. Will wait a while before drinking my last bottle.
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4/1/2013 - wino31 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious merlot -- lots of fruit, long finish, some complexity.
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3/27/2013 - BCharlieG Likes this wine:
I have a decent amount of experience with back vintage bottles of this wine - mostly 04, 05, 07, 08 - and this 2009 seems like a bit of a different wine. It's taken a step back from the extreme extraction of prior vintages and is a little more supple, soft, smooth and medium bodied. It seems like gone are the super chocolate mocha and blueberry and chewy heavy elements of this wine. The color is a good purple and the nose is still bright fruit and decent heat. Mouth feel a little extreme and finish is good with some carryover fruit, cool eucalyptus, chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, blueberry. This wine, however seemed a little one note but was only open/decant for about 30 minutes so perhaps just tight. Will reserve score as a result.
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3/23/2013 - GoHeels Likes this wine: 88 Points
Good "crowd pleaser" type of merlot. Good nose of dark fruits, mouth is medium and smooth. A little sweet.
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3/8/2013 - Madkat Likes this wine: 92 Points
The wine appears Crimson colored in the glasswith medium legs. Nose is full of fruit with some spices. Palate of berry fruits with a medium finish. Nice body to this wine that finishes oh so smoothly. Drinks well now with some air but I will wait for awhile on the other bottle.
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1/19/2013 - TKS9 wrote: 91 Points
Full bodied with sweet red fruit framed by a good dose of acidity and soft tannins. Needs a bit of time in the decanter to breathe, but also for the fairly large amount of sediment that it's throwing off. (May also need to filter the finer, grit particles if they would otherwise bother you.)
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12/30/2012 - gesusser wrote: 92 Points
one +hour decant & poured for wine/merlot loving guests; received great accolades & was gone very quickly; I never got a taste; glad i have more
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12/21/2012 - jcbrand Likes this wine: 92 Points
Soft, fruity, great balance, better on night 2.
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12/3/2012 - gparadise wrote: 93 Points
Fabulous merlot. Tastes more like a Cab. Great depth of taste. Good fruit with nice balance. Truly great.
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12/1/2012 - r.burt@att.net wrote: 92 Points
Excellent merlot. Actually tastes like MERLOT, not just "red wine," as is common with this varietal...to me, at least. Tannins soft, jammy fruit. Opened for 45-60 minutes prior to first sip. I love Pride.
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11/20/2012 - littlefoot Likes this wine: 91 Points
My favorite of the '09 Pride reds. Not as screamingly obvious as a Pride bottling (when did Bob Foley leave?) but plenty of Spring Mtn opulence. Well-developed tannins, nice use of new oak. Delicious.
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10/28/2012 - kenito799 wrote: 86 Points
Heady strong vanilla oak aromas pour from the glass. Velvety supple mouthfeel with a hint of tannins. Delicious on the first sip, walloping with sweet vanilla, oak, chocolate, full on plummy fruit. Disclosure: this is not a style I favor, and this wine is a perfect example of why--after the first sip the sweet vanilla oak becomes exhausting, and I don't know what food this would work with. I am not familiar enough with this sort of wine to know if more time in the bottle would mellow it or bring out more complexity. To be fair, with time in the glass this improves and the overwhelming vanilla integrates a bit. However, I have finished eating and am now drinking this alone--probably the best way to enjoy this style.
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10/19/2012 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine was silky smooth with good fruit and a hint of vanilla.
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10/7/2012 - brianngibson wrote: 91 Points
Blackberry and plum. Ripe tannins and just the right amount of vanilla infused oak. Very approachable and ready to drink.
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9/16/2012 - cococafe wrote:
Grill with William, Martin, and Pennington
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9/10/2012 - Gargantua wrote:
Martin Scott Portfolio Tasting (New York, NY): Tasting, hasty impression. Not bad. Hot, bit too sweet; green with herbs.
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7/21/2012 - jhieb wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful crimson color. Very smooth, with nice edgeless fruit. This bottle was a little tight, so I would recommend another year or two of aging.
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6/27/2012 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 91 Points
Honeymoon Wine Tasting; 6/25/2012-7/3/2012 (California - Napa & Sonoma Counties): Tasted at Winery. 88% Merlot, 9% cab sav, 2 1/2% petit verdot, and 1/2% cab franc. Ruby red in color, with aromas of raspberry, spice, and oak. Nice layered structure with a full mouthfeel yet seeming light in body. Currently fruit-forward yet still showing firm tannins, this could use a year or two. Smooth short finish without much complexity. Tasty now, but hold 1+ yrs.
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6/17/2012 - td1836 wrote: 90 Points
This is a very nice merlot. Has nice fruit, low tannins, and structure. I just don't love merlot.
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5/1/2012 - Sbrashears wrote: 91 Points
Opened nicely
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4/21/2012 - Techsalesinc wrote: 90 Points
We let bottle breath for an hour and it came alive. Complex, spicy, fruity with superb finish - will add more of this vintage to my cellar.
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4/13/2012 - Drankthewholebottle wrote:
I filtered and decanted, but this one was crystal clear without a speck of sediment or residual sugar. Delivered everything I was hoping for.
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3/5/2012 - Bender Bending Rodriguez wrote: 92 Points
Crimson. Lots of sediment -- decant or filter if that bugs you. I don't necessarily think the wine needs decanting to drink well, though. Explosive red fruit on the nose. Palate is, as described by others, heavy with cherry and oak and some chocolate notes. A quick tart flash transitions into that gorgeous long, smooth Pride finish. Great with a grilled T-bone tonight. Inclined to drink more of these before my 2008s, as I think it's drinking really nicely right now.
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1/23/2012 - wino31 wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour with pizza, watching the Giants beat the Niners. Excellent fruit-forward Merlot, but with a fair degree of complexity underneath. Long finish, great mouthfeel.
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1/23/2012 - Robert Pavlovich wrote: 91 Points
Cherry and chocolate saturated palate, with well integrated vanilla oak. Good potency to the fruit, and enough acidity to keep it fresh. Medium finish. Bouquet hasn't quite yet developed, but that could be due to this not having much bottle age at this point. Looking forward to breaking out my remaining 3L sometime long in the future, and have to consider buying some Vinter's Select to see how it stacks up.
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1/15/2012 - joeroth Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very drinkable. Did not need decanting. Fruity merlot.
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12/27/2011 - Grinner wrote: 92 Points
Liquid velvet w/ blackberry, plum, cocoa, oak, and raspberry notes. Seamless texture. Put on weight since I tried one immediately after release.
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12/23/2011 - AlexHop wrote: 90 Points
Huge bright cherry nose. Taste is predominantly oak. Good structure, but it hides the fruit and the result is not as balanced or interesting as I would hope. Probably goes great with grilled meats with lots of char though.
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11/19/2011 - dferreir wrote: 90 Points
decent. my dad likes it.
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11/15/2011 - Schiffy wrote: 87 Points
Generally, think Pride wines are outstanding, but this 09 Merlot was good, perhaps very good, but not amazing. While this wine is smooth as silk, nice acidity and balance, it lacks weight, concentration and deep, rich fruit flavor. Find the fruit a bit restrained but what fruit is there has a cherry like quality...unusual for a Merlot...hoping this wine will mature and gain weight and flavor over the next few years...maybe opened too early.
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10/25/2011 - rerail84 wrote:
- Brick color - Beautiful nose of red berries with just a touch of heat. Smooth texture, but somewhat tart. Mid palate offers some mocha, chocolate and a bit of mint. Finish is long. Overall a bit sweeter than most Pride merlots but none the less great.
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10/1/2011 - Robert Pavlovich wrote: 91 Points
Very nice and expressive nose with cherry liqueur, flowers, and chocolate. Chocolate laced cherry, raspberry, and some sweet soil in the mouth. Coats the mouth very well, medium + bodied, can pass for silky tannins, as they show some activity but they're well resolved and it's absolutely ready to drink. Fruit dominated palate, balanced with decent acidity that pierces through the palate pretty well, and showing some earth notes. Medium finish. 91 points
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8/22/2010 - Steve Brickley wrote:
This was a barrel tasting of one of the eight or nine blocks going into their 09 Merlot, the Wind Whistle block. Bright red, medium plus toast, zero soak oak barrel; tannic, dry, cherry. This has very good potential, but, of course, a long route to go along with blending. I left it unrated, but if I could vineyard designate this I would go (90-91).
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