Blackcurrant, plum, sweet fruit and some floral notes on the nose. The medium to full bodied palate adds some some spiciness and faint but persistent tannins. The fruit is actually more savory than you'd except from the sweet nose. Medium finish, with the tannins lingering on. Nicely balanced and very drinkable.
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Dark, almost completely opaque reddish black color with a hint of developed bricking evident especially towards the rim. Very dark-toned, somewhat developed and a bit dusty nose with aromas of savory dark fruits, nuanced spices, some dusty oak, a little bit of cacao nibs and a hint of developed, pruney fruit. The wine is medium-bodied and pretty fruit-forward on the palate with very juicy and somewhat sweet flavors of ripe red fruits, plum jam, some peppery spice, a little bit of savory woody character and a hint of crunchy black raspberry. Overall the wine feels quite balanced - albeit a bit soft - with its moderate acidity and soft, modest-to-medium tannins. The finish is ripe and juicy yet also somewhat bitter with long, ripe flavors of dark plums, bittersweet dark chocolate, rich baking spices, sweet red berries and a hint of strawberry jam.
A somewhat soft and juicy, but also surprisingly balanced and enjoyable Merlot - and this is from a Merlot-basher! This is definitely not a Pomerol, that's for sure, but the wine still manages to remain perfectly balanced and doesn't come across as overtly jammy or over-oaked, which isn't that typical for a US Merlot. The wine suffers from the typical problem of Merlot, which is a bit too low acidity and soft tannins for my taste, but all things considered, this was a genuinely good wine.
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(L'Ecole No 41 Merlot Columbia Valley) This wine has the stuffing but doesn’t seem to have quite blossomed yet. It’s very lightly aromatic with bay leaf and barrel spices. The palate is chock full of red fruit flavors back by firm, chalky tannins. 76% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, and 3% Petit Verdot. Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge, Candy Mountain, Bacchus, Dionysus, Klipsun, StoneTree and Weinbau vineyards. Aged 18 months in oak (30% new). 14.5% alcohol. 4,000 cases produced. Sample provided by winery.
NOTE: Some content is property of Vinous and Washington Wine Report.
12/9/2017 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 88 Points
375 ml consumed by Marianne.
Chewy, harsh, more acidic than round. Lots of sediment. Possibly over the hill.
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11/9/2015 - joseph120 Does not like this wine:
Mid palate underwhelming and tannins still harsh after 6 years.
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7/21/2015 - df1962 wrote: 88 Points
Ripe flavours at its peak
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12/22/2014 - blaahhi wrote:
Blackcurrant, plum, sweet fruit and some floral notes on the nose. The medium to full bodied palate adds some some spiciness and faint but persistent tannins. The fruit is actually more savory than you'd except from the sweet nose. Medium finish, with the tannins lingering on. Nicely balanced and very drinkable.
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12/11/2014 - forceberry wrote: 88 Points
Dark, almost completely opaque reddish black color with a hint of developed bricking evident especially towards the rim. Very dark-toned, somewhat developed and a bit dusty nose with aromas of savory dark fruits, nuanced spices, some dusty oak, a little bit of cacao nibs and a hint of developed, pruney fruit. The wine is medium-bodied and pretty fruit-forward on the palate with very juicy and somewhat sweet flavors of ripe red fruits, plum jam, some peppery spice, a little bit of savory woody character and a hint of crunchy black raspberry. Overall the wine feels quite balanced - albeit a bit soft - with its moderate acidity and soft, modest-to-medium tannins. The finish is ripe and juicy yet also somewhat bitter with long, ripe flavors of dark plums, bittersweet dark chocolate, rich baking spices, sweet red berries and a hint of strawberry jam.
A somewhat soft and juicy, but also surprisingly balanced and enjoyable Merlot - and this is from a Merlot-basher! This is definitely not a Pomerol, that's for sure, but the wine still manages to remain perfectly balanced and doesn't come across as overtly jammy or over-oaked, which isn't that typical for a US Merlot. The wine suffers from the typical problem of Merlot, which is a bit too low acidity and soft tannins for my taste, but all things considered, this was a genuinely good wine.
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