1998 Clos du Val Merlot

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 89 points

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  7/6/2012 - rfvc wrote: 89 Points

  Fully matured by now. Maybe a bit over the hill. Still very nicely integrated and smooth. Fruit has faded and secondary flavors and nose is prevailing. Good earthy nose.

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  10/5/2011 - FLI Likes this wine: 89 Points

  Reminded me of a classified right-bank. Restrained fruit. Earthy. Nice tannic structure. A subtle wine, but rewarding. Different from many other Cali merlots, which seem to be made in a big style. This bottle had some pronounced funk on the nose and palate on first being opened, but that blew off in about 10 mins, leaving a very mature, well balanced wine.

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  11/18/2009 - Renegade wrote:

  This wine is a medium bodied wine with 13.5% alcohol and a dark brick red color to it. It gave off aromas of earth, tar, cedar and dried currants with what seemed like red fruits trying to make their way out. On the palate it tasted of cassis, cognac and black tea. I tasted this at the winery, so I am unsure how long it was decanted, or if it was decanted. However, the acidity up front was still noticeable, the structure was solid and the tannin was firm. I am not sure where this wine is going, I am not sure if I tasted it in more of a dumb phase or not. Given that it is a traditionally made wine, made much more like a Bordeaux than a New World style wine, I am going to give it the benefit of the doubt and think it could really open up down the road, the acid, structure and tannin in this wine make me think it can be a lot better with more aging; however I am not completely sure on that. Due to my uncertainty, I am not going to score this one, at least not yet. Hopefully a few years down the road they will pour it again and I can give it a score.

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  5/20/2009 - FLI wrote: 89 Points

  A very nice Napa merlot. Dusky and rich, restrained fruit and earth. Moderate tannins indicate many more years of life for this bottling. There was a very minor harshness on the finish that keeps this wine from a 90 score, but it's a wine drinks very well and would be appropriate at any occasion where a nice bottle is called for, even if other wine snobs are in attendance.

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