2008 Blackbird Vineyards Illustration

Community Tasting Notes (22) Avg Score: 91.5 points

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  5/29/2017 - williamswhine Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Inky hue. Blackberry, spice, plum nose. Pepper, spice, pencil lead, dark berries, long finish, nice balance. The longer it aerated, the better it became. Easy to drink with or with out food.

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  3/17/2017 - sayward wrote: 91 Points

  Good fruit on the nose. A little lacking in earthy components, but drinking well at this point and still have years of life ahead of it.
  The wine looks inky colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle.

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  3/8/2014 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points

  From half bottle and showing very well. Blackberry and plum, with a little spice on the nose. Palate has a nice core of plum with a little pepper mixed in, fine acidity and a nice polished bit of tannins in the background. Moderate length finish, pepper, spice, and toast. Tight, balanced, and seamless. I really enjoyed with right bank blend, with the cab franc adding a nice layer of complexity. I don't think this is quite at peak, but quite accessible.

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  3/4/2013 - JimN wrote: 89 Points

  Solid merlot, existing notes capture it well, although I found the tannins a bit more prominent. Just can't see the pricing here relative to Pahlmeyer or Switchback Ridge.

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  9/28/2012 - overhill wrote: 91 Points

  California versus France at Claudio's (Claudio's House, Chappaqua, NY): I was impressed with both the 2006 and 2008 Blackbird Illustration. I was stumped by this wine, at first guessing it was a fifteen year old California Cab because of the similarities to the 1994 Pride I had a few weeks ago. Blackberries, black licorice, bramble, and some caramel on the nose and palette. The tannins, while on the grittier side, are well concealed such that they seem to have been resolved through years of bottle age, giving it a sense of subtle complexity. The primary shortcoming was in the finish were I got more texture than flavor and was fairly short. Would like to try this again in a few years.
  
  This received a single second place vote.

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