2008 Grgich Hills Merlot

Community Tasting Notes (12) Avg Score: 88.4 points

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  12/31/2021 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Retail $50(?). As I normally do when I crack a bottle, I do a little research. While the information on the inter webs on this wine was relatively scant, I did notice on Cellar Tracker that this was the last bottle of Grgich that I currently own, which caused more than a bit of pause. While I am far from a cult-follower of the brand, I like to think that I am a historian and know the importance of Mike Grgich, the wine he made at Château Montelena, and his connection to André Tchelistcheff. A lot going on there behind this label. No doubt I will search out some older bottles (or maybe even newer vintages) of Grgich Hills to replace this last of its kind in my collection. As for the wine? it is holding up quite well, thank you very much, with a dark presence in the glass—both in color and aromas—the black and blue fruits are predominant (blackberry, blueberry, plum, cassis). The palate is reminiscent of the pies I enjoyed during my childhood at family reunions: blueberry, blackberry, even mincemeat, all of which were accompanied by a healthy dollop of homemade vanilla ice cream. Whoa. While those days are long gone, this wine helped me to go back there and I imagine the next bottle of Grgich Hills will lead to another journey, only I am not sure where.
  
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  6/16/2021 - smahk wrote: 91 Points

  Color: deep ruby
  Nose: plum, earth, cigar box
  Taste:plum, cherry, cassis, smoke
  Wow - this is lovely. Still plenty of fruit well integrated with secondary flavors of smoke, vanilla, cassis. Great round mouthfeel with a nice finish. In a ge@r spot right now… could hold for a few more years.

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  3/20/2019 - scotty_b wrote: 92 Points

  Beautiful cherry, blackberry, hazelnut, and licorice. Silky mouthfeel with great balance. Aged so gracefully for what I thought was a "supermarket" wine. Slight bricking. Some sediment. This overdelivered in a big way. Congrats to those who waited. One of the best Napa merlots I've had in a long time and on par with Pride, Duckhorn, Paloma, and Keenan.

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  11/1/2015 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Decanted for 1.5 hours, then dinner was ready so had to jump in. The nose showed nice potential, but it's a tease on the palette. Zesty momentarily and then fruit, fruit, fruit. After 2.5 hours in the decanter, the tannins were still quite grippy.

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  2/3/2014 - dolce0404 Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Beautiful merlot. Decanted for 2-3 hours--opened beautifully. Dominant flavors include blackberry, cherry, and notes of hazelnut on the finish. Paired fantastically with filet mignon and roasted vegetables with a merlot gravy.

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View all 12 Community Tasting Notes

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