2020 Ravines Wine Cellars Merlot Two Gorges Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 92.8 points

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  1/24/2024 - wgilbert3 Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Wow and wow! A bit closed in the first few minutes but quickly opens up. Raspberry/strawberry jam notes on both nose and palate with all manner of deep, dark flavors underneath: earthy, bits of leather, etc. Second and third nights were even better! Still very, very young. This will age a long time!

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  10/5/2023 - MikePass44 Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Wow...this has seriously opened up since we last tried a bottle. Amazing how big of a wine it is, to be from the FLX. Blueberry pie, tobacco, cigar box, new leather, stewed plum on the nose. Similar flavor notes, though maybe even deeper into a spiced blueberry compote type flavor. More fruit forward than the nose, even a hint of poultry herbs at the back end. Med plus complexity, med finish, med plus tannin, med plus acid. This has gotta be one of the bigger/bolder FLX wines we've ever tasted. Wow.

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  4/24/2023 - MikePass44 Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Very similar to a right bank Bordeaux - new leather, cherry, cedar, graphite aromas. Palate of fresh cherry, forest floor leaves, incense, maybe a hint of allspice. Med plus tannin, med body, med acid, beautiful pale purple color. From the fantastic 2020 vintage, this offering from Ravines did not disappoint. Should do well in bottle for at least a few more years, likely more than that. Will happily stock up on it to find out.

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  3/28/2023 - wgilbert3 Likes this wine: 92 Points

  This is great now and should only get better; not typical because of the hot 2020 growing season. A big wine but amazing that it is pleasant now.

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  2/1/2023 - mkribar Likes this wine:

  Day1/PnP: nose is pretty closed. In my experience it takes a while for these to open up. Some jammy red fruit and candied cherry. A herbal hint if you really look for it. Not much evidence of oak. Much more savory on the palate. High acid, very bright. Mushroom, cranberry, forest floor, a little baking spice. Much more elegant that one would expect from the nose.
  
  Day 2: Cherry. Strawberry jam. Mint/oregano, almost like zaatar. Carolina clay. Mushroom. Still very structured on the palate; the tannin has gone nowhere. A little rose. The fruit is still bright red and crunch but it takes a sideshow to the herbal complexity and the earthiness. This wine is a spectacular proof of concept for Finger Lakes merlot. Probably the second best wine that Ravines makes after the cabernet franc.

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