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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.7 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 116 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by BrunelloBob on 1/19/2022 & rated 84 points: Auction purchase. Cork 2/3 saturated.
The alcohol on this almost blinded me upon opening, then we went to raspberry cough syrup. My grandmother used to make a raspberry syrup--half fresh raspberry, half sugar. Add 1/4 grain alcohol to that and I get this wine. Petite Sirah influence? (933 views) | | | Tasted by Hamersly on 11/29/2021 & rated 93 points: Fabulous upon opening and not quite as good after several hours. Should probably be savored during the next couple of years. (991 views) | | | Tasted by Hamersly on 7/9/2020 & rated 93 points: Classic Robert Foley Merlot, lush, full bodied and smooth. Lots of dark fruit and just plain delicious. Not fading but no reason to wait. Best after a couple of hours of air. (1448 views) | | | Tasted by GoBlue2002 on 4/22/2019 & rated 93 points: From 375 ml, consumed by Marianne.
Delicious upon opening - full-bodied, fruit forward w/luscious fruit, chocolate, and spice notes. Long finish. Love! (1735 views) | | | Tasted by iamandyc on 2/16/2019 & rated 93 points: A wow aged merlot. Very typical merlot fruit and palate notes in a rich but balanced style. Good fragrant nose and lively finish. Drink it up!! (1811 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 10/1/2017 & rated 93 points: Not decanted, this bottle was followed over four hours. Bright dark fruits with red fruit notes in the background, vanilla, herbs, toasted wood.
Equally flavorful on the palate, BlackBerry, black plum, bright blueberries; still plenty of backbone. My last note said that this wine is on the downside of its drinking window, but I believe my prior comments are understated based on this bottle.
Tonight I’d say this has 2 to 4 good years left ahead of it. It’s a bonus that I previously thought my prior bottle was my final bottle of this vintage, but sadly, this is now REALLY my Last Bottle.
Bravo Bob! Conveniently I just got your latest mailer yesterday! (2059 views) | | | Tasted by budman on 10/1/2017 & rated 93 points: Smoooooth. (1752 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 9/3/2017 & rated 93 points: Out of magnum, blackberries, black cherry, chocolate, and coffee in the nose. Blackberries, plums, and chocolate in the flavor. Nice complexity, medium to full body, and a long finish. (1493 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 5/13/2017 & rated 93 points: Sadly our last bottle. Uncorked and allowed to breathe for 45 mins. Real easy drinker; definately showing its age and very ready to drink - in the back half of its prime drinking window. Would consume by 2018 (1612 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 4/25/2017 & rated 93 points: Hooked up to nitrogen canister and followed over two evenings. Well-balanced and great once it gets to room temp. 2017-18 are probably the optimal years for this though it'll last a few years longer. (1633 views) | | | Tasted by Ridgerunner on 3/8/2017 & rated 93 points: Wonderful Stuff (1233 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 8/7/2016 & rated 93 points: Coravin'd several glasses over an evening, minimal air in the stems with each glass consumed within 45 mins. Dark cherry and raspberry on the nose, Vibrant, dark fruit dominates this wine; while it doesn't really coat/ envelope the palate, the rich fruit flavors linger like candy for 30+ seconds. With only 2 bottles remaining after this one is finished, would like to decant and follow over the course of an evening if I can let it last that long. (2075 views) | | | Tasted by ozziewine on 7/24/2016 & rated 95 points: As stated earlier, definitely a Cab lovers Merlot.
This has dark fruit with a beautiful grapey essence and is super smooth.
Note that this was after four-five hours of air on the second day after being stored on nitrogen overnight.
The first day I drank it after only two hours of air and it was a bit monolithic. Nice, but just lacking the complexity and elegance it showed after four hours of air.
Drinking great now (with a 4-6 hour decant), so if you have many, drink one, but let the others rest for another 2-3 years.
Update 8/3/16: after sitting on nitrogen for 10 days, and being decanted for four hours, it was even better. More complex and memorable.
I raised the score to 95 (from 94), tying it with the 2005 vintage for me. My second Foley Merlot and second winner! (2073 views) | | | Tasted by Ridgerunner on 11/22/2015 & rated 92 points: This is a great classic CA Merlot! So happy to have these kicking around. (2519 views) | | | Tasted by pjhr on 10/9/2015 & rated 95 points: Wonderful expressive blackberry and black cherry aromas and flavors with chocolate and oaky notes. A cab lovers merlot. (2519 views) | | | Tasted by Chapel on 5/23/2015 & rated 92 points: matured, smooth, balanced big boy Merlot. Not as berry flavored as a Merlot. Wonderful and pleasant to the very last drop. (2944 views) | | | Tasted by jrglm on 5/8/2015 & rated 92 points: This is a big boy. Full bodied and lush. No one drinking it picked it as a Napa Merlot. (2212 views) | | | Tasted by iamandyc on 3/15/2015 & rated 90 points: Nice softened merlot with some chocolate, touch of creaminess and dark red fruit. Harmonious finish. Very pleasant (2353 views) | | | Tasted by jrglm on 12/29/2014 & rated 90 points: Very soft tannins. Almost like this wine is drifting away. I don't see this getting any better with more cellaring. I'll be drinking my last one soon. (2035 views) | | | Tasted by stconner on 12/28/2014 & rated 88 points: very dark in color. Huge finish and decent fruit on mid-palate. But still signs of too much alcohol - too much heat- which I didn't like. (1875 views) | | | Tasted by StefanAkiko on 12/24/2014 & rated 92 points: A bottled warm, friendly Napa hug.
Nose has some solvent character, but also a lot of dark matter: Milk chocolate, licorice, dried planks and a truck load of plums, cherries and dried fruits.
In the mouth it sports the same aromas, even if milk chocolate dominates. Tannins M+, Acids M+. American oak vanilla trudging well on the subtly sweet finish. This is a full bodied wine from a warm place.
Quite open for business and quite a different beast from our previous btl from a few years back. Married all dishes except the "Pie #18" that had a spicy streak that the wine never liked. But there is always water on the table :-)
Wife: 92p
At stunning L'Effervescence with Matlen and Wife. (1956 views) | | | Tasted by StefanAkiko on 12/24/2014 flawed bottle: Incredibly corked :-( (1899 views) | | | Tasted by gilbert galle on 7/14/2014 & rated 95 points: Ranked 2nd at Cru tasting! (2385 views) | | | Tasted by cjohnson2960 on 6/30/2014 & rated 95 points: Rich and velvety mouth feel. Notes of chocolate fudge and pots de crème. Fantastic merlot. (2190 views) | | | Tasted by Asbo Wino on 6/6/2014 & rated 94 points: Decanted for two hours. Fantastic nose, could smell the lusciousness a mile off. First mouthful was silky smooth, nothing for 2 seconds (getting worried) then an explosion of lovely ripe dark fruits, oaky, spicy with medium plus finish ... wow. Over the next two hours it smoothed out even more, the fruit was much more balanced creating a very enjoyable, eminently drinkable non-food well structured merlot. Yum. (2229 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Robert Foley Producer websiteMerlotMerlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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