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Tasting Notes for cmaldoon

(188 notes on 155 wines)

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Red
6/25/2014 - cmaldoon wrote:
93 points
This bottle was showing beautifully. Must have been perfectly cellared. The cork was perfect.
Red
2010 Fjellene West Fork Walla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
5/11/2014 - cmaldoon wrote:
87 points
Probably my favorite of the five bottles from woot.
Shows a touch more character in terms of spice and *gasp* a hint of tannin.
Still candied dark red fruits without much definition or interest otherwise.
Disclaimer: I like some edge to my wine... Many people may like this.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
5/5/2014 - cmaldoon wrote:
89 points
2003 Oriel Etereo Barolo

Nose: Dried strawberries a hint of eucalyptus and some alcohol. Not terribly big overall

Palate: cherry/strawberry liqueur, a hint of tobacco and a long vanilla finish. Drying to chalky tannins fill the mid palate and finish in a way I personally find beautiful but most would find obnoxious.

Overall: very nice. Would get again. Not a ton of different flavors but the fruit and tannin levels are fantastic.
Red
5/4/2014 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
91 points
Second half of the bottle, kept in a split for 3 days.

Palate Still beautiful blackberry liqueur. More savory now and very smooth.
Nose is more recitent on the whole but what is there is quite spicy.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
5/1/2014 - cmaldoon wrote:
91 points
Dark cherry liqueur on the nose, a bit candied.

On the palate: Concentrated Blackberry,cherry, a hint of hazelnut, bittersweet chocolate on the finish. Medium acidity and some drying tannin.

Quite tasty but I bet it turns divine in a couple more years when the bottle notes show through better.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
4/29/2014 - cmaldoon wrote:
Mixed feelings on this one.
Firstly I think my bottle was lightly corked. There was an odd interplay of bright fruit and mildew across both the nose and palate.
The oddest thing is that the wine was still compelling despite the off flavor.

I hope that my next bottle is better. This could be really amazing.
Red
4/15/2014 - cmaldoon wrote:
86 points
Smooth, blue fruit and oak. A bit of a candied sense to it. I can see this being great for a lot if people as it hits the smooth, fruit, and oak buttons but for my palate it has no soul. No leather, no pepper, no appreciable tannin.
3 people found this helpful Comment
Red
4/13/2014 - cmaldoon wrote:
90 points
Very good, not excellent.
Balanced red to blue fruit with oak that is beginning to tie in and enough spices to be interesting.
Red
2011 Penfolds Winemaker's Selection South Australia Cabernet-Shiraz Blend, Red Blend (view label images)
4/7/2014 - cmaldoon Does not like this wine:
70 points
Vile. They were trying to make a wine with complexity but failed and ended with a wine that is not commercially sound. I like penfolds but not down at this level.
Red
2009 Fjellene West Fork Walla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
3/21/2014 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
91 points
Whereas the Eastern Approach was a lighter toned wine with bright blackberry and cranberry, a bit of green, and very smooth, this wine is much more deeply pigmented and the palate follows with dried bing cherry, black plum, a hint of cedar, and a touch of tannin. There is also a great savory note behind this wine that sticks around in the back of my mouth and brings me back for more.
Red
2009 Fjellene Eastern Approach Walla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
3/13/2014 - cmaldoon wrote:
85 points
Fjellene 2009 Eastern approach (60 CF 40 ME)

Simpler and cleaner than I had hoped. A clear, bright, accessible red with the barest hint of tannin. Just a touch of the green cab franc among cranberry and blackberry. The palate is full without being particularly concentrated. There is a hint of spice but not enough to make it fabulously interesting.

I'm ok with the $15 price tag. It isn't horribly commercial but it isn't a steal at this level. I'd take a BV Napa ($22) any day.
1 person found this helpful Comments (1)
Red
9/22/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
80 points
2007 Urraca Familia Langley

Notes 90 min after opening.

Color: Purplish red with a bare hint of brown. The wine is opaque with some very fine sediment.

Nose:
Him: fresh red currants and raspberry perhaps a hint of marinara sauce. A bit of stone and some vanilla or coffee. I sense some alcohol or other volatiles as well

Her: prosciutto, pear, dried fig and a little bit of coffee on the end. Perhaps some chocolate.

Palate:
Him: There is a restaurant I know that serves a blueberry ketchup. This tastes like that. Bright tomato, hint of blueberry, some rice vinegar, a hint of apple cider vinegar that resolves into a hard apple cider finish.

Her: a rather strange combination of marinara sauce and raspberry chocolate. The nose is much more interesting and pleasing overall. Not a bad wine, but certainly not a sipping wine

Overall: This wine was not showing great without food. It doesn't seem to be flawed, nor does it have any glaring deficiencies... It just isn't that interesting or that good. This comes across as an experiment by a good winemaker rather than a well made wine.
Red
9/20/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
92 points
2006 Arcadian Syrah. Stolpman Vineyard

Opened approximately 1 hour before notes

Color: a very pretty ruby red. Dark but far from opaque. Not the purplish I am used to from many syrahs.

Nose:
Him: Musty black plum,overcooked asparagus, menthol, and vanilla.
Her:Reasonably fragrant. Primarily cherry compote and cedar sawdust. Perhaps a fishy note but that could be just a jump from cedar to salmon.

Palate:
Him: solid slightly sour cherry, not hugely concentrated but instead with finesse. Some baking spices carry to a coffee note and a longer (15sec finish)
Her:
Claims this is not a Syrah. Feels like a Pinot, silky smooth but not lacking anywhere. Very light body but has a lot of subtle flavors. Lighter red fruits like a Pinot, followed by a Chardonnay butterscotchiness and a peppery finish. An understated wine with all of the pieces.

After 2.5 hours open

Nose:
Him: I agree with her cedar note as opposed to my menthol. All else is the same. This is solid stuff and I'm glad I bought 2 sets
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
8/30/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
87 points
Getting better with age. Has lost most of its commercial aspects.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
8/13/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
90 points
Notes after open 2 hours

Nose: Dark Cherry, Dried currant, Asparagus, mint. A hint of black licorice and Cedar.

Palate: dried cherry, artichoke, chocolate, hint of clove. Medium body Medium concentration. Medium level of round tannins.

Overall: nose is better than palate which is a bit thin on the front. Finish is nothing exciting. Overall this is a solid wine though and hits or exceeds the $25 price point easily. Would not feel put out at $40 (not excited either)
Red
7/30/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
89 points
Pop and pour + 1 hour

A fairly straight forward wine with blackberries, graphite, a bit of vanilla and sage. Solid but not heavy. Grows on me as it opens.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White - Sparkling
7/17/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
92 points
1992 En Tirage recently disgorged California champagne

First let me say that I am not a big champagne drinker. And have never found a truly compelling dry champagne... Until now

This wine was in bottle sur lie for over 17 years.

The color is that of a standard Chardonnay. A light golden. The visible bubbles do not seem especially large or small.

Nose:
There is a definite yeasty character to this wine (duh!) Pear, clarified butter, white grape.

Palate: enters very slightly sweet with the pear character then progresses to a popcorn note. The middle is filled with a caramelized sugar note that gives way to a somewhat bitter yeasty note. The finish is very long (minute plus) and tastes of golden raisin and sherry.

This is a damned good wine. One to sip and ponder and share and talk about. This is not a wine to casually down while other things are going on.
White
6/18/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
90 points
White peach overlaid with pineapple and Meyer lemon. The holes are filled with a beautiful minerality.

I think there is some bottle variation. This is the best one I've had!
Red
6/12/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
2006 Ardente Cab

Way too damned young!!!

Like licking a cherry flavored slab of slate, texture and all!

It is still quite good but WOW infanticide.
Red
5/20/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
87 points
1996 Ardente Cabernet Sauvignon

Pop and poor – approximately 55°

The cork was flooded two thirds of the way up but not all the way through. Cork felt otherwise in good condition and gave one of the more satisfying pops I have had in a while.

Color – medium depth brick red with great clarity

Nose – moderate to aromatic cherry and sandalwood with a hint of mint

Palate – dry, medium bodied, fresh acidity, low dry tannins. Moderate to flavorful levels of cherry, Cedar, and soy

Overall – drinking right at its price point of $20 right now

2 to 3 hours later

Nose – Cherry, alcohol, and some baking spices but those are mostly thwarted by the heat

Palate – less cherry, more cedar, and a bit more tannin

Overall – Frankly not as good as earlier. I think this one is on its way downhill. By no means a disappointing by but I would drink soon.
Red
4/28/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
85 points
Better than many wines but not at al special. Flavor full through beginning, middle and end. Nose relatively small. Good tannins.
Red
2009 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cépages Sonoma County Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
4/27/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
New world dark Bordeaux blend with some decent tannin structure. I liked it better than the BV Tapestry Reserve from last night because there was more character/complexity.
Red
4/24/2013 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
90 points
Color: red purple tending to purple, deeply hued, no visible sediment

Nose: medium to light. Mint, marzipan, sweet Rainier Cherry, Oak/vanilla (both)

Palet: good concentration. Dark red to black fruits, significant chocolate oak, balancing acidity in a modern style. Light chalky tannins and a decent length finish.

Overall: good New World cab, drink within five years if you want any tannin. This may lose punch after that.
Red
4/13/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
92 points
The oddest but very deep palate of navel orange and blood orange and sweet cherry. Hints of oak layer the back end and the wine very slowly fades into candied orange peel on the finish.
Red
3/20/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
85 points
Good not great. Higher tone Zinfandel (red rather than black fruits). A bit of peppercorn and vanilla (but not obnoxious oakiness). Very good for the price
White
3/6/2013 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
89 points
Color: a golden color, quite like I remember last years.

Nose: Round for a white. pear, quince, and a flavor between honeysuckle and vanilla. That last part is almost musky and quite intoxicating. There may also be a hint of heat on the nose.

Palate: acidity like a granny smith apple on the entrance, in fact the granny smih feel carries through the middle and end as well. A floral (Lilly, Big ones) sense carries through the middle with a bit of sweet oak and the finish. Digging a bit deeper and you'll find some dried or candies orange peel, both for the zest and the slight bitterness.

Not the most complex wine but better than most. and I love me a white with a finish!
Red
3/4/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
89 points
This wine is showing its age but gracefully.

Color: Brick red

Nose: rather small, hints of soy and cherry

Palate: much bigger than the nose. There is a bit of fruit (plum) and lots of baking spice. There is a hint of vanilla and a great balance of acidity. Medium+finish of dried fruits.

This wine isn't going to get any better but is great at $20 or so right now.
Red
3/1/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
88 points
Solid middle fruit middle aged cab. Took 15 min for some bottle age funk to blow off. Not much tannin left in this one. Quite tasty.
White
2/18/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
flawed
Flawed bottle tasted like Nail polish remover and wet dog
Red
2/12/2013 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
94 points
From a half bottle, notes taken after open 1 hour

The nose is driven from the bottom up with buttery caramel drizzled over cherry compote spiced with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon and topped with a bay leaf.

The palate .... Wow. Where to begin? Medium acidity blackberries on the entrance. Herbs ( bay, sage, and perhaps a hint of lavender) and crushed stone (both flavor and feel) follow and then it progresses onto a juicy cherry-watermelon feel. The finish has a touch of vanilla, a hint of olive and some light caramel. The finish is long but not forever.

Damn good wine. Certainly in my top 5.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
1/21/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
89 points
Wonderful aged character.

Tasted like tomato sauce. Great acidity, a touch of bay, fennel, and other herbs. Still has some tannin. Quite good, not great
Red
1/16/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
88 points
Pop and pour.

Color: dark ruby. Moderate sediment. Nose: fruity and well-balanced but not special. Palate: strong blueberry with some blackberry and oak. Bright acidity for such dark flavors. Fruit, oak and tannin well integrated at this age. Tannins significant quantity, but very nice chalky quality.
Red
1/3/2013 - cmaldoon wrote:
88 points
The oldest Shiraz I have tried.

The balance between fruit and bottle character was great. Served after an hour open there was a cherry raspberry fruit flavor backed by bottle spice and smokiness. After an additional hour the wine seemed to be a bit peaked and took on some acid is oxidative character.

I recommend drinking up and do this as a pop and pour waiting only long enough for the bottle funk to blow off.
Red
12/26/2012 - cmaldoon Does not like this wine:
83 points
Well past it's prime. Fairly funky, no real fruit left, just bottle characteristics which were a bit too strong for my liking. Interesting but not tasty.
Red
12/26/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
88 points
Dark and a bit oaky. Good balance but a bit lacking on complexity. Best when open for an hour+
Red
12/23/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
88 points
The bottle took a long time to open up in the decanter. It had decent fruit like past bottles but the funk of age never fully blew off. Still a very good value.
Red
12/14/2012 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
91 points
Blueberry compote and licorice. This wine opened beautifully. I wish there was a bit more tannin at this point but I really enjoy tannin, most would say it is at its peak.
Red
12/14/2012 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
89 points
Not as good as the 1997 or 2001 for this bottle but still quite good. More fruit driven than the others.
Red
2008 Dry Creek Vineyard The Mariner Dry Creek Valley Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
12/5/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
91 points
We liked this one. Cherries and spice on the nose, palate and finish. Two notes the whole way so not horribly complex but they hit those two very well.
Red
11/11/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
90 points
Popped an poured. Notes at 2 hours

Color: dusty red , medium to deep concentration

Nose: navel orange, cherry preserves, leather and sage. Moderate intensity

Palate: dry, medium body, fresh acidity, low dry tannins, Moderate+ intensity. Flavors of brandied cherries, dusty leather, hints of tea. Fairly long finish of chocolate and molasses.

Significantly better at 2 hours than upon opening.
Red
10/30/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
90 points
Pretty darn decent PS with complexity too. Sip it slowly to see it evolve out of the bottle for a couple hours
Red
10/26/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
89 points
I popped and poured my last bottle and was disappointed. This one I double vinturied and then let sit for half an hour before trying and it was much more complex

Nose: solid medium red fruits with a hint of mint and unfortunately some alcohol heat

Palate: pomegranate that leads into baking spices then cocoa. There are a significant amount of round to dry tannins. Acid is there, this wine is not flabby. Decent, I'd like to see this half bottle at 10 years.
Red
10/21/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
88 points
From Cathy's first year of her own label. This bottle was the most mild bottle of the night. It was accessible but subtle. There were many spice notes and good complexities but it was not good with foods because it was easily overpowered
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
10/21/2012 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
90 points
Accessible fairly quickly. A bit of bottle funk that quickly resolves into a warm aged cherry with a hint of vanilla. This bottle threw a lot of dark sediment. It was a nice aged wine that anyone could appreciate. Not especially complex, but solid. It held up very well over 3 hours showing best 2 hours in. This bottle was very consistent with other aged Raymond's I have had. I'll buy this (and any 15+ year old Raymond) at $30 any day
1 person found this helpful Comments (1)
Red
I'll stick with Peter welling tons flagship victory which is a better value at $50 than this is at <$10. This smells and tastes like commercial wine. I am not a fan.
Red
10/17/2012 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
90 points
Color: Deep Brick with good clarity aside from bits of sediment ( didn't do the greatest job decanting) nothing unexpected here

Nose: moderate to aromatic, aged. Sandalwood, hints of sage and cedar, persimmon, and cherry

Palate: Dry with medium body. Fresh acidity and low to moderate drying tannins. Good balance and moderate flavor intensity. Flavors of (his: cherry, cooked green bean or asparagus, soy/chocolate) (hers: Mediterranean mix: sundried tomatoes, black olive, a touch of fig)
Red
2007 ÀMaurice Cellars The Horiuchi Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
10/12/2012 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
93 points
Really an amazing wine.

Nose offers notes of mint, toffee, coffee, cranberry, and blackberry all at different times in its life cycle as it opens. There is a note of the alcohol as well, pretty much the only detractor from an otherwise stellar wine.

The palate is dominated with coffee and dark fruit flavors with tones of caramel, baking spice and a hint of bramble. Great acidity lifts what would otherwise be a very dark and heavy wine into a refreshing one that leaves your mouth watering for more.

The finish is quite interesting as it flows from coffee to hazelnut to the barest hint of smoke and stone over 15 seconds.

There are some tannins, nothing heavy that show that this wine should hold out well for at least another 5 years and likely beyond that.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
10/11/2012 - cmaldoon Likes this wine:
90 points
Showed very well tonight. Typical raspberry cherry flavor. Very smooths with a hint of herbal and earthy undertones.
Red
10/5/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
89 points
I didn't like this bottle as well as my last one. The wine was very well concentrated but as it opened the fruit never resolved past the tannins. I plan to keep the rest of my bottles for another 5+ years before opening another. I feel that this one is asleep.
Red
10/5/2012 - cmaldoon wrote:
92 points
McClean Syrah 2003

Noted at 1hr

Color: dark dark red (not purple)

Nose: he says: roast pork with cherry compote. She says dates, stuffed with cheese and wrapped with honeyed bacon. He agrees but with not much smoke on the bacon. The nose is persistent and reasonably strong.

Palate: very ripe plum, baking spices, a bit of black cherry, racy acidity. She says: it is like those but it is NOT as heavy as those may seem. He agrees and adds that the plum is bright and the baking spices tend to cinnamon and allspice rather than clove. The acidity is fantastic and keeps you wanting more. There is a finish that develops more and more with time. He says: Carmel mocha cream. Not heavy but very lasting. She says: it is Carmel first, a creamy feel and a touch of mocha but mainly caramel. Exceptionally long finish.
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