7/16/2012 - Patas wrote:

quite oaky, but with beautiful red/cherry fruits and blueberries. Nice depth of flavor and persistence. Nice.

4/17/2012 - Patas wrote:

I'm in the "I love it" camp. Notes of honey, creme brulee and tropical fruits (papaya?). It has a slightly bitter finish, which I find enjoyable. Big mouthfeel and very tasty.

12/14/2011 - Patas wrote:

Very aromatic nose, albeit dominated by oak. Intensely oaky and tannic when first opened, which pointed to a disaster. Fortunately, after an hour or so the oak subsided and the dark, rich fruit came out and it was very nice. Paired well with argentinian ribeye steak (this is definitely a steak wine).

6/21/2011 - Patas wrote:

From a 375ml. Full body. Thick, intense, bursting dark and blue fruit. So dense and concentrated, yet fresh. Huge tannins that you barely feel behind the massive fruit. I am amazed you hardly notice the 20% alchohol! A bit spicy and oaky. Beautiful, delicious, stunning, yummy... I drank the last sip one week after I opened the bottle (left on the kitchen counter) and it had not bulged one bit. Fantastic wine.

6/21/2011 - Patas wrote:

Great dark fruits, earth and notes of balsamic vinegar/soy sauce.

3/30/2011 - Patas wrote:

Bordeaux with some new world flare. Ripe, but in balance with fine tannins and acidity. Already showing some leather, earthy notes of older Bordeaux. Even nicer one day after opening.

3/30/2011 - Patas wrote:

Nice sryah funk in the nose, very white pepper driven. Very concentrated, lots of fruit and oak, as expected. 88, +2 points for the fun nose.

3/30/2011 - Patas wrote:

Rich and creamy (very creamy!). Yeast and bread notes dominated over the apple/pear notes. Definitely showing its maturity, which chablis28 put it perfectly: "slightly oxidative minerality". I thought it was great.

2/24/2011 - Patas wrote:

Yuk! Why did I expect anything different? This is liquid candy, melted berry pie. No tannins. Super sweet and syrupy... Big pass for me.

2/24/2011 - Patas wrote:

Excellent, though a bit disappointing... All orange-flavor, grand-marnier like. Not as spicy as I'd like. Mild acidity. Dark orange in color.

10/17/2010 - Patas wrote:

Dark red, almost purple. Big fruit, on the dark side of the spectrum. Nicely oaked and just the right amount of tannins. A lot of delicious factor on this one. Yummy...

10/17/2010 - Patas wrote:

Brownish color. All earthy, dirt and mushrooms flavors. It was perfect with a NY steak. Definitely a food wine. Great value at $20.

7/3/2010 - Patas wrote:

High acid alert! If it wasn't for the obvious cherry and hibiscus tones, you'd think this was a white wine. Bigger and with more body than most burgundies I've had (I guess that's how pommards are). A bit tannic... shouldn't have opened this. Needs time.

6/25/2010 - Patas wrote:

Sweet, jammy stuff.

6/25/2010 - Patas wrote:

Had it a few weeks ago, so I won't post very specific notes. I'll only say it was incredibly tannic the first day, but it was just amazing the next day (red fruited, cedar-leather notes, coffee, with the strongest finish I have ever experienced). Beautiful.

6/25/2010 - Patas wrote:

exact notes than "dontime" below... Two extra points because I just really enjoyed this bottle. I got it for 15 dollars... a steal.

3/7/2010 - Patas wrote:

Luscious without being too thick or syrupy. Acidity not very high, yet the wine was not flabby by any means. Yummy honey and peaches. Man, I just like sauternes.

3/7/2010 - Patas wrote:

Cherry and oak on the nose. Cherries again on the palate and then acid, acid, acid. Tannins did show up at the end. The wine was much better the second day. Very decent Chianti, no doubt.

3/7/2010 - Patas wrote:

Very strawberry-driven nose. Beautiful garrigue in the palate, quite fruit forward. Smooth and silky, with sweet tannins. One extra point just for deliciousness!

3/7/2010 - Patas wrote:

Gave me want I wanted from a $12 malbec. Ripe fruit, violets and enough structure so it's not flabby or syrupy... Paired nicely with a steak.

1/22/2010 - Patas wrote:

I drank my bottle weeks ago, so I can't elaborate. OTTnMIA below sounds about right, though. It was good wine. I bought it for 20 bucks! I know, I should have bought more...

1/22/2010 - Patas wrote:

Already showing browning at the rim. Full bodied. Fruit forward, mostly dark fruits. Just a hint of garrigue. Delicious. The tannins have definitely integrated. I'll drink my other bottle this year.

1/19/2010 - Patas wrote:

Almost purple in color. Medium to full-bodied. Plums and roses on the nose, which carry over to the palate. Oak and somewhat dry tannins on the end. It was much better the next day (much more open). I liked it. Good wine, but nothing more.

12/16/2009 - Patas wrote:

Delicious fruit bomb! Big tannins, big oak, big fruit!

11/23/2009 - Patas wrote:

Plenty of red fruits and garrigue. It had some veggie/tomato thing going on in the mid palate that I didn't like much. Smooth tannins. Good, nonetheless.

10/20/2009 - Patas wrote:

Delicious. I agree with rcmcb, below. It was so yummy I gave one more point, though. After tasting this, I ran to grab their '04 Brunello and will buy a couple more of their 07 Rosso. Excellent wine, highly recommended.

10/20/2009 - Patas wrote:

Now I understand when people say a wine tastes like pickle juice... This wine had a bit of cherries and lots of pickle juice. Definitely green notes for this cab franc, bell peppers and olives.

10/13/2009 - Patas wrote:

Very luscious and ripe right after opening. Full bodied and heavy on the palate. Good, but nothing more than the standard oaky fruit bomb. Not as pleasant the next day: fruit faded a bit and the oak became prevalent.

10/11/2009 - Patas wrote:

Delicious. Prominent oak in the nose and palate, but it subsided as time went on. Tropical fruits in the nose with some herbs (rosemary?). Full bodied. Very fruit forward, apples mixed with guava and again this spice that comes across to me like either rosemary or oregano. I liked it. Paired with grilled mahi-mahi.

10/1/2009 - Patas wrote:

My last bottle, sadly. Delicious as always.

9/29/2009 - Patas wrote:

I loved this wine. The nose was just roses and roses... very floral. This carried through the taste. Again, I couldn't think of any fruit, only flowers, roses specifically. Medium bodied. Very balanced and elegant, almost delicate. Tannins and oak perfectly integrated, good acidity at the end. I think I hit this bottle in a sweet spot. Delicious. Got it for $25, excellent buy.

9/29/2009 - Patas wrote:

Delicious wine. Medium bodied. Very fruit forward, lots of raspberries/strawberries with lavender. A bit meaty. Better after one hour of decanting. Good buy at $25.

9/29/2009 - Patas wrote:

Much more riper than their 2002. This is very flavorful, ripe, plums and blueberries. Healthy dose of oak, but it goes well with the bold fruit. My wife and some friends loved it. Sharing this wine is always interesting because everyone is always surprised that a $15 wine from Mexico can taste just as good or better than a $15 California Cab. Personally, I preferred their 2002, as it showed more elegance and complexity.

9/29/2009 - Patas wrote:

I did not like it much at this stage... Still very tannic, good dark fruit upfront but it quickly transitions into this strange bitter taste (like cucumber peel). It did not improve much the next day, so maybe this bottle was flawed. Two other bottles I had before (almost a year ago) were much better.

9/4/2009 - Patas wrote:

A bit less structured than six months... I love this wine: very heavy on the lavender/herbs de provence mixed with red fruits (raspberry/cranberry). Just delicious.

9/4/2009 - Patas wrote:

Very green and bell pepper driven on the first day. Much better the next day, when the fruit came out. Still a bit restrained... I was a bit disappointed.

8/4/2009 - Patas wrote:

When I tasted this at the winery (almost two years ago) it had an explosive nose, which was extremely floral and exotic. The taste was light and surprisingly dry, but quite pleasant. Now, after cellaring, the aromas are less floral and show more fruity/berry notes. The taste is much sweeter and syrupy and far less interesting... I should've drunk this long time ago.

7/19/2009 - Patas wrote:

The least favorite of all the 07 CdRs I've had (around 10). Very high acidity, in a weird way. High pitched cherry (which I usually find only in gamay wines), very medicinal cherry, the fake kind. Lemon and more acid in the finish. If it wasn't for the cherries, this wine would taste like a white wine to me. Very disappointed. Maybe I had a bad bottle, given the comments posted by others here. Will not buy again, though.

7/19/2009 - Patas wrote:

Did not like much. Too much acid for the little fruit. Too old world for me?

7/19/2009 - Patas wrote:

The wine is passed its time, so the 90 points refer more to the experience of trying this wine more than the wine itself. I find it very interesting to taste older wines, as they are very different from what I usually drink. This Malescot had no tannins left. Some fruit, with dominated by earthy and musty tones. Soft and elegant. No vibrancy left. For me it was a bottle for education more than one for pleasure.

7/19/2009 - Patas wrote:

I've tried like 10 different '07 CdR so far, and this is the most bombastic of all. Gobs of fruit, cooked mixed berries all surrounded by lavender and herbs de provence. Very intense. It was delicious and paired beautifully with portobello mushroom ravioli in a tomato/kalamata olives sauce. Just a little step behind my two favorite 07 CdR: Paul Autard and Perrin & Fils CdR Villages (these had more tannins and structure).

7/19/2009 - Patas wrote:

Very fruit forward, full bodied wine. Less structured now than when I tried it 6 months ago in a wine tasting. Good, but simple.

7/19/2009 - Patas wrote:

A bit sweeter than I expected. Very sugarcane driven. Disappointing, but given my limited experience with Champagne, I could be missing something here.

7/19/2009 - Patas wrote:

Beautiful blueberry initial attack, turns darker in the mid palate and finishes with notes of espresso and dark chocolate. Quite oaky, but this doesn't bother me when wines have tons of fruit (like in this case). Paired very well with lamb steaks and baked potatoes. I liked it. Great QPR. I can't believe I cellared only one, aaarrrh!

7/19/2009 - Patas wrote:

Lighter bodied than other '07 CdRs I've tried (CdR made by a burgundian, so it shows). Typical aromas and flavors fo CdR (lavender, herbs de provence and meatiness). Not my favorite CdR, but still good.

5/25/2009 - Patas wrote:

Had high hopes for this borgogne but was a bit disappointed... Somewhat big nose of cherries that got me excited, but that was it. The taste was thin, lacking fruit and tannins. This wine was just acid. I don't have enough experience to tell if this is shut down... I have had enough 1er crus to know this was simply not a good burgundy (I know, it's unfair to compare to 1er crus, but oh well)...

5/25/2009 - Patas wrote:

Very fruit forward in the nose and palate. Blueberry jam, a bit of strawberry: borderline with being too sweet. Very noticeable oak the first day (mostly integrated by the second). Big weight in the palate but rather short finish. High score because it's just delicious and I'm not in "wine geek" mode today.

5/18/2009 - Patas wrote:

A bit lighter compared to a bottle I had six months ago. Tobacco, cherries, and some herbs de Provence. It held nicely over three days.

5/18/2009 - Patas wrote:

One full step above their plain "Cotes du-Rhone". This had a gorgeous nose of herbs de Provence and lavender. Rich and concentrated, firm structure. Rich berry flavor, a bit meaty and more and more lavender. I bet this will age nicely. No brainer at 11 bucks.

5/18/2009 - Patas wrote:

Very ripe and fruity... peaches, banana, even a hint of botrytis spice. Very sweet. This bottle was not as high in acid as a previous bottle I had, so it came across a bit unbalanced (too sweet, almost syrupy). Delicious nonetheless.