1/14/2014 - ivorytusk01 Likes this wine:

I suspect the other raters didn't wait long enough to drink this wine. Nice black raspberry on the nose that transfers to the palate. Medium finish and I'm not noticing any heat. Very good QPR at @12.99.

12/12/2011 - ivorytusk01 Likes this wine:

The only reason this wine is scoring as low as it is is because of it's low price. I don't imagine that too many people paid the full retail, $12.99, for this. I have purchased it at various times at World Market at prices ranging from $4.99 to $7.20/bottle. It is, IMO, the best under $10 wine that I've had. It's nose is worth the price alone and the addition of the 12% zin to the otherwise Rhone blend gives that little extre kick to both nose and palate.

I have served this blind to people who are in danger of being fulltime wine nerds and they have guessed the price at between $20 and $40. Don't be a slave to preconceived ideas friends! Just enjoy the great cheap ones when they show up.

3/20/2010 - ivorytusk01 wrote:

Yet another example of how giving a wine enough time to breathe can dramatically change it. At the 3-hour mark this was still kind of flat with a lot of alcohol. At the 5-hour mark the alcohol had integrated and the fruit came through as pure as snow. Nice.

6/20/2009 - ivorytusk01 wrote:

This wine really shines if you open it about 6 hrs. before you drink it. Trader Joe’s has it for $6.99 on the West Coast so it maybe even cheaper on the East Coast. It’s a great bargain at $6.99 and if you can get it for less it’s an out and out steal.

6/7/2008 - ivorytusk01 wrote:

Tasted by ivorytusk01 This is probably the most complex (in a good way) nose that I have ever encountered. It seems as though it’s running in all directions at once on about 8 floors. But it works. It’s nuance city but terribly balanced and focused. You just want to keep inhaling. When I finally pulled my nose out of the glass and tasted the wine I was totally unaware of the 15% alcohol content until my second 6oz glass was empty and my head was a little light. Honestly, that was the first time that I examined the bottle for the alcohol level because I literally didn’t taste it at all. I am ecstatic that I bought six bottles of this. At $24/bottle this may be the best QPR bottle of wine I’ve had in the last 20 years.

6/7/2008 - ivorytusk01 wrote:

This was the biggest disappointment that I have had with wine. I have had this bottle since it's release and specifically served it for my favorite sister's birthday dinner. I had previously had an '85 version that was rated 91 that I probably drank 5-8 years too soon and it still was great so you can see how excited I was about the '89. I guess I'll get over it :) I still have half of the bottle sitting on the table from three weeks ago.