6/5/2008 - giveitalittlesniffysniff wrote:

I must say Parker nailed it this time with his 93. Easy, smooth, round red, with an incredibly fun candied plum and dried red cherry nose with that typical hint of s. australian pepper and eucalyptus and a touch of bramble. Beautiful mouthfeel, incredibly soft tannins.....a case pls. aegisepolis@hotmail.com

2/2/2007 - giveitalittlesniffysniff wrote:

Carrots are initially present pre decant on the nose, in a civilized way, with alot of earth and soil, and grenadine/cherry juice, with distant currant nuance.

Overall, not incredibly enjoyable by any means....

Lighter bodied than I would have liked, lacking finish. Earthy/vegetal with some dirtiness. Astounded by spectator's opinion of this wine. Not terrible, but at best an 88 point effort for me. aegisepolis@hotmail.com

2/2/2007 - giveitalittlesniffysniff wrote:

Incredible color.
Anyways, here's a wine with a nose that will blow you away. Have a friend see and blind-smell this wine then have them give it a score with only that information, they would probably come up with some serious numbers. The nose on this wine will seriously impress for the price. Primarily black cherry and plum, with a hint of cedar, raspberry, and very dark spice.
If what happened on the palate could mirror the effort on the nose, we would have a much higher scored, much more expensive wine. Mouthfeel is big and good, silky tannins, would like a bit more acidity for balance, flavors of mocha, vanilla, lots of red fruit, but slightly muted, from what you were expecting. Dont let it breathe for too long! :(
Overall, a huge QPR factor here. Buy. Drink it within 3 hours at the most...

2/3/2007 - giveitalittlesniffysniff wrote:

A great price, attractive label, wide availability across the US, and hype from a leading wine magazine, which rated it a ninety pointer, makes this wine an apparent steal.
However, as a fairly regular Sangiovese drinker (as many are widely available from italy in the sub 15$ range for everyday, casual consumption) I found this wine under performing significantly. The nose was by no means sharing the varietal's lovely nuances, and the flavor profiles were very distant and basic. HOWEVER, of note, and no doubt contributing massively to the 90 point rating, is the incredibly silken mouthfeel of this wine... if youre expecting those sour, tight, light tannins youre so used to in your every day chianti's.. be ready to be blown away. This wine does possess the typical sour cherry aspect- but its fairly muted, and replaced instead by a rediculously silken, sexy mouthfeel. Overall, worth trying for this factor alone, and for the fact that a major wine publication recently assigned a 90 point rating, which shows us just how much percieved quality comes from the mouthfeel of a wine. Without that silkiness, this wine would be your average 84 point sangio at best.

5/5/2007 - giveitalittlesniffysniff wrote:

Great color, fun to see a red dessert wine in most circles. Very well represented sugar, but I would have preferred seeing a little bit more acidity and crispness, I guess.... because the wine lacks real complexity in flavor. So to balance that in a dessert wine, we need a wine of incredible 'build quality,' if you will.
Dont get me wrong, there is some electricity here, and a few nuances- the main flavor being Mott's cherry juice- just not as much as I would like to see, and im sure most would agree.
Overall, worth trying in a restaurant or for a group of really good friends at home. The fact that few wine drinkers have ventured into some of the higher end dessert options will make you a hero if you provide this wine in a group setting, and this fact, coupled with the unique aspect that the wine is a Cab Franc, will make for great spirits and lively discussion.

2/5/2007 - giveitalittlesniffysniff wrote:

Its true, it needs to breathe, but not too long. An hour perhaps. Showing incredible drinakability in my opinion. Perhaps SLIGHTLY overoaked, but I really really dont mind when theres just so much balance between chocolate, blackcurrant, raspberry, vanilla, and a tiny bit of pepper, in a seductive, creamy, stately package. Well made. For an excellent representation of Chile- seek this wine out.

3/4/2006 - giveitalittlesniffysniff wrote:

There was a noticeable amount of heat for the first hour, which eventually subsided. Total oak. Indeed, lots of mocha, with raspberry, cedar, spice, and CINNAMON! This is almost like a thanksgiving wine, in that it mirrors all those lovely scents of nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin pie, ect. A great buy at ten bucks.

4/3/2006 - giveitalittlesniffysniff wrote:

This little wine is a street brawler. Hard to imagine a better QPR out of Chile in the lower price ranges when one desires a very drinkable and enjoyable representation of Chilean spice, fruit, vanilla, and saddle. An EXCEPTIONAL value.