Community Tasting Notes 4

• Aztec94 wrote: flawed

  May 16, 2015 - Same as last. Shame. Liked it in tasting room, but down the drain it went.

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• Aztec94 wrote: flawed

  May 12, 2015 - Slight fizz when opened, but color was bright and no hint of brown. Smelled a bit of sherry and tasted maderized. Have a couple more, hopefully this was just a flawed bottle.

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• Wine.woot_taster wrote:

  March 10, 2015 - Monkey dropped this off a few weeks ago and had an opportunity to drink some of it (see below)
  
  First off, I was turned off by the cap. Never seen one before and it felt cheap though it might be my unfamiliarity. However, the wine made a fizzy noise when openned which made me wonder if the cap had something to do with it?
  
  On to the wine. I was excited by the interesting blend of predominantly Merlot and Cab Franc. Unfortunately, the wine and/or blend did not cut it for me.
  
  I had a hard time discerning any aromas that are typical of the above, ie cherry and spice for the merlot and earthiness and green pepper for the CF. The aromas were very muted. It all went South once I tasted the wine. It reminded me of Welch's grape juice which I have encountered maybe once before. The wine was flabby and lacked any acidity to make it lively. I fought through one glass and poured asecond really wanting to like it because as many of you know I support small production wineries, especially from Sonoma County but could not finish it. It felt like a homemade wine or from an amateur winemaker. I am in NO WAY putting down the winery/winemAker but stating my honest, unbiased notes. I poured my wife a glass without sharing my thoughts and the first thing she said was "taste like grape juice" which validated my own experience.
  
  Maybe it was an off bottle?

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• Wine.woot_taster wrote:

  March 10, 2015 - First it has a synthetic closure, with a spiral thingy that unwinds and leaves a plastic cap/stopper arrangement. Good for resealing. Nose from the bottle is deep, fruity, and intriguing. The only “glasses” at my Holiday Inn Express are those disposable sealed plastic cups, so that will have to do.
  
  Nose is dominated by red fruits, with some earthiness/woodsiness. Nose diminishes rapidly after pouring into the cups – might be the less than ideal drinking vessel. Color is dark purple and nearly opaque.
  
  First sips. Very forward and open even with no breathing, and the cab franc/merlot backbone is very evident, with cab franc carrying more than its share of the load. Even though the cab franc is 42%, its character is more evident to me in this wine than in some unblended cab francs I’ve enjoyed. Must have been some powerful cab franc that went into this offering.
  
  The fruits of the PS and merlot are also present, combined their presence seems about equal to the cab franc. Acidity and heat are nicely balanced, and some tannins appears after a few minutes. The tannins continue to hold and develop, even as the flavor start to fade. The bite also holds on along with the tannin. The flavors stay forward in the mouth; there is little flavor persistence in the back of the palate.
  
  The description says black pepper notes. I’m not getting any of that, though I am definitely pulling in the green pepper from the cab franc.
  
  Frankly, there’s a lot going on with this wine. As noted, the cab franc is quite well represented on its own, even though this is a blend. The PS and merlot then add their parts on top of this. I do find it quite drinkable. The balance and acidity should make it a good food wine, if paired with something appropriate.

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Wine Definition

• Vintage 2011
• Type Red
• Producer Orpheus Wines
• Varietal Red Blend
• Designation Red Over Heels
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion North Coast
• Appellation North Coast
• UPC Code 720825362038

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 2 (12%)
• Consumed 15 (88%)

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