Smooth easy drinking red with a few years on it. Nothing profound or deeply meaningful, but balanced and enjoyable (for the right price - thank you Jon). A great "go to hamburger wine" that doesn't cost much more than the burger.
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I've had 3 of these now, and while fine to drink, they do not impress me. Very much a Washington wine in flavor profile, but not as well integrated as others at this price point. Candied fruit that is starting to fade, but the heat is still too much in evidence. Does improve with air, but not a repeat buy.
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Note: I use a scale on which 85 represents a very good wine.
I was not as wowed as others were by the bottle. It was still very good (does everyone use 85 as starting point for very good). Reasonable balance, but it do not have the depth of flavors to raise the bar to 90, which is meant to represent outstanding. Not much change from Day 1 to Day 2.
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Wow, its amazing what 4 years of time and wine experience will do to a wine impression. In my 2012 note on this wine I said it had a predominantly green bell pepper note that was really off-putting to my palate. That 2012 note was written when I was fixated on aged Bordeaux and I shunned most new world wine except for pinot noir. Now I have an appreciation for WA merlot (and new world wines in addition to old world wines) and this particular bottle has 4 more years of age on it. The nose has transformed from green pepper to tobacco, a hint of cherry and eucalyptus with some earthiness. The palate is more in line with how I imagine dark chocolate covered plums would taste. The rich palate morphs into a focused acidity with moderate tannins on the finish. This wine just went from being in my "give away" pile to my "I'm looking forward to drinking" pile. This wine was much better on day 2 so I highly recommend a long decant or holding in the cellar for 2-5 more years.
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In great balance right now. Tannins are fine and provide just enough structure. Hints of flint and pencil lead. Dark fruits and smooth cherry. Enjoy the restrained fruit versus blends out of California
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To call this a Red Bordeaux Blend is a bit of a stretch however; in terms of its flavor profile it had almost absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with its Bordeaux (right bank) cousins except that it uses a Washington State facsimile of Bordeaux Merlot, a facsimile of Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon and third facsimile of Cab Francs grown in a totally different climate in a 53/27/20 (respectively) blend of the same species of grapes that they use "over there".
But in spite of that unfortunate comparison, it was an enjoyable bottle.
It was balanced, with acids, savory, lean tannins, medium bodied fruits and a touch of minerality all nicely packaged and delivered.
For those of you not familiar with the hierarchy of Washington State vineyards, Red Willow is right at the top - so the pedigree of these grapes is totally blue blood and the underlying quality, complexity and balance of this wine is expected.
(but expect a nice red wine from Washington, not a Bordeaux from St. Emilion or Pomerol)
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Decanted for two hours. Definitely a better bottle than we drank in August, maybe because of the extra seven months in the cellar. None of the off-putting vegetal funk in this bottle. Tobacco, tar, and black currant nose. Juicy red fruit and cocoa dust, with firm tannins and well rounded acidity. May have misjudged this wine. This was the last bottle, and because of the previous note, decided to open and have with grilled flank steak. Went well, but wish I had a few more of these left to see how they evolve in the next couple of years.
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Like a generic Right Bank Bordeaux. Nothing special. Agree with other reviews that the wine has a pronounced vegetal quality, which I found generally off-putting. Glad I didn't buy a case. First Garagiste bust in a while....
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Soft, smooth, very well-integrated, and good acidity. Nice silky mouthfeel. More spicy than fruit-driven. A seamless whole, with nothing standing out.... which also means there's not a ton of interest. Good accompaniment to a meal, and will stand up to steak with no problem. Nice, but not a great QPR in my opinion.
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Great nose on opening...first wine where I could actually discern chocolate. And the first few sips were nice. I decided it had enough structure and tannin for me to break out the salami, but some how the salami combined with this wine to leave the aftertaste of Robitussin in my mouth. I had to switch to another wine while I finished the salami. When I returned to this an hour and a half later I began getting a lot of green vegetables (think green peppers) on the nose a palate. Despite the fact that this has wonderful balance, good acidity and is very dry for a WA wine, I can't stand green bell pepper in my wine...that's a deal breaker. I'll save a glass of this for tomorrow and see if that green pepper dissipates....
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Yummy. Notes of coffee, chocolate, baking spice, and dark red fruit on the nose. Lush, fruity, rich flavors of cherry, cocoa, and some hints of earthy spices. Soft, drying tannins, long finish.
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Friends and I tasted this at the winery on 4/14/12. It had a ripe, fragrant bouquet of plum, black currant, mocha and spice aromas. The palate was round and ripe with plum, black currant, cocoa and toast
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On first opening the nose is plum, toast, some peat bog funk with some cedar baking spices. The palate is big and spicy with plum, a bit of cedar, black cherry and toffee that lingers on into the finish.
One hour later the nose has big notes of dark fruit, black cherry, coffee and some spicy cedar & cocoa. The palate is equally bold with rich spicy black cherry and semi-sweet chocolate that moves on to a finish of espresso and more cedar spice.
One day later the nose is dark red fruit, mineral with some forest floor funky mushrooms hinting in the background. The palate is still spicy with semi-sweet chocolate, rich red fruit and some coffee bean on the finish with steady notes of cedar and spice.
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I tasted this at Wicked Cellars on 6/17/11. It had a pleasant, fragrant bouquet of mocha, smoke, baking spice and plum aromas. The palate was round, ripe and balanced with flavors that followed the nose. 90+
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11/17/2020 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 Points
Smooth easy drinking red with a few years on it. Nothing profound or deeply meaningful, but balanced and enjoyable (for the right price - thank you Jon). A great "go to hamburger wine" that doesn't cost much more than the burger.
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9/3/2019 - Quarked wrote: 87 Points
I've had 3 of these now, and while fine to drink, they do not impress me. Very much a Washington wine in flavor profile, but not as well integrated as others at this price point. Candied fruit that is starting to fade, but the heat is still too much in evidence. Does improve with air, but not a repeat buy.
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10/23/2018 - John Nezlek wrote: 86 Points
Note: I use a scale on which 85 represents a very good wine.
I was not as wowed as others were by the bottle. It was still very good (does everyone use 85 as starting point for very good).
Reasonable balance, but it do not have the depth of flavors to raise the bar to 90, which is meant to represent outstanding.
Not much change from Day 1 to Day 2.
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11/2/2016 - kakpoo wrote: 91 Points
Wow, its amazing what 4 years of time and wine experience will do to a wine impression. In my 2012 note on this wine I said it had a predominantly green bell pepper note that was really off-putting to my palate. That 2012 note was written when I was fixated on aged Bordeaux and I shunned most new world wine except for pinot noir. Now I have an appreciation for WA merlot (and new world wines in addition to old world wines) and this particular bottle has 4 more years of age on it. The nose has transformed from green pepper to tobacco, a hint of cherry and eucalyptus with some earthiness. The palate is more in line with how I imagine dark chocolate covered plums would taste. The rich palate morphs into a focused acidity with moderate tannins on the finish. This wine just went from being in my "give away" pile to my "I'm looking forward to drinking" pile. This wine was much better on day 2 so I highly recommend a long decant or holding in the cellar for 2-5 more years.
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8/30/2015 - njgolfer Likes this wine: 90 Points
In great balance right now. Tannins are fine and provide just enough structure. Hints of flint and pencil lead. Dark fruits and smooth cherry. Enjoy the restrained fruit versus blends out of California
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5/17/2015 - davidspieker wrote: 89 Points
Dark garnet color. Muted aromas of currant and pencil lead. Red fruit flavors with coco and tobacco. Nice balance with lingering finish.
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4/24/2015 - Francophile Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very smooth, I thought this was a really good balance between the three wines in this bordeaux blend
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12/20/2014 - Francophile Likes this wine: 89 Points
A reasonable example of wine from this area
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9/16/2014 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 Points
This was a nice bottle of wine.
To call this a Red Bordeaux Blend is a bit of a stretch however; in terms of its flavor profile it had almost absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with its Bordeaux (right bank) cousins except that it uses a Washington State facsimile of Bordeaux Merlot, a facsimile of Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon and third facsimile of Cab Francs grown in a totally different climate in a 53/27/20 (respectively) blend of the same species of grapes that they use "over there".
But in spite of that unfortunate comparison, it was an enjoyable bottle.
It was balanced, with acids, savory, lean tannins, medium bodied fruits and a touch of minerality all nicely packaged and delivered.
For those of you not familiar with the hierarchy of Washington State vineyards, Red Willow is right at the top - so the pedigree of these grapes is totally blue blood and the underlying quality, complexity and balance of this wine is expected.
(but expect a nice red wine from Washington, not a Bordeaux from St. Emilion or Pomerol)
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8/23/2014 - Francophile Likes this wine: 89 Points
Another nicely balanced wine from WA State, and I was pleased to see so much Franc included in its make up. Good value nice Bordeaux style.
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3/15/2014 - BBencz Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted for two hours. Definitely a better bottle than we drank in August, maybe because of the extra seven months in the cellar. None of the off-putting vegetal funk in this bottle. Tobacco, tar, and black currant nose. Juicy red fruit and cocoa dust, with firm tannins and well rounded acidity. May have misjudged this wine. This was the last bottle, and because of the previous note, decided to open and have with grilled flank steak. Went well, but wish I had a few more of these left to see how they evolve in the next couple of years.
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12/11/2013 - davidspieker wrote: 85 Points
Garnet color. Muted aromas of pencil lead and cherry. Cherry, coco and vegetal flavors. I also found the vegetal flavors off-putting.
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12/6/2013 - Teast wrote: 90 Points
Cherry, vanilla, prune
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8/13/2013 - BBencz wrote: 83 Points
Like a generic Right Bank Bordeaux. Nothing special. Agree with other reviews that the wine has a pronounced vegetal quality, which I found generally off-putting. Glad I didn't buy a case. First Garagiste bust in a while....
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7/9/2013 - edgar wrote: 87 Points
Cocoa on nose with initial tart cherries; palate vegetal, pleasant, not overwhelming either way, day 2 maintained same
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5/18/2013 - Mary Crawford wrote: 85 Points
Fine, but a little generic. Very slightly vegetal. I didn't dislike it, but I wouldn't buy again.
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2/16/2013 - DSP wrote: 88 Points
Soft, smooth, very well-integrated, and good acidity. Nice silky mouthfeel. More spicy than fruit-driven. A seamless whole, with nothing standing out.... which also means there's not a ton of interest. Good accompaniment to a meal, and will stand up to steak with no problem. Nice, but not a great QPR in my opinion.
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2/5/2013 - Francophile Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very nice well balanced wine
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1/31/2013 - topher2411 wrote: 88 Points
Very smooth and pleasant. Good balance of savory and fruit. Not a knockout, but very pleasing.
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11/23/2012 - kakpoo wrote:
Great nose on opening...first wine where I could actually discern chocolate. And the first few sips were nice. I decided it had enough structure and tannin for me to break out the salami, but some how the salami combined with this wine to leave the aftertaste of Robitussin in my mouth. I had to switch to another wine while I finished the salami. When I returned to this an hour and a half later I began getting a lot of green vegetables (think green peppers) on the nose a palate. Despite the fact that this has wonderful balance, good acidity and is very dry for a WA wine, I can't stand green bell pepper in my wine...that's a deal breaker. I'll save a glass of this for tomorrow and see if that green pepper dissipates....
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10/5/2012 - GA_Seattle Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very solid wine - showing nicely now. Finished off the bottle next afternoon and was even better, will definitely last a few more years in bottle.
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9/29/2012 - mqvn wrote: 92 Points
Yummy. Notes of coffee, chocolate, baking spice, and dark red fruit on the nose. Lush, fruity, rich flavors of cherry, cocoa, and some hints of earthy spices. Soft, drying tannins, long finish.
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8/27/2012 - f22nickell Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent wine! Well balanced, the finish was long and smooth.
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4/14/2012 - garambler wrote: 90 Points
Friends and I tasted this at the winery on 4/14/12. It had a ripe, fragrant bouquet of plum, black currant, mocha and spice aromas. The palate was round and ripe with plum, black currant, cocoa and toast
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7/12/2011 - luchavino wrote: 88 Points
On first opening the nose is plum, toast, some peat bog funk with some cedar baking spices. The palate is big and spicy with plum, a bit of cedar, black cherry and toffee that lingers on into the finish.
One hour later the nose has big notes of dark fruit, black cherry, coffee and some spicy cedar & cocoa. The palate is equally bold with rich spicy black cherry and semi-sweet chocolate that moves on to a finish of espresso and more cedar spice.
One day later the nose is dark red fruit, mineral with some forest floor funky mushrooms hinting in the background. The palate is still spicy with semi-sweet chocolate, rich red fruit and some coffee bean on the finish with steady notes of cedar and spice.
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6/17/2011 - garambler wrote: 91 Points
I tasted this at Wicked Cellars on 6/17/11. It had a pleasant, fragrant bouquet of mocha, smoke, baking spice and plum aromas. The palate was round, ripe and balanced with flavors that followed the nose. 90+
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