The wine I selected to celebrate Georgia Bulldogs College Football Championship. Did not disappoint. Immensely aromatic, suave, texturally divine, and downright delicious. Score 33-18. (and the wine was upper 90's)
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Popped and slow O over 5 hours, then drank over 5 hours out of a Zalto Burgundy glass. Tiny bit of bricking are just starting to show around the rim.
Aromatic Cabernet typicity with tobacco, black plums and spice— Late in the evening, a little green pepper appears on the nose.
Medium plus bodied and rather concentrated- still some residual tightness even 10 hours open.
Softer than expected and rather plush, not as dark or brooding as a straight Cab, juicier than expected- all likely due to the Merlot influence.
Plums, black currants, baking spices, brown sugar, tobacco and cedar cascading over one another on the palate. The spice is nice, the acid is great and the fruit is still strong.
Nice acid is still prevalent all the way from the start to the finish, keeping things juicy. Tannins are integrated to the point of being hard to detect. Still going strong and able to age for quite a while, there is barely any tertiary development in this bottle.
Drink now or hold for 5-10 easy…
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PnP at cellar temp- rich purple fruits, tobacco and cedar on the nose.
Blueberries, black pepper and tobacco in the mouth. 12 year old tannins are mostly resolved and the acid is on point. The wood makes its presence known texturally on the finish while also adding a little secondary flavors to the mostly smooth and ripe fruit.
Composed and drinking well over a couple of hours. Seems to be just entering the smooth and polished phase... Drink now and hold depending on your preferences.
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Popped the cork and let the bottle breathe for 3 hours. Nose of red fruits and some medicinal alcohol, not really strong. No problem with alcohol on the palate - a mighty blast of red to purple fruit seamlessly moving toward a finish of white pepper and tar. A comparatively simple thing - I sat for a long time trying to tease more details out, but for me that's pretty much it. Time goes by and youi're having fun, really a delicious wine.
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The QPR isn't great but the wine is very decent. In the glass it shows some bricking. The nose is very nice with complex spice and fruit, sweet tobacco, a warmth and complexity I enjoy. Palate is warm and smooth, rich with nice complexity. A little heat on the finish doesn't really detract.
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Drank this beside a 2010 Pomerol. Very comparable and classy wine. Same on day two with little to no degradation. Long time ahead for this wine. Will hold my last bottle as long as possible.
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Still needs time. It's been four and a half years since the last one, and it's as if time has stood still. When I removed the cork and poured directly to decanter (for aeration, there really was no sediment), it was all vanilla and slathery oak. Sigh. Left to aerate for 2 hours before dinner, this was full of (some) primary, but (mostly) secondary features on the nose and palate - which are pretty lock step with one another. However, this wine did the same thing it did all those years ago, and once it's had enough air, it actually becomes a BDX blend, a wine with distinguishable features, bright tones and very pretty accents. It's as if it needs the air to shed its outer skin, a skin composed of creamy oak, jammy fruits, vanilla, milk chocolate - yuck, it even hurts to write such things. But, the wine, a real testament to some fine work in the vineyard, rises above all that at the 4 hour mark and becomes a dead-ringer for a (modern) left bank BDX effort. As with the last wine, this will no doubt be at its best and most complete (if you're looking for these things, if you just want creamy, jammy fruits, do a PnP) on day 2. If I had any left, I'd open in 5-6 years - it's when the real interest will likely be there (while the acid is not ideal for long-term, it should hold for mid-term cellaring); for my palate, anyway. 15,1% abv. (resolved), thru 2028. recommended
Served non-blind, opened for a dear friend. (if opening anytime soon, this really begs for fatty red meats at this stage if pairing with food). It's as if, with enough air, this wine has gone to boot camp (overweight, lethargic, boring) and come back fit and ready to rumble.
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Some menthol and earth on the nose. Rich and soft on the palate, with lots of dark plum and leather. Soft, well integrated tannins and nicely balanced acidity. Mellowed out with some air, and overall really nice.
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Decanted 30 min while it came up from cellar temp. Nose of raspberry, saddle leather and light oak. Flavors of cassis, baking spices, sweet red berry, leather, lightly toasted oak and a lonnnnng finish of raspberries and cream. Mouthfeel is unreal...super creamy and rounded. We paired this with panang curry and it was surprisingly good! The creaminess seemed to temper the spice of the curry well. This shouldn't have paired as well as it did, but...wow.
Glad we have another bottle in the cellar. This was amazing, and just a baby! Drink now with air through 2025.
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Two years since last bottle. Spur of the moment we decided we wanted something rich & sensual. Without the benefit of aeration or decanter, this was ready after a few minutes of swirling. No specific TNs, but what was readily apparent, was that such a massively extracted dense wine could simultaneously be lithe and balanced.
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Double decanted and taken to a wino gathering. Another stellar showing for this gem. Perfect rich ripe mid dark fruit and gorgeous aromatics on silken frame. Palate filling and satisfying all the way through. Such a pleasure every single sip. 96-97+
Decanted for 3.5 hours. Opaque and then slightly bricking at the rim. Nose showed menthol, eucalyptus, pencil shavings, graphite, pomegranate, and other red fruits that all carried over to the palate, seamlessly. Full throttle on the mid and back palates, with additional chocolate, coffee, truffle and leather notes. Every sip showed a new facet, yet the overall effect of this wine was slightly zesty with silky tannins, weightless and wonderfully integrated, even at this relatively youthful stage. A very memorable wine, and as far as I've had the good fortune of noticing, a high mark for Washington Bordeaux blends. With a good decanting this is approachable now, but will definitely reward with patience.
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Decanted for a little over two hours and then consumed with dinner (veal with morels). just a beautiful Cab blend! Started with a wonderful nose and I don't believe ever closed down. Dominated by black fruits and cassis......but not over powering. Silky smooth tannins. I was waiting to enjoy one of these and it was well worth the wait!
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Blueberry, blackberry, toast, dark chocolate, coffee, toffee, with a nondescript floral element. Something about the vanilla was sweet & unique -- At times it was very expressive, almost dominant. This is a concentrated wine with smooth firm tannin, but is so well integrated it manages to convey a lightness in the mouth, even though it isn't. Also seems to finish a bit short for such a flavorful wine.
Constantly changed over the course of 4 hours (after a triple aeration & 1 hour rest), but at one point toward the end, the aromatics & flavors actually shut down?, morphed? I don't know, but it took on a whole different personality, kind of like an acidic Italian table wine. Very strange. Then it went back to being what it started as. Definitely a fruit driven style. Tasted blind, Susan kept trying to peg it as an Aussie shiraz/cab blend.
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Opened for a group of 12 for an OTBN event. Ripping fine stuff, though probably would have profited more with a decant than an all day slow-ox opening. 95+
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Absolutely fantastic wine. Whereas some of the great wines I've had in the past had a beautiful floral bouquet, this wine actually carried it to the palate. I also picked up a strong vanilla note. Excellent value on this wine.
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Decanted for 24 hours before tasting. Red and Blue fruits bit of smokiness and mocha, with layers and complexity throughout with a supple soft finish. This is a well made wine.
PnP, drank over 2 nights. Fruit forward but in a restrained, elegant fashion, not over the top, but balancing right on the cusp without going over the edge. As good on night #2 as night 1; expect it to have 10 more years ahead of it.
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Sexy, polished, not spoofed but speaks more of expert winemaking than site, at least on my first visit to duBrul. Lots of fruit with lift, but not elegant and less interesting on day 2. Deft use of oak. The structure is well hidden and could yet come out to play, but based on this bottle I'd serve this between 2013-2016 with a brief decant.
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Big, powerful, smooth and elegant. Lots of secondary oak and fruit on the nose with lovely primary fruit as well. Not a bomb or overripe, but just good focused fruit. Very slight touch of VA nicely in balance. On the palate the balance and complexity continues building to a long and smooth finish. Tannins are nicely refined and integrated. A very lovely all around wine that challenges Napa at it's own game (in it's own way). This is tasting much better than a previous bottles I had around a year ago.
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Toasty coffee and some dark fruits dominate the nose. The palate is silky with layers of fruit and barrel notes. The finish is broad, with prominent but sweet tannins, and a very nice lift from some acidity at the end.
This is a very good wine for what it is, but blind I would call it a Napa cab at about the price they charged. Definitely exceptional for WA wines made in this style, but not adding much to the broader world of wine.
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Aerate to decanter 7 hours, enjoyed over 2 nights. Very dark ruby core, nearly opaque. Intense, perfumed aromas of spicy oak, red currants, crushed red floral, and some green peppercorn from the Merlot component. Really lively, focused and clearly not in its preferred drinking window yet - this has a wonderful future ahead of it. It's worth noting that this drank slightly better on night #2, but that on both nights I felt the mid-palate lacked breadth and depth, something I attribute to its youthful nature and something that will no doubt come with 3-5 years of bottle rest. Drink thru 2023, 15,1% abv, recommended, 93 now, upside noted. My #1, Group #1
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An introduction to Washington State red wines (My house): The most complex of the three cabs, this had some of the mineral-driven character of the Cayuse from earlier, which made the wine less about fruit (although very strong in this area) and more about secondary and earthy notes. Mulberries, blackberry cola, lavender, crushed stone, cedar, damp coffee grounds. Balanced, multi-layered palette and strong two-stage finish. On first taste out of the decanter, I thought this would smoke the 2007 Quilceda, but ultimately realized that it's not a wine to put against five other big reds. Better served alone where its unique flavor profile, subtle intricacies, and layered complexities can be enjoyed.
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Drank along side an 07 Hartwell cab, 08 Blankiet cab among others that were definitely a little smaller. This was hands down the wine of the night. Rocked everyone's world!
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Floral, slightly sweet, delicate nose, big flavors of black fruit, cedar, peppery spice, this is a well structured and complete wine with a wonderfully long finish. Wow! We are loving this wine, sorry we only have one bottle. This is a young wine, but we are thinking it is perfect the way it is.
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Drank for Christmas Eve dinner alongside 08 Adams Bench Red Willow and 08 JB Neufeld Artz. This was group Wine of the Night by a 5-2 margin over the Red Willow. Still a gorgeous wine.
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Took to my wine group dinner. Decanted 4 1/2 hours, (following it with occasional sips because it was impossible not to) then double decanted about three more hours.
Ruby, clear. Beautiful polished nose with expressive layers of violets, black raspberry, expresso, chocolate, raspberry liqueur, cedar. dusting of cocoa powder. Medium and lively body that echoes the nose. This delivered an amazing coherent depth and breadth of flavors robing the palate. It is sophisticated, not bombastic or opulent, but just arresting in its seamless complexity, long etched finish, and utter harmony.
Tasted at winery release weekend. Bottle needed to be decanted and would have been too young regardless. That said very nice savory, full round body. Nice mouth feel. Not a delicate wine, but the finish was long and smooth. Nose a bit tight, but should come out in a few years (as a real solid swirl did wonders here). Very much looking forward to opening one in a few years. PDQ93+
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The cabernet shows through on the nose of cherry pie, cooked beef, blueberries and gravel road. Smells fresh as well as earthy. Complex nose. On the palate, wow. Intense but super gentle in it's approach, fresh black and red fruit, sweet bread, pipe tobacco, road tar. Perfect use of oak. The mid-palate length is substantial, even after it's swallowed the flavors sit on the tongue for another 20 seconds before evolving into a insanely long finish. The acidity here is balanced and the feel of the tannins are so refined. Silky, as someone else mentioned? Crazy. Drinking well now. This wine kicks ass. Changes in character the longer it is left open to air. My girlfriend has a VERY sensitive palate when it comes to reds, when I poured this for her blind she actually finished the glass, which doesn't happen often. While a big, fruity wine, this is able to pull off a feeling of elegance and balance that is quite remarkable. Amazing wine.
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Tasted at the winery. Had an herbal touch on the nose followed by a full bodied, ripe, yet restrained palate with great lift. Long finish. Compared to DeLille's top Cabernet bottling (06 Ciel) tasted earlier on the trip, this wine was showing more on the nose and a little thicker on the mid-palate, perhaps due to some youthful compactness, but definitely a top-shelf Cab (actually a blend, 31% Merlot here) that was drinking surprisingly well.
This new producer has a stunning lineup btw... we are on the road for a few more days and had room for about 6 more bottles in the cooler when we arrived at Rasa. We left with 6 different wines. The lineup is that consistent and interesting. Alas, not any cheaper than good wine from California. 93-95.
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Popped and poured. Over an hour this wine evolved with huge cassis, sweet cherry, and floral nose, medium mouthfeel, and fine precise silky tannins. The finish goes on for days. Delicious elegence and remarkable how drinkable this wine is now.
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1/13/2022 - MindMuse wrote:
The wine I selected to celebrate Georgia Bulldogs College Football Championship. Did not disappoint. Immensely aromatic, suave, texturally divine, and downright delicious. Score 33-18. (and the wine was upper 90's)
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9/25/2021 - PDX-S wrote:
Popped and slow O over 5 hours, then drank over 5 hours out of a Zalto Burgundy glass.
Tiny bit of bricking are just starting to show around the rim.
Aromatic Cabernet typicity with tobacco, black plums and spice— Late in the evening, a little green pepper appears on the nose.
Medium plus bodied and rather concentrated- still some residual tightness even 10 hours open.
Softer than expected and rather plush, not as dark or brooding as a straight Cab, juicier than expected- all likely due to the Merlot influence.
Plums, black currants, baking spices, brown sugar, tobacco and cedar cascading over one another on the palate. The spice is nice, the acid is great and the fruit is still strong.
Nice acid is still prevalent all the way from the start to the finish, keeping things juicy. Tannins are integrated to the point of being hard to detect. Still going strong and able to age for quite a while, there is barely any tertiary development in this bottle.
Drink now or hold for 5-10 easy…
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8/23/2020 - PDX-S wrote:
PnP at cellar temp- rich purple fruits, tobacco and cedar on the nose.
Blueberries, black pepper and tobacco in the mouth. 12 year old tannins are mostly resolved and the acid is on point. The wood makes its presence known texturally on the finish while also adding a little secondary flavors to the mostly smooth and ripe fruit.
Composed and drinking well over a couple of hours. Seems to be just entering the smooth and polished phase... Drink now and hold depending on your preferences.
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4/4/2020 - Old Doug wrote: 94 Points
Popped the cork and let the bottle breathe for 3 hours. Nose of red fruits and some medicinal alcohol, not really strong. No problem with alcohol on the palate - a mighty blast of red to purple fruit seamlessly moving toward a finish of white pepper and tar. A comparatively simple thing - I sat for a long time trying to tease more details out, but for me that's pretty much it. Time goes by and youi're having fun, really a delicious wine.
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10/29/2019 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
The QPR isn't great but the wine is very decent.
In the glass it shows some bricking.
The nose is very nice with complex spice and fruit, sweet tobacco, a warmth and complexity I enjoy.
Palate is warm and smooth, rich with nice complexity. A little heat on the finish doesn't really detract.
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1/11/2019 - ChrisinCowiche wrote: 94 Points
Drank this beside a 2010 Pomerol. Very comparable and classy wine. Same on day two with little to no degradation. Long time ahead for this wine. Will hold my last bottle as long as possible.
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9/28/2018 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
Terrific bottle. 2 hour decant and it continued to improve, suggesting longevity ahead. Layered fruit, refined tannins. The whole package.
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5/4/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Hommage a DryCab - Washington Wines release; 5/3/2018-5/5/2018 (Various spots in Walla Walla): Maybe my favorite of the Creative Impulse vertical. There's almost a candied quality to the fruit. It's got plenty of spice and pepper. Some floral. A pretty wine. Very enjoyable.
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5/20/2017 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
Excellent wine.
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1/14/2017 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Still needs time. It's been four and a half years since the last one, and it's as if time has stood still. When I removed the cork and poured directly to decanter (for aeration, there really was no sediment), it was all vanilla and slathery oak. Sigh. Left to aerate for 2 hours before dinner, this was full of (some) primary, but (mostly) secondary features on the nose and palate - which are pretty lock step with one another. However, this wine did the same thing it did all those years ago, and once it's had enough air, it actually becomes a BDX blend, a wine with distinguishable features, bright tones and very pretty accents. It's as if it needs the air to shed its outer skin, a skin composed of creamy oak, jammy fruits, vanilla, milk chocolate - yuck, it even hurts to write such things. But, the wine, a real testament to some fine work in the vineyard, rises above all that at the 4 hour mark and becomes a dead-ringer for a (modern) left bank BDX effort. As with the last wine, this will no doubt be at its best and most complete (if you're looking for these things, if you just want creamy, jammy fruits, do a PnP) on day 2. If I had any left, I'd open in 5-6 years - it's when the real interest will likely be there (while the acid is not ideal for long-term, it should hold for mid-term cellaring); for my palate, anyway. 15,1% abv. (resolved), thru 2028. recommended
Served non-blind, opened for a dear friend. (if opening anytime soon, this really begs for fatty red meats at this stage if pairing with food). It's as if, with enough air, this wine has gone to boot camp (overweight, lethargic, boring) and come back fit and ready to rumble.
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12/21/2016 - dpolivy Likes this wine:
Some menthol and earth on the nose. Rich and soft on the palate, with lots of dark plum and leather. Soft, well integrated tannins and nicely balanced acidity. Mellowed out with some air, and overall really nice.
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10/27/2016 - RPerro Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 30 min while it came up from cellar temp. Nose of raspberry, saddle leather and light oak. Flavors of cassis, baking spices, sweet red berry, leather, lightly toasted oak and a lonnnnng finish of raspberries and cream. Mouthfeel is unreal...super creamy and rounded. We paired this with panang curry and it was surprisingly good! The creaminess seemed to temper the spice of the curry well. This shouldn't have paired as well as it did, but...wow.
Glad we have another bottle in the cellar. This was amazing, and just a baby! Drink now with air through 2025.
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6/26/2016 - millerarner wrote: 95 Points
Two years since last bottle. Spur of the moment we decided we wanted something rich & sensual. Without the benefit of aeration or decanter, this was ready after a few minutes of swirling. No specific TNs, but what was readily apparent, was that such a massively extracted dense wine could simultaneously be lithe and balanced.
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7/6/2015 - MindMuse Likes this wine: 97 Points
Double decanted and taken to a wino gathering. Another stellar showing for this gem. Perfect rich ripe mid dark fruit and gorgeous aromatics on silken frame. Palate filling and satisfying all the way through. Such a pleasure every single sip. 96-97+
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7/10/2014 - WaWineWill Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 3.5 hours. Opaque and then slightly bricking at the rim. Nose showed menthol, eucalyptus, pencil shavings, graphite, pomegranate, and other red fruits that all carried over to the palate, seamlessly. Full throttle on the mid and back palates, with additional chocolate, coffee, truffle and leather notes. Every sip showed a new facet, yet the overall effect of this wine was slightly zesty with silky tannins, weightless and wonderfully integrated, even at this relatively youthful stage. A very memorable wine, and as far as I've had the good fortune of noticing, a high mark for Washington Bordeaux blends. With a good decanting this is approachable now, but will definitely reward with patience.
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6/1/2014 - KCBrian Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for a little over two hours and then consumed with dinner (veal with morels). just a beautiful Cab blend! Started with a wonderful nose and I don't believe ever closed down. Dominated by black fruits and cassis......but not over powering. Silky smooth tannins. I was waiting to enjoy one of these and it was well worth the wait!
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5/11/2014 - millerarner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Blueberry, blackberry, toast, dark chocolate, coffee, toffee, with a nondescript floral element. Something about the vanilla was sweet & unique -- At times it was very expressive, almost dominant. This is a concentrated wine with smooth firm tannin, but is so well integrated it manages to convey a lightness in the mouth, even though it isn't. Also seems to finish a bit short for such a flavorful wine.
Constantly changed over the course of 4 hours (after a triple aeration & 1 hour rest), but at one point toward the end, the aromatics & flavors actually shut down?, morphed? I don't know, but it took on a whole different personality, kind of like an acidic Italian table wine. Very strange. Then it went back to being what it started as. Definitely a fruit driven style. Tasted blind, Susan kept trying to peg it as an Aussie shiraz/cab blend.
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5/7/2014 - ClubTerry Likes this wine: 97 Points
Similar to prior note.
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3/1/2014 - MindMuse wrote:
Opened for a group of 12 for an OTBN event. Ripping fine stuff, though probably would have profited more with a decant than an all day slow-ox opening. 95+
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11/2/2013 - Aideng12 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Absolutely fantastic wine. Whereas some of the great wines I've had in the past had a beautiful floral bouquet, this wine actually carried it to the palate. I also picked up a strong vanilla note. Excellent value on this wine.
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10/7/2013 - pdemaio wrote: 95 Points
Nice secondary flavors. Powers through. Long finish.
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5/6/2013 - ClubTerry Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted for 24 hours before tasting. Red and Blue fruits bit of smokiness and mocha, with layers and complexity throughout with a supple soft finish. This is a well made wine.
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4/12/2013 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
PnP, drank over 2 nights. Fruit forward but in a restrained, elegant fashion, not over the top, but balancing right on the cusp without going over the edge. As good on night #2 as night 1; expect it to have 10 more years ahead of it.
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3/23/2013 - pdemaio Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent wine. Consistent with my previous notes...
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3/17/2013 - silton Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sexy, polished, not spoofed but speaks more of expert winemaking than site, at least on my first visit to duBrul. Lots of fruit with lift, but not elegant and less interesting on day 2. Deft use of oak. The structure is well hidden and could yet come out to play, but based on this bottle I'd serve this between 2013-2016 with a brief decant.
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2/3/2013 - uncle al Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent blend with just enough fruit. Complex with a long finish. Expensive but worth it.
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1/8/2013 - pdemaio Likes this wine: 95 Points
Needed 30 minutes to open, which allowed the wine to come together. Great aromatics. Continued to evolve.
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12/17/2012 - pdemaio Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big, powerful, smooth and elegant. Lots of secondary oak and fruit on the nose with lovely primary fruit as well. Not a bomb or overripe, but just good focused fruit. Very slight touch of VA nicely in balance. On the palate the balance and complexity continues building to a long and smooth finish. Tannins are nicely refined and integrated. A very lovely all around wine that challenges Napa at it's own game (in it's own way).
This is tasting much better than a previous bottles I had around a year ago.
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10/18/2012 - curtr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep & balanced and very, very young. Try in 2018.
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9/22/2012 - Musedir wrote:
Served at Ca. 1886 with dinner. Excellent body and taste. No disappointment.
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7/9/2012 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Toasty coffee and some dark fruits dominate the nose. The palate is silky with layers of fruit and barrel notes. The finish is broad, with prominent but sweet tannins, and a very nice lift from some acidity at the end.
This is a very good wine for what it is, but blind I would call it a Napa cab at about the price they charged. Definitely exceptional for WA wines made in this style, but not adding much to the broader world of wine.
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6/30/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Aerate to decanter 7 hours, enjoyed over 2 nights. Very dark ruby core, nearly opaque. Intense, perfumed aromas of spicy oak, red currants, crushed red floral, and some green peppercorn from the Merlot component. Really lively, focused and clearly not in its preferred drinking window yet - this has a wonderful future ahead of it. It's worth noting that this drank slightly better on night #2, but that on both nights I felt the mid-palate lacked breadth and depth, something I attribute to its youthful nature and something that will no doubt come with 3-5 years of bottle rest. Drink thru 2023, 15,1% abv, recommended, 93 now, upside noted. My #1, Group #1
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6/29/2012 - overhill wrote:
An introduction to Washington State red wines (My house): The most complex of the three cabs, this had some of the mineral-driven character of the Cayuse from earlier, which made the wine less about fruit (although very strong in this area) and more about secondary and earthy notes. Mulberries, blackberry cola, lavender, crushed stone, cedar, damp coffee grounds. Balanced, multi-layered palette and strong two-stage finish. On first taste out of the decanter, I thought this would smoke the 2007 Quilceda, but ultimately realized that it's not a wine to put against five other big reds. Better served alone where its unique flavor profile, subtle intricacies, and layered complexities can be enjoyed.
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3/31/2012 - Ryonie wrote: 98 Points
Drank along side an 07 Hartwell cab, 08 Blankiet cab among others that were definitely a little smaller. This was hands down the wine of the night. Rocked everyone's world!
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2/3/2012 - blabbott wrote: 95 Points
Floral, slightly sweet, delicate nose, big flavors of black fruit, cedar, peppery spice, this is a well structured and complete wine with a wonderfully long finish. Wow! We are loving this wine, sorry we only have one bottle. This is a young wine, but we are thinking it is perfect the way it is.
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12/26/2011 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Solid wine. Too young, but already showing signs of quality.
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12/25/2011 - ChrisinCowiche wrote: 95 Points
Drank for Christmas Eve dinner alongside 08 Adams Bench Red Willow and 08 JB Neufeld Artz. This was group Wine of the Night by a 5-2 margin over the Red Willow. Still a gorgeous wine.
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11/20/2011 - MindMuse wrote: 98 Points
Took to my wine group dinner. Decanted 4 1/2 hours, (following it with occasional sips because it was impossible not to) then double decanted about three more hours.
Ruby, clear. Beautiful polished nose with expressive layers of violets, black raspberry, expresso, chocolate, raspberry liqueur, cedar. dusting of cocoa powder. Medium and lively body that echoes the nose. This delivered an amazing coherent depth and breadth of flavors robing the palate. It is sophisticated, not bombastic or opulent, but just arresting in its seamless complexity, long etched finish, and utter harmony.
My Wine of the Year.
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11/6/2011 - pdemaio wrote: 94 Points
Tasted at winery release weekend. Bottle needed to be decanted and would have been too young regardless. That said very nice savory, full round body. Nice mouth feel. Not a delicate wine, but the finish was long and smooth. Nose a bit tight, but should come out in a few years (as a real solid swirl did wonders here). Very much looking forward to opening one in a few years. PDQ93+
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11/4/2011 - gripNsip wrote: 94 Points
The cabernet shows through on the nose of cherry pie, cooked beef, blueberries and gravel road. Smells fresh as well as earthy. Complex nose. On the palate, wow. Intense but super gentle in it's approach, fresh black and red fruit, sweet bread, pipe tobacco, road tar. Perfect use of oak. The mid-palate length is substantial, even after it's swallowed the flavors sit on the tongue for another 20 seconds before evolving into a insanely long finish. The acidity here is balanced and the feel of the tannins are so refined. Silky, as someone else mentioned? Crazy. Drinking well now. This wine kicks ass. Changes in character the longer it is left open to air. My girlfriend has a VERY sensitive palate when it comes to reds, when I poured this for her blind she actually finished the glass, which doesn't happen often. While a big, fruity wine, this is able to pull off a feeling of elegance and balance that is quite remarkable. Amazing wine.
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8/4/2011 - silton wrote:
Tasted at the winery. Had an herbal touch on the nose followed by a full bodied, ripe, yet restrained palate with great lift. Long finish. Compared to DeLille's top Cabernet bottling (06 Ciel) tasted earlier on the trip, this wine was showing more on the nose and a little thicker on the mid-palate, perhaps due to some youthful compactness, but definitely a top-shelf Cab (actually a blend, 31% Merlot here) that was drinking surprisingly well.
This new producer has a stunning lineup btw... we are on the road for a few more days and had room for about 6 more bottles in the cooler when we arrived at Rasa. We left with 6 different wines. The lineup is that consistent and interesting. Alas, not any cheaper than good wine from California. 93-95.
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7/8/2011 - ChrisinCowiche wrote: 95 Points
Popped and poured. Over an hour this wine evolved with huge cassis, sweet cherry, and floral nose, medium mouthfeel, and fine precise silky tannins. The finish goes on for days. Delicious elegence and remarkable how drinkable this wine is now.
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