March Rhônes (Chicago, IL): Get to finally taste what is a glaring hole in my tasting experiences with Clape. Of course, this is the worst vintage in recent memory, so expectations were tempered. At the end of the day, this drinks like a Cotes-du-Rhone. It's on its last legs (which you would expect for a 20-year-old wine). Thin, but not weedy, this is just a wine that is truly a product of the vintage, and frankly I kind of respect it. Is it a great wine? No. But it was definitely worthy of attention all the same.
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I tasted this right after the 2001, which presented as much tawnier in the glass. Here we have a redder hue, still with medium legs. The palate still has so much elegant fruit structure (more than the '01) with redcurrant layered on the darker berry, a kick of balsamic or something tart. Fantastic. Decanted for about 1-2 hours.
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This was served to us blind and I could not smell or taste any indications of a Northern Rhone even after I knew what it was. It's a lovely, balanced, light-bodied red with a fine, complex finish but without the perfume, baconfat, smoky notes, etc. of a Northern Rhone, why bother? Very much fully mature and perhaps the Rhone notes have just faded away... At Chambers St, NYC.
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Dinner at Epure (cafe EPURE, Shop 403, inside Epure, Level 4, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong): A first experience with this wine for me. Totally fathomless black-red colour. A massive wave of black/red bramble but rich fruit hits you immediately on the nose. A floral perfume element emerges overlaying the more expected white pepper etc. Palate is immediately deep, profound plummy, but with a lot of unresolved tannic structure. I would have thought this a 2012 if drank blind. Amazing new experience, especially with dry- aged, Galician grass fed rib-eye steak. Needs another 10 years to fully unfurl. 92+ easy for now. Thanks, Jeremy!
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Nice bottle. Opened one hour before tasting. Nice cherry and balsamic tones on the nose. Red currant jam, cigar on the mouth, medium- long finish. Well done.
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Wine purchased at Kermit Lynch when released. Bottle in good shape and stored in cool cellar. Good cork and excellent ullage. Color was very nice and pretty rich given the vintage. Nose was lovely with an initial element of dry strawberry. Flavors contain dry strawberry along with licorice, among other things. Fruit flavors may have dropped of a bit to reveal med. tannins, but this is reasonable given that it is 14 years old vintage. OK, this is not a bold wine, but it worked perfectly with an oven roast chicken, potatoes, and gravy. Drink up.
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Dégusté a l'aveugle on sent un coté légèrement végétale, qui font pensé à la vendange entière. C'est dense, et ça danse dans le verre entre les fruits confits, et les notes de sous bois. Comme tous les 2002 c'est un Rhone atypique, mais merveilleux. La faiblesse de l'année donne une douceur a ce vin qui est très agréablée. L'épicé de la syrah se fait discret et la profondeur de ce grand vin reste intacte. Une très belle bouteille.
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red, orange, in color. blueberry, caramel, dark fruit, on the nose. oak, blackberry, spice, pepper, on the palate. medium acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
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Still quite deep bright red. Tarry syrah nose, understated blue-black fruit, touch meaty-smoky. Nice & juicy. Fairly delicate, but nicely balanced, still lively and very good for the vintage.
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Pleasant surprise here considering the vintage. Dark red, pretty nose with pure dark berries, raw meat, and some earthy funk. Palate is a little thin but has a good dose of pepper and licorice. Medium length finish with fine grain tannins and a really nice savory note. Drinks well now but has plenty of years left.
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Medium dark wine. Nice nose. Earthy, spicy complexity. A little tight after opening, but still very nice. The day after: Opened up a little, but lost a little of the spicyness. All in all downgraded from 91 to 90
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Bu il y a quelques mois, voici mes notes: Le vin a passé 2 heures en carafe, un léger dépot est noté. Bu avec un Bœuf Strogonoff!
L’œil : La robe est d’un rouge rubis dense et foncé.
Le nez : Le bouquet est assez intense. Des notes animales et végétales dominent, suivi de cassis et de poivre.
La bouche : En bouche, c’est ample, intense et assez costaud en ce moment! Des arômes de framboises, d’herbes avec une pointe de minéralité. Les tannins sont puissants mais pas agressants. La finale est de belle longueur et fort persistante. Malgré le millésime, ce vin tire son épingle du jeu, c'est même très bon!
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Beautiful dark wine with smell of raw meat and forest berries. Masculine and elegant at the same time. A touch of sweetness and for me, soft tannins. Ready to drink after decanting. Matched the filet of reindeer perfectly. Expect most Clape Cornas to need at least 10 years but this is very good now.
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Had the '04 about 6 months ago and this is quite a study in vintage contrast. While the '04 was bursting with sappy youthful enthusiasm, this already has autumnal overtones. There are meaty, dense forest floor flavors with what starts as nice plummy fruit but yields to a pronounced green element that was nowhere in evidence in the '04. Still a very well made wine with substantial stuffing, it seems to need food to help counter the overt and gum-coating leafy herbaceousness.
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Tasted with Renaissance, which showed better. That said, this is for the long haul. Tighter, little more wound up. Needs much time. For the extra dough also worth it as an ager.
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Decanted about 3 hours An earthy, roasted nose of black cherries and baking spices. Nice black pepper nose. Blueberry syrup. Dusty tannins that are well integrated. Blackberry juice and black pepper spice. Really long finish. I sense that this is plateauing. Haven't had it in about two years, and while it has aged well, I don't know if it will really get better.
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Just of the cork pull and its very tight. Put it into a decanter for 8 hours and it kept getting better and better. While I am not sure if it will ever put on more "fat" it certainly gained in volume and power.
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Very aromatic early in the night and then obscured by many other Syrahs (including one quite good 2003 Ojai Bien Nacido). Thought to be put out to pasture. But then, suddenly, it burst from the pack when the food was served. So much greater in combination with food (roasted chicken with ramps, roasted potatoes and sauce Archiduke) that I couldn't believe it. Forced to finish the bottle on purely scientific grounds I would highly reccomend it. With food that is.
Can't wait to have it with venison.
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Ruby red on the light side. Some good acid and fruits. Not too tannic, well integrated. Short aftertaste, faded fast. Not very complex, maybe the vintage. Don't think this will get any better with time. Think my 2004 og 205 wines will be much better, in 10 years time :)
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This was a whopping $12 from the Garagiste retail shelf, which seemed, um, well, a no brainer. Decanted for 2 hrs. Sleek aromatics of smoky blackberries and bacon fat. A mild perfume scent adds further complexity on the nose. Though 02 was a disaster for much of the Northern Rhone, I’ve read that Cornas was spared the worst of the flooding, and it shows here as this tastes like nothing that its dump off price would have suggested. Refined, feminine, and silky, this wine simply glides down the palate, with red fruit and black olives in perfect balance with the wines acid and tannins. By no means a blockbuster, but a very pleasant surprise in a very challenging vintage.
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Tanzer's note right on the money. Tightly knit blueberry, minerally nose; tight in mouth, dusty tannins, pepper, licorice, seems to hold hope for the future; but one does wonder. Wound up right now, will it release or fall apart?
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Tried at the winery last year (see TN). Had not had it since. Despite being impressed, I admit that I did not buy any at full price on its first pass through the market... When offered the '02 this week at a significant dicount (half the price of the '04), I bought some, and then opened one up right away to see if I wanted more (yes)... The nose is subtle, with elements of olive tapenade, smoked meat and dried, dark fruit. The nose is almost Bordeaux-like. On the palate, nicely resolved and integrated flavors of smoked meat / game, and dried / dark fruit. If I were served this and told it was, say, the '94 Clape Cornas, I know I would be very happy, so, in fact, I am very happy with the '02 - especially at the price I paid. Those of us who have a bunch of younger Clpae in the cellar can use a vintage like '02 to go to when the trigger finger starts itiching... This seems to have the balance to age well over the next 3-5+ years...
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Tasted at the domaine. Folowing the '04s and '03, this had a more expressive nose. Rather elegantly styled for Cornas. Earthy. Soft. Nice. 12.8% alcohol (compared to 14.5% in 2003). Pierre-Marie Clape commented that rain was not as much of an issue in Cornas in 2002, as it obviously was in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and that August '02 was cool and windy.
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Rich ruby color. Floral nose of sweet purple fruits, very light in style. More of the light style on the palate, but the near-medium body achieves some richness and there is ample fruit. Interesting and expressive, this wine packs the punch of Cornas into a light style and manages to achieve balance. 50+5+12+16+8=91
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3/12/2023 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
March Rhônes (Chicago, IL): Get to finally taste what is a glaring hole in my tasting experiences with Clape. Of course, this is the worst vintage in recent memory, so expectations were tempered. At the end of the day, this drinks like a Cotes-du-Rhone. It's on its last legs (which you would expect for a 20-year-old wine). Thin, but not weedy, this is just a wine that is truly a product of the vintage, and frankly I kind of respect it. Is it a great wine? No. But it was definitely worthy of attention all the same.
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11/25/2022 - peolsf wrote: 91 Points
I tasted this right after the 2001, which presented as much tawnier in the glass. Here we have a redder hue, still with medium legs. The palate still has so much elegant fruit structure (more than the '01) with redcurrant layered on the darker berry, a kick of balsamic or something tart. Fantastic. Decanted for about 1-2 hours.
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7/29/2022 - dream wrote: 88 Points
This was served to us blind and I could not smell or taste any indications of a Northern Rhone even after I knew what it was. It's a lovely, balanced, light-bodied red with a fine, complex finish but without the perfume, baconfat, smoky notes, etc. of a Northern Rhone, why bother? Very much fully mature and perhaps the Rhone notes have just faded away...
At Chambers St, NYC.
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5/19/2022 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dinner at Epure (cafe EPURE, Shop 403, inside Epure, Level 4, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong): A first experience with this wine for me. Totally fathomless black-red colour. A massive wave of black/red bramble but rich fruit hits you immediately on the nose. A floral perfume element emerges overlaying the more expected white pepper etc. Palate is immediately deep, profound plummy, but with a lot of unresolved tannic structure. I would have thought this a 2012 if drank blind. Amazing new experience, especially with dry- aged, Galician grass fed rib-eye steak. Needs another 10 years to fully unfurl. 92+ easy for now. Thanks, Jeremy!
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12/4/2017 - Jaber wrote: 90 Points
Nice bottle. Opened one hour before tasting. Nice cherry and balsamic tones on the nose. Red currant jam, cigar on the mouth, medium- long finish. Well done.
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3/6/2017 - ovenmitt wrote: 93 Points
This was almost Burgundian... lighter in style. Still with nice pepper notes and leather notes. Wish I had more.
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5/26/2016 - John Dunlap Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wine purchased at Kermit Lynch when released. Bottle in good shape and stored in cool cellar. Good cork and excellent ullage. Color was very nice and pretty rich given the vintage. Nose was lovely with an initial element of dry strawberry. Flavors contain dry strawberry along with licorice, among other things. Fruit flavors may have dropped of a bit to reveal med. tannins, but this is reasonable given that it is 14 years old vintage. OK, this is not a bold wine, but it worked perfectly with an oven roast chicken, potatoes, and gravy. Drink up.
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1/10/2016 - TheFrog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dégusté a l'aveugle on sent un coté légèrement végétale, qui font pensé à la vendange entière. C'est dense, et ça danse dans le verre entre les fruits confits, et les notes de sous bois.
Comme tous les 2002 c'est un Rhone atypique, mais merveilleux. La faiblesse de l'année donne une douceur a ce vin qui est très agréablée. L'épicé de la syrah se fait discret et la profondeur de ce grand vin reste intacte. Une très belle bouteille.
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3/21/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 87 Points
red, orange, in color. blueberry, caramel, dark fruit, on the nose. oak, blackberry, spice, pepper, on the palate. medium acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
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1/13/2013 - latimer Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still quite deep bright red. Tarry syrah nose, understated blue-black fruit, touch meaty-smoky. Nice & juicy. Fairly delicate, but nicely balanced, still lively and very good for the vintage.
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10/3/2012 - svpandae Likes this wine: 91 Points
Similar to the 2000. Drinking well.
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4/18/2012 - ron m wrote:
Pleasant surprise here considering the vintage. Dark red, pretty nose with pure dark berries, raw meat, and some earthy funk. Palate is a little thin but has a good dose of pepper and licorice. Medium length finish with fine grain tannins and a really nice savory note. Drinks well now but has plenty of years left.
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4/8/2011 - pmik wrote: 90 Points
Medium dark wine. Nice nose. Earthy, spicy complexity. A little tight after opening, but still very nice. The day after: Opened up a little, but lost a little of the spicyness. All in all downgraded from 91 to 90
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1/28/2011 - maxima wrote: 91 Points
Bu il y a quelques mois, voici mes notes:
Le vin a passé 2 heures en carafe, un léger dépot est noté.
Bu avec un Bœuf Strogonoff!
L’œil : La robe est d’un rouge rubis dense et foncé.
Le nez : Le bouquet est assez intense.
Des notes animales et végétales dominent, suivi de cassis et de poivre.
La bouche : En bouche, c’est ample, intense et assez costaud en ce moment! Des arômes de framboises, d’herbes avec une pointe de minéralité. Les tannins sont puissants mais pas agressants. La finale est de belle longueur et fort persistante.
Malgré le millésime, ce vin tire son épingle du jeu, c'est même très bon!
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12/12/2010 - bosto wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful dark wine with smell of raw meat and forest berries. Masculine and elegant at the same time. A touch of sweetness and for me, soft tannins. Ready to drink after decanting. Matched the filet of reindeer perfectly. Expect most Clape Cornas to need at least 10 years but this is very good now.
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10/16/2010 - bevetroppo wrote: 88 Points
Had the '04 about 6 months ago and this is quite a study in vintage contrast. While the '04 was bursting with sappy youthful enthusiasm, this already has autumnal overtones. There are meaty, dense forest floor flavors with what starts as nice plummy fruit but yields to a pronounced green element that was nowhere in evidence in the '04. Still a very well made wine with substantial stuffing, it seems to need food to help counter the overt and gum-coating leafy herbaceousness.
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12/28/2009 - milwaukeewino wrote:
Tasted with Renaissance, which showed better. That said, this is for the long haul. Tighter, little more wound up. Needs much time.
For the extra dough also worth it as an ager.
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12/23/2009 - Beavis77 wrote:
Decanted about 3 hours
An earthy, roasted nose of black cherries and baking spices. Nice black pepper nose. Blueberry syrup.
Dusty tannins that are well integrated. Blackberry juice and black pepper spice. Really long finish.
I sense that this is plateauing. Haven't had it in about two years, and while it has aged well, I don't know if it will really get better.
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12/23/2009 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Just of the cork pull and its very tight. Put it into a decanter for 8 hours and it kept getting better and better. While I am not sure if it will ever put on more "fat" it certainly gained in volume and power.
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5/15/2009 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Very aromatic early in the night and then obscured by many other Syrahs (including one quite good 2003 Ojai Bien Nacido). Thought to be put out to pasture. But then, suddenly, it burst from the pack when the food was served. So much greater in combination with food (roasted chicken with ramps, roasted potatoes and sauce Archiduke) that I couldn't believe it. Forced to finish the bottle on purely scientific grounds I would highly reccomend it. With food that is.
Can't wait to have it with venison.
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5/14/2009 - danstrings wrote: 87 Points
Northern Rhone Visit, May 2009; 5/14/2009-5/17/2009 (Condrieu, Ampuis, Cornas, Tain -- France): Tasted at the Domaine with Pierre-Marie Clape himself. After explosive '08 barrel samples and nice '07 and '06 bottle samples, the '02 was kinda outclassed. Much more vegetal and thin next to those others, but still with some earthy dusty chocolate on the palate. Hmmm...
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4/3/2009 - Stickan wrote: 88 Points
Ruby red on the light side. Some good acid and fruits. Not too tannic, well integrated. Short aftertaste, faded fast. Not very complex, maybe the vintage. Don't think this will get any better with time. Think my 2004 og 205 wines will be much better, in 10 years time :)
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1/8/2008 - Alex G. wrote:
Surprisingly good for 2002 Rhone. Not profound, short finish, but open for business -- lots of fruit, not tannic, easy drinking. Drink this now.
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12/31/2007 - Dale M wrote: 88 Points
This was a whopping $12 from the Garagiste retail shelf, which seemed, um, well, a no brainer. Decanted for 2 hrs. Sleek aromatics of smoky blackberries and bacon fat. A mild perfume scent adds further complexity on the nose. Though 02 was a disaster for much of the Northern Rhone, I’ve read that Cornas was spared the worst of the flooding, and it shows here as this tastes like nothing that its dump off price would have suggested. Refined, feminine, and silky, this wine simply glides down the palate, with red fruit and black olives in perfect balance with the wines acid and tannins. By no means a blockbuster, but a very pleasant surprise in a very challenging vintage.
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10/12/2007 - Brad L wrote:
Tanzer's note right on the money. Tightly knit blueberry, minerally nose; tight in mouth, dusty tannins, pepper, licorice, seems to hold hope for the future; but one does wonder. Wound up right now, will it release or fall apart?
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9/21/2007 - mmager wrote:
WineKatz - Thurs Night at Mike & Jen's; 9/20/2007-9/21/2007 (West Seattle, WA): WineKatz tasting -- Main Flight wine
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1/18/2007 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Tried at the winery last year (see TN). Had not had it since. Despite being impressed, I admit that I did not buy any at full price on its first pass through the market... When offered the '02 this week at a significant dicount (half the price of the '04), I bought some, and then opened one up right away to see if I wanted more (yes)... The nose is subtle, with elements of olive tapenade, smoked meat and dried, dark fruit. The nose is almost Bordeaux-like. On the palate, nicely resolved and integrated flavors of smoked meat / game, and dried / dark fruit. If I were served this and told it was, say, the '94 Clape Cornas, I know I would be very happy, so, in fact, I am very happy with the '02 - especially at the price I paid. Those of us who have a bunch of younger Clpae in the cellar can use a vintage like '02 to go to when the trigger finger starts itiching... This seems to have the balance to age well over the next 3-5+ years...
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6/19/2006 - Siggy wrote:
France Trip Part 2 - Northern Rhône; 6/18/2006-6/20/2006: Tasted at the domaine w/ Pierre-Marie Clape. Not as concentrated as the other vintages. Spearmint and red fruit; medium body. Elegant.
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6/19/2006 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Tasted at the domaine. Folowing the '04s and '03, this had a more expressive nose. Rather elegantly styled for Cornas. Earthy. Soft. Nice. 12.8% alcohol (compared to 14.5% in 2003). Pierre-Marie Clape commented that rain was not as much of an issue in Cornas in 2002, as it obviously was in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and that August '02 was cool and windy.
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3/4/2006 - HH wrote:
last Naipes bottle of the night and worth the wait
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2/23/2006 - HH wrote:
great bottle...not overpowering but full of that Cornas syrah character
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2/14/2006 - burningstarIV wrote: 91 Points
Rich ruby color. Floral nose of sweet purple fruits, very light in style. More of the light style on the palate, but the near-medium body achieves some richness and there is ample fruit. Interesting and expressive, this wine packs the punch of Cornas into a light style and manages to achieve balance. 50+5+12+16+8=91
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