Rich, somewhat plush, with good Cab Franc spice. Good fruit, but a slightly burnt character beginning to emerge. Enjoyable, but beginning to head toward the down side; may fall apart within the next year or so.
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Nice rounded, big-fruited Bordeaux blend. Good structure behind the fruit. Only missing mid-palate complexity? Solid, enjoyable red. Aged very nicely and worth the wait.
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Great wine, soft yet with a larger body than expected after reading the previous reviews. Drinking excellently right now. Unfortunately am writing this a couple weeks after drinking, so cannot give a more descriptive assessment.
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Sometimes the franc brings a feminine softness and roundness, sometimes it brings a "green" vegetal quality that is a bit off. A bit more of the latter in this bottle than I've noted previously.
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This wine is so distinctive - merlot and franc dominated, it's soft and round with ripe berry flavors. Drinking well right now. Maybe a little green from the franc at the open, but smoothed out over the course of the evening.
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Still showing nice tannins - I recommend some time in the decanter. Notable for its cab franc qualities - very soft. The word that best describes this wine for me is "feminine". Drinking well right now, and there's no rush - it'll go for several more years, in my opinion.
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WIML88,NOWA,NOWS Tasted October 8, 2005 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in Spiegelau Magnum glasses. Dark ruby to garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Smoky nose with some poultry seasoning and raspberry. What a combination! Flavors of raspberry, cherry and red licorice. Drink over the short term. Pass is my recommendation.
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Roy encouraged me to try this wine, so I purchased a bottle at Larry's for $22. I had been very disappointed in the majority of wines from Washington of late (except of course QC). Many of the newer wineries have produced wines with a palate of tart cherry that finished thin. I was therefor intrigued to try Lande Baer's effort.
Initial decanting expressed a nose of strong cola and blueberry. As I began to enjoy the glass, I was surprised at the mouth puckering tannins that nearly overwhelmed the fruit. Over the evening, the tannins did mellow, but did not totally fade. THe flavor was reminicent of a St Julian with the cedar finish that emerged as the night progressed. I would give the wine at least 2 years and see how it has come together. This is a great effort for a two year old winery--more Washington wines should have this approach, flavor and structure.
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Notes from memory. Had with dinner at the palace kitchen. Nice ruby color, very feminine, blueberry, cola, light spice with hints of plum. Med finish. Too much else going on to fairly score this, but it showed very well.
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STG. The nose of this wine was strange. It showed plenty of oak and cloves, but also had an artificial spice element that I could not place. This wine is bigger and more tannic than the 00. The palate is also a touch more complex. Unfortunately, I also found the same artificial element on the palate.
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WA wine dinner at Kaspars: Different fruit sources and composition than the 2000, but didn't get them written down. Very tight, needs a year or two to settle down. Bigger and richer than the 2000, again seems a touch hot on the finish to me, but this will be nice in a year two.
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11/3/2016 - aChave wrote: 88 Points
Rich, somewhat plush, with good Cab Franc spice. Good fruit, but a slightly burnt character beginning to emerge. Enjoyable, but beginning to head toward the down side; may fall apart within the next year or so.
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9/25/2015 - aChave wrote: 89 Points
Nice rounded, big-fruited Bordeaux blend. Good structure behind the fruit. Only missing mid-palate complexity? Solid, enjoyable red. Aged very nicely and worth the wait.
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10/21/2013 - ITasteYouDrink wrote: 89 Points
Great wine, soft yet with a larger body than expected after reading the previous reviews. Drinking excellently right now. Unfortunately am writing this a couple weeks after drinking, so cannot give a more descriptive assessment.
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9/15/2012 - FLI wrote: 87 Points
Franc dominates. More balanced than previous bottles. S liked it a lot.
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11/5/2011 - FLI wrote: 83 Points
Franc dominates, unfortunately with a lot of green vegetal flavors.
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3/2/2011 - FLI Likes this wine: 86 Points
Sometimes the franc brings a feminine softness and roundness, sometimes it brings a "green" vegetal quality that is a bit off. A bit more of the latter in this bottle than I've noted previously.
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7/21/2010 - FLI Likes this wine: 88 Points
This wine is so distinctive - merlot and franc dominated, it's soft and round with ripe berry flavors. Drinking well right now. Maybe a little green from the franc at the open, but smoothed out over the course of the evening.
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6/17/2009 - RogerO wrote: 85 Points
Should have drank it a bit sooner.
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5/4/2009 - FLI wrote: 90 Points
Still showing nice tannins - I recommend some time in the decanter. Notable for its cab franc qualities - very soft. The word that best describes this wine for me is "feminine". Drinking well right now, and there's no rush - it'll go for several more years, in my opinion.
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3/31/2006 - ScottG wrote: 87 Points
A little too much wood poking through.
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10/8/2005 - wineismylife wrote: 88 Points
WIML88,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted October 8, 2005 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in Spiegelau Magnum glasses. Dark ruby to garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Smoky nose with some poultry seasoning and raspberry. What a combination! Flavors of raspberry, cherry and red licorice. Drink over the short term. Pass is my recommendation.
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7/12/2004 - BradA wrote: 91 Points
Roy encouraged me to try this wine, so I purchased a bottle at Larry's for $22. I had been very disappointed in the majority of wines from Washington of late (except of course QC). Many of the newer wineries have produced wines with a palate of tart cherry that finished thin. I was therefor intrigued to try Lande Baer's effort.
Initial decanting expressed a nose of strong cola and blueberry. As I began to enjoy the glass, I was surprised at the mouth puckering tannins that nearly overwhelmed the fruit. Over the evening, the tannins did mellow, but did not totally fade. THe flavor was reminicent of a St Julian with the cedar finish that emerged as the night progressed. I would give the wine at least 2 years and see how it has come together. This is a great effort for a two year old winery--more Washington wines should have this approach, flavor and structure.
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7/11/2004 - ErikK wrote:
Primary fruit with a nice finish. Complexity seems lacking. Very young yet so no score.
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6/26/2004 - JasonD wrote:
Notes from memory. Had with dinner at the palace kitchen. Nice ruby color, very feminine, blueberry, cola, light spice with hints of plum. Med finish. Too much else going on to fairly score this, but it showed very well.
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4/16/2004 - Jason wrote: 88 Points
STG. The nose of this wine was strange. It showed plenty of oak and cloves, but also had an artificial spice element that I could not place. This wine is bigger and more tannic than the 00. The palate is also a touch more complex. Unfortunately, I also found the same artificial element on the palate.
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4/16/2004 - Eric wrote: 90 Points
Seattle Tasting Group Washington Wine Offline at Kaspar's (Seattle, WA, USA): 397 cases produced. Compared to the 2000 this is a bit more spicy and shows a bit more wood with a hint of maple syrup on the palate. This is very nicely balanced with no rough edges.
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4/16/2004 - ScottG wrote: 90 Points
WA wine dinner at Kaspars: Different fruit sources and composition than the 2000, but didn't get them written down. Very tight, needs a year or two to settle down. Bigger and richer than the 2000, again seems a touch hot on the finish to me, but this will be nice in a year two.
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