A solid wine that is drinking quite well at 12 years of age. It was ripe with sour cherry, but that did fade off somewhat with some time. Overall, this was very easy drinking and was definitely enjoyed.
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Still really good and packing a punch. Drank over 2 days and enjoyed it. Lots of structure, richness and spice. Finish maybe thinning a bit, but no sure.
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Just ok, soft, losing some structure, not much complexity, just an easy going red wine. Can't say I've like any of the Dunham I've had at this point. W/Ed R in Seattle.
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Thought this may be past prime, but it was drinking very well (and why I love magnums). Plum and blackberry fruit, some pepper and vanilla. Quite tasty! Drink now - 2017.
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Light on the fruit. Got smoked meat, chili pepper, black pepper, cocoa nibs - probably would have been even better a year ago, but still really good. Glad I drank it now and didn't try to hang on to it any longer.
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I've consumed this wine many times over the course of the past few years, and have always enjoyed it. But I believe this bottle is on its way down, as its beginning to lose a lot of its fruit and primary characteristics.
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Dark ruby, magenta with red currant, cherry nose. Tart cherries, medium bold fruit nicely balanced by a strong acid component, fresh and lively. Drinking very nicely now. My last bottle, agreed, Eric will be missed, he made some great affordable wines.
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Dark ruby with magenta rim, nose of cedar, pomegranates & red currants. Dry with tart chewy tannins, medium fruit and body, some stone fruit bitters, Santa Rosa plums. nice acid on the front to give life to the fruit which lingers on the palate. Very nice with the tartness balancing the fruit. Drinking very well now with eight years of age.
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Very surprisingly impressed. Even my wife, who is not a Syrah fan, found this to be a great bottle of wine! If you have some, drink up - it is drinking very well right now!
Outstanding example of top quality Washington state Syrah, at a great price. I have consumed almost 2 cases of this wine over the past 3 years, and it just keeps on getting better.
Beautiful bright fresh cherries and strawberries are intermixed with Madagascar vanilla. Lots of vanilla on the nose. The oak is very well integrated here. Not overripe in any sense of the fashion, as the fruit/alcohol balance is ideal.
Excellent example of quality QPR Syrah from a consistent producer.
Maturing nicely. Based on edginess of tannins this has several more years to reach its peak. 100 percent Syrah. Nice purity of fruit, earthiness, smokey notes and cedar.
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The wine is dark purple. It smells like candied apple – which is odd for a red wine – along with some dusty cherry, plum, mushroom and clove. It tastes like cherry, chocolate, blackberry, cassis, plum, espresso, soy sauce and black olive. Very fruity and kinda herbal and savoury. The body is medium/full with bright acidity, juicy tannins and a long finish. This is interesting stuff, and left people pondering it at the Christmas dinner tonight. It's drinking well now, but it's probably not at its peak for another year.
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Dark ruby, soft nose with cedar notes. Dry, light spicy, medium fruit. Cherry and loganberry with light tannins. Subtle wine with a good balance of acid, fruit and tannins for a smooth more old world style. Very nice mouthfeel.
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This bottle was pleasantly balanced and quite good. Fruit and spice abound, yet an earthiness comes through to mellow it. Cherries, black pepper, oak. This wine was even better a few hours after opening. Will definitely buy again.
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Medium plug on the nose and body, with very little not to like. Nice oak and spice top notes accentuate the fruit. lovely little wine that is more delicate than most WA Syrah. PDQ92+
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Tonight's bottle was so acidic as to border on unpleasant. Over time more and more fruit came out and eventually the wine seemed fairly balanced -- this really needs another year or two in the cellar, though I've been going through mine pretty quickly...one of those cases wehere it's hard to justify the cellar space for a wine that's never going to be all that great.
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Big wine, deep claret color, with lots of cherries, some subtle spices and some wood, oak? Maybe... Blackberries come more clear with taste and unoffensive tannins yet enough to provide a sparkle to the mouth, perhaps a little lacking in the finish. Quite good, but perhaps less than great. Wonder if it's still too young?
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Needs time and food. There is a nice nose of black pepper, blackberry, and cedar wood. The palate is acidic, slightly tannic and overall pleasing, but not by itself. It needs some time to work out the loose ends and at the very least, some good tomato or BBQ sauce or a steak. Give it another year or three and it'll be more appealing.
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This is so different from my first bottle that I'm wondering whether they put in the wrong wine. Unlike the previous bottle there's no blackberry flavor at all -- instead the dominant flavors are black cherry and a strong vanilla oak component. Not bad, but not at all what I expected. Perhaps it's a phase.
Pretty much agree with the other notes, except I got a very prominent sweet vanilla taste on the finish, I assume from the American oak. I found it detracted quite a bit from the wine.
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Dark, rich and flavorful, with a nice balance of berry, smoke, and earthy notes. Balance was good. Tannins are round and welcoming. Not sure about HS's 93 point rating, but this is a great QPR wine and should improve with cellar time.
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Decanted for 30 minutes. Dark purple color, a nice nose of fruit. Still a bit tight, perhaps some cellar time for my remaining inventory will allow it to balance out and mature. It certainly has future potential. Great QPR, especially as a wine club member.
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Nice suprise for the price, smooth and silky with decent structure to the wine - was a crowd favorite - I suspect this will earn its full rating after a year or 2 of cellaring.
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Nice, clean Syrah with medium body and tannins. Not sure where the WS came up with 93 points, but this is a nice everyday wine with no obvious flaws, but nothing to get too excited about either. Great QPR though, with bottles available now for around $20.
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Dark maroon color. Great savory nose showing red and black fruit with some olive brine. Full bodied with high acidity. Blackberry and raspberry fill the mid palate, and while this is a fruit forward wine, it is certainly bright and refreshing. Tannins are silky and approachable. Excellent finish.
I guess some bottle age pays off. The 2006 version of this wine was originally priced at $45, slashed to $20, and this 2007 is a new release, also at $20. This is one of the best qpr wines around right now. Hopefully between this, Kerloo and others, we are seeing a new direction in Washington Syrah.
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2/24/2021 - juneau bob wrote: 91 Points
Rugs is still chewy and flavorful.
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11/27/2019 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 89 Points
A solid wine that is drinking quite well at 12 years of age. It was ripe with sour cherry, but that did fade off somewhat with some time. Overall, this was very easy drinking and was definitely enjoyed.
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12/15/2018 - Castle Peak wrote: 92 Points
Still really good and packing a punch. Drank over 2 days and enjoyed it. Lots of structure, richness and spice. Finish maybe thinning a bit, but no sure.
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5/28/2018 - sdf Likes this wine: 89 Points
Really quite tasty.
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1/1/2018 - peternelson wrote: 87 Points
Just ok, soft, losing some structure, not much complexity, just an easy going red wine. Can't say I've like any of the Dunham I've had at this point. W/Ed R in Seattle.
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11/24/2016 - RPerro Likes this wine: 90 Points
Thought this may be past prime, but it was drinking very well (and why I love magnums). Plum and blackberry fruit, some pepper and vanilla. Quite tasty! Drink now - 2017.
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7/17/2016 - randyjc wrote: 88 Points
It just doesn't taste serious. Good flavors, nothing out of balance but it lacks gravitas.
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2/12/2016 - boogie96 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Light on the fruit. Got smoked meat, chili pepper, black pepper, cocoa nibs - probably would have been even better a year ago, but still really good. Glad I drank it now and didn't try to hang on to it any longer.
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1/23/2016 - BordeauxBuff Likes this wine: 91 Points
I've consumed this wine many times over the course of the past few years, and have always enjoyed it. But I believe this bottle is on its way down, as its beginning to lose a lot of its fruit and primary characteristics.
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12/20/2015 - dsgris Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby, magenta with red currant, cherry nose. Tart cherries, medium bold fruit nicely balanced by a strong acid component, fresh and lively. Drinking very nicely now. My last bottle, agreed, Eric will be missed, he made some great affordable wines.
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9/6/2015 - Fraleigh wrote: 97 Points
Delishious dark fruit wine with a smooth finish
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8/25/2015 - dsgris Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby with magenta rim, nose of cedar, pomegranates & red currants. Dry with tart chewy tannins, medium fruit and body, some stone fruit bitters, Santa Rosa plums. nice acid on the front to give life to the fruit which lingers on the palate. Very nice with the tartness balancing the fruit. Drinking very well now with eight years of age.
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7/4/2015 - RPerro Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needs decanting or aeration to deal with the heat. Once it has some air, awesome wine. Black and blue fruit, earth, and sweet vanilla on the finish.
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7/2/2015 - curtr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium bodied, soft wine.
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4/26/2015 - curtr Likes this wine: 89 Points
Fully resolved and balanced.
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5/22/2014 - devman wrote: flawed
Corked
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5/16/2014 - RJ&JJ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very surprisingly impressed. Even my wife, who is not a Syrah fan, found this to be a great bottle of wine! If you have some, drink up - it is drinking very well right now!
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2/16/2014 - sdf wrote: 85 Points
Pleasant but uninspired. Strong fruit without a great deal of structure or depth. Will let the other bottles sit a bit and perhaps improve.
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1/15/2014 - BordeauxBuff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding example of top quality Washington state Syrah, at a great price. I have consumed almost 2 cases of this wine over the past 3 years, and it just keeps on getting better.
Beautiful bright fresh cherries and strawberries are intermixed with Madagascar vanilla. Lots of vanilla on the nose. The oak is very well integrated here. Not overripe in any sense of the fashion, as the fruit/alcohol balance is ideal.
Excellent example of quality QPR Syrah from a consistent producer.
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10/27/2013 - Castle Peak wrote: 92 Points
Maturing nicely. Based on edginess of tannins this has several more years to reach its peak. 100 percent Syrah. Nice purity of fruit, earthiness, smokey notes and cedar.
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9/6/2013 - lolo66 wrote: 85 Points
A bit flabby. Fruit is good but no acidity to Give it balance
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5/31/2013 - loc4me wrote: 91 Points
Very well balanced
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3/19/2013 - Nbkat8 wrote: 89 Points
Blueberries and spice notes surround the slightly sweet taste. Very good but not the Super Star I was hoping for after all these years.
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3/16/2013 - topher2411 wrote: 90 Points
Less interesting than I remembered. Bright red fruit, good acidity and balance. Medium finish.
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1/22/2013 - Castle Peak wrote: 91 Points
Had last bottle in April. Getting better. Really nice balance and structure.
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12/26/2012 - Merrit Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine is dark purple. It smells like candied apple – which is odd for a red wine – along with some dusty cherry, plum, mushroom and clove. It tastes like cherry, chocolate, blackberry, cassis, plum, espresso, soy sauce and black olive. Very fruity and kinda herbal and savoury. The body is medium/full with bright acidity, juicy tannins and a long finish. This is interesting stuff, and left people pondering it at the Christmas dinner tonight. It's drinking well now, but it's probably not at its peak for another year.
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9/12/2012 - dsgris Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby, soft nose with cedar notes. Dry, light spicy, medium fruit. Cherry and loganberry with light tannins. Subtle wine with a good balance of acid, fruit and tannins for a smooth more old world style. Very nice mouthfeel.
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8/4/2012 - talnelso wrote: 90 Points
This bottle was pleasantly balanced and quite good. Fruit and spice abound, yet an earthiness comes through to mellow it. Cherries, black pepper, oak. This wine was even better a few hours after opening. Will definitely buy again.
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7/4/2012 - dkhale4 wrote: 92 Points
Super bottle, and an outstanding value. Smoky, earthy and velvet like finish.
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4/8/2012 - Castle Peak wrote: 90 Points
Opened 4 hours before drinking. Big, fruit forward Syrah.
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3/13/2012 - pdemaio wrote: 92 Points
Medium plug on the nose and body, with very little not to like. Nice oak and spice top notes accentuate the fruit. lovely little wine that is more delicate than most WA Syrah. PDQ92+
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2/12/2012 - mreinitz wrote:
Tonight's bottle was so acidic as to border on unpleasant. Over time more and more fruit came out and eventually the wine seemed fairly balanced -- this really needs another year or two in the cellar, though I've been going through mine pretty quickly...one of those cases wehere it's hard to justify the cellar space for a wine that's never going to be all that great.
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12/17/2011 - Musedir wrote: 89 Points
Big wine, deep claret color, with lots of cherries, some subtle spices and some wood, oak? Maybe... Blackberries come more clear with taste and unoffensive tannins yet enough to provide a sparkle to the mouth, perhaps a little lacking in the finish. Quite good, but perhaps less than great. Wonder if it's still too young?
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12/4/2011 - hankj wrote: 87 Points
Solid if run of mill WA State Syrah. Big but not out of control
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11/28/2011 - devman wrote:
Needs time and food. There is a nice nose of black pepper, blackberry, and cedar wood. The palate is acidic, slightly tannic and overall pleasing, but not by itself. It needs some time to work out the loose ends and at the very least, some good tomato or BBQ sauce or a steak. Give it another year or three and it'll be more appealing.
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11/21/2011 - rockguit wrote: 88 Points
Solid syrah, if a tad unremarkable. The oak got in the way a bit. Very good QPR.
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11/13/2011 - mreinitz wrote: 87 Points
This is so different from my first bottle that I'm wondering whether they put in the wrong wine. Unlike the previous bottle there's no blackberry flavor at all -- instead the dominant flavors are black cherry and a strong vanilla oak component. Not bad, but not at all what I expected. Perhaps it's a phase.
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11/8/2011 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Pretty much agree with the other notes, except I got a very prominent sweet vanilla taste on the finish, I assume from the American oak. I found it detracted quite a bit from the wine.
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11/3/2011 - Castle Peak wrote: 90 Points
Dark, rich and flavorful, with a nice balance of berry, smoke, and earthy notes. Balance was good. Tannins are round and welcoming. Not sure about HS's 93 point rating, but this is a great QPR wine and should improve with cellar time.
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10/27/2011 - spidersva Likes this wine: 90 Points
GREAT value in washington syrah - yummy, flavorful. Drink me.
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10/10/2011 - crimptacular wrote: 90 Points
Great wine...especially with the reduced price at WF.
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8/24/2011 - johnson5953 wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. Dark purple color, a nice nose of fruit. Still a bit tight, perhaps some cellar time for my remaining inventory will allow it to balance out and mature. It certainly has future potential. Great QPR, especially as a wine club member.
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8/17/2011 - enjoyvino wrote: 91 Points
Very nice drinking wine with much more complexity than the 06. Great QPR!
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8/15/2011 - Nbkat8 wrote: 92 Points
Nice suprise for the price, smooth and silky with decent structure to the wine - was a crowd favorite - I suspect this will earn its full rating after a year or 2 of cellaring.
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7/21/2011 - ewsds wrote: 89 Points
Nice, clean Syrah with medium body and tannins. Not sure where the WS came up with 93 points, but this is a nice everyday wine with no obvious flaws, but nothing to get too excited about either. Great QPR though, with bottles available now for around $20.
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7/2/2011 - Anthony Lombardi wrote:
Dark maroon color. Great savory nose showing red and black fruit with some olive brine. Full bodied with high acidity. Blackberry and raspberry fill the mid palate, and while this is a fruit forward wine, it is certainly bright and refreshing. Tannins are silky and approachable. Excellent finish.
I guess some bottle age pays off. The 2006 version of this wine was originally priced at $45, slashed to $20, and this 2007 is a new release, also at $20. This is one of the best qpr wines around right now. Hopefully between this, Kerloo and others, we are seeing a new direction in Washington Syrah.
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6/15/2011 - ethralls wrote: 88 Points
Hot on the nose, blackberries and herbs. Medium tannins on the mouthfeel and black pepper finish
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