Surprised to pop this open and drinking perfect. Sitting back in a forgotten corner of the cellar, opened this as a "what do we have to lose?" bottle. Still a vibrant ruby red, well integrated oak, mild sweetness. Very quaffable weekday red at this point. Don't see anything better developing after this point, drink now.
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This has a great QPR and is widely available at restaurants when you do not want to pay ridiculous prices. Dark eggplant color. Enticing bouquet of blackberry, oak, anise and leather. A smooth front palate filled with oaked black fruit and finishing with a tasty sour cherry note. Medium acidity and silky tannins. This is fairly consistent each year and is as good as most sub $25 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. Not overly complex and therefore a good food wine paired well with a ribeye or filet with a red wine reduction sauce.
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13.5% alcohol. This is a genuine surprise. Crimson color. Forward nose of black fruit, with a dusty quality to it, and light spice/earth notes. In the mouth, this is very attractive: restrained but forward fruit, good acidity, fine-knit tannins. This isn't complicated but, for the price, it's fantastic. B+
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Open tasted near the end of the evening , had little recollection due to the pervious several bottles. Still had a little less than 1/2 bottle left on the 2nd night. 2nd night, quite concentrated, very rich huge dark fruit , loads of charded oak, not as complex as the top notched Napa cabs still quite well made and still has several years of life ahead on this baby.
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Blackberry, licorice, wild berries, cedar and a good dose of American oak. Not bad and pretty consistent for such a commercial Napa cab as I have tasted many of these over the years.
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Just another lower priced Napa Cab....absofrickenlutely delicious!!!!!
Not a big/bold as the higher priced Napa cabs, but then again, I didn't pay that much for it. Compared other recent cabs I've enjoyed, it had a touch more fruit/berry up front, but nothing that took away from the overall flavor. Wasn't heavy on the tongue, good tannins and structure. So very drinkable after a short decanting.
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A light bodied cab tasting of berries, tobacco and leather. Soft dry tannins with a medium finish. If you're looking for a bold complex cab, this isn't it. Drink now. Good QPR at $20.
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This got better with a little air but I found it slightly thin with more cedar than I would normally like. Still, well balanced and would be a good pairing for veal, I think.
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Solid 90+ pts. Dried herbs, black cherry, plum and a dusting of oak on the nose. Nice full mounthfeel with gentle/bold tannins; longer finish with a green pepper taste.
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medium viscosity to this dark ruby red colored wine that is clear showing medium concentration and day bright reflections. After decant the nose presents with earth, herbs and tobacco. The currant, cherry, and blackberry notes are more subdued. Aromas linger with bramble and pepper notes. The palate has a soft, full texture. The lean fruit flavors of cherry, plum and currant give way to thyme and rosemary flavors with wood and earth. The finish is medium minus in both intensity and length. Medium body with soft tannins and medium acidity. The wine leaves you wishing it just had a little more of the pieces... Drink Now
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Black cherry and green woods with a floral nose. A little too bouncy in the mouth. Tannins are fair, with a bit of lingering chalk. Definitely improved with several hours to breathe.
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Nose of ripe cassis withhints of candied cherry and currant. Some very slight eucalyptus and sweet oak vanilla. On the palate, it's rich and dry. Ripe cassis, currant, black plum and black cherry with some light cocoa and oak spice. Good acid balance to this so it should age and progress nicely with a few more years' aging. I think Franciscan always delivers a solid moderately priced, good value Napa cab.
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This wine reminds me of many of the Napa cabs of the late 70's: fresh fruit (cherries and dark berries), lively acidity and mineral undercurrent, eucalyptus and mint, a wash of tannins and a nice clean finish. A really refreshing, medium-body "drink now" wine, and one that will pair with a sandwich or pizza.
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Elegant and nicely put together. Fruity nose, with blackcurrants, plums and blackberries; good acidity, pure, clean black and purple fruit flavors, with vanilla notes; lovely midpalate, with firm, dry well-integrated tannins building through a decent finish, ending with black cherries and cranberries. With the acidity, it went very well with pizza.
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Nose opened up after a few hrs in the decanter. Soft cherry & strawberry undertones on the nose. Not complex but rather a softer simpler cab. The finish was longer than anticipated & the tannins dissipated quickly. For the price not bad but not much worth noting.
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Delicious cabernet! Really well made, big fruit, nice tannic backbone, good structure. I've gone back to this bottle several times as it is wonderful QPR; hard to find a nice classic Napa cab profile at this price point. The 2008 is delicious as well, I like the '09 slightly better though.
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Reddish purple in color with a big nose of red fruit and green pepper. The palette is pretty well-balanced with a rich fruity core accentuated with notes of wet loam, leather, and oak. This medium weight Napa Cab is fairly straightforward full of simple fruity goodness. Not a bad tasting wine but not spectacular in terms of structure and complexity.
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Sturdy and concentrated, this Napa Cab was loaded with black cherry and tobacco leaf, with a lesser degree of dried herbs and menthol. Slight to moderate oak presence, with sweet spice and toasted oak flavors. Acid and alcohol were well-integrated. Slightly rough tannins on the back palate. Great value.
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Fantastic cab notes (berry and leathery) for this young vintage. Strong smooth tannins that will keep this wine healthy for and integrating for 8 to 12 years. A good quaff now, will be excellent in 6 years
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I found this bottle closed, tight and harsh. There was a bit of dark fruit on the nose. But on tasting it was a small burst of fruit followed by a tannic attack that overwhelmed everything else this may have had to offer.. After an hour the tannins were still overwhelming. It was acting like a bottle that had simply not opened up or was meant for aging but that's not what I expected from a Franciscan Estates Cab (many other Cab's yes..). Perhaps I had an off bottle as others here seemed to have had a different experience entirely.
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Inky red color with a nice fruity nose. Full body and nice tannin structure, but Kind of one dimensional acidic dark fruit character even after several hours after opening. It paired well with a grilled rib eye steak, but it had a slight metallic aftertaste that I didn't really enjoy.
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Drank at the Embers restaurant in Cincinnati. Medium bodied cabernet with a medium to short finish. Smooth rounded tanins. Nice jammy black fruit flavors - blackberry and cherry. Aroma of black fruits, pepper, leather and vanilla. A good winenot great. Almost certainly in its prime drinking window. I wouldn't let this age much longer. 87
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A nice cab that has strong cherry on the nose with a palette of blackberry or cherry's and coffee. Real weakness is not much complexity but if you can excuse that a very nice wine indeed
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Decent, but not on par with 2008. Doesn't come together, even after several hours of decanting. It does have the potential for improvement within the next 1-2 years.
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10/8/2017 - ericshaun Likes this wine: 90 Points
Surprised to pop this open and drinking perfect. Sitting back in a forgotten corner of the cellar, opened this as a "what do we have to lose?" bottle. Still a vibrant ruby red, well integrated oak, mild sweetness. Very quaffable weekday red at this point. Don't see anything better developing after this point, drink now.
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1/22/2017 - uncletom62 wrote: 90 Points
This is really nice. Nice dark fruit with a little.spice. medium Long finish. We really enjoyed it.
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8/22/2015 - Lazlo Toth Likes this wine: 89 Points
This has a great QPR and is widely available at restaurants when you do not want to pay ridiculous prices. Dark eggplant color. Enticing bouquet of blackberry, oak, anise and leather. A smooth front palate filled with oaked black fruit and finishing with a tasty sour cherry note. Medium acidity and silky tannins. This is fairly consistent each year and is as good as most sub $25 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. Not overly complex and therefore a good food wine paired well with a ribeye or filet with a red wine reduction sauce.
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7/28/2015 - gutt22 Likes this wine:
13.5% alcohol. This is a genuine surprise. Crimson color. Forward nose of black fruit, with a dusty quality to it, and light spice/earth notes. In the mouth, this is very attractive: restrained but forward fruit, good acidity, fine-knit tannins. This isn't complicated but, for the price, it's fantastic. B+
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6/7/2015 - wineshaman wrote: 89 Points
Open tasted near the end of the evening , had little recollection due to the pervious several bottles. Still had a little less than 1/2 bottle left on the 2nd night. 2nd night, quite concentrated, very rich huge dark fruit , loads of charded oak, not as complex as the top notched Napa cabs still quite well made and still has several years of life ahead on this baby.
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7/25/2014 - wineshaman wrote: 88 Points
Blackberry, licorice, wild berries, cedar and a good dose of American oak. Not bad and pretty consistent for such a commercial Napa cab as I have tasted many of these over the years.
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7/12/2014 - TonyHamlin Likes this wine: 89 Points
Just another lower priced Napa Cab....absofrickenlutely delicious!!!!!
Not a big/bold as the higher priced Napa cabs, but then again, I didn't pay that much for it. Compared other recent cabs I've enjoyed, it had a touch more fruit/berry up front, but nothing that took away from the overall flavor. Wasn't heavy on the tongue, good tannins and structure. So very drinkable after a short decanting.
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5/2/2014 - MiCellar wrote: 63 Points
Perhaps the bottle was corked. Totally undrinkable.
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4/18/2014 - mark m Likes this wine: 87 Points
a little too light bodied for a cab to me but enjoyable.
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4/3/2014 - wabi47 wrote: 86 Points
medium body; good structure/minerality/acidity, but light on the fruit which has faded by mid palate. Reasonable as a lighter style wine.
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3/2/2014 - tominasia Likes this wine: 87 Points
A light bodied cab tasting of berries, tobacco and leather. Soft dry tannins with a medium finish. If you're looking for a bold complex cab, this isn't it. Drink now. Good QPR at $20.
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9/25/2013 - The Raven wrote: 88 Points
Nice body and easy to drink. Nothing fancy.
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4/26/2013 - ddgd Likes this wine: 88 Points
A little thin in taste and finish. Medium bodied and less than expected.
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3/21/2013 - Pufferfish22 wrote:
Everything overpriced and not special - all cabernets were unmemorable and not worth the prices.
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3/19/2013 - Kesslerc14 wrote: 85 Points
Cedar, currant, and moderate tannins. Went well with the strip at the restaurant
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2/13/2013 - CultCabKing wrote: 82 Points
This got better with a little air but I found it slightly thin with more cedar than I would normally like. Still, well balanced and would be a good pairing for veal, I think.
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1/30/2013 - JPLogan wrote: 90 Points
Real good tonight
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1/18/2013 - shawnfahy wrote:
Good but a little dry
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1/17/2013 - JPLogan wrote: 91 Points
Best Franciscan I have ever had... Must have been a good match with my palate for tonight. Either way it is a strong showing.
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1/17/2013 - Serge wrote: 90 Points
fruit-forward and tannic at the same time.
might be possible to age 5 years or so.
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1/5/2013 - Maznoc wrote: 88 Points
Ready now; enjoyable. A bit thin, and not complex - but good for the price.
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1/1/2013 - Roostovino Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solid 90+ pts. Dried herbs, black cherry, plum and a dusting of oak on the nose. Nice full mounthfeel with gentle/bold tannins; longer finish with a green pepper taste.
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12/30/2012 - bjamesclark wrote: 85 Points
medium viscosity to this dark ruby red colored wine that is clear showing medium concentration and day bright reflections.
After decant the nose presents with earth, herbs and tobacco. The currant, cherry, and blackberry notes are more subdued. Aromas linger with bramble and pepper notes.
The palate has a soft, full texture. The lean fruit flavors of cherry, plum and currant give way to thyme and rosemary flavors with wood and earth. The finish is medium minus in both intensity and length. Medium body with soft tannins and medium acidity.
The wine leaves you wishing it just had a little more of the pieces...
Drink Now
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12/27/2012 - zeph87 wrote: 85 Points
Black cherry and green woods with a floral nose. A little too bouncy in the mouth. Tannins are fair, with a bit of lingering chalk. Definitely improved with several hours to breathe.
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12/26/2012 - vegasoenophile Likes this wine: 86 Points
Nose of ripe cassis withhints of candied cherry and currant. Some very slight eucalyptus and sweet oak vanilla. On the palate, it's rich and dry. Ripe cassis, currant, black plum and black cherry with some light cocoa and oak spice. Good acid balance to this so it should age and progress nicely with a few more years' aging. I think Franciscan always delivers a solid moderately priced, good value Napa cab.
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12/26/2012 - homerfan33 wrote: 87 Points
Not a great wine, but drinkable enough. About average for this price point.
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12/8/2012 - nick.dean wrote: 85 Points
This 2009 does not match up. To. 2008 & 2007.
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11/30/2012 - guthriescott wrote: 96 Points
Great wine with long legs. Smooth tannins. Had it with a great ribeye and lobster tail.
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11/19/2012 - bobpsi wrote: 89 Points
Similar to previous notes.
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11/18/2012 - rhfactor wrote: 88 Points
Solid drinking wine as always. Not great but good
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11/10/2012 - oldbbplayer wrote: 88 Points
Smooth, limited tannins, tastes of black cherry, and plum, hints of mushroom.
Excellent with dark chocolate and aged cheeses
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10/26/2012 - lifebreath wrote: 89 Points
This wine reminds me of many of the Napa cabs of the late 70's: fresh fruit (cherries and dark berries), lively acidity and mineral undercurrent, eucalyptus and mint, a wash of tannins and a nice clean finish. A really refreshing, medium-body "drink now" wine, and one that will pair with a sandwich or pizza.
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10/25/2012 - wahoo70 wrote: 87 Points
Elegant and nicely put together. Fruity nose, with blackcurrants, plums and blackberries; good acidity, pure, clean black and purple fruit flavors, with vanilla notes; lovely midpalate, with firm, dry well-integrated tannins building through a decent finish, ending with black cherries and cranberries. With the acidity, it went very well with pizza.
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10/5/2012 - LutraMage wrote: 85 Points
Gentle fruity taste. Great wine without food. Lacking in length. Would not work with strong or spicy foods.
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10/5/2012 - JDV.DDSPHD wrote: 86 Points
Nose opened up after a few hrs in the decanter. Soft cherry & strawberry undertones on the nose. Not complex but rather a softer simpler cab. The finish was longer than anticipated & the tannins dissipated quickly. For the price not bad but not much worth noting.
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10/1/2012 - OTTnMIA wrote: 89 Points
Delicious cabernet! Really well made, big fruit, nice tannic backbone, good structure. I've gone back to this bottle several times as it is wonderful QPR; hard to find a nice classic Napa cab profile at this price point. The 2008 is delicious as well, I like the '09 slightly better though.
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9/16/2012 - jersyko wrote: 87 Points
It's simply not ready yet. It opened up a tad with time to breathe. I would try it again in perhaps 2 years.
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8/18/2012 - maslates wrote: 90 Points
Very good wine. Hints of cherry. The only fault is a lack of complexity. Will definitely buy again. Loved it.
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8/10/2012 - Praxis wrote: 89 Points
Reddish purple in color with a big nose of red fruit and green pepper. The palette is pretty well-balanced with a rich fruity core accentuated with notes of wet loam, leather, and oak. This medium weight Napa Cab is fairly straightforward full of simple fruity goodness. Not a bad tasting wine but not spectacular in terms of structure and complexity.
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8/4/2012 - kingboo wrote: 89 Points
Will never be a 90, but solidly in the upper 80's.
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7/30/2012 - nawebb wrote: 90 Points
Sturdy and concentrated, this Napa Cab was loaded with black cherry and tobacco leaf, with a lesser degree of dried herbs and menthol. Slight to moderate oak presence, with sweet spice and toasted oak flavors. Acid and alcohol were well-integrated. Slightly rough tannins on the back palate. Great value.
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7/20/2012 - pbarnet wrote: 90 Points
Fantastic cab notes (berry and leathery) for this young vintage. Strong smooth tannins that will keep this wine healthy for and integrating for 8 to 12 years. A good quaff now, will be excellent in 6 years
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6/30/2012 - talnelso wrote: 74 Points
Decent wine for the money, but too light for a Cabernet. Very short finish.
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6/23/2012 - WinePT wrote: 88 Points
Tasting at the Kuppali's: Light vanilla, oak, red fruit. Moderate tannins.
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5/16/2012 - DanTheRhoneFan wrote: 83 Points
I found this bottle closed, tight and harsh. There was a bit of dark fruit on the nose. But on tasting it was a small burst of fruit followed by a tannic attack that overwhelmed everything else this may have had to offer.. After an hour the tannins were still overwhelming. It was acting like a bottle that had simply not opened up or was meant for aging but that's not what I expected from a Franciscan Estates Cab (many other Cab's yes..). Perhaps I had an off bottle as others here seemed to have had a different experience entirely.
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5/12/2012 - strugs wrote: 87 Points
Inky red color with a nice fruity nose. Full body and nice tannin structure, but Kind of one dimensional acidic dark fruit character even after several hours after opening. It paired well with a grilled rib eye steak, but it had a slight metallic aftertaste that I didn't really enjoy.
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5/7/2012 - bobpsi wrote: 89 Points
Similar to previous notes.
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5/1/2012 - csnyder612 wrote: 87 Points
Drank at the Embers restaurant in Cincinnati. Medium bodied cabernet with a medium to short finish. Smooth rounded tanins. Nice jammy black fruit flavors - blackberry and cherry. Aroma of black fruits, pepper, leather and vanilla. A good winenot great. Almost certainly in its prime drinking window. I wouldn't let this age much longer. 87
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4/20/2012 - Moneill wrote: 90 Points
Plum and pepper smell- smooth taste
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4/7/2012 - ArlenP wrote: 90 Points
A nice cab that has strong cherry on the nose with a palette of blackberry or cherry's and coffee. Real weakness is not much complexity but if you can excuse that a very nice wine indeed
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3/12/2012 - bobpsi wrote: 89 Points
Expressive nose of black currants, plums, cocoa and herbs. Medium plus body of currants, blackberry, and mocha. Medium plus finish.
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3/10/2012 - wbaccus wrote: 89 Points
Well balanced. Dark berries. Raspberry.
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3/4/2012 - Hamilton1 wrote: 88 Points
Decent, but not on par with 2008. Doesn't come together, even after several hours of decanting. It does have the potential for improvement within the next 1-2 years.
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2/26/2012 - Tboude wrote: 96 Points
Did not give Sandy a headache.
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