Decanted an hour and it helped. Opens with blackberry, cassis, plum, graphite, anise and spice. Full bodied with layers of flavor. Black fruit, graphite, leather, anise, spice and earth on the palate. Perfect balance. Long silky smooth finish. My last bottle, but should hold at least another 5 years.
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Decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, currant, plum, graphite, anise and spice. Black fruit, graphite, leather, black licorice and baking spice on the palate. Very long, dry finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with grilled strip steaks and a red wine mushroom sauce.
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2hr decant. Light on the fruit. More old man leather, tobacco vibes. We felt this was a little fizzled out and past it’s window. Just coming back from Cairo, this reminded me of the Egyptian Museum…dusty. On the upside it had nice balance on the acidity and tannis. I regret that we didn’t open this sooner. 91
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My only bottle of this vintage. This was absolutely delicious. Great RM Calistoga cabernet with a great profile of red fruit. An exceptional bottle from the nose to the mid palate to the finish. Creme de cassis and chocolate notes make it extra special on the finish. Wish I had more bottles lingering around.
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This wine is in a great place right now. I suggest a decant — both because it takes time to open up and there is a decent amount of sediment. Best showing yet for the 2012 Calistoga, but it’s unfortunately my last bottle.
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So much better than I remembered the previous bottle. Lots of residua solids in the bottle, but careful decanting avoided most of them. Rich fruit and powerful fragrant nose in every glass. Mouth filling and pure. Great effort. Drank over two days with similar impressions.
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Popped and poured. Nose of black cherry, currant, chocolate and spice. Chocolate covered tart cherries, graphite, spice and velvety tannins on the palate. Finishes with good length. Full bodied. Served with pork stew.
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Pop and poured and followed for several hours. Initial pour was bright and layered, tightened up a bit over the next few hours, and then loosened up again a few hours later. Black cherry, red cherry, black raspberry, cassis, smoke, graphite, earth, and spice on the nose. Tart cherry, red and black cherry, plum, herbs, earth on the palate. Lively acidity, integrated fine tannins, long finish. Delicious. This is definitely a brighter style RM cab, but it's still complex, delicious, and maybe more food friendly than usual.
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A killer cab that is drinking great right now with an hour decant. We love TRBs wine and this is one of the best ones we have consumed in recent memory. Loved it.
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I’m a big R-M fan so I was surprised on night one - way denser/ bigger than expected and with a flavor - after lots of air time - not pleasing, so I opened a different cab from another producer. Night 2 - the offensive flavor (which my palate isn’t sophisticated enough to identify) was gone and the Calistoga was drinkable but not memorable. The bottle wasn’t flawed but this just isn’t my favorite R-M cab. Maybe more time will take care of this issue but I’m happy that this was my last bottle of the ‘12 Calistoga.
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Agree with a lot of previous notes. Higher toned. Medium body. Nice finish but weak midpalate. Lacking a bit on the fruit. Overall enjoyable, but not exciting.
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Always a huge pleasure. This wine delivers and is among my favorites. Decanted for 5 hours and tasted against a Shafer Hillside 2001, the Calistoga was much better.
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Agree with Fisk15 review but didn't give it much time in the decanter to come together. A bit sharp on the finish but delicious fruit. Lighter on its feet than expected. I'd hold or give a multi-hour decant.
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Very high toned with vibrant red fruit followed by a dark fruit finish. Not as rich and unctuous as I was hoping for on this night. Perhaps just in an awkward phase.
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Popped and poured. Black cherry with roast3d meat and leather hints. Opened up very nicely after 15-20 minutes in glass, but surprisingly started getting tired/ muddy after open 2+ hours. Best to enjoy over the next few years.
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Battle of Larkmead in OBX. Had this up against the 2012 Larkmead cab. I had this slightly ahead and it was first for the 3 or the 4 of us. My wife preferred the Larkmead. Fruit a little more at the forefront here and aftertaste is less earthy. As this was my first time trying a RM Calistoga was curious to see how they compared as they are now cheaper than the Larkmead standard cab and certainly the Olmo. I am not totally sure but think this comes from an Olmo block. Should soften and improve a bit with time.
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Decanted to remove some fine solids. Very deep dark purple in the decanter and glass. Very fragrant with dark red fruits and spices. Fills the mouth with great pleasure, but there is some depth missing. This an easy wine to drink and love.
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4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (M/M thelostverse): Aromas of raspberry, blue fruit and vanilla follow through on the palate. With more air, notes of cherry, spice and dark fruit emerge. This is very well balanced- structured, with fine, sweet tannin and an abundance of supporting fruit. Finishes with great length and balance. Obviously young, but very tasty already. I am very glad the person who brought this has a few more I'll be able to taste as it ages. :) Guessed Napa Cab Sauv. 94-95 pts.
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This was outstanding. Nice mix of red and dark fruits. Great acidity... surprised me at how fresh it was. Smooth finish, little to no oak signature that I was picking up. Fantastic now but I would think this has many years ahead of it as well.
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This needs 2 hours of air. Thin and hot on opening this added weight, flavor, and aroma over 2 hours. At the 2 hour mark it was consumed over an additional 2 hours with consistent results. A beautiful lush wine that is well balanced.
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Popped and poured. Dark with pure cab aromas filling the nose. Dark fruits, red fruits, plums, cherries -- very strong fruit profile. Could use some more time to gain some more complexity and balance. But still very enjoyable at this stage.
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A delicious beast of a bottle. Young but was great. Needs a filter when pouring - our bottle had a ton of sediment. Black and blue fruit core, with some sweetness but cab all the way. Well balanced with a good finish even in it's youth.
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Took this wine with us on the road, so didn't get to treat it proper. Opened on the counter for about 90 minutes prior to drinking. Came across a bit disjointed at this stage. Fruit trended toward plums for me, and a little more soft/wet oak than I would have liked. Overall this has a lot going for it; just didn't seem to have integrated yet. Will certainly let other bottle get some cellar time to develop. Would say 92 with upside.
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As a big fan of Larkmead vineyards and TRB's work with that winery, I have high hopes for this bottle. The fruit bordered a bit on the candy side for my palate, though I imagine this will dramatically fade and integrate with some time. Also skewed more red fruit, whereas I always think of Larkmead being more of a dark, brooding fruit cab. I plan to hold my final bottle until 2020 or beyond with the hope it improves.
Granted this is young and shows as such, but man, what a wine. You can smell this glass from 5 feet away. Loads of Cab character but with intensity that is tempered with serious acidity and a very pleasing light body that results in a vibrant cabernet. It needs an hour or two right now to calm down but is showing extremely well. This wine has everything. Green, mocha, cherry fruit, fresh berries, with a very long and complex finish. This killed with food from salad to main dish. Very claret in style with lots of perfume, I can't say enough about it. One of the best cabs I have ever tasted. Pure fun.
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Winery tasting with Will. Generous and full nose has gorgeous blackcurrant, mocha, spice, herbs and some bell pepper. Wow palate - so good. Big delicious fruit with complex flavors that echo the nose. Young, gritty tannin keeps the fruit in check. Young, but going places. 93-95
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7/1/2023 - gharter Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted an hour and it helped. Opens with blackberry, cassis, plum, graphite, anise and spice. Full bodied with layers of flavor. Black fruit, graphite, leather, anise, spice and earth on the palate. Perfect balance. Long silky smooth finish. My last bottle, but should hold at least another 5 years.
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5/6/2023 - hoservin wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, currant, plum, graphite, anise and spice. Black fruit, graphite, leather, black licorice and baking spice on the palate. Very long, dry finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with grilled strip steaks and a red wine mushroom sauce.
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2/7/2023 - RojoVino24 wrote: 91 Points
2hr decant. Light on the fruit. More old man leather, tobacco vibes. We felt this was a little fizzled out and past it’s window. Just coming back from Cairo, this reminded me of the Egyptian Museum…dusty. On the upside it had nice balance on the acidity and tannis. I regret that we didn’t open this sooner. 91
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6/4/2022 - travelme Likes this wine: 94 Points
My only bottle of this vintage. This was absolutely delicious. Great RM Calistoga cabernet with a great profile of red fruit. An exceptional bottle from the nose to the mid palate to the finish. Creme de cassis and chocolate notes make it extra special on the finish. Wish I had more bottles lingering around.
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1/1/2022 - Backdoctor wrote: 94 Points
everything a cab should be. Medium plus body, plenty of fruit, tannins mellowed. wish it had been a magnum
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12/25/2021 - Floyd77 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine is in a great place right now. I suggest a decant — both because it takes time to open up and there is a decent amount of sediment. Best showing yet for the 2012 Calistoga, but it’s unfortunately my last bottle.
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12/16/2021 - viking92067 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Acquired new from winery per mailing list. A very nice surprise. Enjoy the R-M Pinots but this was our first Cab. Will not be the last.
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11/21/2021 - CMSPN wrote: 91 Points
Interesting but expected more.
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9/11/2021 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 95 Points
So much better than I remembered the previous bottle. Lots of residua solids in the bottle, but careful decanting avoided most of them. Rich fruit and powerful fragrant nose in every glass. Mouth filling and pure. Great effort. Drank over two days with similar impressions.
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8/8/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious ripe blackberry, cassis, oak, and spice on the nose and silky palate with soft tannins on the long finish.
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1/16/2021 - awilliamson4 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really luscious...great mouthfeel. Nice dark fruits.
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11/15/2020 - jimyeni wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour but drank over 2 hours and it never really opened up the way I expected it to. Good but not great.
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8/8/2020 - budman Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mostly red fruit. Long finish.
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12/22/2019 - hoservin wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Nose of black cherry, currant, chocolate and spice. Chocolate covered tart cherries, graphite, spice and velvety tannins on the palate. Finishes with good length. Full bodied. Served with pork stew.
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12/8/2019 - iamandyc wrote: 89 Points
PnP. Nothing very exciting. Tight upon opening. Didn't open up that much over an hour.
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5/23/2019 - rmh66 wrote: 93 Points
Pop and poured and followed for several hours. Initial pour was bright and layered, tightened up a bit over the next few hours, and then loosened up again a few hours later. Black cherry, red cherry, black raspberry, cassis, smoke, graphite, earth, and spice on the nose. Tart cherry, red and black cherry, plum, herbs, earth on the palate. Lively acidity, integrated fine tannins, long finish. Delicious. This is definitely a brighter style RM cab, but it's still complex, delicious, and maybe more food friendly than usual.
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5/22/2019 - Screameagle Likes this wine: 95 Points
A killer cab that is drinking great right now with an hour decant. We love TRBs wine and this is one of the best ones we have consumed in recent memory. Loved it.
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4/26/2019 - wendyinwlv wrote: 87 Points
Totally agree with Fisk. Acidic bland for us. Don't know if it's going to get any better with age. A little disappointed in these cabs.
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1/13/2019 - fisk15 wrote: 92 Points
Once again, a bit unbalanced and acidic. Wished for more fruit. Still well made, just not hitting for me.
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12/15/2018 - Mr T wrote:
PNP at dinner with friends and much liked by sister in law...to me holding back and needed more time or air
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10/4/2018 - jpmo wrote: 87 Points
I’m a big R-M fan so I was surprised on night one - way denser/ bigger than expected and with a flavor - after lots of air time - not pleasing, so I opened a different cab from another producer. Night 2 - the offensive flavor (which my palate isn’t sophisticated enough to identify) was gone and the Calistoga was drinkable but not memorable. The bottle wasn’t flawed but this just isn’t my favorite R-M cab. Maybe more time will take care of this issue but I’m happy that this was my last bottle of the ‘12 Calistoga.
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7/27/2018 - beau11 wrote: 92 Points
Agree with a lot of previous notes. Higher toned. Medium body. Nice finish but weak midpalate. Lacking a bit on the fruit. Overall enjoyable, but not exciting.
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7/12/2018 - Grubert wrote: 97 Points
Always a huge pleasure. This wine delivers and is among my favorites. Decanted for 5 hours and tasted against a Shafer Hillside 2001, the Calistoga was much better.
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4/3/2018 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Agree with Fisk15 review but didn't give it much time in the decanter to come together. A bit sharp on the finish but delicious fruit. Lighter on its feet than expected. I'd hold or give a multi-hour decant.
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2/16/2018 - fisk15 wrote: 91 Points
Very high toned with vibrant red fruit followed by a dark fruit finish. Not as rich and unctuous as I was hoping for on this night. Perhaps just in an awkward phase.
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1/6/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Black cherry with roast3d meat and leather hints. Opened up very nicely after 15-20 minutes in glass, but surprisingly started getting tired/ muddy after open 2+ hours. Best to enjoy over the next few years.
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12/4/2017 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
Previous tasting notes apply. Rich multilayered fruit slightly more accessible.
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11/27/2017 - Lateva wrote: 92 Points
Big and bold. Crowd pleaser at pop and pour.
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10/15/2017 - jmull Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious, deep and smooth. Seems to be in a great spot.
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7/18/2017 - yeti575rider wrote: 93 Points
Battle of Larkmead in OBX. Had this up against the 2012 Larkmead cab. I had this slightly ahead and it was first for the 3 or the 4 of us. My wife preferred the Larkmead. Fruit a little more at the forefront here and aftertaste is less earthy. As this was my first time trying a RM Calistoga was curious to see how they compared as they are now cheaper than the Larkmead standard cab and certainly the Olmo. I am not totally sure but think this comes from an Olmo block. Should soften and improve a bit with time.
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6/30/2017 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really a delicious wine with great depth and smooth, smooth finish.
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1/7/2017 - daniel.jay wrote: 94 Points
Really delicious, great structure, plenty of acidity/freshness, leans toward bright red fruits over more classic napa dark blue fruit.
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12/16/2016 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Rich, delicious black cherry fruit, very tight, ample tannin and acidity, excellent structure, needs time to age
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11/19/2016 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted to remove some fine solids. Very deep dark purple in the decanter and glass. Very fragrant with dark red fruits and spices. Fills the mouth with great pleasure, but there is some depth missing. This an easy wine to drink and love.
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7/23/2016 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (M/M thelostverse): Aromas of raspberry, blue fruit and vanilla follow through on the palate. With more air, notes of cherry, spice and dark fruit emerge. This is very well balanced- structured, with fine, sweet tannin and an abundance of supporting fruit. Finishes with great length and balance. Obviously young, but very tasty already. I am very glad the person who brought this has a few more I'll be able to taste as it ages. :) Guessed Napa Cab Sauv. 94-95 pts.
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4/16/2016 - domco wrote:
This was outstanding. Nice mix of red and dark fruits. Great acidity... surprised me at how fresh it was. Smooth finish, little to no oak signature that I was picking up. Fantastic now but I would think this has many years ahead of it as well.
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12/31/2015 - VinoDiver Likes this wine: 94 Points
This needs 2 hours of air. Thin and hot on opening this added weight, flavor, and aroma over 2 hours. At the 2 hour mark it was consumed over an additional 2 hours with consistent results. A beautiful lush wine that is well balanced.
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12/27/2015 - andolini wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured. Dark with pure cab aromas filling the nose. Dark fruits, red fruits, plums, cherries -- very strong fruit profile. Could use some more time to gain some more complexity and balance. But still very enjoyable at this stage.
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12/26/2015 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 93 Points
Exceptional cabernet with very soft tannins and velvety mouthfeel. Really nice.
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10/2/2015 - mccaffery wrote:
Larkmead grapes
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8/9/2015 - haldolugr wrote: 93 Points
Couldn't help myself - consistent with previous note - just an awesome bottle of wine. Stole the night. There is a decent chunk of sediment.
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7/15/2015 - haldolugr wrote: 93 Points
A delicious beast of a bottle. Young but was great. Needs a filter when pouring - our bottle had a ton of sediment. Black and blue fruit core, with some sweetness but cab all the way. Well balanced with a good finish even in it's youth.
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7/2/2015 - ageverett Likes this wine:
Took this wine with us on the road, so didn't get to treat it proper. Opened on the counter for about 90 minutes prior to drinking. Came across a bit disjointed at this stage. Fruit trended toward plums for me, and a little more soft/wet oak than I would have liked. Overall this has a lot going for it; just didn't seem to have integrated yet. Will certainly let other bottle get some cellar time to develop. Would say 92 with upside.
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2/9/2015 - jrkennedy37 wrote:
As a big fan of Larkmead vineyards and TRB's work with that winery, I have high hopes for this bottle. The fruit bordered a bit on the candy side for my palate, though I imagine this will dramatically fade and integrate with some time. Also skewed more red fruit, whereas I always think of Larkmead being more of a dark, brooding fruit cab. I plan to hold my final bottle until 2020 or beyond with the hope it improves.
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1/29/2015 - kenhoeve Likes this wine: 94 Points
Granted this is young and shows as such, but man, what a wine. You can smell this glass from 5 feet away. Loads of Cab character but with intensity that is tempered with serious acidity and a very pleasing light body that results in a vibrant cabernet. It needs an hour or two right now to calm down but is showing extremely well. This wine has everything. Green, mocha, cherry fruit, fresh berries, with a very long and complex finish. This killed with food from salad to main dish. Very claret in style with lots of perfume, I can't say enough about it. One of the best cabs I have ever tasted. Pure fun.
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1/22/2015 - Brunello123 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid cab. Young, but accessible. I'll wait a few years to try another bottle as I feel it will benefit from some aging.
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9/26/2014 - Nanda wrote:
Winery tasting with Will. Generous and full nose has gorgeous blackcurrant, mocha, spice, herbs and some bell pepper. Wow palate - so good. Big delicious fruit with complex flavors that echo the nose. Young, gritty tannin keeps the fruit in check. Young, but going places. 93-95
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