Coravin’d into a glass then let it breathe for 30 minutes. Clear, dark ruby color with no bricking. Nose of cherry compote, wintergreen, some garrigue, and a little Brett. Palate is similar with scant very fine tannins and a short-to-moderate finish. Not bad.
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A mature CduP, this wine is Garnett in color with a medium intensity. It opens with white peppercorn, bell peppers, faint scents of stewed red fruits, and perhaps a hint of flint on the nose. Still rather closed on opening, but after an hr of decanting it began to unfurl nicely. On tasting, subdued raspberries gives way to peppercorns, wet stone, and rare steak. Tannins are reasonably well integrated, though still grippy, and bright acidity persists. Medium finish. Would pair well with grilled meat. My overall impression is that this is a solid, if not tremendously exciting, Rhone wine. 90 pts
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Decanted 1 hour. Brickish color. Light on palate with red fruit, spice and hint of earth. Refreshing acidity, more than the bottle last year. Medium tannins. Drinking well now though fruit has subsided since last year.
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This wine is rocking right now and most probably will for the next 3-5 years! Medium to full bodied, dark, garrigue, good acidity, slight tannic bite on finish. Absolutely delicious! Glad to have stocked up on this 'value' CDP.
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Opened for 2 hours. Light/medium brickish color. Tart aroma of non-descript fruit. Light on palate with red fruit, spice and hint of earth. Velvety tannins and medium acidity. Loved this with an outdoor grilled burger.
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Perhaps this is an off bottle, or it has really shut down. Very little aroma, some spice and cooked dark fruits and plums. Palate is better with a crisp texture and fine tannin supporting moderate levels of baked fruits and some spice. Not nearly as flamboyantly aromatic and fruit-filled as in youth. Drink up or wait? 90
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Excellent showing of a fine CNdP. Decanted for 2 hours to open it up. Nice balance of fruit and mineral, slightly bricked but oh so good!! Wish I had another.
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As usual, this is a delicious and remarkably not-overripe Chateauneuf from 2011. Full bodied, rich but pure as can be. A panoply of sweet fruit flavors is backed by herbs and spices. Silky smooth and bright. Simply delicious and still youthful. 93
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Fairly wimpy and flaccid. Soft structure and mild red fruit. Dusty nose and similar first impression on the palate. Fruit had integrated into a nondescript simple wine with very little to speak of. I've a couple of bottles remaining that will serve as second bottles going forward.
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Dark red with no bricking. Flat and uninteresting. No flaws or taint, just mute on nose and palate. Tasted like the red wine they served on airplanes. Same at pop & pour and after 2 hour decant.
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2+ hour decant and the wine remained fairly inexpressive. Medium weight, nicely balanced though could use a touch more pop. Red fruits, alcohol in check. I'll try one more soonish and likely give the other time.
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This was tremendous. Sappy dark fruit with some distinct minerality. Interesting, curious, high quality - and rich fruit for 6 years old. This has a lot of life left and is drinking really beautifully right now. Bravo garagiste!
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3hr decant. Nose of plum, fig and lily. Body is enjoyable with integrated tannins and alcohol. Tastes of licorice, raspberry and a bit of menthol. Strong finish; the 15%abv is more pervasive here, but not overwhelming. Very enjoyable and great QPR @ $30.
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Vinturied and drank. Very subdued for a CdP but nice. A little lighter than I expected and less minerality for a southern Rhone. Decent fruit but very smooth. Paired well with light chicken dinner. Will wait on the remaining bottles.
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Fantastic nose of rosemary and thyme switches on the grill, roasted black cherries, fruit jams and spices. Quite full-bodied, this has a medium-low level of excellent quality tannin and just enough acidity to keep it all together. The palate echoes the nose, but perhaps a little less intensely at this point. 92 df 9.2
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An odd duck. the most part is a disjointed hot mess with a pronounced bitter fruit flavor. Confused and curious what others see in this...or I got a bad bottle but this does not taste corked.
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Decanted for 2hrs while cooking for friends. First mouth was very soft, with perhaps a gentle spice with plum and/or blackberry note. Super finish, while not outrageously long, it is softer than on the palate and very enjoyable. This is drinking wonderfully now and will likely improve over another 5 years or so. Agree with many of the reviews here: give it time once open to find its way and hop on for a great evening.
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Consistent with my own prior notes, but more open, lively and expressive at the margins. Seems like it continues to benefit from bottle age. Good QPR in a CDP.
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Upon open the nose was barn yard but alive with dark cherries, maybe cranberries, bitter fruit. First taste confirmed the nose but as time passed the bottle began to settle and begin an interesting journey. The fruit was slow to reveal, the tannins scattered and on the second glass a creamy muted palate was emerging. It was a slow slog, all the pieces there, it wasn't until after 2-3 hours that this gathered itself into a lean elegant wine, complementary tannins and balanced fruit,yet light weight. A bottle like this requires a lot of air and patience and perhaps a few more years in the cellar. I think Bob Sacamano says it best, it is lacking intensity and focus.
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More complex than last bottle, but less fruit. Clove and nutmeg in the nose. Medium to lighter body, light grip, and slightly dusty. Dried date and strawberry on the palette. Really well made with some good complexity, but lacking intensity and focus.
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Excellent showing in the larger 1.5L format. Notes of strawberries and clove, nutmeg in nose. Solid body notes of mint, tart cherries on palette. Flavors a little muted. Light but present tannins give it its sense of origin. Well made, not showy dinner companion.
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As other tasters have noted, a big, hot wine. Really didn't show its stuff until second day. Traces of wintergreen mint on the nose. Luscious red fruit on the attack. Black pepper and minerals on the lengthy finish. Grippy tannin. A joyous but not, mind you, effortless bottle to drink.
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Opened and tried a glass. Extremely closed, with medium asteingency. Opened a little after a three hour decant. Still basically closed even after double decant and an overnight.
This is still an extremely tight wine. I will return to it in two years.
A nontraditional CdP indeed, without any garrigue or herbal notes whatsoever. Juicy and terribly quaffable without being soft. Great aromatics from the get-go, but the palate needed 40 minutes before it started opening up. Drank well for 2+ hours thereafter, however the bouquet was best during the first 60 minutes.
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Closed upon opening, after 45 minutes (with no decant, but poured through aerator) this wine was singing. Cherry flavors throughout, with some spices and a persistent finish, medium bodied. I would have mistaken this for an Oregon Pinot. None of the CDP characteristic dustiness or garrigue, which would be a bummer except the wine is so good!
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I really enjoyed this wine. Decanted 2 hours. Paired well with smoked turkey. Dark red fruit, a little subdued on the palate, but had a great mouthfeel and a long, lingering finish. I will keep an eye out for this one and definitely will rebuy.
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Mouth watering acidity. Dark, brooding fruit. Lovely mouthfeel. This is a big wine, but with enough balance to be good with food. Exactly what you want out of this level of Southern Rhone wines.
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5/27/2023 - Jasonr1023 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Had with Sierra and Kevin.
95pts Sierra. Had with very rare ribeye, potato, corn on cob.
Sat upright on counter for 3 wks, careful to pour and avoid sediment. Decanted 30min.
Sierra (my wife) loved the wine! One of her favorites!
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8/14/2022 - mtaczak Likes this wine: 93 Points
mellowing out nicely. 2-3 more years ought to put it in a sweet spot. best now with 45 mins air.
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2/24/2022 - Momus99 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Coravin’d into a glass then let it breathe for 30 minutes. Clear, dark ruby color with no bricking. Nose of cherry compote, wintergreen, some garrigue, and a little Brett. Palate is similar with scant very fine tannins and a short-to-moderate finish. Not bad.
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12/29/2021 - edgar Likes this wine: 89 Points
2 h decant. Integrated, Grenache up front but tempered by Syrah that prolongs the palate
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11/17/2021 - Psychescalpel Likes this wine: 90 Points
A mature CduP, this wine is Garnett in color with a medium intensity. It opens with white peppercorn, bell peppers, faint scents of stewed red fruits, and perhaps a hint of flint on the nose. Still rather closed on opening, but after an hr of decanting it began to unfurl nicely. On tasting, subdued raspberries gives way to peppercorns, wet stone, and rare steak. Tannins are reasonably well integrated, though still grippy, and bright acidity persists. Medium finish. Would pair well with grilled meat. My overall impression is that this is a solid, if not tremendously exciting, Rhone wine. 90 pts
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5/16/2021 - Aparritz Likes this wine: 93 Points
This sang beautifully. It tasted more like 3-4 years old vs 10. This still has a long life ahead of it but was absolutely gorgeous right now.
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3/2/2021 - aatherton Likes this wine: 90 Points
mid-weight, silky. correct, but not special.
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1/14/2021 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Brickish color. Light on palate with red fruit, spice and hint of earth. Refreshing acidity, more than the bottle last year. Medium tannins. Drinking well now though fruit has subsided since last year.
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10/11/2020 - mjm226 wrote: 90 Points
This has aged pretty well. Well integrated and good depth.
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4/19/2020 - Momus99 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Just ok. Not memorable. Didn't make detailed notes.
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1/17/2020 - epiphany Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Nothing off-putting necessarily but just nothing of any interest. Rather “dead”.
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1/4/2020 - Mossrose wrote: 91 Points
This wine is rocking right now and most probably will for the next 3-5 years! Medium to full bodied, dark, garrigue, good acidity, slight tannic bite on finish. Absolutely delicious! Glad to have stocked up on this 'value' CDP.
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12/27/2019 - Mneumeier wrote: 88 Points
PnP was good.
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9/1/2019 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened for 2 hours. Light/medium brickish color. Tart aroma of non-descript fruit. Light on palate with red fruit, spice and hint of earth. Velvety tannins and medium acidity. Loved this with an outdoor grilled burger.
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6/2/2019 - WineGuyX Likes this wine: 90 Points
Perhaps this is an off bottle, or it has really shut down. Very little aroma, some spice and cooked dark fruits and plums. Palate is better with a crisp texture and fine tannin supporting moderate levels of baked fruits and some spice. Not nearly as flamboyantly aromatic and fruit-filled as in youth. Drink up or wait? 90
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5/20/2019 - Jasonr1023 Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Wait till 05/2020. Maybe it'll get better?
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12/2/2018 - vincemcd61 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Love CDP. Great wine had with lamb chops fabulous
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11/23/2018 - monk1019 wrote: 92 Points
Excellent showing of a fine CNdP. Decanted for 2 hours to open it up. Nice balance of fruit and mineral, slightly bricked but oh so good!! Wish I had another.
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10/27/2018 - WineGuyX Likes this wine: 93 Points
As usual, this is a delicious and remarkably not-overripe Chateauneuf from 2011. Full bodied, rich but pure as can be. A panoply of sweet fruit flavors is backed by herbs and spices. Silky smooth and bright. Simply delicious and still youthful. 93
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9/20/2018 - brinko99 wrote: 87 Points
Fairly wimpy and flaccid. Soft structure and mild red fruit. Dusty nose and similar first impression on the palate. Fruit had integrated into a nondescript simple wine with very little to speak of. I've a couple of bottles remaining that will serve as second bottles going forward.
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2/17/2018 - rpk99 Does not like this wine: 83 Points
Seems like it may have been a bad bottle but hard to tell. Just not good enough for the price. I will not be partaking in this producer again.
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12/25/2017 - Momus99 wrote: 86 Points
Dark red with no bricking. Flat and uninteresting. No flaws or taint, just mute on nose and palate. Tasted like the red wine they served on airplanes. Same at pop & pour and after 2 hour decant.
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6/28/2017 - rpk99 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Much better than last bottle. Still some odd flavors but not nearly as off.
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6/3/2017 - SnowMeadow wrote:
May be in a dumb phase or I may not have decanted long enough (45 min). Going to let remaining bottles wait.
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5/25/2017 - brinko99 Likes this wine: 89 Points
2+ hour decant and the wine remained fairly inexpressive. Medium weight, nicely balanced though could use a touch more pop. Red fruits, alcohol in check. I'll try one more soonish and likely give the other time.
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4/7/2017 - Aparritz Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was tremendous. Sappy dark fruit with some distinct minerality. Interesting, curious, high quality - and rich fruit for 6 years old. This has a lot of life left and is drinking really beautifully right now. Bravo garagiste!
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3/25/2017 - BrunelloBaroloCabernet1984 Likes this wine: 92 Points
3hr decant. Nose of plum, fig and lily. Body is enjoyable with integrated tannins and alcohol. Tastes of licorice, raspberry and a bit of menthol. Strong finish; the 15%abv is more pervasive here, but not overwhelming. Very enjoyable and great QPR @ $30.
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3/23/2017 - vincemcd61 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Had with spaghetti squash with spinach, bacon, and goat cheese. Enjoyed with Baba and ChaCha
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1/21/2017 - mjm226 wrote: 90 Points
Vinturied and drank. Very subdued for a CdP but nice. A little lighter than I expected and less minerality for a southern Rhone. Decent fruit but very smooth. Paired well with light chicken dinner. Will wait on the remaining bottles.
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1/1/2017 - timalbert Likes this wine: 93 Points
excellent right out of the bottle
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12/24/2016 - winecadence Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicious balanced. Opened for two hours and that made it even better. Syrah fruit. Balanced. One word -- delicious.
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10/30/2016 - WineGuyX Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fantastic nose of rosemary and thyme switches on the grill, roasted black cherries, fruit jams and spices. Quite full-bodied, this has a medium-low level of excellent quality tannin and just enough acidity to keep it all together. The palate echoes the nose, but perhaps a little less intensely at this point. 92 df 9.2
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10/5/2016 - rpk99 wrote: 85 Points
An odd duck. the most part is a disjointed hot mess with a pronounced bitter fruit flavor. Confused and curious what others see in this...or I got a bad bottle but this does not taste corked.
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9/28/2016 - vincemcd61 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice wine had with pastitsio
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9/16/2016 - sandros1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 2hrs while cooking for friends. First mouth was very soft, with perhaps a gentle spice with plum and/or blackberry note. Super finish, while not outrageously long, it is softer than on the palate and very enjoyable. This is drinking wonderfully now and will likely improve over another 5 years or so. Agree with many of the reviews here: give it time once open to find its way and hop on for a great evening.
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8/27/2016 - Bob Sacamano Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with my own prior notes, but more open, lively and expressive at the margins. Seems like it continues to benefit from bottle age. Good QPR in a CDP.
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4/28/2016 - Ideasthatstick Likes this wine:
Upon open the nose was barn yard but alive with dark cherries, maybe cranberries, bitter fruit. First taste confirmed the nose but as time passed the bottle began to settle and begin an interesting journey. The fruit was slow to reveal, the tannins scattered and on the second glass a creamy muted palate was emerging. It was a slow slog, all the pieces there, it wasn't until after 2-3 hours that this gathered itself into a lean elegant wine, complementary tannins and balanced fruit,yet light weight. A bottle like this requires a lot of air and patience and perhaps a few more years in the cellar. I think Bob Sacamano says it best, it is lacking intensity and focus.
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2/20/2016 - Bob Sacamano Likes this wine: 91 Points
More complex than last bottle, but less fruit. Clove and nutmeg in the nose. Medium to lighter body, light grip, and slightly dusty. Dried date and strawberry on the palette. Really well made with some good complexity, but lacking intensity and focus.
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1/1/2016 - wine_will wrote:
Some creamy texture. Cherries and some acid on the finish. Light bodied look and taste. Good QPR. B liked it.
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12/19/2015 - atl10trader Likes this wine: 90 Points
Excellent showing in the larger 1.5L format. Notes of strawberries and clove, nutmeg in nose. Solid body notes of mint, tart cherries on palette. Flavors a little muted. Light but present tannins give it its sense of origin. Well made, not showy dinner companion.
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7/19/2015 - Bob Sacamano Likes this wine: 90 Points
As other tasters have noted, a big, hot wine. Really didn't show its stuff until second day. Traces of wintergreen mint on the nose. Luscious red fruit on the attack. Black pepper and minerals on the lengthy finish. Grippy tannin. A joyous but not, mind you, effortless bottle to drink.
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7/12/2015 - rjm_va wrote: 91 Points
Other TNs on track. Not best ever but very solid CDP
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6/16/2015 - fungofl wrote: 92 Points
Upon opening the bottle: very closed wine.
Decanted for more than two hours: opened up a bit, next day it was mellow and tasted much better.
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6/2/2015 - Votefordennis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice
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5/2/2015 - Iceman611 wrote: 91 Points
Lots of mint and other cool herbs.
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4/20/2015 - clubs wrote: 91 Points
excellent 2nd night
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4/14/2015 - jedlarkinesq wrote: 88 Points
Opened and tried a glass. Extremely closed, with medium asteingency. Opened a little after a three hour decant. Still basically closed even after double decant and an overnight.
This is still an extremely tight wine. I will return to it in two years.
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4/12/2015 - joraesque wrote: 90 Points
A nontraditional CdP indeed, without any garrigue or herbal notes whatsoever. Juicy and terribly quaffable without being soft. Great aromatics from the get-go, but the palate needed 40 minutes before it started opening up. Drank well for 2+ hours thereafter, however the bouquet was best during the first 60 minutes.
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4/6/2015 - Dale Rattles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Closed upon opening, after 45 minutes (with no decant, but poured through aerator) this wine was singing. Cherry flavors throughout, with some spices and a persistent finish, medium bodied. I would have mistaken this for an Oregon Pinot. None of the CDP characteristic dustiness or garrigue, which would be a bummer except the wine is so good!
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2/27/2015 - Raymondjude wrote: 92 Points
Great wine at this price point. Dominant taste of paper and dark cherries.
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12/12/2014 - nietzschephilosopher Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lots of minerality and a touch of peppery spice. Great balance with maybe just a touch too much heat. Pure black fruit.
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12/4/2014 - JPLogan Likes this wine: 94 Points
amazing!
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11/27/2014 - Fire Bill wrote: 91 Points
I really enjoyed this wine. Decanted 2 hours. Paired well with smoked turkey. Dark red fruit, a little subdued on the palate, but had a great mouthfeel and a long, lingering finish. I will keep an eye out for this one and definitely will rebuy.
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9/27/2014 - nietzschephilosopher Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mouth watering acidity. Dark, brooding fruit. Lovely mouthfeel. This is a big wine, but with enough balance to be good with food. Exactly what you want out of this level of Southern Rhone wines.
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