Amazing surprise. This has taken on weight, and the secondary flavors have really emerged, even after just an hour in the glass. Even had some pleasant viscosity to it. Outstanding
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Opened roughly two hours prior to serving. Tannins mostly integrated but still present. Overall seems to be in a pretty good drinking window. Seems like a good time start drinking these over the next 4-5 years.
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Drinking really well right now. Beautiful bouquet from the start. On the elegant side, it shows mature fruits and lots of secondary notes, while remaining vibrant. Shame the finish is a bit short, even with air. Still great on day 2. Right bank blend.
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I think this vintage, or at least this bottle, is long in the tooth. I agree with Cow Town's tasting notes (and I bought my bottles on release and have stored them carefully). I recommend consuming this vintage and moving on. Too Bad; Andrew Will is a great producer and i should have enjoyed this a while ago.
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Very good on day one, rich fruit, mocha notes etc., but on day 2 this was much better, with tobacco and cedar, pencil shavings. My day 2 experience suggests this still has plenty of time left - maybe not to the 2060 date in CT but easily to 2030 or so.
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Second time trying this, with similar notes - I found this to be just OK. Fruit seemed muted, with some mushroom and other earthy, savory notes. Finish was clipped and a touch astringent (sharp, not drying/tannic). Got mine from Last Bottle, which could be the problem.
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Washington State Wines - Friday Steak Night (Bobby Van's Park Ave): Medium garnet in color. Very blue on the nose, with some cedar, leather and mushroom. Soft, supple and creamy on the palate. Dry, medium acidity, medium low tannin, medium alcohol. The finish is dry, rounded and long. Time has done well to this bottle. It has developed nicely. The fruit is still present but there is a good amount of tertiary notes that keeps it interesting. I think it should linger in this state for a few years under good storage but it's definitely ready to go.
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Delicious! Wonderful fruit with smooth integrated tannins. Full bodied. No breathing time..Just opened and poured. We had several high-quality wines and this was the hit of the evening. Ready to drink right now.
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This was exactly as expected. A well-made Washington Cab with great fruit, and mellow tannins. A great choice for the backyard pot-luck party at Ryan & Libby's. Paired great with the smoked BBQ chicken, mac & cheese, and salad. A lovely beginning to backyard social parties. Cheers.
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This wine is currently HUGE on p&p. Big nose, tons of dark fruit, a finish that goes and goes, and still a good amount of tooth fuzzing tannin. Taking about an hour in the decanter to starting to soften it up somewhat but I'd be very comfortable giving this another year or 5 and think that it will hold up well and continue to mellow out a little. Great wine and cant wait to see where my last 5 bottles go. Just drank a couple of bottles of 2012 two blondes from AW and it is in a much more ready to go spot than this is. Great wine, scoring it a 92 at this point to encourage you to be patient, I think this has 95 potential.
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Similar characteristics to the 2019 Also Sprach Zarathustra from the Met in Philly: Big, powerful, and brooding, yet with moments of elegance and lifted energy. The fruit is soft, supple, dark, ripe, and diggity-dank. Creme de cassis, piney notes, herbs and minerality are featured. Agree wholeheartedly with a previous review, this is in no way for the long haul, unlike an exploratory Bathtub Gin. Drink through 2021.
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Really delicious. Soft merlot leading the way with dark cherries but then finishes with very interesting meaty herbs like the crust on a prime rib Rosemary, thyme, sage. Drinking well right now, improved with time open.
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Relative to the 2010 vintage, this one is considerably more ripe, something I found off-putting and distracting both at the opening and after several hours of decanting. Decanting helped fill up the mid-palate and add more balance, but the overly ripe fruit kept getting in the way of enjoying the wine more fully. Drink up by 2021 (the 2060 upper range on CT is utter nonsense, IMHO).
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This is serious juice. A blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It needs plenty of air to open up but a couple hours in the decanter brought out gorgeous notes of black currants, cassis, menthol, graphite, smoke, and grape Twizzlers. The palate is juicy, compact, and vinous, with densely packed fruit, succulent intensity, and structured grandeur. The tannins need a few years to integrate but it’s already so balanced, harmonious, and delicious. 93+
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Washington vs. Bordeaux Red Wine Blind Tasting (My apartment): This took a really long time to open up and hit its stride. For the first two hours, if I had to rate it, I would have scored it an 89. After about 2 1/2 hours, it opened up and tasted spectacular. But by then, my wine group had finished most of it. I'll give it a 93, with the note, that it needs decanting and time to breathe.
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Rather unbalanced on opening: sharp and drying. Improves greatly with food. On the third day it was finally settling down but still not ready. Really needs a few more years or a lengthy decant.
Decanted 1 hour. Subtle nose of dark red fruits. Dark cherries and minerals on the palate. Very smooth texture, balanced with good acidity. Supple tannins and a long finish.
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Shared this with my wine group at a NYC steakhouse. My WOTN and it was for a few others as well. Certainly the best Andrew Will Ciel du Cheval I have had (out of 6 vintages).
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Marvelous right bank Bordeaux-style blend. More fruit forward than it's French cousin, which is typical of Red Mountain wines, it has a good balance of fruit, spice and earthy tones. Supple tannins and a long after. Should continue to improve in the bottle for several more years.
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This is tasting fabulous, though there was a definite improvement after the second glass had been in our glasses for a while. This is a rich, spicy wine with big chocolate (cocoa bean) notes blending with the cinnamon spice and dark plum fruit. Good, solid tannins hold their own against the solid fruit presence. The finish is very long and while the first glass was a bit acidic on the finish, after being opened for a couple of hours, this has softened to a well balanced yummy wine.
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PnP. Baby killing. Patience will be rewarded with this wine. It's very good now, but should be tucked away and forgotten for a few years and will last another 15.
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In a tasting where it's the only merlot-dominant (50%) wine in the lineup, and seeming babyfatty by being from a lower-acid vintage, it shows a lot of sweet weight with black currant and blueberry fruit, violets, and lead pencil. Splash decanted and left to breathe for about six hours prior to tasting. Definitely needs cellar time.
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This will be the last vintage of Cabernet from Ciel as he is giving up the fruit contract on the Cabernet because he likes the Merlot and Franc so much more.
I think that is corked actually. Roasted cherry fruit.
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10/10/2023 - JGinMO wrote: 93 Points
Amazing surprise. This has taken on weight, and the secondary flavors have really emerged, even after just an hour in the glass. Even had some pleasant viscosity to it. Outstanding
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8/5/2023 - lizw Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking great now! If you have a bottle or two, enjoy!
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12/6/2022 - WAWINEFAN Likes this wine: 94 Points
A lovely bottle of wine. Decanted for a couple of hours and it was superb.
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10/8/2022 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
Opened roughly two hours prior to serving. Tannins mostly integrated but still present. Overall seems to be in a pretty good drinking window. Seems like a good time start drinking these over the next 4-5 years.
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8/19/2022 - Decanthor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking really well right now. Beautiful bouquet from the start. On the elegant side, it shows mature fruits and lots of secondary notes, while remaining vibrant. Shame the finish is a bit short, even with air. Still great on day 2. Right bank blend.
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7/3/2022 - Redteeth wrote:
I think this vintage, or at least this bottle, is long in the tooth. I agree with Cow Town's tasting notes (and I bought my bottles on release and have stored them carefully). I recommend consuming this vintage and moving on. Too Bad; Andrew Will is a great producer and i should have enjoyed this a while ago.
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6/6/2022 - elevwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good on day one, rich fruit, mocha notes etc., but on day 2 this was much better, with tobacco and cedar, pencil shavings. My day 2 experience suggests this still has plenty of time left - maybe not to the 2060 date in CT but easily to 2030 or so.
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5/21/2022 - Cow Town wrote: 89 Points
Second time trying this, with similar notes - I found this to be just OK. Fruit seemed muted, with some mushroom and other earthy, savory notes. Finish was clipped and a touch astringent (sharp, not drying/tannic). Got mine from Last Bottle, which could be the problem.
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12/11/2021 - racerchris Likes this wine:
Double decanted in the morning. Drank at a holiday party in the evening. It's probably better with food but was quite enjoyable as a cocktail wine.
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10/22/2021 - DoubleMagnum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Washington State Wines - Friday Steak Night (Bobby Van's Park Ave): Medium garnet in color. Very blue on the nose, with some cedar, leather and mushroom. Soft, supple and creamy on the palate. Dry, medium acidity, medium low tannin, medium alcohol. The finish is dry, rounded and long. Time has done well to this bottle. It has developed nicely. The fruit is still present but there is a good amount of tertiary notes that keeps it interesting. I think it should linger in this state for a few years under good storage but it's definitely ready to go.
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8/14/2021 - bgreenak Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious! Wonderful fruit with smooth integrated tannins. Full bodied. No breathing time..Just opened and poured. We had several high-quality wines and this was the hit of the evening. Ready to drink right now.
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6/12/2021 - buchch2 wrote: 94 Points
yummy blend, round on the mouth and full of blue fruit. in a great place.
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5/30/2021 - racerchris Likes this wine:
Decanted. Needed a while to open up. Better with food.
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4/25/2021 - A&C Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was exactly as expected. A well-made Washington Cab with great fruit, and mellow tannins. A great choice for the backyard pot-luck party at Ryan & Libby's. Paired great with the smoked BBQ chicken, mac & cheese, and salad. A lovely beginning to backyard social parties. Cheers.
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3/26/2021 - Thebigbaby wrote: flawed
Corked. Ugh!
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2/2/2021 - JGinMO wrote: 92 Points
Great transition stage. Fruit still very lively, mostly blue, but nice secondary flavors emerging. Well made.
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6/26/2020 - Bob23 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Better on night two - tight and austere on opening. Will wait until 2021 until next bottle.
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6/20/2020 - gmbdds wrote: 91 Points
Crushed dark berries. Structured and classy. Powerful and restrained which is how I usually find Andrew Will.
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3/27/2020 - WaWineFan in TX wrote: 92 Points
This wine is currently HUGE on p&p. Big nose, tons of dark fruit, a finish that goes and goes, and still a good amount of tooth fuzzing tannin. Taking about an hour in the decanter to starting to soften it up somewhat but I'd be very comfortable giving this another year or 5 and think that it will hold up well and continue to mellow out a little. Great wine and cant wait to see where my last 5 bottles go. Just drank a couple of bottles of 2012 two blondes from AW and it is in a much more ready to go spot than this is. Great wine, scoring it a 92 at this point to encourage you to be patient, I think this has 95 potential.
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3/5/2020 - Gruffalius Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is an outstanding, top-notch, well-made wine. WOTN.
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1/29/2020 - racerchris wrote:
A little overpowering at first. Rich and dense dark fruits. Strong tannins. Long finish. More appealing on the second night.
Needs more time.
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12/25/2019 - Quaffing in Colorado Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar characteristics to the 2019 Also Sprach Zarathustra from the Met in Philly: Big, powerful, and brooding, yet with moments of elegance and lifted energy. The fruit is soft, supple, dark, ripe, and diggity-dank. Creme de cassis, piney notes, herbs and minerality are featured. Agree wholeheartedly with a previous review, this is in no way for the long haul, unlike an exploratory Bathtub Gin. Drink through 2021.
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12/24/2019 - SGates Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really delicious. Soft merlot leading the way with dark cherries but then finishes with very interesting meaty herbs like the crust on a prime rib Rosemary, thyme, sage. Drinking well right now, improved with time open.
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5/6/2019 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dueling Washington State vineyards: Champoux vs. Ciel du Cheval (Brasserie 8 1/2 - 9 W. 57th Street): Had this alongside the 2012 Andrew Will Champoux. I ever so slightly preferred the Champoux. But this was a very tasty wine.
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4/20/2019 - Slaz Does not like this wine: 91 Points
Relative to the 2010 vintage, this one is considerably more ripe, something I found off-putting and distracting both at the opening and after several hours of decanting. Decanting helped fill up the mid-palate and add more balance, but the overly ripe fruit kept getting in the way of enjoying the wine more fully. Drink up by 2021 (the 2060 upper range on CT is utter nonsense, IMHO).
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2/8/2019 - Baron Slick wrote: 93 Points
This is serious juice. A blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It needs plenty of air to open up but a couple hours in the decanter brought out gorgeous notes of black currants, cassis, menthol, graphite, smoke, and grape Twizzlers. The palate is juicy, compact, and vinous, with densely packed fruit, succulent intensity, and structured grandeur. The tannins need a few years to integrate but it’s already so balanced, harmonious, and delicious. 93+
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1/13/2019 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 93 Points
Washington vs. Bordeaux Red Wine Blind Tasting (My apartment): This took a really long time to open up and hit its stride. For the first two hours, if I had to rate it, I would have scored it an 89. After about 2 1/2 hours, it opened up and tasted spectacular. But by then, my wine group had finished most of it. I'll give it a 93, with the note, that it needs decanting and time to breathe.
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12/10/2018 - Neecies wrote: flawed
Mildly corked, more a problem in the nose than the palate where it showed to be maturing nicely--gaining body, and the oak is receding.
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11/24/2018 - jocelyng Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very oaky but the fruit is there.
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10/2/2018 - racerchris wrote:
Rather unbalanced on opening: sharp and drying.
Improves greatly with food.
On the third day it was finally settling down but still not ready.
Really needs a few more years or a lengthy decant.
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8/31/2018 - Hamersly wrote: 92 Points
Lovely and elegant. Nice floral notes on the nose, great balance with nice acidity and a joy to drink. A little better on day 2.
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7/20/2018 - mvande21 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Subtle nose of dark red fruits. Dark cherries and minerals on the palate. Very smooth texture, balanced with good acidity. Supple tannins and a long finish.
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6/22/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Well that is pretty darn gorgeous on the nose. And silky, soft, and fresh on the palate. Refined. That is darn good.
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4/27/2018 - sbiller1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really nice. Ready to drink although it will probably improve even more with a few more years.
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2/15/2018 - SMHalps wrote: 94 Points
Shared this with my wine group at a NYC steakhouse. My WOTN and it was for a few others as well. Certainly the best Andrew Will Ciel du Cheval I have had (out of 6 vintages).
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8/22/2017 - RSTAR4 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Marvelous right bank Bordeaux-style blend. More fruit forward than it's French cousin, which is typical of Red Mountain wines, it has a good balance of fruit, spice and earthy tones. Supple tannins and a long after. Should continue to improve in the bottle for several more years.
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8/5/2017 - brouigu1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 2 hours before enjoying.
Nice purple color with some clarity. Nose is lighter than I expected but still has a deep aroma of black cherry, oak spices and slight mineral.
Smooth on the palate. Medium++ in body with a slight sweetness of cherry pie, dark chocolate, spices and that mineral finish.
Paired with grilled filet and well.... you know.... Just outstanding.
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7/17/2017 - blabbott wrote: 93 Points
This is tasting fabulous, though there was a definite improvement after the second glass had been in our glasses for a while. This is a rich, spicy wine with big chocolate (cocoa bean) notes blending with the cinnamon spice and dark plum fruit. Good, solid tannins hold their own against the solid fruit presence. The finish is very long and while the first glass was a bit acidic on the finish, after being opened for a couple of hours, this has softened to a well balanced yummy wine.
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6/20/2017 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
PnP. Baby killing. Patience will be rewarded with this wine. It's very good now, but should be tucked away and forgotten for a few years and will last another 15.
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6/18/2017 - Neecies Likes this wine:
In a tasting where it's the only merlot-dominant (50%) wine in the lineup, and seeming babyfatty by being from a lower-acid vintage, it shows a lot of sweet weight with black currant and blueberry fruit, violets, and lead pencil. Splash decanted and left to breathe for about six hours prior to tasting. Definitely needs cellar time.
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4/23/2017 - racerchris Likes this wine: 92 Points
Best after a lengthy decant.
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3/19/2017 - jkwoodward Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still young, but well integrated tannins after a 3 hour decant. Dark fruit, quite nice.
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5/13/2016 - gtm wrote: 94 Points
Coravin tasting, very early, needs 3-4 years. Great bones, this will be outstanding
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3/8/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
A chocolate oak edge but just opened. Stunningly high aromatics, strong full bodied palate, really amazingly put together, great great wine.
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3/8/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
This will be the last vintage of Cabernet from Ciel as he is giving up the fruit contract on the Cabernet because he likes the Merlot and Franc so much more.
I think that is corked actually. Roasted cherry fruit.
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