This did not reach the impressive level of earlier bottles for me when first opened. It was OK a few hours after opening and accompanied grilled steak quite well but it seemed a bit flat and ordinary. Next day, with cheese, the fruit came through a little more positively but the end taste still had a little too much acidity and tannin. However, a third of a bottle was tasted on the second and third days and improved greatly over that time. Good fruit on the fragrant nose and there was enough remaining soft acidity and tannin to accompany food with style. Perhaps it suffered at first from being served with other reds (including ‘sweeter’ Malbecs and a bottle of 20 year old Ch. Musar at a family gathering. Maybe it it is time to move on to younger vintages but my initial reaction was too harsh, given the way it developed after opening. I have added a point.
Very luxe nose, feels more merlot based than claimed with a grated chocolate character and a plushness to the silky red fruits. Very well done though. Look forward to the second half tomorrow.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This has come together beautifully. Pretty much as my earlier notes but even better after another 18 months in the cellar - more ‘together’. It retains the deep colour, fine nose, ‘sweet’ dark cherry fruit, good soft tannins, balance, and length. Excellent. Plenty of life, yet.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
As my note of 8 Feb 2020. I add this because it seemed a little stalky at first and was a tad disappointing. This surprised me and I was relieved to find it much better next day and even better on the second day after opening. Excellent fruit, balance, juicy acidity and food-friendly soft, spicy tannins as before. This augurs well for an attractive few years yet for this fine Bordeaux blend.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fruity, savoury nose. Soft, red/black cherry fruit with some 'farmyard', meaty, umami flavours at first (new to me in this wine) but these faded and had vanished 30 mins later. Fragrance and spice developed on the nose as it opened and the soft, juicy fruit took over. Good acidity and length with soft, integrated tannins. Very good with food later (slow-cooked beef rump steaks with smoked bacon, onion and porcini mushrooms).
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I always enjoy the John X Merriman after at least 5 years. This vintage is no exception now we have finished all the 2011. Good fruit, lots of character and spice, Great balance and length. No need for a detailed note from me since earlier notes say it all. Excellent Cab and it has plenty of life ahead. Brilliant value when I look back to what I paid for it a few years ago.
Graphite, black fruit, oak with hints of leather and chocolate. Elegant with medium to full body, good acidity and long satisfying finish. Easy drinking.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Immediately after opening the bottle, the medium-bodied wine offered smoky reduction, red and dark fruit, herbal notes and graphite on the nose, and crunchy red fruit, raspberry, black currant, blackberry, plum, a hint of chocolate, eucalyptus and mild herbal notes on the palate, with lively acidity, fine, well-integrated tannin and great persistence. At that point, the wine was lively, feminine and very balanced and drank very well. But after some aeration the wine was still balanced of some sort, but dominated by coconutty oak, oak spice and oak chocolate, and the feminine elegance was gone. A shame. If you want to open your bottles now, the wine needs a burger to tame the oak. I would hold. (89+/?)
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Interesting, complex wine. Plum, tangy bramble fruit, and eucalyptus. Fleshy weight but very high acidity too. Oak has yet to integrate; tannins are moderate. I suggest giving this wine more time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
It smells like blackberry, prune, walnut, forest floor, medicinal, raspberry and cherry. The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Retailer tasting. The medium- to light-bodied wine was medium ruby in colour and offered red and dark fruit, mild vegetal notes, spices and a hint of vanilla on the nose and palate, with fresh, lively acidity, medium-fine tannin, a slightly creamy mouthfeel and very good length. Light and elegant. Good. I liked it.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Intense, deep, tannic, some acidity still, and pleasant blackcurrant and green pepper aromas. Great character and complexity. Opened and poured immediately, shall doubtless mellow overnight. Bought two bottles last year from Waitrose on recommendation of a reputable critic, held until now. Still time for this to improve.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank this over 2 evenings. Second evening I t had been decanted for several hours.
First night was big, bold and brash. Herbal and vegetal, lots of bursting black fruits. It was almost harsh in its rawness. Very tannic.
Second evening this was much more refined. The nose and palate softened and then it unfolded smoothly in the mouth. The tannins were nicely balanced by the acidity and the blackberry fruit was less in your face. Finish was medium to long.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep, thick red. Lovely sweet black fruits, leavened by some sharper raspberry - intense with some dustiness; some tasted wood and a little sourness. Beautiful sweet mixed fruits in the mouth, with a sharper edge and a slightly confected taste of wine gums. The sweetness is balanced by a savoury note. Nice tannins. Finish is sweet but also slightly rustic.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Crimson red Lots of green notes and vegetal notes. Slight smokey and dark fruit notes. Moderate tannins (6/10), some vegetal notes. Very light savory note nearing the finish. Undertones of cassis, very light. Moderate finish. moderate body, gains dark fruit as it opens up. Differs slightly from the 2011. More fruit.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Good, complex but curiously changeable aromas: at best a lovely, soft black fruit and leaf compote with some very gentle clove; at other times a harsher roasted fruit edge. To taste, mixed red and black fruits with a mixed berry lingering note. Well integrated tannins. Dry finish leaving a savoury taste.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brilliant crimson, with a touch of purple. Dried rosemary and dried mint on the nose; leafy; big blackberries, with hints of raspberries and violets. Lovely black fruit (perhaps some red) to taste, with good spice. Beautifully integrated tannins. At times, curiously shows hints of a peaty whisky - not at all full on, but distinct traces. Dry but fruity finish gives way to lingering spices - very long finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 2012 John X Merriman is another delicious blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (as well as smaller traces of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec). Boasting an enticing deep ruby core, this delightfully herbaceous wine is packed with vibrant aromas of mint leaf, eucalyptus, led pencil shavings and dried cranberries. Full bodied, thick and muscular, yet delicately unctuous, it pleases the palate with loads of silky tannins and intertwined layers of dark chocolate, fresh cherries and a rich raspberry coulis. The silky finish goes on for over thirty seconds. A remarkable effort and truly outstanding value, this is just coming of age now and should evolve gracefully for the next decade.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice crimson colour - crushed silk (ie. not silk and glossy but not opaque and dull either). Lovely, complex nose: red fruits, including cranberry juice and raspberry with a little touch of chocolate - hints of a licquer chocolate. Tomato leaf and gentle Christmas spices. A spicy mouthful, with good tannins. Intense red fruits, but also distinct blackberry. Savoury, possibly a little mushroom, and maybe even a little smoke. Big, juicy, structured finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
spicy nose, oak, dark fruit, brooding Good acidity and fragrance, ripe tannins though they are quite prominent at this stage. Spicy oak with leather Long finish Elegant, well put together wine that needs some time. Good price £15 Waitrose
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bright, dark purple-tinted burgundy. Fine, balanced, Bordeaux-like nose. Blackcurrant and possibly some violets, with a tiny hint of chocolate. Savoury and blackcurrant mix. Nice tannins, a little dusty. Would be good to have some bottles to keep.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opaque burgundy, a little thinner at edges. Intense berry nose: like shoving your nose in a bramble bush - both fruits and leaves. Savoury notes and a hint of a slightly odd mouldy note. Very Bordeaux-like flavours. Mixed berry and stone fruits. Damsons, blackcurrants and blackberries. Good tannic structure. Dry finish gives way to sweet fruits finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
9/2/2022 - johnrm Likes this wine: 89 Points
This did not reach the impressive level of earlier bottles for me when first opened. It was OK a few hours after opening and accompanied grilled steak quite well but it seemed a bit flat and ordinary. Next day, with cheese, the fruit came through a little more positively but the end taste still had a little too much acidity and tannin.
However, a third of a bottle was tasted on the second and third days and improved greatly over that time. Good fruit on the fragrant nose and there was enough remaining soft acidity and tannin to accompany food with style.
Perhaps it suffered at first from being served with other reds (including ‘sweeter’ Malbecs and a bottle of 20 year old Ch. Musar at a family gathering. Maybe it it is time to move on to younger vintages but my initial reaction was too harsh, given the way it developed after opening. I have added a point.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
8/18/2022 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very luxe nose, feels more merlot based than claimed with a grated chocolate character and a plushness to the silky red fruits. Very well done though. Look forward to the second half tomorrow.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2021 - johnrm Likes this wine: 91 Points
This has come together beautifully. Pretty much as my earlier notes but even better after another 18 months in the cellar - more ‘together’. It retains the deep colour, fine nose, ‘sweet’ dark cherry fruit, good soft tannins, balance, and length. Excellent. Plenty of life, yet.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2021 - Zoomin Z Likes this wine: 91 Points
Blackfruits and licorice on the nose. A medium-weight body with a hint of tannins remaining. Smooth sailing on this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2021 - Vinterest Angus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Retrospective note. Tasted many times 2015-2016. Superb wine with tertiary notes already coming through. Will look for more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2020 - johnrm Likes this wine: 90 Points
As my note of 8 Feb 2020. I add this because it seemed a little stalky at first and was a tad disappointing. This surprised me and I was relieved to find it much better next day and even better on the second day after opening. Excellent fruit, balance, juicy acidity and food-friendly soft, spicy tannins as before. This augurs well for an attractive few years yet for this fine Bordeaux blend.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2020 - Zorba Likes this wine: 90 Points
Like a ripe, fruity médoc, good QPR, great to drink now but will last a few years more. 89-90pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2020 - johnrm Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fruity, savoury nose. Soft, red/black cherry fruit with some 'farmyard', meaty, umami flavours at first (new to me in this wine) but these faded and had vanished 30 mins later. Fragrance and spice developed on the nose as it opened and the soft, juicy fruit took over. Good acidity and length with soft, integrated tannins. Very good with food later (slow-cooked beef rump steaks with smoked bacon, onion and porcini mushrooms).
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/8/2019 - johnrm Likes this wine: 90 Points
I always enjoy the John X Merriman after at least 5 years. This vintage is no exception now we have finished all the 2011. Good fruit, lots of character and spice, Great balance and length. No need for a detailed note from me since earlier notes say it all. Excellent Cab and it has plenty of life ahead. Brilliant value when I look back to what I paid for it a few years ago.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
2/25/2019 - Wuhan Joe Likes this wine: 90 Points
Graphite, black fruit, oak with hints of leather and chocolate. Elegant with medium to full body, good acidity and long satisfying finish. Easy drinking.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/14/2018 - PSPatrick wrote:
Immediately after opening the bottle, the medium-bodied wine offered smoky reduction, red and dark fruit, herbal notes and graphite on the nose, and crunchy red fruit, raspberry, black currant, blackberry, plum, a hint of chocolate, eucalyptus and mild herbal notes on the palate, with lively acidity, fine, well-integrated tannin and great persistence. At that point, the wine was lively, feminine and very balanced and drank very well. But after some aeration the wine was still balanced of some sort, but dominated by coconutty oak, oak spice and oak chocolate, and the feminine elegance was gone. A shame. If you want to open your bottles now, the wine needs a burger to tame the oak. I would hold. (89+/?)
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2017 - Sergei&Marisa Likes this wine: 90 Points
I: 3+/3/6/5 = 17 out of 20
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2017 - rmalloy wrote: 88 Points
Interesting, complex wine. Plum, tangy bramble fruit, and eucalyptus. Fleshy weight but very high acidity too. Oak has yet to integrate; tannins are moderate. I suggest giving this wine more time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2017 - AKeats wrote: 84 Points
It smells like blackberry, prune, walnut, forest floor, medicinal, raspberry and cherry. The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2016 - PSPatrick wrote: 89 Points
Retailer tasting. The medium- to light-bodied wine was medium ruby in colour and offered red and dark fruit, mild vegetal notes, spices and a hint of vanilla on the nose and palate, with fresh, lively acidity, medium-fine tannin, a slightly creamy mouthfeel and very good length. Light and elegant. Good. I liked it.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2016 - DGW Likes this wine: 89 Points
Intense, deep, tannic, some acidity still, and pleasant blackcurrant and green pepper aromas. Great character and complexity. Opened and poured immediately, shall doubtless mellow overnight. Bought two bottles last year from Waitrose on recommendation of a reputable critic, held until now. Still time for this to improve.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2016 - DanielOsman Likes this wine: 88 Points
Drank this over 2 evenings. Second evening I t had been decanted for several hours.
First night was big, bold and brash. Herbal and vegetal, lots of bursting black fruits. It was almost harsh in its rawness. Very tannic.
Second evening this was much more refined. The nose and palate softened and then it unfolded smoothly in the mouth. The tannins were nicely balanced by the acidity and the blackberry fruit was less in your face. Finish was medium to long.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2016 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep, thick red. Lovely sweet black fruits, leavened by some sharper raspberry - intense with some dustiness; some tasted wood and a little sourness. Beautiful sweet mixed fruits in the mouth, with a sharper edge and a slightly confected taste of wine gums. The sweetness is balanced by a savoury note. Nice tannins. Finish is sweet but also slightly rustic.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Roasted green peppers in the nicest possible way. Firm structure, needs some time but the stuffing is all there. No SA funk either. Great stuff.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2016 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 89 Points
Crimson red
Lots of green notes and vegetal notes. Slight smokey and dark fruit notes.
Moderate tannins (6/10), some vegetal notes. Very light savory note nearing the finish. Undertones of cassis, very light. Moderate finish. moderate body, gains dark fruit as it opens up.
Differs slightly from the 2011. More fruit.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2016 - cab blends Likes this wine: 88 Points
Blind home wine tasting with MOT Scoring sheet: Dark red with a light chalk nose.
Medium to full body.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/28/2015 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 88 Points
Good, complex but curiously changeable aromas: at best a lovely, soft black fruit and leaf compote with some very gentle clove; at other times a harsher roasted fruit edge. To taste, mixed red and black fruits with a mixed berry lingering note. Well integrated tannins. Dry finish leaving a savoury taste.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2015 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 91 Points
Brilliant crimson, with a touch of purple. Dried rosemary and dried mint on the nose; leafy; big blackberries, with hints of raspberries and violets. Lovely black fruit (perhaps some red) to taste, with good spice. Beautifully integrated tannins. At times, curiously shows hints of a peaty whisky - not at all full on, but distinct traces. Dry but fruity finish gives way to lingering spices - very long finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2015 - Wineguy76 wrote: 92 Points
The 2012 John X Merriman is another delicious blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (as well as smaller traces of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec). Boasting an enticing deep ruby core, this delightfully herbaceous wine is packed with vibrant aromas of mint leaf, eucalyptus, led pencil shavings and dried cranberries. Full bodied, thick and muscular, yet delicately unctuous, it pleases the palate with loads of silky tannins and intertwined layers of dark chocolate, fresh cherries and a rich raspberry coulis. The silky finish goes on for over thirty seconds. A remarkable effort and truly outstanding value, this is just coming of age now and should evolve gracefully for the next decade.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2015 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice crimson colour - crushed silk (ie. not silk and glossy but not opaque and dull either). Lovely, complex nose: red fruits, including cranberry juice and raspberry with a little touch of chocolate - hints of a licquer chocolate. Tomato leaf and gentle Christmas spices. A spicy mouthful, with good tannins. Intense red fruits, but also distinct blackberry. Savoury, possibly a little mushroom, and maybe even a little smoke. Big, juicy, structured finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2015 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
spicy nose, oak, dark fruit, brooding
Good acidity and fragrance, ripe tannins though they are quite prominent at this stage. Spicy oak with leather
Long finish
Elegant, well put together wine that needs some time. Good price £15 Waitrose
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2015 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bright, dark purple-tinted burgundy. Fine, balanced, Bordeaux-like nose. Blackcurrant and possibly some violets, with a tiny hint of chocolate. Savoury and blackcurrant mix. Nice tannins, a little dusty. Would be good to have some bottles to keep.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2014 - Keith Clark Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opaque burgundy, a little thinner at edges. Intense berry nose: like shoving your nose in a bramble bush - both fruits and leaves. Savoury notes and a hint of a slightly odd mouldy note. Very Bordeaux-like flavours. Mixed berry and stone fruits. Damsons, blackcurrants and blackberries. Good tannic structure. Dry finish gives way to sweet fruits finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment