I have several of these left and that makes me happy. This wine is as good as it was a year ago. My wife likes it so life is good. Its been in our cellar for five years and is as good now as when I first tasted it, maybe better!
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The 30% Malbec underneath the Cabernet made for a delight. Consistency and quality is what you can expect from Vincent Arroyo. Thrilled I have 4 more bottles.
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This was drinking very well this time. Nice garnet color in the glass with dark red fruit on the nose and palate. Very smooth ... tannins and acidity in balance. Enjoyable.
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The cork was in great shape and was stained deep purple. It had no weinstein. The color is dark purple with a very distinctive and long lasting nose. The taste is of dark fruit, lots of it. And the finish is very long. I finished my last taste 15 minutes ago and I can still taste the finish...fantastic.
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Took about 3 hours to fully open, but is a nice field blend of reds with some black and red fruits. Modest Oak. Smooth but tannins with backbone. Finish is on the short side. This wine still has another 3 - 5 years left on it and it might get a little better over that span.
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Yeah I like it, but it's almost more out of respect for Vincent than the wine itself. This should be a great wine, but it hasn't come together yet ... just not balanced ... still a little harsh on the palate. Enjoyable, but there are so many wonderful West coast blends that are much better wines and values than this ... bummer.
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The wine is a medium to dark garnet color. The very appealing nose features blackberries, baking spices, cedar, tobacco, cherry, vanilla, and a bit of earthiness. This has medium body with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity. On the palate the spicy fruit hits first with some cedar and earthiness in the background adding depth. The finish has nice length with cherries and spice carrying the load. A very nice Bordeaux style blend from Napa.
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A nice bordeaux blend ... dark blue fruit on the nose and palate with nice oak and tannins. I'm thinking it'll get better with a little more time in the bottle. I decanted it for about 90 minutes before drinking and with Vincent's bigger wines is a good thing to do.
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Sampled 8/28/12. Although initially just an Oak monster, after a couple hours the wine's black and blue fruits started to come through and the wine got a bit smoother. I doubt this wine will ever rise above 89 points, but it might improve enough to get it to the 89 point mark in another year or two.
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Second bottle of the night after a wonderful syrah ... which maybe forced my score down a little as it was wonderful. An interesting blend that went well with the beef kabobs. Dark fruit with a little spice on the nose and palate.
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Decanted for about 30 minutes. Medium to deep garnet color. Cassis, cedar, baking spices, with lesser amounts of vanilla, cherry, and earthy elements on the very nice nose. Medium body with a nice tannic backbone and very nice acidity. Nice spicy fruit on the palate with just the right amount of earthiness to add interest. Nice length on the finish which has cherry and spicy oak. Perhaps a bit too much oak, especially on the finish, but everything is pretty much in balance and in check. I am in no hurry to open remaining bottles. I like this blend from a winery I have liked for several years.
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot, and 4% Merlot.
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Initial impression really excited me. First smell as I decanted was a beautiful blend of blue and red fruit with some rose flower. The color is deep dark purple/blue. There is some rustic old world flavors that come through early with blueberry and dark cherry. in the first glass there also was some chocolate covered caramel on a pretty long finish. Medium to full body and smooth, silky tannins. My only complaint with this wine is that most of the good flavors that I have described disappeared in later glasses, and over the next day when we finished the bottle. It did not become harsh or disjointed over time, just simply lost flavor. Wish the whole bottle had tasted like the first glass.
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Lots of dark fruits, vanilla and spice from slightly too much oak. Similar flavors on the palate with ripe, dar fruits along with a touch of vanilla a spice. Just a bit more oak than I like, but this may come into more balance with time or a longer decant. To borrow from another reviewer - easy drinking , and not overly complex. One thing I notice is that the ABV is listed at 13.9% which I was excited about, but the moutfeel, richness, palate and nose, to me at least, made me think they were really low balling the ABV...
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Popped and poured into a decanter. Color leaning toward the darker shade. Nose has that distinctly Vincent Arroyo vanilla and oak scents. Palate is smooth and balanced. Plums and dark berries. Nice balance. Easy drinking not overly complex. Wonderful lasting finish. I wish I bought more. 5,13,15,5=88
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Very nice. Pop n pour, very smooth. Will drink the rest this evening. For those visiting Napa, its a must see wine tasting given the great attention one receives by the friendly staff.
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Popped and poured. Dark garnet in color, inviting nose of a mixture of ripe fruit. First to the palate, I was surprised by the un-ripened, almost sour fruit, then after sometime the fruit begins to develop into layers of plum, cherry, blackberry, and a wonderful cola finish.
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Very nice complex nose, but surprising palate: expecting richness, but instead there's a surprising amount of acidity and a slightly underripe flavor. Lots of classy stuffing here, but something seems not quite right and the acidity throws things out of balance. (I'm not afraid of acid, btw, but this is just kinda weird.) Perhaps travel shock (just arrived) -- I'm hoping later bottles will be more rounded.
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We were looking for a 'very plummy' Malbec or Zin to have with a skirt steak dinner topped with a corn/pepper sour cream sauce. This wine is Cab, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot and was a great match and good value for the $25 retail price. It was fruity (both nose and taste) but clean (not cloying) and bright. It was a good match with dinner and an very nice everyday wine that doesn't need to cellar to be smooth and enjoyable.
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11/3/2017 - allenadale wrote: 91 Points
The wine has gone downhill a little since I last tasted it, but it was still super
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1/15/2016 - WineGold Likes this wine: 89 Points
Ready to drink. Great to drink while cooking and eating Italian food. Enjoyed the Napa fruit.
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1/8/2016 - allenadale wrote: 93 Points
I have several of these left and that makes me happy. This wine is as good as it was a year ago. My wife likes it so life is good. Its been in our cellar for five years and is as good now as when I first tasted it, maybe better!
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12/11/2015 - Mattvino wrote: 87 Points
Little bit of fruit left but not much. Dried cherry and plum
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2/14/2015 - hallibch wrote: 94 Points
The 30% Malbec underneath the Cabernet made for a delight. Consistency and quality is what you can expect from Vincent Arroyo. Thrilled I have 4 more bottles.
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1/6/2015 - rzymelka Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice body and fruit, found it more balanced and less oaky than expected.
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4/26/2014 - Parnelli Likes this wine: 89 Points
This was drinking very well this time. Nice garnet color in the glass with dark red fruit on the nose and palate. Very smooth ... tannins and acidity in balance. Enjoyable.
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3/6/2014 - allenadale wrote: 93 Points
The cork was in great shape and was stained deep purple. It had no weinstein. The color is dark purple with a very distinctive and long lasting nose. The taste is of dark fruit, lots of it. And the finish is very long. I finished my last taste 15 minutes ago and I can still taste the finish...fantastic.
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7/23/2013 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 89 Points
Took about 3 hours to fully open, but is a nice field blend of reds with some black and red fruits. Modest Oak. Smooth but tannins with backbone. Finish is on the short side. This wine still has another 3 - 5 years left on it and it might get a little better over that span.
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3/9/2013 - Parnelli Likes this wine: 88 Points
Yeah I like it, but it's almost more out of respect for Vincent than the wine itself. This should be a great wine, but it hasn't come together yet ... just not balanced ... still a little harsh on the palate. Enjoyable, but there are so many wonderful West coast blends that are much better wines and values than this ... bummer.
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11/14/2012 - cbbrown3 wrote: 90 Points
The wine is a medium to dark garnet color. The very appealing nose features blackberries, baking spices, cedar, tobacco, cherry, vanilla, and a bit of earthiness. This has medium body with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity. On the palate the spicy fruit hits first with some cedar and earthiness in the background adding depth. The finish has nice length with cherries and spice carrying the load. A very nice Bordeaux style blend from Napa.
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10/26/2012 - erichbrandt wrote:
Moved to Lake
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9/14/2012 - Parnelli wrote: 89 Points
A nice bordeaux blend ... dark blue fruit on the nose and palate with nice oak and tannins. I'm thinking it'll get better with a little more time in the bottle. I decanted it for about 90 minutes before drinking and with Vincent's bigger wines is a good thing to do.
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8/28/2012 - mxpbuy wrote: 88 Points
Sampled 8/28/12. Although initially just an Oak monster, after a couple hours the wine's black and blue fruits started to come through and the wine got a bit smoother. I doubt this wine will ever rise above 89 points, but it might improve enough to get it to the 89 point mark in another year or two.
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3/10/2012 - Parnelli wrote: 89 Points
Second bottle of the night after a wonderful syrah ... which maybe forced my score down a little as it was wonderful. An interesting blend that went well with the beef kabobs. Dark fruit with a little spice on the nose and palate.
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2/8/2012 - cbbrown3 wrote:
Decanted for about 30 minutes. Medium to deep garnet color. Cassis, cedar, baking spices, with lesser amounts of vanilla, cherry, and earthy elements on the very nice nose. Medium body with a nice tannic backbone and very nice acidity. Nice spicy fruit on the palate with just the right amount of earthiness to add interest. Nice length on the finish which has cherry and spicy oak. Perhaps a bit too much oak, especially on the finish, but everything is pretty much in balance and in check. I am in no hurry to open remaining bottles. I like this blend from a winery I have liked for several years.
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot, and 4% Merlot.
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1/28/2012 - Tonythefish wrote: 89 Points
Lots of fruit - did not decant and let it open in the glass. Very nice everyday bottle from a very fun winery
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1/6/2012 - hende14 wrote: 89 Points
Initial impression really excited me. First smell as I decanted was a beautiful blend of blue and red fruit with some rose flower. The color is deep dark purple/blue. There is some rustic old world flavors that come through early with blueberry and dark cherry. in the first glass there also was some chocolate covered caramel on a pretty long finish. Medium to full body and smooth, silky tannins. My only complaint with this wine is that most of the good flavors that I have described disappeared in later glasses, and over the next day when we finished the bottle. It did not become harsh or disjointed over time, just simply lost flavor. Wish the whole bottle had tasted like the first glass.
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12/15/2011 - Grape_ape wrote:
Lots of dark fruits, vanilla and spice from slightly too much oak. Similar flavors on the palate with ripe, dar fruits along with a touch of vanilla a spice. Just a bit more oak than I like, but this may come into more balance with time or a longer decant. To borrow from another reviewer - easy drinking , and not overly complex. One thing I notice is that the ABV is listed at 13.9% which I was excited about, but the moutfeel, richness, palate and nose, to me at least, made me think they were really low balling the ABV...
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11/26/2011 - rodsjuice wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured into a decanter. Color leaning toward the darker shade. Nose has that distinctly Vincent Arroyo vanilla and oak scents. Palate is smooth and balanced. Plums and dark berries. Nice balance. Easy drinking not overly complex. Wonderful lasting finish. I wish I bought more. 5,13,15,5=88
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11/18/2011 - vinotintoiowa wrote: 91 Points
Very nice. Pop n pour, very smooth. Will drink the rest this evening.
For those visiting Napa, its a must see wine tasting given the great attention one receives by the friendly staff.
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10/17/2011 - shapsplace wrote: 91 Points
Very similar to last tasting, only I let it open up in the glass & bottle (about 45 min) before consuming.
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10/11/2011 - shapsplace wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Dark garnet in color, inviting nose of a mixture of ripe fruit. First to the palate, I was surprised by the un-ripened, almost sour fruit, then after sometime the fruit begins to develop into layers of plum, cherry, blackberry, and a wonderful cola finish.
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10/10/2011 - jim dixon wrote: 88 Points
Very nice complex nose, but surprising palate: expecting richness, but instead there's a surprising amount of acidity and a slightly underripe flavor. Lots of classy stuffing here, but something seems not quite right and the acidity throws things out of balance. (I'm not afraid of acid, btw, but this is just kinda weird.) Perhaps travel shock (just arrived) -- I'm hoping later bottles will be more rounded.
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6/26/2010 - RJandGB wrote: 86 Points
We were looking for a 'very plummy' Malbec or Zin to have with a skirt steak dinner topped with a corn/pepper sour cream sauce. This wine is Cab, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot and was a great match and good value for the $25 retail price. It was fruity (both nose and taste) but clean (not cloying) and bright. It was a good match with dinner and an very nice everyday wine that doesn't need to cellar to be smooth and enjoyable.
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