Been sitting on this bottle for a few years almost afraid to open it. Was worried it was over the hill.
Wow. What a surprise. Purchased this bottle shortly after release. Beautiful tonight. Wonderful. Developed. Mature. Plummy but restrained. Tannins completely resolved. Zero heat. Zero. Etoh 14.5%. Truly a beautiful bottle of wine. The reason collecting wine and holding them to maturity is a passion we all share. Perfect bottle, perfect drinking window.
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(Uuganaa, Meiting, Terence) lush leafy berries, raspberry and sweet spice. On palate, more herbal medicine and sweet luscious berries, bright acidity and elegant tea-leaf structure. Yum!
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What a pleasure! Brought from Sidney November 2004. Perfectly matured for almost 12 years in my cellar. Fantastic wine. A lot of jam here! Cornel, pomegranate and dry fig jam and crèmes de cassis. Then comes roasted tomatoes, beetroot, anise and grilled beef and just a touch of smoke. Big, bold, fully bodied with a lot of perfectly soft tannins. 45 sec long aftertaste. Drink now or wait two years. 95+
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This has an extremely fruity note that gives way to a distinct mustard smell. Extreme mustard taste. Have not experienced this in wine before. Amazingly unpleasant. Obviously just this bottle otherwise no one would drink this.
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This is a wine that keeps on giving. A clear deep purple, clean on the nose, with a pronounced intensity of black currant jam, rasberry and cherry. The palate is dry (just), with high acid and medium tannin. A full body, with raisins, jamminess, and cloves, bordering on a liquoriceness. Long finish, very good wine. After thirteen years, this is still fresh and flavoursome - a very happy wine.
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This is a big red for sure, tons of fruit and some tannins for balance, but it lacks the complexity of a big Bdx. Still very, very delicious. Three and half out of four stars.
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Coming to the end of its life but still going strong. Big, viscous, fruity red with the Aussi funk and a surprising complexity. Changed over the course of the night
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really love his wine, beautiful fruity nose. first sip was all black raspberry, which i love, subtler hints of tar and leather and nutmeg and orange zest. can't image this getting better but sure was enjoyable now
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Popped and poured. Followed over about six hours. Nose features a big wallop of prune/overripe red fruit with subtle floral notes. On the palate this shows decent balance but the flavors of overripe fruit are not appealing to me. Nice acidic zing leads to a long finish. Added weight and smoothed out a bit over the six hours it was open, but never really delivered the compelling drinking experience I was hoping for. Not likely to face any time soon, but I doubt additional cellar time is going to help this given the dominant flavor profile.
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Served with Easter Dinner (featuring leg of lamb with a morel mushroom sauce). Popped and poured. No notes taken. This had a nice dark fruit profile and was smooth and balanced. A little sweeter/riper than the '05 Domaine La Milliere CdP and showing more obvious oak and vanilla. There seemed to be a unanimous preference for the Rhone, as I ended up opening a second bottle of that and this one wasn't completely consumed.
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Leather, dark fruit on the nose. Complex wine with old leather, soy and beautifully balance. Doesn't feel hot and pn checking alcohol is a reasonable 14.5%. These guys know how to do Grenache
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Light bodied with a candied sour cherry taste. High sweet acid and a citric finish. Some deeper darker flavors around the edges and some barnyard on the nose. Bright and high toned. Clear, smooth and silky. B-
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I wondered about the health of this bottle due to a slightly pushed cork which I thought was either due to heat before I purchased it or ML fermentation going on in a bottle with very little ullage. Fortunately, my fears were allayed almost immediately on opening. Not quite clear, the wine is still mostly translucent with a definite lightening from a deep red to a light red around the margins. The nose immediately screams raspberry, but little alcohol and heat come in behind that. Still quite nice. Black cherry, cigar box and a hint of sweetness (my bet a hint of residual sugar) framed by a nice core of acidity and very moderate tannins. Good but not huge finish of slightly pruned fruit. I have had three TCA tainted bottles in the last week of other wines (not this producer) and I was grateful that this was clean and quite satisfied by my first Clarendon experience. Fully mature, this wine probably has another 5-8 years, about the same driinking window as a very good CDP but it is so yummy now I would not wait.
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Shiraz Shoot-out (Seattle, WA): In a lineup of Shiraz, this was a ringer. The nose shows ripe plums, white pepper, tar and raspberry. Fantastic aromatics! The palate is absolutely freaking awesome with tar, spice and huge structure yet so much lighter than the Shiraz. The mouthwatering finish is awesome. My scoring here is perhaps conservative, but that's what I wrote down.
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Dinner at Lampreia (Seattle, WA, USA): Wow, these are so distinct. The nose explodes from the glass with ripe plum, white pepper and confectioner's sugar. This is sharp and potent. The palate is intense, seething with boysenberry syrup, raspberry mint and more white pepper. Wow this has such gorgeous focus and purity, supremely enjoyable!
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3/11/2021 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Tasted Blind): Nose: B++ Palate: B+/B++. Still feels pretty young! (Tasted blind)
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7/3/2019 - texaswinelover wrote:
Been sitting on this bottle for a few years almost afraid to open it. Was worried it was over the hill.
Wow. What a surprise. Purchased this bottle shortly after release. Beautiful tonight. Wonderful. Developed. Mature. Plummy but restrained. Tannins completely resolved. Zero heat. Zero. Etoh 14.5%. Truly a beautiful bottle of wine. The reason collecting wine and holding them to maturity is a passion we all share. Perfect bottle, perfect drinking window.
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9/5/2018 - JerM wrote: 92 Points
(Uuganaa, Meiting, Terence) lush leafy berries, raspberry and sweet spice. On palate, more herbal medicine and sweet luscious berries, bright acidity and elegant tea-leaf structure. Yum!
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8/12/2018 - JerM wrote: 92 Points
Dark leafy spice, earthy sweet fruit. Juicy and textural, concentrated and finishes with dark cherry and chocolate. Time to drink up, Yum!
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7/29/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote: 95 Points
What a pleasure! Brought from Sidney November 2004. Perfectly matured for almost 12 years in my cellar. Fantastic wine. A lot of jam here! Cornel, pomegranate and dry fig jam and crèmes de cassis. Then comes roasted tomatoes, beetroot, anise and grilled beef and just a touch of smoke. Big, bold, fully bodied with a lot of perfectly soft tannins. 45 sec long aftertaste. Drink now or wait two years. 95+
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12/11/2015 - MattLP wrote: flawed
This has an extremely fruity note that gives way to a distinct mustard smell. Extreme mustard taste. Have not experienced this in wine before. Amazingly unpleasant. Obviously just this bottle otherwise no one would drink this.
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11/4/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 89 Points
Tasted during a WA event „a matter of taste“. Nose of red fruit, torrefaction, medium bodied on the palate, not too heavy.
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2/24/2015 - Alandel Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is a wine that keeps on giving. A clear deep purple, clean on the nose, with a pronounced intensity of black currant jam, rasberry and cherry. The palate is dry (just), with high acid and medium tannin. A full body, with raisins, jamminess, and cloves, bordering on a liquoriceness. Long finish, very good wine. After thirteen years, this is still fresh and flavoursome - a very happy wine.
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6/1/2013 - skurtz Likes this wine:
This is a big red for sure, tons of fruit and some tannins for balance, but it lacks the complexity of a big Bdx. Still very, very delicious. Three and half out of four stars.
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9/28/2012 - Winevestor wrote: 93 Points
Coming to the end of its life but still going strong. Big, viscous, fruity red with the Aussi funk and a surprising complexity. Changed over the course of the night
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6/27/2012 - pilot360 wrote: 87 Points
Let open up for about an hour in decanter. Ripe and thick red plum, rather heavy, not very exciting. Noted ethanol on nose and palate.
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3/14/2010 - sedation (yellowgas) wrote: 93 Points
really love his wine, beautiful fruity nose. first sip was all black raspberry, which i love, subtler hints of tar and leather and nutmeg and orange zest. can't image this getting better but sure was enjoyable now
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10/4/2009 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 86 Points
Popped and poured. Followed over about six hours. Nose features a big wallop of prune/overripe red fruit with subtle floral notes. On the palate this shows decent balance but the flavors of overripe fruit are not appealing to me. Nice acidic zing leads to a long finish. Added weight and smoothed out a bit over the six hours it was open, but never really delivered the compelling drinking experience I was hoping for. Not likely to face any time soon, but I doubt additional cellar time is going to help this given the dominant flavor profile.
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4/18/2009 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Served with Easter Dinner (featuring leg of lamb with a morel mushroom sauce). Popped and poured. No notes taken. This had a nice dark fruit profile and was smooth and balanced. A little sweeter/riper than the '05 Domaine La Milliere CdP and showing more obvious oak and vanilla. There seemed to be a unanimous preference for the Rhone, as I ended up opening a second bottle of that and this one wasn't completely consumed.
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1/17/2009 - Winevestor wrote: 93 Points
Leather, dark fruit on the nose. Complex wine with old leather, soy and beautifully balance. Doesn't feel hot and pn checking alcohol is a reasonable 14.5%. These guys know how to do Grenache
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6/2/2008 - MRichman wrote:
Light bodied with a candied sour cherry taste. High sweet acid and a citric finish. Some deeper darker flavors around the edges and some barnyard on the nose. Bright and high toned. Clear, smooth and silky.
B-
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5/31/2008 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
I wondered about the health of this bottle due to a slightly pushed cork which I thought was either due to heat before I purchased it or ML fermentation going on in a bottle with very little ullage. Fortunately, my fears were allayed almost immediately on opening. Not quite clear, the wine is still mostly translucent with a definite lightening from a deep red to a light red around the margins. The nose immediately screams raspberry, but little alcohol and heat come in behind that. Still quite nice. Black cherry, cigar box and a hint of sweetness (my bet a hint of residual sugar) framed by a nice core of acidity and very moderate tannins. Good but not huge finish of slightly pruned fruit. I have had three TCA tainted bottles in the last week of other wines (not this producer) and I was grateful that this was clean and quite satisfied by my first Clarendon experience. Fully mature, this wine probably has another 5-8 years, about the same driinking window as a very good CDP but it is so yummy now I would not wait.
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2/28/2008 - Pool Boy wrote: 90 Points
Braised pork belly, sauerbraten, chocolate covered cherry liquer, bubbleyum, blackberry cola, raw red onion, smelled of effervescvence, chocolate bark
Good! 89-90pts
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12/2/2007 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Raspberry, blackberries, pepper
Taste: Sweet fruits, eucalyptus, violets, pepper
Finish: Sweet fruits, pepper, eucalyptus, violets on this multi layered medium finish
Evaluation: Solid wine 92 points
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8/21/2007 - MichaelB wrote: 93 Points
A very nice, candied apple, cranberry character. Very exotic and roasted, quite unique
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5/9/2005 - Eric wrote: 93 Points
Shiraz Shoot-out (Seattle, WA): In a lineup of Shiraz, this was a ringer. The nose shows ripe plums, white pepper, tar and raspberry. Fantastic aromatics! The palate is absolutely freaking awesome with tar, spice and huge structure yet so much lighter than the Shiraz. The mouthwatering finish is awesome. My scoring here is perhaps conservative, but that's what I wrote down.
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11/26/2004 - Eric wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at Lampreia (Seattle, WA, USA): Wow, these are so distinct. The nose explodes from the glass with ripe plum, white pepper and confectioner's sugar. This is sharp and potent. The palate is intense, seething with boysenberry syrup, raspberry mint and more white pepper. Wow this has such gorgeous focus and purity, supremely enjoyable!
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