Theme: Interesting (Pine Close): Pop and poured. Appearance is slight cloudy, deep intensity, garnet colour. Long legs. Nose is of pronounced intensity, with a smell of varnish and something synthetic. Ugh. On the palate, dry, low acidity, high alcohol, medium tannins, full body. Medium+ flavor intensity, with flavours of salty minerality, chocolate, sweet licorice, and dried fruit that is dying off. Some oxidative notes. Short finish. There was something flawed about this bottle of mine. Horrible nose, but interestingly still showing some nice flavours on the palate though.
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Ruby color. Nose: black cherry, redcurrant, tobacco, metal/stone minerals, and some pie crust. Palate: again very juicy cherry and redcurrant framed by tobacco leaf, chalk, and a bit of dark chocolate. Moderate, dry, finely grained tannins. Focused acidity. Lengthy, mineral driven finish. A little stem/grape skin with some peppercorn at the end. Not as complex as it could be, but clearly reflects its terroir. Beautiful balance. Well done.
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Stimmel's Market: Spain (Bowling Green, OH): Slightly closed nose, with juicy dark fruit and dark chocolate. Smooth, ripe, very light tannins and acid, medium body. Juicy but not jammy. Peppery. Slightly simple, with lots of generic red fruit. $16
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Not that great. Maybe closed now. The 1st time I had it it was great, but now, either it got spoiled or it's closed. I don't know. very tight nose. Even on the second day, which was much better, i still didn't like it much. A bit of heat doesn't help either.
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Quite tasty with strong flavors and a rich mouthfeel. Dark berry/cherry notes. Had during board game day, so no further notes, but enjoyed it quite a bit.
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Tight and unimpressive on the nose, light berry notes and some minerals. Overall, a weak wine that opened up some after an hour but simple, thin and basic from start to finish.
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Nose: red berries. Some heat/alcohol. Nice nose. Taste: Black and red berry. And unbalanced. Overall: poor wine on day 1, seemed to get a little better after 24 hours. Overall: Pass.
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Ruby red in color with a nose of overripe bing cherries and earth. Cherry, earth, and raisins with a medium to long finish. Great QPR and worth buying more
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Pop and pour. Black cherry and cocoa nose. Medium to full bodied. Decent balance with the fruit hanging in there with the acidity and smooth tannins. Long sour cherry, slighty hot, finish. Good value.
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Lots of fruit but pretty simple. Bet this would be a crowd pleaser at a party. Good for the price, but lots of choices from Spaoin these days, so probably won't buy this again.
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Initially, this medium-bodied, unoaked blend of 50% grenache and 50% carignane tasted kind of like Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail with a splash of cassis and vodka. But it fleshed out a little with air and added some pleasant aromas of dried herbs and plum jam. However it is rather sweet and fruit-juicy, and while there is some nice juicy acidity i still find the sweetness out of balance. In contrast to some other TNs here, this bottle was not the slightest bit drying or tannic.
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Was not expecting much here as Ive been disappointed with low end higher point Spanish wines lately. This one fits the bill thoughVery well made, medium body with great fruit. It is extremely tannic with just a touch of heat, moreso on the nose though than palate. I'd call this one a good QPR for everyday drinking.
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Hard and angular wine. Nose is enjoyable with sweet cherry (almost like kirsch), cinnamon and other spices. This wine is too hot, too alcoholic. Good cherry flavors but lacks finesse and complexity. Drying tannins. How it got 90 pts somewhat puzzles me....
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Cherry and creme de cassis on the nose. Cherry with some vanilla on the mid-palate. Some leather and sour cherry finish. A little more complex than the last time I had it but not enough to change the score. Still a good value.
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chocolate, anise, and leather, juxtaposed with bright fruit. firm tannins but smooth. great weight but silky. finish offers fruit and earth for a good while.
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Cherry and earth on the nose. Nice cherry attack, not much of a mid-palate, sour cherry finish. Overall, it is well-made wine of solid quality. Good food wine. Good value.
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Had to give this Priorat for under $12 a try and it didn't disappoint. Deep garnet color. This grenache blend offers a big cherry/strawberry nose and flavor blending with zesty tannins/acidity that matched great with a skirt steak with chimichurri sauce.
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Popped this last night. It was open for about 45 minutes. Way too much heat. Got leather and a bit of tobacco with out too much fruit. None of the red fruits I would expect from a Grenache based wine. I'll give it another try tonight but I think it's going to be a pass. Although I didnt love the Rotlan Torra, the chocolate become overwhelming, I think its a much better wine for just a few bucks more.
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Nice spanish value, my first Priorat. Dark and brooding on opening, dark cherries and chocolate emerged with good minerality and acid. Nice bitter coccoa and mocha finish. I will look for this again at ~$10.
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"This surely must be the best value from the pricey D.O. of Priorat as well as one of the great deals in this Spanish report. The unoaked 2005 Onix is the best vintage of this wine to date, a blend of old-vine (average age 55 years) Garnacha and Carinena. The wine has a lovely nose of mineral and ripe cherries, nicely layered and intensely flavored, with a lengthy finish. This is one to buy by the case!" -Wine Advocate
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Closer to 88 pts but not quite; Dark clear ruby in color with fruity black cherry aromas. More juicy fresh cherries in the middle almost like an Italian dolcetto. It had OK balance but is probably a higher acid wine than some people prefer. 50% Garnacha and 50% Carinena from the back label. Tasty wine but did not wow with complexity. [~$10; well-priced for the quality]
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Good for a $10 bottle, but not much more. Clear neon purple color, with a muted nose of chocolate and berry. Tastes are faint and dominated by astringent tannins. No truly forward or recognizable flavors emerge. Works with food but not enough there to recommend as a stand alone. 5+9+13+7=83
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A 50/50 blend of grenache and carignan with 14.5% alcohol. Dark ruby red in color and very clear for an unfiltered wine. Hits you first with a good dose of acidity, then glycerin, then some black cherry, finishing with some raspberry on a 20-25 sec finish that's just a little hot. Tastes to me like Italy meets the Rhone. Nice QPR for $10 and veers toward being more of a food wine with the high acidity.
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Upon opening, a rich smell of cocoa and sweet fruit, which opened into a smell of prune and black cherry. Drank well, might benefit from a couple years age.
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Deep red in color and very clear. Earthy nose of minerals, and some anise. Sweet fruit in the mouth w/ firm tannins that take a back seat to a high acidity. Flavors of creamy cherries, and anise show in the mouth. Fun wine to drink. 3.5/5
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7/31/2014 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: flawed
Theme: Interesting (Pine Close): Pop and poured.
Appearance is slight cloudy, deep intensity, garnet colour. Long legs.
Nose is of pronounced intensity, with a smell of varnish and something synthetic. Ugh.
On the palate, dry, low acidity, high alcohol, medium tannins, full body. Medium+ flavor intensity, with flavours of salty minerality, chocolate, sweet licorice, and dried fruit that is dying off. Some oxidative notes. Short finish.
There was something flawed about this bottle of mine. Horrible nose, but interestingly still showing some nice flavours on the palate though.
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12/30/2012 - marcp Likes this wine: 87 Points
blueberry and plum, leathery aroma. Probably a little past its peak flavor, but still drinking well.
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9/15/2011 - garrigue65 wrote: 88 Points
alcohol with dark jam on nose very little fruit left with soft but long finish... drink up
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8/12/2011 - garrigue65 wrote: 88 Points
tobacco and dried black fruit on nose with chocolate on finish
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4/11/2011 - garrigue65 wrote: 88 Points
aged dried fruit with earthy loam. forestial berries on initial palate followed by soft tannins not a long finish with good alcohol balance
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2/19/2010 - jsums wrote: 89 Points
Ruby color. Nose: black cherry, redcurrant, tobacco, metal/stone minerals, and some pie crust. Palate: again very juicy cherry and redcurrant framed by tobacco leaf, chalk, and a bit of dark chocolate. Moderate, dry, finely grained tannins. Focused acidity. Lengthy, mineral driven finish. A little stem/grape skin with some peppercorn at the end. Not as complex as it could be, but clearly reflects its terroir. Beautiful balance. Well done.
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4/30/2009 - joshwoodward wrote: 87 Points
Stimmel's Market: Spain (Bowling Green, OH): Slightly closed nose, with juicy dark fruit and dark chocolate. Smooth, ripe, very light tannins and acid, medium body. Juicy but not jammy. Peppery. Slightly simple, with lots of generic red fruit. $16
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10/31/2008 - yui wrote: 80 Points
Not that great. Maybe closed now. The 1st time I had it it was great, but now, either it got spoiled or it's closed. I don't know. very tight nose. Even on the second day, which was much better, i still didn't like it much. A bit of heat doesn't help either.
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5/24/2008 - Sijan wrote: 89 Points
Quite tasty with strong flavors and a rich mouthfeel. Dark berry/cherry notes. Had during board game day, so no further notes, but enjoyed it quite a bit.
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3/16/2008 - mike l. wrote: 86 Points
chalky, some fruit, tart, boring. generally disliked by group.
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2/6/2008 - Cosmo3 wrote:
Tight and unimpressive on the nose, light berry notes and some minerals. Overall, a weak wine that opened up some after an hour but simple, thin and basic from start to finish.
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12/18/2007 - TLHWG wrote: 80 Points
Nose: red berries. Some heat/alcohol. Nice nose. Taste: Black and red berry. And unbalanced. Overall: poor wine on day 1, seemed to get a little better after 24 hours. Overall: Pass.
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12/15/2007 - lewisrise wrote: 91 Points
Ruby red in color with a nose of overripe bing cherries and earth. Cherry, earth, and raisins with a medium to long finish. Great QPR and worth buying more
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11/29/2007 - jdbcolumbus wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour. Black cherry and cocoa nose. Medium to full bodied. Decent balance with the fruit hanging in there with the acidity and smooth tannins. Long sour cherry, slighty hot, finish. Good value.
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11/13/2007 - dwm613 wrote: 88 Points
Decent nose, good flavor, but a little bitter in the finish. Overall, a nice wine that I'd buy again for under $15.
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10/29/2007 - ksmith wrote: 89 Points
Lots of fruit but pretty simple. Bet this would be a crowd pleaser at a party. Good for the price, but lots of choices from Spaoin these days, so probably won't buy this again.
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10/18/2007 - RobertJF wrote: 88 Points
very nice cherries and pepper on the nose. Nice mouthfeel and good bright fruit. Tad bit hot on the finish, but a very solid bottle
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10/11/2007 - 5laton wrote:
Initially, this medium-bodied, unoaked blend of 50% grenache and 50% carignane tasted kind of like Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail with a splash of cassis and vodka. But it fleshed out a little with air and added some pleasant aromas of dried herbs and plum jam. However it is rather sweet and fruit-juicy, and while there is some nice juicy acidity i still find the sweetness out of balance. In contrast to some other TNs here, this bottle was not the slightest bit drying or tannic.
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10/10/2007 - Ekoostik wrote: 88 Points
Was not expecting much here as Ive been disappointed with low end higher point Spanish wines lately. This one fits the bill thoughVery well made, medium body with great fruit. It is extremely tannic with just a touch of heat, moreso on the nose though than palate. I'd call this one a good QPR for everyday drinking.
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9/25/2007 - french16 wrote: 86 Points
Hard and angular wine. Nose is enjoyable with sweet cherry (almost like kirsch), cinnamon and other spices.
This wine is too hot, too alcoholic. Good cherry flavors but lacks finesse and complexity. Drying tannins.
How it got 90 pts somewhat puzzles me....
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9/24/2007 - billyg wrote: 89 Points
Cherry and creme de cassis on the nose. Cherry with some vanilla on the mid-palate. Some leather and sour cherry finish. A little more complex than the last time I had it but not enough to change the score. Still a good value.
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8/16/2007 - poptart_nyc wrote: 90 Points
chocolate, anise, and leather, juxtaposed with bright fruit. firm tannins but smooth. great weight but silky. finish offers fruit and earth for a good while.
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8/10/2007 - billyg wrote: 89 Points
Cherry and earth on the nose. Nice cherry attack, not much of a mid-palate, sour cherry finish. Overall, it is well-made wine of solid quality. Good food wine. Good value.
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7/29/2007 - tuscanbob wrote: 89 Points
Had to give this Priorat for under $12 a try and it didn't disappoint. Deep garnet color. This grenache blend offers a big cherry/strawberry nose and flavor blending with zesty tannins/acidity that matched great with a skirt steak with chimichurri sauce.
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7/17/2007 - MattyMatt wrote: 84 Points
Popped this last night. It was open for about 45 minutes. Way too much heat. Got leather and a bit of tobacco with out too much fruit. None of the red fruits I would expect from a Grenache based wine. I'll give it another try tonight but I think it's going to be a pass. Although I didnt love the Rotlan Torra, the chocolate become overwhelming, I think its a much better wine for just a few bucks more.
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7/13/2007 - waibeans wrote: 80 Points
tooo alcoholic
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6/27/2007 - vintage72 wrote: 86 Points
not a 90 but nice wine for the $. Rp love affair with spain clouded his judgement
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6/25/2007 - Foster wrote:
Nice spanish value, my first Priorat. Dark and brooding on opening, dark cherries and chocolate emerged with good minerality and acid. Nice bitter coccoa and mocha finish. I will look for this again at ~$10.
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6/15/2007 - stclairer wrote:
"This surely must be the best value from the pricey D.O. of Priorat as well as one of the great deals in this Spanish report. The unoaked 2005 Onix is the best vintage of this wine to date, a blend of old-vine (average age 55 years) Garnacha and Carinena. The wine has a lovely nose of mineral and ripe cherries, nicely layered and intensely flavored, with a lengthy finish. This is one to buy by the case!"
-Wine Advocate
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6/2/2007 - knuckledragger wrote: 88 Points
Wonderful table wine. Very dark ruby red color with a cherry flavor. will buy again.
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5/1/2007 - Cheryl wrote:
GSM Blends - May Tasting - Excellent. Definite buy. PJs $11.49
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4/14/2007 - Mprize wrote: 87 Points
Nice, but not great. Still a little tight and dry, maybe needs some time.
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4/13/2007 - GOL wrote:
Took a little time to open up. Short finish but good upfront flavors and balance. Pretty good QPR.
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4/12/2007 - Winetex wrote: 87 Points
Closer to 88 pts but not quite; Dark clear ruby in color with fruity black cherry aromas. More juicy fresh cherries in the middle almost like an Italian dolcetto. It had OK balance but is probably a higher acid wine than some people prefer. 50% Garnacha and 50% Carinena from the back label. Tasty wine but did not wow with complexity. [~$10; well-priced for the quality]
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3/22/2007 - vinole wrote: 87 Points
A nice match with Chicken Marsala given the wine's acidity and medium body. Consistent with my earlier note.
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3/14/2007 - ths wrote: 83 Points
Good for a $10 bottle, but not much more. Clear neon purple color, with a muted nose of chocolate and berry. Tastes are faint and dominated by astringent tannins. No truly forward or recognizable flavors emerge. Works with food but not enough there to recommend as a stand alone. 5+9+13+7=83
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3/7/2007 - vinole wrote: 87 Points
A 50/50 blend of grenache and carignan with 14.5% alcohol. Dark ruby red in color and very clear for an unfiltered wine. Hits you first with a good dose of acidity, then glycerin, then some black cherry, finishing with some raspberry on a 20-25 sec finish that's just a little hot. Tastes to me like Italy meets the Rhone. Nice QPR for $10 and veers toward being more of a food wine with the high acidity.
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11/11/2006 - abkennedy wrote: 88 Points
Upon opening, a rich smell of cocoa and sweet fruit, which opened into a smell of prune and black cherry. Drank well, might benefit from a couple years age.
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5/15/2006 - obiscoito wrote:
Deep red in color and very clear. Earthy nose of minerals, and some anise. Sweet fruit in the mouth w/ firm tannins that take a back seat to a high acidity. Flavors of creamy cherries, and anise show in the mouth. Fun wine to drink. 3.5/5
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