Super dark ruby red almost black in decanter and no bricking, lots of throw to filter out. Great aromatics. Believe this is sailing through its pinnacle, 3+ hours of air time, dark currants, sweet tobacco, and mocha flavors with a kiss of fennel all sang beautifully throughout multiple delicious courses of mushroom toast, duck crepes, and dark chocolate dessert. Was nice and smooth on the fairly long deep finish. Great stuff and could easily go another 3 - 5 from here I suspect.
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Medium garnet, some fine sediment Red currant and cranberry notes when first opened, turning to strawberry and cherry after about 2 hours in decanter Rich strawberry and cherry, with leather, cedar and tobacco. Final bottle from original case of twelve, still very good, but flavours starting to become a little muted.
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Clear medium garnet colour Clean, red and black fruits, soft oak and vanilla Dry, with medium acidity and high tannin, full body and long finish Predominantly dried black fruit, but with hints of red cherry and cassis, with subtle coffee and chocolate notes overall very good
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Port & Cheese notes spot on, really opened up after 2.5 hours, became the wine value of the night by far next to some bigger name 04 and 06 Brdx and CA Pinots, excellent QPR, should drink beautifully next 2 - 4 yrs.
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Deep garnet in colour Plum and black fruits on the nose High acidity and medium tannins Black fruits with mild oak and vanilla Really pleasant bottle, great length. Went well with food and before hand without. Ate with rich beef and black bean stew
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Deep garnet colour. Oak and vanilla on the nose Initial stewed plum flavours Medium acidity and tannin With an hours breathing, softer tannins and more fruit flavours develop, blackberry and raspberry with cinnamon and vanilla background finish
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Clear, medium ruby color. Mature and fully developed, medium intensity aromas of dried red currant, chopped tobacco, crushed cherry, stewed plum, semi-sweet chocolate and rich, but dry loamy soil. Flavor profile reflects complexity, but medium intensity levels indicate a wine which has peaked and starting to fade. Still has structure which supports a medium plus finish. Fully mature wine, unlikely to improve with further cellaring. Drink now.
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Drinking beautifully, with notes of cherry, currant, herbs, spice box, espresso bean and a touch of chocolate. Very tasty with our roast herbal chicken. Drink now but has time, too.
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Really drinking well now, with notes of cherry, currant, herbs, earth, spice box, mocha, caramel and some espresso bean on the finish. A good pairing with our roast herbal chicken. This is why we age French wine. Drink now but has time, too. A lovely wine for our $30 purchase price (plus shipping and tax) - although I see it was selling for $22 as well.
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What a tasty wine. Notes of raspberry, cherry, currant, herbs, earth, garrigue and a touch of chocolate on the finsh. Very tasty with our grilled chicken. Drinking well now but has time, too..
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Drink at home with raspberry pie without decant. Medium to full bodied. Cherry, leather and red fruits flavor. Resolved tannin and soft on the palate with a short finish. Drink now.
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Very good Bordeaux. Translucent garnet with edges beginning to brick. Nose of spiced cherry fruit. Upon opening some velvety tannin was apparent, though this completely integrated within 30 minutes. What was left was a nice wine with very good cherry fruit and a little spice (cigar box, light vanilla). Initial hints of cranberry faded resolved quickly to cherry juice flavors. Medium bodied, but no real staying power on the palate. Did not have the structure, acid or tannin to stand up to a grilled Waygu flap. Very good and enjoyable to sip with lighter appetizers. Likely at peak (will change, but I am not sure how much it will improve) for me.
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I have to echo the previous score of 92 points as this wine has developed incredibly well over the past 3 years. This is my 4th bottle of 6 and each time it keeps getting better. Gorgeous deep purple color whose nose is full of leather, violets and blueberry. The wine is soft and lush and fills your mid palate with licorice and raspberry while finishing nicely with gentle tannins. This wine is in a wonderful place right now and has certainly improved with age. This wine should probably be consumed within the next 5 years. Bravo.
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Decanted for 30 minutes and poured through a vinturri. Dark coloured in the glass; nose is very nice comprised of jammy blackberries, cassis, and some minerals and licorice. Getting leathery licorice, smokey tobacco and rich black fruits on the palate. Very nice finish. If I can find some more of these, I'd get them and stash them for a few extra years and see how they develop.
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Decanted for two and a half hours, utilizing a funnel. Deep and dark crimson, with a mature and ruby rim. Dark, dark fruit preserves of blackberry and plum, with a leather, kalamata olive and a bakers chocolate nose. Very '03, which in my book is not a bad thing at all, and this is not overtly ripe either. Fine balance and a lot of velvety tannins that are soft and very approachable. The secondary nuances are starting to show. Long and satisfying, with a very full body. not jazzy or classical; this is dance music. A long life ahead with some alluring maturity and fresh acidity. Drink now - 2028.
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Unfortunately, I tried to rush aeration the first night with the Vinturi aerator, so the fruit was mostly hidden behind the tannins and stayed hidden for 2+ hours. A half bottle left corked in the fridge was WAY better the following night. Give this lots of decant time or hold until later. If I had more, I would not be in a hurry to drink up.
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Colour - Good dark colour as one would expect for 2003. Medium bodied. Nose - Subtle hints of raspberries, cream and liquorice Palate - Good red and black fruit. Lovely light cream. Hints of tobacco and tea. Interesting liquorice taste on the finish. Tannins surprisingly very integrated. Slight heat on finish. Low / Medium acidity. Overall - Very good. Drinking very well now.
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Rich and dark, jammy ripe blackberry/cassis fruit with nice acid zing. Fairly oaky, with chocolate and vanilla in a long finish. Tannins quite apparent but intergrated after an hour open. Reminded me of a good Ribera del Duero. Nice but better RdD's are available for less so QPR suffers a tad in comparison, at least the way this is drinking right now.
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Interesting Bordeaux that was quite signature in its St. Emillion Style with dark blackberry, raspberry, mineral, and licorice tones. Elegant and smooth with great complexity without being a forward wine. Few herbal notes as the wine opened finishing with cassis, smoke, and fine tanins. Great value bordeaux.
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A wonderful nose of sweet raspberry and a bit of plum jumped from the decantor as I poured. The wine was expectedly tight and tannic initially. This softened after about an hour when the jammy fruit started to shine through. The wine was nicely balanced at this point between sweet raspberry / blackbery fruit and soft(er) oak. After another hour the wine seemed to close down a bit. Very good and impressive at this price point. Excellent QPR.
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11/15/2023 - doug374 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mature, drinking well. core has well integrated fruits and light forest notes.
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3/7/2021 - Laz4wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super dark ruby red almost black in decanter and no bricking, lots of throw to filter out. Great aromatics. Believe this is sailing through its pinnacle, 3+ hours of air time, dark currants, sweet tobacco, and mocha flavors with a kiss of fennel all sang beautifully throughout multiple delicious courses of mushroom toast, duck crepes, and dark chocolate dessert. Was nice and smooth on the fairly long deep finish. Great stuff and could easily go another 3 - 5 from here I suspect.
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7/5/2019 - Port & Cheese Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium garnet, some fine sediment
Red currant and cranberry notes when first opened, turning to strawberry and cherry after about 2 hours in decanter
Rich strawberry and cherry, with leather, cedar and tobacco.
Final bottle from original case of twelve, still very good, but flavours starting to become a little muted.
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7/1/2019 - sunalsorises wrote: 93 Points
Great value. Surprising depth. Smooth with a nice silky finish. Excellent.
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4/5/2019 - Port & Cheese Likes this wine: 91 Points
Clear medium garnet colour
Clean, red and black fruits, soft oak and vanilla
Dry, with medium acidity and high tannin, full body and long finish
Predominantly dried black fruit, but with hints of red cherry and cassis, with subtle coffee and chocolate notes
overall very good
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3/27/2019 - Laz4wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Port & Cheese notes spot on, really opened up after 2.5 hours, became the wine value of the night by far next to some bigger name 04 and 06 Brdx and CA Pinots, excellent QPR, should drink beautifully next 2 - 4 yrs.
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2/9/2019 - Port & Cheese Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep garnet in colour
Plum and black fruits on the nose
High acidity and medium tannins
Black fruits with mild oak and vanilla
Really pleasant bottle, great length. Went well with food and before hand without. Ate with rich beef and black bean stew
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11/25/2018 - Port & Cheese Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep garnet colour.
Oak and vanilla on the nose
Initial stewed plum flavours
Medium acidity and tannin
With an hours breathing, softer tannins and more fruit flavours develop, blackberry and raspberry with cinnamon and vanilla background finish
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9/29/2018 - wmccone54 wrote: 90 Points
Clear, medium ruby color. Mature and fully developed, medium intensity aromas of dried red currant, chopped tobacco, crushed cherry, stewed plum, semi-sweet chocolate and rich, but dry loamy soil. Flavor profile reflects complexity, but medium intensity levels indicate a wine which has peaked and starting to fade. Still has structure which supports a medium plus finish. Fully mature wine, unlikely to improve with further cellaring. Drink now.
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9/22/2017 - TashNYC wrote: 94 Points
Drinking beautifully, with notes of cherry, currant, herbs, spice box, espresso bean and a touch of chocolate. Very tasty with our roast herbal chicken. Drink now but has time, too.
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6/27/2017 - TashNYC wrote: 94 Points
Really drinking well now, with notes of cherry, currant, herbs, earth, spice box, mocha, caramel and some espresso bean on the finish. A good pairing with our roast herbal chicken. This is why we age French wine. Drink now but has time, too. A lovely wine for our $30 purchase price (plus shipping and tax) - although I see it was selling for $22 as well.
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8/27/2016 - TashNYC wrote: 93 Points
What a tasty wine. Notes of raspberry, cherry, currant, herbs, earth, garrigue and a touch of chocolate on the finsh. Very tasty with our grilled chicken. Drinking well now but has time, too..
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11/24/2014 - TashNYC wrote: 91 Points
From memory: cherry and raspberry fruit, but still needs some time to show all its secondary nuances. Drink now or hold. With roast chicken.
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8/23/2013 - rho wrote: 92 Points
Drink at home with raspberry pie without decant. Medium to full bodied. Cherry, leather and red fruits flavor. Resolved tannin and soft on the palate with a short finish. Drink now.
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5/23/2013 - jnanz Likes this wine:
Very good Bordeaux. Translucent garnet with edges beginning to brick. Nose of spiced cherry fruit. Upon opening some velvety tannin was apparent, though this completely integrated within 30 minutes. What was left was a nice wine with very good cherry fruit and a little spice (cigar box, light vanilla). Initial hints of cranberry faded resolved quickly to cherry juice flavors. Medium bodied, but no real staying power on the palate. Did not have the structure, acid or tannin to stand up to a grilled Waygu flap. Very good and enjoyable to sip with lighter appetizers. Likely at peak (will change, but I am not sure how much it will improve) for me.
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2/28/2013 - Wine Nut wrote: 92 Points
I have to echo the previous score of 92 points as this wine has developed incredibly well over the past 3 years. This is my 4th bottle of 6 and each time it keeps getting better. Gorgeous deep purple color whose nose is full of leather, violets and blueberry. The wine is soft and lush and fills your mid palate with licorice and raspberry while finishing nicely with gentle tannins. This wine is in a wonderful place right now and has certainly improved with age. This wine should probably be consumed within the next 5 years. Bravo.
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11/16/2012 - AMC Eagle wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes and poured through a vinturri. Dark coloured in the glass; nose is very nice comprised of jammy blackberries, cassis, and some minerals and licorice. Getting leathery licorice, smokey tobacco and rich black fruits on the palate. Very nice finish. If I can find some more of these, I'd get them and stash them for a few extra years and see how they develop.
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4/15/2012 - rho wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for less than an hour. Full bodied with strong tannin. Dark fruits follows by a smooth finish. Hold.
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3/19/2011 - Matt Scott wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for two and a half hours, utilizing a funnel. Deep and dark crimson, with a mature and ruby rim. Dark, dark fruit preserves of blackberry and plum, with a leather, kalamata olive and a bakers chocolate nose. Very '03, which in my book is not a bad thing at all, and this is not overtly ripe either. Fine balance and a lot of velvety tannins that are soft and very approachable. The secondary nuances are starting to show. Long and satisfying, with a very full body. not jazzy or classical; this is dance music. A long life ahead with some alluring maturity and fresh acidity. Drink now - 2028.
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1/16/2011 - jnanz wrote: 88 Points
See previous note (7/17/2007). Once it opened (after an hour or so) it never closed down.
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6/17/2010 - shaneajohnson wrote: 89 Points
Unfortunately, I tried to rush aeration the first night with the Vinturi aerator, so the fruit was mostly hidden behind the tannins and stayed hidden for 2+ hours. A half bottle left corked in the fridge was WAY better the following night. Give this lots of decant time or hold until later. If I had more, I would not be in a hurry to drink up.
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11/23/2008 - dching wrote: 92 Points
Colour - Good dark colour as one would expect for 2003. Medium bodied.
Nose - Subtle hints of raspberries, cream and liquorice
Palate - Good red and black fruit. Lovely light cream. Hints of tobacco and tea. Interesting liquorice taste on the finish. Tannins surprisingly very integrated. Slight heat on finish. Low / Medium acidity.
Overall - Very good. Drinking very well now.
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8/10/2008 - Ivin wrote:
Very monolithic. Shut down?
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3/5/2008 - kenito799 wrote: 89 Points
Rich and dark, jammy ripe blackberry/cassis fruit with nice acid zing. Fairly oaky, with chocolate and vanilla in a long finish. Tannins quite apparent but intergrated after an hour open. Reminded me of a good Ribera del Duero. Nice but better RdD's are available for less so QPR suffers a tad in comparison, at least the way this is drinking right now.
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2/23/2008 - gowrie wrote: 93 Points
Decanter The Great Bordeaux Fine Wine Encounter (The Landmark Hotel, London NW1): Lovely. Sweet vanilla and black cherry notes. Dense and aromatic. Good minerality and balance. Lots of sediment to contend with.
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8/20/2007 - RockinCabs wrote:
Interesting Bordeaux that was quite signature in its St. Emillion Style with dark blackberry, raspberry, mineral, and licorice tones. Elegant and smooth with great complexity without being a forward wine. Few herbal notes as the wine opened finishing with cassis, smoke, and fine tanins. Great value bordeaux.
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7/17/2007 - jnanz wrote: 91 Points
A wonderful nose of sweet raspberry and a bit of plum jumped from the decantor as I poured. The wine was expectedly tight and tannic initially. This softened after about an hour when the jammy fruit started to shine through. The wine was nicely balanced at this point between sweet raspberry / blackbery fruit and soft(er) oak. After another hour the wine seemed to close down a bit. Very good and impressive at this price point. Excellent QPR.
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6/6/2007 - Larry Brooks wrote: 91 Points
Tannic, full bodied, with slightly muted fruit. Hopefully, this will soften and improve with time.
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