Insanely good. Very surprising considering the age and the previous conditions I kept it in. Delicious. Not overly aged - very balanced and a great oak finish. Like a fine bordeaux. Wish I bought more of these 20 years ago.
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Last bottle. Needed decanting. Dusty graphite, dark cherry. Amazed that this has held up. Bought long ago at Trader Joes for $8 and it remains the best wine at that price I have ever had.
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Loved this, a really nice Aussie blend that was not over the top in any way, was elegant yet powerful and complex, awesome with many years ahead of it - Dark, full bodied with a nose of blackfruit, plum, cherry, tobacco and vanilla, very well structured, integrated and intense, dusty dry initially on the palate, yet nicely sweet in the middle with terrific length, outstanding! (92 Points).
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Nice bottle of wine. Very intense cherry and plum flavors and aromas. I think this would be an amazing bottle if there was not as much merlot as that seems to mellow it out a bit too much. Overall it is very enjoyable. ($10)
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Dark purple. Nose of dirt, smoke and dark fruit. Medium bodied with smoky dark fruit. Aggressive tannins and a lingering finish. I still like this although I seem to be in the minority.
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Dark fruity, cherry aromas. After a decant in glass, it opened up a bit. Smooth and fruity. Flavors of dark red fruit, unripe plums followed by the bitter taste of black berries, which magnified on the finish. Toasted oak. Much better second day. Overall a great value. Drink now.
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COLOR - great dark red. NOSE - not giving alot, but the little is appealing. FLAVOR - FLAT; very flat and dry. There isn't much fruit here, but a whole load of mouth-drying elements that don't appear to be tannins. I think this is over the hill, and not all that good. RATING - 85.
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Enjoyable red fruits on the palate. Dark fruits, some signifigant tannins. A decent bottle of wine, but screaming of averageness. Nothing at all interesting or memorable about this wine. 82-83
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Initial nose and palate of cassis and plum; color turning from purple to rust; decanted for about an hour; evolved to have some juicy black cherry; mint and mocha; drying tannins came forward with time; very dry; Michele was able to taste the cherries, although she usually doesn’t id other fruit; candidate to tuck a few away.
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Strong medicinal smell upon opening. I let it decant for a while but it didn't let up much. Couldn't get any full flavor. I tried it again a week later at a party but found the same results. Good thing it was only $9.
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Any experienced taster will know the difference between this and a well-crafted wine, however this blend does a respectable job of blurring that line for the masses. The body, balance, and nice finish really speak well of this mega-winery. Pleasant nose of flowers and spice and lack of tannic identity/separation makes this very drinkable with a variety of foods. A decent house wine. Drink soon, it won't get any better.
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I had read some great reviews of this wine (not on this site) and had expected more than I was given. The texture is great - thick and rich, somewhat chewy - so it has the feel of a heavy cabernet. The nose has some medicinal qualities that I was not too pleased about, but they lessened a bit as I let the wine decant in the glass. Black cherry, black pepper and vanilla are definitely present, but the overall taste seems young to me. I noticed tannins throughout, but they were smoothed over nicely. The finish is clean, but ends a bit on the sour fruit side. I detected a note of graphite - not sure that is really something you want, and it wasn't terribly unpleasant, but it was there. EDIT: The next day, this wine actually was quite a bit better. It has opened up more, even while being stored with our vacuum bottle top. The graphite and medicinal nose were gone, but still not the most pleasant to my taste. The flavors of the wine smoothed out and the finish was lacking in the sour fruit at the tail end, so it is improved. I would imagine, then, that this wine would be best decanted for 2-4 hours before drinking.
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This bottle showed better than the last one. However, it is still a rather simple, fruit forward blend. You can do a lot worse for $8, that's for sure.
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3/2/2023 - Robf1959 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Amazingly fresh and youthful still.
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3/22/2019 - KiwiJM Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazingly good, vibrant fruit and wonderful long and balanced finish. Superb, only wish I had more.
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2/4/2017 - Mrjesse34 wrote: 96 Points
Insanely good. Very surprising considering the age and the previous conditions I kept it in. Delicious. Not overly aged - very balanced and a great oak finish. Like a fine bordeaux. Wish I bought more of these 20 years ago.
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7/3/2016 - amanofwords Likes this wine: 85 Points
Last bottle. Needed decanting. Dusty graphite, dark cherry. Amazed that this has held up. Bought long ago at Trader Joes for $8 and it remains the best wine at that price I have ever had.
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6/3/2015 - ecola wrote: 90 Points
Still clinging to life but fading fast. Deep earth dominates the wine with red cherry forces to the background. Smooth finish with resolved tannins.
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1/23/2014 - BeaverBob Likes this wine: 86 Points
Last bottle, still going well. some cigar, some leather on the nose, leggy, mid tannin.
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1/12/2014 - discoverwine Likes this wine:
Still good. A yummy red if you still have some. Very smooth.
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6/10/2013 - saturnaisland wrote: 90 Points
Smooth and mellow. Well integrated with dark fruit, rounded tannins, hints of tobacco. Nice wine.
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10/6/2012 - Tarrant wrote: 92 Points
Loved this, a really nice Aussie blend that was not over the top in any way, was elegant yet powerful and complex, awesome with many years ahead of it - Dark, full bodied with a nose of blackfruit, plum, cherry, tobacco and vanilla, very well structured, integrated and intense, dusty dry initially on the palate, yet nicely sweet in the middle with terrific length, outstanding! (92 Points).
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2/3/2011 - ecola wrote: 89 Points
Nice bottle of wine. Very intense cherry and plum flavors and aromas. I think this would be an amazing bottle if there was not as much merlot as that seems to mellow it out a bit too much. Overall it is very enjoyable. ($10)
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12/27/2010 - dontime wrote:
Same. I liked it better than most.
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6/4/2010 - dontime wrote:
Consistant notes.
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4/23/2010 - dontime wrote: 88 Points
Dark purple. Nose of dirt, smoke and dark fruit. Medium bodied with smoky dark fruit. Aggressive tannins and a lingering finish. I still like this although I seem to be in the minority.
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7/20/2009 - WY Leonidas wrote: 86 Points
Dark fruity, cherry aromas. After a decant in glass, it opened up a bit.
Smooth and fruity. Flavors of dark red fruit, unripe plums followed by the bitter taste of black berries, which magnified on the finish. Toasted oak.
Much better second day. Overall a great value. Drink now.
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3/19/2008 - jfat1202 wrote: 85 Points
nice with antipasta
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2/14/2008 - tonsta wrote: 86 Points
Nothing wrong with it technically, just one dimensional and boring!
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2/1/2008 - jagangjee wrote: 83 Points
Chalky and tart - not much flavors and a bit bitter. Not as good as I remember previous vintages.
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1/9/2008 - cavanaughbd wrote: 83 Points
Had a bit of a chalky taste to it, but good overall for the price. Better the second day.
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11/21/2007 - aveeck wrote: 85 Points
COLOR - great dark red. NOSE - not giving alot, but the little is appealing. FLAVOR - FLAT; very flat and dry. There isn't much fruit here, but a whole load of mouth-drying elements that don't appear to be tannins. I think this is over the hill, and not all that good. RATING - 85.
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3/15/2007 - jonb72 wrote: 85 Points
good value, lots of berries
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1/19/2007 - hutch wrote: 83 Points
Enjoyable red fruits on the palate. Dark fruits, some signifigant tannins. A decent bottle of wine, but screaming of averageness. Nothing at all interesting or memorable about this wine. 82-83
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1/5/2007 - RichardZula wrote:
Initial nose and palate of cassis and plum; color turning from purple to rust; decanted for about an hour; evolved to have some juicy black cherry; mint and mocha; drying tannins came forward with time; very dry; Michele was able to taste the cherries, although she usually doesn’t id other fruit; candidate to tuck a few away.
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12/9/2006 - J2K wrote: 76 Points
Strong medicinal smell upon opening. I let it decant for a while but it didn't let up much. Couldn't get any full flavor. I tried it again a week later at a party but found the same results. Good thing it was only $9.
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12/7/2006 - fingers wrote: 85 Points
Any experienced taster will know the difference between this and a well-crafted wine, however this blend does a respectable job of blurring that line for the masses. The body, balance, and nice finish really speak well of this mega-winery. Pleasant nose of flowers and spice and lack of tannic identity/separation makes this very drinkable with a variety of foods. A decent house wine. Drink soon, it won't get any better.
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11/29/2006 - Todd French wrote: 83 Points
I had read some great reviews of this wine (not on this site) and had expected more than I was given. The texture is great - thick and rich, somewhat chewy - so it has the feel of a heavy cabernet. The nose has some medicinal qualities that I was not too pleased about, but they lessened a bit as I let the wine decant in the glass. Black cherry, black pepper and vanilla are definitely present, but the overall taste seems young to me. I noticed tannins throughout, but they were smoothed over nicely. The finish is clean, but ends a bit on the sour fruit side. I detected a note of graphite - not sure that is really something you want, and it wasn't terribly unpleasant, but it was there. EDIT: The next day, this wine actually was quite a bit better. It has opened up more, even while being stored with our vacuum bottle top. The graphite and medicinal nose were gone, but still not the most pleasant to my taste. The flavors of the wine smoothed out and the finish was lacking in the sour fruit at the tail end, so it is improved. I would imagine, then, that this wine would be best decanted for 2-4 hours before drinking.
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11/6/2006 - fmoehl@yahoo.com wrote: 85 Points
A great value for the $7.99 I paid at Trader Joe's
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9/26/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote: 83 Points
This bottle showed better than the last one. However, it is still a rather simple, fruit forward blend. You can do a lot worse for $8, that's for sure.
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9/20/2006 - twobuckmike wrote: 83 Points
Lighter, less nose than most clarets. Maybe a little old, but drinks really easy. Hard to complain, yet somehow I still do...
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7/22/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote: 80 Points
Good wine for the price. Easy to drink. Nothing especially exciting about but a good wine to keep a few bottles around for picnics.
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