From a 375ml, started slow but as it gained weight picked up steam. Delicious black and red fruit notes with a hint of vanilla. Similar to my last bottle. Really enjoyable on a night where I felt like having just a small glass to complement a steak.
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Chocolate covered cherries, tobacco, shoe leather and garden herbs come together nicely in this cab lovers merlot. This is a broad shoulder merlot, that delivers power, depth and elegance all at the same time. At age nine, this wine has a good five to seven years of great drinking in its future. Great juice.
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This wine has evolved nicely. Dark fruit, tobacco and chocolate covered cherries come together beautifully. This merlot is a large scaled merlot with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, but it works nicely together. Velvety texture with no hard edges. Layers and layers of goodness. Good juice.
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A bid bold merlot that is clearly a Cabernet Sauvignon drinker’s merlot. Dark fruit is complimented by bitter chocolate, bing cherries, tobacco and wild herbs. Great depth and texture. Good aromatics. This is one of the best Merlots coming from Napa year after year. It will be exciting to see where Thomas Rivers Brown takes this brand. Good juice.
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rich, deep ruby, in color. blackberry, dark cherry, currant, raspberry, wet earth, pepper, dark chocolate, vanilla, leather. rich, blackberry pie, on a dry finish.
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This is a cab lover’s merlot. Dark fruit is complimented by old shoe leather, bitter chocolate tilled soil and spring flowers. Great depth and texture. There is so much going on in the glass. There is still some upside to this wine. Great juice.
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My experience with switchback is there's not much difference between the Cabernet and the Merlot. They tend to be highly concentrated, ripe fruit, big creamy texture and sweet oak influence.
This bottle was no different. This was fun to taste blind and works as a crowd-pleaser but not in my wheelhouse
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Tasting w/ The Gang @ Counselor Seiber's Pad (Orange County, CA): This was served blind and the guesses were pretty much all over the spectrum. This is a big, rich wine with some hedonistic qualities. I didn't jot notes but I was leaning to wards Napa Cab, as the fruit and intensity were dark, and the wine was seeming to emerge out of that modern style.
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Still a great Merlot and feel this has actually improved from the last time we had it. Seem to be hitting its peak window. Previous note: Continue to love this Merlot. Deep purple color, muted nose, rich, dark fruit, and sweet tobacco. A Cab drinkers Merlot! Still have a few more bottles to go....
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This wine seems to have put on some weight since the last time I tasted it. Red and dark fruit notes are accented by pencil shavings, tree bark and delicate spices. Good depth and texture. Aromatically more pleasing than last time. I think its better days are still ahead. Good juice.
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Better than the bottle I had in December. This was one of the rare times in this house where a bottle was consumed over two days. The reason being we opened two different bottles and drank half of each. The nose was dark berries and hints of mocha. The palate brought out dark berries, plums and mocha. The finish was moderate to long. The wine we drank alongside was the 2015 SBR Cabernet.
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From a 375, this was tight on the pop and pour and expressed a beautiful nose of chocolate and floral notes. On the palate, as it opened you got a lot of Cabernet notes and the complexity of this wine evolved. In a night of big boys, this held its own as I wanted to see how it showed as a Cab drinkers merlot. My lone bottle. Wish I had purchased more. I would drink this with a recant now but think these bottles will be even better at year 10. Potential for upside here. Great job Mr Foley. Loved this bottle.
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Red and dark fruit combine with a touch of sweet tobacco to create an enjoyable merlot. It doesn’t have the depth and structure of 2012, but enjoyable none the less. I find a sweetness here that I am unfamiliar with.
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Went to Steve's club for one of our colleagues birthday lunch. Opened and splashed decanted. Most of the bottles of this wine I have drank over the years and all of my tasting notes were from 375's and this was the first time I have tasted one of my 750's and it just wasn't doing if for me. All the things I look for in a SBR merlot were missing. The nose was just all fruit and the palate was berries and coffee. The finish was good but again overall not what I was looking for. I have a few more bottles of the 14 so hopefully they are better.
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Not decanted, nose shows dark, sweet berries with floral notes. Nicely balanced on the pallet, showing asphalt, crushed stone and leather on a sweet fruity back bone. Glad that I still have several of these in the cellar as this easily has the capacity to age for another 2 to 5 years.
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Could have sworn that I bought two of these. Oh yeah, the first one is long gone. So good! Red and black fruits, a little bit of earthiness but really had an awful lot of white flowers, rose petals on top of the fruit backbone. Just about as full bodied as it gets for Merlot in my opinion. When it comes to holding versus consuming, I really think this one is ready to go. No reservations about letting the cork fly on this one.
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I don't drink much Merlot but this is darn good juice! Definitely on the bigger and more fruit-forward end of the spectrum but it's well made and not overly-extracted. Loads of freshly ripened, juicy cherries and cassis abound interwoven with a little milk chocolate. Splash decanted and consumed over 4 hours the profile didn't change all that much. Clocks in at 15% ABV but no heat on the nose or the palate.
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Continue to love this Merlot. Deep purple color, muted nose, rich, dark fruit, and sweet tobacco. A Cab drinkers Merlot! Still have a few more bottles to go....
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Fair amount of acidity on this Merlot. It went very well with food, but was also rocking on its own. Very rounded edges on this wine. Rhubarb, slightly underripe plum, black cherry. Black licorice. A little bit of sweet tobacco. Definitely seemed like a bramblier kind of wine despite the round edges vs a Merlot like Hill Family (a gave) or Carter (another fave) or Pahlmeyer (that doesn't really taste like Merlot). Started to have some kind of Syrah or Zin character to it on the finish as it finished with a little bit of berry fruitcake with a peppery bite. This one is structured and layered rather well, so I believe this one will drink well for the next 7 to 10 years.
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Coravan’d two glasses and, ended up just uncorking the bottle. Decanted and followed over the course of two hours.
Muted nose with tobacco leaf. Tanic with a very dry approach, front to mid palate. Dark berries, graphite; very well-balanced and in the heart of its drinking window.
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Tight on opening, tasted again after a 1.5 hr decant and over 2 hours. Drinking well now -- very mountain cab-like for a merlot. Not the most aromatic, but very flavorful. Dark fruit, plum, purple, spice, dried dark fruit. Firm tannins, long finish. This has the stuffing to age.
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Decanted ~1/2 the bottle and followed over 90 mins, drinking the balance from the bottle. As in my note from early '18, initial tastes were more like a cab than a merlot; the air softened the wine to be more like a merlot. Lush dark berries, cassis, cigar. Hints of vanilla. Really great merlot!
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Deep purple color, muted nose, rich, dark fruit, hint of smoke, mushroom, light green pepper. Probably better out of a larger bottle but perfect for a steak dinner.
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This has to be one of the top Merlot's from California. It is simply exquisite. Full of Chocolate and Cherry. I have 2 more bottles that I will hold onto for a little while longer.
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My final 375. I needed something to cover me for two nights, so these fit well with about a glass and a half each night. Probably best anyway as this is 15% ABV, not like drinking Pinot Noir bubbly from the Aube, that's for sure! I still enjoy these wines, and continue to buy the Petite Sirah year after year. I sometime buy the Merlot, as I like the cherry flavor, the plush core and the chocolate. This is exactly where the 2014 is now, too. Opened this about an hour ago and sipping on it. Maybe it tightens back up with air but the decadence and depth of all that Calistoga fruit just warms me after a long week.....open 90 mins, this is smooth, polished and delicious. Not sure what age is going to do with this wine, as the fruit is lovely now and I am glad I caught my last one at this stage. Drinking great.
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The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like red currant and dust. The body is medium/full. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity. VERY READY to drink
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Decanted and followed over two hours. At first this was very tight and Tanic and tasted like a young Cabernet. After 75 minutes at room temp it opened up and softened; this could still easily pass for a cab and needs more time in bottle before reassessing. Shows dark mountain fruit, Leather, and crushed stone, tea leaves on a dry, Dusty backbone. Really something special and unique.
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From a 375 - just had to try it before it went to the cellar. Berries and chocolate on the nose, berry, cherry and chocolate on the palate. The finish was long and smooth. A few years in the cellar should bring this up to a 94.
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Opened this a couple days ago from 375, didn't finish all of it so just left it under open cork on the counter. Got the last couple ounces in the glass now. The chocolate notes from the first night have mostly gone away, leaving a deep core of red fruits, tar, some mocha and buried in all of that fruit is some bright acidity that helps lift the red fruit. My sense is once the remainder of the new wood wears off in time, the core of the fruit as it ages will really be something quite nice. For now, as expected, it drinks with some flamboyance, but I can see what's here for the longer term.
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Showed much like the bottle from a few months ago, opening with a more modern feel and riper style and then settling down with more air and allowing the red fruit tones to emerge. I admit though that I polished this off way to fast, as I was splitting it with a work colleague and splits don't last long.
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Opened this yesterday. It was fairly primary in taste when first opened but I was looking to drink something more flashy and bigger flavored and I bought these in 375s for this very reason. Drank most of it yesterday, leaving a final glass for today, to assess it once the slow ox had done its thing. Air did help this, as the aromatics have settled in, losing the barrel tones it was showing. What's here now? Cherry skin, dark cocoa, brewed coffee, a distinct ferrous/iron quality and a dark licorice-like tone in the finish. There is some dusty tannin here, too. The finish here is terrific, with a deep cherry, dark plum and acidity. Listed at 15% ABV, this is not a shy red wine yet it drinks well for what I wanted it to be, which was a richer, deeper red. There is lots of aging potential here and there is some new oak that will work its way through in time, or, do as I did and let it air well.
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Deep dark red in color. After a 2 hour decant, the nose was very nice hints of violet, plum, and cassis. On the palate this is well structured with a mix of drak fruit, chocolate, oak and cassis. Very nice with a long smooth finish. This will age for quite a while.
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4/20/2024 - travelme Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a 375ml, started slow but as it gained weight picked up steam. Delicious black and red fruit notes with a hint of vanilla. Similar to my last bottle. Really enjoyable on a night where I felt like having just a small glass to complement a steak.
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9/8/2023 - Ridgerunner wrote: 93 Points
Actually crafted by Robert Foley.
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8/2/2023 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Chocolate covered cherries, tobacco, shoe leather and garden herbs come together nicely in this cab lovers merlot. This is a broad shoulder merlot, that delivers power, depth and elegance all at the same time. At age nine, this wine has a good five to seven years of great drinking in its future. Great juice.
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5/29/2023 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine has evolved nicely. Dark fruit, tobacco and chocolate covered cherries come together beautifully. This merlot is a large scaled merlot with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, but it works nicely together. Velvety texture with no hard edges. Layers and layers of goodness. Good juice.
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4/23/2023 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 93 Points
A bid bold merlot that is clearly a Cabernet Sauvignon drinker’s merlot. Dark fruit is complimented by bitter chocolate, bing cherries, tobacco and wild herbs. Great depth and texture. Good aromatics. This is one of the best Merlots coming from Napa year after year. It will be exciting to see where Thomas Rivers Brown takes this brand. Good juice.
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2/21/2023 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great Merlot made with mountain fruit
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2/6/2023 - affordableCollector wrote: 91 Points
rich, deep ruby, in color. blackberry, dark cherry, currant, raspberry, wet earth, pepper, dark chocolate, vanilla, leather. rich, blackberry pie, on a dry finish.
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1/29/2023 - Ridgerunner wrote: 93 Points
made by Robert Foley this is really an excellent merlot
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11/16/2022 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a cab lover’s merlot. Dark fruit is complimented by old shoe leather, bitter chocolate tilled soil and spring flowers. Great depth and texture. There is so much going on in the glass. There is still some upside to this wine. Great juice.
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11/9/2022 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Every once in awhile there is the urge to have a really fine Merlot. This winery only has great winemakers!
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7/4/2022 - brigcampbell wrote:
Blind: thought Napa Cabernet
My experience with switchback is there's not much difference between the Cabernet and the Merlot. They tend to be highly concentrated, ripe fruit, big creamy texture and sweet oak influence.
This bottle was no different. This was fun to taste blind and works as a crowd-pleaser but not in my wheelhouse
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7/1/2022 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Tasting w/ The Gang @ Counselor Seiber's Pad (Orange County, CA): This was served blind and the guesses were pretty much all over the spectrum. This is a big, rich wine with some hedonistic qualities. I didn't jot notes but I was leaning to wards Napa Cab, as the fruit and intensity were dark, and the wine was seeming to emerge out of that modern style.
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4/20/2022 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quality merlot reasonably aged and drinking well.
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1/9/2022 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great fruit from a wonderful site subjected to fantastic winemaker... terrific formula for success!
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12/17/2021 - gsiokis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still a great Merlot and feel this has actually improved from the last time we had it. Seem to be hitting its peak window. Previous note: Continue to love this Merlot. Deep purple color, muted nose, rich, dark fruit, and sweet tobacco. A Cab drinkers Merlot! Still have a few more bottles to go....
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5/17/2021 - Dennis S wrote: 93 Points
Big wine needed to stay in cellar for about 3 more years
Shared with Howard on his 70th birthday
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5/16/2021 - Dennis S wrote:
Shared with Howard Mirta Penny
Very young
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4/3/2021 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine seems to have put on some weight since the last time I tasted it. Red and dark fruit notes are accented by pencil shavings, tree bark and delicate spices. Good depth and texture. Aromatically more pleasing than last time. I think its better days are still ahead. Good juice.
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3/17/2021 - markcic Likes this wine: 90 Points
Better than the bottle I had in December. This was one of the rare times in this house where a bottle was consumed over two days. The reason being we opened two different bottles and drank half of each. The nose was dark berries and hints of mocha. The palate brought out dark berries, plums and mocha. The finish was moderate to long. The wine we drank alongside was the 2015 SBR Cabernet.
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1/31/2021 - travelme Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a 375, this was tight on the pop and pour and expressed a beautiful nose of chocolate and floral notes. On the palate, as it opened you got a lot of Cabernet notes and the complexity of this wine evolved. In a night of big boys, this held its own as I wanted to see how it showed as a Cab drinkers merlot. My lone bottle. Wish I had purchased more. I would drink this with a recant now but think these bottles will be even better at year 10. Potential for upside here. Great job Mr Foley. Loved this bottle.
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1/25/2021 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Red and dark fruit combine with a touch of sweet tobacco to create an enjoyable merlot. It doesn’t have the depth and structure of 2012, but enjoyable none the less. I find a sweetness here that I am unfamiliar with.
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12/18/2020 - markcic Likes this wine: 88 Points
Went to Steve's club for one of our colleagues birthday lunch. Opened and splashed decanted. Most of the bottles of this wine I have drank over the years and all of my tasting notes were from 375's and this was the first time I have tasted one of my 750's and it just wasn't doing if for me. All the things I look for in a SBR merlot were missing. The nose was just all fruit and the palate was berries and coffee. The finish was good but again overall not what I was looking for. I have a few more bottles of the 14 so hopefully they are better.
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11/18/2020 - fisk15 wrote: 92 Points
Drinking better than the ‘13.
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11/14/2020 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not decanted, nose shows dark, sweet berries with floral notes. Nicely balanced on the pallet, showing asphalt, crushed stone and leather on a sweet fruity back bone.
Glad that I still have several of these in the cellar as this easily has the capacity to age for another 2 to 5 years.
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10/14/2020 - mflesh wrote:
Could have sworn that I bought two of these. Oh yeah, the first one is long gone. So good! Red and black fruits, a little bit of earthiness but really had an awful lot of white flowers, rose petals on top of the fruit backbone. Just about as full bodied as it gets for Merlot in my opinion. When it comes to holding versus consuming, I really think this one is ready to go. No reservations about letting the cork fly on this one.
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9/19/2020 - tcufletch Likes this wine:
I don't drink much Merlot but this is darn good juice! Definitely on the bigger and more fruit-forward end of the spectrum but it's well made and not overly-extracted. Loads of freshly ripened, juicy cherries and cassis abound interwoven with a little milk chocolate. Splash decanted and consumed over 4 hours the profile didn't change all that much. Clocks in at 15% ABV but no heat on the nose or the palate.
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6/9/2020 - gsiokis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Continue to love this Merlot. Deep purple color, muted nose, rich, dark fruit, and sweet tobacco. A Cab drinkers Merlot! Still have a few more bottles to go....
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4/24/2020 - mflesh wrote: 92 Points
Fair amount of acidity on this Merlot. It went very well with food, but was also rocking on its own. Very rounded edges on this wine. Rhubarb, slightly underripe plum, black cherry. Black licorice. A little bit of sweet tobacco. Definitely seemed like a bramblier kind of wine despite the round edges vs a Merlot like Hill Family (a gave) or Carter (another fave) or Pahlmeyer (that doesn't really taste like Merlot). Started to have some kind of Syrah or Zin character to it on the finish as it finished with a little bit of berry fruitcake with a peppery bite. This one is structured and layered rather well, so I believe this one will drink well for the next 7 to 10 years.
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4/2/2020 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 91 Points
Coravan’d two glasses and, ended up just uncorking the bottle. Decanted and followed over the course of two hours.
Muted nose with tobacco leaf. Tanic with a very dry approach, front to mid palate. Dark berries, graphite; very well-balanced and in the heart of its drinking window.
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3/21/2020 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tight on opening, tasted again after a 1.5 hr decant and over 2 hours.
Drinking well now -- very mountain cab-like for a merlot. Not the most aromatic, but very flavorful.
Dark fruit, plum, purple, spice, dried dark fruit.
Firm tannins, long finish. This has the stuffing to age.
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12/30/2019 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted ~1/2 the bottle and followed over 90 mins, drinking the balance from the bottle. As in my note from early '18, initial tastes were more like a cab than a merlot; the air softened the wine to be more like a merlot. Lush dark berries, cassis, cigar. Hints of vanilla. Really great merlot!
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4/10/2019 - MJMorris55 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep purple color, muted nose, rich, dark fruit, hint of smoke, mushroom, light green pepper. Probably better out of a larger bottle but perfect for a steak dinner.
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1/27/2019 - alimack Likes this wine: 96 Points
This has to be one of the top Merlot's from California. It is simply exquisite. Full of Chocolate and Cherry. I have 2 more bottles that I will hold onto for a little while longer.
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1/25/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
My final 375. I needed something to cover me for two nights, so these fit well with about a glass and a half each night. Probably best anyway as this is 15% ABV, not like drinking Pinot Noir bubbly from the Aube, that's for sure! I still enjoy these wines, and continue to buy the Petite Sirah year after year. I sometime buy the Merlot, as I like the cherry flavor, the plush core and the chocolate. This is exactly where the 2014 is now, too. Opened this about an hour ago and sipping on it. Maybe it tightens back up with air but the decadence and depth of all that Calistoga fruit just warms me after a long week.....open 90 mins, this is smooth, polished and delicious. Not sure what age is going to do with this wine, as the fruit is lovely now and I am glad I caught my last one at this stage. Drinking great.
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10/16/2018 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Just a great bottle of wine. From a 375 pnp'd. Berries and chocolate on the nose. The palate is berries, cherries and mocha. The finish is long.
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7/27/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
July 2018 Switchback Ridge Visit (At Phifer Pavitt): Plush yet tight. Herbal and good acidity. Some oak to still shed and then the structure will help the wine settle.
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5/27/2018 - gsiokis wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful wine and wine of the night.
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2/9/2018 - Cellar1400 wrote: 94 Points
The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like red currant and dust. The body is medium/full. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity. VERY READY to drink
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2/9/2018 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and followed over two hours. At first this was very tight and Tanic and tasted like a young Cabernet. After 75 minutes at room temp it opened up and softened; this could still easily pass for a cab and needs more time in bottle before reassessing. Shows dark mountain fruit, Leather, and crushed stone, tea leaves on a dry, Dusty backbone. Really something special and unique.
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2/4/2018 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Napa Valley Tastings; 2/3/2018-2/4/2018: Tasted at the Phifer Pavitt tasting room.
A decadent merlot.
Super ripe nose, smooth, chocolate, plush.
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1/20/2018 - gsiokis wrote: 93 Points
First wine at our first dinner at C. Ellets in Atlanta. Great wine and really developed with some air time in the glass.
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1/5/2018 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a 375 that was opened for about an hour. Fruit on the nose the palate was berries, cherry, cedar and mocha. A long smooth finish.
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10/1/2017 - pdonnino wrote:
Shipping to Franks
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7/17/2017 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a 375 - just had to try it before it went to the cellar. Berries and chocolate on the nose, berry, cherry and chocolate on the palate. The finish was long and smooth. A few years in the cellar should bring this up to a 94.
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4/12/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Opened this a couple days ago from 375, didn't finish all of it so just left it under open cork on the counter. Got the last couple ounces in the glass now. The chocolate notes from the first night have mostly gone away, leaving a deep core of red fruits, tar, some mocha and buried in all of that fruit is some bright acidity that helps lift the red fruit. My sense is once the remainder of the new wood wears off in time, the core of the fruit as it ages will really be something quite nice. For now, as expected, it drinks with some flamboyance, but I can see what's here for the longer term.
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2/14/2017 - fisk15 wrote: 91 Points
Pretty tight, even from .375 - need to hold for a year a least.
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2/3/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Showed much like the bottle from a few months ago, opening with a more modern feel and riper style and then settling down with more air and allowing the red fruit tones to emerge. I admit though that I polished this off way to fast, as I was splitting it with a work colleague and splits don't last long.
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1/19/2017 - emf Likes this wine:
Could use more time before we drink the next one. Good but it will definitely be better.
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12/31/2016 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Opened this yesterday. It was fairly primary in taste when first opened but I was looking to drink something more flashy and bigger flavored and I bought these in 375s for this very reason. Drank most of it yesterday, leaving a final glass for today, to assess it once the slow ox had done its thing. Air did help this, as the aromatics have settled in, losing the barrel tones it was showing. What's here now? Cherry skin, dark cocoa, brewed coffee, a distinct ferrous/iron quality and a dark licorice-like tone in the finish. There is some dusty tannin here, too. The finish here is terrific, with a deep cherry, dark plum and acidity. Listed at 15% ABV, this is not a shy red wine yet it drinks well for what I wanted it to be, which was a richer, deeper red. There is lots of aging potential here and there is some new oak that will work its way through in time, or, do as I did and let it air well.
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11/5/2016 - jnocera Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep dark red in color. After a 2 hour decant, the nose was very nice hints of violet, plum, and cassis. On the palate this is well structured with a mix of drak fruit, chocolate, oak and cassis. Very nice with a long smooth finish. This will age for quite a while.
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