Nose of sous bois, cedar, tobacco, cassis, tomato can/cooked bell peppers, wine cave. On the palate, flavors of black pepper, tobacco, bell pepper. Nicely balanced, round tannins, soft. Acidity still there but not over-powering. Drinking perfectly out of the bottle.
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Great value. I found it to be quite complex. Started out damp earthy but opened up given an hour, releasing more fruit/black cherries. Fascinating mid-week wine.
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Consumed over 2 days (vacuvined), note from day 2. Nose: Medium expressiveness, plum, leather, mushrooms and earthiness dominate with minty undertones. Palate: Medium-full bodied, front end is - channeling my inner Gary Vaynerchuk - like biting into a plum that dropped off the tree two days ago and is lying in dirt still moist from a recent rain shower - ripe plum and gritty earthiness, followed by a nice mid-palate spice lift which, unfortunately along with the fruit disappears quickly in the back-end. Finish: Medium length dominated by earthiness and green veggies. Still interesting and enjoyable but definitely past it's peak.
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Dark red with prominent amber hues and clear. Cedar, cherry, bell pepper, and forest floor on the nose. Cedar, cherry, tobacco, and mint on the palate. Nicely balanced with respect to acid, tannin, and alcohol (13%). No rough edges or heat. Very nice bottle that seemed to have aged rather quickly. Was surprised by how faded and mute the notes were.
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Monthly Tasting Group: Right Bank Bordeaux (Levain, Mpls): I only had a small pour of this later in the night, but it really was fascinating. I would have sworn this was a pinot, bright red fruits, berries, ripe, light body, go figure. Enjoyable, but not what I expected.
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very good value. it gets better with decanting. day 2 is a significant improvement, which is why I give it a 90 The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like forest floor, mushroom, cedar, tobacco, stems, horsey, plum and blackberry.
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Deep ruby color with earthy aroma of forest floor and mushroom plus a hint of plum and licorice. The palate offers cherry, blackberry, graphite, mineral notes, mushroom, and a hint of black pepper and spice. Nice structure with low acidity, low/medium tannins, and medium finish. This is an excellent Bordeaux made in the traditional way. A well balanced mixture of minerality and fruit.
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PNP with dinner. Fairly dark color. Nose is dominated by cedar and muted dark fruit. Now about half way through the bottle. Tastes of the dark fruits again and has some oak and cedar. A bit of tannins and saw dust. No real follow through but a very solid wine for 20 bucks!
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Cedar, tobacco, and red fruit on the nose. Meat, dark fruits, and earth on the palate. Black pepper and leather on the finish. Nice grip from the tannins along with well balanced acidity. Medium bodied. Did not decant -- opened up after 30 minutes.
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Very different from the last bottle opened about 6 months past. The wine is really showing it cab Franc now, with dark cherries, black currant, forest earth and a touch of greener vegetal that makes you notice the CF. Nice but present tannins and acid keep this wine alive. Looks like it could be in its prime within another years or so, but no reason to wait.
I don't know if this was still bottle shocked, but has been in the cellar for a month. This inky dark violet, Merlot based St. Emilion had dirty black fruit on the nose, like it had been picked up off the ground. A few notes of some oak integration, but not a whole lot going on the nose. The palate was much of the same with a heavy dose of wet earth and some mushrooms with the dark fruit. The tannins were quite chewy, nothing silky about this bottle. The acid was a bit low and the minerals just were not showing well. I'll hold the last bottle another year or 2. I think that a bit more time will help this wine, as it seems like its a bit shut down right now.
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3/31/2018 - behm0027 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose of sous bois, cedar, tobacco, cassis, tomato can/cooked bell peppers, wine cave. On the palate, flavors of black pepper, tobacco, bell pepper. Nicely balanced, round tannins, soft. Acidity still there but not over-powering. Drinking perfectly out of the bottle.
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7/9/2017 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still at peak, a very satisfying combination of dark fruit with a cool, fresh and lingering finish. One of the best from this estate.
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3/10/2016 - texanoblues Likes this wine:
Fresher than bottle on 4/4/15.
This one was crimson with slight amber/orange hues. Red cherry, cigar box, dried flowers. Simple, straightforward, but enjoyable. 89-91pts.
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9/28/2015 - Jgallup wrote: 90 Points
Great value. I found it to be quite complex. Started out damp earthy but opened up given an hour, releasing more fruit/black cherries. Fascinating mid-week wine.
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6/10/2015 - Sauvyfan Likes this wine: 91 Points
really rounded out on night two. Suggest several hours decant. Lost of earthy notes, creosote, mushroom, graphite, black fruits. Old world indeed.
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4/17/2015 - JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 88 Points
I agree with prasm's notes. There are some enjoyable qualities to this wine, but it is past its peak.
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4/7/2015 - prasm Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consumed over 2 days (vacuvined), note from day 2. Nose: Medium expressiveness, plum, leather, mushrooms and earthiness dominate with minty undertones. Palate: Medium-full bodied, front end is - channeling my inner Gary Vaynerchuk - like biting into a plum that dropped off the tree two days ago and is lying in dirt still moist from a recent rain shower - ripe plum and gritty earthiness, followed by a nice mid-palate spice lift which, unfortunately along with the fruit disappears quickly in the back-end. Finish: Medium length dominated by earthiness and green veggies. Still interesting and enjoyable but definitely past it's peak.
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4/4/2015 - texanoblues Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark red with prominent amber hues and clear. Cedar, cherry, bell pepper, and forest floor on the nose. Cedar, cherry, tobacco, and mint on the palate. Nicely balanced with respect to acid, tannin, and alcohol (13%). No rough edges or heat. Very nice bottle that seemed to have aged rather quickly. Was surprised by how faded and mute the notes were.
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10/19/2014 - rocknroller wrote:
Monthly Tasting Group: Right Bank Bordeaux (Levain, Mpls): I only had a small pour of this later in the night, but it really was fascinating. I would have sworn this was a pinot, bright red fruits, berries, ripe, light body, go figure. Enjoyable, but not what I expected.
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4/13/2014 - mattdathan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely - smooth and elegant with a few years left in it yet.
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4/10/2014 - Neuronstar Likes this wine: 90 Points
very good value. it gets better with decanting. day 2 is a significant improvement, which is why I give it a 90
The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like forest floor, mushroom, cedar, tobacco, stems, horsey, plum and blackberry.
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3/22/2014 - Fat Lips Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep ruby color with earthy aroma of forest floor and mushroom plus a hint of plum and licorice. The palate offers cherry, blackberry, graphite, mineral notes, mushroom, and a hint of black pepper and spice. Nice structure with low acidity, low/medium tannins, and medium finish. This is an excellent Bordeaux made in the traditional way. A well balanced mixture of minerality and fruit.
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12/21/2013 - KCBrian wrote: 90 Points
PNP with dinner. Fairly dark color. Nose is dominated by cedar and muted dark fruit. Now about half way through the bottle. Tastes of the dark fruits again and has some oak and cedar. A bit of tannins and saw dust. No real follow through but a very solid wine for 20 bucks!
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12/21/2013 - Sauvyfan wrote: 90 Points
This was a very nice bottle. Not a lot of length but beautifully balanced and silky smooth. Great value.
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11/15/2013 - sdhaliwal wrote: 92 Points
Good with a burger.
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10/16/2013 - behm0027 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Cedar, tobacco, and red fruit on the nose. Meat, dark fruits, and earth on the palate. Black pepper and leather on the finish. Nice grip from the tannins along with well balanced acidity. Medium bodied. Did not decant -- opened up after 30 minutes.
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10/14/2013 - sdhaliwal wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very well, unlikely to improve.
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8/7/2013 - Winiac wrote: 88 Points
Not a long finish but very finessed and elegant red fruit.
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6/16/2013 - Jgallup wrote: 90 Points
Nice change from the Napa cabs I'm used to. Earthty, chewy, but with lots of favor. Enjoyed it with BBQ, seemed to pair well.
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6/2/2013 - Champagneinhand Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very different from the last bottle opened about 6 months past. The wine is really showing it cab Franc now, with dark cherries, black currant, forest earth and a touch of greener vegetal that makes you notice the CF. Nice but present tannins and acid keep this wine alive. Looks like it could be in its prime within another years or so, but no reason to wait.
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3/9/2013 - Champagneinhand wrote: 89 Points
I don't know if this was still bottle shocked, but has been in the cellar for a month. This inky dark violet, Merlot based St. Emilion had dirty black fruit on the nose, like it had been picked up off the ground. A few notes of some oak integration, but not a whole lot going on the nose. The palate was much of the same with a heavy dose of wet earth and some mushrooms with the dark fruit. The tannins were quite chewy, nothing silky about this bottle. The acid was a bit low and the minerals just were not showing well. I'll hold the last bottle another year or 2. I think that a bit more time will help this wine, as it seems like its a bit shut down right now.
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10/28/2012 - dcasper wrote: 87 Points
First experience with this wine. Not bad, no real funk but some earth/dirt on the nose. A lot of fruit on the nose, but not bad at all.
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8/4/2012 - Perkyleo33 wrote: 90 Points
Medium dry, very earthy: mushrooms, leather, old cigar and dark fruits, plum. Medium body. Dark purple color.
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