The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, strawberry, black pepper and nutmeg. It tastes like blackberry, strawberry and black pepper. The body is medium/full. The wine has juicy texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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This case may have not been treated well - much heavier, less multi-dimensional than the earlier vintages we liked so much. On the edge of suspecting oxidation, but looks ok...
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I have enjoyed this wine in most vintages for at least a decade and it has been a go-to for recommendations for people who dont know a lot about wine and don’t want to spend much. Not so in 2015, though. This is a particularly lousy wine. Harsh, a little astringent, extracted and alcoholic. I’ll try it again in different vintages, but this was a supermarket wine. Slightly better on day 2 but not much. If you end up having to, I recommend drinking it at about 50 degrees.
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No, this one is not for me. I guess it will improve with some some years in the cellar, but they've just squeezed too much into this bottle, it is over extracted and too anxious to please. I find black sweet fruit, spices and coffee, but above all, the alcohol is very present (15 %), leaving no room for nuances and elegance. A disappointment, because I've had other garnacha-based spanish wines and enjoyed them, and I've read about this wine and have been looking forward to try it. I had it with manchego cheese, prosciutto and a good spanish pork sausage.
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Second bottle was just like the first. Pretty much a condensed black cherry bomb. Overly concentrated and unidimensional. As was true last time the wine mellowed a bit and was more drinkable on the second day though the flavor profile stayed the same.
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Primary color. I let this open an hour in the bowl. Cassis and cola aromas. The nose is ahead of the palate. This opens tight, shows some blackberry cobbler, Dominican cigar and ash and then finishes dry. Very good and full of promise. Nice QPR. Not quite yet as generous as some past iterations. 89
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Big wine with just enough structure to keep things fresh and lively. Dark cherry and smoke on the nose. Palate is all about dark cherry and light oak. Probably not one to age. Overall a fun, well made wine that will appeal to just about any type of wine drinker.
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Well made, big-boy style. High acid, medium tannin, high alcohol (but well integrated) - requires some big food. Good QPR, but must be prepared for a vinous punch in the face. 15%, $15.
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Raspberry, black cherries, cherry cola, pomegranate framed by cigar box. Soft, fine grained tannins. Light-medium bodied. Will likely improve in the short term.
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Delicious nose of crushed raspberry, dark chocolate, marzipan/linzer torte, touch of menthol. Palate of cherries plums spicey menthol finish. Alcohol noticible . Finish lingers. Great garnaca w spicey kick.
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P: Med, poss MF, body; Almost swtish frt met by mid-palate pucker, this slowly & SEAMLESSLY resolving into a VERY long finish with almost a sense of swtness to it. Though TOUGH to pass by now because of its youthful exuberance, this DESERVES 12-18 mos of cellaring, then drinking through '21 min? VERY impressive, & an almost CERTAIN steal even @ this vendor's middle of the pack $14.95. 91 pts WA & 89 Suckling
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A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark black in color. A full bodied red with black cherry, plum, vanilla and spice on finish, good year in year out. www.winelx.com
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This is really an in-your-face wine, with lots of red fruit and oak. Very primary and a little off-putting at first, but it improved with time and was a bit better the second night.
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7/31/2022 - gawalla Likes this wine: 90 Points
Surprisingly good, fruit with blackberries, medium spice and light spicy but clean finish. Well balanced between spice and fruit. Earthy aromas.
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6/12/2021 - Al-r wrote: 88 Points
quite powerful as expected, but notting special
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5/30/2020 - PlanetX Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark sweet and somewhat tannic. Paired well with BBQ ribs.
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4/4/2020 - Nighthawk244 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Easy everyday drinker.
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11/28/2019 - hhusky wrote: 89 Points
The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, strawberry, black pepper and nutmeg. It tastes like blackberry, strawberry and black pepper. The body is medium/full. The wine has juicy texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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11/16/2019 - garrigue65 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice Grenache. Still drinking well.
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10/7/2019 - vincemcd61 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice wine had with chick pea curry
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9/7/2019 - dgcaldwell Likes this wine: 88 Points
Always pleasant; solid QPR. Previous vintages were better.
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3/25/2019 - klg_at_large wrote: 85 Points
This case may have not been treated well - much heavier, less multi-dimensional than the earlier vintages we liked so much. On the edge of suspecting oxidation, but looks ok...
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12/24/2018 - Cosmo M. wrote: 85 Points
Ripe, sweet cranberry and cherry. Alcohol is a bit out of balance. Some herbs on the nose and palate as well, along with bright acidity.
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12/19/2018 - jsherdc Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sweet fruit with a hint of pepper. Very nice.
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9/15/2018 - callmeacab22 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Enjoyed. Medium body and jammy (slightly sweet) but does not detract from the overall quality. Would buy again.
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9/9/2018 - Deryck wrote: 88 Points
Medium bodied wine with both red and black fruit flavors. The wine is a little on the sweet side and fairly simple.
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8/10/2018 - garrigue65 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Needs thirty minutes to open in glass. Great qpr.
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8/2/2018 - Zed57 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Consistent. Will not get better and only down hill from here
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6/14/2018 - VegaBodega Likes this wine: 89 Points
60-80 year old vines
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5/24/2018 - garrigue65 Likes this wine: 87 Points
Nice bottle kind of jammy at this point and would not cellar much further. Still good qpr.
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5/11/2018 - jmasterj Likes this wine:
Fresh, red berries, slight earth and meat. Mod acidity, quick to end, heavy body med heavy tannin. Very enjoyable bottle.
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4/7/2018 - RoccoSydney wrote: 89 Points
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3/17/2018 - Damian & Kelli wrote: 80 Points
Fine, but very one dimensional.
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2/21/2018 - Lmsw Likes this wine:
Liked. 9.2
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2/19/2018 - Grantmanon wrote: 88 Points
Ruby red. Red fruit, light oak, dirt nose. Underripe strawberry, slight tannins. Strong acid. Not especially complex, but a crowd pleaser.
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2/16/2018 - Primordialsoup Likes this wine: 90 Points
A solid bounce back for this producer.
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12/29/2017 - randyjc wrote: 83 Points
I have enjoyed this wine in most vintages for at least a decade and it has been a go-to for recommendations for people who dont know a lot about wine and don’t want to spend much. Not so in 2015, though. This is a particularly lousy wine. Harsh, a little astringent, extracted and alcoholic. I’ll try it again in different vintages, but this was a supermarket wine. Slightly better on day 2 but not much. If you end up having to, I recommend drinking it at about 50 degrees.
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12/19/2017 - jmcmchi wrote: 88 Points
Good structure but big; requires hearty food.
Solid, not subtle
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12/15/2017 - mzmijewski wrote: 86 Points
Nose none existent. Flat one the tongue.
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11/22/2017 - Falcone Likes this wine: 86 Points
A bit too fruity, but great value for money
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11/14/2017 - Conde Does not like this wine: 86 Points
No, this one is not for me. I guess it will improve with some some years in the cellar, but they've just squeezed too much into this bottle, it is over extracted and too anxious to please. I find black sweet fruit, spices and coffee, but above all, the alcohol is very present (15 %), leaving no room for nuances and elegance. A disappointment, because I've had other garnacha-based spanish wines and enjoyed them, and I've read about this wine and have been looking forward to try it.
I had it with manchego cheese, prosciutto and a good spanish pork sausage.
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11/1/2017 - DeLuz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Big tart blackberry fruit and minerals. A no brainer at $13. Good consistency from year to year. Beats out Grenache costing many times its price.
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10/27/2017 - mreinitz wrote: 85 Points
Second bottle was just like the first. Pretty much a condensed black cherry bomb. Overly concentrated and unidimensional. As was true last time the wine mellowed a bit and was more drinkable on the second day though the flavor profile stayed the same.
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10/13/2017 - garrigue65 wrote: 76 Points
Mono dimensional with out of balance alcohol and immature tannins.
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10/11/2017 - swade wrote: 89 Points
Primary color. I let this open an hour in the bowl. Cassis and cola aromas. The nose is ahead of the palate. This opens tight, shows some blackberry cobbler, Dominican cigar and ash and then finishes dry. Very good and full of promise. Nice QPR. Not quite yet as generous as some past iterations. 89
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10/10/2017 - Zed57 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Sleek yet powerful, mineral backbone and blackfruit throughout.
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9/28/2017 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 89 Points
Lovely wine.
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8/30/2017 - bound4er wrote: 89 Points
Big wine with just enough structure to keep things fresh and lively. Dark cherry and smoke on the nose. Palate is all about dark cherry and light oak. Probably not one to age. Overall a fun, well made wine that will appeal to just about any type of wine drinker.
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6/12/2017 - Benj Likes this wine: 88 Points
Well made, big-boy style. High acid, medium tannin, high alcohol (but well integrated) - requires some big food. Good QPR, but must be prepared for a vinous punch in the face. 15%, $15.
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6/9/2017 - Oakjeff wrote: 88 Points
Raspberry, black cherries, cherry cola, pomegranate framed by cigar box. Soft, fine grained tannins. Light-medium bodied. Will likely improve in the short term.
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5/26/2017 - whudock Likes this wine: 88 Points
far too young. needs at least a year of cellar time
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3/27/2017 - edog77 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicious nose of crushed raspberry, dark chocolate, marzipan/linzer torte, touch of menthol. Palate of cherries plums spicey menthol finish. Alcohol noticible . Finish lingers. Great garnaca w spicey kick.
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3/25/2017 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar for 3/24/17 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): N: V. slightly closed/muted; smoke atop berries? Intensity lurking? pyrazines with air?
P: Med, poss MF, body; Almost swtish frt met by mid-palate pucker, this slowly & SEAMLESSLY resolving into a VERY long finish with almost a sense of swtness to it. Though TOUGH to pass by now because of its youthful exuberance, this DESERVES 12-18 mos of cellaring, then drinking through '21 min? VERY impressive, & an almost CERTAIN steal even @ this vendor's middle of the pack $14.95. 91 pts WA & 89 Suckling
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3/11/2017 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 89 Points
A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark black in color. A full bodied red with black cherry, plum, vanilla and spice on finish, good year in year out. www.winelx.com
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3/4/2017 - mreinitz wrote: 86 Points
This is really an in-your-face wine, with lots of red fruit and oak. Very primary and a little off-putting at first, but it improved with time and was a bit better the second night.
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