My first experience with this. For the first 5-10 minutes I thought this had gone off and I was on the verge of dumping in the sink. It had this tinny/metallic, hot, cooked, slightly pickled weirdness to it. That settled down with just a little air time and now this just tastes like a rarely monolithic mineral-laden Southern France quaffer with cherries, iron, and coca cola. It does give the impression of being rather 'natural'. I suspect this should have been drunk on release as time is no friend to a wine like this. As Rimmerman mentions, "the wine [this one, that is] isn’t always perfect" . Yeah, I get that. I don't know that I would re-buy, but one must not set their expectations too high for a wine that costs less than a smoothie.
Nose manages to merge the "come hither" of youthful fruit-forward wines with a serious depth. Zippy red fruit, plum, white pepper, herbal-garrigue, a bit of alcohol heat. Palate well lifted acidity holding up some serious fruit, big mouth-coating mineral, and some tannins. The old vines really show up in this wine - probably combining with a ripe vintage for a serious wine. Some almond notes on palate, along with cherry and plum. Remarkably complex and intense, while maintaining impeccable balance. Reminds me of 1980s and 90s Rhones - back when the south still appealed to me.
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Ripe black cherry and plum with good weight and balance. Nothing complicated here, but an enjoyable wine for its price. Better today vs last bottle from two years ago.
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Really enjoyable. Comes of as a very honest wine that's big on flavor with a rich dark color as well. Went well with Easter dinner, showing some darker berry fruit. Will re-buy.
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Even though simple and modest, this does best after an hour or so open. The fruit may be starting to fade at this point and I don’t believe it should be held for long, but it’s a fun little trip down Carignan lane with a peppery little bouquet and super juicy acidity. Moving on to my ‘16’s & ‘17’s with good optimism. 4+11+15+7= 87
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A very interesting wine from vines over 100 years old. With a little age on this bottle, its considerably less primary than one tasted more than a year ago. It is still opaque dark red, dark red with better balance between the fruit, acidity, and tannin. Very enjoyable and only around $12.
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Nice QPR! I thought it was a Gamay at first, then Cabernet Franc, then had to look up its true varietal. Even at $12, sometimes the best winemaking is convincing the world the Devil never existed. Technical score: 87. Enjoyment score: 88.
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A solid wine. Not overly complex, fairly light and not much of a finish. The acidity and tannins are evident but not over the top. A good food wine. I can see why Carignan is mostly used as a blending grape but this wine is interesting and worth trying.
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Smooth, rich, balanced red that only lacked depth to carry it further in the ratings race. Bottle was liked by all and only lasted a single round. Savory notes on the nose and palate with fruit and earthy background notes.
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3 If based purely on the wine itself, 3 stars. However, drinking 115 year old Carignan for $12 is pretty swell. Clear volatile acidity, but also lovely tension between tannin, acid, and moderate to low alcohol. Intriguing. Fun. Worth the experience.
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Bright red fruit, moderately high acidity, good persistence. For the price, a real champ. I had half a case. It's gone now. Wish I had more as it's just right.
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Enjoyable again. Profound dark blue fruits in the bouquet and a lovely, light-tannin palate. The Gamay references are appropo and I think this producer has done a masterful and artistic job with the raw material here. I must always have some of this kind of don't-think-about-it-just-drink-it juice in the ready to drink cooler.
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Incredibly reductive at opening. Opened up significantly with 15-20 min of air. Recorked immediately then transferred to a partially used Repour to test out the ability to use it on multiple bottles. Let's see how this goes in a few days.
4 days later, reopened. This is fantastic still. Fruity, earthy, and well knit. Quite tasty.
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What a fun little wine this is. A bit brushy and brambly, it also has a cloaked sweetness that continues to emerge as it opens in the glass. In a bistro style, this works wonderfully with any lunchtime fare from soup to salad to sandwich. Major win for $13. 4+10+16+8= 88
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Kind of carbonic-Gamay-ish, nice juxtaposition of bracing and ripe fruit, went well with some mash up flavor homemade pizzas. A good, honest food wine.
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Liking this better than recorded in prior notes. Not a barn burner, but very drinkable - almost like a Gamay in its fruitiness, and very clean. Not complex or deep, to be sure, but a nice weeknight quaff.
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Nose initially is all strawberry, but quickly evolves to add rocks, herbs, and flowers. Alternately pretty, fruity, and flowery. Palate is lean, but juicy. There's a bit of an aftertaste in the first few minutes that already seems to be going away, being replaced with a moderate amount of gritty tannin and more depth. Interesting. Clearly a young wine.
Opened up to show some depth and interest along with the mineral-fruit combo it was displaying. Finish is medium+. Good for the Garagiste price.
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My third and last bottle and each one seemed to have improved. This bottle, while still showing nice black cherry, raspberry and pomegranate fruit, also started showing hints of stone dust and minerals... not much, but detectable and added to the wine's complexity. Accessible and flavorful, but not especially lengthy. For the price, this was excellent and I wish I purchased more.
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Purple with a watery edge; lightly smoldered, plummy fruit aroma. Dark purple and red fruit flavors, lacking a little in midpalate. Finishes with crunchy, drying tannins, and a hint of smoke. Went well with Mexican carnitas.
Not a massive Rhone fan, but for $12 at Garagiste, I'd consider a re-buy.
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A little bit of rest (6 weeks) since my last bottle helped this a bit. Youthful and bright red fruit. Not as sharp and high-toned as my last bottle, but still has good focus. Nice, but still simple. Good QPR for a weekday dinner wine.
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Ripe black cherry and plum aromas. Less intense flavors with moderate weight and concentration. I certainly never would have thought 100 year old vines. Still a very nice and pleasant $12 bottle.
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Agree with prior notes (including mine) - this is a nice simple not terrible QPR, but nothing special. Kinda bland, a little bit of raisins and cinnamon.
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A youthful-looking, bright crimson in the glass. Fruity on the nose, also showing just a touch of heat. Medium-to-full bodied, offering a juicy mouthful of tangy plum and dark cherry fruit, with a vibrant acidity. Shows good depth and intensity, along with decent length. Nothing profound - and definitely not as good as the 2014 - but a nice, inexpensive, food-friendly Rhone from Garagiste that paired quite well with our roast chicken. 50+5+11+14+6=87
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A heady, perfumy, incensed nose that leads to palate-staining flavors of blackberry and raspberry and lily. This is deep yet floaty, still youthfully tensile, a testament to what great Carignan can do and be (at $11! from Garagiste). The mid-palate is a bit hollow, and from there the wine soon fades into a pleasnt but mid-length finish, before being hit with a wall of fine tannins. While it's certainly drinkable at this stage, a bit more time or a decant would stretch the finish.
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I was a fan of this wine. Purple/Black fruit but with low tannins and acid. Not a lot of depth, but also had this inorganic earth coming that took you to the old world. Great QPR, just a lil boring at times, but what do you expect for $10
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Bright purple to magenta in color. Sweet & Sour berries on the nose, almost like a sangria or lambrusco. Very floral, hot, light body, alcohol feels much higher than the stated 13%. Tannins are not big but bite-y and sharp. I wasn't expecting much at $10 price point so I cant say disappointed, not a great QpR and definitely not a re-buy for me. Best as a summer quaffing wine pool side or mixed, sangria??
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3/28/2023 - Mossrose Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fun wine! Juicy red fruit mixed with a flinty edge and lingering tannins. Medium bodied and easy drinking at 13% alc.
Drink now if you have any left.
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5/7/2022 - Neurowine1 Does not like this wine:
My first experience with this. For the first 5-10 minutes I thought this had gone off and I was on the verge of dumping in the sink. It had this tinny/metallic, hot, cooked, slightly pickled weirdness to it. That settled down with just a little air time and now this just tastes like a rarely monolithic mineral-laden Southern France quaffer with cherries, iron, and coca cola. It does give the impression of being rather 'natural'. I suspect this should have been drunk on release as time is no friend to a wine like this. As Rimmerman mentions, "the wine [this one, that is] isn’t always perfect" . Yeah, I get that. I don't know that I would re-buy, but one must not set their expectations too high for a wine that costs less than a smoothie.
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8/20/2021 - lake.vino Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose manages to merge the "come hither" of youthful fruit-forward wines with a serious depth. Zippy red fruit, plum, white pepper, herbal-garrigue, a bit of alcohol heat. Palate well lifted acidity holding up some serious fruit, big mouth-coating mineral, and some tannins. The old vines really show up in this wine - probably combining with a ripe vintage for a serious wine. Some almond notes on palate, along with cherry and plum. Remarkably complex and intense, while maintaining impeccable balance. Reminds me of 1980s and 90s Rhones - back when the south still appealed to me.
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6/20/2021 - andyrowe wrote:
Jun 17, 2021 PR MOBIL@ - 1763 $326.13 $4,800.42
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1/19/2021 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 90 Points
Delish CdRh. Wish I had more :( All the "usual's" - Savory, earthy, loads of dark fruit, garrigue, smooth tannins, long finish, balanced. Very nice.
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10/28/2019 - Portland Seth wrote: 88 Points
Starting to drink well. Some funk that blows off, followed by juicy purple fruit and candied violets.
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2/18/2019 - Portland Seth wrote: 86 Points
Sour cherry, lilly, straw, wet horse, chalk and capers. Probably needs more air.
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2/16/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Ripe black cherry and plum with good weight and balance. Nothing complicated here, but an enjoyable wine for its price. Better today vs last bottle from two years ago.
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11/23/2018 - Fuz98112 Likes this wine: 89 Points
.... and the last bottle was also excellent.
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9/27/2018 - Fuz98112 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Finally behaving after three years ... and an hour decant. Still full of life.
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9/20/2018 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nice little drinkable quaffer. Balanced, linear, no depth to speak of, but its charm is in its simplicity. Technical score: 87. Enjoyment score: 89.
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7/20/2018 - tward Likes this wine: 87 Points
Fun, fruity, food friendly wine with a bit of spice and zest. Nice QPR. Wish I had more, but I've got some '16 in the cellar!
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5/14/2018 - klezman wrote:
Peppery and tasty. Nice bottle - this is a good age for it.
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4/1/2018 - wirelesswine wrote: 90 Points
Really enjoyable. Comes of as a very honest wine that's big on flavor with a rich dark color as well. Went well with Easter dinner, showing some darker berry fruit. Will re-buy.
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3/30/2018 - fingers Likes this wine: 87 Points
Even though simple and modest, this does best after an hour or so open. The fruit may be starting to fade at this point and I don’t believe it should be held for long, but it’s a fun little trip down Carignan lane with a peppery little bouquet and super juicy acidity. Moving on to my ‘16’s & ‘17’s with good optimism. 4+11+15+7= 87
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3/27/2018 - RichD2 Likes this wine: 90 Points
A very interesting wine from vines over 100 years old. With a little age on this bottle, its considerably less primary than one tasted more than a year ago. It is still opaque dark red, dark red with better balance between the fruit, acidity, and tannin. Very enjoyable and only around $12.
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3/13/2018 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 87 Points
Nice QPR! I thought it was a Gamay at first, then Cabernet Franc, then had to look up its true varietal. Even at $12, sometimes the best winemaking is convincing the world the Devil never existed. Technical score: 87. Enjoyment score: 88.
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2/25/2018 - Burrloin Likes this wine: 87 Points
A solid wine. Not overly complex, fairly light and not much of a finish. The acidity and tannins are evident but not over the top. A good food wine. I can see why Carignan is mostly used as a blending grape but this wine is interesting and worth trying.
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1/15/2018 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 Points
Smooth, rich, balanced red that only lacked depth to carry it further in the ratings race. Bottle was liked by all and only lasted a single round. Savory notes on the nose and palate with fruit and earthy background notes.
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12/5/2017 - Al Ehrhardt wrote:
As a carignan fan, I wanted to love it, but it is a too ripe and grapey for me.
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11/8/2017 - wagonwine wrote:
3 If based purely on the wine itself, 3 stars. However, drinking 115 year old Carignan for $12 is pretty swell. Clear volatile acidity, but also lovely tension between tannin, acid, and moderate to low alcohol. Intriguing. Fun. Worth the experience.
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9/20/2017 - klezman wrote:
Well received at RH dinner and this is in a nice place.
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8/23/2017 - randyjc wrote: 87 Points
Bright red fruit, moderately high acidity, good persistence. For the price, a real champ. I had half a case. It's gone now. Wish I had more as it's just right.
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8/9/2017 - fingers Likes this wine:
Enjoyable again. Profound dark blue fruits in the bouquet and a lovely, light-tannin palate. The Gamay references are appropo and I think this producer has done a masterful and artistic job with the raw material here. I must always have some of this kind of don't-think-about-it-just-drink-it juice in the ready to drink cooler.
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6/26/2017 - klezman wrote:
Incredibly reductive at opening. Opened up significantly with 15-20 min of air. Recorked immediately then transferred to a partially used Repour to test out the ability to use it on multiple bottles. Let's see how this goes in a few days.
4 days later, reopened. This is fantastic still. Fruity, earthy, and well knit. Quite tasty.
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6/17/2017 - maxmanx wrote:
Good value for $12.
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6/5/2017 - tlangle wrote:
very reductive on initial opening, fortunately it blew off after 24hrs. simple wine with very good qpr
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5/30/2017 - fingers Likes this wine: 88 Points
What a fun little wine this is. A bit brushy and brambly, it also has a cloaked sweetness that continues to emerge as it opens in the glass. In a bistro style, this works wonderfully with any lunchtime fare from soup to salad to sandwich. Major win for $13. 4+10+16+8= 88
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5/28/2017 - tward Likes this wine: 86 Points
Kind of carbonic-Gamay-ish, nice juxtaposition of bracing and ripe fruit, went well with some mash up flavor homemade pizzas. A good, honest food wine.
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4/9/2017 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 86 Points
Funky, spicy, pronounced bitters, nice QPR quaffer. Went well enough with pizza. Technical score: 85. Enjoyment score: 87.
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3/29/2017 - christyler wrote: 89 Points
Soft and round carbonic goodness. There's a nice core of tart red fruit. Juicy and delicious.
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3/28/2017 - kdubler wrote:
FWS Languedob Roussillon Class (La Caille): Similar to before, very interesting wine with a lot of fruit and earth. Amazing value at less than $15
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2/27/2017 - cab Likes this wine:
Liking this better than recorded in prior notes. Not a barn burner, but very drinkable - almost like a Gamay in its fruitiness, and very clean. Not complex or deep, to be sure, but a nice weeknight quaff.
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2/15/2017 - petermpls wrote: flawed
Corked
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2/8/2017 - drxray Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice pepper and fruit
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2/7/2017 - klezman wrote:
Nose initially is all strawberry, but quickly evolves to add rocks, herbs, and flowers. Alternately pretty, fruity, and flowery. Palate is lean, but juicy. There's a bit of an aftertaste in the first few minutes that already seems to be going away, being replaced with a moderate amount of gritty tannin and more depth. Interesting. Clearly a young wine.
Opened up to show some depth and interest along with the mineral-fruit combo it was displaying. Finish is medium+. Good for the Garagiste price.
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2/7/2017 - drxray wrote: 90 Points
Nice pepper, and solid tannins.
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1/30/2017 - mdefreitas wrote: 89 Points
My third and last bottle and each one seemed to have improved. This bottle, while still showing nice black cherry, raspberry and pomegranate fruit, also started showing hints of stone dust and minerals... not much, but detectable and added to the wine's complexity. Accessible and flavorful, but not especially lengthy. For the price, this was excellent and I wish I purchased more.
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1/28/2017 - bushrandall Likes this wine:
Purple with a watery edge; lightly smoldered, plummy fruit aroma. Dark purple and red fruit flavors, lacking a little in midpalate. Finishes with crunchy, drying tannins, and a hint of smoke. Went well with Mexican carnitas.
Not a massive Rhone fan, but for $12 at Garagiste, I'd consider a re-buy.
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1/18/2017 - Fuz98112 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Still young but calmed down after two hour decant
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1/12/2017 - winepog wrote: 91 Points
Lovely. Jammy yet acidic. Touch of black pepper. Delicious and versatile. Excellent value.
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1/10/2017 - mdefreitas wrote: 87 Points
A little bit of rest (6 weeks) since my last bottle helped this a bit. Youthful and bright red fruit. Not as sharp and high-toned as my last bottle, but still has good focus. Nice, but still simple. Good QPR for a weekday dinner wine.
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12/30/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 85 Points
Ripe black cherry and plum aromas. Less intense flavors with moderate weight and concentration. I certainly never would have thought 100 year old vines. Still a very nice and pleasant $12 bottle.
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12/29/2016 - cab Likes this wine:
Agree with prior notes (including mine) - this is a nice simple not terrible QPR, but nothing special. Kinda bland, a little bit of raisins and cinnamon.
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12/8/2016 - Bam_Man wrote: 87 Points
A youthful-looking, bright crimson in the glass. Fruity on the nose, also showing just a touch of heat. Medium-to-full bodied, offering a juicy mouthful of tangy plum and dark cherry fruit, with a vibrant acidity. Shows good depth and intensity, along with decent length. Nothing profound - and definitely not as good as the 2014 - but a nice, inexpensive, food-friendly Rhone from Garagiste that paired quite well with our roast chicken.
50+5+11+14+6=87
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12/8/2016 - cse Likes this wine:
plummy, still quite young and primary. better on day 2. should be great in a couple of years.
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11/29/2016 - mdefreitas wrote: 86 Points
Given the price point, this wasn't too bad. Bright, high toned red fruit and spice. A bit simple, but full of energy. Fair QPR.
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11/29/2016 - mrwebstar wrote: 81 Points
A little bland, a little floral, weak body, light tannins, a little fruit, decent table wine, might be food for mixed drinks/sangria
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11/25/2016 - MBusk Likes this wine: 90 Points
A heady, perfumy, incensed nose that leads to palate-staining flavors of blackberry and raspberry and lily. This is deep yet floaty, still youthfully tensile, a testament to what great Carignan can do and be (at $11! from Garagiste). The mid-palate is a bit hollow, and from there the wine soon fades into a pleasnt but mid-length finish, before being hit with a wall of fine tannins. While it's certainly drinkable at this stage, a bit more time or a decant would stretch the finish.
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11/24/2016 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 84 Points
More or less same as before, very floral nose
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11/14/2016 - kdubler wrote:
I was a fan of this wine. Purple/Black fruit but with low tannins and acid. Not a lot of depth, but also had this inorganic earth coming that took you to the old world. Great QPR, just a lil boring at times, but what do you expect for $10
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11/10/2016 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 82 Points
Bright purple to magenta in color. Sweet & Sour berries on the nose, almost like a sangria or lambrusco. Very floral, hot, light body, alcohol feels much higher than the stated 13%. Tannins are not big but bite-y and sharp. I wasn't expecting much at $10 price point so I cant say disappointed, not a great QpR and definitely not a re-buy for me. Best as a summer quaffing wine pool side or mixed, sangria??
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11/9/2016 - LordHighSteward Likes this wine: 92 Points
Med to full. Earth aromatics. 13% Alc. dry and tannic. Should be better tomorrow. Had w/filet and sweet potato. 3 more left.
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11/9/2016 - joraesque wrote: 86 Points
A light, easy-drinking, summer wine.
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10/23/2016 - cab wrote:
For a $12 bottle, this is ok, kind of bland. Drinkable but nothing special. A little bit of licorice, barely ripe red fruit, very moderate tannins.
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