This nose is completely Washington with rainwater eucalyptus, evergreen, and boysenberry. A quick glimpse of fresh Serrano pepper up front. Rich red fruit. This is really good now.
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Pretty tired. The nose was aged and pleasant, but an odd funk on the palate was detracting. The bottle was consumed, but did not impress compared to similar Andrew Will blends from 1998 and early 2000s.
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Deep dark cloudy purple with faint browning hues; sachet of dried spices, sweet cigar, smoke, old leather, indian spices--anise, cardamon, old sweet plum, cherry, cassis notes--very intense beautiful bouquet; silky elegant entry still with great intensity, soft rounded tannins still present but not harsh or drying; lovely even, balanced finish. This is spectacular and is better than many similarly aged Bordeaux I've had recently. Still in its prime and should hold another 5 years or more. Great with seasoned grass-fed beef steak.
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Opened last night to have with some brie and TV. This was rounder, richer and tastier than my last bottle. Really felt like i could pick up on the cab franc, which is a bit more than a quarter of the cepage blend. I don't believe it has any more time to get better, but it was drinking beautifully last night. Looking forward to another glass later tonight
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Bottle was well-stored since purchase at Eastside Wine Storage (Bellevue, WA) and then decanted for 30 minutes. Surprised by the fruit. Lovely nose and great color for 14 year old Washington state wine.
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Cathy opened this with her homemade beef stroganoff while I was at my wine group dinner. Had a glass when I got home. Nice but not great. I'll try it again tonight watching Heat-Pacers
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Cork shredded upon opening and an Ah-so attempt only managed to push it in... lots of sediment in this bottle as well. More of an old-school Bordeaux, with blackberry, leather, smoked meat and dark fruit aromas and flavors. The cab franc became more prevalent over time as well - it held up better than expected. Still some fruit left, but may be on its way to drying out, so I wouldn't hold these too much longer. A pleasantly full mid-palate gives way to mellowed tannins and ends with a slightly drying finish. My wife enjoyed this more than I - 92 pts vs 89.
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- Brick color with medium forming legs and aromas of tobacco. It's balanced and has flavours of black currant, cherry and tobacco with a full body. Polished texture with a long finish.
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Lots of character; unwrapped layers of nuance as it opened up; earth, tar, gunpowder; old school, Bordeaux style for sure; very balanced and primary; seems to have plenty of life in it.
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Some on 4/3, the rest tonight. Aroma of plum, cherry, rubber tire. Prune too. Balance is OK, sweet on the mid-palate due to the prunes, acidic and tannic on the finish, OK throughout. Aroma redolent of prunes and plums and this defines its palate.
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Dark purple/ruby color. Nose of bell peppers, dusty earth, and some cedar. Fine entry with ripe, dried fruit and mineral. Enjoyable and easy to drink. Better than expected. Shows this vineyard nicely.
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A bit out of balance. Little fruit left, mostly vegetal with green peppers and olives. slightly astringent finish. Improved over about 2 hours but disappointing overall
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Nose is redolent of rubber tire and earth. Tastes plummy, structured, black olives. Not a big wine, but quite pleasant. An old school "bordeaux" blend.
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Decanted for 1 hour prior to drinking. Started fairly tight, muted but beautiful nose. Taste of blueberries and black fruit, tar, menthol. Moderate finish, fairly tannic. In hour two, the aromatics really kicked in - roses and berries. Tannins settled down. I think we're a couple of years away from full potential...
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An informal tasting with six friends featuring 1999 Quilceda Creek Merlot (still quite structured, built to last, enjoyable but less crowd pleasing), Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard 2000 (favorite for most, very smooth, aromatic), AW Seven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 (smooth, integrated, pleasant) and AW Ciel du Cheval Merlot 1999 (not as tannic as the QC, pleasant nose and palate). As expected, the Andrew Will wines were a bit more approachable and user-friendly than the Quilceda Creek; the former are certainly ready to drink and unlikely to improve, the latter will last longer.
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Decent fruit, but wildly over-tannic. I doubt the fruit will hold up for extended cellaring, so I think it's probably best to drink sooner rather than later, perhaps with some food that goes well with a tannic wine.
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This wine is purple/ruby in color, with fairly clear, but deep color intensity. Aromas of spice, anise, and oak drape the dark currant fruit notes. Medium to heavy body, very elegantly balanced, with a lingering finish.
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While this was initially quite disjointed, after about three hours this finally started to mesh. The nose shows alluring scents of blackberry, green pepper and pie spice. The palate is very bright with loads of black cherry, crushed raspberry, dill and some green tobacco. The acid is really quite wild here, on the edge of being out of control. The finish is very, very tight with light floral notes, chalky tannins and somewhat raspy acidity. I poured off half a bottle into a 375ml, and I suspect it will have rounded into form nicely tomorrow. DAY 4: Well it took me a few days to get back to this, and my expectations were low. However, this has held on pretty well and perhaps improved. The acidity is still quite racy, and it is clear that is is a very tightly wound young wine. The nose doesn't offer very much, but the palate is quite bright with tart notes of raspberry and sour cherry. The finish is tight with fine tannins. Frankly, I'm quite disappointed in this wine.
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11/23/2018 - Doc90 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This nose is completely Washington with rainwater eucalyptus, evergreen, and boysenberry. A quick glimpse of fresh Serrano pepper up front. Rich red fruit. This is really good now.
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2/18/2018 - DaneM wrote:
Pretty tired. The nose was aged and pleasant, but an odd funk on the palate was detracting. The bottle was consumed, but did not impress compared to similar Andrew Will blends from 1998 and early 2000s.
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11/1/2016 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Deep dark cloudy purple with faint browning hues; sachet of dried spices, sweet cigar, smoke, old leather, indian spices--anise, cardamon, old sweet plum, cherry, cassis notes--very intense beautiful bouquet; silky elegant entry still with great intensity, soft rounded tannins still present but not harsh or drying; lovely even, balanced finish. This is spectacular and is better than many similarly aged Bordeaux I've had recently. Still in its prime and should hold another 5 years or more. Great with seasoned grass-fed beef steak.
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2/11/2015 - mouton45 wrote: 91 Points
Opened last night to have with some brie and TV. This was rounder, richer and tastier than my last bottle. Really felt like i could pick up on the cab franc, which is a bit more than a quarter of the cepage blend. I don't believe it has any more time to get better, but it was drinking beautifully last night. Looking forward to another glass later tonight
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1/4/2015 - sdsull wrote: 92 Points
Bottle was well-stored since purchase at Eastside Wine Storage (Bellevue, WA) and then decanted for 30 minutes. Surprised by the fruit. Lovely nose and great color for 14 year old Washington state wine.
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3/25/2014 - mouton45 wrote: 90 Points
Cathy opened this with her homemade beef stroganoff while I was at my wine group dinner. Had a glass when I got home. Nice but not great. I'll try it again tonight watching Heat-Pacers
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1/10/2014 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cork shredded upon opening and an Ah-so attempt only managed to push it in... lots of sediment in this bottle as well.
More of an old-school Bordeaux, with blackberry, leather, smoked meat and dark fruit aromas and flavors. The cab franc became more prevalent over time as well - it held up better than expected.
Still some fruit left, but may be on its way to drying out, so I wouldn't hold these too much longer. A pleasantly full mid-palate gives way to mellowed tannins and ends with a slightly drying finish.
My wife enjoyed this more than I - 92 pts vs 89.
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10/6/2013 - macker100 wrote: 90 Points
Washington Wine Tasting in San Antonio: At BWC event. Rustic, with mint, dark raspberries, veggie, fruit drying out. No#5
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4/15/2012 - buckeye76 wrote: 91 Points
BERRIES AND BLACK CHERRIES IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR AND A MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.
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11/25/2011 - GSW wrote: 90 Points
Our last bottle of this vintage, and still a delight. Wonderful nose and still smooth. Would last a few more years.
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9/20/2011 - mchardon wrote:
- Brick color with medium forming legs and aromas of tobacco. It's balanced and has flavours of black currant, cherry and tobacco with a full body. Polished texture with a long finish.
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8/5/2010 - winejnky wrote: 91 Points
Lots of character; unwrapped layers of nuance as it opened up; earth, tar, gunpowder; old school, Bordeaux style for sure; very balanced and primary; seems to have plenty of life in it.
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4/4/2010 - winetennis wrote:
Some on 4/3, the rest tonight. Aroma of plum, cherry, rubber tire. Prune too. Balance is OK, sweet on the mid-palate due to the prunes, acidic and tannic on the finish, OK throughout. Aroma redolent of prunes and plums and this defines its palate.
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12/24/2009 - nectar14 wrote: 89 Points
Dark purple/ruby color. Nose of bell peppers, dusty earth, and some cedar. Fine entry with ripe, dried fruit and mineral. Enjoyable and easy to drink. Better than expected. Shows this vineyard nicely.
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3/20/2009 - kennyg wrote: 85 Points
A bit out of balance. Little fruit left, mostly vegetal with green peppers and olives. slightly astringent finish. Improved over about 2 hours but disappointing overall
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10/26/2008 - winejnky wrote: 91 Points
Nose is redolent of rubber tire and earth. Tastes plummy, structured, black olives. Not a big wine, but quite pleasant. An old school "bordeaux" blend.
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8/9/2008 - 2treeline wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 1 hour prior to drinking. Started fairly tight, muted but beautiful nose. Taste of blueberries and black fruit, tar, menthol. Moderate finish, fairly tannic. In hour two, the aromatics really kicked in - roses and berries. Tannins settled down. I think we're a couple of years away from full potential...
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7/27/2008 - GSW wrote: 90 Points
An informal tasting with six friends featuring 1999 Quilceda Creek Merlot (still quite structured, built to last, enjoyable but less crowd pleasing), Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard 2000 (favorite for most, very smooth, aromatic), AW Seven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 (smooth, integrated, pleasant) and AW Ciel du Cheval Merlot 1999 (not as tannic as the QC, pleasant nose and palate). As expected, the Andrew Will wines were a bit more approachable and user-friendly than the Quilceda Creek; the former are certainly ready to drink and unlikely to improve, the latter will last longer.
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6/22/2008 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Chateau Lay): Aromas of smoked meat, black fruit and herbs. Nicely balanced, with dark fruit and herb tones. Showing very well. 92+ pts.
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4/21/2006 - ml wrote:
Decent fruit, but wildly over-tannic. I doubt the fruit will hold up for extended cellaring, so I think it's probably best to drink sooner rather than later, perhaps with some food that goes well with a tannic wine.
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6/5/2005 - Tom_B wrote: 91 Points
This wine is purple/ruby in color, with fairly clear, but deep color intensity. Aromas of spice, anise, and oak drape the dark currant fruit notes. Medium to heavy body, very elegantly balanced, with a lingering finish.
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11/4/2004 - Eric wrote: 86 Points
While this was initially quite disjointed, after about three hours this finally started to mesh. The nose shows alluring scents of blackberry, green pepper and pie spice. The palate is very bright with loads of black cherry, crushed raspberry, dill and some green tobacco. The acid is really quite wild here, on the edge of being out of control. The finish is very, very tight with light floral notes, chalky tannins and somewhat raspy acidity. I poured off half a bottle into a 375ml, and I suspect it will have rounded into form nicely tomorrow.
DAY 4: Well it took me a few days to get back to this, and my expectations were low. However, this has held on pretty well and perhaps improved. The acidity is still quite racy, and it is clear that is is a very tightly wound young wine. The nose doesn't offer very much, but the palate is quite bright with tart notes of raspberry and sour cherry. The finish is tight with fine tannins. Frankly, I'm quite disappointed in this wine.
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