Walked in on a wine tasting with Charlie Meeker in Naples, Florida and bought the bottle. Laid it down on his advice and it seemed to develop nicely. Tannins have softened and the red fruit shows through the black pepper. Some oak and hints of graphite that came out on day two. Really needs decanting and time to open up.
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Crimson color. Aromas of cherry, lavender, thyme and florals. Medium-bodied, with cherry and red fruit flavors on the palate, hint of chocolate and herbs on the finish. 88-89 pts.
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Tasted from Magnum. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose is a little green up front followed by aromas of roses and berries. Flavors of berries and balsamic. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink over the short term.
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Nose has that great brambly aspect that I associate with Sonoma. Blackberries and black pepper. Lots of black pepper on the palate with blackberries. Tannins are still pretty tight. Didn't seem to open up much after several hours, but stayed closed down. The black pepper flavors intensified and became somewhat unpleasant. Disappointing.
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Tight upon opening. Wait for the heat to blow off. Medium dark, dense color, spicy cherry nose, nice mouthfeel with great balance and complexity. A little heavy with the tannins, but that may ease up if I am patient.
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Ruby in the glass. Straightforward nose; plum with a bit of red berry. Ample flavors of plum, raspberry, and a bit of oak. Velvet tannins with an acidic finish. Decent balance; the mid-high acidity stands out a bit. Long finish.
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Purchased at III Forks for dinner with Ryan and Tina on 5/6/07. $99. Recommended by their sommelier. Very enjoyable. A little thin at first, but gained more body as it had a chance to breathe. Nice balance of fruit and tannins.
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From Meeker: This is a monster Merlot from an excellent vintage - one of our best Handprints ever. A blend of grapes from the Dry Creek, Russian River and Alexander Valleys, this wine has a nose of strawberries and cherries wrapped in French oak, and the cherries roll onto the palate accompanied by strawberry/rhubarb notes and lots of spice. The persistent finish surrounds you like a big brother at his little sister's first dance. Charlie and Matt recommend decanting or opening this wine at least an hour or so ahead of imbibing if you are going to enjoy it in the next few months.
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3/18/2023 - Lakewine23 wrote: 85 Points
drank too late
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10/16/2015 - psusfca wrote: flawed
Cork blew apart which was the first bad signal. Filtered it but it was corked unfortunately. Oh well - still a pretty bottle
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12/16/2011 - tapngrill wrote: 88 Points
Walked in on a wine tasting with Charlie Meeker in Naples, Florida and bought the bottle. Laid it down on his advice and it seemed to develop nicely. Tannins have softened and the red fruit shows through the black pepper. Some oak and hints of graphite that came out on day two. Really needs decanting and time to open up.
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7/1/2011 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
Crimson color. Aromas of cherry, lavender, thyme and florals. Medium-bodied, with cherry and red fruit flavors on the palate, hint of chocolate and herbs on the finish. 88-89 pts.
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4/3/2011 - River Rat wrote:
Ruby red color. Cherry, blackberry, plum and peppery spice Good red and blue fruit. Tannins are smooth. Nice drinker.
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5/22/2010 - wineismylife wrote: 88 Points
CellarTracker Texas Offline - Part Two: WIML88
Tasted from Magnum. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose is a little green up front followed by aromas of roses and berries. Flavors of berries and balsamic. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink over the short term.
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11/26/2009 - Beavis77 wrote:
Nose has that great brambly aspect that I associate with Sonoma. Blackberries and black pepper.
Lots of black pepper on the palate with blackberries. Tannins are still pretty tight. Didn't seem to open up much after several hours, but stayed closed down. The black pepper flavors intensified and became somewhat unpleasant.
Disappointing.
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3/8/2009 - DTWOB wrote: 89 Points
Tight upon opening. Wait for the heat to blow off. Medium dark, dense color, spicy cherry nose, nice mouthfeel with great balance and complexity. A little heavy with the tannins, but that may ease up if I am patient.
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11/8/2008 - THaas wrote: 85 Points
Ruby in the glass. Straightforward nose; plum with a bit of red berry. Ample flavors of plum, raspberry, and a bit of oak. Velvet tannins with an acidic finish. Decent balance; the mid-high acidity stands out a bit. Long finish.
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9/14/2008 - cowtownguy wrote: 89 Points
Wonderful style of Merlot and good value; will impress even the toughest Merlot critic. Interesting bottle, fun for entertaining.
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5/7/2007 - dfwmaverick wrote:
Purchased at III Forks for dinner with Ryan and Tina on 5/6/07. $99. Recommended by their sommelier. Very enjoyable. A little thin at first, but gained more body as it had a chance to breathe. Nice balance of fruit and tannins.
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11/1/2006 - eggplant wrote:
From Meeker: This is a monster Merlot from an excellent vintage - one of our best Handprints ever. A blend of grapes from the Dry Creek, Russian River and Alexander Valleys, this wine has a nose of strawberries and cherries wrapped in French oak, and the cherries roll onto the palate accompanied by strawberry/rhubarb notes and lots of spice. The persistent finish surrounds you like a big brother at his little sister's first dance. Charlie and Matt recommend decanting or opening this wine at least an hour or so ahead of imbibing if you are going to enjoy it in the next few months.
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