Served blind to me. Medium purple with fairly deep extraction, some legs on the glass showing a hint of alcohol. Comes across as both ripe and a little green at the same time. Tannins are still resolving, but the finish is long. Nice wine, thanks Nutty08
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Dark crimson color, minimal bricking. Surprisingly muted nose. Candied red fruits, still rather primary with mostly resolved tannin. Shows some age but seems younger than 22yrs. Some dry tannins on back end. I have to think this was a little fuller and more nuanced in the past—but still quite enjoyable now.
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It is interesting to see how a wine might go into a dumb phase, as the notes from 2008 - 2011 all state that the wine is fading, but then the more recent notes express a very different experience. I am with the the more recent crowd in believing this wine has plenty of life left in it. It was a little tight when first opened, but after about 30 minutes the fruit is bursting through. I thought the acid and tannins weren't to pronounced at first, but now the wine is bright with wonderful cherries and blackberries. The finish is long and still somewhat dry. I have tasted and own more Andrew Will wines then any other wines, and I have been tasting the Champoux wines from 1999 - 2010, and this is right there with 04, 05, 06, 08, 10. The 03 and 07 are on another level IMO. One left of the 1999 and will save for another vertical of the great Champoux wines of AW.
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In contrast to some of the recent tasting notes on Cellartracker, this bottle was anything but over the hill: immense fruit and lots of tannic structure going on in this wine. So much life ahead - wish we'd waited another 5 years or so to open this last bottle. Chris Camarda is truly one of the greatest crafters of Bordeaux varietal wines in Washington State.
This wine was shipped directly from the winery into a private cellar, where it was stored under optimal conditions for the last 13 + years - wonder how much some of issues others have had recently with bottles being over the hill had to do with provenance?
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Tannins have faded nicely. Gentle fruit. Cherry and leather on the nose. Plums, anise and a little pepper. A tad short on finish. Better than the prior reviews - but, I agree, drink up!
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very different than last bottle. Strong black cherry and red currants after the wine had some air. low tannins at this age but decent acidity. Medium sweet tannins on the finish. Popular with the 30ish crowd. I'm sure I could do much better with $50. Will only buy newer vintages of A.Will ( post 2001).
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Auction bottle. I was hoping that some of the recent notes were due to storage issues. I blows my mind that a WA cab could be on a serious decline 10 years after release. Dark plums, heat on the finish. No tannin. very blaze' for something with great reviews, So disappointed. Still have 3 left. Expensive cooking wine.
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Sweet concentrated blackberry jam on the palate. with a bit of time a hint of black licorice and a touch of cofffee as well. i also agree thhat this wine is a bit past its prime, with tannins faded and acidity in retreat, but frankly I am still quite enjoying it.
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Faded and fading. The sweet, fruit-forward character could have hidden some structure. Instead, as the flavors mature, the foundation just isn't there. For my taste, this wine was too jammy. My hopes that it might mature into something elegant have not come to fruition (so to speak). Even at 24 hours this bottle did not open up nor show any tannic foundation.
WA's Rovanni gave it a 94. There is no way this is a 94 pt cab, especially when you consider that a wine of that caliber should have the stuffing to age decades, or at least, more than one decade.
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Sweet plum with rum-rum-raisin flavors, and maybe a little chocolate. Light tannin no acid. Nice, rich wine, but just too sweet for my taste. Surprisingly Merlot in character. WA describes it well, but I can't rate it as high as Pierre Rovani does because I felt it was lacking in layers and richness. Maybe things improve with a few more years, there is certainly enough intensity to keep it in storage.
[24 hours] Softens and improves and a little tar shows up. Velvety tannins are hidden under the sweet fruit. Although this wine doesn't taste excessively primary, in fact it is drinking well. Perhaps too well. After a couple tries, I feel that this won't improve much, and is worth drinking up. I downrated it for being excessively sweet and not very complex. If you like that riper style, then go I'll trade you my last couple of bottles for something with a little more character.
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This was a slow starter out of the cellar at 55 degrees. With a little warming and some air it really opened up. The flavors were very concentrated and complex with a moderately long finish. Not a block buster, but an enjoyable wine.
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Good, but a bit oaky and lacking definition. I very rarely find other Andrew Will wines to have the same class and complexity as the Sorella does. I'm sure this will hold for a while, but I don't see it improving.
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A Washington beauty; fine nose of blackberry, red fruit, and later, coffee. Medium bodied with impeccable balance and grace. Modest alcohol and oak don't distract or detract. Here's a winemaker with serious skills.
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Brief note from memory. Prominent oak flavors overpowered the fruit for me. Wife liked it better than I, and the wine did improve the second day. Disappointing overall, however.
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This is an awesome wine. Eucalyptus and sage on the nose, along with red fruits. On the palate this wine had more red fruits, cherry pie, hints of chocolate and mocha. This wine definitely needed a good hour before it was really singing. Note to self: drink last bottle no earlier than second half of 2007.
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5/15/2021 - jviz wrote: 91 Points
Served blind to me. Medium purple with fairly deep extraction, some legs on the glass showing a hint of alcohol. Comes across as both ripe and a little green at the same time. Tannins are still resolving, but the finish is long. Nice wine, thanks Nutty08
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5/15/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark crimson color, minimal bricking. Surprisingly muted nose. Candied red fruits, still rather primary with mostly resolved tannin. Shows some age but seems younger than 22yrs. Some dry tannins on back end. I have to think this was a little fuller and more nuanced in the past—but still quite enjoyable now.
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4/3/2014 - bablues wrote: 92 Points
It is interesting to see how a wine might go into a dumb phase, as the notes from 2008 - 2011 all state that the wine is fading, but then the more recent notes express a very different experience. I am with the the more recent crowd in believing this wine has plenty of life left in it. It was a little tight when first opened, but after about 30 minutes the fruit is bursting through. I thought the acid and tannins weren't to pronounced at first, but now the wine is bright with wonderful cherries and blackberries. The finish is long and still somewhat dry. I have tasted and own more Andrew Will wines then any other wines, and I have been tasting the Champoux wines from 1999 - 2010, and this is right there with 04, 05, 06, 08, 10. The 03 and 07 are on another level IMO. One left of the 1999 and will save for another vertical of the great Champoux wines of AW.
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1/24/2014 - cybergod Likes this wine:
In contrast to some of the recent tasting notes on Cellartracker, this bottle was anything but over the hill: immense fruit and lots of tannic structure going on in this wine. So much life ahead - wish we'd waited another 5 years or so to open this last bottle. Chris Camarda is truly one of the greatest crafters of Bordeaux varietal wines in Washington State.
This wine was shipped directly from the winery into a private cellar, where it was stored under optimal conditions for the last 13 + years - wonder how much some of issues others have had recently with bottles being over the hill had to do with provenance?
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1/29/2013 - GSW wrote: 90 Points
Our last bottle and seemed a bit more elegant than my note from 2010. Still a pleasure to drink.
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11/26/2012 - nospeel wrote: 90 Points
Tannins have faded nicely. Gentle fruit. Cherry and leather on the nose. Plums, anise and a little pepper. A tad short on finish. Better than the prior reviews - but, I agree, drink up!
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12/26/2011 - Champagneinhand wrote: 89 Points
very different than last bottle. Strong black cherry and red currants after the wine had some air. low tannins at this age but decent acidity. Medium sweet tannins on the finish. Popular with the 30ish crowd. I'm sure I could do much better with $50. Will only buy newer vintages of A.Will ( post 2001).
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12/14/2011 - Champagneinhand wrote: 85 Points
Auction bottle. I was hoping that some of the recent notes were due to storage issues. I blows my mind that a WA cab could be on a serious decline 10 years after release. Dark plums, heat on the finish. No tannin. very blaze' for something with great reviews, So disappointed. Still have 3 left. Expensive cooking wine.
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12/4/2011 - Ajnate wrote:
Sweet concentrated blackberry jam on the palate. with a bit of time a hint of black licorice and a touch of cofffee as well. i also agree thhat this wine is a bit past its prime, with tannins faded and acidity in retreat, but frankly I am still quite enjoying it.
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1/31/2010 - GSW wrote: 87 Points
Still fun but I agree with other tasters that this enjoyable Cab is at the end of it's drinking window.
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4/17/2009 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 87 Points
Plum and salt. Nice 10 yr red. Nothing extraordinary though.
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1/24/2009 - ParkHill wrote: 86 Points
Faded and fading. The sweet, fruit-forward character could have hidden some structure. Instead, as the flavors mature, the foundation just isn't there. For my taste, this wine was too jammy. My hopes that it might mature into something elegant have not come to fruition (so to speak). Even at 24 hours this bottle did not open up nor show any tannic foundation.
WA's Rovanni gave it a 94. There is no way this is a 94 pt cab, especially when you consider that a wine of that caliber should have the stuffing to age decades, or at least, more than one decade.
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11/1/2008 - ParkHill wrote: 89 Points
Sweet plum with rum-rum-raisin flavors, and maybe a little chocolate. Light tannin no acid. Nice, rich wine, but just too sweet for my taste. Surprisingly Merlot in character. WA describes it well, but I can't rate it as high as Pierre Rovani does because I felt it was lacking in layers and richness. Maybe things improve with a few more years, there is certainly enough intensity to keep it in storage.
[24 hours] Softens and improves and a little tar shows up. Velvety tannins are hidden under the sweet fruit. Although this wine doesn't taste excessively primary, in fact it is drinking well. Perhaps too well. After a couple tries, I feel that this won't improve much, and is worth drinking up. I downrated it for being excessively sweet and not very complex. If you like that riper style, then go I'll trade you my last couple of bottles for something with a little more character.
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10/20/2008 - DenisLee wrote:
This was a slow starter out of the cellar at 55 degrees. With a little warming and some air it really opened up. The flavors were very concentrated and complex with a moderately long finish. Not a block buster, but an enjoyable wine.
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10/1/2007 - stjames wrote: 90 Points
the best one yet
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8/3/2007 - stjames wrote: 87 Points
similar to the last bottle I drank, a very good wine. Nose is somewhat restrained, but on the palate loads of blackberry with a tobacco finish
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5/12/2007 - moutondoc wrote: 90 Points
Surprisingly complex, with a fabulous nose. A real treat.
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3/24/2007 - stjames wrote: 86 Points
Entirely pleasant and plenty of fruit, but not particularly complex or memorable. A
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12/9/2006 - Spencer wrote: 89 Points
Good, but a bit oaky and lacking definition. I very rarely find other Andrew Will wines to have the same class and complexity as the Sorella does. I'm sure this will hold for a while, but I don't see it improving.
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12/9/2006 - Mark wrote: 88 Points
No tasting notes recorded.
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7/1/2006 - caldwell wrote:
Still some CO2, pretty zingy and still needs time to settle down.
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4/29/2006 - WST wrote: 91 Points
A Washington beauty; fine nose of blackberry, red fruit, and later, coffee. Medium bodied with impeccable balance and grace. Modest alcohol and oak don't distract or detract. Here's a winemaker with serious skills.
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1/8/2006 - KevinS wrote: 86 Points
Brief note from memory. Prominent oak flavors overpowered the fruit for me. Wife liked it better than I, and the wine did improve the second day. Disappointing overall, however.
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11/13/2005 - MarkC wrote: 93 Points
This is an awesome wine. Eucalyptus and sage on the nose, along with red fruits. On the palate this wine had more red fruits, cherry pie, hints of chocolate and mocha. This wine definitely needed a good hour before it was really singing. Note to self: drink last bottle no earlier than second half of 2007.
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