Upon opening, this was very off-putting, with sour plum, strong black licorice, and heavy notes of confection. After two days, however, it had settled down, showing much softer plum notes, black cherry, and a weighty, prune-like texture. Still quite bitter finish, but more restrained and intriguing after some air. Would not buy again, despite its architect.
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A solid, fresh wine. Very tasty. Served along with the 2000 of this and the 2005 Foley Charbono. The '00 was the winner with higher toned fruits but this '05 was very tasty. Full figured, if not full bodied. Big red fruit flavors and nice acidity. Drank well on Night #2, too. However, given the success of the '00 in this showing I'm tempted to let future vintages age a bit longer.
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First time I've had a Charbono that worked for me. And surprising, given the context of this vintage, and the professional scores. I thought this was nice--plenty of acid, bright red and blue fruits, a bit of graham cracker on the mid-palate and finish. Not a hugely complex wine, nor one that is likely to age forever, but it was really enjoyable now, and, nearly 3 years after my last bottle, seems to have made positive progress in the bottle. Almost sorry that it was my last bottle. (PE: 90)
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Very different from the '04 version. Much brighter fruit with a lot of acidity. Served blind I would have guessed Sangiovese. Not bad for a change of pace, but I think the Robert Foley Charbono is much better.
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I continue to have a hard time understanding this grape. This particular vintage, too, is tough as it's a lot thinner than previous versions. There's a decidedly meaty element to the grape, but it's not like Syrah, at least to me. It's sort of gamey, and, in this version, it's a bit much because there isn't as much intensity in the other areas of the wine. Some dark fruit (and this wine was very, very purple in the glass - no red at all) and a relatively short finish. Went fine with hot dogs on the grill :-)
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7/22/2013 - Feig wrote: 90 Points
pencil lead, leather nose, round raspberry, cassis finish. round and mellow. not past its prime. enjoyed.
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5/2/2013 - jimkay21 wrote: 89 Points
Decanted, good wine with deeper black fruits. Good structure.
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12/9/2012 - smphelps wrote: 86 Points
Upon opening, this was very off-putting, with sour plum, strong black licorice, and heavy notes of confection. After two days, however, it had settled down, showing much softer plum notes, black cherry, and a weighty, prune-like texture. Still quite bitter finish, but more restrained and intriguing after some air. Would not buy again, despite its architect.
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7/30/2012 - ocfriday wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding after an hour decanting. Strong fruit and not high in alcohol like some. Held up strong through the evening.
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11/29/2010 - btock wrote: 90 Points
A solid, fresh wine. Very tasty. Served along with the 2000 of this and the 2005 Foley Charbono. The '00 was the winner with higher toned fruits but this '05 was very tasty. Full figured, if not full bodied. Big red fruit flavors and nice acidity. Drank well on Night #2, too. However, given the success of the '00 in this showing I'm tempted to let future vintages age a bit longer.
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2/8/2010 - MarkC wrote: 89 Points
First time I've had a Charbono that worked for me. And surprising, given the context of this vintage, and the professional scores. I thought this was nice--plenty of acid, bright red and blue fruits, a bit of graham cracker on the mid-palate and finish. Not a hugely complex wine, nor one that is likely to age forever, but it was really enjoyable now, and, nearly 3 years after my last bottle, seems to have made positive progress in the bottle. Almost sorry that it was my last bottle. (PE: 90)
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10/24/2009 - swimnfit wrote: 90 Points
Inky black, bold wine. Complex spice and moderate tannins quite fun!
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4/17/2009 - eastover wrote:
Friday night at home with Jillie's spicy shrimp and grits. Nice bottle, stood up well to the spice.
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3/23/2009 - MJTed wrote: 89 Points
Not bad. Ample black fruit (plum, berry), a touch of spice and high acidity. Good parring with spicy Cioppino.
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10/26/2008 - danseng wrote: 86 Points
Very different from the '04 version. Much brighter fruit with a lot of acidity. Served blind I would have guessed Sangiovese. Not bad for a change of pace, but I think the Robert Foley Charbono is much better.
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5/31/2008 - cowtownguy wrote: 90 Points
Very "colorful" in the glass and on the palate. Although not complex very, very enjoyable and a bit different. Wonderful with pork tenderloin.
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9/30/2007 - Thralow wrote: 91 Points
Perhaps the least expensive Turley... still outstanding.
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5/28/2007 - MarkC wrote:
I continue to have a hard time understanding this grape. This particular vintage, too, is tough as it's a lot thinner than previous versions. There's a decidedly meaty element to the grape, but it's not like Syrah, at least to me. It's sort of gamey, and, in this version, it's a bit much because there isn't as much intensity in the other areas of the wine. Some dark fruit (and this wine was very, very purple in the glass - no red at all) and a relatively short finish. Went fine with hot dogs on the grill :-)
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