Really terrible. I would almost say that it was a flawed bottle, but I don't think it was corked or had any heat damage. Very muted fruit flavors covered by earthiness and by that it seems closer to drinking mud. After that you just get absolutely pummeled with alcohol. I'm not really squeamish about a little heat, but this tasted like someone had dropped in a shot of the cheapest plastic bottle, drug store, vodka you could imagine. Again, I can't see this particular bottle being too representative of the winery, unless their business plan involves never having a return customer. Most likely a bad bottle, but I won't be picking up a new one to solve the mystery.
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A very nice Pinot indeed. Balanced, good nose, middle and finish. Ready to drink right now, but certainly not over the hill in any way. Very satisfactory, wish I had more. Success!
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Seems to be getting still better. Wonderful front to back. Perfectly smooth, balanced wine with nice fruit up front, incredibly long finish. Brought to Nevados in Mammoth, all 6 at dinner loved it.
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Medium garnet color with damp earth sweet cherry, and spice aromas. . On the palate it's full-bodied, fresh and silky smooth with ripe cherry, hints of cranberry, spice and raspberry. Long finish.
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This is a full bodied Pinot for sure, drinking pretty well at this point. Would be easy to think it was a blend. It's ready to drink, fruit still present, but subtle. Not getting much of a nose, but it's nicely balanced in the middle, with a good finish.
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Hit or miss with this wine. This bottle was the least enjoyable of all the bottle we have consumed. The fruits were dull and lifeless. The wine felt out-of-sorts and disjointed. Happy to say this was our last bottle.
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I've got to disagree with the last review. We drank following a 2009 Felton Road. The 05 Goldeneye was completey mature. Having drank numerous bottles over the last 3 years, this bottle followed with maturity. A bit muscular with a certain au jus quality that I thoroughly enjoyed. Fruit that moved on the palate at a pace that only suited itself. The layers of flavor seemed endless, offering something new, yet alluring with each return. Though I generally bow to the glories off burgundy, the creme brulee quality that has been prevelant over the last three years of tasting this vintage of Goldeneye has got me on the hook. She is dirty in her maturity and filthy in her complexity, a great example of Anderson Valley Pinot. Proof further that while night and day to burgundy, California Pinot still has redeeming qualities.
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From 7/30/11- This was once again a fine bottle of wine but our last. Shared with good friends from church, Michael & Camille at their home over a dinner of fresh salad, tangy/spicy Sockeye salmon, quinoa & asparagus; dark chocolate cake ended the evening. This well-balanced wine has never disappointed and we are sad to see this vintage come to an end for us in our cellar( though I did see that QFC Edmonds Westgate still had 2005...). This wine gets higher marks than before because our friends made it that much better!
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Le bois est Encore très présent au nez comme en bouche. C'est surextrait et surfait. Beaucoup tros cher pour ce que j'ai en verre. Pourrait surprendre dans 10 ans avec toute cette matière!
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Notes consistent with 12/19/10. Initially a funky nose and an odd, sour flavor up front which dissipated after 20 minutes. Noticeably darker fruit, large weight body.
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Not that excited about this wine - gave a glass to my wife and didn't tell her what it was - she was shocked to learn it was a pinot. Very rich and extracted still with oak pretty prevalent. A cabernet lovers pinot. But with full disclosure we tend to prefer lighter bodied pinots.
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Garnet color with a darker red fruit nose. Decanted 90 minutes. Some light cherry and raspberry highlights, but predominantly black cherry, touch of raisin and licorice. Big pinot, but smooth and elegant. Medium finish.
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A nose of black cherry and earth, medium ruby in color. A smooth, delicious, medium bodied Pinot. Black cherry, blueberry, raspberry, cola and smoky spice with a long finish, a very good wine.
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Pop and pour. Translucent red color with some thinning on the edges. Nose of some spice and cola. Tasted of sour strawberry and cherry at first transitioning to a smoother wine with some time in the glass. Medium-light in body. Good but not spectacular pinot.
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good depth, smooth fruity, pear and apple cinnmon fragrence, good deep ripe flavor on the palate, stingy tannins, lasts for a few minutes. should probably hold for it to smooth out a little more.
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A really good Pinot Noir. Combines the classic virtues with a very nice new-world peppery flavor. Drinks very well now, but should keep (and might even improve a little further over the next 3-4 years)
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Corks: Pinot (Rossford, OH): The others' favorite of the tasting, but not mine. Good, but too much green stems and oaky bitterness. Medium body and acid, light tannins. Extracted. Not over-ripe.
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Deep burgandy color. Nice nose of fruit and spice. Deep concentration. New world style pinot. Tastes of dark fruit. Wine was pleasant but one dimensional.
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This wine has finally come around and is drinking extremely well. Great nose and palate of ripe, rich, luscious berries including dark cherry, raspberry, and blackberry. Perhaps the best vintage ever of 2005 Goldeneye (Duckhorn) Pinot Noir.
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Clearly improved in the last six months hence the slighly higher score. We really like this wine, just an outstanding Anderson Valley pinot enjoyed earlier tonight at the first Hickory Wine Club tasting of the year. Very good, still too expensive to be a reasonable QPR but none the less highly recommend this wine. Dark, medium bodied, well integrated, in a prime drinking window. Nose softer then remembered with white pepper, burnt sugar and some cedar with primary flavors of allspice, white pepper, cherry, raspberry and black pepper later on the palate.
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Was one of several wines opened at a restaurant for new years eve dinner and was the consensus favorite of all the people at our table. This wine was showing great balance between lovely raspberry notes and some black pepper and oaky wood on the finish. I'm glad I have more bottles of this wine!
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Montelena and Duckhorns: Damn austere with backward dusty country road...just that this is not a scenic nostalgic road but a like lost in the wilderness and not at all enjoying it. Hard and unapproachable. Where are the pretty pinot fruits? The oak was a bit disturbing.
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I have been opening a bottle per month since July 2009 and this is my 5th bottle out of a half dozen purchased in June 2009 in a local LCBO store in Toronto.
Sadly, the nose is flat and the palate is a mixture of intense bitterness and a touch of sourness. Somewhere along the line this bottle suffered from excessive heat damage, leaving it almost impossible to enjoy the otherwise delicious juice. Hope I'll have better luck with my last bottle in December
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Dark garnet and ruby rim with bold earthy and spicy nose. Ripe strawberry, black cherries, and cloves on the palate. Lacking a bit in acidity and fruit, but overall respectable.
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This was very, very good. Great notes of cherry and raspberry. Second wine of the night. Even better the second day. Very good acidity and a round mouthfeel.
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Darker red. Initial impression was somewhat green and stemmy. Needs time to open. Gets to bright red raspberry notes with coffee and tobacco backing in a medium weight package. Some white pepper on the finish which is the best part of the wine.
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Very good and still somewhat young CA pinot enjoyed earlier tonight with Kim and good friends at Artisanal restaurant in Banner Elk NC as the first wine of the night. Popped and poured with out any decant. Really enjoyed this, too expensive to be a reasonable QPR but none the less highly recommend this wine. Dark, medium bodied, well integrated, entering prime drinking window. Nose spicy with white pepper, some cola and some cedar with primary flavors of allspice, white pepper developing more into black pepper late on the palate, dark raspberry and smoke on the aftertaste.
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Very impressive. Deep ruby color and a subtle pinot nose. Opened and poured without decanting or airing. Big dark red fruits dominate the taste -- cherries, blackberries -- in a layered opening. These are well integrated in a complex, elegant whole. Big mouthfeel and a long finish of toasted caramel and vanilla.
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Starting to get better. Much more developed than the bottle I opened about 6 months ago. I think it needs another 6 months to really shine. This is a BIG pinot - I think it will gain more elegance over time
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everything you would expect from Goldeneye or an Anderson Valley pinot for that matter...but still young...better in a few years I think. Had with new york and saffron rice (a cab would have been a better match), Loni had with a filet and lobster (a very nice match).
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Luscious. You'll ask yourself, "This is a Pinot?". Probably the best Pinot I've had since Roar's 05 Gary's Vineyard. Super, silky, smooth. This is not BIG, it's elegant. Mocha goodness, inky color, just plain good. Stood up to a bunch of nice Napa cabs and blew the other Pinot that showed up out of the water.
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Very good, loads of red fruit ( rhubarb, strawberry, red cherry) and vanilla. Tasty, but somewhat lacking in the spice flavors and second and third tier nuances. Very good, but the 'cults' have something well above and beyond this.
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wonderful pinot. needed a little time to open up - consumed with ham, cheesy potato dinner. Vince and I both really enjoyed it. Thanks Steve - great gift for my 40th!
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Intriguing mix of smoky oak and rich, creamy black fruit with hints of tobacco & tar for an outstanding mouthfull of flavor, followed by a lingering and enjoyable finish.
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Very rich, dark, and brooding for a Pinot, but well-balanced and elegant, making for a bold expression of the type and an enjoyable wine with the richer end of Pinot matches.
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Nice Pinot. The wine jumped right out at you because it was very hot and bothered. The nose was leathery with chocolate and espresso. It was fun to smell. The palette was better than most pinot noir because it was not thin and weak. This Goldeneye really had some life to it except it was a little disjointed and the tannins over powered the taste with the spice. Lots of oak, black liquorish, leather, and some coke. It's definitely an experience but not a great quality wine. I would try it just for the experience of a different pinot.
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Light ruby. Carmelized apple on the nose. Clove. Really spicy. Almost smelled like buttered apples. Vanilla. On the palate, dark cherries and loads of currants. Disappears on the finish. Dense and concentrated.
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Nice bottle. Cherry. plum and either coffee or tobacco (depending on who you asked) on the finish. The alcochol might be too high at 14.5%? We enjoyed very much with barbecued lamb with pepper and burgundy marinade, roasted potatoes and asparagus. 3 more in the cellar at $50 each.
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6/27/2022 - flytex wrote:
With Nina and Laurent in mtns
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12/20/2015 - strylib wrote: flawed
Fruit and rubbing alcohol.
Surprising since it smelled fine.
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2/2/2014 - bluetaxi wrote: 90 Points
Held up better than expected. Good balance throughout. First sip made me cautious but opened up beautifully right away.
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1/25/2014 - Seafoam Manor Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Really terrible. I would almost say that it was a flawed bottle, but I don't think it was corked or had any heat damage. Very muted fruit flavors covered by earthiness and by that it seems closer to drinking mud. After that you just get absolutely pummeled with alcohol. I'm not really squeamish about a little heat, but this tasted like someone had dropped in a shot of the cheapest plastic bottle, drug store, vodka you could imagine. Again, I can't see this particular bottle being too representative of the winery, unless their business plan involves never having a return customer. Most likely a bad bottle, but I won't be picking up a new one to solve the mystery.
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9/14/2013 - petenich Likes this wine: 92 Points
A very nice Pinot indeed. Balanced, good nose, middle and finish. Ready to drink right now, but certainly not over the hill in any way. Very satisfactory, wish I had more. Success!
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9/10/2013 - norsktorsk wrote: 90 Points
Still hanging in there.
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7/5/2013 - EvanJB wrote: 93 Points
Seems to be getting still better. Wonderful front to back. Perfectly smooth, balanced wine with nice fruit up front, incredibly long finish. Brought to Nevados in Mammoth, all 6 at dinner loved it.
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5/4/2013 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote:
voted one of the best pinots of "great pinots" party. Drink now
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3/15/2013 - citizen1 wrote: 82 Points
Past prime. Meh.
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1/23/2013 - EvanJB wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful wine. Very smooth, nice fruit.
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11/22/2012 - Wrkolbeck wrote: 91 Points
Big ripe red cherry fruit, well balanced with a long finish.
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11/6/2012 - missionpk wrote:
Saved this for tonight and worth the wait. A bit of heat, but otherwise a really nice slightly aged AV Pinot.
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11/6/2012 - Martin Redmond Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium garnet color with damp earth sweet cherry, and spice aromas. . On the palate it's full-bodied, fresh and silky smooth with ripe cherry, hints of cranberry, spice and raspberry. Long finish.
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7/30/2012 - petenich wrote: 90 Points
This is a full bodied Pinot for sure, drinking pretty well at this point. Would be easy to think it was a blend. It's ready to drink, fruit still present, but subtle. Not getting much of a nose, but it's nicely balanced in the middle, with a good finish.
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7/9/2012 - Deadhead wrote: 84 Points
Hit or miss with this wine. This bottle was the least enjoyable of all the bottle we have consumed. The fruits were dull and lifeless. The wine felt out-of-sorts and disjointed. Happy to say this was our last bottle.
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6/15/2012 - Deadhead wrote: 90 Points
Slightly better than the last 2 bottles. Balanced. Dark fruits. Enjoyable.
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4/17/2012 - amwood34 wrote: 92 Points
I've got to disagree with the last review. We drank following a 2009 Felton Road. The 05 Goldeneye was completey mature. Having drank numerous bottles over the last 3 years, this bottle followed with maturity. A bit muscular with a certain au jus quality that I thoroughly enjoyed. Fruit that moved on the palate at a pace that only suited itself. The layers of flavor seemed endless, offering something new, yet alluring with each return. Though I generally bow to the glories off burgundy, the creme brulee quality that has been prevelant over the last three years of tasting this vintage of Goldeneye has got me on the hook. She is dirty in her maturity and filthy in her complexity, a great example of Anderson Valley Pinot. Proof further that while night and day to burgundy, California Pinot still has redeeming qualities.
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4/11/2012 - CTmark wrote:
Definitely on the downhill. Possibly heat damaged?
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4/9/2012 - River Rat wrote: flawed
Corked, blech!
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11/22/2011 - napasoutherner wrote: 90 Points
Solid Pinot; however, was expecting more from it. Might be past due
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8/7/2011 - 3marinerfans wrote: 93 Points
From 7/30/11- This was once again a fine bottle of wine but our last. Shared with good friends from church, Michael & Camille at their home over a dinner of fresh salad, tangy/spicy Sockeye salmon, quinoa & asparagus; dark chocolate cake ended the evening. This well-balanced wine has never disappointed and we are sad to see this vintage come to an end for us in our cellar( though I did see that QFC Edmonds Westgate still had 2005...). This wine gets higher marks than before because our friends made it that much better!
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7/9/2011 - More Cow Bell ! wrote: 88 Points
Lovely nose, classic Pinot. Fruit had mellowed, was ready to be drunk
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6/8/2011 - 3marinerfans wrote:
Had with Copper River Salmon 2011;awesome! The last(2005) bottle will not last the summer!
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5/19/2011 - thwacker wrote: 81 Points
Heavy and clumsy on the palate -- is it at the end of its life? Color dark -- is it 100% Pinot Noir?
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4/5/2011 - rbb100 wrote: 93 Points
Even better almost a year later. Probably had a year or two more in the bottle. An excellent Pinot.
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3/20/2011 - maxima wrote: 88 Points
Le bois est Encore très présent au nez comme en bouche. C'est surextrait et surfait.
Beaucoup tros cher pour ce que j'ai en verre.
Pourrait surprendre dans 10 ans avec toute cette matière!
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3/6/2011 - vine20 wrote: 91 Points
Notes consistent with 12/19/10. Initially a funky nose and an odd, sour flavor up front which dissipated after 20 minutes. Noticeably darker fruit, large weight body.
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2/2/2011 - Brian Love wrote:
Not that excited about this wine - gave a glass to my wife and didn't tell her what it was - she was shocked to learn it was a pinot. Very rich and extracted still with oak pretty prevalent. A cabernet lovers pinot. But with full disclosure we tend to prefer lighter bodied pinots.
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1/22/2011 - vine20 wrote: 91 Points
Notes consistent with 12/19/10.
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1/15/2011 - ddsolomon2000 wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful. Had it open an hour prior to drinking.
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12/19/2010 - vine20 wrote: 91 Points
Garnet color with a darker red fruit nose. Decanted 90 minutes. Some light cherry and raspberry highlights, but predominantly black cherry, touch of raisin and licorice. Big pinot, but smooth and elegant. Medium finish.
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12/13/2010 - corkscrews wrote: 93 Points
A nose of black cherry and earth, medium ruby in color. A smooth, delicious, medium bodied Pinot. Black cherry, blueberry, raspberry, cola and smoky spice with a long finish, a very good wine.
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11/27/2010 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 93 Points
Very popular, opulent wine. Drink now
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11/10/2010 - miller3324 wrote: 87 Points
Pop and pour. Translucent red color with some thinning on the edges. Nose of some spice and cola. Tasted of sour strawberry and cherry at first transitioning to a smoother wine with some time in the glass. Medium-light in body. Good but not spectacular pinot.
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11/1/2010 - vine20 wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with 6/11/09 notes, and I noted an additional layer of tart cherry on the palate and a maple syrup on the finish.
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10/25/2010 - kscopela wrote: 89 Points
Something was off on this wine tonight, maybe it was with the food? Seemed a little hot and not quite as balanced and well made as previous bottles.
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9/17/2010 - yotaiwan wrote: 91 Points
good depth, smooth fruity, pear and apple cinnmon fragrence, good deep ripe flavor on the palate, stingy tannins, lasts for a few minutes. should probably hold for it to smooth out a little more.
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8/29/2010 - KristianT wrote: 89 Points
A really good Pinot Noir. Combines the classic virtues with a very nice new-world peppery flavor. Drinks very well now, but should keep (and might even improve a little further over the next 3-4 years)
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8/1/2010 - Dangelmaier wrote: 92 Points
Just drinking great an awesome Pinot
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7/31/2010 - rbb100 wrote: 92 Points
Very enjoyable wine. Fruit flavors on nose and palate. Well structured, burgundian style wine. Smooth, enjoyable finish
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6/10/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 91 Points
Corks: Pinot (Rossford, OH): The others' favorite of the tasting, but not mine. Good, but too much green stems and oaky bitterness. Medium body and acid, light tannins. Extracted. Not over-ripe.
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6/5/2010 - team-blackburn wrote: 91 Points
Huge big nose lots of smoked meat, yet light and delicate on the pallet. Was much better on day 2.
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6/1/2010 - hawkeye54 wrote: 90 Points
drink up
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5/28/2010 - winejnky wrote: 87 Points
Moderate style with fairly light acidity, pleasant but also kind of boring, slight metallic taste on the finish.
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5/23/2010 - Teamcrev wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding - best showing of the 3 we bought. Served with grilled wild Alaskan salmon.
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4/6/2010 - AVM wrote: 94 Points
sweet tart dark chocolate.Everything is in check, the alcohol, fruit and tannins are all remind me of a why I should start drinking pinot's again.
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3/28/2010 - lpollack wrote: 88 Points
Deep burgandy color. Nice nose of fruit and spice. Deep concentration. New world style pinot. Tastes of dark fruit. Wine was pleasant but one dimensional.
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3/22/2010 - danielbleier wrote: 87 Points
drank too quickly, needed to sit longer for the tannins to calm down. dried cherries/earth/slightly sour - expected better
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3/11/2010 - Mr. Muga wrote: 94 Points
This wine has finally come around and is drinking extremely well. Great nose and palate of ripe, rich, luscious berries including dark cherry, raspberry, and blackberry. Perhaps the best vintage ever of 2005 Goldeneye (Duckhorn) Pinot Noir.
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3/1/2010 - vine20 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Very smooth, elegant and soft with a nice blend of cherries, plum, cassis and a note of vanilla and mint.
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2/5/2010 - ilcor wrote: 87 Points
Lots of blueberry, almost too smooth, bordering on thin. Still a nice pinot.
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1/24/2010 - awise45 wrote: 92 Points
Love this wine. Rich and full, but not overpowering. Great example of Anderson Valley pinot.
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1/24/2010 - VinoJestes wrote:
So good. Very smooth and delic.
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1/23/2010 - ptelgenh wrote: 90 Points
spicy, rich and dark. drink now
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1/11/2010 - ikkaariainen wrote: 90 Points
Clearly improved in the last six months hence the slighly higher score. We really like this wine, just an outstanding Anderson Valley pinot enjoyed earlier tonight at the first Hickory Wine Club tasting of the year. Very good, still too expensive to be a reasonable QPR but none the less highly recommend this wine. Dark, medium bodied, well integrated, in a prime drinking window. Nose softer then remembered with white pepper, burnt sugar and some cedar with primary flavors of allspice, white pepper, cherry, raspberry and black pepper later on the palate.
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12/31/2009 - bayareadodgerfan wrote: 92 Points
Was one of several wines opened at a restaurant for new years eve dinner and was the consensus favorite of all the people at our table. This wine was showing great balance between lovely raspberry notes and some black pepper and oaky wood on the finish. I'm glad I have more bottles of this wine!
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12/22/2009 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 94 Points
Everyone's favorite at the party. Opening up nicely. Good now, maybe better in one more year
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12/15/2009 - Alex H wrote: 76 Points
Montelena and Duckhorns: Damn austere with backward dusty country road...just that this is not a scenic nostalgic road but a like lost in the wilderness and not at all enjoying it. Hard and unapproachable. Where are the pretty pinot fruits? The oak was a bit disturbing.
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11/9/2009 - Chisato wrote: flawed
I have been opening a bottle per month since July 2009 and this is my 5th bottle out of a half dozen purchased in June 2009 in a local LCBO store in Toronto.
Sadly, the nose is flat and the palate is a mixture of intense bitterness and a touch of sourness. Somewhere along the line this bottle suffered from excessive heat damage, leaving it almost impossible to enjoy the otherwise delicious juice. Hope I'll have better luck with my last bottle in December
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10/9/2009 - faucel wrote: 86 Points
Dark garnet and ruby rim with bold earthy and spicy nose. Ripe strawberry, black cherries, and cloves on the palate. Lacking a bit in acidity and fruit, but overall respectable.
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9/21/2009 - kenthargis wrote: 93 Points
This was very, very good. Great notes of cherry and raspberry. Second wine of the night. Even better the second day. Very good acidity and a round mouthfeel.
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9/7/2009 - Javier wrote: 89 Points
Dark and silky, full of complexity and flavor
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8/19/2009 - sdatl wrote: 90 Points
Very dark, but still elegant and refined; wonderful aromas, but not excessively fruity.
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8/18/2009 - smphelps wrote: 88 Points
Darker red. Initial impression was somewhat green and stemmy. Needs time to open. Gets to bright red raspberry notes with coffee and tobacco backing in a medium weight package. Some white pepper on the finish which is the best part of the wine.
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8/11/2009 - Teamcrev wrote: 91 Points
Much better than the first bottle which we drank 4/08. No detailed notes.
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7/7/2009 - eSchrag wrote: 80 Points
Bad bottle! Had some Bret and almost a cherry ethanol taste. Bummer!
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7/6/2009 - ikkaariainen wrote: 89 Points
Very good and still somewhat young CA pinot enjoyed earlier tonight with Kim and good friends at Artisanal restaurant in Banner Elk NC as the first wine of the night. Popped and poured with out any decant. Really enjoyed this, too expensive to be a reasonable QPR but none the less highly recommend this wine. Dark, medium bodied, well integrated, entering prime drinking window. Nose spicy with white pepper, some cola and some cedar with primary flavors of allspice, white pepper developing more into black pepper late on the palate, dark raspberry and smoke on the aftertaste.
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6/11/2009 - vine20 wrote: 92 Points
Very impressive. Deep ruby color and a subtle pinot nose. Opened and poured without decanting or airing. Big dark red fruits dominate the taste -- cherries, blackberries -- in a layered opening. These are well integrated in a complex, elegant whole. Big mouthfeel and a long finish of toasted caramel and vanilla.
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5/17/2009 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 91 Points
Starting to get better. Much more developed than the bottle I opened about 6 months ago. I think it needs another 6 months to really shine. This is a BIG pinot - I think it will gain more elegance over time
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5/16/2009 - soyhead wrote:
no formal notes but probably would score it 88-89. similar to last time. A bit aggressive for the anderson valley
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4/12/2009 - Cryan15 wrote: 90 Points
Let it open for at least an hour.
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4/11/2009 - Nouveaux Neck wrote: 87 Points
everything you would expect from Goldeneye or an Anderson Valley pinot for that matter...but still young...better in a few years I think.
Had with new york and saffron rice (a cab would have been a better match), Loni had with a filet and lobster (a very nice match).
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3/29/2009 - eliotfagley wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic, as always. Great nose of herbs, spices, and cherries. Lush mouthfeel, and fantastic finish.
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2/22/2009 - JR_Boston wrote: 95 Points
Oustanding berry and cherry tones. Very complex
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2/20/2009 - Terran23 wrote:
Luscious. You'll ask yourself, "This is a Pinot?". Probably the best Pinot I've had since Roar's 05 Gary's Vineyard. Super, silky, smooth. This is not BIG, it's elegant. Mocha goodness, inky color, just plain good. Stood up to a bunch of nice Napa cabs and blew the other Pinot that showed up out of the water.
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1/31/2009 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 92 Points
dark and red fruits, lots going on. I think it needs another 6 mo - 1 year to further develop
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12/31/2008 - Grape Stuff wrote: 88 Points
Very good, loads of red fruit ( rhubarb, strawberry, red cherry) and vanilla. Tasty, but somewhat lacking in the spice flavors and second and third tier nuances. Very good, but the 'cults' have something well above and beyond this.
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12/26/2008 - Sandyshoe30@gmail.com wrote:
wonderful pinot. needed a little time to open up - consumed with ham, cheesy potato dinner. Vince and I both really enjoyed it. Thanks Steve - great gift for my 40th!
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11/28/2008 - Vino Uomo wrote: 90 Points
very rich and jammy pinot, great bursting cherries with a hint of vanilla, buttery finish
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11/9/2008 - Snoman wrote: 92 Points
Intriguing mix of smoky oak and rich, creamy black fruit with hints of tobacco & tar for an outstanding mouthfull of flavor, followed by a lingering and enjoyable finish.
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10/24/2008 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Red Carpet: Nice, intense, understated frt/earth/“terroir”; cola, good bal, rich, bigger but coarse t’s than migration. Not bad.
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10/18/2008 - RJurman wrote: 88 Points
Nice and dark with a pretty nose but I found it a bit light and weak on the finish. There are better choices out there. Try the Breggo Savoy.
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10/17/2008 - JR_Boston wrote: 94 Points
great balance of earthy tones and fruit
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10/9/2008 - sdatl wrote: 90 Points
Very rich, dark, and brooding for a Pinot, but well-balanced and elegant, making for a bold expression of the type and an enjoyable wine with the richer end of Pinot matches.
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9/6/2008 - spretzer wrote: 89 Points
fine but not what I was hoping
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8/19/2008 - HenryW wrote: 88 Points
Nose is initially mainly cherries. After an hour or so in the glass, some smoky notes emerge. Palate has some mocha. Medium-bodied. Nice acidity.
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7/5/2008 - bjohnson350 wrote: 88 Points
Nice Pinot. The wine jumped right out at you because it was very hot and bothered. The nose was leathery with chocolate and espresso. It was fun to smell. The palette was better than most pinot noir because it was not thin and weak. This Goldeneye really had some life to it except it was a little disjointed and the tannins over powered the taste with the spice. Lots of oak, black liquorish, leather, and some coke. It's definitely an experience but not a great quality wine. I would try it just for the experience of a different pinot.
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7/4/2008 - soyhead wrote: 89 Points
nose - cranberry, tea
mouth - cherry, oak
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6/11/2008 - Maverick wrote: 83 Points
Super hot and alcoholic. Something was off.
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5/28/2008 - ScottGoodwin wrote:
Light ruby. Carmelized apple on the nose. Clove. Really spicy. Almost smelled like buttered apples. Vanilla. On the palate, dark cherries and loads of currants. Disappears on the finish. Dense and concentrated.
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5/14/2008 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
Beltramo's California Pinot Tasting Event (Beltramo's in Menlo Park, California): Medium red color with clarity; rich, aromatic, ripe red fruit and nutmeg nose; soft, spicy, nutmeg, cinnamon, red fruit, but too soft and low in acid for my taste; medium finish (16 mos. in oak, 75% new; 1 yr in bottle)
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4/27/2008 - Teamcrev wrote: 89 Points
Nice bottle. Cherry. plum and either coffee or tobacco (depending on who you asked) on the finish. The alcochol might be too high at 14.5%? We enjoyed very much with barbecued lamb with pepper and burgundy marinade, roasted potatoes and asparagus. 3 more in the cellar at $50 each.
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4/26/2008 - jivey wrote: 88 Points
Not my style, hugh cranberry, strawberry, oak, alcohol, huge extraction but the 15% alcohol is too much for this wine.
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3/21/2008 - ckcorrea wrote:
everyone loved this, flavorful, black licorice on finish
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3/13/2008 - Cheryl wrote:
California Pinots: Old and Young (Philadelphia): I found some cola and spice in this one. This was not to my preference.
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