Surprisingly approachable as a pop-and-pour, this wine presents a bold character. Notes of blackberry, smoke, oak, and plum intertwine. The palate reveals a firm structure yet maintains a silky texture. Tannins are present but not overwhelming at this point. Overall, a delightful wine for its price, although not exactly my preferred style, still quite enjoyable.
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Nice and with some depth. A Reflection of the Hillside. Fruits are quite bright red. Wine is quite crunchy, plenty of acidity, firm tannins. Mid weight. There is polish here and some sweetness of fruit, probably early harvest. Medium finish, straightforward. Drinking but will be better in and will last for 10 years at least.
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Extremely disappointed in this. At $70 at Total Wine I was thinking I’d get a high quality Napa red blend. Instead this is indistinguishable from $15 grocery store cabs. What the heck? I’m angry. For $70 I can think of infinitely better choices. I’m also disappointed in Jeb for rating this a 94. I usually agree with him, but here he is way off.
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Deep ruby color. Pronounced aromas of blackberries, eucalyptus and dried herbs. Medium tannins at this point, medium acidity, high alcohol and full bodied. Flavors of blackberries and cherry, dried herbs, oak. Long finish. I don’t normally enjoy wines that are this “big” and high in alcohol, but this red blend was really, really good.
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Wonderful wine, was opened for my birthday😊, precise, rich, extremely enjoyable👏
Beautiful dark bright ruby red color👏
Medium body. Medium acidity. Soft but well felt tanines. Great structure👏
Beautifully aromatic, very intense, barrels, spices, black and red fruits 👏
Rich, intensive, very enjoyable on the palate: oak, chocolate, coffee, strawberries, cherry, blackberries, plum, blueberries, pepper, anise, licorice, stone, leather, stone, earthy and much more...
New world wine at its best👏👏🍷🍷
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Very well made. Opened and quick decant. Ripe and cooked prune, cassis, dark cherries jam, smoked pastrami, milky oolong, vanilla, bonbons with cherry liquor, chocolate truffles and fainted hint of dried rosemary.
Silky velvety, very charming for many. Beefy profile and offdry impression. Rather sweet and made for my palate. An outstanding wine nevertheless.
Can drink now but better with cellaring between 5-15 years.
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A very nice blend - opened two hours before dinner. Dark red fruit on the nose. The palate was blackberry, dark cherry, plums, leather and tobacco leading to a moderately long finish.
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Excessively heavy bottle. Almost opaque deep garnet-plum colour. Mild, creamy, purple-fruited aroma, stewed cherry. Quite high acidity, juicy red fruit, tastier than I was expecting but tightly wound, needs time/decanting. Nice but rather expensive and way too strong. 56% merlot, 23% cabernet sauvignon, 21% malbec. [Unknown closure but not screwcap; 15.3% abv; Woodwinters, £50].
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I was very disappointed in the first bottle of this wine, which I consumed about a year ago. Made a note to let it sit. This bottle was what I expected......a great blend with a lot going on. It was opened 2 hours before dinner, and that seemed to be enough.
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Uncorked about 4 hours before drinking, but no decant. Started out with great fruit and a full body with noticeable tannins, which we all liked. Drank along with a 2016 of the same wine over the course of the evening. The 2108 evolved into a smoky, almost Syrah-like place (still really good, but interesting) while the 2016 hit it's full stride a couple hours into drinking with fabulous fruit and a long, complex finish. So at the start I preferred the 2018, but in the end I preferred the 2016.
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Guado had aged nicely. Really impressive. Good cab sauv expression. And some green bell pepper from the cab franc. WOTN
d’Issan delivers way above Dalem. Some violets. True to the Margaux concept. Not shut down, not backwards. Could use a decant though
Dalem had a slightly unpleasant Merlot profile. Meeh. Not my cup of tea
Guidalberto surprised us. Really developed and hard to see how this would improve much. Lovely wine and beautiful Italian expression of merlot (in the fore).
TD-9 did not disappoint. Merlot roasted coffee and some oaky backdrop. Good wine but very different from the other ones in this set up. Can probably use some age to gather things to a tighter package.
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Espresso, mostly dark fruit, and alcohol on the nose. Dry for the high abv with some good structure. Perhaps ok for fans of Napa but the alcohol is absolutely punishing.
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2 hr decant, great way to start the Memorial Day party. Full bodied for a merlot heavy blend, phenomenal notes of roasted plums, dark cherries, smoked peppers, charred oak and dark chocolate. Palate adds some dried herb notes, nice acidity and grippy tannins to hold together. Starts off juicy and ends very dry! Great young wine! 🍷
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Powerful and lots of black berries. At first I experienced lots of tannins. After couple of hours in the air the tannins got smoother and the taste rounder. Vanilla on the nose and palate. I believe this wine will get better in 2-5 years. 90 today maybe 92 in the future?
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Tannic with lots of fruit, some spice, nice bouquet, 15.3% abv not sure why they did not just go to 15.5% or 16%, this a wine that is good for one glass and then is boring and just too much, drank with filet mignon and bake potato, blend of merlot cabernet sauvignon and Malbec, a wine to be appreciated but not fun to drink, might try again, crowd enjoyed it. $99 on restaurant wine list.
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Impressively approachable now, this offers a more graceful and lighter touch than fans of Shafer might have come to expect. A black fruit core is surrounded by notes of fig, dark cherry and eucalyptus. A lively wine, with balanced acidity that stimulates the palate. Drink now or hold. Some road ahead, if you've the patience.
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Disappointing. Not a lot going on and not as fruit as I would from a blend of this type. Perhaps it needs to sit for a while. Will try another bottle in the fall.
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Light purple color. Beautiful nose of blackberries, black cherries and roasted figs, laced with enticing notes of scorched earth, anise, graphite, with cocoa, sweet vanilla. On the palate, this is full and suave with well-built but velvety tannins, medium/low acidity, this is big but shows lots of nuance, too. Roasted fig, blackberry and dark plum fruit is tossed with mesquite, mint, eucalyptus and clove notes, along with pretty violets and earth that come out more and more with air. This really does need time and air to unwind, but it is delightful, delicious, complex stuff. Tons of Napa goodness for a reasonable price. Merlot with 23% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Malbec, aged 20 months in all new French oak.
4/28/2024 - Carson.McEvoy wrote: 90 Points
Surprisingly approachable as a pop-and-pour, this wine presents a bold character. Notes of blackberry, smoke, oak, and plum intertwine. The palate reveals a firm structure yet maintains a silky texture. Tannins are present but not overwhelming at this point. Overall, a delightful wine for its price, although not exactly my preferred style, still quite enjoyable.
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2/6/2024 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice and with some depth. A Reflection of the Hillside. Fruits are quite bright red. Wine is quite crunchy, plenty of acidity, firm tannins. Mid weight. There is polish here and some sweetness of fruit, probably early harvest. Medium finish, straightforward. Drinking but will be better in and will last for 10 years at least.
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12/2/2023 - gravedee wrote: 88 Points
Extremely disappointed in this. At $70 at Total Wine I was thinking I’d get a high quality Napa red blend. Instead this is indistinguishable from $15 grocery store cabs. What the heck? I’m angry. For $70 I can think of infinitely better choices. I’m also disappointed in Jeb for rating this a 94. I usually agree with him, but here he is way off.
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11/25/2023 - drdan8 wrote: 89 Points
Nothing special in this vintage. The 2018 although well crafted, comes across as generic.
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11/18/2023 - denniswdern@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep ruby color. Pronounced aromas of blackberries, eucalyptus and dried herbs. Medium tannins at this point, medium acidity, high alcohol and full bodied. Flavors of blackberries and cherry, dried herbs, oak. Long finish. I don’t normally enjoy wines that are this “big” and high in alcohol, but this red blend was really, really good.
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10/18/2023 - MosheDehsoM Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful wine, was opened for my birthday😊, precise, rich, extremely enjoyable👏
Beautiful dark bright ruby red color👏
Medium body. Medium acidity. Soft but well felt tanines. Great structure👏
Beautifully aromatic, very intense, barrels, spices, black and red fruits 👏
Rich, intensive, very enjoyable on the palate: oak, chocolate, coffee, strawberries, cherry, blackberries, plum, blueberries, pepper, anise, licorice, stone, leather, stone, earthy and much more...
New world wine at its best👏👏🍷🍷
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6/3/2023 - MissChow Likes this wine: 91 Points
56% merlot, 23% Cab. Sav. And 21% Malbec
Very well made.
Opened and quick decant. Ripe and cooked prune, cassis, dark cherries jam, smoked pastrami, milky oolong, vanilla, bonbons with cherry liquor, chocolate truffles and fainted hint of dried rosemary.
Silky velvety, very charming for many. Beefy profile and offdry impression. Rather sweet and made for my palate. An outstanding wine nevertheless.
Can drink now but better with cellaring between 5-15 years.
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4/19/2023 - Charlie.Gail wrote: 88 Points
Nothing wrong with the wine, but too much Malbec in the blend for my taste.
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1/15/2023 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
A very nice blend - opened two hours before dinner. Dark red fruit on the nose. The palate was blackberry, dark cherry, plums, leather and tobacco leading to a moderately long finish.
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11/12/2022 - scyrene Likes this wine: 88 Points
Excessively heavy bottle. Almost opaque deep garnet-plum colour. Mild, creamy, purple-fruited aroma, stewed cherry. Quite high acidity, juicy red fruit, tastier than I was expecting but tightly wound, needs time/decanting. Nice but rather expensive and way too strong. 56% merlot, 23% cabernet sauvignon, 21% malbec. [Unknown closure but not screwcap; 15.3% abv; Woodwinters, £50].
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11/5/2022 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just like a bottle consumed last summer. An interesting blend.....deep and dark. Very tasty. Drinking well right now.
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8/12/2022 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 93 Points
I was very disappointed in the first bottle of this wine, which I consumed about a year ago. Made a note to let it sit. This bottle was what I expected......a great blend with a lot going on. It was opened 2 hours before dinner, and that seemed to be enough.
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7/29/2022 - J+B_Wines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still young lots of room to develop, really nice marriage between the dominant flavors of the constituent grapes.
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7/14/2022 - Robwild wrote: 92 Points
Big and bold. Firm tannins. Oak, leather tobacc, plums and cherries. Needs about 45 minutes to open up.
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7/3/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:
Uncorked about 4 hours before drinking, but no decant. Started out with great fruit and a full body with noticeable tannins, which we all liked. Drank along with a 2016 of the same wine over the course of the evening. The 2108 evolved into a smoky, almost Syrah-like place (still really good, but interesting) while the 2016 hit it's full stride a couple hours into drinking with fabulous fruit and a long, complex finish. So at the start I preferred the 2018, but in the end I preferred the 2016.
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6/19/2022 - Eriklainen wrote:
Dalem 2018
TD-9 2018
d’Issan 2018
Guidalberto 2016
Guado al Tasso 2012
Guado had aged nicely. Really impressive. Good cab sauv expression. And some green bell pepper from the cab franc. WOTN
d’Issan delivers way above Dalem. Some violets. True to the Margaux concept. Not shut down, not backwards. Could use a decant though
Dalem had a slightly unpleasant Merlot profile. Meeh. Not my cup of tea
Guidalberto surprised us. Really developed and hard to see how this would improve much. Lovely wine and beautiful Italian expression of merlot (in the fore).
TD-9 did not disappoint. Merlot roasted coffee and some oaky backdrop. Good wine but very different from the other ones in this set up. Can probably use some age to gather things to a tighter package.
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6/14/2022 - Matteo1 wrote:
Espresso, mostly dark fruit, and alcohol on the nose. Dry for the high abv with some good structure. Perhaps ok for fans of Napa but the alcohol is absolutely punishing.
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5/30/2022 - Cablover1982 Likes this wine: 93 Points
2 hr decant, great way to start the Memorial Day party. Full bodied for a merlot heavy blend, phenomenal notes of roasted plums, dark cherries, smoked peppers, charred oak and dark chocolate. Palate adds some dried herb notes, nice acidity and grippy tannins to hold together. Starts off juicy and ends very dry! Great young wine! 🍷
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5/25/2022 - timcan wrote: 89 Points
Still vegetal, fruit totally overwhelmed by off-flavors. For a 2018, pretty disappointing.
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5/15/2022 - Hildo Schulz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Powerful and lots of black berries. At first I experienced lots of tannins. After couple of hours in the air the tannins got smoother and the taste rounder. Vanilla on the nose and palate. I believe this wine will get better in 2-5 years. 90 today maybe 92 in the future?
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4/1/2022 - Bufferine55 wrote: 89 Points
Agree with Timcam. Disappointed after earlier reviews.
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4/1/2022 - timcan wrote: 89 Points
Sediment. Vegetal nose. Not in a good place
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3/31/2022 - mwneil Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tannic with lots of fruit, some spice, nice bouquet, 15.3% abv not sure why they did not just go to 15.5% or 16%, this a wine that is good for one glass and then is boring and just too much, drank with filet mignon and bake potato, blend of merlot cabernet sauvignon and Malbec, a wine to be appreciated but not fun to drink, might try again, crowd enjoyed it. $99 on restaurant wine list.
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3/2/2022 - mats13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious and velvety smooth. Definitely for the modern cab drinkers out there.
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2/5/2022 - Lst2ltudn wrote: 95 Points
Smooth, smoky, nice oak finish. Will revisit. Great!
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1/14/2022 - jwace86 wrote: 86 Points
Christin didn’t think it was much better than vina robles
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11/24/2021 - dhewko Likes this wine: 93 Points
Jeb Dunnuck Rated
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10/20/2021 - Dan & Decie wrote:
Gifts
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9/20/2021 - OWC Likes this wine: 92 Points
Impressively approachable now, this offers a more graceful and lighter touch than fans of Shafer might have come to expect. A black fruit core is surrounded by notes of fig, dark cherry and eucalyptus. A lively wine, with balanced acidity that stimulates the palate. Drink now or hold. Some road ahead, if you've the patience.
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8/5/2021 - WineGuyFL wrote: 90 Points
Disappointing. Not a lot going on and not as fruit as I would from a blend of this type. Perhaps it needs to sit for a while. Will try another bottle in the fall.
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9/30/2020 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 93 Points
Light purple color. Beautiful nose of blackberries, black cherries and roasted figs, laced with enticing notes of scorched earth, anise, graphite, with cocoa, sweet vanilla. On the palate, this is full and suave with well-built but velvety tannins, medium/low acidity, this is big but shows lots of nuance, too. Roasted fig, blackberry and dark plum fruit is tossed with mesquite, mint, eucalyptus and clove notes, along with pretty violets and earth that come out more and more with air. This really does need time and air to unwind, but it is delightful, delicious, complex stuff. Tons of Napa goodness for a reasonable price. Merlot with 23% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Malbec, aged 20 months in all new French oak.
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