full bodied, Hints of dark rich cherries and blackberry fruit with a bit of fennel on the palate. The wine has subtle notes of toasted oak and spice. I really liked this wine for the price and should have bought more.
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PnD (for about 1hr.). Classic claret color. Aromas of cassis plum cedar rosemary and choclate. Got better over the course of the evening and better with food. Very smooth and elegant with flavors of cassis herbs touch of coofee. Fairly long herbalish finish. Nice stuff and in the prime drinking window.
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Popped and poured. After about 30 minutes the nose was very fragrant and full. Chocolate notes with great medium/dark fruit elements. The pallet is full. There are a few rough edges showing on the attack but they weren't prominent and faded into a nice mid pallet of dark, slightly unripe fruit. Great acids on the finish with a nicely extended finish showing nice tannins. This was a nice wine to accompany a steak. Would buy again.
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Very dark purple. I feel like this drank like it was very young - a touch green with berries, almond (oak), and plenty of raspberry and cherry. I know others think this is on the decline, but I'll be opening my next bottle in 2012.
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What a nice surprise after cellaring for about two years. This wine has definately improved since the first bottle we opened a long time ago. It offers a nice blend of dark fruit with tannins that have smoothed out. Nice wine for the money.
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What a difference some time makes. This bottle had opened up to reveal layers of flavor. Sour cherry, chocolate, tabacco, red and black fruit, spice box all rolled around the palate. Much nicer than the previous times we tasted it.
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I feel like this is beginning to fade. Interestingly, it's only an '05 but I feel like I am detecting slight bricking. Still good value at the original $13 purchase price, but I don't think I'll hold onto my remaining 2 for much longer.
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Lovely red and purple fruit on the nose, especially cherries and plums, with spice notes; rich red and purple fruit flavors, some blueberries, and a little vanilla; nice crunchy tannins, and a good finish, ending with herbal/tobacco notes. Delicious - love those Washington reds.
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My second go around with this after cellaring for one year....I continue to be underwhelmed. Nose: thin nose, cherries with a dusty component but very light (20 minute decant) Taste: thin cherry, the body of this is thicker than it's taste cause the fruit is so thin, more kool-aid fruit, to much heat on the finish, whole group was in agreement, drank over 1 hour to give it a fair shot....did not improve with air for us.
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Nose - Vanilla, red cherry, black currant, black pepper, plum olive
Palate
D(ryness) - Dry A(cidity)- med B(ody) - med-full T(annins) - med I(ntesity) - med-high C(haracteristics) - chocolate, plum, black cherry, cassis, leather, coffee Al(cohol) - high but balanced L(ength) - med long
Conclusion - excellent, will peak within next 2 years
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First day: This is the kind of Bordeaux-style wine that Washington state does so well. Aromas of dark fruit, cedar, leather, and earth. Well balanced flavors of blackberry, earth, and cedar. This is a dry, elegant wine. I'm anxious to see what this does tomorrow. Second day: Once this wine opens up, there is more blackberry flavor with a hint of licorice and nutmeg on the finish. A delight!
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ok value - doing some interesting things for the money, like a smooth bordeaux-esque sensation v. time profile and some (good) mildew / earth on the finish. the downsides: too much alcohol heat in the throat. the fruit seemed to come and go sporadically. reminds me of a poorly edited documentary - interesting scenes but not telling the story in a succinct way.
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This score could go up with a couple years. The nose was tight and the palate was a little lacking at the beginning with a lot of bright fruit. It had a descent finish. It improved through the meal. Probably should have decanted for a few hours but didn't have the time tonight. I think this has the structure to age well and improve on its score.
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My wife and I differed on this one. I thought it was thin (in the direction of beaujolais), but it did have structure. My wife enjoyed it quite a bit, so the score is our average.
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Color: Ruby-purple. Nose: Pretty tight. The dominant smell is of earth/dirt/forest floor. Flavor: Light-medium mouthfeel. Ultra-smooth on the midpalate with some flavors of pickles and oak. Not alot of flavor structure here. Triggers the resalivation response by gripping the sides of the tongue. Almost too much oak at the backpalate but then really really silky tannins coat the middle of tongue for what seems like forever. It's really reminiscent of a 2005 bordeaux in it's balance and length. If this wine had 3x more flavor structure on the midpalate it would drink like a $40 cabernet. Overall an enjoyable wine, and a standout at $12.
2nd day: Nose: Much bigger. Young blackberries, black licorice and forest floor. Flavor: Much more developed today. Lots of dark fruit and minerality coat the palate. A huge mineral+clay component shows up on the tongue and stays for the finish. Oak at the backpalate and on the finish. Huge tannins on middle and side of tongue. Nice, long finish. I would definitely age this one for 3+ years and would love to see where it goes.
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Expressive nose of cherry with a bit of anise made for an enticing beginning. Initial flavors of fresh cherry transitioned into ripe plum & and a spice finish. I thought this was an expressive and enjoyable wine, without breaking the bank. A few days later finished the second half of the bottle which was under argon, and it was better than the first day. However when I returned to buy more, Cosco was sold out.
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Expressive nose of crushed berries and fresh herbs. Really bright fruit on the palate with a wonderful herbaceous quality to it. Solid from beginning to end with wonderful balance in between.
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I'm not sure what others have been drinking, but this meritage style wine was just fine, especially considering price/value. I think this is an example of wine snobs not knowing what a great value $10 is for this very nice claret. For all of you out there who think the nose is wilting and the taste underwhelming, get a life! Just what were you looking for after paying $10? Chateau Margaux? Good grief!
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This wine was not very good and I wouldn't buy any more. The nose was initially promising, with cherry, oak, toast at first--smelling like a deep, complex wine. It quickly disintegrated into nothing. The taste was very one-dimensional--cherry jello mixed with pepper and raspberry tea. The astringent finish lasted about 4 seconds. I popped and poured into a large bordeaux glass and tasted twice--immediately and about an hour later--with similar results. This is the first Wash. 2005 red that I haven't really enjoyed. There are a lot of better ones out there at this price point. Maybe it needs more time?
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Nose: intially cherry and orgeno and immediatly notable for being underwhelming, after 1.5 hours decanting develops a raspberry and some oak Taste: sour cherries and toast with thin mouthfeel, lacking in tannin or backbone, finish has a hint of spice and pepper. Really underwhelming given the high praise in the wine spectator. I can't imagine what they were drinking becuase it wasn't this.
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Tight out of the bottle. Minimal nose, perhaps hints of berries. Full bodied wine that has a upfront balanced taste but has a long lingering somewhat bitter/tannin finish. Will have to report a little later on this one as it needs some time to decant. Would be curious how this wine will fare in a year or two. Good structure at a great price could make for a even better wine down the road. One Day later notes,, still tasted somewhat tight but had opened up somewhat. Nice bottle of wine but I think will be much better in a year or two.
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Decanted for an hour prior to dinner. Initially, it's rather sharp and acidic with overtones of red fruit. Given some time it settles and becomes more integrated. Medium weight and length. A nice effort for $11.
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Secret Crush (Gerding Theater, Portland): This bottle had been open most of the night. Much better than my first try 4 months ago. Decently integrated tannins, backed by strong blackberry and black cherry fruit.
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A bit harsh at first sip out of the bottle. Decanted for an hour, and it started to smooth out. Nice fruit and a decent finish. Not a bad wine for $10.
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Extremely pleasant, bright nose with ripe berries and a little earth. Deep red color. Fruit bomb with a little olive at the end. Nice tannic structure and balanced acid.
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10/28/2017 - jenhawk wrote: 89 Points
Wowza, super nice at 12 years old!
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4/18/2013 - MarshPDX wrote: 88 Points
very good
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12/14/2012 - friezu Likes this wine: 90 Points
Thought the green notes have faded away and allowed the fruit to stand on its own. Paired with tenderloin steaks in a bleu cheese sauce and went well.
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8/20/2012 - cabinbor wrote:
Opened four bottles and two were corked. The remainder did drink very well.
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4/28/2012 - hiker_guy wrote:
Found this in the back of my cellar. thought it was gone long ago.
Decent wine that paired well with steaks. Good balance and good fruit. Nice finish. Good QPR.
Would buy again.
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3/22/2012 - geppetto wrote: 90 Points
Very nice. Really started to open up after about two hours. I liked this better that the 2006. Drinking very well right now.
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10/18/2011 - Black Pearl wrote: 90 Points
Time has settled this wine down nicely. A very good, medium bodied, fruit forward, wash st cab. Ready to drink now, and over the next few years.
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8/30/2011 - Rivergirl wrote: 91 Points
full bodied, Hints of dark rich cherries and blackberry fruit with a bit of fennel on the palate. The wine has subtle notes of toasted oak and spice. I really liked this wine for the price and should have bought more.
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9/19/2010 - maxmanx wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and then left it in the decanter over night (by mistake). It was excellent the next day. Still lots of fruit with a nice finish.
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8/25/2010 - Don and Pam wrote: 89 Points
thought I'd just finish off my supply when it's fresh in my mind. still very good wine.
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8/24/2010 - Don and Pam wrote: 89 Points
still has life, very tasty
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8/24/2010 - df1962 wrote: 89 Points
PnD (for about 1hr.). Classic claret color. Aromas of cassis plum cedar rosemary and choclate. Got better over the course of the evening and better with food. Very smooth and elegant with flavors of cassis herbs touch of coofee. Fairly long herbalish finish. Nice stuff and in the prime drinking window.
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8/22/2010 - maxmanx wrote: 88 Points
Definitely ready to drink, and might be slightly past its prime. No negative notes, but not the fruitiness I remember in the first bottles.
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8/19/2010 - pope965176 Likes this wine:
seems to have peaked
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5/16/2010 - hiker_guy wrote:
Popped and poured.
After about 30 minutes the nose was very fragrant and full. Chocolate notes with great medium/dark fruit elements.
The pallet is full. There are a few rough edges showing on the attack but they weren't prominent and faded into a nice mid pallet of dark, slightly unripe fruit. Great acids on the finish with a nicely extended finish showing nice tannins. This was a nice wine to accompany a steak. Would buy again.
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4/6/2010 - Don and Pam wrote: 89 Points
long finish
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3/14/2010 - Martin Redmond wrote: 86 Points
Very nice Bordeaux Blend. Opened a year ago, and it got better. Smooth tannins, balanced.
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3/5/2010 - friezu wrote: 90 Points
Very dark purple. I feel like this drank like it was very young - a touch green with berries, almond (oak), and plenty of raspberry and cherry. I know others think this is on the decline, but I'll be opening my next bottle in 2012.
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2/8/2010 - eyesnwine wrote: flawed
corked
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1/5/2010 - Skully wrote: 89 Points
What a nice surprise after cellaring for about two years. This wine has definately improved since the first bottle we opened a long time ago. It offers a nice blend of dark fruit with tannins that have smoothed out. Nice wine for the money.
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9/7/2009 - sichuanpeppercorn wrote: 90 Points
What a difference some time makes. This bottle had opened up to reveal layers of flavor. Sour cherry, chocolate, tabacco, red and black fruit, spice box all rolled around the palate. Much nicer than the previous times we tasted it.
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8/31/2009 - 97edwardc wrote: 87 Points
I feel like this is beginning to fade. Interestingly, it's only an '05 but I feel like I am detecting slight bricking. Still good value at the original $13 purchase price, but I don't think I'll hold onto my remaining 2 for much longer.
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8/29/2009 - Don and Pam wrote: 90 Points
deep red fruit bomb. start to finish a wonderful wine and value for dollar.
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4/21/2009 - wahoo70 wrote: 89 Points
Lovely red and purple fruit on the nose, especially cherries and plums, with spice notes; rich red and purple fruit flavors, some blueberries, and a little vanilla; nice crunchy tannins, and a good finish, ending with herbal/tobacco notes. Delicious - love those Washington reds.
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3/7/2009 - familydoc wrote: 84 Points
My second go around with this after cellaring for one year....I continue to be underwhelmed. Nose: thin nose, cherries with a dusty component but very light (20 minute decant) Taste: thin cherry, the body of this is thicker than it's taste cause the fruit is so thin, more kool-aid fruit, to much heat on the finish, whole group was in agreement, drank over 1 hour to give it a fair shot....did not improve with air for us.
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1/30/2009 - pope965176 Likes this wine: 93 Points
3rd Tasting of 12
Appearance - dark
Nose - Vanilla, red cherry, black currant, black pepper, plum olive
Palate
D(ryness) - Dry
A(cidity)- med
B(ody) - med-full
T(annins) - med
I(ntesity) - med-high
C(haracteristics) - chocolate, plum, black cherry, cassis, leather, coffee
Al(cohol) - high but balanced
L(ength) - med long
Conclusion - excellent, will peak within next 2 years
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1/9/2009 - Wolfgang wrote: 89 Points
Earthy, black liccorice and cedar on the nose. Pretty well balanced wine for the money.
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12/19/2008 - d2 wrote: 92 Points
First day: This is the kind of Bordeaux-style wine that Washington state does so well. Aromas of dark fruit, cedar, leather, and earth. Well balanced flavors of blackberry, earth, and cedar. This is a dry, elegant wine. I'm anxious to see what this does tomorrow. Second day: Once this wine opens up, there is more blackberry flavor with a hint of licorice and nutmeg on the finish. A delight!
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8/27/2008 - Don and Pam wrote: 90 Points
wow, let it sit a while and the flavor jumps out of the glass.
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6/29/2008 - tsbayer wrote: 84 Points
ok value - doing some interesting things for the money, like a smooth bordeaux-esque sensation v. time profile and some (good) mildew / earth on the finish. the downsides: too much alcohol heat in the throat. the fruit seemed to come and go sporadically. reminds me of a poorly edited documentary - interesting scenes but not telling the story in a succinct way.
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6/11/2008 - hiker_guy wrote: 88 Points
This score could go up with a couple years. The nose was tight and the palate was a little lacking at the beginning with a lot of bright fruit. It had a descent finish. It improved through the meal. Probably should have decanted for a few hours but didn't have the time tonight. I think this has the structure to age well and improve on its score.
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6/11/2008 - sichuanpeppercorn wrote: 87 Points
Lighter than expected. Fruity with balance. Not as special as I expected.
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6/10/2008 - Jaimelia wrote: 86 Points
Meh. Good for a no-brainer, but not worth what I paid.
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5/27/2008 - 17seconds wrote: 87 Points
My wife and I differed on this one. I thought it was thin (in the direction of beaujolais), but it did have structure. My wife enjoyed it quite a bit, so the score is our average.
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5/24/2008 - jtabor wrote: 89 Points
Color: Ruby-purple. Nose: Pretty tight. The dominant smell is of earth/dirt/forest floor. Flavor: Light-medium mouthfeel. Ultra-smooth on the midpalate with some flavors of pickles and oak. Not alot of flavor structure here. Triggers the resalivation response by gripping the sides of the tongue. Almost too much oak at the backpalate but then really really silky tannins coat the middle of tongue for what seems like forever. It's really reminiscent of a 2005 bordeaux in it's balance and length. If this wine had 3x more flavor structure on the midpalate it would drink like a $40 cabernet. Overall an enjoyable wine, and a standout at $12.
2nd day: Nose: Much bigger. Young blackberries, black licorice and forest floor. Flavor: Much more developed today. Lots of dark fruit and minerality coat the palate. A huge mineral+clay component shows up on the tongue and stays for the finish. Oak at the backpalate and on the finish. Huge tannins on middle and side of tongue. Nice, long finish. I would definitely age this one for 3+ years and would love to see where it goes.
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4/27/2008 - RetiredNavy wrote: 89 Points
Expressive nose of cherry with a bit of anise made for an enticing beginning. Initial flavors of fresh cherry transitioned into ripe plum & and a spice finish. I thought this was an expressive and enjoyable wine, without breaking the bank. A few days later finished the second half of the bottle which was under argon, and it was better than the first day. However when I returned to buy more, Cosco was sold out.
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4/21/2008 - keelegl wrote: 91 Points
Expressive nose of crushed berries and fresh herbs. Really bright fruit on the palate with a wonderful herbaceous quality to it. Solid from beginning to end with wonderful balance in between.
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4/15/2008 - cpowell wrote: 88 Points
I'm not sure what others have been drinking, but this meritage style wine was just fine, especially considering price/value. I think this is an example of wine snobs not knowing what a great value $10 is for this very nice claret. For all of you out there who think the nose is wilting and the taste underwhelming, get a life! Just what were you looking for after paying $10? Chateau Margaux? Good grief!
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4/5/2008 - 2loyal wrote: 83 Points
Pretty decent juice, but certainly not anything to write home (or a big write up in a certain wine magazine) about.
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3/26/2008 - vinojava wrote:
This wine was not very good and I wouldn't buy any more. The nose was initially promising, with cherry, oak, toast at first--smelling like a deep, complex wine. It quickly disintegrated into nothing. The taste was very one-dimensional--cherry jello mixed with pepper and raspberry tea. The astringent finish lasted about 4 seconds. I popped and poured into a large bordeaux glass and tasted twice--immediately and about an hour later--with similar results. This is the first Wash. 2005 red that I haven't really enjoyed. There are a lot of better ones out there at this price point. Maybe it needs more time?
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3/22/2008 - familydoc wrote: 83 Points
Nose: intially cherry and orgeno and immediatly notable for being underwhelming, after 1.5 hours decanting develops a raspberry and some oak Taste: sour cherries and toast with thin mouthfeel, lacking in tannin or backbone, finish has a hint of spice and pepper. Really underwhelming given the high praise in the wine spectator. I can't imagine what they were drinking becuase it wasn't this.
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3/15/2008 - wcacern wrote: 89 Points
Over 90 / Under 30 (Wine Exchange): WS 90. Dark berries, spicy pepper, plum, cassis, subtle vanilla, and oak. nice balance and tasty finish.
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3/9/2008 - Skully wrote:
Tight out of the bottle. Minimal nose, perhaps hints of berries.
Full bodied wine that has a upfront balanced taste but has a long lingering somewhat bitter/tannin finish. Will have to report a little later on this one as it needs some time to decant. Would be curious how this wine will fare in a year or two. Good structure at a great price could make for a even better wine down the road. One Day later notes,, still tasted somewhat tight but had opened up somewhat. Nice bottle of wine but I think will be much better in a year or two.
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3/2/2008 - winenewb068 wrote: 86 Points
Decanted for an hour prior to dinner. Initially, it's rather sharp and acidic with overtones of red fruit. Given some time it settles and becomes more integrated. Medium weight and length. A nice effort for $11.
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2/4/2008 - RPerro wrote: 85 Points
Secret Crush (Gerding Theater, Portland): This bottle had been open most of the night. Much better than my first try 4 months ago. Decently integrated tannins, backed by strong blackberry and black cherry fruit.
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11/5/2007 - RPerro wrote: 84 Points
A bit harsh at first sip out of the bottle. Decanted for an hour, and it started to smooth out. Nice fruit and a decent finish. Not a bad wine for $10.
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10/28/2007 - ras2006 wrote: 84 Points
Garnet color, nice balance of fruit and tannin, medium bodied. Nice wine for the price.
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10/20/2007 - MandP wrote: 88 Points
Extremely pleasant, bright nose with ripe berries and a little earth. Deep red color. Fruit bomb with a little olive at the end. Nice tannic structure and balanced acid.
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