20 Vintages of Angelus (1988-2015): All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: On the nose there is beautiful ripe dark red fruit, a bit roasted herbs and some toasty notes, the oak is still quite noticeable but it is luxurious oak. Quite inviting but not radiating greatness. On the palate this is disjointed. The wine is not yet completely dried out but there is not enough fruit left. Some herbs and minerality noticeable but not much more. Slightly harsh tannins, high acidity dominating. The nose deserves a 92ish rating but overall this is not good.
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Angélus vertical (Fribourg): Angélus vertical of 20 vintages. Main observations were : 1/ Older vintages before the mid-2000s often suffered from drying tannin and showed a lot of extraction, 2/ Younger vintages quickly benefited from aeration hence decanting advised, 3/ the fruit profile became darker over time 4/ best vintage to drink today: 2004. All wines were directly poured with no prior decant and served in flights of 4.
Tasting note: Red cherry fruit with some darker elements of plum, an herbaceous overlay and drops of sweet spice. Fresh and juicy palate, youthful, great structure and tension even if somewhat tannic. A decent Angélus.
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Jason's Guys Night - Bring Something You've Never Had Before (Jason's House): Pop and pour, this seemed very classy. There was fresh ripe red fruit and gravel. The fruit is powerful. It was funny that my friend brought this wine, that was his last bottle purchased, and we were supposed to bring something we've never had before. I guess he did the opposite. Which is also a shame because I still think this wine drinks young and will be better integretated in 3-5 years.
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Guys Night Out: Bring Something You've Never Had (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over an hour. This blew up on the nose after about 20 minutes in glass, cassis, creme de cassis, damp forest floor, graphite. The palate shows wood, soil, juicy black fruits, lots of wood, fairly vibrant over time. This got considerably better and had it not been the last wine poured, it may have had enough time in glass to progress even further. 92(+?)pts.
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Classic mature bordeaux from a medium vintage. Nice structure, medium Body and good finish. I think this one shows now in the next ten years what it means to be a good wine !!!
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ruby colored with some light sediment in the bottle. flavors of blackberry, black currant and fig.
it's opened up since the last time I had this year, which was in 2014. and it still could open up further but it is starting to get close to peak.
we celebrated mushroom season with a dinner dedicated to cepes, girolles, chanterelles - and made this wine part of the transition from last mushroom grilled dish to the cheeses
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Double decanted. Served 60 minutes later with Striploin for dinner. Nose is still tight but the fruit is powerful as it emerges. The tannins are evolved but the palate is still closed. The last glass was the best. Plenty of life left.
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PnP. A big, rich and powerful (modern) style with gorgeous nose. I can see why Angelus got promoted to the highest class under the latest St Emilion Classification system. The palate was best at the beginning though. Drinking beautifully right now.
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Big Bordeaux X : Right Bank (Kevin and Vicki's house): A 2 hour decant. This smells fantastic. It is a darker wine, the palate is big and drying tannins. Wood and a little heat. The big fruit, heat and wood were very different from the last bottle we had a year ago.
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Big Bordeaux X: Right Bank Stars including '85 & '98 Cheval, '90 d'Yquem + More (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 2 hours; drank 1 glass over 75 minutes. The nose is lovely here, better than the palate tonight, offering blueberries, cassis, blueberry cobbler, oak, licorice. The palate is full bodied, cassis, blueberry, tart fruit, good acid, new wood showing, heat initially, licorice, good tannins, medium finish. Despite notes to the contrary, and even with a two hour decant, this seemed young and angular on the palate. The tannins were fine, but the new wood was a bit obtrusive. The question is whether the fruit will hold up for the wood to integrate eventually.
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A short decant, had a 3 ounce pour and then revisited a small pour a few hours later. This was in the zone. A savory Bordeaux nose of funk, fruit, earth, tar, tobacco and cedar. The taste is as good or better than the nose. Well-integrated tannins glide through the finish. I can't see this geting better than the bottle we had today.
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subito molto generoso: umido, fiori essiccati, lavanda, saponetta, sangue, ribes nero, terra bagnata, ferro, chiodi di garofano e balsamico. Al primo sorso è intenso, riempie la bocca e la fodera con un tannino molto morbido sostenuto da acidità e con un finale minerale sanguigno. di media persistenza. Andando avanti in bocca trova più equilibrio esce un bel frutto sul finale, buono e succulento. chiama un bel brasato. Bel vino, riassaggiato il giorno dopo la bocca è perfetta.
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Good nose of berry, cedarwood, tobacco and a tiny bit of spice. Nice berry on the palate, tannins weren't as integrated as I was expecting so it wasn't that smooth and it was a touch short. Should have decanted for more than an hour. Still good 87 points
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Already at maturity, this medium bodied, red berry dominated wine offers earth, leaf, ripe spicy cherries and herbal notes. There is no reason to hold this lighter, elegantly styled wine. While it's pleasant to drink, it's not going to improve.
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Deep red in color, glorious nose of ripe red fruits and cedarwood, quite old fashion! The wine itself can last for minimum five years in my opinion! Well made and showing in very good balance!
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What a difference a bottle makes!......this is bang of form and although not quite in the league of the 2001 I had some years ago, its really pretty good. Decanted over night and then pured back into bottle. Nose not brilliant and a bit of barnyard but was really brilliant by late morning. This is a full fat wine but has the elegance you'd hope. Deep colour which is showing little signs of age and the mouth-fell and fuit and high quality. Nice length to the finish with lingering and drying casis fruit with creamy layers of blackcurrant, subtle coffee/chocolate on the palate. My last bottle.....have one 2001 left but will probably leave this another few years as this can get even better!
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Once again... in the Flash of the Last Bottle, BUT: this time the wine was in the beginning not this easy, a little herbal, not this sweet, But allways with a very powerful After Glow, the after Flavour lasting for almost half a minute ! stopped drinking after one hour, on the next morning the wine was for breakfast first a little like apple crumble, not this sweet, but then, after a while FANTASTIC endowed with plums, figs, and all that sweetnes of St. Emilion.
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A verry silky, smooth, fantastic St. Emilion wine, to enjoy ! with a deep colour from the sediments of no Filtering ! Very chewy ! wonderfull lenght on the palate and After Taste ! Sweet and fruity !
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Ruby, sweet blueberryies, vanilla, chocolate and darker fruits. Very fresh acidity, pure, fresh and ripe tannins, elegant, some coffee with air, chocolate, and good length. Keep some more years.
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Surprisingly fruit forward, with prominent plum and berries on the nose, with plenty of spices coming from the cab franc. With air showed very dark fruit profile. Delightfully pleasant palate, with fine integrated tannins. Fantastic balance, with plum and currant flavors, along with leather and cedar box and subtle spices. Medium finish, with plenty of fruit and secondary flavors a little less complex than expected. I can understand the references to napa, but this has more balanced than anything I've had from Cali. (though Trespass rendezvous-vous is similar). Fantastic wine overall, certainly showing it's pedigree in a lesser vintage. May improve in the short term, but doesn't strike me as a long term keeper.
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Corked or possibly badly stored as had a stagnant water smell which didn't entirely go away. Gave this wine every chance to come around but to no avail.
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Decanted for two hours. Nettles and earthy berries on the nose, and some cherries. Nice tannins, very well balanced against powerful fruits, like figs and some plums. Excellent structure and a long mellow after taste. A really great wine.
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Pours a deep, rich, crimson color with aromas of chocolate covered cherries. 99 is round and velvety with thick juicey tannins. The finish is long with lingering dark fruits. This wine is elegant and full of spirit. Drink or hold.
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Ruby red with mature, but not brick, appearance. Pale aroma of black fruit. Well built, solid wine with stiff tannic structure. Good fruit but not very approacable now. Try in 2008. 1/02
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11/28/2021 - Cailles wrote: 87 Points
20 Vintages of Angelus (1988-2015): All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: On the nose there is beautiful ripe dark red fruit, a bit roasted herbs and some toasty notes, the oak is still quite noticeable but it is luxurious oak. Quite inviting but not radiating greatness. On the palate this is disjointed. The wine is not yet completely dried out but there is not enough fruit left. Some herbs and minerality noticeable but not much more. Slightly harsh tannins, high acidity dominating. The nose deserves a 92ish rating but overall this is not good.
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11/22/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Angélus vertical (Fribourg): Angélus vertical of 20 vintages. Main observations were : 1/ Older vintages before the mid-2000s often suffered from drying tannin and showed a lot of extraction, 2/ Younger vintages quickly benefited from aeration hence decanting advised, 3/ the fruit profile became darker over time 4/ best vintage to drink today: 2004. All wines were directly poured with no prior decant and served in flights of 4.
Tasting note:
Red cherry fruit with some darker elements of plum, an herbaceous overlay and drops of sweet spice. Fresh and juicy palate, youthful, great structure and tension even if somewhat tannic. A decent Angélus.
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2/9/2020 - Wineshington Does not like this wine:
Past prime. Never really opened up.
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1/21/2019 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Jason's Guys Night - Bring Something You've Never Had Before (Jason's House): Pop and pour, this seemed very classy. There was fresh ripe red fruit and gravel. The fruit is powerful. It was funny that my friend brought this wine, that was his last bottle purchased, and we were supposed to bring something we've never had before. I guess he did the opposite. Which is also a shame because I still think this wine drinks young and will be better integretated in 3-5 years.
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1/17/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Guys Night Out: Bring Something You've Never Had (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over an hour. This blew up on the nose after about 20 minutes in glass, cassis, creme de cassis, damp forest floor, graphite. The palate shows wood, soil, juicy black fruits, lots of wood, fairly vibrant over time. This got considerably better and had it not been the last wine poured, it may have had enough time in glass to progress even further. 92(+?)pts.
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3/22/2018 - Frank Schneider wrote: 93 Points
Classic mature bordeaux from a medium vintage. Nice structure, medium Body and good finish. I think this one shows now in the next ten years what it means to be a good wine !!!
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10/8/2017 - christ80 Likes this wine: 94 Points
ruby colored with some light sediment in the bottle. flavors of blackberry, black currant and fig.
it's opened up since the last time I had this year, which was in 2014. and it still could open up further but it is starting to get close to peak.
we celebrated mushroom season with a dinner dedicated to cepes, girolles, chanterelles - and made this wine part of the transition from last mushroom grilled dish to the cheeses
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5/21/2017 - maranoli Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted. Served 60 minutes later with Striploin for dinner. Nose is still tight but the fruit is powerful as it emerges. The tannins are evolved but the palate is still closed. The last glass was the best. Plenty of life left.
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3/24/2017 - LFCHALA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very elegant. Balanced. Better than 1995 drunk at same day
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8/18/2016 - NoTrollingerPlease wrote: 91 Points
Best bottle (@ Weindorf Kirchheim): Quite young, starts reaching it’s drinking window. Nice fruit, complex, medium+ length, will certainly continue to develop.
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1/26/2016 - flah00 Likes this wine: 92 Points
A fine nose of dark fruit and mint/cedar ... nice balance and smooth tannins
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12/28/2015 - Indybond Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP. A big, rich and powerful (modern) style with gorgeous nose. I can see why Angelus got promoted to the highest class under the latest St Emilion Classification system. The palate was best at the beginning though. Drinking beautifully right now.
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10/25/2015 - galewskj wrote: 90 Points
Big Bordeaux X : Right Bank (Kevin and Vicki's house): A 2 hour decant. This smells fantastic. It is a darker wine, the palate is big and drying tannins. Wood and a little heat. The big fruit, heat and wood were very different from the last bottle we had a year ago.
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10/24/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Big Bordeaux X: Right Bank Stars including '85 & '98 Cheval, '90 d'Yquem + More (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 2 hours; drank 1 glass over 75 minutes. The nose is lovely here, better than the palate tonight, offering blueberries, cassis, blueberry cobbler, oak, licorice. The palate is full bodied, cassis, blueberry, tart fruit, good acid, new wood showing, heat initially, licorice, good tannins, medium finish. Despite notes to the contrary, and even with a two hour decant, this seemed young and angular on the palate. The tannins were fine, but the new wood was a bit obtrusive. The question is whether the fruit will hold up for the wood to integrate eventually.
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12/27/2014 - christ80 wrote: 95 Points
superbly aged. tannins mellow, umami flavor to accompany the turkey, the cheeses, delicious
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8/17/2014 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
A short decant, had a 3 ounce pour and then revisited a small pour a few hours later. This was in the zone. A savory Bordeaux nose of funk, fruit, earth, tar, tobacco and cedar. The taste is as good or better than the nose. Well-integrated tannins glide through the finish. I can't see this geting better than the bottle we had today.
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6/15/2013 - paolonardi Likes this wine: 91 Points
subito molto generoso: umido, fiori essiccati, lavanda, saponetta, sangue, ribes nero, terra bagnata, ferro, chiodi di garofano e balsamico. Al primo sorso è intenso, riempie la bocca e la fodera con un tannino molto morbido sostenuto da acidità e con un finale minerale sanguigno. di media persistenza. Andando avanti in bocca trova più equilibrio esce un bel frutto sul finale, buono e succulento. chiama un bel brasato. Bel vino, riassaggiato il giorno dopo la bocca è perfetta.
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3/23/2013 - Burgundynick Likes this wine: 87 Points
Good nose of berry, cedarwood, tobacco and a tiny bit of spice. Nice berry on the palate, tannins weren't as integrated as I was expecting so it wasn't that smooth and it was a touch short. Should have decanted for more than an hour. Still good 87 points
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12/16/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Already at maturity, this medium bodied, red berry dominated wine offers earth, leaf, ripe spicy cherries and herbal notes. There is no reason to hold this lighter, elegantly styled wine. While it's pleasant to drink, it's not going to improve.
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12/4/2012 - BradE wrote:
Smoth as silk, and a total over performance. Really quite enjoyable.
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11/18/2012 - Tao wrote: 93 Points
Deep red in color, glorious nose of ripe red fruits and cedarwood, quite old fashion! The wine itself can last for minimum five years in my opinion! Well made and showing in very good balance!
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10/28/2012 - darrenhe Likes this wine: 89 Points
What a difference a bottle makes!......this is bang of form and although not quite in the league of the 2001 I had some years ago, its really pretty good. Decanted over night and then pured back into bottle. Nose not brilliant and a bit of barnyard but was really brilliant by late morning. This is a full fat wine but has the elegance you'd hope. Deep colour which is showing little signs of age and the mouth-fell and fuit and high quality. Nice length to the finish with lingering and drying casis fruit with creamy layers of blackcurrant, subtle coffee/chocolate on the palate. My last bottle.....have one 2001 left but will probably leave this another few years as this can get even better!
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12/9/2010 - GlöckliWein wrote: 92 Points
Once again... in the Flash of the Last Bottle, BUT: this time
the wine was in the beginning not this easy, a little herbal, not this sweet,
But allways with a very powerful After Glow, the after Flavour lasting for almost
half a minute ! stopped drinking after one hour, on the next morning the wine
was for breakfast first a little like apple crumble, not this sweet, but then, after a while
FANTASTIC endowed with plums, figs, and all that sweetnes of St. Emilion.
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12/8/2010 - GlöckliWein wrote: 94 Points
A verry silky, smooth, fantastic St. Emilion wine, to enjoy !
with a deep colour from the sediments of no Filtering !
Very chewy ! wonderfull lenght on the palate and After Taste !
Sweet and fruity !
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10/7/2010 - Christer Byklum wrote: 88 Points
Ruby, sweet blueberryies, vanilla, chocolate and darker fruits. Very fresh acidity, pure, fresh and ripe tannins, elegant, some coffee with air, chocolate, and good length. Keep some more years.
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6/7/2010 - Nutty08 wrote: 93 Points
Surprisingly fruit forward, with prominent plum and berries on the nose, with plenty of spices coming from the cab franc. With air showed very dark fruit profile. Delightfully pleasant palate, with fine integrated tannins. Fantastic balance, with plum and currant flavors, along with leather and cedar box and subtle spices. Medium finish, with plenty of fruit and secondary flavors a little less complex than expected. I can understand the references to napa, but this has more balanced than anything I've had from Cali. (though Trespass rendezvous-vous is similar). Fantastic wine overall, certainly showing it's pedigree in a lesser vintage. May improve in the short term, but doesn't strike me as a long term keeper.
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12/27/2009 - darrenhe wrote: flawed
Corked or possibly badly stored as had a stagnant water smell which didn't entirely go away. Gave this wine every chance to come around but to no avail.
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12/4/2009 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
The Blind Drunks "Uptown" tasting & dinner (Dunham Woods Riding Club, Wayne, Illinois): Opaque garnet color. Aromas of leather, dark fruit and herbs. Very well-balanced, with blackberry, plum and leather tones on the palate. Long, balanced finish. This had a tremendous amount of fruit and we all had this pegged as a Napa cab. 94-95 pts.
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10/10/2009 - Frederyck wrote:
Decanted for two hours. Nettles and earthy berries on the nose, and some cherries. Nice tannins, very well balanced against powerful fruits, like figs and some plums. Excellent structure and a long mellow after taste. A really great wine.
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8/1/2009 - Fookonson65 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious... drank very well after 1 hour in decanter
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3/18/2007 - GreatLibations wrote: 90 Points
Pours a deep, rich, crimson color with aromas of chocolate covered cherries. 99 is round and velvety with thick juicey tannins. The finish is long with lingering dark fruits. This wine is elegant and full of spirit. Drink or hold.
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1/1/2002 - winefool wrote: 88 Points
Ruby red with mature, but not brick, appearance. Pale aroma of black fruit. Well built, solid wine with stiff tannic structure. Good fruit but not very approacable now. Try in 2008. 1/02
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