Pnp. Still drinking well. Dark fruits-figs, blueberries, black cherry, walnuts, spice. Slight heat on finish but thought it would be worse. Actually was concerned this would be dead.
Better in youth than with age. I'd drink em up while there's still plenty of fruit.
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Grenache / Garnacha: Big in many ways, the wine is heavy, the bottle is heavy, even the capsule is heavy, raisins and stewed fruits on the nose, the palate has more red fruits with chocolate and warm spices but the alcohol hits you hard, probably on the downward slope but it’s probably never been much fun
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Performing quite well at 13 years of age. Still very fruity with raspberries, blackberries, and cherries as well as licorice, chocolate, spice, and floral notes. Medium to long finish.
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Rich, ripe aromas & flavors of black/red raspberry, plums and well-integrated barrel notes in an expressive style. I've had this along w/other vintages and the Veraton as well. This is not shy in any way, even today. VG and excl QPR.
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I've had this wine 3 times in the past 10 years and this is the only off experience. Stewed/cooked fruit, disjointed, prickly tannin, alcohol prominent and strong wood and vanilla components. Nose reminded me of a medicinal cherry ludens cough drop. Not a good experience unfortunately.
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Decanted for 2 hours but it was at its best after 3 hours of air. Yes, this has mellowed but it still was its exotic profile of the winery albeit not as decadent. A really nice wine that is integrated and showed black raspberry and spice notes. Great intensity with a nice weight.
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The wine was decanted for 2 hours after being pulled from cellar, so temperature was still slightly cooler than room temperature. It was excellent on the nose and to taste. Big and bold, yet far enough away from Cab and Zin to avoid what some may say as too fruity. Unlike other reviews the oak was very mild - perhaps the aging/decanting. Really enjoyed.
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An opaque core, but an ever so thin rim of burgundy. The nose is rich with cherry, rown sugar, and molasses. This producer always strikes me as being expressively floral with this 100% Grenache bottling. Cinnamon and ripe cherries dominate the attack while cigar ash and balsamic vinegar tug at the finish. The load of cherry just keeps on giving from attack to finish. If you must drink 100% Grenach, this is it. No sediment. 16% alc. With grilled sausages of pork (sweet and spicy Italians) and charizo. Highly Recommended.
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Very full with lots of black and some red fruit. Stewed plums for sure. The structure is still nice though. The acid keep this big ripe wine in check. Good power, weight and balance. Could have some time left too. Tannins are mellowed and its drinking nicely.
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Better than last time. Very dark, very potent, very oaky. But it went well with cuban rabo encendido. The sweetness on the wine mellowed down the spiciness of the dish. Alcohol is more noticeable than I remember. I don't think you can have this with anything else than a spicy stew. Actually, at the end of the meal, it paired nicely with some dark chocolate truffles. Very similar to port. A bit too "in your face" for my taste.
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Huge wine but well made. The abv is listed as 16%. Very good for it's style, but not my preferred style. Very ripe garnacha grapes must have been used. Makes me think this would be a good wine for lovers of big zinfandel wines & California cab drinkers. This easily could have been much worse but the wine maker did a good job for the style of wine. - Sweet vanilla and very ripe sweet black cherry flavors are present. There was no distinct heat in this bottle which makes me think the big alcohol has now well integrated.
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Muy espectacular! High level of alcohol though, so make sure you serve it slightly chilled. Oak is integrating - not fully so yet though - and the fruit is so healthy. A powerful muscle wine but highly enjoyable!
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Delicious nose of kirsch and dark cherry with meaty undertones. Big flavors. Explosive black fruit, slight pepper, chocolate, syrupy and quite oaky. Tannins are medium. Still a bit young at 8 yrs old. This will garner high scores from those that like the big style and low from those that don't...I am in the former...
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Still very dark but bottle is developing. Primary notes are starting to vanish, giving room to secondary and tertiary ones. It's definitely more savory than I remember. Dense and concentrated but balanced. Still a bit tight. Alcohol is not excessively noticeable and acidity is on the medium range. 15 second finish. This needs a heavy dish. It overwhelmed every cheese we had, including a blue cheese! I would probably score higher with a juicy steak, ossobucco or some lamb chops.
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Nez puissant sur les bleuets et les mures avec un peu de chocolat. En bouche, puissance et matière avec un certain équilbre. Fruits noirs avec tannins charnus. Très long en bouche avec une pointe de chauffe!
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blueberries & blackberries....syrupy but integrated and light...thick floral overtones....very nice grenache that will continue to age for a long time. not old world...but very integrated and nice.
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I have mixed emotions about this wine. When I first opened it I couldn't help but feel like I was drinking oak toothpicks. Sure, it's big fruit, but the oak was overwhelming. Now it's 2 nights later, the bottle has been open for about 48 hours and it's quite nice. There's still some oak but it's not overwhelming, the fruit is rich, definitely a bit of heat on it but it has a hedonistic quality that's alluring. From tonight I'd give this 90points, but from 2 nights ago I'd be hard pressed to give it more than a score in the low 80s.
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This was interesting in the degree to which a bit of air improved the bottle. Pop and pour this was a disaster - oxidized syrup. With some air, though, the syrupy character diminished and a bit of black pepper and actual fruit was added. It ultimately turned out to be very palatable, even if not something I would seek out again.
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This is a big wine. Chocolate, roses, meatiness and obvious alcohol on the nose. In the mouth it's a blast of flavours, dark cherry is the most discernible with plenty of tannin which coats the mouth. I'd rather leave this for a few more years to see if it comes together, at the moment it's trying to do everything at the same time and it doesn't quite come together.
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My last bottle. Oh rats. :( Popped and poured. This is a great wine. Outstanding. Creamy raspberry grenache with white pepper. Extremely smooth and easy to drink. My wife thought there was a bit of pear on the back end, but I did not notice it. Color is extremely dark. Finish is long.
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Nose of coffee and blueberry pie. Black in color, full bodied. Notes of dark chocolate and jam. Laser beam of black and blue fruit, very concentrated. Gobs of oak. Alcohol is high and strong on the finish. Still a massive wine, not balanced. Needs even more time, if it will ever come together.
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The nose was quite expressive from the get-go. This bottle didn't seem to change appreciably with time in the decanter. big, pleasant, but was hoping for a bit more complexity and varietal typicity
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I need to mention first that my father-in-law simply loved this wine. According to him, this wine was one of the two best wines under the twenty wines we drank between Christmas and New Year (the other was Errazuriz Carménère “Kai” 2006). To me, however, this wine was a huge disappointment. After one hour decanting it offered an intense, ripe, Port-like nose, with strawberry, blueberry, forest berry jam, raisins, sweet spices and gingerbread. On the palate the wine was thick and creamy, Port-like, spicy, with overripe sweet fruits, raisins, vanilla, clove, liquorice and gingerbread. The hedonistic wine was alcoholic and numbed the tongue. To be honest, to me this wine was barely drinkable, completely disjointed and lacking any kind of balance. I can’t imagine of any kind of food that would pair well with this wine. I will not rate the wine, but I made myself a note to never ever even think about buying this wine again.
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Dripping with ripe fruit, chocolate and spice. The secondary characteristics are just beginning to show up, and I am happy to report that the fruit isn't fading. A bit hot.
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Pnp. Dark cherries, chocolate, rich. A little hot, but not like the 16% it is. Mostly fruit forward, but some secondaries. Aging well. Medium structure. Not a complex as I'd hope for the price.
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Modest nose of smoke and grilled meats gives no hint of the hedonistic ride to come. On the palate, this has gobs and gobs of dark berries and fruit. Blackberry, currants, plums... yeah, we got that. Relatively modest heat, given the 16% alc, as it's hidden behind all of the jammy fruit. The finish is loooooooooooong with a little spice. There is little doubt that Chris Ringland has made quite the splash in Spain. Not refined, not subtle, but it's a fun ride if you're in the mood for it.
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Decanted back and forth a few times because the alcohol was really coming up big on this. I wouldn't suggest opening this wine for at least another 6 - 12 months. There's a lot of potential, but right now the heat was masking most of the vanilla, mocha, and fig undertones. The heat was present on the palate as well, masking a lot of the fruit, but the tannins were present, helping keep the wine together for some time. This bottle wasn't corked or flawed, I just think it's a wine that needs more time to come together.
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It's been said that a lot of people talk dry but drink sweet (one reason why Jess Jackson is rich). I tend to talk sophisticated and food-friendly, but I still like to occasionally drink" in-your-face". This one more than fills the bill. Almost black, with a heady aroma. Blackberries, black currants, a whole lot of black fruits on the palate, overshadowing the heat that should have been more noticeable. Spicy and a little smoky, with a rich texture and a long, rich finish. Not politically correct, but an absolute blast to drink.
16% ABV. This wine appears to be heading quickly in the wrong direction if this bottle is representative. Dark garnet, opaque in the glass. Strong vanilla and a confectionary quality my wife described as smelling like a popsicle. Full bodied with some woody sweet black fruit and a raw oak prickle that detracts from the experience. Pretty good, but a bit of a letdown after earlier bottles.
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Much different than the last bottle, this exhibited lots of earthy funk and a ground-gravel dustiness for the first five minutes before slowly revealing candied red fruits, dark spices and lovely red floral aromatics. Similar to the last bottle, the purity of the fruit and the seamless nature of the silky layers are very enjoyable. A solid value, drinking perfectly now with brief decant.
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I wanted something big. This was it. But, oh man, the oak. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is fresh cut lumber, raspberries, cocoa, dark chocolate, vanilla and fresh cut oak. Full bodied. On the palate, this was searing and hot so I decanted. After a few hours, it was way over oaked. Lots of fruit, but that was not enough. I poured it back in the bottle and recorked. On Day 2, it had hardly budged. So why, you might ask, did I give it an 89? It was a compromise with my wife who simply loved it. She does not mind oak, loves lots of fruit and loved this wine. My last bottle and I am glad, but for those who don't mind oak, they might love this.
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I was curious again for a Spanish wine made, mainly, for foreign market. This over-extracted "points hunter" is truly rich, opulent with long legs; with 16º alcohol is impossible to go a different way! Dark cherry colour. First sniff full of smoke, earth and all-forest-fruits, tipically Grenache aromas. Secondary smells are hidden for wood, in spite of that you can find scrub and anissed-flavoured. Do you like this? Go ahead! Do you want the real Grenache from same subregion? Try Tres Picos or Garnacha Centenaria. This absurd "Grenachaz", clearly there was an Aussie touch (Chris Ringland - El Nido, Clío-), is not made for me. High alcohol, as always, is hidding something; For a few pals, that heat is complexity. My Sherry has less than that.
De nuevo, tenía curiosidad por un vino elaborado para el mercado extranjero. Este sobre-extractado "caza puntos"es rico, opulento y con largas lágrimas; con 16 grados de alcohol ¡es imposible no serlo! Color picota obscuro. El primer golpe en nariz es de humo, tierra y todos los frutillos del bosque, aromas típicos de la Garnacha. Los secundarios están ocultos por la madera, a pesar de ello puedes encontrar monte bajo y sabores de anis. ¿Te gusta esto? ¡Adelante! ¿Quieres una Garnacha de la misma subregión? Prueba con Tres Picos o con Garnacha Centenaria. Esta absurda "garnachaz", tiene claramente un toque australiano (Chris Ringland -El Nido, Clío-) pero no es para mí. El alto grado de alcohol, como siempre, está ocultando algo; Para unos pocos, ese 16º significa complejidad. My Manzanilla tiene menos de eso.
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Really big, well-recieved by small gathering of casual wine drinkers..seems to have plenty of structure to go longer, and something more complex might evolve...try again in a couple years
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Fruit, oak, smoke, wet-stone, spice, and earth all very well integrated into a delicious glass of wine. Enjoyed it with rare-steak this time and found it to be a perfect match.
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Deep, dark, robust, black, chewy…delicious! First impression on the nose was a very rare steak; possibly with a side of wild mushrooms. Flavors of vanilla, blackberry jam, fresh figs, dates, black currants, and earth. Amazing with food, and kept evolving in the glass with each sip. One of my favorite wines when in the mood for something big and will grill up a nice cut of beef for my next bottle.
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Dark, opaque, purple, spicy, smokey, with a fairly intense dark berry component. The winemaker says "plenty of muscle and potency" which is code for high in alcohol, at 16%! It's got a long, long, spicy, dark fruit taste, with pepper, and toasted oak. It's thick, but not overly so. Well done Garnacha from Spain, a Jorge Ordonez, Chris Ringland collaboration. The wine is from Campo de Borja, which is in NE Spain, in Zaragoza. I assume it's named for Moncayo mountain, but don't know if the vineyard is on the mountain or not. About $45.
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amazing. not a texture lovers wine unless you like syrup. HUGELY concentrated but not extracted. coconut milk and caramel sing through all portions of the palate. cedar and vanilla...make sure this is one of the last bottles you taste if you are having several. palate needs a break afterward...
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I opened this thinking it was a $10-15 gift from my sister. I was mistaken. On opening, this is huge wine. Deep dark purple. Intense grenache nose and flavors. More as it breathes...
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16% ABV. Popped and poured. This Garnacha is dark black garnet in the glass with a hint of magenta at the rim; opaque and a bit inky. Rather closed on the nose initially with creosote, chocolate covered cherry, a suggestion of grilled meat and toast with an underlying reticent spice. On the attack it showed sweet black fruit. Rich, full bodied with some light velvety tannins. This has a fruit liqueur quality somewhat like a ripe Australian Shiraz. Unapologetic, but I like it. Serve closer to cellar temp.
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phenomenal! Alcohol of 16% not at all apparent. Somewhat unusual grenache though, with more vanilla similar to shiraz on the nose. Leather and dark berries also noted. Long pleasant finish! Excellent.
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A: Dark nail polish N: Fresh pant, very spicy. Hazelnut coffee, cedar and white pepper. T: This is clearly the nectar of the gods. Beautiful. Not sweet but a velvety syrup. Pine sap, juniper and nutmeg. F: Forever, dynamic and complex. A mild sweetness and herbal taste. Evergreen Overall: Smells and tastes like what Christmas used to be. If you could bottle up "Its a Wonderful Life" it would be this wine. Simply the best wine we have had to date. V: 5/5
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Wow! A big boy, with beaucoup blueberry, vanilla, and chocolate. Rich, tongue-coating texture and a great finish. Definitely a high octane, new world-style wine, but it still struck me as well-balanced and definitely age-worthy.
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Big modren style. Deep purple fruits on the nose with plenty of oak. Palate is somewhat pruney, with blueberry, blackberry and heavy vanilla. Finish is moderate. This needs a couple of years guys..
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6 hrs bottle air, no formals taken Super hot and oaky nose (hence the airtime) hot, hedonistic beast, I dont think this will integrate with time, but fun and huge young
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Huge wine with powerful vanilla and caramel that at first threaten to overwhelm the fruit, but over the evening, black cherry, raspberry and dried figs came out in layers.
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nose - massive chocolate, and caramel, followed by creamy toasted oak. Brian smells zucchini. Mouth - massive oak & chocolate with deep red fruit that tries to keep up but cant quite. rootbeer/cola on the finish. A style that many will like; a wine that i have had before and rated higher I'm sure, but ultimately its overoaked.
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On nose I could not recognise this wine as grenache. In mouth was jammy, tannic, balanced and well structured. Pleasant and disapointing at the same time.
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Pure vainilla, white chocolate and a sweety and tasty nose, but in the other hand I think doesn't have enough fruit. I always hope more fruit in a grenache wine. Good wine at all.
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I didn't expect this to show as well as it did at this stage of development, but it did. In fact, it over-delivered its price point of $45. Popped n poured, this exhibited tremendous depth, seamless integration, and great complexity. The acid backbone is first rate and this will drink well for another decade at least. The downside of being such a hit is that it was gone within 25 minutes -- you have to know my friends, I guess.
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Holy crap this is good wine. Popped and drank with dinner, this wine is fantastic with food, complex, not to over the top. Awesome acidity with some sort of herbal note coming through on the mid-palate. Good stuff, I can't wait to tear into the 06 releases.
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Dark Color, Aromas of Raspberry, Spice, Black Pepper, some vanilla. Ripe and concentrated, Long finish with some spice coming through. (Best from 2009-2017) - JD92+
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Grabbed the 2005 instead of the 2004. Popped and poured at a restaurant. Not quite ready to drink but well on its way. Could have used a decant or another year or two in the bottle. BUT still an outstanding wine with a strong mix of spice and classic raspberry Grenache. Extremely dark in color. Smooth mouth feel. Long finish. Alcohol level not really noticeable. A bit of oak and vanilla but not a lot.
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Brought this bottle down a notch compared to previous..seemed a little out of balance sometimes throughout the night and the oak didn't seem as well integrated this night. All in all though was still very delicious.
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Loved this wine. Wish I would of bought more at the time. Had it with friends, who really enjoyed it, Bold taste, with a nice bite at the end. Going to see if my vendor can still get. Worth the money.
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Oeil: Rubis très foncé Nez: Celui qui offre la plus large palette arômatique de la dégustation avec du fruits, de la vanille du chocolat... Bouche: Fruits noirs, le chocolat s'y retrouve, c'est long, mais avec le temps l'alcool ressort (il fait quand même 16% !) . Beaucoup de matière avec ce vin, mais ne fait pas non plus dans la grâce
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Clear and violet at the rim and dark purple in the center. Decanted for 2 hours before dinner and it needed longer in my opinion. The high alchohol level was not well integrated and made the wine a little less enjoyable at first. Loads of strawberry and raspberry fruit cascade with a solid core of vanilla and cedary oak. The finish was short and in general, dosen't live up to the 04', or 03'.
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Very big and massive, and drinking surprisingly well right from cork pull – and it remained there for several hours. Oaky, huge concentrated fruit, rich, chocolate, lots of tannins. Medium long finish. I liked this wine for how it’s drinking now as a very young bit wine.
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Big rich. Drank vs the veraton and this was the big brother of the two. Both very similar in style however the Moncayo had much more concentrated fruit and firm refined structure. This wine has everything going for it however in terms of complexity of flavors, there really wasn't too much to understand.
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popped and poured. dusty, almost gamey at first, the tannins need time to soften in either glass or bottle. after a couple of hours, a subtle glycerine sweetness of dark fruit w/ a dry, short finish. tannic backbone still very evident but fuzzier and more integrated. if my recollections are correct (and they very well may not be), i think i like the cheaper "veraton" better (though i tasted it, along with 20 or more other spanish wines, @ a jorge ordonez dinner). i will know soon, as i bought a case of the veraton, which i recall having a long, hedonistic syrah-like finish with well-integrated floral and spice. 89-90.
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Dark purple. Nose - coffee (Kelvin thought espresso), butterscotch, mocha, toast, and berry. Fruit explosion in the mouth. Chewy mouthfeel. Good acidity. Tastes of raspberry and boysenberry, with toasty secondary flavors including mocha. Kelvin tastes walnut on the finish. Still lots of tannins.
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Do not think of popping and pouring, the alcohol is overwhelming. Let decant at least 2 hours. I promised myself I would not open another bottle for at least 1 year, but I was in the mood for a big expressive wine. Well, this is it big bold, heavy. After 4 hours fruit comes through with some chocolate. I think this wine will improve greatly, but needs 2,5,10 years. Not that I know anything about such longevity in wine, but I can imagine.
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Almost black in colour, this wine was like syrup pouring into the glass. The nose showed overcooked fruit, intense alcohol and rather too much oak. The palate was not well defined - showing only jammy red fruit and a faint hint of spice. At 16% this wine is over the top. I was expecting great things, but was disappointed.
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Not quite as polished as the 2004, but I think it's just the youth of this wine. Simply put this is great juice. Very hedonisitc with a great nose of butterred popcorn, coco and red fruits. Beautiful mouth coating palate with a finish that soars. Had this with osso-bucco and it matched very well.
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Allred Bachelor Party/Poker Night (Chateau VinoMe): Otis brought this bottle to the card game. This was a full bodied wine which was showing firm tannins. Thick texture with notes of black pepper, spices and red currants. 91 points.
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Outstanding effort. The nose comes through strong with spices, cedar and hints of coconut. On the palate it is full bodied dense and full of dark fruit and spice. All well balanced and structured with a long finish.
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Full body with lots of fruit. Needs decanting long before drinking. Aromas with smokey oak, dark cherries, dark fruits, rasberries. Taste with well-balanced with long aftertaste. The high alcohol comes out a little bit too powerfully. The wines develops in the glas and gets richer after a few hours.
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Excellent bottle of wine. Deep, rich fruit and a toasty vanilla. This particular bottle was not as good as the 04. Lacks the complexity and powerful finish. It actually isn't that much better than the 05 Veraton which I feel is a better value. But I still love it.
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Nose: cedar, pencil shavings, hint of dark cherry. Mouth: very full in the mouth; well ballanced; some spice on front of palate, then smoothes out. Wonderful wine!
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Dark brooding wine, almost black. Powerful fruit and a big tannic backbone that mellowed over the 48 hours this bottle was open. The last night on this was the best- showing a huge but balanced wine with structure, power, charm, length, and great pleasure. 93 points now, and I bet it'll be even better in 3-5 years.
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Color: Deep Red Nose: Cherry and vanilla Palate: First impression was butter (!) with cedar , vanilla and dark red fruit. Wonderful silky wine with a nice finish. Bought 6 and can't wait to see how this evolves.
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Only the Best - Our Favorites (Farpointe Cellar): This was one of the best Garnachas I have had. The nose started with a nice cedar aroma surrounded by some lovely violet smells. It finished with a good amount of dark chocolate and blackberry. In the mouth it was silky and had cedar mixed with cassis. It finished with some floral notes and chocolate.
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7/15/2022 - bonedoc wrote:
smelled (and tasted) like bourbon
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11/5/2020 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a huge joy! From my cold cellar, this was really in the zone! So much surplus and intensity, with a nice structure well hidden below. De-licious!
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10/23/2020 - champ12oh wrote: 91 Points
Pnp. Still drinking well. Dark fruits-figs, blueberries, black cherry, walnuts, spice. Slight heat on finish but thought it would be worse. Actually was concerned this would be dead.
Better in youth than with age. I'd drink em up while there's still plenty of fruit.
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5/2/2020 - kingkanu wrote:
Grenache / Garnacha: Big in many ways, the wine is heavy, the bottle is heavy, even the capsule is heavy, raisins and stewed fruits on the nose, the palate has more red fruits with chocolate and warm spices but the alcohol hits you hard, probably on the downward slope but it’s probably never been much fun
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1/5/2019 - MikeATL wrote: 91 Points
Ripe fruit but with a nice mineral streak, well-balanced and not showing the alcohol.
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4/11/2018 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Performing quite well at 13 years of age. Still very fruity with raspberries, blackberries, and cherries as well as licorice, chocolate, spice, and floral notes. Medium to long finish.
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2/3/2018 - MoreWinePlease Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich, ripe aromas & flavors of black/red raspberry, plums and well-integrated barrel notes in an expressive style. I've had this along w/other vintages and the Veraton as well. This is not shy in any way, even today. VG and excl QPR.
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1/6/2018 - gbbwino wrote: 84 Points
I've had this wine 3 times in the past 10 years and this is the only off experience. Stewed/cooked fruit, disjointed, prickly tannin, alcohol prominent and strong wood and vanilla components. Nose reminded me of a medicinal cherry ludens cough drop. Not a good experience unfortunately.
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9/30/2017 - DesMarteau wrote:
Still syrupy....wow ...12 years old
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12/29/2016 - grapist Likes this wine: 92 Points
Do different from a French or US Grenache, but so good. Perhaps more
Berry than tree fruit.
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8/18/2016 - CRAUBER4242 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours but it was at its best after 3 hours of air. Yes, this has mellowed but it still was its exotic profile of the winery albeit not as decadent. A really nice wine that is integrated and showed black raspberry and spice notes. Great intensity with a nice weight.
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6/9/2016 - grapist wrote: 92 Points
Dark, mellow and round. Many of the traits I'm familiar with from Southern Rhone Grenache, but with a different overall taste.
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11/28/2015 - Rkgreen5 wrote: 90 Points
The wine was decanted for 2 hours after being pulled from cellar, so temperature was still slightly cooler than room temperature. It was excellent on the nose and to taste. Big and bold, yet far enough away from Cab and Zin to avoid what some may say as too fruity. Unlike other reviews the oak was very mild - perhaps the aging/decanting. Really enjoyed.
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10/11/2015 - bonedoc wrote: 91 Points
Fruit fading, drink up.
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9/6/2015 - timewithwine wrote:
An opaque core, but an ever so thin rim of burgundy. The nose is rich with cherry, rown sugar, and molasses. This producer always strikes me as being expressively floral with this 100% Grenache bottling. Cinnamon and ripe cherries dominate the attack while cigar ash and balsamic vinegar tug at the finish. The load of cherry just keeps on giving from attack to finish. If you must drink 100% Grenach, this is it. No sediment. 16% alc. With grilled sausages of pork (sweet and spicy Italians) and charizo. Highly Recommended.
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8/21/2015 - bonedoc wrote: 91 Points
Still enjoyable, but fading.
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2/25/2015 - DesMarteau wrote:
In a weird spot...heavy, syrupy...more than this wine has ever been at this age....wait or decant.
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2/14/2015 - LONGDIVISION wrote: 93 Points
First Alto Moncayo with a little bit of age. Excellent and well integrated. Cedar, vanilla, cigar box. Paired well with balsamic braised pork chops.
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10/15/2014 - discoverwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very full with lots of black and some red fruit. Stewed plums for sure. The structure is still nice though. The acid keep this big ripe wine in check. Good power, weight and balance. Could have some time left too. Tannins are mellowed and its drinking nicely.
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8/31/2014 - jhngo Does not like this wine: 75 Points
past its very drying tannins harsh.
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5/23/2014 - NTR wrote: 92 Points
Spices nose, dark fruit and meat. Beautiful fill bodied, syrupy wine with pepper tones. Quite chewy. Still quite tannic. Very good. Needs more time
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4/8/2014 - bonedoc wrote:
Big rich, oaky, ripe fruit, heat - true to typical style - paired well w spicy steak w chimichurri sauce. Definitely drink soon, next 1-2 yrs. 92
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2/26/2014 - gfish wrote:
Brought to a mint chocolate themed party.
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2/15/2014 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 89 Points
Better than last time. Very dark, very potent, very oaky. But it went well with cuban rabo encendido. The sweetness on the wine mellowed down the spiciness of the dish. Alcohol is more noticeable than I remember. I don't think you can have this with anything else than a spicy stew. Actually, at the end of the meal, it paired nicely with some dark chocolate truffles. Very similar to port. A bit too "in your face" for my taste.
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2/12/2014 - gfish wrote: 88 Points
Huge wine but well made. The abv is listed as 16%. Very good for it's style, but not my preferred style. Very ripe garnacha grapes must have been used. Makes me think this would be a good wine for lovers of big zinfandel wines & California cab drinkers. This easily could have been much worse but the wine maker did a good job for the style of wine.
- Sweet vanilla and very ripe sweet black cherry flavors are present. There was no distinct heat in this bottle which makes me think the big alcohol has now well integrated.
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12/29/2013 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Muy espectacular! High level of alcohol though, so make sure you serve it slightly chilled. Oak is integrating - not fully so yet though - and the fruit is so healthy. A powerful muscle wine but highly enjoyable!
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11/9/2013 - NTR wrote: 94 Points
Delicious nose of kirsch and dark cherry with meaty undertones. Big flavors. Explosive black fruit, slight pepper, chocolate, syrupy and quite oaky. Tannins are medium. Still a bit young at 8 yrs old. This will garner high scores from those that like the big style and low from those that don't...I am in the former...
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6/7/2013 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 89 Points
Still very dark but bottle is developing. Primary notes are starting to vanish, giving room to secondary and tertiary ones. It's definitely more savory than I remember. Dense and concentrated but balanced. Still a bit tight. Alcohol is not excessively noticeable and acidity is on the medium range. 15 second finish. This needs a heavy dish. It overwhelmed every cheese we had, including a blue cheese! I would probably score higher with a juicy steak, ossobucco or some lamb chops.
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5/15/2013 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 94 Points
Delicious!Rich dark fruits, velvet palate, and long finish.
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5/7/2013 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
Nez puissant sur les bleuets et les mures avec un peu de chocolat.
En bouche, puissance et matière avec un certain équilbre. Fruits noirs avec tannins charnus.
Très long en bouche avec une pointe de chauffe!
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1/13/2013 - DesMarteau Likes this wine: 94 Points
blueberries & blackberries....syrupy but integrated and light...thick floral overtones....very nice grenache that will continue to age for a long time. not old world...but very integrated and nice.
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10/19/2012 - grossie wrote: 90 Points
I have mixed emotions about this wine. When I first opened it I couldn't help but feel like I was drinking oak toothpicks. Sure, it's big fruit, but the oak was overwhelming. Now it's 2 nights later, the bottle has been open for about 48 hours and it's quite nice. There's still some oak but it's not overwhelming, the fruit is rich, definitely a bit of heat on it but it has a hedonistic quality that's alluring. From tonight I'd give this 90points, but from 2 nights ago I'd be hard pressed to give it more than a score in the low 80s.
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9/18/2012 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wine of the night. THis also won wine of the night at a grenache tasting I attended six months ago. This is a beautiful and decadent wine.
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9/5/2012 - EMichels wrote: 84 Points
This was interesting in the degree to which a bit of air improved the bottle. Pop and pour this was a disaster - oxidized syrup. With some air, though, the syrupy character diminished and a bit of black pepper and actual fruit was added. It ultimately turned out to be very palatable, even if not something I would seek out again.
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7/18/2012 - kingkanu wrote: 84 Points
This is a big wine. Chocolate, roses, meatiness and obvious alcohol on the nose. In the mouth it's a blast of flavours, dark cherry is the most discernible with plenty of tannin which coats the mouth. I'd rather leave this for a few more years to see if it comes together, at the moment it's trying to do everything at the same time and it doesn't quite come together.
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7/3/2012 - EMichels wrote: 86 Points
Brown sugar nose; Big wine; Lots of extraction - what more do I need to say?
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7/2/2012 - otisabdul wrote: 88 Points
Still showy, but boot polish notes from the oak are obscuring fruit purity.
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5/26/2012 - J @ y H @ c k wrote: 93 Points
My last bottle. Oh rats. :( Popped and poured. This is a great wine. Outstanding. Creamy raspberry grenache with white pepper. Extremely smooth and easy to drink. My wife thought there was a bit of pear on the back end, but I did not notice it. Color is extremely dark. Finish is long.
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3/17/2012 - Redline325 wrote: 89 Points
Nose of coffee and blueberry pie. Black in color, full bodied. Notes of dark chocolate and jam. Laser beam of black and blue fruit, very concentrated. Gobs of oak. Alcohol is high and strong on the finish. Still a massive wine, not balanced. Needs even more time, if it will ever come together.
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2/19/2012 - thalver wrote:
The nose was quite expressive from the get-go. This bottle didn't seem to change appreciably with time in the decanter. big, pleasant, but was hoping for a bit more complexity and varietal typicity
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1/2/2012 - PSPatrick wrote:
I need to mention first that my father-in-law simply loved this wine. According to him, this wine was one of the two best wines under the twenty wines we drank between Christmas and New Year (the other was Errazuriz Carménère “Kai” 2006). To me, however, this wine was a huge disappointment. After one hour decanting it offered an intense, ripe, Port-like nose, with strawberry, blueberry, forest berry jam, raisins, sweet spices and gingerbread. On the palate the wine was thick and creamy, Port-like, spicy, with overripe sweet fruits, raisins, vanilla, clove, liquorice and gingerbread. The hedonistic wine was alcoholic and numbed the tongue. To be honest, to me this wine was barely drinkable, completely disjointed and lacking any kind of balance. I can’t imagine of any kind of food that would pair well with this wine. I will not rate the wine, but I made myself a note to never ever even think about buying this wine again.
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12/16/2011 - herberto wrote: 92 Points
This is sweet and heavy and nondescript. But boy is it tasty, I hate to admit.
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11/20/2011 - JOsgood wrote:
Almost black in color. The massive oak has been mostly absorbed. Ripe for sure with a nice taste of chocolate on the finish.
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10/12/2011 - Colia wrote: 92 Points
Dripping with ripe fruit, chocolate and spice. The secondary characteristics are just beginning to show up, and I am happy to report that the fruit isn't fading. A bit hot.
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9/30/2011 - joshwoodward wrote: 91 Points
Pnp. Dark cherries, chocolate, rich. A little hot, but not like the 16% it is. Mostly fruit forward, but some secondaries. Aging well. Medium structure. Not a complex as I'd hope for the price.
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8/18/2011 - Fugu Me wrote:
Modest nose of smoke and grilled meats gives no hint of the hedonistic ride to come. On the palate, this has gobs and gobs of dark berries and fruit. Blackberry, currants, plums... yeah, we got that. Relatively modest heat, given the 16% alc, as it's hidden behind all of the jammy fruit. The finish is loooooooooooong with a little spice. There is little doubt that Chris Ringland has made quite the splash in Spain. Not refined, not subtle, but it's a fun ride if you're in the mood for it.
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6/26/2011 - BYOB wrote: 90 Points
Rich dark fruit, with notes of vanilla and oak. Nice bottle
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5/26/2011 - kenv Likes this wine: 93 Points
WCC Blind Rhone Varietals from Around the World (Salty's Pub, Clifton Park, NY): 100% Garnacha (Grenache). Muted nose but huge and thick in the mouth, but there is a very appealing complexity to it. By far the youngest in this flight. May be the best in 5 years. 92-94 points. 2 votes for WOTF.
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1/15/2011 - Gibsri wrote: 75 Points
pungent, too young. try later
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11/13/2010 - jorgerunfast wrote: 88 Points
Decanted back and forth a few times because the alcohol was really coming up big on this. I wouldn't suggest opening this wine for at least another 6 - 12 months. There's a lot of potential, but right now the heat was masking most of the vanilla, mocha, and fig undertones. The heat was present on the palate as well, masking a lot of the fruit, but the tannins were present, helping keep the wine together for some time. This bottle wasn't corked or flawed, I just think it's a wine that needs more time to come together.
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11/13/2010 - Night Train wrote: 92 Points
It's been said that a lot of people talk dry but drink sweet (one reason why Jess Jackson is rich). I tend to talk sophisticated and food-friendly, but I still like to occasionally drink" in-your-face". This one more than fills the bill. Almost black, with a heady aroma. Blackberries, black currants, a whole lot of black fruits on the palate, overshadowing the heat that should have been more noticeable. Spicy and a little smoky, with a rich texture and a long, rich finish. Not politically correct, but an absolute blast to drink.
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10/19/2010 - OneLastSyrah wrote: 90 Points
16% ABV. This wine appears to be heading quickly in the wrong direction if this bottle is representative. Dark garnet, opaque in the glass. Strong vanilla and a confectionary quality my wife described as smelling like a popsicle. Full bodied with some woody sweet black fruit and a raw oak prickle that detracts from the experience. Pretty good, but a bit of a letdown after earlier bottles.
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10/9/2010 - stevenjstein Likes this wine: 88 Points
Tasty, but a bit over the top and definitely over-oaked. I don't think the wine has changed much from previous vintages, but my palate probably has.
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8/7/2010 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Much different than the last bottle, this exhibited lots of earthy funk and a ground-gravel dustiness for the first five minutes before slowly revealing candied red fruits, dark spices and lovely red floral aromatics. Similar to the last bottle, the purity of the fruit and the seamless nature of the silky layers are very enjoyable. A solid value, drinking perfectly now with brief decant.
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3/25/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 89 Points
I wanted something big. This was it. But, oh man, the oak. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is fresh cut lumber, raspberries, cocoa, dark chocolate, vanilla and fresh cut oak. Full bodied. On the palate, this was searing and hot so I decanted. After a few hours, it was way over oaked. Lots of fruit, but that was not enough. I poured it back in the bottle and recorked. On Day 2, it had hardly budged. So why, you might ask, did I give it an 89? It was a compromise with my wife who simply loved it. She does not mind oak, loves lots of fruit and loved this wine. My last bottle and I am glad, but for those who don't mind oak, they might love this.
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2/6/2010 - Harley1199 wrote:
I was curious again for a Spanish wine made, mainly, for foreign market. This over-extracted "points hunter" is truly rich, opulent with long legs; with 16º alcohol is impossible to go a different way! Dark cherry colour. First sniff full of smoke, earth and all-forest-fruits, tipically Grenache aromas. Secondary smells are hidden for wood, in spite of that you can find scrub and anissed-flavoured. Do you like this? Go ahead! Do you want the real Grenache from same subregion? Try Tres Picos or Garnacha Centenaria. This absurd "Grenachaz", clearly there was an Aussie touch (Chris Ringland - El Nido, Clío-), is not made for me. High alcohol, as always, is hidding something; For a few pals, that heat is complexity. My Sherry has less than that.
De nuevo, tenía curiosidad por un vino elaborado para el mercado extranjero. Este sobre-extractado "caza puntos"es rico, opulento y con largas lágrimas; con 16 grados de alcohol ¡es imposible no serlo! Color picota obscuro. El primer golpe en nariz es de humo, tierra y todos los frutillos del bosque, aromas típicos de la Garnacha. Los secundarios están ocultos por la madera, a pesar de ello puedes encontrar monte bajo y sabores de anis. ¿Te gusta esto? ¡Adelante! ¿Quieres una Garnacha de la misma subregión? Prueba con Tres Picos o con Garnacha Centenaria. Esta absurda "garnachaz", tiene claramente un toque australiano (Chris Ringland -El Nido, Clío-) pero no es para mí. El alto grado de alcohol, como siempre, está ocultando algo; Para unos pocos, ese 16º significa complejidad. My Manzanilla tiene menos de eso.
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1/25/2010 - thalver wrote:
Really big, well-recieved by small gathering of casual wine drinkers..seems to have plenty of structure to go longer, and something more complex might evolve...try again in a couple years
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1/24/2010 - chazasu wrote: 93 Points
Fruit, oak, smoke, wet-stone, spice, and earth all very well integrated into a delicious glass of wine. Enjoyed it with rare-steak this time and found it to be a perfect match.
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12/17/2009 - chazasu wrote: 93 Points
Deep, dark, robust, black, chewy…delicious! First impression on the nose was a very rare steak; possibly with a side of wild mushrooms. Flavors of vanilla, blackberry jam, fresh figs, dates, black currants, and earth. Amazing with food, and kept evolving in the glass with each sip. One of my favorite wines when in the mood for something big and will grill up a nice cut of beef for my next bottle.
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12/15/2009 - jschmeling wrote: 93 Points
Dark, opaque, purple, spicy, smokey, with a fairly intense dark berry component. The winemaker says "plenty of muscle and potency" which is code for high in alcohol, at 16%! It's got a long, long, spicy, dark fruit taste, with pepper, and toasted oak. It's thick, but not overly so. Well done Garnacha from Spain, a Jorge Ordonez, Chris Ringland collaboration. The wine is from Campo de Borja, which is in NE Spain, in Zaragoza. I assume it's named for Moncayo mountain, but don't know if the vineyard is on the mountain or not. About $45.
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12/12/2009 - caboychuck wrote:
Black berry, crushed rocks and molasses on the nose. Terrific bottle of wine, big upfront dark berry fruit, nice acidity and terrific structure.
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11/29/2009 - AHReed wrote: 94 Points
amazing. not a texture lovers wine unless you like syrup. HUGELY concentrated but not extracted. coconut milk and caramel sing through all portions of the palate. cedar and vanilla...make sure this is one of the last bottles you taste if you are having several. palate needs a break afterward...
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11/25/2009 - Steve Jones wrote: 93 Points
I opened this thinking it was a $10-15 gift from my sister. I was mistaken. On opening, this is huge wine. Deep dark purple. Intense grenache nose and flavors. More as it breathes...
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11/7/2009 - Battleship wrote: 95 Points
WoW! Put on your seatbelt.
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10/28/2009 - OneLastSyrah wrote: 94 Points
16% ABV. Popped and poured. This Garnacha is dark black garnet in the glass with a hint of magenta at the rim; opaque and a bit inky. Rather closed on the nose initially with creosote, chocolate covered cherry, a suggestion of grilled meat and toast with an underlying reticent spice. On the attack it showed sweet black fruit. Rich, full bodied with some light velvety tannins. This has a fruit liqueur quality somewhat like a ripe Australian Shiraz. Unapologetic, but I like it. Serve closer to cellar temp.
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10/26/2009 - markcvino wrote: 94 Points
phenomenal! Alcohol of 16% not at all apparent. Somewhat unusual grenache though, with more vanilla similar to shiraz on the nose. Leather and dark berries also noted. Long pleasant finish!
Excellent.
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10/22/2009 - btennan1 wrote: 96 Points
A: Dark nail polish
N: Fresh pant, very spicy. Hazelnut coffee, cedar and white pepper.
T: This is clearly the nectar of the gods. Beautiful. Not sweet but a velvety syrup. Pine sap, juniper and nutmeg.
F: Forever, dynamic and complex. A mild sweetness and herbal taste. Evergreen
Overall: Smells and tastes like what Christmas used to be. If you could bottle up "Its a Wonderful Life" it would be this wine. Simply the best wine we have had to date.
V: 5/5
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10/10/2009 - Night Train wrote: 92 Points
Wow! A big boy, with beaucoup blueberry, vanilla, and chocolate. Rich, tongue-coating texture and a great finish. Definitely a high octane, new world-style wine, but it still struck me as well-balanced and definitely age-worthy.
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9/8/2009 - Rayburn wrote: 90 Points
Big modren style. Deep purple fruits on the nose with plenty of oak. Palate is somewhat pruney, with blueberry, blackberry and heavy vanilla. Finish is moderate. This needs a couple of years guys..
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9/1/2009 - GETRENNT wrote: 92 Points
6 hrs bottle air, no formals taken
Super hot and oaky nose (hence the airtime) hot, hedonistic beast, I dont think this will integrate with time, but fun and huge young
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8/22/2009 - snaff wrote: 93 Points
Huge wine with powerful vanilla and caramel that at first threaten to overwhelm the fruit, but over the evening, black cherry, raspberry and dried figs came out in layers.
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8/11/2009 - Tommarch wrote: 87 Points
Dinner at Gatestone
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8/8/2009 - wattacetti wrote: 92 Points
Drank too early but worthwhile anyway. Very well-balanced fruit and soft tannins with no heat; the 16% EtOH only hits after the second glass.
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7/24/2009 - soyhead wrote: 91 Points
nose - massive chocolate, and caramel, followed by creamy toasted oak. Brian smells zucchini. Mouth - massive oak & chocolate with deep red fruit that tries to keep up but cant quite. rootbeer/cola on the finish. A style that many will like; a wine that i have had before and rated higher I'm sure, but ultimately its overoaked.
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4/8/2009 - azahoner wrote: 89 Points
On nose I could not recognise this wine as grenache. In mouth was jammy, tannic, balanced and well structured. Pleasant and disapointing at the same time.
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4/6/2009 - bonjovibon wrote: 88 Points
Pure vainilla, white chocolate and a sweety and tasty nose, but in the other hand I think doesn't have enough fruit. I always hope more fruit in a grenache wine. Good wine at all.
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3/6/2009 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
I didn't expect this to show as well as it did at this stage of development, but it did. In fact, it over-delivered its price point of $45. Popped n poured, this exhibited tremendous depth, seamless integration, and great complexity. The acid backbone is first rate and this will drink well for another decade at least. The downside of being such a hit is that it was gone within 25 minutes -- you have to know my friends, I guess.
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12/12/2008 - gripNsip wrote: 93 Points
Holy crap this is good wine. Popped and drank with dinner, this wine is fantastic with food, complex, not to over the top. Awesome acidity with some sort of herbal note coming through on the mid-palate. Good stuff, I can't wait to tear into the 06 releases.
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12/7/2008 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 92 Points
Dark Color, Aromas of Raspberry, Spice, Black Pepper, some vanilla. Ripe and concentrated, Long finish with some spice coming through. (Best from 2009-2017) - JD92+
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11/29/2008 - J @ y H @ c k wrote: 93 Points
Grabbed the 2005 instead of the 2004. Popped and poured at a restaurant. Not quite ready to drink but well on its way. Could have used a decant or another year or two in the bottle. BUT still an outstanding wine with a strong mix of spice and classic raspberry Grenache. Extremely dark in color. Smooth mouth feel. Long finish. Alcohol level not really noticeable. A bit of oak and vanilla but not a lot.
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11/27/2008 - ancientvines wrote: 95 Points
Big and fruity. Wonderful.
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11/27/2008 - cmr wrote: 91 Points
Brought this bottle down a notch compared to previous..seemed a little out of balance sometimes throughout the night and the oak didn't seem as well integrated this night. All in all though was still very delicious.
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11/11/2008 - Jerryw wrote: 92 Points
Loved this wine. Wish I would of bought more at the time. Had it with friends, who really enjoyed it, Bold taste, with a nice bite at the end. Going to see if my vendor can still get. Worth the money.
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10/31/2008 - tvmama wrote: 93 Points
dinner with h&j @ Marine way golf club
with papillon by orin swift
very nice body, aroma, and long finish
strong wine.
DECANT!!
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10/11/2008 - dzitt wrote: 90 Points
Oeil: Rubis très foncé
Nez: Celui qui offre la plus large palette arômatique de la dégustation avec du fruits, de la vanille du chocolat...
Bouche: Fruits noirs, le chocolat s'y retrouve, c'est long, mais avec le temps l'alcool ressort (il fait quand même 16% !) . Beaucoup de matière avec ce vin, mais ne fait pas non plus dans la grâce
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8/30/2008 - Garfield wrote: 90 Points
Clear and violet at the rim and dark purple in the center. Decanted for 2 hours before dinner and it needed longer in my opinion. The high alchohol level was not well integrated and made the wine a little less enjoyable at first. Loads of strawberry and raspberry fruit cascade with a solid core of vanilla and cedary oak. The finish was short and in general, dosen't live up to the 04', or 03'.
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8/28/2008 - soyhead wrote: 91 Points
nose- caramel.
mouth - opens with some time. Delicious red fruit.
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8/9/2008 - EMichels wrote: 91 Points
Nose of prunes; Very strong; Good fruit
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8/7/2008 - Rodenbach99 wrote: 86 Points
very powerful, spicy, long, alcohol (too much 16,0%) rond tannins,
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7/17/2008 - joshwoodward wrote: 93 Points
Velvety. Soft. Plum. Smooth, yet still acidic. Light pencil lead on nose. Light jamminess. $50
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7/5/2008 - Tom_B wrote: 76 Points
This wine seemed really out of joint. It had a strong American oak nose, far too overpowering, with quite a bit of VA
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7/2/2008 - the godfather wrote: 91 Points
this is a port like mouth coating effort, very well done old vine goodness
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7/2/2008 - JOsgood wrote: 92 Points
Very massive and tasty. Mouthcoating and hedonistic. Long finish. Lovely QPR.
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6/28/2008 - soyhead wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was the highlight of the day. Nose - chocolate, toast, caramel. Mouth - rich red fruit, chocolate.
Good midpalate, long caramel-y finish
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6/28/2008 - Mark wrote: 91 Points
Very big and massive, and drinking surprisingly well right from cork pull – and it remained there for several hours. Oaky, huge concentrated fruit, rich, chocolate, lots of tannins. Medium long finish. I liked this wine for how it’s drinking now as a very young bit wine.
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6/20/2008 - jhngo wrote: 90 Points
Big rich. Drank vs the veraton and this was the big brother of the two. Both very similar in style however the Moncayo had much more concentrated fruit and firm refined structure. This wine has everything going for it however in terms of complexity of flavors, there really wasn't too much to understand.
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6/15/2008 - duffer8008 wrote: 95 Points
Same as it ever was.
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6/14/2008 - cmr wrote: 92 Points
Same as before but brought it down a notch as this bottle was showing a little more oakiness then the previous one.
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6/7/2008 - porkfat wrote:
popped and poured. dusty, almost gamey at first, the tannins need time to soften in either glass or bottle. after a couple of hours, a subtle glycerine sweetness of dark fruit w/ a dry, short finish. tannic backbone still very evident but fuzzier and more integrated. if my recollections are correct (and they very well may not be), i think i like the cheaper "veraton" better (though i tasted it, along with 20 or more other spanish wines, @ a jorge ordonez dinner). i will know soon, as i bought a case of the veraton, which i recall having a long, hedonistic syrah-like finish with well-integrated floral and spice. 89-90.
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6/1/2008 - soyhead wrote: 92 Points
Dark purple. Nose - coffee (Kelvin thought espresso), butterscotch, mocha, toast, and berry. Fruit explosion in the mouth. Chewy mouthfeel. Good acidity. Tastes of raspberry and boysenberry, with toasty secondary flavors including mocha. Kelvin tastes walnut on the finish. Still lots of tannins.
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5/31/2008 - sosgoodjhu wrote: 96 Points
deep dark purple. huge wine 16% alcohol but integrated perfectly into rich fruit, roasted espresso, and mocha. outrageous.
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5/25/2008 - soyhead wrote: 94 Points
decanted 3-4 hours
deep dark berry flavored, with some subtle coffee/cocao flavors (but not overdone).
very delicious
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5/20/2008 - apes wrote: 89 Points
Do not think of popping and pouring, the alcohol is overwhelming. Let decant at least 2 hours. I promised myself I would not open another bottle for at least 1 year, but I was in the mood for a big expressive wine. Well, this is it big bold, heavy. After 4 hours fruit comes through with some chocolate. I think this wine will improve greatly, but needs 2,5,10 years. Not that I know anything about such longevity in wine, but I can imagine.
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5/20/2008 - jamieirving wrote: 79 Points
Almost black in colour, this wine was like syrup pouring into the glass. The nose showed overcooked fruit, intense alcohol and rather too much oak. The palate was not well defined - showing only jammy red fruit and a faint hint of spice. At 16% this wine is over the top. I was expecting great things, but was disappointed.
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5/11/2008 - duffer8008 wrote: 95 Points
Not quite as polished as the 2004, but I think it's just the youth of this wine. Simply put this is great juice. Very hedonisitc with a great nose of butterred popcorn, coco and red fruits. Beautiful mouth coating palate with a finish that soars. Had this with osso-bucco and it matched very well.
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4/14/2008 - Vino Me wrote: 91 Points
Allred Bachelor Party/Poker Night (Chateau VinoMe): Otis brought this bottle to the card game. This was a full bodied wine which was showing firm tannins. Thick texture with notes of black pepper, spices and red currants. 91 points.
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4/6/2008 - cmr wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding effort. The nose comes through strong with spices, cedar and hints of coconut. On the palate it is full bodied dense and full of dark fruit and spice. All well balanced and structured with a long finish.
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3/29/2008 - otisabdul wrote: 92 Points
Dense and plush fruit bomb. Chewy dark fruit. Finish lasts for over a minute. Some coconut notes. Very showy.
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3/26/2008 - apes wrote: 90 Points
Heavy alcohol to start needs 1-2 hours to decant. Dark ruby red, blackberry and after time chocolate. Should show better in a couple of years.
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3/26/2008 - magnus_dahlbeck wrote: 90 Points
Full body with lots of fruit. Needs decanting long before drinking. Aromas with smokey oak, dark cherries, dark fruits, rasberries. Taste with well-balanced with long aftertaste. The high alcohol comes out a little bit too powerfully. The wines develops in the glas and gets richer after a few hours.
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2/20/2008 - BlueDevil wrote: 92 Points
Excellent bottle of wine. Deep, rich fruit and a toasty vanilla. This particular bottle was not as good as the 04. Lacks the complexity and powerful finish. It actually isn't that much better than the 05 Veraton which I feel is a better value. But I still love it.
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2/9/2008 - MarkPTheCFP wrote: 92 Points
Nose: cedar, pencil shavings, hint of dark cherry. Mouth: very full in the mouth; well ballanced; some spice on front of palate, then smoothes out. Wonderful wine!
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2/5/2008 - grossie wrote: 93 Points
Dark brooding wine, almost black. Powerful fruit and a big tannic backbone that mellowed over the 48 hours this bottle was open. The last night on this was the best- showing a huge but balanced wine with structure, power, charm, length, and great pleasure. 93 points now, and I bet it'll be even better in 3-5 years.
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1/25/2008 - PathDoc wrote:
Drank (guzzled) in PD with Tina. Every bit as good as the '04, but young right now.
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1/15/2008 - smahk wrote: 92 Points
Color: Deep Red
Nose: Cherry and vanilla
Palate: First impression was butter (!) with cedar , vanilla and dark red fruit. Wonderful silky wine with a nice finish. Bought 6 and can't wait to see how this evolves.
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12/15/2007 - mmurry wrote: 93 Points
Only the Best - Our Favorites (Farpointe Cellar): This was one of the best Garnachas I have had. The nose started with a nice cedar aroma surrounded by some lovely violet smells. It finished with a good amount of dark chocolate and blackberry. In the mouth it was silky and had cedar mixed with cassis. It finished with some floral notes and chocolate.
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11/9/2007 - EMichels wrote: 93 Points
Red Carpet Wine Tasting: Best nose of flight so far; Beautiful; Great depth; Good spice; Long; Developing finish
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