Chens Christmas at Cameron (Cameron Highlands): Black ash, black fruit, dry aromatic wood spices, sandalwood. Luscious, juicy balanced acidity, well developed, fine and sweetly resolved tannins. Characteristic graphite, layered elegance!
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(random midweek) inky purple with hint garnet rim. Ripe effusive purple nose, lean wood spice and graphite shavings. Pleasant, rich layers of fruitcake, sweet leather, spicey licorice, mint and eucalypt. Chewy leather and red earth. Bright acid clarity, and good development. Long lingering finish, showing slight stewed fruit. Drinking beautifully, but drink up! Paired with Cape Grim Porterhouse.
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Justina Visits! (Russell Lea): Bright fresh pure currants with some herbal development. Minty finish, chewy leathers and translucent. Bright acidity. long herbal finish, with pastille and savoury bouillon.
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After posting a private note to myself and my rating (92). I scrolled down through notes all the way to Tanzer's note from 2004. It rings perfectly true to my experience tonight, 12 years later. There is a lovely perfume to this wine that persists on the finish. Not a subtle wine, but lovely. Stylistically, this wine reminds me of Sean Thackrey for some reason (though there really isn't any eucalyptus flavor here).
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An extraordinarily rich, complex grenache. Highly textured and extracted with ripe but still vibrant plum, black berry and cassis fruit. Floral nose with some herbal notes. Long finish. Like eating a slice of pie. Alcohol slightly elevanted; fine tannins. Drinking perfectly now inmy book, but can wait for those who like this wine more ripe.
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Still hedonistic in style with extracted raspberry and strawberry fruit, hints of anise and pepper. Soft and dense with fruit leaning to over-ripeness. One bottle left.
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Clear deep garnet. Clean, pronounced, dried fruit - fig, raisin, and sultanas. Dry, Low acid (medium?), medium tannin, and full body. Wow - lots of stewed fruits, and jam. A little vanilla. Long finish, and a very good wine.
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Drank with its sister from the same winemaker and vintage, the Blewitt Springs. This was more astringent, and had a sharper edge. The lesser of the two, but still very pleasant
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Very fruit forward. I'm normally not a big fan of fruit-forward wines, but the in this case, this was a real pleasure as everything was so well integrated.
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Over ripe at bottling, stewed fruits, flabby, some oxidation, good extraction and length but all the charms of these bottles were to be had in their ripe fleshy youth.
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PnP'ed then proceeded to drink over the next 1.5 hours. Very good fill & cork. Upon opening I am struck by the enticing bouquet of red berry jam. On the palate it does not disappoint. It is very fruit forward - in a good, not overpowering, way. There is a mix of rasberry and red cherry coupled with a hint of mocha. Wonderful overall balance with a (not too) strong aciditic profile. The tannins are mellowed but certainly not over the hill at this point. A pleasurable wine that I would put in the hedonistic category. A real treat at $35-40.
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Vacation Wines: Pride, Matrot, Owen Roe, Two Hands, etc.; 8/7/2011-8/15/2011 (Family Beach Cottage, Scarborough, Maine): Decanted 1 hour. Deep clear ruby red. Raspberry coulis, jam and a touch of smoke. The nose is not very complex but it is intense. Deep, fresh and clearly "New World" the flavors feature raspberry, blueberry pie and briary fruit. Certainly enjoyable but a rather simple "one trick pony" that's hanging in there with an abundance of acidity. Considering all the great inexpensive Grenache-based wines one can find in Southern France and Spain this is seriously overpriced. Drink now through 2015.
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This is an excellent wine and drinking well. While large scaled this is well balanced with excellent acidity and nice mature tannins. Nose is full of jammy raspberry and cherry fruit, not much complexity but really nice. Palate is equally as fruit forward with raspberry and cherry jam, lovely sweet texture. There is great balancing acidity and the tannins are soft and nicely mature. I ended up pairing this with a coq au vin and the match was pretty good - the smoky bacon in the dish did not clash at all with the wine and the overtly fruity nature of the wine matched well with the chicken.
This was my first CH and i'd have to say that I'm a fan. While I have mainly stopped buying the hjigh powered Oz wines, I am reminded that they cellar brilliantly and while often difficult to pair with food, those better wines with good balancing acidity are just delicious, with or without food. Really nice.
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Always entertaining to read the reviews on the CH single-vineyard bottlings of grenache or shiraz, as they typically garner a wide gamut of scores. This bottle, purchased on release and transported from one end of the country to the other and well-cellared over the years, was very clearly a high performer. Funnel-aerate to decanter and serve. Color was cherry red with some dark hues, no evidence of bricking in the decanter or glass but the slightest tinge of brick when pouring, medium-full body. The nose is evolved and extraordinary, a soaring bouquet of candied raspberries and strawberries, dried flower arrangement, autumn leaves, an intriguing funky note that makes me think of sweaty sex, leather and earth. Just really great aromas of superb depth that are alluring, elegant, and not over the top in any way. Not quite as mind-boggling on the palate, but still outstanding full fruity flavors of rich raspberries, red cherries, leather, licorice, floral and earth. The acid is still thankfully fresh, the tannins are fully integrated and lend a soft caressing structure. My one complaint is that the finish is shorter than expected given the level of fruit in the attack and mid. Overall, this was a glorious, perfectly matured grenache true to its origin that was delicious and held together very well over the two hours we drank it. Too expensive to be any kind of reasonable QPR even when I bought it, but nevertheless a great treat and worthy of a day of remembrance.
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This has some definite bricking on it showing the 7 years of age. Nose of blackberry, cherry, bitter chocolate Palate has big fruit....blackberry, black raspberry, cherry, earth, cherry and subtle chocolate Finish is medium in length with a subtle glycerin component on the backend. This is nice wine
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Peppery raspberry and black cherry aromas and flavors, with some dried flowers and mint, too. Raspberry and currant dominate the palate, and the finish is long with sweet fruit. This is a delicious grenache.
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Edward Roberts International Pre-Auction Tasting (Union League Club of Chicago): Sampled at the Edward Roberts International Pre-Auction Tasting at the Union League Club of Chicago. Some serious funk here. Earthy with a huge screaming nose. Balance with great length. Long finish. Very well structured with lots of dark fruit, wet earth and baking spices.
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Unexpected nose of very briary, stemmy red and blue fruits with lots of earth and leather. The palate was all raspberries and chocolate with a hint of spice. From the color and nose I expected it to be full-bodied but it was surprisingly light on the palate, almost pinot-like due to the acidity. Not what I expected but very good.
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Very enjoyable. Initial reaction is definitely a new world wine with lots of fruit foward flavors. But then earthiness, leathery flavors follow the intial taste. All this was followed by hints of white pepper, giving it a bit of spiciness on the back palette. The fruit flavors are plum and raspberry. Medium bodied with concentrated flavors. The structure held and stayed in balance between the fruit and the tannins, even after two hours. The acidity is good for keeping lift throughout this time. Because of this I gave it an extra 2 points.
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easily the best clarendon grenache I have had in quite some time, seems like it could hold up for a while but drinking georgeous. as always with these wines, dominated by rasberry and chcocolate.
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Huge fruit bomb. Lots and lots of raspberry and black cherry with spices. Polished and smooth. Long finish and a very seamless drink from start to finish.
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This wine continues to disappoint consistently. I have had 4 different bottles, the first was great the remainder have not been good, in fact the last 2 were corked. This bottle while not corked was not a great bottle of wine. Decanted and drank with a sausage and bean dish the wine seems lean and highly acidic. Not sure why people pay the freight for the Clarendon Hills wines.
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Very dark purple, Very ripe red fruit with some stemminess on the nose Very ripe semi-sweet red fruit with firm acid -short finish I agree not very complex but great fruit.
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A nose of black currant and blackberries made interesting by a scent of desert sagebrush. The mouth is an explosion of cassis, with mint or eucalyptus. Not remarkably complex, but distinctive and, for me, immensely enjoyable. Especially compared to the prices on Clarendon's '03s, this 2002 was a pretty fair value at $35.
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I was in Chicago today and stopped in Sam's. I decided to pick up this bottle to enjoy in the room tonight as I answered emails. As result the stemware I am using is not ideal. The color is a deep magenta all to the rim. The nose was strong when I first opened the bottle, but now 90 minutes later it has not opened any further. I find scents of crushed blackberries and sweet oak. The palate is less dense and structured than the Blewitt I had earlier this year. With that said said, it is fairly lush. The palate follows the nose with crushed supersweet blackberries with vanilla oak and a touch of spice. I do sense some tightness in the palate that should expand with some age.
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3/8/2019 - ejmwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fruit forward, ready to drink. Very pleasant.
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1/12/2019 - awkiii Likes this wine: 92 Points
let it breathe for 30 minutes. was great
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4/14/2018 - JerM wrote: 93 Points
Mongolian Themed Brunch (Changi): Leafy mushroom, linear graphite layers. Juicy and perfect with mongolian sausage
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4/6/2018 - Tony1157 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still very red - not a hint of brown. Hard to believe it is 16 years old.
Brilliant aroma and mouthfeel. Wonderful lingering taste.
A great wine.
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3/16/2018 - JerM wrote: 93 Points
Dinner@Changi (Somapah): Dark red berries, exotic wood spice. Sweet berries, dry leather. Pencil shaving.
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2/15/2018 - JerM wrote:
Chens CNY eve Dinner (Hillview): Excellent as always
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12/24/2017 - JerM wrote: 93 Points
Chens Christmas at Cameron (Cameron Highlands): Black ash, black fruit, dry aromatic wood spices, sandalwood. Luscious, juicy balanced acidity, well developed, fine and sweetly resolved tannins. Characteristic graphite, layered elegance!
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12/11/2017 - JerM wrote: 93 Points
(random midweek) inky purple with hint garnet rim. Ripe effusive purple nose, lean wood spice and graphite shavings. Pleasant, rich layers of fruitcake, sweet leather, spicey licorice, mint and eucalypt. Chewy leather and red earth. Bright acid clarity, and good development. Long lingering finish, showing slight stewed fruit. Drinking beautifully, but drink up! Paired with Cape Grim Porterhouse.
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8/25/2017 - JerM wrote: 94 Points
Justina Visits! (Russell Lea): Bright fresh pure currants with some herbal development. Minty finish, chewy leathers and translucent. Bright acidity. long herbal finish, with pastille and savoury bouillon.
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11/1/2016 - mdvino63 Likes this wine: 92 Points
After posting a private note to myself and my rating (92). I scrolled down through notes all the way to Tanzer's note from 2004. It rings perfectly true to my experience tonight, 12 years later. There is a lovely perfume to this wine that persists on the finish. Not a subtle wine, but lovely. Stylistically, this wine reminds me of Sean Thackrey for some reason (though there really isn't any eucalyptus flavor here).
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1/3/2016 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
RASPBERRIES, CHERRIES, AND LICORICE IN THE NOSE. BLACK CHERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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7/8/2015 - tom_wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
An extraordinarily rich, complex grenache. Highly textured and extracted with ripe but still vibrant plum, black berry and cassis fruit. Floral nose with some herbal notes. Long finish. Like eating a slice of pie. Alcohol slightly elevanted; fine tannins. Drinking perfectly now inmy book, but can wait for those who like this wine more ripe.
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11/30/2014 - tom_wine Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still hedonistic in style with extracted raspberry and strawberry fruit, hints of anise and pepper. Soft and dense with fruit leaning to over-ripeness. One bottle left.
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11/15/2014 - Alandel wrote: 92 Points
Clear deep garnet. Clean, pronounced, dried fruit - fig, raisin, and sultanas.
Dry, Low acid (medium?), medium tannin, and full body.
Wow - lots of stewed fruits, and jam. A little vanilla. Long finish, and a very good wine.
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11/4/2014 - JerM wrote: 93 Points
(Brunner@Geelong) Earthy perfume, sweet leaf, dense, wet forest. Leafy palate, sweet tobacco, rich plums and dried figs. Precise clarity, ending with intriguing celery herbals.
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4/20/2013 - Alandel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank with its sister from the same winemaker and vintage, the Blewitt Springs. This was more astringent, and had a sharper edge. The lesser of the two, but still very pleasant
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1/26/2013 - jsioris wrote:
This died in the glass after about 30 minutes. I'm going to pop my other 2 bottles.
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12/27/2012 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
Very fruit forward. I'm normally not a big fan of fruit-forward wines, but the in this case, this was a real pleasure as everything was so well integrated.
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5/16/2012 - PDXinSEA wrote: 84 Points
Over ripe at bottling, stewed fruits, flabby, some oxidation, good extraction and length but all the charms of these bottles were to be had in their ripe fleshy youth.
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11/22/2011 - Vinophiler wrote: 93 Points
PnP'ed then proceeded to drink over the next 1.5 hours. Very good fill & cork. Upon opening I am struck by the enticing bouquet of red berry jam. On the palate it does not disappoint. It is very fruit forward - in a good, not overpowering, way. There is a mix of rasberry and red cherry coupled with a hint of mocha. Wonderful overall balance with a (not too) strong aciditic profile. The tannins are mellowed but certainly not over the hill at this point. A pleasurable wine that I would put in the hedonistic category. A real treat at $35-40.
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8/11/2011 - jfagan wrote: 89 Points
Vacation Wines: Pride, Matrot, Owen Roe, Two Hands, etc.; 8/7/2011-8/15/2011 (Family Beach Cottage, Scarborough, Maine): Decanted 1 hour. Deep clear ruby red. Raspberry coulis, jam and a touch of smoke. The nose is not very complex but it is intense. Deep, fresh and clearly "New World" the flavors feature raspberry, blueberry pie and briary fruit. Certainly enjoyable but a rather simple "one trick pony" that's hanging in there with an abundance of acidity. Considering all the great inexpensive Grenache-based wines one can find in Southern France and Spain this is seriously overpriced. Drink now through 2015.
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12/30/2010 - thebonnydooner wrote: 92 Points
This is an excellent wine and drinking well. While large scaled this is well balanced with excellent acidity and nice mature tannins. Nose is full of jammy raspberry and cherry fruit, not much complexity but really nice. Palate is equally as fruit forward with raspberry and cherry jam, lovely sweet texture. There is great balancing acidity and the tannins are soft and nicely mature. I ended up pairing this with a coq au vin and the match was pretty good - the smoky bacon in the dish did not clash at all with the wine and the overtly fruity nature of the wine matched well with the chicken.
This was my first CH and i'd have to say that I'm a fan. While I have mainly stopped buying the hjigh powered Oz wines, I am reminded that they cellar brilliantly and while often difficult to pair with food, those better wines with good balancing acidity are just delicious, with or without food. Really nice.
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9/11/2010 - Vinacull wrote: 93 Points
Always entertaining to read the reviews on the CH single-vineyard bottlings of grenache or shiraz, as they typically garner a wide gamut of scores. This bottle, purchased on release and transported from one end of the country to the other and well-cellared over the years, was very clearly a high performer. Funnel-aerate to decanter and serve. Color was cherry red with some dark hues, no evidence of bricking in the decanter or glass but the slightest tinge of brick when pouring, medium-full body. The nose is evolved and extraordinary, a soaring bouquet of candied raspberries and strawberries, dried flower arrangement, autumn leaves, an intriguing funky note that makes me think of sweaty sex, leather and earth. Just really great aromas of superb depth that are alluring, elegant, and not over the top in any way. Not quite as mind-boggling on the palate, but still outstanding full fruity flavors of rich raspberries, red cherries, leather, licorice, floral and earth. The acid is still thankfully fresh, the tannins are fully integrated and lend a soft caressing structure. My one complaint is that the finish is shorter than expected given the level of fruit in the attack and mid. Overall, this was a glorious, perfectly matured grenache true to its origin that was delicious and held together very well over the two hours we drank it. Too expensive to be any kind of reasonable QPR even when I bought it, but nevertheless a great treat and worthy of a day of remembrance.
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2/13/2010 - the godfather wrote:
pretty tasty but very candied
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12/14/2009 - windypinot wrote: 91 Points
Decanted; starting to soften into a beautiful, albeit mellow grenache with excellent depth; raspberry and cherry notes with a bit of a smoky flavor
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11/12/2009 - Dave Canada wrote: 91 Points
This has some definite bricking on it showing the 7 years of age.
Nose of blackberry, cherry, bitter chocolate
Palate has big fruit....blackberry, black raspberry, cherry, earth, cherry and subtle chocolate
Finish is medium in length with a subtle glycerin component on the backend. This is nice wine
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9/8/2009 - meatman wrote: 89 Points
Similar profile to last time but not quite as integrated.
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12/25/2008 - pgm wrote: 92 Points
Peppery raspberry and black cherry aromas and flavors, with some dried flowers and mint, too. Raspberry and currant dominate the palate, and the finish is long with sweet fruit. This is a delicious grenache.
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10/26/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Edward Roberts International Pre-Auction Tasting (Union League Club of Chicago): Sampled at the Edward Roberts International Pre-Auction Tasting at the Union League Club of Chicago.
Some serious funk here. Earthy with a huge screaming nose. Balance with great length. Long finish.
Very well structured with lots of dark fruit, wet earth and baking spices.
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8/28/2008 - orcharddude22 wrote: 92 Points
Excellent bottle, with plenty of life left for the future. Jammy raspberry, chocolate and a touch of pepper on the finish. Disappeared quickly.
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6/2/2008 - meatman wrote: 91 Points
Unexpected nose of very briary, stemmy red and blue fruits with lots of earth and leather. The palate was all raspberries and chocolate with a hint of spice. From the color and nose I expected it to be full-bodied but it was surprisingly light on the palate, almost pinot-like due to the acidity. Not what I expected but very good.
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5/14/2008 - orcharddude22 wrote: 91 Points
First in a long time that was not corked. This has a great taste of raspberries, mocha and spice. Muted nose.
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4/19/2008 - happytom wrote: 94 Points
Very enjoyable. Initial reaction is definitely a new world wine with lots of fruit foward flavors. But then earthiness, leathery flavors follow the intial taste. All this was followed by hints of white pepper, giving it a bit of spiciness on the back palette. The fruit flavors are plum and raspberry. Medium bodied with concentrated flavors. The structure held and stayed in balance between the fruit and the tannins, even after two hours. The acidity is good for keeping lift throughout this time. Because of this I gave it an extra 2 points.
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12/8/2007 - the godfather wrote: 93 Points
easily the best clarendon grenache I have had in quite some time, seems like it could hold up for a while but drinking georgeous. as always with these wines, dominated by rasberry and chcocolate.
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11/22/2007 - dinwiddie wrote: 93 Points
Huge fruit bomb. Lots and lots of raspberry and black cherry with spices. Polished and smooth. Long finish and a very seamless drink from start to finish.
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2/11/2007 - orcharddude22 wrote: 83 Points
This wine continues to disappoint consistently. I have had 4 different bottles, the first was great the remainder have not been good, in fact the last 2 were corked. This bottle while not corked was not a great bottle of wine. Decanted and drank with a sausage and bean dish the wine seems lean and highly acidic. Not sure why people pay the freight for the Clarendon Hills wines.
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7/31/2006 - gdbarton1@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Very dark purple,
Very ripe red fruit with some stemminess on the nose
Very ripe semi-sweet red fruit with firm acid -short finish
I agree not very complex but great fruit.
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6/13/2006 - kstoddard wrote: flawed
Blind Night (Enotria, Scottsdale): Heat damaged
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3/4/2006 - Mahan wrote: 89 Points
A nice fruit bomb. Surprisingly good for the value.
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2/1/2006 - pgm wrote: 92 Points
A nose of black currant and blackberries made interesting by a scent of desert sagebrush. The mouth is an explosion of cassis, with mint or eucalyptus. Not remarkably complex, but distinctive and, for me, immensely enjoyable. Especially compared to the prices on Clarendon's '03s, this 2002 was a pretty fair value at $35.
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3/3/2004 - Jason wrote: 90 Points
I was in Chicago today and stopped in Sam's. I decided to pick up this bottle to enjoy in the room tonight as I answered emails. As result the stemware I am using is not ideal. The color is a deep magenta all to the rim. The nose was strong when I first opened the bottle, but now 90 minutes later it has not opened any further. I find scents of crushed blackberries and sweet oak. The palate is less dense and structured than the Blewitt I had earlier this year. With that said said, it is fairly lush. The palate follows the nose with crushed supersweet blackberries with vanilla oak and a touch of spice. I do sense some tightness in the palate that should expand with some age.
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