94 Very good Merlot at 19 years age with same dark and stewed fruits remaining coupled with cedar and fine tannins and a lengthy finish. Drank over 3 nights, would not hold for any longer than 2-4 years.
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Wow!!!! I didn’t know a Merlot could be this incredible. You can tell that the scents after opening the bottle were going to result in something really special. So smooth with a lingering fantastic finish.
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At 16 years on vintage, this is drinking exceedingly well. Shows the character of a warm-year Right Bank Bordeaux, with Pride's mastery of their artistry and subsequent ability to age of their lineup. Fruit was fresh and rich, while structure was fully integrated flawlessy. Delicious and unusual, long finish just showing a touch of age. Paired this with a prime charbroiled steak for a magnificent meal. Merlot as Merlot should be, a fairly rare event.
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Purchased at the winery. Decanted 2 hours before drinking. Heavier sediment. Solid cork. Raisiny with a rich texture and full body. Notes of currant and earthy red fruit. Showing off its 15.7% alcohol but not overdone. 94 points.
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This is a big Merlot, bursting with blackberry jam and dark cherries. So rich, chewy and delicious. Tannins are resolved and very smooth, I’d drink within the next year or so.
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Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (R&D's): Double blind. Candied black raspberry and warm spice notes. Develops herb and vanilla aromas. Dark fruit on the palate with form, chewy tannins and spicy oak nuances. Turns medicinal the longer it sits. No guess.
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This was absolutely singing at 12 years old. Volatile nose, exceptional balance. Most Pride wines are of high quality and nearly indistinquishable from one another but this stood out.
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Also suffered from PnP at a restaurant as this amped merlot could have used hours of air to come together like my last bottle 4 years ago. All the right stuff is there but too disjointed right out of the bottle. Still young - no hurry to consume
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I really enjoyed the dark brooding wine for its unique profile. There was flint, dark chocolate and tobacco on the nose and told you this was not for the weak. Same on a rich palate. Early on had a slight bitterness to the finish but that melted away after a couple of hours. Really darkened with exposure to air. Long, long finish.
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Not as good as last bottle; had very noticable sediment upon decant; good but not great; presented a short, nice finish; not too sweet; may be time to drink up
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Best showing yet for this merlot which has always shown as ultra extracted, even for a Pride. Mocha, blackberry, plums and a bit on heat on the nose. Needs some air to settle down.
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Popped and poured. Dark purple almost opaque. Nose of blackberries, chocolate and coffee grounds. Very fruit forward. Blackberry pie, chocolate covered cherry, and a hint of spice. A bit more tannin and spine than the last bottle I drank. Medium to heavy bodied with a 30 second finish where the baking spices come out. Better than the last bottle I opened about a month ago.
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Popped and poured into large bordeaux stems. Deep purple with slight bricking on the meniscus. Black cherry nose with a hint of semi-sweet chocolate. Black plums, cardamom, dark cherries and a hint of cinnamon. This is the essence of a California fruit bomb. Serve it to your non-wino friends and they will love it. I found it to be overly sweet and lacking enough structure to merit a score above 90.
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Expressive nose. Powerful and complex with pure, red fruits and secondary characteristics mixing. Delicious now, but I believe another couple of years could round this out as this still has some hard edges.
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Inky reddish violet. Not decanted. Dark berries, choco-vanilla, cedar/spice on nose. Medium plus intensity fruit on entry that adds heat and (oaky?) tannin on ascent. Warm thick texture. Deeply flavored. Low complexity, balance and finesse. Attention-grabbing but not for exciting (to me) elements.
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I'm a big fan of Pride's Mountain Top Merlot but this one seemed a little out of balance with too much oak. However, as usual, it had so much huge dark fruit it could get away with it. Based on the oak/tannins, I won't be opening my next one for a couple years.
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Started out a bit unctuous, bet settled down nicely. Red currants, cedar, coffee, smoke, mineral, and a touch of heat highlight the nose. Spectacular balance on the palate, with a some sweetness, but more defined by nice acidity and abundant tannins, which are fine and plush.
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Excellent Merlot. Lots of depth and beautiful fruit (and tannins) in this wine. Hold for a few more years and the reward of drinking it will be even better!
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Outstanding, and unmistakably Pride. Smmmoooth and Plush, you can't believe the balance of this red fruit, cocoa, and tobacco nuanced Merlot. The tannins suggest this has time to go on aging, but even now it's just lovely. The last of Foley's Pride Select Merlot? Alas.
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Great merlot. The new oak is obvious and at times seemed a bit out of place, but not enough to detract too much from the loads of delicious black fruits.
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Sweet nose of black currant, red currant, blueberry, chocolate and a large dose of oak. Unctuous but lively mouthfeel with a 25 second finish. Keeps drawing you back in, more due to sexiness and depth than overt complexity. This is a different wine than the 05 VS Cab, which possesses more noticeable acidity and finesse. Very Foleyesque...interesting in light of recent board discussions. This wine is ready now, but I'll probably go another 6 to 12 months before opening the next, to allow the oak to integrate a bit further.
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Remarkable merlot, gushed ripe fruit, and elegant and balanced. Dark berry, cassis, and vanilla oak rounded out this well structured, heavy mouthfeel wine. Really, truly excellent.
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2/6/2024 - Mike_bahbah wrote:
94 Very good Merlot at 19 years age with same dark and stewed fruits remaining coupled with cedar and fine tannins and a lengthy finish. Drank over 3 nights, would not hold for any longer than 2-4 years.
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12/9/2023 - TZ58 wrote: 97 Points
Wow!!!! I didn’t know a Merlot could be this incredible. You can tell that the scents after opening the bottle were going to result in something really special. So smooth with a lingering fantastic finish.
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3/2/2021 - Snoman Likes this wine: 94 Points
At 16 years on vintage, this is drinking exceedingly well. Shows the character of a warm-year Right Bank Bordeaux, with Pride's mastery of their artistry and subsequent ability to age of their lineup. Fruit was fresh and rich, while structure was fully integrated flawlessy. Delicious and unusual, long finish just showing a touch of age. Paired this with a prime charbroiled steak for a magnificent meal. Merlot as Merlot should be, a fairly rare event.
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3/12/2019 - AlexHop Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful lush expressive with a cinnamon toasty nose and plenty of ripe fruit flavor. Spicy complex finish. Red plum. Finishes with sage and oregano.
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2/15/2019 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
Purchased at the winery. Decanted 2 hours before drinking. Heavier sediment. Solid cork. Raisiny with a rich texture and full body. Notes of currant and earthy red fruit. Showing off its 15.7% alcohol but not overdone. 94 points.
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10/27/2018 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar notes as previous tastings.
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5/30/2018 - Hamersly wrote: 93 Points
This is a big Merlot, bursting with blackberry jam and dark cherries. So rich, chewy and delicious. Tannins are resolved and very smooth, I’d drink within the next year or so.
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5/18/2018 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Similar notes as previous tasting.
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3/30/2018 - AllRed wrote: 87 Points
Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (R&D's): Double blind. Candied black raspberry and warm spice notes. Develops herb and vanilla aromas. Dark fruit on the palate with form, chewy tannins and spicy oak nuances. Turns medicinal the longer it sits. No guess.
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9/19/2017 - theharve wrote: 95 Points
humongous merlot, finally approaching drinkability. 2 yrs of tannins left but soft and tolerable especially 1hr after decant. try next btw 2019
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8/12/2017 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Blackberries, black cherries, and chocolate in the nose. Plums and black cherries in the flavor. Very smooth medium to long finish.
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3/5/2017 - Redrum Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was absolutely singing at 12 years old. Volatile nose, exceptional balance. Most Pride wines are of high quality and nearly indistinquishable from one another but this stood out.
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11/27/2016 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Also suffered from PnP at a restaurant as this amped merlot could have used hours of air to come together like my last bottle 4 years ago. All the right stuff is there but too disjointed right out of the bottle. Still young - no hurry to consume
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4/3/2016 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine:
Massively rich and sweet. Very heavy and hedonistic. But so sweet we can't drink it. Reminds me of a Bevan cellars Pinot Noir.
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12/13/2015 - rxfudd wrote: 92 Points
Delicious. Gorgeous. High alcohol, and I'll bet it was restrictively hot a decade ago, but time has been kind to this bottle. Drink it now.
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4/20/2014 - dwbumsted wrote: 93 Points
Hedonistic merlot - caramel, cherry and blackberry and burnt espresso.
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3/30/2013 - hcampana Likes this wine: 94 Points
From 750ml bottle. Pure hedonistic pleasure. It was a hit with my guests.
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10/22/2012 - wino31 wrote: 96 Points
Awesome wine. Drunk w/o decanting at BYOB Italian. Drinking great now: plush, soft fruit, with great complexity. A lot going on in this wine.
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7/22/2012 - snaff wrote: 94 Points
Delicious. Exploding with rich red fruit, hints of cinnamon and allspice. Quite an attention-getter, more of an event on its own than a food wine.
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7/6/2012 - fisk15 wrote: 93 Points
Really massive, but pretty damn good.
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7/4/2012 - patwjr wrote: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully now. Fruity, smooth, nice weight, but don't wait. Better than the '06 Pride Merlot VS we also drank tonight.
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1/8/2012 - iamandyc wrote: 93 Points
I really enjoyed the dark brooding wine for its unique profile. There was flint, dark chocolate and tobacco on the nose and told you this was not for the weak. Same on a rich palate. Early on had a slight bitterness to the finish but that melted away after a couple of hours. Really darkened with exposure to air. Long, long finish.
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9/7/2011 - gesusser wrote: 91 Points
Not as good as last bottle; had very noticable sediment upon decant; good but not great; presented a short, nice finish; not too sweet; may be time to drink up
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8/16/2011 - fisk15 wrote: 91 Points
Best showing yet for this merlot which has always shown as ultra extracted, even for a Pride. Mocha, blackberry, plums and a bit on heat on the nose. Needs some air to settle down.
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3/20/2011 - gesusser wrote: 93 Points
decanted 1 hour; excellent merlot; smart & sweet w/ a 30 second finish;
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1/30/2011 - huntinpagan wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Dark purple almost opaque. Nose of blackberries, chocolate and coffee grounds. Very fruit forward. Blackberry pie, chocolate covered cherry, and a hint of spice. A bit more tannin and spine than the last bottle I drank. Medium to heavy bodied with a 30 second finish where the baking spices come out. Better than the last bottle I opened about a month ago.
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12/12/2010 - huntinpagan wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured into large bordeaux stems. Deep purple with slight bricking on the meniscus. Black cherry nose with a hint of semi-sweet chocolate. Black plums, cardamom, dark cherries and a hint of cinnamon. This is the essence of a California fruit bomb. Serve it to your non-wino friends and they will love it. I found it to be overly sweet and lacking enough structure to merit a score above 90.
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8/28/2010 - patwjr wrote: flawed
corked.
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7/17/2010 - gmbdds wrote: 92 Points
Expressive nose. Powerful and complex with pure, red fruits and secondary characteristics mixing. Delicious now, but I believe another couple of years could round this out as this still has some hard edges.
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7/11/2010 - NeuroDoc wrote: 91 Points
Some heat with decant. Dark cherries, oak and medium tannins. Somewhat better on day 2.
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5/14/2010 - thomaskeil wrote: 88 Points
Inky reddish violet. Not decanted. Dark berries, choco-vanilla, cedar/spice on nose. Medium plus intensity fruit on entry that adds heat and (oaky?) tannin on ascent. Warm thick texture. Deeply flavored. Low complexity, balance and finesse. Attention-grabbing but not for exciting (to me) elements.
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2/27/2010 - fisk15 wrote: 93 Points
This is starting to tame down a bit from last fall, but it is still signature pride.
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12/24/2009 - hkfoebee wrote:
Good, but no longer worth the $$ for my palate. Last bottle.
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12/5/2009 - budman wrote: 93 Points
WOTN - beat out Dalla Valle Cab and Switchback Cab!!!!!
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10/24/2009 - Mike V wrote: 91 Points
White chocolate milkshake. Saved for an "after dinner drink".
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10/1/2009 - fisk15 wrote: 88 Points
Almost too much sweet fruit, reserving judgement because I love Pride and this was over the top for me.
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8/7/2009 - Baeyens Cellars wrote: 92 Points
I'm a big fan of Pride's Mountain Top Merlot but this one seemed a little out of balance with too much oak. However, as usual, it had so much huge dark fruit it could get away with it. Based on the oak/tannins, I won't be opening my next one for a couple years.
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7/17/2009 - Eric Guido wrote: 92 Points
Black cherries and chocolate, spiced cookies, cedar.
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6/22/2009 - mmyette wrote: 93 Points
Great merlot, see previous notes.
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3/14/2009 - Haltermr wrote: 92 Points
Started out a bit unctuous, bet settled down nicely. Red currants, cedar, coffee, smoke, mineral, and a touch of heat highlight the nose. Spectacular balance on the palate, with a some sweetness, but more defined by nice acidity and abundant tannins, which are fine and plush.
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11/17/2008 - CMCLR wrote: 92 Points
Excellent.
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11/6/2008 - patwjr wrote: 94 Points
Excellent Merlot. Lots of depth and beautiful fruit (and tannins) in this wine. Hold for a few more years and the reward of drinking it will be even better!
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11/4/2008 - jonphillips wrote: 93 Points
not too sweet!
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10/17/2008 - AlanC wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding, and unmistakably Pride. Smmmoooth and Plush, you can't believe the balance of this red fruit, cocoa, and tobacco nuanced Merlot. The tannins suggest this has time to go on aging, but even now it's just lovely. The last of Foley's Pride Select Merlot? Alas.
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9/27/2008 - hcampana wrote: 94 Points
This is a typical Foley hedonistic pleasure bomb! I love it. Full of fruit, oak and gripping tannin, this is not for the shy.
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6/5/2008 - JP wrote: 93 Points
Great merlot. The new oak is obvious and at times seemed a bit out of place, but not enough to detract too much from the loads of delicious black fruits.
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3/6/2008 - leadpencil wrote: 94 Points
Dense, black cherry with chocolate, espresso notes.
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2/24/2008 - mmyette wrote: 93 Points
See previous notes.
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2/1/2008 - Haltermr wrote: 91 Points
Sweet nose of black currant, red currant, blueberry, chocolate and a large dose of oak. Unctuous but lively mouthfeel with a 25 second finish.
Keeps drawing you back in, more due to sexiness and depth than overt complexity. This is a different wine than the 05 VS Cab, which possesses more noticeable acidity and finesse. Very Foleyesque...interesting in light of recent board discussions.
This wine is ready now, but I'll probably go another 6 to 12 months before opening the next, to allow the oak to integrate a bit further.
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12/2/2007 - mmyette wrote: 93 Points
Remarkable merlot, gushed ripe fruit, and elegant and balanced. Dark berry, cassis, and vanilla oak rounded out this well structured, heavy mouthfeel wine. Really, truly excellent.
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