This 2006 was the biggest, richest of the three; similar to the 2005 but a notch bolder. Loads of dark fruit, mellowed oak, super long finish. Peak drinking.
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Deep-dark reddish-purple in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & crème de cassis with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes, herbs, spices, mint, anise, olives, coffee, leather & a slight hint of cedar in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & silky smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with cocoa, spices, dried herbs, minerals & a slight hint of vanilla/oak. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present at 13 years of age with decanting & extended airing. It appears to be approaching its peak of development but should hold for a few more years although I doubt any further development would occur from additional aging. A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot & 9% Cabernet Franc.
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Popped and left open for about 30 minutes before pouring. Better than an everyday drinker but not as complex as I was hoping either. This seemed like it was youthful though and it may be that the second 1/2 of the bottle will be better tomorrow. Not at all a bad wine and well worth the $20 I paid for it.
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My final bottle. Sat in a wide-bottom decanter for about 20 minutes before we got to it. Nice nose with caramelized sugar, mint, anise, medicinal herbs, leaning into peppery notes, green pepper, leather, loads of spice. Still lots of nice acidity, making this really juicy right now...but there is just the tiniest bit of structure left. Slightly more muted than my previous bottle....if this bottle is a representative sample, seems to be starting to move in the downward direction; still offers lots of pleasure and paired very well with seared tri-tip....drink up.
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Agree with 2/2015 tasting note. This is perfect right now. Beautiful garnet color. Dark fruit and touch of menthol on the nose, the fruit hits you right up front with a mix of raspberry and blackberry the mouth feel is medium weight, very silky smooth as it slide to the back of the palate and bites with some mild acidity with flavors of blackberry, coffee and cocoa. Glad I waited this long, perfect right now, don't wait!
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Plums, herbs, a little cedar, black cherry, and a little bell pepper on the nose. Juicy plum, black cherry, cassis, and earth on the palate. Really nice juicy acidity, good underlying tannins, and a good finish. Overall, the fresh juicy fruit on the palate is what makes this wine. The nose is a bit deceptive, and the mid-palate is a bit lackluster, but on the whole this is very nice.
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While this was not our original intention, this ended up sitting in the decanter for about 4 hours before we drank it. Nice nose with good secondary aromas including lots of cola and a fair amount of green pepper. Still some good red and dark fruits with well integrated spice. On the palate, there is good acidity, which pushes in a slightly sour direction and essentially no tannin on the finish (even with a swish).
Day 2: We had about a half a bottle left. This was still pretty good on Day 2. Definitely a bit faded, but still good. In any case, this is drinking well right now and doesn't seem like it's structured to improve much more.
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popped and poured. Pretty much ready to drink. Nose: waxy leather, good fruit, nice integrated spice palate: earthy, nice fruit, decent complexity but not a wow, decently long finish. This is beyond an everyday drinker. I'm pleased to have purchased at $20 and consider it a great buy. Would buy again.
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Delicious bordeaux like blend with medium body. I had the '05 previously and the' 06 is at a much better place now. Earthy tones, dark muted fruit, nice concentration for a Washington wine as tend to think from these region to run lighter than their Cali counterparts. Well deserving of 92 points.
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Decanted and poured. A spices nose of black cherry. This wine is smooth and ready to go. Not sure it will go the distance to 2018 so glad I opened. Nice on the mid palate....the finish is nice although maybe a bit short. A very nice wine....enjoy!
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Big dark wine. Nose is plum, a hint of raisin and cassis. On palate medium body, black cherry and cedar, fine grained silky tannins and a long finish. Very nice wine in its drinking window.
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Loved this wine a year ago at the tasting room. But now it seems to impart a little dried fruit that I typically try to avoid. Very well made and balanced, just disappointed a little on the palate. I wish I had another bottle to try.
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I am a big Optu fan for an everyday drinking wine, had many of the 05 vintage which was fantastic and still have a few bottles left. I purchased a good lot of the 06's and now am trying it for the first time. Nose of Blackberries, taste of pencil shavings, hard to detect fruit flavor almost a cross between blackberries and a pear, high acid and a slight tannic finish. More unrefined than the 05, not as smooth, creamy.
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Another solid offering from Charlie Hoppes. His Optu red blend is sourced from Columbia Valley, not Red Mt. where most of his grapes are sourced. Full rich nose with a slight earthy funk. Well balanced, full bodied mouthfeel.
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Wine Blogger's Conference 2010 - Opening Tasting (Wine Blogger's Conference, Walla Walla, Washington): Dark blackberries and juniper work very well together on the nose. Some heat shows as well. Concentrated blackberry flavors deliver nicely on the palate. The tannins are super smooth, which gives the fruit a thick texture. The acidity is even, which helps to balance some of the richness. The heat shows a bit on the palate as well.
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12/9/2023 - DaneM Likes this wine:
Vertical of 2004, 2005, 2006.
This 2006 was the biggest, richest of the three; similar to the 2005 but a notch bolder. Loads of dark fruit, mellowed oak, super long finish. Peak drinking.
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10/15/2019 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep-dark reddish-purple in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & crème de cassis with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes, herbs, spices, mint, anise, olives, coffee, leather & a slight hint of cedar in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & silky smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with cocoa, spices, dried herbs, minerals & a slight hint of vanilla/oak. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present at 13 years of age with decanting & extended airing. It appears to be approaching its peak of development but should hold for a few more years although I doubt any further development would occur from additional aging. A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot & 9% Cabernet Franc.
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12/26/2016 - Snowryeder Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking very well now.
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10/27/2016 - hiker_guy wrote:
Popped and left open for about 30 minutes before pouring. Better than an everyday drinker but not as complex as I was hoping either. This seemed like it was youthful though and it may be that the second 1/2 of the bottle will be better tomorrow.
Not at all a bad wine and well worth the $20 I paid for it.
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7/17/2016 - Aravind Asok wrote:
My final bottle. Sat in a wide-bottom decanter for about 20 minutes before we got to it. Nice nose with caramelized sugar, mint, anise, medicinal herbs, leaning into peppery notes, green pepper, leather, loads of spice. Still lots of nice acidity, making this really juicy right now...but there is just the tiniest bit of structure left. Slightly more muted than my previous bottle....if this bottle is a representative sample, seems to be starting to move in the downward direction; still offers lots of pleasure and paired very well with seared tri-tip....drink up.
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5/5/2015 - vinomex wrote: 92 Points
No notes, but consistent with previous drink back in 2013. I don't think this will improve in the bottle, but no signs of fading either.
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3/31/2015 - kmadamskkz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Agree with 2/2015 tasting note. This is perfect right now. Beautiful garnet color. Dark fruit and touch of menthol on the nose, the fruit hits you right up front with a mix of raspberry and blackberry the mouth feel is medium weight, very silky smooth as it slide to the back of the palate and bites with some mild acidity with flavors of blackberry, coffee and cocoa. Glad I waited this long, perfect right now, don't wait!
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2/9/2015 - spatchmo2 wrote: 93 Points
One of my favs. It is drinking at a all time best right now.
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1/15/2015 - rmh66 wrote: 88 Points
Plums, herbs, a little cedar, black cherry, and a little bell pepper on the nose. Juicy plum, black cherry, cassis, and earth on the palate. Really nice juicy acidity, good underlying tannins, and a good finish. Overall, the fresh juicy fruit on the palate is what makes this wine. The nose is a bit deceptive, and the mid-palate is a bit lackluster, but on the whole this is very nice.
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1/10/2015 - Aravind Asok wrote:
While this was not our original intention, this ended up sitting in the decanter for about 4 hours before we drank it. Nice nose with good secondary aromas including lots of cola and a fair amount of green pepper. Still some good red and dark fruits with well integrated spice. On the palate, there is good acidity, which pushes in a slightly sour direction and essentially no tannin on the finish (even with a swish).
Day 2: We had about a half a bottle left. This was still pretty good on Day 2. Definitely a bit faded, but still good. In any case, this is drinking well right now and doesn't seem like it's structured to improve much more.
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5/23/2014 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
popped and poured. Pretty much ready to drink.
Nose:
waxy leather, good fruit, nice integrated spice
palate:
earthy, nice fruit, decent complexity but not a wow, decently long finish.
This is beyond an everyday drinker. I'm pleased to have purchased at $20 and consider it a great buy.
Would buy again.
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4/1/2013 - vinomex wrote: 92 Points
Delicious bordeaux like blend with medium body. I had the '05 previously and the' 06 is at a much better place now. Earthy tones, dark muted fruit, nice concentration for a Washington wine as tend to think from these region to run lighter than their Cali counterparts. Well deserving of 92 points.
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10/26/2012 - WAWINEFAN wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and poured. A spices nose of black cherry. This wine is smooth and ready to go. Not sure it will go the distance to 2018 so glad I opened. Nice on the mid palate....the finish is nice although maybe a bit short. A very nice wine....enjoy!
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7/14/2012 - NavyVet6874 wrote: 92 Points
This was delicious! Shared wiht our best friends and grilled pork chops. Soft on the palate with a decent finish. Good grapes!
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4/22/2012 - ChrisinCowiche wrote: 92 Points
Big dark wine. Nose is plum, a hint of raisin and cassis. On palate medium body, black cherry and cedar, fine grained silky tannins and a long finish. Very nice wine in its drinking window.
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8/27/2011 - mprosser wrote: 89 Points
Loved this wine a year ago at the tasting room. But now it seems to impart a little dried fruit that I typically try to avoid. Very well made and balanced, just disappointed a little on the palate. I wish I had another bottle to try.
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8/15/2011 - Nbkat8 wrote: 91 Points
Drank at a Family Reunion, this is really drinking nice right now, had with BBQ food.
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5/28/2011 - Saul wrote: 88 Points
Similar notes as before, enjoyable wine, but not a block buster.
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4/2/2011 - markopf wrote: 91 Points
Drinking well right now, should have a least a few more good years.
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2/23/2011 - djpo wrote: 90 Points
Very well balanced. At least 4 more good years. Maybe more.
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2/12/2011 - lizzhope wrote: 90 Points
Nice heavy red. Smokey caramel notes. Very easy to drink.
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2/9/2011 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Big wa beauty with excellent structure and nice smoothness. Nice chocolate on the body to round out the cab backbone. long finish.
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1/11/2011 - vinoceros wrote: 87 Points
Was good but a little bit raisiny. Dark, dried fruit and a medium finish.
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1/1/2011 - Saul wrote: 89 Points
Good bottle, was expecting more. Dark fruit and very soft mouth feel.
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12/18/2010 - billpmay wrote: 81 Points
Tasty
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11/25/2010 - Nbkat8 wrote: 89 Points
I am a big Optu fan for an everyday drinking wine, had many of the 05 vintage which was fantastic and still have a few bottles left. I purchased a good lot of the 06's and now am trying it for the first time. Nose of Blackberries, taste of pencil shavings, hard to detect fruit flavor almost a cross between blackberries and a pear, high acid and a slight tannic finish. More unrefined than the 05, not as smooth, creamy.
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10/31/2010 - manonthemoon wrote: 90 Points
Pacific Northwest Tasting Trip (Red Mountain/Walla Walla Day 1): 68 cab sav, 23 mer, 9 CF.
Nose of cherry and funk, really liked it.
Palate was elegant with cherry, barnyard, and good acid.
Good wine. 90-91
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7/24/2010 - T&MCellars Likes this wine: 90 Points
Another solid offering from Charlie Hoppes. His Optu red blend is sourced from Columbia Valley, not Red Mt. where most of his grapes are sourced. Full rich nose with a slight earthy funk. Well balanced, full bodied mouthfeel.
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6/25/2010 - subtlet Likes this wine: 88 Points
Wine Blogger's Conference 2010 - Opening Tasting (Wine Blogger's Conference, Walla Walla, Washington): Dark blackberries and juniper work very well together on the nose. Some heat shows as well. Concentrated blackberry flavors deliver nicely on the palate. The tannins are super smooth, which gives the fruit a thick texture. The acidity is even, which helps to balance some of the richness. The heat shows a bit on the palate as well.
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5/30/2010 - memphishusky wrote: 90 Points
Same as the last bottle. Tasty offering
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4/18/2010 - memphishusky wrote: 90 Points
Good stuff. I had red and black fruits. Nice finish. Probably should have decanted but it was open and pour night.
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10/6/2009 - jhemming wrote: 90 Points
CaliCab's Offline (CT): extracted dark fruits and light cedar; good balance, structure and smooth finish.
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