Blew me away! This was a fantastic, well balanced, wine. Plum and earthy tobacco on the nose, then lots of fruit, with a bit of spice to prevent it from becoming a fruit bomb. Smooth, silky, texture that got better after breathing for about an hour. I have a bottle of the '09 that I can't wait to crack into and compare.
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Very open after about a 1 hr decant. Perhaps the best bottle I've had from Dunham - much thanks to Greg for bringing this to dinner. Blue and ripe red fruits, lavender, white pepper, pencil lead, and vanilla waft out of the glass. Full bodied on the palate with a dense structure. Thick and syrupy with smooth velvety tannins. medium plus finish. Drinking beautifully now but should provide pleasure for another 2-3 yrs.
Pop and poured, then drank over an hour. Tons of vanillin oak; very smooth and soft, but definitely over the top with the vanilla. Almost like a Nilla wafer dipped in vanilla extract. There's also dark fruit hiding somewhere. The palate is very soft and smooth, with nice soft body. Creamy texture, some mild acid, creamy dark fruits and plenty of soft wood and that darn vanilla. More soft vanilla flavors on the finish, but there's actually some acid here to balance things out a bit. Certainly ready, and something I wouldn't want to sit in the cellar much longer. The acid on the finish here is definitely the most interesting part, as the rest is pretty darn coated in vanilla. Still, for what it is, and for a region I'm not usually a fan of, this is a pretty good quaffer.
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So bright and acidic that the first taste was off-putting, but once my mouth adjuxsted I thought it was enjoyable. Ripe dark berry and black cherry fruit with some cocoa mixed in.
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PnVnD let air for 4hrs. Deep purple with ahint of crimson and as close to opaque as it gets without being totally opaque. Big plummy black raspberry and cassis aromas with a touch of earth. Medium weight with cocoa tannins with a it of a leathery grip at the end. Plum cherry cassis raspberry and espresso flavors. Grippy fruit skin finish. Needs a charred medium rare rib-eye.
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Decanted for over an hour. Dark cherry, blueberry, and cola on the nose. Unmistakable vanilla and all-spice flavors on the palate, medium tannins and a lingering, oaky finish. Really enjoyed the distinctive Washington State Syrah flavors.
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$48 at Szamania's. Nice color, depth, & complexity. There's a lot of fruit but it lurks beneath a silky surface of glycerine and silk. Good value if you can find it.
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This was less open and generous, and more rough and acidic, then the last bottle of this that we opened. Still, it started to open with time with a nice mix of black fruits and cherries, and a mineral streak on the midpalate.
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Delicious! Bouquet of heather, black cherry and plum. Oak, dark and red fruits on the palate with oak and vanilla. Very good paired with filet mignon and sautéed onions and potatoes. Solid but not overpowering tannins.
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Thanksgiving: This I didn't like much the day of, but on the second day I got a glimpse of its Bordeaux-like soul, and I approve. I imagine that partly this was the need for a decant, and partly getting away from the dense Thanksgiving food. On the day of, it just seemed blah; the next day the Bordeaux structure appeared, surrounding the darkness of the syrah.
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A flipping around of varietals this year and it is noticeable. More heavily fruited and darker than the '06, yet still "balanced" and fresh and lively. Charming, a real bargin at $24.
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Bdx blend with 23% syrah. This is drinking great. It has great harmony and is already very approachable. Concerning the fruit, at 23% the syrah is not a passive component in the wine's personality. In fact it seems more like a 50/50 blend. Just after the cork is pulled I get ripe, smokey, dark fruit with some cabernet characteristics in the background. This is a generalization, but it feels more like soft cabernet with medium weight, a nice creamy texture, no tannin and excellent beginning/middle/end transitions. It will hold and evolve but I don't think it's structured for aging. I had it with their 07 cab, which was wonderful, but I prefer this for current drinking.
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55% Cab Sauv, 23% Syrah, 17% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc. A great winery with a tasting room near the Walla Walla Airport. I didn't expect the soft finish, but this was really nice.
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7/15/2018 - senesd Likes this wine: 88 Points
still some fruit , but the acid is pretty much gone - drink soon
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2/14/2014 - boogie96 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blew me away! This was a fantastic, well balanced, wine. Plum and earthy tobacco on the nose, then lots of fruit, with a bit of spice to prevent it from becoming a fruit bomb. Smooth, silky, texture that got better after breathing for about an hour. I have a bottle of the '09 that I can't wait to crack into and compare.
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8/28/2012 - Koconnor wrote:
Good balance, not overpowering but lots of fruit and nice, silky texture. Improved with decanting after about two hours.
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6/8/2012 - WineDominus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very delicious wine. Reminiscent of the Hall cab that I had earlier in the year. Taste and nose belong to one of my favorite types of red.
Deep, lavender, vanilla, blue berries, straw berries, floral nose. Taste is very well balanced.... tannin is resolved to give a smooth, long finish.
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6/7/2012 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very open after about a 1 hr decant. Perhaps the best bottle I've had from Dunham - much thanks to Greg for bringing this to dinner. Blue and ripe red fruits, lavender, white pepper, pencil lead, and vanilla waft out of the glass. Full bodied on the palate with a dense structure. Thick and syrupy with smooth velvety tannins. medium plus finish. Drinking beautifully now but should provide pleasure for another 2-3 yrs.
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6/2/2012 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 86 Points
Pop and poured, then drank over an hour. Tons of vanillin oak; very smooth and soft, but definitely over the top with the vanilla. Almost like a Nilla wafer dipped in vanilla extract. There's also dark fruit hiding somewhere. The palate is very soft and smooth, with nice soft body. Creamy texture, some mild acid, creamy dark fruits and plenty of soft wood and that darn vanilla. More soft vanilla flavors on the finish, but there's actually some acid here to balance things out a bit. Certainly ready, and something I wouldn't want to sit in the cellar much longer. The acid on the finish here is definitely the most interesting part, as the rest is pretty darn coated in vanilla. Still, for what it is, and for a region I'm not usually a fan of, this is a pretty good quaffer.
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1/16/2012 - mreinitz wrote: 88 Points
So bright and acidic that the first taste was off-putting, but once my mouth adjuxsted I thought it was enjoyable. Ripe dark berry and black cherry fruit with some cocoa mixed in.
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12/30/2011 - pickhardt wrote: 88 Points
Solid blend. Gayle liked it more than I did.
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12/9/2011 - df1962 wrote: 88 Points
PnVnD let air for 4hrs. Deep purple with ahint of crimson and as close to opaque as it gets without being totally opaque. Big plummy black raspberry and cassis aromas with a touch of earth. Medium weight with cocoa tannins with a it of a leathery grip at the end. Plum cherry cassis raspberry and espresso flavors. Grippy fruit skin finish. Needs a charred medium rare rib-eye.
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12/2/2011 - Burkeshire wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for over an hour. Dark cherry, blueberry, and cola on the nose. Unmistakable vanilla and all-spice flavors on the palate, medium tannins and a lingering, oaky finish. Really enjoyed the distinctive Washington State Syrah flavors.
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12/2/2011 - dleaf wrote: 89 Points
Nice fruit and structure!
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9/10/2011 - Magnolian wrote: 92 Points
$48 at Szamania's. Nice color, depth, & complexity. There's a lot of fruit but it lurks beneath a silky surface of glycerine and silk. Good value if you can find it.
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5/2/2011 - mreinitz wrote: 87 Points
This was less open and generous, and more rough and acidic, then the last bottle of this that we opened. Still, it started to open with time with a nice mix of black fruits and cherries, and a mineral streak on the midpalate.
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4/8/2011 - Sethananda wrote: 91 Points
Get more!!
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3/7/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Still yummy on day three.
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1/15/2011 - circadumonde wrote: 88 Points
Delicious! Bouquet of heather, black cherry and plum. Oak, dark and red fruits on the palate with oak and vanilla. Very good paired with filet mignon and sautéed onions and potatoes. Solid but not overpowering tannins.
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1/13/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
More fruit, less aromatics then last vintage. Prefered the lighter body.
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1/12/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
A touch of olive. Honestly, out of everything that I have tasted from this winery, this is, I think, thier best wine.
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11/30/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
This is delicious wine.
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11/25/2010 - james_timothy wrote:
Thanksgiving: This I didn't like much the day of, but on the second day I got a glimpse of its Bordeaux-like soul, and I approve. I imagine that partly this was the need for a decant, and partly getting away from the dense Thanksgiving food. On the day of, it just seemed blah; the next day the Bordeaux structure appeared, surrounding the darkness of the syrah.
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11/4/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
A flipping around of varietals this year and it is noticeable. More heavily fruited and darker than the '06, yet still "balanced" and fresh and lively. Charming, a real bargin at $24.
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10/31/2010 - esb wrote: 90 Points
Bdx blend with 23% syrah. This is drinking great. It has great harmony and is already very approachable. Concerning the fruit, at 23% the syrah is not a passive component in the wine's personality. In fact it seems more like a 50/50 blend. Just after the cork is pulled I get ripe, smokey, dark fruit with some cabernet characteristics in the background. This is a generalization, but it feels more like soft cabernet with medium weight, a nice creamy texture, no tannin and excellent beginning/middle/end transitions. It will hold and evolve but I don't think it's structured for aging. I had it with their 07 cab, which was wonderful, but I prefer this for current drinking.
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10/29/2010 - manonthemoon wrote: 88 Points
Pacific Northwest Tasting Trip (Walla Walla Day 2): Nose of blueberry, and toast.
Palate of cherry, violets, vanilla bean. Good acidity for food.
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10/3/2010 - mschultz78 wrote:
55% Cab Sauv, 23% Syrah, 17% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc. A great winery with a tasting room near the Walla Walla Airport. I didn't expect the soft finish, but this was really nice.
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7/25/2010 - Kirstin wrote: 82 Points
Gina and Barry
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