Really drinking well and an excellent QPR wine. We recently acquired this single bottle as part of a much larger cellar contents acquisition and really wish we had more. Completely mature so time to drink up any holdings, no further upside to cellaring but will also last well at peak for several more years with proper cellaring. Surprisingly big and fruit forward - the merlot and sangiovese really shine through, the Cabernet not so much. Very dark, well structured, good mouth feel and a very long lingering aftertaste. Initially nose somewhat muted then dark fruit and red berry came through. Palate of oak, blueberry, dark cherry and surprisingly spicy on the late palate. Highly recommend.
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Old Bordeaux at La Fonda del Sol (NYC): Poured blind before we got into the Bordeaux. It's rich and quite ripe with a sappy plummy fruit and black cherries and a minty/herbal topnote, but there's also bright acidity beneath keeping it fresh and light on its feet. Very tasty.
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Last bottle. Sad to see these go....what a wonderful case of wine - and at a fantastic price. Still plenty of life left, but enjoy over next 24 months if possible.
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Outstanding again. The nose on this is so lovely. Lots of fresh berries and cherries with a bit of cinnamon on the palate. Very smooth mouthfeel. Great flavors and concentration. IMHO, It's in it's prime drinking window. Drink now and over the next 3-5 years. 91-92 pts
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A Christmas Tasting in Maine (Bangor, Maine): This wine was absolutely beautiful last night scents of red fruits, earth, graphite, spice, and subtle oak integration on the nose. In the mouth the fruit, acid, tannin balance was a thing of beauty as flavors of sour cherry, strawberry, plum, minerals, and baking spices rolled across the palate.
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Tough to rate as we had this at a tasting after 3 cab-based wines. Seemed as good as usual though - the merlot rounds out the sangiovese's acidity. Call it a 90.
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Stood up in cellar for two weeks and decanted for 1 hour. Throwing a reasonable amount of sediment. This wine has really improved since my last tasting 18 months ago. Back then it seemed very closed: not revealing much of anything. This time it was showing very well. One of the prettiest color wines I've seen - like a sparkling Ruby. Bouquet was of sweet cherries and red roses. Medium body, very smooth mouthfeel with lots of berry flavors and touch of spice. Great depth and concentration. Tannins are integrating nicely. Nice finish. Outstanding wine and a great QPR.
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Tasted June 1, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black berries, cherries, thistle, white pepper and some anise. Flavors of black licorice, black berries and a little bitters on the finish. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannins and medium body. Drink or hold.
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Medium-dark ruby colour. Aromas of vanilla, herbs, black plums, cocoa, and black cherry. Medium-bodied, still quite fresh - good acidity, but shows unintegrated tannins. Red plums, red cherry, and red licorice on the palate. Moderate finish, ~30s, with red plums and earth notes.
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90% Sangiovese/10% Merlot Wow, what a beautiful wine. Deep dark intensity, a nose that just jumps out at you. The wine seems wide open at this point, barely needing air or decant time. The aromas are dark and intense, primary blackberries, plummy nuances with a complexity of loamy earth. Sweet ripe dark flavours coat your mouth on entry, lush, deep concentrated intensity of fruit on the palate, wow, this is a big wine. Firm elegant tannins yet smooth and rich on the finish with a proper background of acid support giving this wine a very long finish. Vannilin didn't become more obvious until a couple of hours of decant, but it does unveil in a scrumptious and silky way. When I read about the blend I was rather surprised, as this wine showed much more Merlot than Sangiovese. Lay down for 3-5 more years easy, race you to the 2003's next year!
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Dark ruby/garnet colour. Restrained nose of black fruit, red plums, and earth. Palate follows from nose with a hint of minerality. Moderate length finish, 30s. Needs more time. Revisit in 2-3 years.
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A deeply colored wine with a lovely, powerful nose of Mediterranean herbs, plum, blackberries and vanilla. Beautifully smooth, velvety texture here, rather modern in style, but very impressive. A deep, rich, sexy blend of blackfruits, herbs (a real herb garden, this wine is) and oak. Great balance, power and elegance here: very nice now, but should improve over at least 5 years. Lovely drop (A-)!
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Cherry, currant, toast and vanilla nose with dried berry and sweet spice notes. Full, solid and ripe palate with good structure and a long, toasty finish. 4.5/5
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Deep garnet with black tinges. Aromas of vanilla, blackcurrant, figs, and violets. Full bodied with black fruits and vanilla. Very nice with pepper notes on the 40s finish.
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10/14/2021 - ikkaariainen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really drinking well and an excellent QPR wine. We recently acquired this single bottle as part of a much larger cellar contents acquisition and really wish we had more. Completely mature so time to drink up any holdings, no further upside to cellaring but will also last well at peak for several more years with proper cellaring. Surprisingly big and fruit forward - the merlot and sangiovese really shine through, the Cabernet not so much. Very dark, well structured, good mouth feel and a very long lingering aftertaste. Initially nose somewhat muted then dark fruit and red berry came through. Palate of oak, blueberry, dark cherry and surprisingly spicy on the late palate. Highly recommend.
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2/6/2021 - SadEdjo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still surprisingly youthful; dark colour; well integrated cherry
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3/15/2020 - bubucap wrote: 88 Points
Still alive, but drink up
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5/11/2013 - salil wrote: 89 Points
Old Bordeaux at La Fonda del Sol (NYC): Poured blind before we got into the Bordeaux. It's rich and quite ripe with a sappy plummy fruit and black cherries and a minty/herbal topnote, but there's also bright acidity beneath keeping it fresh and light on its feet. Very tasty.
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10/29/2011 - SadEdjo wrote: 90 Points
Lots of dark colour still. Smokey dark chocolate & sour cherry with good acidic lift & still evident tannins. Drink up.
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7/23/2011 - wine4ever wrote: 90 Points
Last bottle. Sad to see these go....what a wonderful case of wine - and at a fantastic price. Still plenty of life left, but enjoy over next 24 months if possible.
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2/18/2009 - wine4ever wrote: 91 Points
Outstanding again. The nose on this is so lovely. Lots of fresh berries and cherries with a bit of cinnamon on the palate. Very smooth mouthfeel. Great flavors and concentration. IMHO, It's in it's prime drinking window. Drink now and over the next 3-5 years. 91-92 pts
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12/22/2008 - Kirk Grant wrote: 92 Points
A Christmas Tasting in Maine (Bangor, Maine): This wine was absolutely beautiful last night scents of red fruits, earth, graphite, spice, and subtle oak integration on the nose. In the mouth the fruit, acid, tannin balance was a thing of beauty as flavors of sour cherry, strawberry, plum, minerals, and baking spices rolled across the palate.
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8/11/2008 - amateurwino wrote: 90 Points
Tough to rate as we had this at a tasting after 3 cab-based wines. Seemed as good as usual though - the merlot rounds out the sangiovese's acidity. Call it a 90.
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3/17/2008 - pb everhard wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful wine with a great finish. Tastes like Tuscany!
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12/15/2007 - wine4ever wrote: 92 Points
Stood up in cellar for two weeks and decanted for 1 hour. Throwing a reasonable amount of sediment. This wine has really improved since my last tasting 18 months ago. Back then it seemed very closed: not revealing much of anything. This time it was showing very well. One of the prettiest color wines I've seen - like a sparkling Ruby. Bouquet was of sweet cherries and red roses. Medium body, very smooth mouthfeel with lots of berry flavors and touch of spice. Great depth and concentration. Tannins are integrating nicely. Nice finish. Outstanding wine and a great QPR.
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6/1/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
WIML90,WA89,WS92
Tasted June 1, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black berries, cherries, thistle, white pepper and some anise. Flavors of black licorice, black berries and a little bitters on the finish. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannins and medium body. Drink or hold.
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3/25/2007 - futronic wrote: 88 Points
Medium-dark ruby colour. Aromas of vanilla, herbs, black plums, cocoa, and black cherry. Medium-bodied, still quite fresh - good acidity, but shows unintegrated tannins. Red plums, red cherry, and red licorice on the palate. Moderate finish, ~30s, with red plums and earth notes.
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3/9/2007 - plhew wrote: 89 Points
good nose, full body, lots of fruit, but I was turned off by a hard mid palate. Found it a chore to finish.
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11/29/2005 - Shiraziste wrote: 93 Points
90% Sangiovese/10% Merlot
Wow, what a beautiful wine. Deep dark intensity, a nose that just jumps out at you. The wine seems wide open at this point, barely needing air or decant time. The aromas are dark and intense, primary blackberries, plummy nuances with a complexity of loamy earth.
Sweet ripe dark flavours coat your mouth on entry, lush, deep concentrated intensity of fruit on the palate, wow, this is a big wine. Firm elegant tannins yet smooth and rich on the finish with a proper background of acid support giving this wine a very long finish.
Vannilin didn't become more obvious until a couple of hours of decant, but it does unveil in a scrumptious and silky way. When I read about the blend I was rather surprised, as this wine showed much more Merlot than Sangiovese.
Lay down for 3-5 more years easy, race you to the 2003's next year!
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11/16/2005 - 97mjr wrote:
[PJWGT] lots of wood and fruit, hold for now
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8/7/2005 - amateurwino wrote: 92 Points
sangiovese and merlot. a great bargain price super-tuscan style blend. nice old world dark notes. long finish.
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6/16/2005 - futronic wrote: 88 Points
Dark ruby/garnet colour. Restrained nose of black fruit, red plums, and earth. Palate follows from nose with a hint of minerality. Moderate length finish, 30s. Needs more time. Revisit in 2-3 years.
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6/12/2005 - JohnSh wrote: 92 Points
A deeply colored wine with a lovely, powerful nose of Mediterranean herbs, plum, blackberries and vanilla. Beautifully smooth, velvety texture here, rather modern in style, but very impressive. A deep, rich, sexy blend of blackfruits, herbs (a real herb garden, this wine is) and oak. Great balance, power and elegance here: very nice now, but should improve over at least 5 years. Lovely drop (A-)!
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3/1/2005 - Double-A Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cherry, currant, toast and vanilla nose with dried berry and sweet spice notes. Full, solid and ripe palate with good structure and a long, toasty finish.
4.5/5
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7/3/2004 - SPierson wrote:
Late night; too early-- needs a few more years
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5/23/2004 - futronic wrote: 89 Points
Deep garnet with black tinges. Aromas of vanilla, blackcurrant, figs, and violets. Full bodied with black fruits and vanilla. Very nice with pepper notes on the 40s finish.
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10/25/2003 - SadEdjo wrote:
bright & rich dark cherry.
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