Still closed on P&P, decanted thru Vinturi into decanter, and after 90 minutes it started to sing to all 6 tasters present. The earlier hidden fruit was lovely on the nose and palate, finish was very soft and fairly long. A good buy at $17 back in 2012.
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Rich, balanced, and enjoyable. Upon initial opening the fruit was somewhat muted, but after aeration and sitting in the decanter for 1-2 hours a nice array of fruits became more prominent. The tannin and acidity balance were quite level and what one would expect from a Howell Mountain blend. We consumed alongside Guilliams 2006 Spring Mountain Cab & both paired excellently with the Belgian beef and red wine stew dinner we ate. The Ilona was more rounded and a tad softer than the Guilliams, but the Ilona has more Merlot in it. I would purchase this wine again since it drank well after over 10 years.
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Same tasting notes as before. Although, left 1/2 bottle for 3 days and still drank well with better secondary flavors than I thought so i rated this a point higher.
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At P&P, kind of closed, but over a couple of hrs opened up with much more fruit, chocolate on the nose. Smooth on the palate,enjoyable but no more than a 90 IMHO.
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12/10/2015 - gcarl wrote: 91 Points
Still closed on P&P, decanted thru Vinturi into decanter, and after 90 minutes it started to sing to all 6 tasters present. The earlier hidden fruit was lovely on the nose and palate, finish was very soft and fairly long. A good buy at $17 back in 2012.
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1/12/2014 - TXtasteABL wrote: 91 Points
Rich, balanced, and enjoyable. Upon initial opening the fruit was somewhat muted, but after aeration and sitting in the decanter for 1-2 hours a nice array of fruits became more prominent. The tannin and acidity balance were quite level and what one would expect from a Howell Mountain blend. We consumed alongside Guilliams 2006 Spring Mountain Cab & both paired excellently with the Belgian beef and red wine stew dinner we ate. The Ilona was more rounded and a tad softer than the Guilliams, but the Ilona has more Merlot in it. I would purchase this wine again since it drank well after over 10 years.
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11/12/2012 - Jzez1998 wrote: 92 Points
Really hitting its stride with 30 minute decant. Glad I have 2 more!!
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11/10/2012 - floating_cellar wrote: 88 Points
Same tasting notes as before. Although, left 1/2 bottle for 3 days and still drank well with better secondary flavors than I thought so i rated this a point higher.
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10/13/2012 - gcarl wrote: 90 Points
At P&P, kind of closed, but over a couple of hrs opened up with much more fruit, chocolate on the nose. Smooth on the palate,enjoyable but no more than a 90 IMHO.
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