2005 Havens Wine Cellars Merlot

Community Tasting Notes (90) Avg Score: 87.2 points

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  5/6/2023 - gjv115 Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Pnp. Unexpectedly great. Right from the get go it was fantastic and it did not fade. Tertiary flavors dominated but it had some fruit left. Complex and elegant and no flaws. Amazing

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  3/16/2021 - Cutthroat Trout Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Put a case of this wine in my cellar just after the Havens bankruptcy. Forgot what I paid but it was a bargain.
  
  Opened several bottles from this vintage over the years; each time felt it was too young and would benefit from a few more years in the cellar.
  It has been 4 or 5 years since I last opened a bottle.
  
  When I first stuck my nose in the glass I smelled green bell pepper (methylpyrizine). This is not uncommon in vineyards planted in cooler regions but I am sensitive to this and don't like it. The good news is it mostly evolved off after about an hour and dark fruit aromas emerged.
  
  Big fruit flavors, blackberry and plums, and a bit of dark chocolate dusty tannins in the length.
  
  Overall a much improved wine compared to the bottles I opened previously.
  Some those ended up in the sauce for dinner.

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  3/23/2016 - John McCabe wrote: 90 Points

  My last of these. This was better than I remember. Has a salty tone with an ease and grace that comes with its age now. Pretty useful.

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  11/2/2015 - gcarl wrote: 90 Points

  Found another bottle in my cellar and opened it to compare it to the one I opened just 2 days ago. Nose was the same, but it was immediately smooth on my palate, with a medium length finish of 15-20 seconds. There was no harsh, drying tannin as in the earlier bottle (which improved to a 90 after a day under Argon gas. If this was mistakenly included in a shipment of the 2006, which I received 5+ years ago, it was a great QPR for $6.99+ shipping from K&L.

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  10/31/2015 - gcarl wrote: 88 Points

  Nice nose of cigar box/pencil shavings upon P&P and swirling in glass, then rather strong tannin on my palate,which is not what I would expect from a 10 year old Merlot (which I happened to find in my cellar, with no record of where I bought it). Not nearly as enjoyable as the '06 Havens Merlots I have had and still have. Perhaps on day 2 it will be better.

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