Posts Tagged ‘cassis’
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
93 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 23 Dec 2008
Deep ruby core with a touch of garnet on the rim. Lots of rich earth, coffee and cedar spice in the aromas, surrounded by sweet plum, cassis, dried tobacco, dusty minerality and toasty oak. Beautifully silky entry on the palate. Medium to full bodied. Great to drink now, but still has nice supporting tannins through the back. Blackberry, plum, cassis, cedar, leather and tobacco flavors are all balanced very well. Medium length finish with mocha and black truffle joining the fruit.
I let the wine sit in my glass for a good 45 minutes, and it kept opening up. This is delicious now, and will continue to be at peak drinking for another 10 years.
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Tags: 1995, black, blackberry, Blend, bordeaux, cassis, cedar, chateau, coffee, dried, dry, dust, earth, estephe, france, garnet, leather, mineral, mocha, montrose, oak, plum, red, red wine, ruby, saint, silk, spice, sweet, toast, tobacco, truffle, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 12 Dec 2008
Dark purple core with a lighter fuchsia rim. Oak and vanilla aromas float over rich black cherry, cassis and raspberry with dark charcoal, spicy cinnamon and a hint of eucalyptus. Smooth entry on the palate, quickly building to a full bodied wine. Lots of tannins, yet very well integrated and balanced. Cedar and cinnamon are layered over plum and cassis leading to a chocolate, spice and fruit finish. Decant a couple hours and enjoy it now or put some in the cellar and let it keep getting better for several years.
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Tags: 2005, black, california, cassis, cedar, cepages, charcoal, chateau, cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, cinq, Coast, eucalyptus, fuchsia, jean, North, oak, plum, purple, raspberry, red, red wine, saint, sonoma, spice, st, vanilla, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 15 Dec 2008
Dark ruby core with a ruby rim. The nose is somewhat muted at first, but opens up as the glass sat implying continuing development in the bottle if you have the patience to let it evolve. Aromas of violets and earth are backed by black cherry and cassis with a touch of sweet vanilla. A hint of green pepper on the front palate is quickly followed by dark fruits - black cherry, blackberry, plum - and accented by hints of toasty vanilla. Fairly tannic with body and acid to match making this a well balanced wine that should age for many years.
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Tags: 2004, Add new tag, black, blackberry, cabernet, california, cassis, Cellars, cherry, Coast, earth, green, Napa, North, pepper, plum, red, red wine, ruby, saddleback, sauvignon, sweet, toast, vanilla, violet, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
93 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Dec 2008
Dark ruby core with a bright rim. Smells like hot caramel dripped over wet slate with dark red cherry and cassis fruit, spicy anise and a touch of oak. Smooth entry on the palate. Medium to full bodied with big, round tannins. Dark cherries and roasted earth flavors on the mid-palate. Very smooth and elegant in the mouth with a long, silky finish accented by orange zest and cocoa powder. Better to let it age for a few more years, but starting to be approachable now. Will last another 15 years easily.
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Tags: 2005, anise, bordeaux, caramel, cassis, chateau, cherry, cocoa, earth, france, julien, oak, orange, pierre, powder, red, red wine, roast, ruby, saint, slate, spice, st-julien, wet, wine, zest
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Dec 2008
Medium ruby core with a bright rim. Charcoal and slate aromas over dusty roses, rich black cherry and a spicy touch of eucalyptus. Big tannins from the front all the way through the back palate. Dark cherry, plum and cassis are underscored by smoky charcoal. Coffee lingers on the finish. Still young and evolving; could get even better with age.
This is a blockbuster of a hidden gem that has managed to fly under the radar thus far. Complex enough to impress any Bordeaux connoisseur, yet priced right for just showing off in front of a few friends. A well made wine that is built to hold up for a while and will keep improving for a decade. Given the hype around the 2005 vintage for Bordeaux, many of the wines have skyrocketed in price, well beyond the value for what they deliver. Fortunately a few, like this one, remain accessible (for now…).
P.S. It’s pronounced “puh-TEET bock.”
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Tags: 2005, black, bocq, bordeaux, cassis, charcoal, cherry, coffee, estephe, eucalyptus, france, Petit, plum, red, red wine, rose, ruby, saint, slate, smoke, spice, st, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Dec 2008
Glass coating dark ruby from core to rim. Spicy plum aromas are backed by spicy fresh ginger, black cherry and a hint of earth. Smooth, juicy entry on to palate making it very approachable for such a young Bordeaux. Black cherry and cassis dominate the palate with a nice touch of roasted coffee in the lingering finish.
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Tags: 2005, aurilhac, black, bordeaux, cassis, chateau, cherry, coffee, d'aurilhac, earth, france, ginger, Haut, juice, medoc, plum, red, red wine, roast, ruby, spice, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 19 Dec 2008
Dark ruby/purple core with a ruby rim. Raspberry, cocoa powder and orange zest on the nose followed by cooler blueberry notes with a touch of graphite, earthy violets and spicy vanilla. Sweet entry on the palate with ripe cassis, black cherry and blackberry dominating. Medium bodied with fairly bold tannins through the finish. Touch of charcoal and plenty of toasted vanilla and oak join the sweet fruits on the finish. Not quite enough acid to balance the fruit, making it just a touch cloying.
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Tags: 2004, atlas, black, blackberry, blueberry, cabernet, california, cassis, charcoal, cherry, Coast, cocoa, earth, graphite, Napa, North, oak, orange, peak, powder, purple, raspberry, red, red wine, ruby, sauvignon, spice, toast, vanilla, violet, wine, zest
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
93 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 02 Dec 2008
Dark core with a bright ruby rim. Ripe, rich and smooth aromas of plum, black cherry and cassis fruits are surrounded by sweet vanilla, coconut and hints of banana with a darker charcoal tone. Dark entry in the mouth with smooth, dark plum and cherry accented by spicy cinnamon and nutmeg. The fruits are sweet and dark making a lush and full bodied yet very balanced wine that is easy to drink with low tannins and great acidity. Lingering flavors of strawberry surrounded by baking spices and vanilla cream. Delicious!
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Tags: 2004, baking, banana, black, Blend, california, cassis, charcoal, cherry, cinnamon, Coast, coconut, cream, juslyn, Napa, North, nutmeg, perry, perry's, plum, red, red wine, ruby, spice, strawberry, sweet, vanilla, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
89 / B-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 24 Jan 2008
Dark purple core with a purple and pink rim. Aromas of candied red cherry and citrus zest float over notes of citronella and a touch of earth. As the wine opens, the fruit aromas expand, bringing rich sweet blueberry to the mix. Big in the mouth with nice chewy, dusty tannins. The sweet dark fruits on the front are joined by wet stone, light herbals and a hint of earth. The finish is long, with ripe cassis and red cherry flavors.
A well known classic Napa Cabernet, and a name people will recognize as a quality bottle of wine. Fine for dinner if your girlfriend’s dad is coming over. Otherwise, save your money.
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Tags: 2005, blueberry, cabernet, california, candy, cassis, cherry, citronella, citrus, Coast, earth, groth, herb, Napa, North, pink, purple, red, red wine, sauvignon, stone, sweet, wine, zest
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 22 Jan 2008
Black core with a touch of fuchsia on the rim. Lighter aromas of oak, violets, caramel, black cherry and a hint of raisin. Medium bodied - fairly bold acid with good balance from the fruit. Sour cherries, cassis and blackberry leading to a dark baker’s chocolate finish. Round soft tannins make it ready to drink now. 13.5% ABV.
Don’t see this type of grape very often in California (or Italy either for that matter). Nice fruit, easy to drink, and a good hefty bottle that will impress people before you even pour the wine. Sealed with wax, which I find annoying for opening, but looks nice.
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Tags: 2003, Ambullneo, baker, baker's, black, blackberry, california, caramel, cassis, cherry, chocolate, Nonno, oak, raisin, red, red wine, ruchsia, sour, teroldego, violet, wine, Zito
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