Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
93 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 11 Aug 2008
Dark, almost black, core surrounded by a thick glass-coating fuchsia rim. New oak aromas (coconut, fried banana chips and vanilla) over rich aromas of cocoa, plum, black cherry, cassis and blackberry with a lingering hint of nutmeg and wet slate. Very dense and thick in the mouth with a ton of tannic grip. Black cherry and plum fruits are underscored by a streak of minerality. A touch of coffee, vanilla, coconut and baker’s chocolate linger on the finish.
A blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 3% Garnacha and 2% other. The vines range in age from 34 - 97 years old, which means that each vine produces less fruit, but the flavors are darker and more concentrated than those from young vines.
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Tags: 2004, balckberry, banana, Blend, Bodegas, cassis, cherry, chocolate, cocoa, coconut, coffee, Fernando, Ganuza, Garnacha, Graciano, mineral, nutmeg, oak, plum, Ramirez, red, red wine, Rioja, slate, spain, Tempranillo, vanilla
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
89 / C+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 27 Aug 2008
Medium ruby core with a pink rim. Orange zest aromas over cassis, strawberry and red cherry with lighter charcoal and wet earth notes. Sweet cocoa and strawberries on the front palate with nice baking spices on the back. Black cherry with a touch of licorice and vanilla on the finish. This is a real easy drinker, not a lot of tannin. For the price, I’d like to see a little more tannin or complexity. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
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Tags: 2005, Blend, cabernet, california, cassis, charcoal, cherry, Coast, cocoa, Collection, Donald, earth, Franc, licorice, Luke, merlot, Napa, North, Petit, red, red wine, sauvignon, spice, strawberry, USA, valley, vanilla, verdot, zest
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
91 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 27 Aug 2008
Dark ruby core with a medium rim. Sweet ripe dark berry aromas with lighter floral notes and a hint of green pepper. Lots of acidity on the palate keeping it very juicy and fresh. Ripe and dense but with good balance. Spicy raspberry and black cherry with a smooth lingering vanilla and cocoa finish. Finding a Syrah from South Africa with this much elegance and complexity is refreshing. Not a cheap wine, but high quality and fun for the Syrah lover who wants to try something different.
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Tags: 2005, Africa, berry, cherry, Cirrus, Coastal, cocoa, floral, green, pepper, raspberry, red, red wine, South, spicy, Syrah, vanilla
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
89 / B-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 27 Aug 2008
Inky purple/black core with a violet rim. Cocoa, blackberry and dark cherry aromas with cooler hints of slate and violets. Silky entry on the palate. White pepper spice surrounds black cherry and blackberry. Medium+ body with a long, chewy spicy finish.
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Tags: 2005, blackberry, castilla, cherry, Christina, cocoa, Cyclo, Duero, Finca, leon, pepper, red, red wine, Ribera, slate, spain, spice, tempranilla, Torremilanos, violet
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
90 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 21 Jul 2008
Medium ruby core with a light pink rim. Aromas of fresh, juicy raspberries and cherries with sweet tea highlights, surrounded by toasty spices and a hint of wet earth minerality. Juicy entry into the mouth; big ripe raspberries and black cherries are underscored by dark chocolate and black licorice candy. Fairly low acidity and very smooth body from front to back. Cocoa and hints of smoke linger in the finish. Drink over the next 1 - 2 years.
This is a big Spanish wine for not a lot of money; this 100% Monastrell is made in stainless steel tanks to preserve the freshness of the fruit. There’s also a lot of great spicy and smoky characteristics that come from the soil where the grapes are grown. This wine is big and juicy and is great before a meal or with ham, pork or beef dishes. You can recognize the bottle in a shop by the giant “M5″ in florescent green and blue colors. Don’t look for the winery name, as it just says “v.s.l.” in tiny letters. [Monastrell is the same grape as Mourvedre which is common in southern France. The French ones are often darker in fruit - more plum and blackberry than strawberry and raspberry - and earthier while the Spanish ones, like this, often have more red fruit flavors and spices.]
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Tags: 2006, black, candy, cherry, chocolate, cocoa, dark, earth, fresh, juicy, licorice, m5 monastrell, mineral, monastrell, raspberry, red wine, ruby, sin-ley, smoke, spain, spice, sweet, toast, vinos, yecla
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