Sandhill One 2007

The Sandhill One is a blend of Cab. Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  It bears a strong family resemblance to the Petit Verdot, but somehow it doesn’t quite strike the right note. It is certainly rich and smooth, like the label says, but it is not particularly complex.  Kelly detected a slightly bitter finish, which I can’t say I really noticed, but on the whole it struck me as well done, but in an overly soft, fairly generic new world style. It had me second guessing my positive review of the Petit Verdot, since the two are quite similar in style, but Kelly assures me that the Petit Verdot is just better (I also take comfort from Peanutman’s comment). I tried the 2004 vintage of the One a couple of years ago (when it was four years old) and loved it. Maybe another year or two will improve the 2007.

Vilafonte Series C 2003

The blog has been moribund – but it’s not dead yet.  Let’s get it kick started with a review from Michelle, along with a food pairing – and even the recipe!

— Michelle’s Review —

Ok I have to admit, I did not purchase this little gem. Last night Don and I were having pork loin medallions with an apple cider reduction along with mushroom/quinoa pilaf. The inevitable question came up "Do we have any wine?". Yes, its funny, but I have a very small rack and there are certain ones in it, that cannot be touched. The top row, is usually the every day ones that I open at the drop of a hat (you know, under $20/bottle). As you go down all three rows of the rack, the price goes up or my affection grows (my last Chianti skuttled in a suitcase from Italy is on the bottom). So, I say yes, take one from the top. Now, imagine my surprise when this unknown bottle shows up. I am perplexed. I didn’t buy it and I don’t remember adding it to the rack. I read the back and say "Sounds nice, it’s a blend that should go great with the pork".

The nose had the deep berry, slighly earthy hints with a smattering of vanilla. In the glass deep, dark indigo. I got the anticipation giggles. Woo. I was completely surprised. Gorgeous dark fruit cake with plums and tobacco. The finish was velvet smooth with little or no tannic aftershock. WOW. I was in heaven. Went nicely with the pork without overpowering it. I just kept topping up my glass. Its one of those pleasant surprises. I just wish I knew who brought it over, so I could congratulate them.

Pork Loin with Apple Cider

1 pork loin
3 TB each thyme, mint, oregano
3 T Olive oil
½ onion sliced
3 cloves garlic
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
½ cup apple cider or apple juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine herbs. Pat pork loin dry and rub on the herbs (I usually put it in a ziplock and toss it around).  Slice loin into medallions about 1 inch thick.  Heat olive oil over medium heat an oven proof pan. When hot, add onions and garlic.  Sauté for about 3 minutes stirring frequently.  Add pork medallions and brown for 3 minutes each side.  Add  rosemary & apple cider. Place in the preheated oven.  Cook for about 10 more minutes and then broil for about 2 minutes until the pork is browned.  Lots of fresh ground black pepper to serve.

Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 green onion
2 TB of fresh thyme

Bring stock to a boil and add mushrooms quinoa and onion. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes or until stock is absorbed. Add the fresh thyme and fluff with a fork.

Price $39.99
Value 3/5
Merlot 41%, Cabernet Sauvignon 39%, Malbec 16%, Cabernet Franc 4%
South Africa, Paarl Region

Rymill Coonawarra MC2 2003

This blog is intended to be about diversity of opinion, so I checked out the review this wine at Nick’s, a major Australian retailer that usually provides well balanced reviews (given that they are trying to seel the stuff).  They didn’t much like this wine.  This makes me think of Gallo Barrelli Creek Cab - WS gave it an 86 in 2003, but we liked much better than when we tried it in 2009.  There’s lots of it left, so if anyone else has tried this wine, please let us know whether you agree with Nick’s or with Iron Chef.

— Iron chef’s Review —

My Coonawarra adventure continues.

Colour - Ruby core, to orangish rim.
Nose - Dried spices - cloves, green peppers, currants and plums. Some hot notes mixed with Vicks. New shoe leather. Floral components. Deeply aromatic and interesting.
Taste - Currants and plums -  more dried cooking spices. Mint and menthol. Some sweat. Very drying palate somewhat austere. Faint coconut and stewed apples late on the palate. Good tannins.
Overall - Loved this wine. Not as peppery as the Yearling, but more complex. I have a feeling that this would improve in my cellar. Screw cap - decanted 45 minutes.

Are there any other Coonawarras except for the Jacob's Creek St Hugo at $40 at ANBL?

Score 91
Value 5/5
Australia – Coonawarra
65% Cab Sauvignon 23% Merlot, 12% Cab Franc
13.5% Alcohol
Price: $19.99
UPC: 9315128981089

Warwick Trilogy 2004

Even though this wine isn't available any more, it's always interesting to find out what a few years of age will do to a wine, especially for the next time you're thinking of buying this style.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Opened this with a South African neighbor. Popped and drank. Beautiful cork.

Nose- Cassis, stewed cherries, vanilla, oak, coconut and anise. Some aromas of green coffee beans. It really smelled great- that 'fine wine smell'- long deep nose.

Taste- Loads of Oaky vanilla, white chocolate and Coconut lathered over a cherry stew. Nice mineral or green apple acidity and abundant chewy tannins. And pithy green peppers. Some astringent coffee notes latte on the palate. The finish went on forever.

Overall- A really special wine that was drank far, far too early- reminded me of an earlier version of Don Melchor, before it became an over extracted Parker wine. If anyone still has these, please hide them for at least another 3-5 yrs.

Price: Sale wine 2-3 yrs ago- about $40Value: 4/5
Score: 93
Region: South Africa- Stellenbosch
Grape: 55% Cabernet, 34% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot
Alcoho: 14.5%
UPC: No longer available

Montalto Nero D'Avola/Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

A nice thing about focusing on ANBL wines is that we can revisit the same wines from one year to the next. Michelle much didn’t like the 2004 vintage of this wine, but Peter says the 2008 is a solid pasta wine and good value at the price. Difference of vintage, or just a difference in taste? If you try it, let us know what you think.

— Peter’s Review —

Nose: Rather subtle nose. Offering up just a tease of floral notes and some
indistinct red fruit.

Taste: Very light body, some vibrant red fruit up front. Noteworthy pronounced acidity, that is kept completely in check and balanced. Background tannins that you get with some prolonged swishing on the palate. Not a whole lot of complexity. Disappears quickly. It paired nicely with a traditional meat lasagna and the usual sides (salad and bread). Overall nice flavor. Not a thinking (wo)man's wine, but enjoyable none-the-less. No heat detectable as in other vintages reviewed.

Commentary: There have been reviews of prior vintages of this wine and some interesting discussion in the comments on this site. One person noted that it got 4th place in the 'killer value' section of this years 'Wine Access' awards amongst hundreds of entries. A rather rare find, in that it is a lighter bodied red that doesn't taste watered down or just nasty. And rare in that it is <$15 and still is balanced and food friendly. I'd keep one around for weeknight pasta meals.

Price: $11.79
Rating: 87
Value: 5/5
Region: Sicily
UPC: 8030423000754

Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada 2007

It seems to be the shoulder season for me - too cool for white, too warm for red. Soon, Kelly and I will be back to our regular glass of red in the evening. For now, it's good to know someone out there is still drinking wine - who else but Iron Chef?

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

I was intrigued to read the label describing a blend of great Chilean vineyards, Pirque for the Cab and Peumo for the Syrah.
Nose- Warm vanilla oak with lots of Mocha and dark chocolate. A really dense nose of extracted cherries and ripe fruit.
Taste- Heavy and strong. High alcohol scented. Rich dark chocolate and Toasty vanilla oak. Highly extracted dark fruit- raisins and prunes. High Octane.
Overall: Some people that we tasted this with did not care for it, "too over the top" was a common statement. But I like it for what it was, a High Octane fruit bomb, and no nuances here.

Price: $20.99
Value: 3/5
Score: 88
Region: Chile, Maipo Valley
Alcohol: 14.5%
Grape: Cabernet & Syrah Blend
UPC: 7804320272252

Trio Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Cabernet Franc 2007

Here's a companion to last week's review of the Trio Merlot

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

After the success of the Merlot Trio, I was excited to try this again. Also Norman's blog of astringent Cabs was ringing in my ears.

Nose- Heady with Alcohol. Black currants, Menthol Tobacco. Burnt sugar. Some stemmy aromas.
Taste- Hot and boozy. Bell/Green Peppers, Sun dried tomatoes. Jammy Currants. Sharpe after taste- lots of tannins mixed with resiny oak. Some nice caramel notes.
Decanted for 2 hours.

Overall: I remember a number of years ago doing a Lindeman's Tasting blind- the Merlot, the Cab and even the Pinot Noir were remarkably similar, a certain house style refined the varietals characteristics into one indefinable taste. The Concha Toro wines don't seem to suffer that fate, the Merlot Trio and the Cab Trio are quite different, even though I may like one style much more than the other, I respect their differences.
The astringent qualities of the Cab blend was very evident, the palate was sharp, this was thankfully lessened with food, but present all along. A good example of this maybe Chocolate, it is often assumed that the higher cocoa percentage yields a better chocolate, but I have found that 75% or more cocoa just imparts a bitter flavour. Cabernet, like cocoa, needs other things to tone down the bitter parts, like oak or longer maceration or even Merlot.
I liked this wine, but in comparison to the Merlot Trio, it was lacking.

Retail Price: $15.79
Value: 3.5/5
Score: 86
Region: Chile- Maipo
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 7804320143958

Trio Merlot Carmenere Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

This picks up on our recent end-of-summer theme of value-priced reds.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

I haven't had this wine forever, and I can't remember why I stopped drinking this.

Nose: Warm Oak, dark/ extracted cherries, Coconut, nutmeg and cloves. Nice white pepper aromas. Very full nose.
Taste: Plumes and other stone/pitted fruits. Nice spicy pepper tastes and sun tan lotion. Really enjoyable and long finish especially for this price range..
Overall a very solid wine that delivers a long finish with interesting aromas. For some reason lately Merlots have been tasting very good to me.
I won't make the mistake of forgetting this wine in the future. I will have to have the Cab blend next.

Price: $15.79
Value: 5/5
Score: 91
Region: Chile - Rapel
Alcohol: 14.5%
UPC: 7804320143941

Castello Banfi Sant'Antimo Cum Laude 2004

We had this wine blind at a friend’s house last week. This is a change for me as I usually pick the wine from the cellar, so I rarely get to taste blind (while Kelly often does - which is why she is so much better than I am at identifying the wine.)

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah. The style was the nice balance between old world and new that the Italians do so well - I guessed it as either Australian or Italian. I also guessed it was a Cab, while Kelly picked it as having Sangiovese.

After that build up, I have to say that unfortunately, I can’t really give this wine a proper review. It tasted distinctly, though not overwhelmingly, of the astringent taste that sometimes mars a Cab for me. I’m particularly sensitive to this taste. I remember having a Cab one night with about eight other people. Two of us found this taste made the Cab undrinkable, one person could taste it, but it didn’t bother her much, and the other five were completely oblivious to it. Bottom line - I didn’t enjoy this wine much, but I don’t want to blame the wine.

Kelly’s notes are brief as this was a dinner party: “Berries, plums, cedar, wool. A bit hot on the nose. Nice on the palate, finishing with firm tannins.” She rated it 91.

Has anyone else noticed this issue with Cabs? Because of this issue, I’m not going to give it my own score or value rating - I'll just give Kelly's.

Price: $45.99
Score: 91
Value: 3/5
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah
UPC: 8015674440764

Château Reynella Cabernet-Merlot Basket Pressed 1997

It's always interesting to get reviews of wines that have been cellared for a while, even if they're not available any more, as it gives us an idea of whether the current vintage will do well.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

The last of the Reynellas I own. Sorry to see them go. The best of the Shiraz, Cab and the Cab/Merlot was the Cab/Merlot.
Nose- Some barnyard notes or brett (Brettanomyces- a fungus, old barrels are frequently touted as the main culprits). Rich cherry and plum favours. Mint and dried spices like cloves. Lots of stuff going on in the nose.
Taste- Stewed Cherries and plums, Chocolate and Coffee. Cedar and sandalwood. Very smooth tannins. Rich, velvety texture. Seemed fresh and vivid. No trace of age or dullness. Finish that lasted for a long time.
Overall- had this with a couple of good friends, but probably had it 3-5 yrs too early. Lots of life left in this one. This had all the elements, smell, taste, complexity, length, everything. It tasted a lot like a Super Super Tuscan. Spoke with a representative of the NFLD Liquor and they still have a couple of this vintage amazingly.

Price: about $40
Value 5/5
Score 94
Grape- Cab/ Merlot Blend
Region- Australia- McLaren Vale
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: Not available in NB; purchased from NS Port of Wines

Lehmann Clancy's Red 2005

Single vineyard varietal wines are all the rage - and Clancy’s Red from Lehmann shows why this is a mistake. With a blend of grape of different varieties sourced from various Barossa vineyards, Lehmann has put together a great wine at a great price. This is not at all the kind of candied fruit bomb that I worry about getting from Aus at this price - Kelly first guessed every country in Europe, and then said 'well, it's not Australian." (I love it when a wine fools her.) It has good fruit, but with restraint, and a twist of something a bit different at the finish for interest. Just a bit of a rough edge, though that dissipated with air. Excellent balance. I wish I knew how long this is likely to cellar.

Here's Kelly's note: "Nose of dried flowers, stewed fruit, warm spices (cinnamon, cloves, pepper). Much more earthy and spicy on the palate; long, with maybe an eensy hard note at the very finish. No way I'd have guessed it Australian - I was pretty sure it was Italian and certain it was old world. At least I got the blend right."

Kelly and I independently gave it the same score. Ok, not 89.5, but we were both wavering between 89 and 90.

Price: $19.99
Score: 89.5
Value: 5/5
Region: Australia, Barossa
Grape: 35% Shiraz, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc.
Alcohol: 14.5%
UPC: 9311910102069

Clos de Los Siete 2005

--- A Review from Vasco da Gama ---

This is an interesting blend of Malbec, Cab, and Syrah from one of the most renowned wine producers/consultants on the planet Michel Rolland. I was anxious to try this wine, and could no longer resist, so I tried this fresh out of the bottle last night - The cork and wine are both a very dark purple. This wine has a beautiful smell of vanilla, gravel, dark berries, ripe plum and licorice with a hint of smokiness (on the 2nd glass I picked up the scent of cherry blossom or cherry nibs, as well as tar). The blackberries, licorice, and dark cherries come through on the palate with good refined tannins and balanced acidity. A beautiful full bodied red with a nice long dark chocolate finish. This is a superb and complex wine to drink now, but I suspect it will only get better over the next few years into 2015 or so. Will have to try another bottle again a few years down the road to see if it doesn't have even more character to it. Although the price of $33.29 is not cheap, for the quality you are getting I would say this is great wine and an excellent value, and I like the label :-)

Price: $33.70
Score: 93
Value: 4.5/5
Region: Argentina
Grape: Malbec, Cabernet, Syrah
UPC 7798104410179

JF Lurton Araucano Clos Lolol 2003

Here is a review from Iron Chef.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose: Stewed Berries and currants. Black Licorice. Touch of white pepper and a wonderful bouquet of dried flowers and baking spices. Very Herbal with Mint and Rosemary. I like the nose it was spicy and flowery - a bit hot with alcohol.
Palate: Lots of fruit - black berries but not jammy or candied.Nice tannins that coated the month. Dried flowers and minty. I would say that this is ready to drink - might benefit from more time but the elements have come together. Very nice taste but did not completely deliver the promise on the nose. Finish was long but the palate was less complex. Good solid wine, but not great - especially for the price.

Price: $29.29
Score: 88
Value: 2.9/5
Region: Chile, Colchagua Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grape: 50% Cab and 50% Carmenère
UPC: 635335676318

Collazzi Toscana 2005

Have I mentioned that I'm keen on Bordeaux blends lately? I believe that this one is also a Super Tuscan. Italian wines that do not adhere to the blending laws for the region in question must be sold as “table wine” rather than, say, Chianti. In Tuscany in the mid 1970s, producers began to experiment with non-traditional grape varieties with great international success, and the term Super Tuscan was coined to describe those wines.

This wine offers lots of anise and dark berry on the nose, and also minerals, cedar, tobacco, spices, and maybe also coffee, chocolate, and oak. It is luscious on the palate, with firm tannins throughout and especially on the finish, which is long. It is distinctly Italian in style. Tasting blind (as usual), I immediately identified it as Italian. Then I proceeded to guess practically every grape variety in the known universe before settling on Bordeaux; and I’m usually pretty good at identifying that blend, whatever its origin. It is delicious, and good value at the price. We have an older vintage in the cellar that should be very interesting for comparison.

P.S. Only after writing this review did I learn that we already blogged this wine. Norman was apparently testing us - he’s cheeky that way - and I think the reviews are quite similar.

Price: $48.99
Score: 93
Value: 4/5
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Tasted: March 2009
UPC: 8007425050452

Antinori Guado al Tasso DOC 2000

Well, we had a week of sub $20 wines, so today we'll jump to the other end of the price range. Here is Iron's Chef's review of one of the prestige wines available at ANBL.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Brought this to a tasting that featured Chateau Montelena 1994, Cos D'Estrournel 1998, Ornellaia Masseto 2002, Vega Sicilia 1998 and it was not out of place. There is only 9 bottles of this left in ANBL- run don't walk. WS rated this 93 pts, sandwiched between 95 pt vintages of 1999 and 2001. The Guado was served before a 2001 Solaia btw.

The Palate had menthol, cloves, dries bay leaves, Dulce and smoked bacon, slathered with oaky vanilla. The usual Leather, earthy notes, mushrooms and pencil shavings. The Palate was Meaty- Gamey and really really smooth. Velvety texture. The fruit was still front and centre- strewed cherries and prunes. The full cassis treatment. The wine showed some age, but the fruit was still powerful for a wine from 2000. The term integrated tannins is often used in WS, but I truly tasted what that mean- a fine smooth texture of the wine- it has weight and distinction, but isn't a bully. A beautiful wine.

Price: $77.56
Score: 96- the Solaia was even better.
Value: 4/5
Region: Bolgheri, Italy (Super Tuscan)
Grape: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Syrah
Tasted: Feb 2009
Alcohol 14%
UPC #400009312379

Rymill MC2 2003

I’m all about Bordeaux blends lately. I find that new world versions of this old world classic tend to offer a great combination of “oomph” and elegance. In this case, the blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Franc. It’s not the fruity, oaky wine that I usually expect from Australia at this price. Peppery, on the nose, with notes of capers, ripe blackberries, and maybe leather and spice, it’s approachable and well balanced, clear and smooth on the palate with firm but fine tannins and good intensity and length. It’s good value at the price.

Norman really liked the Rymill booth at the Expo. While I wasn’t so keen then, after many hours of tasting, I’ve got to agree with him now. Their 2004 Shiraz is also a winner.

The only small negative is that the MC2 has a bit of the unpleasant capers/capsicum/peppers quality that some people detect in some Cabernet Sauvignons. (Remember the high school science experiment in which PTC-infused paper rates from unremarkable to untasty to stupendously revolting, according to the taster’s genotype? I think it’s like that, except maybe it has to do with underripe grapes.) I can’t detect that flavour, so it didn’t affect my enjoyment.

Price: $19.99
Score: 88
Value: 4/5
Region: Coonawarra, Australia
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Tasted: Jan 2009
UPC: 9315128981089

Palo Alto Reserva Red 2007

The "Make a Suggestion" thread has been very active, so I thought I'd depart from the usual every other day posting schedule in order to catch up on posting some of those reviews. Here's one from Iron Chef, who put this wine on his "Top 10" list:

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Since the 2007s were on the shelf, I had to get it a try. The Cab/Syrah/ Carmenere blend is an annual All-Value nomination for me and the 2007 is again very good. The nose was dominated by Cracked White Pepper, some Vegetable notes – Red Peppers maybe and Black currants. The Eucalyptus was followed quickly by a nice warm vanilla wood smells to round out the aromas. The Palate was Black fruits mixed with tobacco and heady alcohol. The palate was a touch thinner than I remember but the white pepper was stronger than I had recalled maybe to even it all out. A really enjoyable wine. I can’t think of a better value at ANBL at this time.

Price: $13.49
Score: 85
Value: 5/5
Region: Chile, Maule Valley
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Syrah
Tasted: Dec 2008
UPC: 7804320214085

Collazzi Toscana 2005

Here's a brief review from Chris MacDonald, ANBL's wine buyer:

I tried the Collazzi 2005 at the show. This is a wine I have been collecting since 2001. Collazzi is a super tuscan in terms of style and grape assemblage but has a reasonable price tag (mid forties$) compared to other well known super tuscans (usually $60+).

As for the description, I found it very rich in aroma and taste with a long finish. Even though this wine has little or no sangiovese in it, it is distinctly Italian...especially on the nose. What makes a wine distincly Italian? For me it is the dried cherries mixed with savoury aromas and a sense of "salt" on the palate.

Name: Collazzi IGT
Price: $48.79
Rating: 4.5/5
Value: 4/5
UPC: 8007425050452

Collazzi is very good every vintage.

Le Bonheur Prima 2004

Here's a review from Michelle:

Tonight..while I was peddling my trainer watching last year's Stage 10....I let a bottle of Le Bonheur Prima 2004 breathe. I didn't decant...because I am the only one drinking it :) Therefore this bottle will be "stopped" and consumed at a later date. I did read, however one review said it didn't lose anything after a day or so. Time will tell.

This wine is a blend of 75% merlot and 25% cabernet. I found first on the nose was a deep berry with plum overtones, earthy perhaps. It really reminds me of a muted California Zin. Not the berry bomb though. More subtle. On the palate, it's hard to nail it down. Cherry is the most prominent. Characteristic Merlot with subtle Cab nuance. I rather enjoyed it. I think it would be more suitable with a food pairing. Red meat of course..such as a beautifully cooked sirloin but would be stellar with a good blue cheese, brie or a nuttier aged gouda.

The value - I am not so sure it's a good value. Yes, I did enjoy it, but would I buy it again if someone gave me $30 to pick out a wine? Probably not.

Price: $26.07
Value: 3/5
Score: 88
Alcohol: 13%
Region: South Africa, Stellenbosch, Simonsberg Ward
Tasted: Nov 2008
UPC: 6001497413254

J. & F. Lurton Hacienda Araucano Clos de Lolol 2003

This wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere, is a bit tricky for me to rate. I wasn't keen on it; while I thought it has a good cab structure, it didn't seem to have much fruit and I found it to have a harsh edge to it. But on the other hand, I know that I am quite sensitive to some component that shows up pretty regularly in cabernets. I first noticed this while tasting the Alconde Reserva Navarra from last year's Wine Expo with a group of five other people. Four people sat around discussing the fine points of the wine and what flavours they were getting, while two of us just looked at each other thinking "Are they nuts? This wine is crap." At the end of the day, I'm pretty sure that the two of us were tasting a flavour compound that the other four just couldn't taste at all. I think there might be a touch of that here, which accounts for the harshness I noticed, because Kelly liked this wine very much.

Here's her note: "Elegant nose of raspberries, violets, anise, tar, and hint of spruce follows through on palate for long finish with firm tannins. Clear, bright flavours and decent complexity; but flavour profile is somewhat static (in that it doesn't change much over time). Nose became more lush after half hour or so in glass. This wine struck me as European in style - my first guess was Italian."

She scored it 91. Personally, I would have to give it much less than that - much much less. More like 83. Kelly and I usually agree pretty closely about wine scores, which again makes me think I'm tasting something she's not.

Day 2: I served the remaining half-bottle blind to Ted and Kelly. Ted was a fan: "I'd be happy to pay $35, and I'd expect this to be in the $45-50 range." He also scored it 91. Kelly's tasting notes were consistent - raspberries, tar and evergreen - though she downgraded the score to 87. But I think it did suffer a bit in the half-bottle. I still didn't much like it, but it looks like that's just me.

Price: $29.29
Value: 2/5(N); 4/5 (K)
Score: 83(N); 91(K)
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 635335676318