18
Nov
2021
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Category: Uncorked Tonight
(January 15, 2021) ... My friend Dave, from Michigan, who introduced me to this wine, and from which I subsequently bought the wine, told me it is time to put this into a glass and drink it; so here I am taking his advice with my very last bottle: Big on raspberry, rich almost jammy, but with that kick of acidity on the finish which creates a long lasting impression. Hints of spice trickle in, joined by some licorice and blackberry along the way ... Yes, it's on the downside of its life, but it's still quite enjoyable - and it remains one of the best Cline wines I have ever had, and I have had some really good ones in my day.
14
Oct
2021
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Category: Uncorked Tonight
(January 10, 2021) ... Another of my famous finds in the cellar selections, this time I found two different vintages of the same wine - these used to be great examples of the grape, but how have they held up? Time to find out:
2002 ... My notes start out like this: not the greatest, has a sweet cherry vanilla note but the nose is full of volatile acidity, leather and licorice ... then comes the chemical perm, oak, and spice - interesting but kinda scary ... then 20 minutes later it's turned leathery, weedy and port-esque, very off-putting. Dead in 30 minutes. The best part of this wine was the first 10 minutes.
2006 ... Another atrocious nose but the palate seems to be okay - leather, pruney, burnt coffee, spiced oak, dried cherry with more leather on the finish ... opens up fresher, smoother and silkier than one would expect with a touch of dried dark fruit and mocha. This one was at least drinkable for longer.