• Smells of plumb off the nose.
• Deep dark and rich colors.
• Tastes dark fruit and spice with prune at the end.
• Out of the bottle it was very harsh, but much nicer after decanting.
• This wine is like a crazy Uncle that says a lot of outlandish things… yet every once in a while, comes up with a comment that really displays a lot of wisdom.

Justagrape.com was provided a complementary bottle of this wine from Fresh & Easy and was not compensated for this review.

• Aromas were complex, interesting, and inviting.
• Scents of ripe juicy blackberry with a slight undertone of spearmint.
• Fairly dry but balanced quite well with flavors of fruit.
• Concentrated and deep and the blackberry aromas continue in the tastes.
• Medium to long finish that is very pleasant.
• Much smother in the mouth than the 2007.
• Great tannins and an excellent value for this price-point.
• Flavorful and interesting and at such an affordable price.  This wine is like walking into a store and finding a 50 dollar bill on the way in.  You go in and use that bill and feel so good because it feels like such a bargain.

Justagrape.com was provided a complementary bottle of this wine directly from Fresh & Easy and was not compensated for this review.

• Aromas of ripe fruit.
• Masculine notes of leather and spice in the taste.
• High tannin content makes it a bit harsh in the mouth.
• Rich and robust tastes of oak and cigar with a lingering finish.
• This wine is not the like the weight watchers breakfast of fresh fruit and yogurt….this wine is much more like a stick to your ribs country style breakfast of steak and eggs with a side of corn beef hash.

• Spicy aromas with a hint of marmalade.
• Oak flavors with higher tannins.
• Decanting is recommended.
• Tastes of dried cherries.
• Like a person who floats around from one group of friends to another group of friends….they come and go as they please and you never know when they are going to show up… but when they do show up, they are usually pretty fun to hang out with.

• Very light scents of fruit with a predominant alcohol smell
• Strong tastes of blackberry at first
• Hints of pipe tobacco follow the fruit
• A lot of body but the flavors are not defined….they tend to meld together
• A bit unrefined and boisterous….like the obnoxious friend everyone has in their circle… You can handle him in small doses and you don’t really hate him….you just need to limit your time with him before he becomes a little too much.

• Vanilla and blackberries with a hint of cotton candy in the aroma.
• Moderate tannins
• Fruit forward taste yet not too sweet.
• Soft smooth mouth feel with a nice dry finish.
• This wine is like a mid-summer day… in the pacific northwest.  It’s refreshing and cool in a summery way but not too overpowering.
  

• Strong aromas of fresh berries
• Good balance between earthiness and fruitiness
• Toasted oak flavors mix well with hints fruits such as plum and black cherry
• Hints of cranberry towards the end
• Very easy to drink with a meal or by itself
• This wine is simple yet brings enough to the table so you will enjoy it……Like going over to Grandmas for Sunday dinner….The meal is simple and old fashioned but you enjoy every minute of being there.

• Hints of Chocolate and coffee in the aroma
• The aroma is intense
• The taste was slightly spicy witha little plum
• A bit harsher than past vintages
• Very dry wine with a lot of tannins
• One dimensional in its flavor and a little boring.
• This wine is like free tickets to a baseball game between two teams you do not have a vested interest in. Your glad you got them and not upset that you went, but were not overly thrilled while you were there. It was better than sitting around the house all night but not exactly the World Series either.