Big fruity wine , very Cali cab in a fruity juicy way. All the Cali fans enjoyed this , doesn't seem close to peak yet. From MAG. A week later this was still hanging around in a decanter , it took on some green peppers and a stoudt firm backbone. Still very drinkable.
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Deep dark purple red color. Metal, licorice and lots of alcohol on the nose. My husband gets blackberry. Blueberry, dark fruit, mocha, coffee, plum flavors. Very rich. It's been open 2 hours and still opening up. Unfortunately, we might drink it all very soon.
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Big, rich, and extracted, though likely softened a bit more towards my end of the spectrum over the years. Good and well-made, but probably not something I'd seek out again myself given my current preferences.
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Deep opaque purple. Dark berries, plums, cedar on the nose. A monster of a wine—full bodied, mouth-coating. Black fruit and dark chocolate, with slightly bitter, drying tannin and a noticeably high alcohol. The oak has settled somewhat in the last six years, but still a bruiser of a wine with oak tannin cutting off the finish.
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Opened 1,5 hours before consumption. Pleasant nose with berries. Really full-bodied on the palate. Really nice wine and in a great drinking window now.
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Decanted 1 hour. Dark red to purple. Dense in palate with rich blackberry, cocoa lurking along with coffee, some mineral. But its pretty much all about the blackberry and hints of plum. Pretty good acid, but with the high alcohol, the sweet burn combines with the fruit to be a bit heavy. Perhaps its topping out, will more time improve or just further reduce freshness and balance? Good but kind of subtle like a sledgehammer. Serving with food-grilled lamb loin chops and an Ottelenghi braised tomato/garlic/cinnamon rice dish--made for good combination.
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Simply delightful. From start to finish, great nose with a touch of cedar, anise. Plenty of fruit and not jammy despite the alcohol content. Lingering finish.
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black/purple in glass. Vanilla, sweet cherry, black raspberry, sweet tobacco. On palate, sweet cherry, glycerin, blackberry jam - more advanced than my last bottle enjoyed in February of this year. Full body, medium acidity, integrated tannins and long finish. Drink now. 91+/
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Showed up on CT "drink now." Still have one bottle left. Not able to take notes given this was served at dinner. While fully mature, it drank beautifully and I'm amazed a 16% alcohol wine can be this balanced - but it was. 93+
Will drink remaining bottle in next 12-18 months.
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The tannins seem finer than other vintages, and there might be a little more dark fruit. Otherwise this matches the standard of previous years: It's a well-balanced high-octane fruit bomb that doesn't show its alcohol too much, and it's hard not to like it. It's still an excellent value at about $40.
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...ça commence à se placer toute cette matière. Assez joufflu encore, beaucoup de fruits noirs, mures et bleuets avec des tannins satinés et une finale bien longue...on va attendre encore!
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Still primary with fruit abundant, no sign of secondary flavors approaching. It wasn't fatiguing to the palate but it started to get a bit flabby and that's considering I drank it on a fairly cold night. Consumed stand alone and this probably would have shown better with a steak. the 2011 was better 3 years ago.
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[Evaluated on the second night, which expanded its complexity, went from 92 to 94] Ripe, not overripe prunes, dark chocolate, clearly stronger alcohol, which comes with some beautiful high tones of coconut, lemgongrass, tiny bit of orange (not sharp like in actual fruit, but when you have dark chocolate with orange infusion...). Gorgeous wood and tannin weave over the palate carrying the rich ripe berries, cherry, then tobacco, cocoa, smoke, still some well-presenting acidity; ending in dark, smooth fruit, almost oily in elegance, extremely long. A year ago I thought the 2011 vintage had gone beyond its peak. This bottle is at the perfect stage.
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Intense et complexe. Beaucoup de fruits noirs, mures et bleuets avec des tannins soyeux. Il y a aussi un peu d'épices et de boisé mais pas à outrance. Finale interminable. Super bon mais sera encore mieux dans quelques années surement.
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Spectacular bottle of wine. Just rich, full, really fine tannins. Just sooooo good. I know they make a $110+ wine that has an opposite Cabernet/Mouvedre blend, but can it possibly be 3 times better than this version of their wine? Has anyone ever had it?
Wonderful aromas of cocoa and dark fruit. Rich from front to back palate with lingering flavors of chocolate. May be the best bottle of this that I have had.
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7th Annual Christmas dinner and cellar raid (Naperville, IL): Part of Christmas wine dinner and cellar raid and didn't take detailed notes. Since we opened the 2002 someone wanted to compare to a more recent Clio. Right where you would expect a young Clio and just highlights the consistency of this wine over the years.
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Of all the things we learn about wine over the years, the one lesson that's slow to sink in is, let them breathe before consumption, especially the big ones.
Aerated into decanter, and again for the initial glass, but the first hour or so was like getting smacked in the face with berries and oak spice. Good, but aggressive.
After an hour the texture started softening, the nose started evolving, and both processes continued over the next few hours. Obviously we've seen this journey before, but this needed no coaxing at all, and often these burly beasts just won't be tamed. The difference between first and last sips was incredible.
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I'm upgrading this wine after 6 years in the cellar. Still fresh with a lovely berry lush round flavor. The finish is long and deep, with a smokey mid-palate. Even though it's 15% alc. it's not hot on the finish. A must buy if you can find it.
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No matter how many times I open one of these bottles, I'm blown away. This is not a wine for the faint of heart. It's all power. Dark fruit and baking spice with tons of vanilla. This is the type of wine that many people hate for being over-manipulated. But I say "bump that noise," because this is gluttony at its best.
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Stupendous wine. What an interesting result of a Cab/Mourvedre blend. Very lush, just fills you mouth with black fruit. Lingering aftertastes. Great with food.
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This 2011 Clio, like the '10 and '14 vintages tasted recently is big, full bodied, concentrated forward fruit flavored wine. Consistent with early tasting notes, it was dark garnet colored, but it was less polished than some recent vintages with a slight graphite edge, the dark black and red berry fruits give way to cassis, anise, and a layer of expresso with moderate acidity, medium plus tannins and high alcohol on a long full finish.
Third bottle of four for the night, best of the bunch. Second time we have had this, we are two-for-two. Beautiful aromas upon opening, does not require much air time.
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Served with steak au poivre, Christmas eve. Drinking quite well, lovely wine alone and with food. For details I'd echo what JOHN51266 wrote, though I do not recall the chocolate to the extent mentioned.
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Clear, purple red, medium (+) nose of chocolate, blackberry jam, sweet spices, fully developed and ready to drink, on the palate it's dry and full bodied with refreshing acidity, flavors of blueberry jam, blueberry, chocolate, some oak and vanilla, medium (-) tannins, in fact very well integrated, high alcohol, velvety texture and medium (+) finish, outstanding QPR, drink now.
Pop and pour. No formal notes - only got a quick glass before it disappeared. On the heels of some lovely Myriad and Quivet syrahs, this was certainly in the same league. Different - more oak and spice - but dark and lovely. Crowd was pretty impressed with it. Nice QPR.
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Very rich and extracted. Full bodied with copious amounts of bittersweet chocolate, blueberry compote, tar, menthol, creamy espresso, roasted plums, fig jam, dried cherries and raspberry. Very oak driven with a vanilla component that competes with the chocolate as the wine opens up. Silky smooth with well integrated tannins. The finish goes on forever. Absolutely stunning and totally hedonistic!
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This was served at a friends birthday party on 7/4/16. It had a deep earthy bouquet of smoke, leather, plum, black cherry, blueberry, mocha, cocoa, vanilla and spice aromas. The palate was rich, dense and layered with flavors that followed the nose.
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Among the 3 best bottles we have had in the last 6 months. This will be EVEN BETTER in another 18-24 months. Decanted for 5 hours, then returned to bottle, and it was still unwinding after 90 minutes of open air and drinking. Deep fruit and purple color, powerful perfume nose. This will be a very versatile pairing wine.
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Last night's wine. Amazingly powerful fruit, spice, smokiness, tannins, and long finish. Excellent hedonistic wine. This one is fantastic now, but has the stuffing to develop over another 10-12 years.
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Initially I got blueberries with some creamy notes. There was also a little bit of smokiness, though this seemed to dissipate after the wine had been opened for an hour. Dark, almost black colour. Medium to full bodied. The tannins are a little dusty. Really nice wine to try as my first from Jumilla. In my view this will still get better from here - give it another couple of years.
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Drank this last night at our pre-Thanksgiving dinner. Beautifully rich with red and black fruits and lots of port-like quality. Lots of spice and bigness. Fantastic, but does need some more time before drinking again.
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Splash decant ... Still starts with that blueberries and clotted cream richness, but it's not so over-the-top now. There are smokey, gamey elements on the mid and enough tannic backbone to support all that fruit to finish. Still one of our favorite wines, year after year, and I think at this point -- ~ 4 years from vintage -- is when Clio really starts to hit its stride. Great big, bold wine. Great value.
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Opened bottle (but did not decant) 3 hours before dinner with grilled skirt steaks.
Dark black color - Black cherry, licorice, blackberry, menthol on nose. On palate, sweet cherry, blackberry, mint, with full body, high acidity (low ph) and very long finish. Delicious. Usually I don't enjoy wines aged in new oak for this long but maybe the mourvedre needed that. Really surprised me. 93-94 range. Would buy again.
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Matter of Taste: Wine Advocate Tasting (Miami, FL): 70% Monastreil, 30% cabernet sauvignon. Aged 24 months in oak barrels. More feminine, softer than El Nido. Minerals, blue fruits, slight oak. Tannins need more time for resolving. Another 5 years.
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Tasting the 2011 for the second time now with similar notes as 6 months ago. This is a great vintage for Clio! If you like a classic style, you might hate this wine though... I've always thought of it as a bit of a novelty wine. Very unique, very fruit fwd, not something you necessarily want to drink every day but packs a mean punch for under $50, and I've never had a bad vintage (have tasted everything from 2003-2011)
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Très extrait et concentré, élevage un peu trop présent. Tout de même bien fait malgré tout, beau fruit et belle matière...à revoir dans 5 ans...minimum! ...revisitons les 2006 en attandant!
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Good stuffing dominated by overzealous oak and extraction. Black and blue fruit, vanilla, bit of dill, cedar, cocoa. Big & rich, with medium-plus (fairly approachable) tannin and medium-plus acid. Tooth-staining. It isn't a finish as much as a long-term mouth coating. L suggests reducing it and pouring over vanilla ice cream. This is incredibly young, so unless you like primary fruit and oak, give this at least five years. Compared to the Triga, I find this much less interesting.
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This is astonishing. Beautiful and powerful with a smoky, oaky, black-fruity, spicy nose that won't quit. Palate is rich with loads of fruit, sweet vanilla oak, and a port-like quality. This wine has monastrell's blueberry, black fruit, iron tincture, and beef blood signature. Skip the steak and pair this with savory for foods for a fantastic contrast. Finish is long and playfully tasty.
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The previous reviewer lack versatility and perception of Clio. This is not a Bordeaux Its made with excellent skill with a short term window (10 years) to drink and enjoy with or without food. An excellent blend of Monastrell (Mourvedre) and Cab. Deep, dark, fruit forward and delicious.
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Monolithic, unctuous wine. Loads of new oak. Big and round with no perceptible tannins or acid to balance it. We drank this with chimicurri skirt steak and the wine did offset the vinegar and bite of the sauce but it is overly sweet and clolying. I only had 1 glass and would not repurchase.
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I'd almost forgotten how much I like Clio. I've tried every vintage from 2003-2011 and this one is as good as I remember any of them being. It might be the most dark purple colored wine I've ever seen. This drinks really well straight from the bottle, and very much benefits from being served on the cooler side.
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A great Clio. Just like everyone says, dark, fruity, cocoa, great finish but not over the top sweetness. I'm not sure how they did it but everything is in balance and it works. Long and spicy finish. Not sure of a food pairing but great on its own.
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We had 2 bottles of this at bourbon steak at turnberry. Dark garnet colored with loads of sweet oak and sweet blackberry/blueberry weighted fruits. Heavy, super heavy with prominent tannin since these were pop and pour at dinner. Full and.. .um... super heavy weighted wine. My teeth are purple. This went perfect with the rib cap steak. No need for dessert, this wine fit the bill.
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Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of brown sugar, cocoa powder, currants and roasted sugar plums. Flavors of plums, currants, berries and cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with air or continue to hold.
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Very nice wine paired splendidly with our lamb sirloin steak. Unfortunately was not decanted but could have used a good 2-3 hours of it. Blueberry compote, mixed herbs and fine tannins were at the rendez-vous. Big and bold but slowly mellowed out in the glass. Should age nicely for a few more years. Not for the faint of heart.
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Big fruit and excessive oak treatment. Will see if this improves overnight or not. Day 2 not much different. Not sure where this wine is headed or if the oak will ever fully integrate.
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I like big wine but this is just over the top. High adrenaline sweet black fruit and anise with overpowering oak. Nose of hot menthol and super sweet chocolate. Way too syrupy.
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Very dark. Aromas of cinnamon, cocao, molasses and vanilla. Very full, creamy almost, rich mouth feel; stuffed full of deep flavours: figs, dark cherries, a nice coating expresso bitterness at the finish to complement the fine tannic structure. This is not a subtle wine, alcohol at the forefront, but bags full of fun. Day two: just more of the same. Would be curious to try this again with a few more years on it, but not sure whether it has it in itself to reveal much more elegance or complexity with time.
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ON a tapas and wine tour in Madrid, great evening and host...
I own a fair amount of this in my own cellar and have been a fan of Clio for some time - had not had this vintage yet - have not had a bad vintage of Clio yet.
This was a PnP, served after a La Rioja Alta and San Roman, not surprisingly this wine gets everyone's attention. Purple/inky color. Brash and big - true to the roots of its Aussie winemaker...Dark fruits, chocolate and coffee, dark currants and plums. Mouth coating texture, a little heat on this that seemed to blow off in a about 20 minutes.
Great wine, you have to like the style (I do). Interesting contrast to traditional Spanish wines
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This wine has been described as young and I guess that's accurate but I don't think age will mellow the power. It's a bit too rich -- it's good bottle if you like that profile and generally people would like it with a rich meal, but it just overpowers many foods. If you're looking for a big wine, this is a big crowd pleaser. I received this as a gift.
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Triple decant through Vinturi (decanter-to bottle-back to decanter) ... This is young, very young. Brash and bright, with chocolate covered cherries and blueberries and cream bursting on the nose and palate. Tannic backbone intact, but subdued. Super smooth and lush, with just a bit of heat that wafted away as the night wore on. I tend to prefer Clio another year or so along, when it's developed a bit more finesse, but there's no denying this is a yummy, rich, enormous wine right now. One of the best bangs for our buck out there, I've never had a bad Clio through 5-6 vintages now.
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Dark and dense, heterogeneous during even the first glass. The last glass was FULL of sediment. But it's worth it, because what you're getting here is a dark, syrupy, and powerful red wine that still manages to be balanced.
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I tried this wine for the first time three weeks ago at a tasting and thought it was the most unique of the flight of wines we tried that day. IMO it held its own against a lineup that included a '07 Tor Beckstoffer To Kalon Cab, which I thought was youthful and needed hours in a decanter.
On the Clio it was a pop & pour, the nose was intense with freshly ground coffee beans. Being a coffee lover, I really enjoyed that initial impression. After 15 minutes the coffee mellowed and gave way to freshly opened vanilla bean, cinnamon and dark fruit. The tannins were fine grained with good grip, but not over powering. I thought the acidity was balanced and I did not experience an jammy, currant, Jolly Rancher fruit explosion to this wine. For the price point, this is worth a second try and it will only improve with age.
Opened a bottle of my own this past Friday. It did not show that same rich coffee profile as the previous bottle. This is not a wine for the finesse set - it's a beast. Aromas start hitting the nose 6 inches away from the glass. Big and bold with lots of fruit and spices and some oak this time around. I would not characterize this wine as a fruit bomb - it's not.
This wine needs some aging to reach full potential, but I find it interesting and would recommend to those looking for something different and powerful. High QPR!
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Elegant, this is not. It's intense in every possible way: dark, dense, deep purple, and saturated with flavors of syrup, cherry, chocolate, and baking spices. Almost cloying. But if you like BIG wines, you'll like this. Just don't plan on tasting anything else afterwards. This is a pallet wrecker.
Decanted for 3 hours and it was epic. Everything came together beautifully. Huge but gorgeous. Too bad Vito poured it for everybody else and I drank 1/4 glass. Booooooo,
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I've had this before and occasionally have observed heavy oak (vanilla) and sweet (varnish) that can be cloying. However I noticed little of this tonight. I'm not sure if it was the 2-3hr decanter time that allowed the oak/varnish to blow away, or the spicy lamb accompaniement. Dark purple concentrated fruits, nicely balanced with complexity I rarely see at this price point.
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Fruit bomb, oak bomb, just plain bomb-- this wine is a disgusting, cloying, planky and downright undrinkable maple monster. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. While some clearly find this enjoyable, I honestly can barely get my nose in the glass. The only thing more unpleasant than the taste is the endlessly lingering aftertaste. OK OK-now it's a day later and it's not quite as gross-- more like blackberry maple shoe polish. Still can't bring myself to drink it though. I don't care how many years it sits in the cellar. I'll never like this wine.
Decanted 1.5 hours, than drank over same time. This bottle seemed even more of a fruit bomb and slightly overripe compared to previous bottles. Thick & concentrated, minimal tannins. Everyone liked it.
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Decanted 1.5 hours, then drank over 2 more hours. Best glass was last one. Delicious fruit bowl with smooth tannins that needs air or cellar time. Worth trying one now and turning on other people to this great value gem.
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Decanted for 1 hour, rebottled & corked for a ride and then reopened 1 hour later. Drank over 2 hours. Love this nearly black, dense, beautiful dark berries fruit bowl. Wow! Great nose and even better taste & finish. Don't cellar them all, try (& enjoy) one now with a decant. What a wine for $40!
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"is it heavy?... then it's expensive" lawyer from Jurassic Park. This bottle just feels like it quality and does not disappoint. Thick dark look almost purple. Nose of warm ripe raspberries with green note. Licorice, with ripe berry notes. Higher alcohol is perfectly balanced. Be careful, the empty bottle is heavy, you will finish it sooner than you think.
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Full body red with very purple hue. Muscular nose of dark fruits enveloped with new oak vanillin, leather, and cassis. Palate is fleshy with chewy tannins and solid dark fruits. Finishes medium with a smoky plum taste. Great value and full throtle Spanish wine, always consistent year after year. 93+
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Drank last night without taking notes. Highlights: fantastic spiciness and just a bit of heavy oak (which should fade nicely over the next several years). Plenty of fruit, mouthcoating, and long finish.
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pop and pour. consumed 60/40 over two days. day 1 was full of meaty monastrell, and plenty of new oak vanilla and chocolate to go with deep blackberry jam flavors. day 2 was syrupy and less structured than day 1. not sure where this one is going. not my fav vintage of clio.
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Après les très intéressants 2007 et 2010, ce 2011 n'est pas dans la même ligue. Dès l'ouverture de la bouteille, au nez, on a l'impression d'un vin australien ou portugais bas de gamme. Après quelques heures en carafe, c'est le grand moment et encore là, c'est décevant, c'est vanillé, sans raffinemnet, mince. Ne m'a pas donné de signe que le meilleur était à venir. À 50$, je n'ai même pas envie de savoir si c'était juste un problème avec la bouteille!
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Had this wine twice. 1st last weekend, bottle had cork pulled the day before and left uncorked for 30 hours. Tasted fantastic, so dark, with fresh big fruit & nice sweetness, tannins in check - great bottle for $40. So I bought 6 and opened 1, drank it over two nights. 1st night very tight & tannic, but you could smell & taste the nice fruit, just masked due to the tannins. Recorked. 2nd night was much better, but not as smooth as the other bottle with 30 hours of air. Advice - needs LOTS of air time; should be delicious. Otherwise hold.
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Clear and bright, deep ruby colour and presence of legs. The nose is clean and developing, showing medium+ intensity aromas of strawberry, blackberry, liquorice, vanilla and coconut. The wine is off-dry in the mouth with a medium- soft acidity, medium+ tannins, high alcohol, full body and pronounced intensity flavours of blackberry, liquorice, vanilla and coconut. Long finish.
It is a very good quality wine with a lingering finish and a very good fruit concentration as well as a decent complexity, but it is unbalanced lacking acidity. Drink now, but it has enough tannic structure and fruit concentration to develop some tertiary aromas in the next 3-5 years.
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This 2011 Clio once again is big, full bodied, concentrated forward fruit flavored wine. Dark garnet colored, less polished than some recent vintages with a slight 'tinny' edge, the dark black and red berry fruits give way to cassis, anise, and a layer of expresso with moderate acidity, medium plus tannins and high alcohol on a long full finish.
Fruit forward and definitely a 'Parker' pleasing style, but you can't deny the quality of this. Complex and very enjoyable. For the money hard to beat.
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Double decanted. Pleasing nose and lots of fruit but mid palate and especially finish almost syrupy sweet and very edgy. Expected a touch more finesse. It may need a couple more years.
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Too much heat to drink on day 1 - tastes almost like a high octane amarone. Improved considerably on day 2, but still noticeable heat. The nose has all the wonderful scents you expect from Clio, and there is the expected incredibly well integrated vanilla/blackberry/creme de cassis monster lurking in the background, but I won't open another one of these for a few years. Surprising, as the 15.5 is no different than the last 3 vintages, all of which I've enjoyed when they were young.
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It starts with a big, red fruit nose and has lots of smooth red fruit, with a pencil lead taste, obvious vanilla oak that doesn't overpower. It's fruity but not too sweet. It's a monastrell/cabernet blend but I could only taste Monastrell. A really enjoyable long finishing wine thats ready to drink today but should last. I had it with lamb chops on night one, and on its own the next night. I prefer this to the Aussie Mataros I've tried. If you like the Juan Gil Jumilla, which is great $15 QPR wine, then you'll love this. Its the nicest $40 red that I've tasted.
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I was anxious to try this after adoring the 2010 across a bunch of bottles, but the 2011 comes through in a big way. The 2011 is perhaps a bit smoother and softer around the edges than the 2010, which can get a little rough at times. The alcohol (15.5%) is incredibly well concealed. The wine is just so utterly enjoyable to consume. Huge, gorgeous aromatics of rich fruit, vanilla, and a supporting touch of herbs. Coats the glass but amazingly doesn't feel heavy. A remarkable achievement. I can't think of a better wine in the $35-$40 price range. A great alternative to overpriced Napa Cabs.
9/16/2023 - jsebiri wrote:
Big fruity wine , very Cali cab in a fruity juicy way. All the Cali fans enjoyed this , doesn't seem close to peak yet. From MAG. A week later this was still hanging around in a decanter , it took on some green peppers and a stoudt firm backbone. Still very drinkable.
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3/3/2023 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine
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1/15/2023 - no leashes wrote: 87 Points
Thick and syrupy, a fruit bomb. Not my style.
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11/23/2022 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Dark ruby; dark-berries herbal nose. Deep black fruit and sage on the palate, low bitter tannin, high alcohol, full bodied.
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9/10/2022 - CreativeCPA Likes this wine:
Deep dark purple red color. Metal, licorice and lots of alcohol on the nose. My husband gets blackberry. Blueberry, dark fruit, mocha, coffee, plum flavors. Very rich. It's been open 2 hours and still opening up. Unfortunately, we might drink it all very soon.
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5/31/2022 - SeaWine wrote:
Big, rich, and extracted, though likely softened a bit more towards my end of the spectrum over the years. Good and well-made, but probably not something I'd seek out again myself given my current preferences.
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5/12/2022 - dzoned1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wow! Nectar of the Gods! Just gets better and better. Should last another 10-15 years no problem.
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1/14/2022 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Juan Gil and El Nido Jumillas 2002-2012 (Tasted Blind) (Virtual Tasting): Nose: 91; Palate: 91 (Tasted blind)
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10/24/2021 - heidoanddave Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful black and red flavors. In its prime.
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9/8/2021 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 90 Points
Deep opaque purple. Dark berries, plums, cedar on the nose. A monster of a wine—full bodied, mouth-coating. Black fruit and dark chocolate, with slightly bitter, drying tannin and a noticeably high alcohol. The oak has settled somewhat in the last six years, but still a bruiser of a wine with oak tannin cutting off the finish.
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6/11/2021 - Lemmy-W wrote: 94 Points
Opened 1,5 hours before consumption. Pleasant nose with berries. Really full-bodied on the palate. Really nice wine and in a great drinking window now.
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5/1/2021 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Dark red to purple. Dense in palate with rich blackberry, cocoa lurking along with coffee, some mineral. But its pretty much all about the blackberry and hints of plum. Pretty good acid, but with the high alcohol, the sweet burn combines with the fruit to be a bit heavy. Perhaps its topping out, will more time improve or just further reduce freshness and balance? Good but kind of subtle like a sledgehammer. Serving with food-grilled lamb loin chops and an Ottelenghi braised tomato/garlic/cinnamon rice dish--made for good combination.
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3/17/2021 - KAP Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking great now.
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1/15/2021 - gordoyflaca wrote: 91 Points
Too much right now. Maybe needs 10 years
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9/7/2020 - Lemmy-W Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark purple color, plenty of black berries on the nose. Black pepper and jammy. Really nice.
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8/8/2020 - njoenophile wrote: 92 Points
Really nice. Not over the top nor over the hill. Black cherry, espresso, integrated tannins. Drinking beautifully.
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7/27/2020 - jroberts86 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Simply delightful. From start to finish, great nose with a touch of cedar, anise. Plenty of fruit and not jammy despite the alcohol content. Lingering finish.
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7/19/2020 - CWilliam wrote:
black/purple in glass. Vanilla, sweet cherry, black raspberry, sweet tobacco. On palate, sweet cherry, glycerin, blackberry jam - more advanced than my last bottle enjoyed in February of this year. Full body, medium acidity, integrated tannins and long finish. Drink now. 91+/
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4/2/2020 - pkatz wrote: 90 Points
I find Clio's drink much better without aging.
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2/23/2020 - par361 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark intense fruit. Still has some time left.
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2/9/2020 - CWilliam wrote:
Showed up on CT "drink now." Still have one bottle left. Not able to take notes given this was served at dinner. While fully mature, it drank beautifully and I'm amazed a 16% alcohol wine can be this balanced - but it was. 93+
Will drink remaining bottle in next 12-18 months.
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12/13/2019 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 95 Points
Love it. Huge dark alcoholic kirsch seeping in wood.
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12/11/2019 - RichardP wrote: 92 Points
The tannins seem finer than other vintages, and there might be a little more dark fruit. Otherwise this matches the standard of previous years: It's a well-balanced high-octane fruit bomb that doesn't show its alcohol too much, and it's hard not to like it. It's still an excellent value at about $40.
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9/27/2019 - srwatters Likes this wine: 93 Points
No need to rerate. This wine is excellent and drinking really well now. Integrated and silky. Love this vintage.
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6/8/2019 - GranadaPedroAlarcon Likes this wine: 93 Points
This Spaniard wine is very smooth and with lasting aromas. Very enjoyable
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3/28/2019 - Sugarb Likes this wine: 94 Points
Best bottle yet. The depth and richness of the fruit just lingered on the palate. No decanting required.
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3/17/2019 - Jettoy1992 wrote: 93 Points
Drinking excellent right now very smooth
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2/13/2019 - maxima wrote: 91 Points
...ça commence à se placer toute cette matière.
Assez joufflu encore, beaucoup de fruits noirs, mures et bleuets avec
des tannins satinés et une finale
bien longue...on va attendre encore!
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12/31/2018 - Veg Likes this wine:
Still ok actually . Thought it might be past it. BIG big wine !
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12/15/2018 - Primordialsoup Likes this wine: 92 Points
Smooth, silky, and sensuous this wine satisfies if you like the plush fruit forward style. If not, all is well.
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12/14/2018 - gjv115 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful wine. More elegant and complex than I was expecting. Strong mocha.
The complexity faded after about 6 hours into a more fruity wine.
In a good place right now
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11/23/2018 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great wine, great value.
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11/23/2018 - Sugarb Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was THE wine of the night, among 5. Always impresses with the power of it's fruit, which remains.
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11/19/2018 - tb_baltimore Likes this wine: 93 Points
Thanksgiving week wine -- outstanding! -- in agreement with other reviews --
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11/3/2018 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Love this wine!
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10/1/2018 - peeks13 wrote: 90 Points
Still primary with fruit abundant, no sign of secondary flavors approaching. It wasn't fatiguing to the palate but it started to get a bit flabby and that's considering I drank it on a fairly cold night. Consumed stand alone and this probably would have shown better with a steak. the 2011 was better 3 years ago.
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9/20/2018 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistently lovely!
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9/19/2018 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fabulous as always1
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9/9/2018 - bfm64 Likes this wine: 94 Points
[Evaluated on the second night, which expanded its complexity, went from 92 to 94]
Ripe, not overripe prunes, dark chocolate, clearly stronger alcohol, which comes with some beautiful high tones of coconut, lemgongrass, tiny bit of orange (not sharp like in actual fruit, but when you have dark chocolate with orange infusion...). Gorgeous wood and tannin weave over the palate carrying the rich ripe berries, cherry, then tobacco, cocoa, smoke, still some well-presenting acidity; ending in dark, smooth fruit, almost oily in elegance, extremely long. A year ago I thought the 2011 vintage had gone beyond its peak. This bottle is at the perfect stage.
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9/3/2018 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just a great bottle again. This wine is so consistently good.
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8/27/2018 - maxima wrote: 91 Points
Intense et complexe.
Beaucoup de fruits noirs, mures et bleuets
avec des tannins soyeux. Il y a aussi un peu d'épices et
de boisé mais pas à outrance.
Finale interminable.
Super bon mais sera encore mieux dans quelques années surement.
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8/26/2018 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 94 Points
Spectacular bottle of wine. Just rich, full, really fine tannins. Just sooooo good. I know they make a $110+ wine that has an opposite Cabernet/Mouvedre blend, but can it possibly be 3 times better than this version of their wine? Has anyone ever had it?
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7/4/2018 - lewisrise wrote: 94 Points
Same notes as before
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7/2/2018 - maxima wrote: flawed
Déviante/réduite!
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7/1/2018 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another fabulous Clio. Never a disappointment. A real keeper, year in and year out.
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4/4/2018 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Fairly unique mix of Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon... and oak ;) Definitely a crowd pleaser!
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3/20/2018 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding. Big, bold and smooth. The high alcohol not noticeable. Tremendous value.
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3/18/2018 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful aromas of cocoa and dark fruit. Rich from front to back palate with lingering flavors of chocolate. May be the best bottle of this that I have had.
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2/2/2018 - tbell wrote:
Rich dark blue fruit wine. Brown sugar and maple richness. Coravined a glass after mi sueno
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12/28/2017 - Salute Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep rich black wine. Wonderfully full, wide palate. Just an amazing value for the $40 price. Stunning.
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12/20/2017 - SLOFred Likes this wine:
Fabulous wine. Great depth. Oak definitely comes through. Great blend. Year in, year out, fabulous wine for the price.
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12/9/2017 - bablues wrote: 93 Points
7th Annual Christmas dinner and cellar raid (Naperville, IL): Part of Christmas wine dinner and cellar raid and didn't take detailed notes. Since we opened the 2002 someone wanted to compare to a more recent Clio. Right where you would expect a young Clio and just highlights the consistency of this wine over the years.
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12/9/2017 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 93 Points
High quality wine. Big fruit and a long finish. Outstanding.
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11/24/2017 - LCHammer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big, bold and singing now. If you like the style, it’s a winner, both in the dark fruit flavor profile and QPR.
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10/11/2017 - Sethbo11 wrote: 94 Points
Simply outstanding. If you like big bold wines, this has to be the best $40 bottle out there.
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9/24/2017 - millerarner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Of all the things we learn about wine over the years, the one lesson that's slow to sink in is, let them breathe before consumption, especially the big ones.
Aerated into decanter, and again for the initial glass, but the first hour or so was like getting smacked in the face with berries and oak spice. Good, but aggressive.
After an hour the texture started softening, the nose started evolving, and both processes continued over the next few hours. Obviously we've seen this journey before, but this needed no coaxing at all, and often these burly beasts just won't be tamed. The difference between first and last sips was incredible.
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9/9/2017 - SLOFred wrote: 93 Points
Year in, year out. Spectacular. Whacked with cherries from the front end.
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9/2/2017 - Boom Baby! wrote: 95 Points
I'm upgrading this wine after 6 years in the cellar. Still fresh with a lovely berry lush round flavor. The finish is long and deep, with a smokey mid-palate. Even though it's 15% alc. it's not hot on the finish. A must buy if you can find it.
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8/26/2017 - heidoanddave Likes this wine: 94 Points
fantasic and ready.
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8/12/2017 - RandomCoil wrote: 93 Points
No matter how many times I open one of these bottles, I'm blown away. This is not a wine for the faint of heart. It's all power. Dark fruit and baking spice with tons of vanilla. This is the type of wine that many people hate for being over-manipulated. But I say "bump that noise," because this is gluttony at its best.
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8/3/2017 - Colpete Likes this wine: 97 Points
Love this wine with spicy meat dishes.
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7/24/2017 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just another outstanding Clio.
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7/15/2017 - Milbran wrote: 93 Points
Never disappointed.
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7/13/2017 - SLOFred wrote: 94 Points
One of the best Clio's I have ever had. Just delicious.
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6/23/2017 - 1kailuaboy wrote:
Took to the Moreau's (drink this one before the 2010)
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6/19/2017 - grover91 wrote: 92 Points
Clio is always on the top of our list. Great fruit up front without being jammy. Served with grilled lamb chops. Outstanding!
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6/19/2017 - SLOFred wrote: 93 Points
Stupendous wine. What an interesting result of a Cab/Mourvedre blend. Very lush, just fills you mouth with black fruit. Lingering aftertastes. Great with food.
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2/2/2017 - rmcnees wrote: 91 Points
This 2011 Clio, like the '10 and '14 vintages tasted recently is big, full bodied, concentrated forward fruit flavored wine. Consistent with early tasting notes, it was dark garnet colored, but it was less polished than some recent vintages with a slight graphite edge, the dark black and red berry fruits give way to cassis, anise, and a layer of expresso with moderate acidity, medium plus tannins and high alcohol on a long full finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/02/bodegas-el-nido-jumilla-clio-2011.html
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1/29/2017 - Sugarb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Third bottle of four for the night, best of the bunch. Second time we have had this, we are two-for-two. Beautiful aromas upon opening, does not require much air time.
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12/24/2016 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Served with steak au poivre, Christmas eve. Drinking quite well, lovely wine alone and with food. For details I'd echo what JOHN51266 wrote, though I do not recall the chocolate to the extent mentioned.
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11/20/2016 - Kgbb120 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quite fruitfoward for a Spanish red.
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10/24/2016 - john51266 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Clear, purple red, medium (+) nose of chocolate, blackberry jam, sweet spices, fully developed and ready to drink, on the palate it's dry and full bodied with refreshing acidity, flavors of blueberry jam, blueberry, chocolate, some oak and vanilla, medium (-) tannins, in fact very well integrated, high alcohol, velvety texture and medium (+) finish, outstanding QPR, drink now.
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9/26/2016 - Brett987 wrote: 94 Points
This vintage maybe peaked already. In the past it was even better but it may have turned the corner early.
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9/4/2016 - ageverett Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pop and pour. No formal notes - only got a quick glass before it disappeared. On the heels of some lovely Myriad and Quivet syrahs, this was certainly in the same league. Different - more oak and spice - but dark and lovely. Crowd was pretty impressed with it. Nice QPR.
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7/29/2016 - dzoned1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very rich and extracted. Full bodied with copious amounts of bittersweet chocolate, blueberry compote, tar, menthol, creamy espresso, roasted plums, fig jam, dried cherries and raspberry. Very oak driven with a vanilla component that competes with the chocolate as the wine opens up. Silky smooth with well integrated tannins. The finish goes on forever. Absolutely stunning and totally hedonistic!
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7/4/2016 - garambler Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was served at a friends birthday party on 7/4/16. It had a deep earthy bouquet of smoke, leather, plum, black cherry, blueberry, mocha, cocoa, vanilla and spice aromas. The palate was rich, dense and layered with flavors that followed the nose.
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6/4/2016 - FlyPig Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful Clio, still a little hot, especially when the wine got to room temperature, but delicious.
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5/16/2016 - pkatz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful primary flavors of delicious clean concentrated fruit and new oak. Typically excellent Clio.
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4/9/2016 - richjd wrote:
Gift to MT at 4/9/16 wine tasting and dinner.
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3/6/2016 - Trolson wrote: 93 Points
When first opened, tasted overripe. After decanting for almost two hours, Clio's intoxicating body and taste arrived.
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3/5/2016 - Sugarb Likes this wine: 94 Points
Among the 3 best bottles we have had in the last 6 months. This will be EVEN BETTER in another 18-24 months. Decanted for 5 hours, then returned to bottle, and it was still unwinding after 90 minutes of open air and drinking. Deep fruit and purple color, powerful perfume nose. This will be a very versatile pairing wine.
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2/15/2016 - Trolson wrote: 94 Points
Ready to drink now. So big and subtle at same time.
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1/27/2016 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Last night's wine. Amazingly powerful fruit, spice, smokiness, tannins, and long finish. Excellent hedonistic wine. This one is fantastic now, but has the stuffing to develop over another 10-12 years.
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1/18/2016 - Andrew67 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Initially I got blueberries with some creamy notes. There was also a little bit of smokiness, though this seemed to dissipate after the wine had been opened for an hour. Dark, almost black colour. Medium to full bodied. The tannins are a little dusty. Really nice wine to try as my first from Jumilla. In my view this will still get better from here - give it another couple of years.
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11/23/2015 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank this last night at our pre-Thanksgiving dinner. Beautifully rich with red and black fruits and lots of port-like quality. Lots of spice and bigness. Fantastic, but does need some more time before drinking again.
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11/14/2015 - markandsusanw Likes this wine: 93 Points
Splash decant ... Still starts with that blueberries and clotted cream richness, but it's not so over-the-top now. There are smokey, gamey elements on the mid and enough tannic backbone to support all that fruit to finish. Still one of our favorite wines, year after year, and I think at this point -- ~ 4 years from vintage -- is when Clio really starts to hit its stride. Great big, bold wine. Great value.
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11/13/2015 - CWilliam wrote: 94 Points
Opened bottle (but did not decant) 3 hours before dinner with grilled skirt steaks.
Dark black color - Black cherry, licorice, blackberry, menthol on nose. On palate, sweet cherry, blackberry, mint, with full body, high acidity (low ph) and very long finish. Delicious. Usually I don't enjoy wines aged in new oak for this long but maybe the mourvedre needed that. Really surprised me. 93-94 range. Would buy again.
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11/6/2015 - bobthebuilder Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pretty much popped @ poured with dinner. Wonderful complex flavors. Nice finish. Mostly blackberry and cinnamon. Nice pairing with lamb
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9/26/2015 - cliffkol wrote: 90 Points
Matter of Taste: Wine Advocate Tasting (Miami, FL): 70% Monastreil, 30% cabernet sauvignon. Aged 24 months in oak barrels. More feminine, softer than El Nido. Minerals, blue fruits, slight oak. Tannins need more time for resolving. Another 5 years.
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7/3/2015 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 90 Points
Amazing nose. Very enjoyable.
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5/20/2015 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasting the 2011 for the second time now with similar notes as 6 months ago. This is a great vintage for Clio! If you like a classic style, you might hate this wine though... I've always thought of it as a bit of a novelty wine. Very unique, very fruit fwd, not something you necessarily want to drink every day but packs a mean punch for under $50, and I've never had a bad vintage (have tasted everything from 2003-2011)
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4/25/2015 - mully@180hoops wrote: 91 Points
major league plum, njce wine that i would enjoy again
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4/25/2015 - mully@180hoops Likes this wine: 90 Points
i had major league plum notes, we let it open for an hour or so....I would enjoy it again
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4/20/2015 - RandomCoil wrote: 93 Points
As my 8-year-old would say: Boom goes the cannon. This is BIG. No nuance, but still well-rounded by brute force.
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3/15/2015 - Trolson wrote: 96 Points
Clio is excellent with each year's vintage. It offers the dazzling taste both as a young and as an aged wine.
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2/21/2015 - uncle al Likes this wine: 89 Points
Need to cellar. Can drink with some decanting but too much fruit at present. I have had older vintages which are very well balanced.
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2/14/2015 - blackace Likes this wine: 93 Points
beautiful, dark red, lush, delicious - let it breathe for a few hours, and make sure you chill to appropriate temp before serving
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2/3/2015 - maxima wrote: 89 Points
Très extrait et concentré, élevage un peu trop présent.
Tout de même bien fait malgré tout, beau fruit et belle matière...à revoir dans 5 ans...minimum!
...revisitons les 2006 en attandant!
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1/26/2015 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Good stuffing dominated by overzealous oak and extraction. Black and blue fruit, vanilla, bit of dill, cedar, cocoa. Big & rich, with medium-plus (fairly approachable) tannin and medium-plus acid. Tooth-staining. It isn't a finish as much as a long-term mouth coating. L suggests reducing it and pouring over vanilla ice cream. This is incredibly young, so unless you like primary fruit and oak, give this at least five years. Compared to the Triga, I find this much less interesting.
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1/9/2015 - awise45 wrote: 93 Points
Marvelous -- deep purple, so rich, lovely thread of vanilla that ties it all together.
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1/2/2015 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is astonishing. Beautiful and powerful with a smoky, oaky, black-fruity, spicy nose that won't quit. Palate is rich with loads of fruit, sweet vanilla oak, and a port-like quality. This wine has monastrell's blueberry, black fruit, iron tincture, and beef blood signature. Skip the steak and pair this with savory for foods for a fantastic contrast. Finish is long and playfully tasty.
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12/19/2014 - tc from santee Likes this wine: 92 Points
The previous reviewer lack versatility and perception of Clio. This is not a Bordeaux Its made with excellent skill with a short term window (10 years) to drink and enjoy with or without food. An excellent blend of Monastrell (Mourvedre) and Cab. Deep, dark, fruit forward and delicious.
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12/15/2014 - qcwino wrote:
Monolithic, unctuous wine. Loads of new oak. Big and round with no perceptible tannins or acid to balance it. We drank this with chimicurri skirt steak and the wine did offset the vinegar and bite of the sauce but it is overly sweet and clolying. I only had 1 glass and would not repurchase.
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12/8/2014 - joshabramson wrote: 94 Points
I'd almost forgotten how much I like Clio. I've tried every vintage from 2003-2011 and this one is as good as I remember any of them being. It might be the most dark purple colored wine I've ever seen. This drinks really well straight from the bottle, and very much benefits from being served on the cooler side.
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11/28/2014 - blackace Likes this wine: 94 Points
The color is unbelievable - inky, purple, luscious; deep fruit flavor, velvety mouthfeel - delicious
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11/27/2014 - LCHammer Likes this wine: 94 Points
A great Clio. Just like everyone says, dark, fruity, cocoa, great finish but not over the top sweetness. I'm not sure how they did it but everything is in balance and it works. Long and spicy finish. Not sure of a food pairing but great on its own.
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11/18/2014 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine:
We had 2 bottles of this at bourbon steak at turnberry. Dark garnet colored with loads of sweet oak and sweet blackberry/blueberry weighted fruits. Heavy, super heavy with prominent tannin since these were pop and pour at dinner. Full and.. .um... super heavy weighted wine. My teeth are purple. This went perfect with the rib cap steak. No need for dessert, this wine fit the bill.
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11/6/2014 - btanz57 wrote: 95 Points
Just Outstanding! Best Clio in the last several years.
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10/29/2014 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
WIML93
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of brown sugar, cocoa powder, currants and roasted sugar plums. Flavors of plums, currants, berries and cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with air or continue to hold.
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10/21/2014 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich and smooth for so young a wine. Oak treatment present but not over the top. Quite enjoyable.
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9/14/2014 - filipanadian Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice wine paired splendidly with our lamb sirloin steak. Unfortunately was not decanted but could have used a good 2-3 hours of it. Blueberry compote, mixed herbs and fine tannins were at the rendez-vous. Big and bold but slowly mellowed out in the glass. Should age nicely for a few more years. Not for the faint of heart.
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9/10/2014 - RandomCoil wrote: 91 Points
Deep and dark. This is heterogeneous but not gritty. Powerful.
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9/6/2014 - Trolson wrote: 91 Points
Wow. So deep, rich and big bodied already! Try out the 09 vintage: looks like that may be a sneak preview of where this one will go.
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9/3/2014 - cubswinws wrote: 88 Points
Big fruit and excessive oak treatment. Will see if this improves overnight or not.
Day 2 not much different. Not sure where this wine is headed or if the oak will ever fully integrate.
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8/31/2014 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 86 Points
I like big wine but this is just over the top. High adrenaline sweet black fruit and anise with overpowering oak. Nose of hot menthol and super sweet chocolate. Way too syrupy.
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8/30/2014 - RunningMonkey Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very dark. Aromas of cinnamon, cocao, molasses and vanilla. Very full, creamy almost, rich mouth feel; stuffed full of deep flavours: figs, dark cherries, a nice coating expresso bitterness at the finish to complement the fine tannic structure. This is not a subtle wine, alcohol at the forefront, but bags full of fun. Day two: just more of the same. Would be curious to try this again with a few more years on it, but not sure whether it has it in itself to reveal much more elegance or complexity with time.
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8/15/2014 - agrulich21 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very tasty wine, and great QPR. Notes of figs, menthol, baking spices. Long legs. Dark purple color. Would buy again.
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7/12/2014 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
ON a tapas and wine tour in Madrid, great evening and host...
I own a fair amount of this in my own cellar and have been a fan of Clio for some time - had not had this vintage yet - have not had a bad vintage of Clio yet.
This was a PnP, served after a La Rioja Alta and San Roman, not surprisingly this wine gets everyone's attention. Purple/inky color. Brash and big - true to the roots of its Aussie winemaker...Dark fruits, chocolate and coffee, dark currants and plums. Mouth coating texture, a little heat on this that seemed to blow off in a about 20 minutes.
Great wine, you have to like the style (I do). Interesting contrast to traditional Spanish wines
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6/24/2014 - jpasmore wrote: 89 Points
This wine has been described as young and I guess that's accurate but I don't think age will mellow the power. It's a bit too rich -- it's good bottle if you like that profile and generally people would like it with a rich meal, but it just overpowers many foods. If you're looking for a big wine, this is a big crowd pleaser. I received this as a gift.
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6/18/2014 - markandsusanw Likes this wine: 93 Points
Triple decant through Vinturi (decanter-to bottle-back to decanter) ... This is young, very young. Brash and bright, with chocolate covered cherries and blueberries and cream bursting on the nose and palate. Tannic backbone intact, but subdued. Super smooth and lush, with just a bit of heat that wafted away as the night wore on. I tend to prefer Clio another year or so along, when it's developed a bit more finesse, but there's no denying this is a yummy, rich, enormous wine right now. One of the best bangs for our buck out there, I've never had a bad Clio through 5-6 vintages now.
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6/15/2014 - RandomCoil wrote: 91 Points
Dark and dense, heterogeneous during even the first glass. The last glass was FULL of sediment. But it's worth it, because what you're getting here is a dark, syrupy, and powerful red wine that still manages to be balanced.
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5/18/2014 - DawgByte Likes this wine: 94 Points
I tried this wine for the first time three weeks ago at a tasting and thought it was the most unique of the flight of wines we tried that day. IMO it held its own against a lineup that included a '07 Tor Beckstoffer To Kalon Cab, which I thought was youthful and needed hours in a decanter.
On the Clio it was a pop & pour, the nose was intense with freshly ground coffee beans. Being a coffee lover, I really enjoyed that initial impression. After 15 minutes the coffee mellowed and gave way to freshly opened vanilla bean, cinnamon and dark fruit. The tannins were fine grained with good grip, but not over powering. I thought the acidity was balanced and I did not experience an jammy, currant, Jolly Rancher fruit explosion to this wine. For the price point, this is worth a second try and it will only improve with age.
Opened a bottle of my own this past Friday. It did not show that same rich coffee profile as the previous bottle. This is not a wine for the finesse set - it's a beast. Aromas start hitting the nose 6 inches away from the glass. Big and bold with lots of fruit and spices and some oak this time around. I would not characterize this wine as a fruit bomb - it's not.
This wine needs some aging to reach full potential, but I find it interesting and would recommend to those looking for something different and powerful. High QPR!
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5/16/2014 - RandomCoil wrote: 92 Points
Elegant, this is not. It's intense in every possible way: dark, dense, deep purple, and saturated with flavors of syrup, cherry, chocolate, and baking spices. Almost cloying. But if you like BIG wines, you'll like this. Just don't plan on tasting anything else afterwards. This is a pallet wrecker.
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5/6/2014 - neurovino Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 3 hours and it was epic. Everything came together beautifully. Huge but gorgeous. Too bad Vito poured it for everybody else and I drank 1/4 glass. Booooooo,
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4/28/2014 - MattJ wrote: 92 Points
I've had this before and occasionally have observed heavy oak (vanilla) and sweet (varnish) that can be cloying. However I noticed little of this tonight. I'm not sure if it was the 2-3hr decanter time that allowed the oak/varnish to blow away, or the spicy lamb accompaniement. Dark purple concentrated fruits, nicely balanced with complexity I rarely see at this price point.
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4/15/2014 - cmueller Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark, thick, powerful fruit, strong tannins that softened after 60 minutes. Needs to be decanted over an hour and it opens up and tastes much better.
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3/20/2014 - RandomCoil wrote: 90 Points
Dark and syrupy.
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3/12/2014 - Decanting fool wrote: 77 Points
Fruit bomb, oak bomb, just plain bomb-- this wine is a disgusting, cloying, planky and downright undrinkable maple monster. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. While some clearly find this enjoyable, I honestly can barely get my nose in the glass. The only thing more unpleasant than the taste is the endlessly lingering aftertaste.
OK OK-now it's a day later and it's not quite as gross-- more like blackberry maple shoe polish. Still can't bring myself to drink it though. I don't care how many years it sits in the cellar. I'll never like this wine.
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3/6/2014 - patwjr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours, than drank over same time. This bottle seemed even more of a fruit bomb and slightly overripe compared to previous bottles. Thick & concentrated, minimal tannins. Everyone liked it.
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3/4/2014 - patwjr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours, then drank over 2 more hours. Best glass was last one. Delicious fruit bowl with smooth tannins that needs air or cellar time. Worth trying one now and turning on other people to this great value gem.
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3/2/2014 - patwjr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 1 hour, rebottled & corked for a ride and then reopened 1 hour later. Drank over 2 hours. Love this nearly black, dense, beautiful dark berries fruit bowl. Wow! Great nose and even better taste & finish. Don't cellar them all, try (& enjoy) one now with a decant. What a wine for $40!
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2/28/2014 - swigna wrote: 93 Points
"is it heavy?... then it's expensive" lawyer from Jurassic Park. This bottle just feels like it quality and does not disappoint. Thick dark look almost purple. Nose of warm ripe raspberries with green note. Licorice, with ripe berry notes. Higher alcohol is perfectly balanced. Be careful, the empty bottle is heavy, you will finish it sooner than you think.
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2/23/2014 - farinas Likes this wine: 93 Points
Full body red with very purple hue. Muscular nose of dark fruits enveloped with new oak vanillin, leather, and cassis. Palate is fleshy with chewy tannins and solid dark fruits. Finishes medium with a smoky plum taste. Great value and full throtle Spanish wine, always consistent year after year. 93+
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2/23/2014 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank last night without taking notes. Highlights: fantastic spiciness and just a bit of heavy oak (which should fade nicely over the next several years). Plenty of fruit, mouthcoating, and long finish.
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2/17/2014 - caeleric Likes this wine:
pop and pour. consumed 60/40 over two days. day 1 was full of meaty monastrell, and plenty of new oak vanilla and chocolate to go with deep blackberry jam flavors. day 2 was syrupy and less structured than day 1. not sure where this one is going. not my fav vintage of clio.
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2/2/2014 - Tige Does not like this wine:
Après les très intéressants 2007 et 2010, ce 2011 n'est pas dans la même ligue. Dès l'ouverture de la bouteille, au nez, on a l'impression d'un vin australien ou portugais bas de gamme. Après quelques heures en carafe, c'est le grand moment et encore là, c'est décevant, c'est vanillé, sans raffinemnet, mince. Ne m'a pas donné de signe que le meilleur était à venir. À 50$, je n'ai même pas envie de savoir si c'était juste un problème avec la bouteille!
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1/29/2014 - patwjr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had this wine twice. 1st last weekend, bottle had cork pulled the day before and left uncorked for 30 hours. Tasted fantastic, so dark, with fresh big fruit & nice sweetness, tannins in check - great bottle for $40. So I bought 6 and opened 1, drank it over two nights. 1st night very tight & tannic, but you could smell & taste the nice fruit, just masked due to the tannins. Recorked. 2nd night was much better, but not as smooth as the other bottle with 30 hours of air. Advice - needs LOTS of air time; should be delicious. Otherwise hold.
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1/28/2014 - Man in Black wrote:
Clear and bright, deep ruby colour and presence of legs. The nose is clean and developing, showing medium+ intensity aromas of strawberry, blackberry, liquorice, vanilla and coconut. The wine is off-dry in the mouth with a medium- soft acidity, medium+ tannins, high alcohol, full body and pronounced intensity flavours of blackberry, liquorice, vanilla and coconut. Long finish.
It is a very good quality wine with a lingering finish and a very good fruit concentration as well as a decent complexity, but it is unbalanced lacking acidity. Drink now, but it has enough tannic structure and fruit concentration to develop some tertiary aromas in the next 3-5 years.
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1/25/2014 - rmcnees wrote: 91 Points
This 2011 Clio once again is big, full bodied, concentrated forward fruit flavored wine. Dark garnet colored, less polished than some recent vintages with a slight 'tinny' edge, the dark black and red berry fruits give way to cassis, anise, and a layer of expresso with moderate acidity, medium plus tannins and high alcohol on a long full finish.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/01/bodegas-el-nido-jumilla-clio-2011.html
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1/9/2014 - Boom Baby! wrote: 92 Points
Nice fruit, long finish. This wine will not disappoint... yes, this is a buy over and over again.
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1/9/2014 - MattJ wrote: 93 Points
Fruit forward and definitely a 'Parker' pleasing style, but you can't deny the quality of this. Complex and very enjoyable. For the money hard to beat.
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1/6/2014 - Pcrage Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Double decanted. Pleasing nose and lots of fruit but mid palate and especially finish almost syrupy sweet and very edgy. Expected a touch more finesse. It may need a couple more years.
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12/29/2013 - jkalm wrote:
Fruity and a little hot. Good strong wine with old cheese.
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12/29/2013 - FlyPig wrote: 90 Points
Too much heat to drink on day 1 - tastes almost like a high octane amarone. Improved considerably on day 2, but still noticeable heat. The nose has all the wonderful scents you expect from Clio, and there is the expected incredibly well integrated vanilla/blackberry/creme de cassis monster lurking in the background, but I won't open another one of these for a few years. Surprising, as the 15.5 is no different than the last 3 vintages, all of which I've enjoyed when they were young.
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12/22/2013 - alohashirt Likes this wine: 93 Points
It starts with a big, red fruit nose and has lots of smooth red fruit, with a pencil lead taste, obvious vanilla oak that doesn't overpower. It's fruity but not too sweet. It's a monastrell/cabernet blend but I could only taste Monastrell. A really enjoyable long finishing wine thats ready to drink today but should last. I had it with lamb chops on night one, and on its own the next night. I prefer this to the Aussie Mataros I've tried. If you like the Juan Gil Jumilla, which is great $15 QPR wine, then you'll love this. Its the nicest $40 red that I've tasted.
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12/4/2013 - RobertDwyer Likes this wine: 95 Points
I was anxious to try this after adoring the 2010 across a bunch of bottles, but the 2011 comes through in a big way. The 2011 is perhaps a bit smoother and softer around the edges than the 2010, which can get a little rough at times. The alcohol (15.5%) is incredibly well concealed. The wine is just so utterly enjoyable to consume. Huge, gorgeous aromatics of rich fruit, vanilla, and a supporting touch of herbs. Coats the glass but amazingly doesn't feel heavy. A remarkable achievement. I can't think of a better wine in the $35-$40 price range. A great alternative to overpriced Napa Cabs.
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11/30/2013 - lewisrise wrote: 94 Points
Nose of burnt graphite and iodine. Soft mouthfeel with blueberry, vanilla, and a hint of chocolate on the finish
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11/11/2013 - pkatz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Primary fruit, but drinking wonderfully right now.
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