This wine has been discussed ad nauseum, but we don't have a TN here yet. Wine was tasted from Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stems and consumed with a pizza. Decanted for 2 hours before tasting.

Wine is a deep black/blue color. Nose is extremely boisterous and smelled of blackberries and alcohol. Still very tannic, but with a very veluptuous mouthfeel. Cassis, currant and oak notes, but the alcohol still shines through (unfortunately). A tasty wine, but not for everyone. jb Rating 90.

I think Parker's 93 is too generous and I like the regular shiraz better than this wine (91 pts, IMO). For $13 though, you can't go wrong either way. Maybe more time in the bottle will resolve some of the alcohol issues. I dunno.

jb

j_b, I may be able to score some of this from a store in Myrtle Beach--I am guessing that they will want $13-$15/bottle. Do you consider this a "buy" and if so, how much would you purchase?

I agree with j.b's assesment that 93 may be a stretch. Although I probably like this one a tad better than the shiraz but for $12-15 who cares? They are both outstanding QPR's and I personally would add the Cabernet to that list as well in my opinion all are worth of 89-92 pts and are outstanding QPR's.

@$15 which is a little high compared to what I've seen but I guess we are only talking a couple bucks. I would buy a case at that price. I paid $11.70 for mine. I would like to add one note of caution to people thinking of loading up on these wines(of course many already have) it was discussed on the WS board and I have experienced on about 1/3 to 1/2 of the bottles I have opened a streak running up the side of the cork or many others have actually noted leaking from the cork. Althought no one has noticed the wines to be damaged this makes me wonder about the long term storage of these wines. If I was going to store them for very long I would probably pull the capsules and look at the cork throught the bottle to determine if any problem.

I almost forgot, I would also throw the white "holly's blend" into the QPR list I think it actually sells for $8-$10 and I think this is a great wine for seafood, apertif, even spicier dishes I would give that one around 87pt.

ml, I would definitely pick up a bottle. Try it for yourself. If you like it, which I think you will, buy 6 more.

jb

I don't think anyone would argue that any Marquis Phillips is not a good QPR. I think most WOULD argue that parker over rated them all. I'm interested to see what'll happen with the Integrity and their new lineup.

Thanks for the input. I still haven't heard back from the store yet, so I am waiting on pricing info. The store can get the Sarah's Blend and the cab. If the wines are in the $15 range, I'll probably pick up a case (mostly of the Sarah's).

Revisited this wine tonight. I must say that this bottle showed differently than the last time I had it. The wine seemed more in balance, although it was not as complex as the previous tasting. Still, this is an excellent value for the $13 that I paid. I think it will be a bit better in another year. I only have 2 bottles remaining that I will drink during this summer and the following winter.

jb

I had my first one of these last Saturday. Agree that it was more balanced than the MP Shiraz I had previously. It is a good value, just nothing remarkable about this wine.

I personally like the MP Shiraz more than the Sarah’s Blend however, it’s a great QPR wine as well. A note on the corks, I have gone through 6 cases of the Shiraz and the Sarah’s blend without any wine on the sides of the corks. I also have had one bottle that was questionable that it might have been corked.

I opened one of these on Saturday night before my wife got home. We decided to go out to eat when she got in so I only had two glasses before needing to vacu-vin the remaining amount. What I had Saturday was showing good fruit with a soft structure, a little astringent with a short finish. Last night we finished the rest. One night of the vacum did not help this wine, the fruit had faded and the tannins had dissappeared leaving the wine somewhat "lifeless". Good but not great, but worth its cost........score 88 points.

Just scored a case of the '02 but have not yet opened one. has anyone?

Dick

No. I look forward to your notes, Dick...SOON!

Notes posted, Board-O. Considering the last 2 years, I have a preference for the 2001. However, this may change in time, since I believe that the 2002 may have greater longevity. Either way, both are winners, and great QPRs.

Dick

We had our final bottle of this last night with friends. I believe it may be starting to fade just a little, but still a 90-91 point wine, though it was dwarfed by the '02 S2 that followed.