The Prisoner Wine Company, Thorn, Napa Valley

4th Saturday Group: Robust Winter Reds (J&L’s) : Double blind. Dark color. Aromas of overly ripe back fruit- prune and raisin- along with bouillon and dusty earth notes. Stewed dark fruit on the palate. Everything I dislike about these wines. And no, it wasn't flawed- this is what they are, and some people love it, and that's fine. It had some fans tonight. (J&L)

2016 vintage

Not of Prisoner quality, but a solid merlot. Dark berry/plum on the nose and palate. Good balance of fruit, tannins and acidity.

2016 vintage

I think this was a bad bottle.

2016 vintage

Second time I have had this wine after 4 years. It has lost a lot of potency, but is still very pleasant.

2014 vintage

I gave this a lengthy slow ox with low expectations. Turns out it’s not too bad. I get the mega purple reference noted prior but also find it a bit more complex than a merlot which I never drink anymore. Not to contradict myself it does have some juiciness that I’d associate with merlot but it’s in check. I used about a glass to marinate mushrooms and for a sauce. An easy drunk.

2016 vintage

Med+/pronounced intensity, persimmons, sweet tomato, olives, ripe red fruit, sweet plums, dried strawberries, sweet oak note, baking spices, cedar. Med+ body, Med-/Med acid, smooth round Med- tannins, high alcohol (feel it a bit hot as it goes down). Great PnP as well as solid QPR. Very Californian style of wine with sweet, ripe, bold fruit with a manageable level of oak. Overall, could be more complex, as it gets a little monotone. But for a stereotypical Californian styling of wine …

2016 vintage

Really good with ginger pork—brought out the bright cherry flavor in the wine. Finishing acidity/tannins that work well with food. High alcohol but no burn

2014 vintage

Too much new oak, too much vanilla, too much cocoa, too much alcohol, too much extraction.

2014 vintage

Anton’s Wine Tasting Notes Winery: Thorn by Prisoner Wine Co. Varietal: 80% Merlot 20% Syrah, Petite Sirah, Malbec Area/Appellation: Napa Valley, California Vintage: 2016. Price: $35.00 Closeout/ Kansas Market. Color:Purple with a Ruby rim. Opaque. Legs: Dead slow Nose: Plums, Cacao, oak, blackberry paste, Palate: plums, blackberry, cacao, unsweetened baker’s chocolate Finish: plums, cacao, some cherry, mocha, framed with bay leaf and tobacco Comments: 2 hour glass decant and it makes a difference. Lots of mixed reviews on this wine …

2016 vintage

This wine is a deep purple in color with med(+) tear staining, and pronounced intensity of aroma. The nose is composed of eucalyptus, raisins, grape, stewed strawberries, stewed raspberries, vanilla, coconut, butter, and bread dough. This wine is developing. This wine is dry with med acidity, high alcohol, full body, high tannin, and a long finish. I taste, stewed strawberries, vanilla, coconut, herbaceous, medicinal, red plumb, black cherries, and raisin. Overall, this is a very good wine that can be …

2016 vintage

Soft tannins with notes of chocolate and dark fruit

2016 vintage

Very nice merlot with Shiraz under tones. Wife really enjoyed this wine.

2016 vintage

Nose is good for a merlot, which to me normally doesn't have much. Flavor and nose both are dark fruit, maybe slightly on burnt side, with decent body. Maybe some leather or tabaco notes as well. Finish is a bit short. For a merlot this is good, but at the $30 price point I was hoping for a bit more.

2016 vintage

Some California wines Scream oak chips and centrifuges! To me. Could be my taste. And nose, warm wood with added enhancers.

2016 vintage

PnP after decant w/15 min glass time Clear, deep purple color. Med, proper nose. Med body, good balance with resolved tannins. Smooth, long finish, nothing off. From Mike

2016 vintage

Smooth and silky! Medium bodied and dry with notes of ripe fruit. Would buy a case!

2016 vintage

Dark chocolate notes

2016 vintage

Great wine! Very smooth and rounded.

2016 vintage

Very smooth. Pleasant nose. Dark cherry and chocolate on the palate. Nice long finish. Want this in my cellar at all times

2016 vintage

Okay but very nice

2016 vintage

Deep ruby color, slow tears. Cherry, raspberry, tobacco in the nose. Sweet berries, rosemary in palate. Smooth mouthfeel, subtle tannins. Delicious wine, but a bit overpowered by fatty food.

2014 vintage

Long decant, which cut down on the huge profile this has slightly, this is a jammy, monolithic chocolate and oak affair that needs a big food pairing to bring into line.

2014 vintage

Cherry dominates. Some tannins. Smooth finish.

2016 vintage

Nice - add to wish list

2014 vintage

Cocoa, mocha, espresso, and dark cherry aromas. Full-bodied w/ medium tannins and a juicy finish.

2016 vintage

Opaque, garnet color, fast legs. Medium acidity, medium-plus bodied. Muted aromas - dark fruit, medium toast. Taste of unripe blackberries, cocoa, rosemary. Medium finish. Overall very enjoyable, paired exceptionally well with grilled lamb (w/ garlic and rosemary).

2014 vintage

Hennepin Lake Tasting 2018; 10/11/2018-10/14/2018 (Minneapolis, MN) : Guys don't take this personally. I will not add you favorite wine tasters on cellar tracker. This is jam wine. Sweet and no acidity. I hate Prisoner wines.

2014 vintage

Interesting that WS and WE give this wine an 87 and 86 rating while CT users give it a 91, usually we are more critical. This wine is great, specially for the price. This is a dark colored big body wine. Aromas of berry jam, vanilla, plum and currant. Notes of chocolate, plum, and vanilla. Great wine, ready to drink now.

2014 vintage

Very well balanced, surprinsingly not too alcohol heavy, even at 15.2%! I think it might still need a little more cellar time tho to let all the aromas Come out. Good Californian wine, not too sweet ��

2014 vintage

Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 2 *shared* VERY spectacular bottles] from 06/01/18] (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA) : "77% Merlot; 23% Blend of Malbec and Syrah;" Aged in "...a combination of French and Hungarian oak barrels, 30% new." N: Fairly fragrant vanilla SLIGHTLY atop ripe berries? P: Med, poss LM, body; Nice, ALMOST swtish frt met by some astringent pucker which loses the majority of its oomph as it morphs into a LONG finish with a decided swtness …

2014 vintage

Drank over two days. Night one tons of ripe blackberry, prunes, black cherry. Soft and approachable. Night two all the secondary nuances came through with black coffee, baking chocolate, and notes of cedar leading the way. On the palate the wine is clearly youthful with sappy fruit and med-high acidity. After reading other reviews of this wine I thought I would be underwhelmed and bored by this wine. But this is solid Merlot. Personally I would hide this away for …

2014 vintage

Reviewed the 2012 previously, and I think I liked that one more than I like this. Although the acidity is definitely there on the front, the notes on the front of this wine are also kind of....weird....for Merlot. Out of the glass, I am getting a lot of darker, dense syrah kind of fruit. The 2012 vintage, I had commented that I thought this could have been 20% PS. I am definitely not getting the semi-soft edges and Merlot bramble …

2014 vintage

This is a nice candy coated merlot. Fruit forward and very enjoyable.

2014 vintage

Blueberry, blackberry, ripe fruit. Rich mouth feel with balanced acids and tannins. Nice.

2014 vintage

Cherry, smoke, and leather in nose. Light tannins. Rosemary. Velvety mouthfeel. Short finish

2014 vintage

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The Prisoner Wine Company, Thorn, Napa Valley

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