Community Tasting Note

• SMHalps Likes this wine: 93 points

  March 10, 2016 - Can you be disappointed in a wine you like? I was expecting so much more from this. It was a massive dark fruit driven wine, with a thick mouth feel. Almost ten year old vintage ruby port like. This was popped and poured at a restaurant. The color seemed to be very dark (not great lighting at the restaurant), and it threw some sediment. Thankfully, I had stood the bottle up a few days earlier. Lots of vanilla/oak on the nose. My guests and I drank every drop, but for the vintage, the age, the price and comparing it to other Hillsides, I was disappointed.

  1 person found this helpful 5,343 views

5 Comments

• MemorialWineFan commented:

  3/11/16, 8:30 AM - I would be too based on what you described. Do you think a long decant would have improved things?

• SMHalps commented:

  3/11/16, 8:46 AM - MemorialWineFan, Yes, I do think a long decant would have helped. I think the next time I plan to drink a 2007 (or 2008) Hillside, I am going to open the wine ahead of time, decant for 2 hours, then pour it back into the bottle and bring it to the restaurant. I am actually planning on drinking a 2008 later this month with my wine group. I'll post the results the next day.

• MemorialWineFan commented:

  3/11/16, 9:46 AM - I could not agree more. That wine needs more air no doubt to get the most out of it. I hope I can hold onto mine for 15 years minimum before cracking one open.

• SMHalps commented:

  3/11/16, 11:04 AM - I'm not sure what possessed me to open the 2007 last night..I have older Hillsides that I could have opened instead. After thinking about it, that 2008 I was planning on having at a late March dinner is going to be replaced with something else. Thanks for your comments, they were helpful.

• MemorialWineFan commented:

  3/11/16, 1:12 PM - You bet. :)

Add a Comment