5/4/2024 - klezman wrote:

This was fantastic. Plum, earth, cherry, some gameyness from the Syrah. Nice with dry aged steak.

7/12/2023 - KingsleyZissou Likes this wine:

Very nice Napa Meritage wine. Dense blackberry pastry, mixed with black currant, menthol, bay leaf, and plenty of rich cedar and coffee from abundant oaking. Quite fruit-forward, but not overdone by any means and well balanced by the earthier herbal qualities. Just a slight over abundance of the oak detracts from a lovely bouquet. Palate is massive— as may be expected — but well balanced showing plentiful but soft tannin and moderate acid. Will certainly appease fans of bombastic Napa cabs but still retains an air of elegance and subtlety.

3/13/2023 - BarneyCEO Likes this wine:

Color is brownish red with blueberry, black cherry, blackberry and baking spice on the nose, with more of the same plus caramel in each sip. The finish is flat with no lasting flavors. Better than the earlier tasting notes indicated - this wine aged well, but won’t last another 3-5 years: drink now with moderate expectations.

12/10/2022 - bootaylor76 Likes this wine:

This wine has some more time in bottle and nice bright fruit with a hint of Oak. Great acidity and great tannins. Corley is always good and always consistent!

Cork & Taylor Wine Podcast

10/24/2022 - cubswinws wrote:

Disjointed with some upfront fruit but lost on the backend.

9/23/2022 - MichaelCLeonard Likes this wine:

This was a nice blend of Cabernet Sav, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. I opened it with 3 friends and we all enjoyed it. It was medium on the mouth feel. It had some tannins and plenty of fruit. It was enjoyable. A nice wine with dinner or alone.

9/6/2022 - corkscrews Likes this wine:

A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied red blend, with black cherry, plum, licorice and spice on finish, drink now. www.winelx.com

1/13/2022 - rolandkyle wrote:

This was good but has reached its peak.

1/11/2022 - Dutchman80 Likes this wine:

Beautiful. Just the right amount of tannins. Jojo really likes

1/8/2022 - Wine O’ Clock Likes this wine:

Acid M
Tannin H
Heavy cigar, bold, plum black pepper
Shorter finish

6/17/2021 - Rasmussenbrent Likes this wine:

This still has some years left. Great wine

1/10/2021 - frojan wrote:

Very dark burgundy in color and a nose of cherries and dark berries. Drank this over2 nights and it held up very well. Still a lot of character and was medium to full bodied. Still very dense with a deep berry flavor that left me smacking my lips and asking for another bottle.

11/26/2020 - jsheaff wrote:

Thanksgiving bottle. Best to breathe or decant

11/7/2020 - Lakeeden1 Likes this wine:

Very Nice wine

10/30/2020 - redz wrote:

The last reviewers all took the easy out, "wonderful wine"... I agree. Muted merlot nose, with strong franc tannins. A little chocolaty on palate, reminds me of cab/syrah blend like Optimus. Lovely, long finish.Only decanted an hour, needed more. May be evolving into something even better. Add: just googled it, 56% franc, 10% Syrah. kudos me.

9/22/2020 - bigbass250 Likes this wine:

my sister Denise liked it especially 2nd night after being open 24 hours I thought it was ok nothing great

7/5/2020 - Marty.H Likes this wine:

Wonderful wine!

12/7/2018 - mpsocal Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable wine. Nice fruit nice finish.

10/22/2018 - Glen-n-Anne Likes this wine:

Drinking well now, but will improve with more time.

3/11/2017 - kvd2 Likes this wine:

Color: Garnet
Nose: Smells Earthy and Fruity with Nice Balance
Taste: Fresh Raspberry and Blackberry; Vibrant and Softer Blend than Jefferson Cuvee with the Oak Knoll District Characteristics
Comp's: Baldacci IV Sons, Chimney Rock Elevage, and other Oak Knoll or Mid/Southern Napa Bordeaux Blends in the $50-75 Range

2/14/2015 - Justinneal654 wrote:

Rich, oaky, blackberry, raspberry, currant and a hint of earthy depth.

12/8/2017 - jcarman wrote:

Tasted at the winery and was very good. Opened our first bottle at home and not impressed at all. Will have a second bottle soon and see if it was just that bottle or not.

10/31/2017 - J~Dwines Likes this wine:

Dry plum

1/15/2017 - JediSense wrote:

Good wine but a little past it's prime at this point.

10/2/2016 - Hemingway Likes this wine:

Decanted and let it breathe for a good 45 minutes. Got a lot of dark fruit aromas. Good depth and nice finish. No complaints with this one.

9/20/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Because the heir or passed away. Has a bit of Syrah in it. Big fruit, spicy, soft in the mid, works at $70 or so but doesn't quite thrill me. Drink up.

9/16/2016 - Tvall13 wrote:

Great expression of mainly can franc. Medium body and beautiful fruit. Not green at all.

2/18/2016 - DavidWong168 wrote:

Rather disappointing for a wine at this price point. Inexpressive nose, light and one dimensional red fruit on the palate and medium finish. Medium purple. Not much acid or grip. Unexciting.

2/18/2016 - cltean Likes this wine:

Tasted at Total Wine in Towson, MD on Thursday, February 18, 2016. lovely California style nose. Well crafted and elegant. 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Cabernet Franc and 12% Merlot, 14.3% alcohol. 53.99

1/3/2016 - handymom Likes this wine:

Pleasant nose. Mild palate and relatively long, pleasant finish. Much better than expected!

1/2/2016 - pdesouza wrote:

Opened a little late....

8/1/2015 - hoops92 Likes this wine:

Waited a bit too long.

3/18/2015 - crgcpl52 Likes this wine:

great wine from a small producer would buy again if found

7/18/2014 - Yamadori Does not like this wine:

Oak on the nose along with black fruit. Blueberry, black raspberry and dark cherry fruit on the palate with a creamy texture. Oak is quite noticeable. Notes of caramel but overall pretty simple. Short finish with integrated tannins. I am quite oak tolerant but this had a bit too much oak even for my taste. Not a good QPR.

8/9/2014 - TwoSmoochies wrote:

Vegetal

10/4/2013 - La Cave d'Argent wrote:

Napa Valley Wine and Food Excursion 2013; 9/30/2013-10/5/2013 (Napa Valley, California): This deep ruby wine is a blend of 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 33% Cabernet Franc. A lush, velvety and toasty style, it flaunts aromas of black currants, blueberries, vanilla and lavender. Medium-bodied and round on the palate, it delivers flavors which mirror the nose, but the oak component steps to the forefront. The medium-weight tannins are quite polished and the alcohol (listed as 14.2%) is seamless. Creamy and toasty in the middle, the wine concludes with medium length. While certainly enjoyable, this is a wine where the oak is more than just complementary. Drink now-2020.

6/22/2013 - bin905 wrote:

It is heavily oaked and hearty. We will see whether it settles down and integrates after breathing.

After breathing, the spice, dark fruit and ash stepped to the forefront of scent; the rough edges rounded, and the palate was chewy, rich, vanilla, coffee, milk chocolate, licorice and tobacco flavors. Even the moderately long finish is viscous with ample tannins. The charred oak and Cabernet Franc dominate the peronality of this wine.

8/22/2011 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote:

2011 Family Winemakers San Francisco Tasting; 8/21/2011-8/22/2011 (Fort Mason Festival Pavillon, San Francisco, California): Tart black fruit, light smoke nose; tart black fruit, chocolate palate with low acidity; medium-plus finish (44% Cabernet Franc Clone X; 38% Merlot Clone 181; 18% Cabernet Sauvignon)

8/20/2011 - ecola Likes this wine:

Aromas of black cherry, a little cedar, and a little leather. Big black fruit on the medium to full bodied palate. Napa through and through. Doing very well at age ten. Peaking, but probably will not improve.

5/29/2011 - dontime wrote:

Rich nose of red cherries and raspberries. Similar flavors on the palate with a creamy smoothness. Medium bodied with a nice mouth feel and a satisfying finish. A steal at the state monopoly store sale price of $17.

4/9/2011 - ecola Likes this wine:

Aromas of red berries and some toasted oak with some floral action. Medium to full bodied. Red fruit with a little herb on the palate. A decent wine, but nothing to get worked up about.

3/16/2011 - jonradus wrote:

This wine has a great nose of blackcurrant, vanilla, and violet with some cedar. The blackcurrant really comes through on the taste, which is mildly tart and rich with a light cherry vanilla overtone. The finish is leathery with some tobacco and dusty cocoa tannins. The finish is pretty long. I like this wine, especially for the $15 I spent on it.

5/15/2009 - Robo148 Likes this wine:

good

12/13/2009 - calmonte wrote:

Undrinkable, I wouldn't even use it for cooking. Sharp to the nose. Bitter, overly hot on the palate. $2 at Trader Joe's would have been better spent.

12/11/2009 - gmbdds wrote:

Not scored because it was drunk with too much palate fatigue after a blind tasting. It came across as balanced and well structured. Probably about a 90.

12/4/2009 - Fozziedoggie wrote:

.375ml bottle - Deep dark, rich red color. Nose of dark cherry and plum. Medium weight with good structure. Not much of a finish; alcohol is well integrated at this point. Merlot grape dominates this one for me. Nice effort, but definitely needs more cellar time to pull together -- Drink in 2011 or so.

3/8/2009 - clava wrote:

Tasted 3-8-09. Dark opaque maroon burgundy. Not much nose initially. Smelled dense, deep, integrated, some spicy oak, but did not give up much. Nose & palate noticeably less luscious than 18-24 mos. ago. Palate fairly seamless, tasted the cab franc, needed to be sipped with a meal, considerable density. A bit more fruit came around eventually. Impression was weighty & intense but without the delicious complexities tasted previously. Tasted same bottle the next day & found a little more fruit, some currants, still dense & a chewy almost sludgy quality. Not as bad as this sounds but certainly drank better in '07.

8/25/2007 - beezer6 wrote:

Dan Cushin brought into Wildfire OB.
Very dark violet.
Nose of candied dark red berries, casis, leather and cedar.
Balanced. Somewhat thin on the palate, yet this fits the wine's character just right.
Delicate but quite enjoyable.

12/16/2006 - hiltondg wrote:

Popped and poured. Tasty blend here. As with a lot of 01's, give it some air time. Fruit forward with a smokey finish.

11/8/2006 - Caracappa wrote:

Bordeaux style blend with tannins that are not too harsh - opened up nicely after about 1/2 hour of decanting. Nice fruit without being sweet or cloying.