10/31/2022 - Lukas_w Likes this wine:

Dried fruit, fig, barnyard, forest floor, all the things you want from old Pinot.

11/26/2021 - DbertCellar wrote:

- Ruby color - On open, decanted for an hour. It looked orange and cloudy, but over the next two hours went to deep red and clear. Aroma increased in intensity to very delightful fruit and spice, notes of Cherry and spice. The taste was very good, crisp.

11/26/2020 - jepyle wrote:

Had with Thanksgiving Turkey. Very nice, but not exceptional.

11/16/2020 - ronenv wrote:

Very nice start, smooth middle and fairly short finish.
The flavour is fruity with a hint of strawberry. Medium body. Not too many layers. Very nice to drink with friends.

11/29/2019 - darkfeld Likes this wine:

Rich and balanced, very enjoyable. A very well made wine

7/10/2019 - aaronmphoto Likes this wine:

For $15 this absolutely surprised me. We loved it, even a day after opening. Nice medium dryness and good flavor. Will be getting more of these when I can!

2/17/2019 - Melonman64 Likes this wine:

Translucent, dark red. Nose is mostly sous bois with a hint of red fruit. The palate is the reverse: instantly cherry -- though not overwhelming -- followed by a bit of acidity and sous bois, then lingering for about 15 seconds while oak character becomes more present. You could probably lay this down for 5 more years I think, though it is drinking well now.

1/5/2019 - gunkl Likes this wine:

Some sediment, starts heavy on the jam and great peppery finish.

11/7/2018 - aaronmphoto wrote:

yummy, though it got a little fruity, especially since we didn’t drink all of it on the first night.

11/4/2018 - Melonman64 Likes this wine:

Nose is initially fairly straightforward red fruit. Immediately herbs and tobacco, maybe some eucalyptus on the palate, with a soft finish. Over the next hour evolves into stewed/dried fruit, vanilla, then tobacco into leather. Lingers for some time.

10/21/2018 - Melonman64 Likes this wine:

Dark red, almost purple, mildly translucent. Primarily earthy nose, followed by some mild red fruit. The palate is immediately a moderate amount of oak and somewhat subtle sous bois, again followed by mild to moderate red fruit. Slowly, the fruit, dirt, and leaves combine smoothly, lingering for a decent amount of time.

7/19/2018 - Melonman64 Likes this wine:

Took a few minutes to open up. Dark red with Ruby highlights. Incredible sous bois on the nose, with very subtle hints of red fruit. Similarly, the palate has only mild fruit characteristics and a ton of earthy savory goodness. Soft linger for maybe 30 seconds.

7/7/2018 - DbertCellar wrote:

Complex chocolate covered cherry aroma, nice balanced taste, medium body.

5/12/2018 - DbertCellar wrote:

Cool. aromas of sweet apple and vanilla. Light and tart on the pallet, somewhat lemony bright acidity. Nice summer drinker. This tastes almost like an un-oaked style.

12/27/2017 - Dwey Likes this wine:

good drinking wine, dark berry flavors but not a lot of depth

5/16/1996 - buckeye76 wrote:

BRICK RED IN COLOR. DEEP FRUIT AND A TOUCH OF EARTHINESS IN THE NOSE. BLACK CHERRY FLAVORS AND A MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.

7/1/1998 - buckeye76 wrote:

TOUCH OF EARTHINESS IN THE NOSE WITH LICORICE, LEATHER, AND BLACK CHERRIES. RICH JAMMY BRIARY FRUIT IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.

7/14/2016 - Adkisson Likes this wine:

More tannin than expected. Nice fruit, note of pleasant sourness.

8/17/2014 - Turtlerider wrote:

Strong and strange bad aroma on opening. One of the party goers said old outhouse...

After about 45 minutes the nasty aroma blew off and what was left was a very nice old wine. Brown on the rim but still light read in the centre of the glass.

We had this with simple BBQ steaks, grilled corn on the cob and salad. I have one more bottle, which I will let sit in the decanter for at least an hour before I allow the guests to get near it.

5/20/2014 - yhn wrote:

Pretty faded. There's something there, but it's not very exciting. i hope the other bottle shows better.

4/12/2013 - dssinger wrote:

Earthy

6/14/2012 - affordableCollector wrote:

red, orange, in color. alcohol, dark fruit, vegetative, on the nose. olives, dark fruit, on the palate. medium finish.

4/3/2013 - Wineonthevine wrote:

Popped and poured. Enjoyed with edibles--garden salad, broccoli, sauteed chicken. Light burgundy color. Nose was too faint to take notes. Strawberry and Bing cherry flavors. Medium finish. Might have missed its peak, since it is drinking as a very light Pinot. Haven't had any Hall Pinot in years, so am not sure of its pedigree. Drink up.
P.S. This was not the Single Barrel Selection, as far as I can see, but CT will not let me review it otherwise.

3/26/2013 - rhanke wrote:

Full bodied, blackberry, nice tannin, medium finish

4/1/2012 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote:

8th Annual Pinot Paradise: Santa Cruz Mountains AVA Pinot (Villa Ragusa, Campbell, California): Medium cherry red color; odd, tart strawberry, saline nose; tart cherry, rosehips palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish

4/1/2012 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote:

8th Annual Pinot Paradise: Santa Cruz Mountains AVA Pinot (Villa Ragusa, Campbell, California): Light medium red color with pale meniscus; ripe strawberry, tart strawberry, floral nose; focused, tart cherry, tart strawberry, mineral palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish 90+ points

3/12/2012 - GODAN wrote:

- Crimsom color. It's balanced with a medium body. Polished texture with a medium finish.

12/14/2011 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote:

Dark red violet color; mature, meaty, tart currant, lead pencil nose; tasty, mature, toasty, tart currant, tarragon, weedy, tobacco palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points

1/14/2012 - psmith wrote:

Dark Cabernet fruits. Very herbal with a green streak that cuts through the wine. Still quite structured; surprisingly so in fact. Very curious to know the history/provenance of these.

12/26/2011 - Joshua Smith Does not like this wine:

great wine. fun unique chard. nice honeysuckle on the nose, with a hint of apple. initial taste was nice light apple pear chard. then a nice oak butteryness, but not to much. finish was nice acidic tart. Worth the price.

10/15/2011 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote:

Youthful, Delicious 1950s California Cabernet & 100-Year-Old Riesling (The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, Livermore, California): Hardly bricking dark ruby color; focused, cassis, tart plum, currant nose; tart cassis, light menthol, tart currant, tart plum palate with firm tannins and medium acidity; will go 20+ years yet; medium-plus finish (from a group of Hallcrest Cabs 1950-1964 that came through K&L's Rare Wine Dept.)

8/2/2011 - davetong wrote:

Pinot shouldn't taste like this. It's as if someone wasn't sure whether to make a super-ripe style Pinot or a port and ended up with the worst qualities of both.

6/22/2011 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote:

George Kautzman Old Cali Cab Dinner (Mistral Restaurant, Redwood City, California): Medium garnet red color with pale meniscus; rich cassis, raspberry, red berry nose; tasty, youthful, cassis, tart raspberry palate; will go 10+ more years; medium-plus finish

6/9/2011 - jamieirving wrote:

It's interesting, but I'm really not sure why they make this when Syrah and Pinot Noir is so good from this area. Another "nothing special" rating from me.

6/9/2011 - jamieirving wrote:

Tasted at the cellar door. Good colour, refreshing and grassy. Nothing special.

6/9/2011 - jamieirving wrote:

Made for the 100th anniversary of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk I don'y think this wine compares well to other Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah... Big Basin for example. Below average!

6/9/2011 - jamieirving wrote:

Tasted at the cellar door: deep, dense and dusty - probably from the dry farming. Pretty good.

6/9/2011 - jamieirving wrote:

Blackcurrant, bramble, baking spice and a touch of pepper. Best of my cellar door tasting, but it unfortunately wasn't made from Santa Cruz Mountains fruit.

5/29/2011 - brownman6 wrote:

After 34 years this gift wine was still favored with a full fruity nose and a lingering finish that had just a hint of alcohol. Better storage would have made it last longer. The fruit was blackberry jam to me and very pleasant.

5/14/2011 - jamieirving wrote:

At ten years old, this wine is showing no signs of age. The colour us still as bright as I imagine it ever was and the nose shows an abundance of dark berry fruit and mocha characters. The dark cherry, bramble and blackberry continue on the palate which finishes with a steely minerality. Lovely. Bottle number 2153 of 3600.

2/20/2011 - Vegasorbust02 wrote:

dark dense fruit with a balanced palate loaded with secondary flavors

2/20/2011 - Vegasorbust02 wrote:

very good california chardonnay with acidity and focus. well pronounced and firm with great flavors

8/23/2010 - costacasa wrote:

Darker pinot with classic PN nose. Initially a little fruit forward, but mellows nicely over time. Fairly smooth, nice mouth feel, but a little unbalanced. Not as good as their '03, but still a good value at $25.

7/28/2010 - mxpbuy wrote:

Sampled 7/27/10. A ruby colored wine with plenty of dark cherry flavors and only a hint of sour cherries. Some underbrush with Oak appearing at midpalate and the finish. The wine has a nice acid bite but there is a slightly astringent quality to the wine that takes this fruit laden (but not dense or jammy) wine down a notch for me. Still going strong but would recommend drinking within the next couple years to be safe.

6/13/2010 - grdnbrrtt wrote:

Vintners Festival June 2010: Intense floral-fruity aromas followed by more intense ripe berry flavors. A bit more port-like than lower block, maybe.

6/13/2010 - grdnbrrtt wrote:

Vintners Festival June 2010: Intense floral-fruity aromas followed by more intense ripe berry flavors. "best of Show" SCM competition.

6/5/2010 - WetRock wrote:

Jimsomare Vertical at The White House (The White House, Anaheim, CA): Tired nose showing herbal poop. Tart and herbal palate. Fill level was low so I didn't expect much but it showed strangely versus dead.

3/28/2010 - yhn wrote:

Nose - lovely, full, savory, nice forest floor, smooth berry.
Smooth berry, peppery spice, savory, a bit flat, biting, rustic.

3/28/2010 - yhn wrote:

Nose - forward berry, with citrus, spice and VA (slight hint of nail polish).
Smooth, flat, berry, meat, pith.

4/4/2010 - KurtK wrote:

Very nice Santa Cruz Pinot.