4/26/2010 - denlowd wrote:

This bottle was ullaged to high-shoulder and showed some signs of seepage through the cork. The cork crumbled into the bottle, even when using an Ah-So puller. The initial nose was full but seemed somewhat stemmy. The first palate impression was similar and somewhat stern, with less fruit than hoped for and some slight, dry tannins dominating. But after an hour of being opened, the taste evolved remarkably to a dusty, mouth-filling fruitiness. Wonderfully preserved, and a real tribute to the work Richard Arrowood did at Chateau St. Jean in the 1970s. I have recently (within the past year) tasted the 1975, 1976, and 1978 from my cellar and each has been strong, youthful, and a textbook example of how to make a long-lived California cabernet.

4/26/2010 - denlowd wrote:

Opened one day after a recently-delivered 2008 was opened and proved disappointing. This was much, much richer on the palate with a depth a fruit unusual for a pinot under $12. Hard to fault at this price.

4/26/2010 - denlowd wrote:

Drunk less than a week after delivery from California by truck. Mildly pleasant nose, but the palate seemed very low-profile and unpromising, with only a modest amount of pinot fruit in evidence. A day later, alarmed at how ordinary this bottle was, I opened the 2007 from the same producer, and it was worlds away from this. I'll retaste in a month.

4/26/2010 - denlowd wrote:

The rich, oily nose promised much more than the palate delivered. The palate feel was thick and adhered to the tongue. The taste was sweet but revealed little distinctive fruit flavor. For all one knew, it could have been cane sugar. The long sweet finish had nothing distinctive to it but duration.

1/8/2010 - denlowd wrote:

This particular note is made 2 hours after the wine was delivered by UPS on a day that reached 5 degrees, F as a high. Even though the wine had been through a lot of movement, the flavor was strong and promising. My long experience with Havens wines has warned me to expect them, to peak at about 10+ years of age, even the non-reserve varieties. Not only is the flavor full, with a slightly herbaceous palate and nose, but the finish has a nice vanilla component that mingles perfectly with the somewhat stern fruit profile. If you favor upfront California fruitbomb merlots, it will disappoint; if you have been raised on St. Emilion, you'll find a lot here to love. On Wine Woot, it was only $10, but it is now $6.99 at K&L. That last price is an incredible bargain.

1/7/2010 - denlowd wrote:

Low profile might be more of a compliment than this wine deserves. Not only is the palate thin and unrewarding, but the residual taste that lingers in the finish is that of unripe fruit. Only a decent nose saves this wine from being a complete debacle.

1/4/2010 - denlowd wrote:

While this is a delicious wine as soon as the cork is pulled, it takes a few hours to show its best side. All 3 bottles I have opened have shown consistently. Lovely, spicy nose, followed by exceptionally sweet fruit and, initially, a slight imbalance and underlying lack of clarity on the palate. Within a few hours, or next day, everything is harmonious and extremely mouth-filling. While this wine seems in short supply, it is worth a special search to obtain.

1/3/2010 - denlowd wrote:

3 bottles opened in the past 6 months, consistent notes. Expansive cabernet nose leads to a palate already mature and with little no no improvement in the future, Very discreet tannins in the finish save it from being excessively flabby. On a small scale, this is a reasonably balanced wine, since the lack of much structure is mirrored by the lack of much upfront fruit. Pleasant enough drinking with modest complexity.

1/3/2010 - denlowd wrote:

3 notes in the past year, all consistent. This wine is alarmingly forward, for a young vintage port from a well-honored year. Each bottle has had little fruit upon opening, and prominent alcohol and sweetness. These characteristics became slightly worse over the life of the bottle. Each bottle was decanted. Decent, though deceptive nose, promising more fruit than the palate was able to discover. Since I have the better part of a case in my cellar, I have resorted to blending some California petite sirah in the decanter to break the sugar and alcohol monotony. I have also found the Spanish red wine Can Blau robust enough to work when a petite sirah is not av available.