5/19/2023 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

At first opening the nose had slight funk baryard with berries...first aip was still tight, kinda berried chocolate...funky all this after 1 hour. At 2-1/2 hours it opened up and presented a Bordeaux style, berries with a slight tartness, earthy and signs of depth that actually impressed me! The tannis were silky at this point and my overall opinion increased tremendously over the original 30 minute opening. I have 2 more bottles and will wait another year to try again but I am impressed!

8/24/2022 - rbc1978 wrote:

I was never really happy with this wine but I must say, it was much better with the latest bottle. A lot of the heavy earthy tones, dirt. gravel and moss have toned down and some of the fruits have become more prominent, blackberries mostly...I have 1 bottle left and will try it next year.

10/7/2021 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Nice flavors if Blackberrys, cherrys and rhubarb...this wine had strong tannins when tasted previously and had actually turned into a better wine with age than I ever expected it to...!!

7/21/2021 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

This is my 3rd bottle, bought it 5 years ago and it was harsh with the first bottle...time is smoothing out the flavors. Nice pineapple, honey on the front, with orange and lemon on the back...more impressed with this wine than I was 5 years ago!

1/24/2021 - rbc1978 wrote:

Read a recent review that the wine is getting light...properly cellared it is still strong! Blackberry, fig and a loam taste....the finish has some bosenberry with a soft finish.

7/16/2020 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Definitely more refined than my last bottle! Wonderful BlackBerry and Plum punch to the mouth ...the finish is extremely smooth but a very good wine. Bottle has at least 5 more years to it.

4/12/2020 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Easter Dinner wine, went great with Ham and Lamb! Bright berries on the nose, nice easy drinking with enough fruit to cut the lamb but not over powering the ham...wish I had more than 3 bottles.

4/3/2020 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Great Peppery Spice, ate it with Lamb Chops and was perfect! I was very happy that I held several bottles as I believe this wine is nearing it's best drinking now! Before it had a tannic start on the tongue and that is now gone...

3/21/2020 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

This wine is coming into its range! Tannins are softer, smooth cassis, berry flavors with a slight chocolate finish. Earlier bottles were harsh and I am adding another 2 years to finish the bottles in stock.

7/23/2019 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

This is ny last bottle of 2007. I believe that it is also on the edge...however a nice Pinot Noir! Cherries, Currants and a smoky finish...maybe a hint of cola too.

7/16/2019 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Dark honey colored, hints of honey, pineapple, apriots and a Medium finish. Not built as a sauternes but still a nice dessert wine.

6/15/2019 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Decanted for 1-1/2. Nose was nice dark fruit with a woodsy note. Color was a deep ruby red in the glass. On first taste nice berry with earthy undertone, but finish was a little dryer than most RM Cab's...later during the night we had some cheese with the wine and it certainly opened up better and the dry finish went away. Not the best RM but still a good wine!

6/10/2019 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Fantastic nose! Earthy, even hints of Blackberry and other jammy notes on the nose. In the glass its darker ruby red flaring into light tinges of deeper red. First taste is surreal, not your light style pinot(more my favorite sytle)! Fruit forward, heavy blackberry and then tones off into Tobacco and Coffee with a long finish on the tongue! This has many years in the bottle to go and I wish I had more than 5 left in the cellar!

5/14/2019 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Heavy carmelized flavors with hitss of orange and pineapple...plenty of time left on this vintage!

5/10/2019 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

The nose was still tight with tannins but withrich earthy notes. On the palette Black cherry pops immediately with plum boysenberry flavors. The tannins are very soft at this point making it very elegant finish.

3/1/2019 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Color is inky dark red with earthy tones with a bright berry odors...taste is bright berries and earthy notes with a very smooth finish. Tannins are very light now and I think that I will put my others bottles on my drink list.

2/16/2019 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

I found this bottle in my cellar...long forgotten! When I bought a case back in 2007 I thought it was a good buy for the quality.. my surprise is that it has a better life span than I would have imagined. It has an over ribened odor and the color is dark red with browning. However the taste on the palate is still a successful Cabernet Sauvignon with dark cassis, cherry and a slightly bitter finish. All in for a $30 wine, very surprising and delicious! Interesting how a wine that was not a long term cellar has managed to be not bad after getting lost in my cellar!

2/10/2019 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Drinking great now! The tannins are softening up and with a 45 minute decant I was very pleased with it! Has great dark current order with wafting strawberry, color is medium to dark ruby color. Upon drinking the dark currents start on the tongue and slowing lighten up to gooseberry and a light smooth finish! Wish I had saved more of this wine as its drinking perfect now.

2/8/2019 - rbc1978 wrote:

Not anywhere as dynamic as you would think based off other reviews...softer wine with mild fruits, currants, cherries. It started harsh until it opened after an hour or so but still not as big a Pinot as I had hoped.

10/18/2018 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Light Boudeaux but not bad for cost and its ability to last almost 10 years . Not a wine that I would plan to cellar but got lost our collection.

8/28/2018 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Dark ruby color with ripe aroma with blackberry, and a hint of sandalwood. The flavor is still bright berry but smooth tannins with a long finish. I bought this wine before its release and have been pleasantly surprised! Wish I had gotten more than the 4 bottles I had...seems better than other review's on CT?!

8/25/2018 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

After 45 min we made our first taste and I was impressed with the aroma of currants so fresh, cherries, chocolate and an amazing herb garden. The taste itself was velvety, rich wonderful Cab fruit blended to make the flavor just last forever on the tongue. Never over powering but this vintage has another 10 - 15 years without problem! To bad I only have 1 bottle left in the cellar.
This wine still remains the reason I started collecting and savoring wines from around the world!

6/15/2018 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Its been a year since I have had a bottle of this and am pleasantly surprised! Ageing has provided additional layering to this wine and at this point is in its prime! Great Black Raspberry, currents, blueberries, slight olive and a little peppery on the finish. I hate to say it but it has developed more than I had ever thought it might have when I bought it. My son had started working for NASA and I decided on a whim...great buy and worth twice the price paid!

6/12/2018 - rbc1978 wrote:

Strong cherry, coffee and balsamic notes. Mouthfeel is nice with slight choppy tannins and a mossy, earthy aftertaste.

2/25/2018 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Heavy Carmel overtone with thick luscious apricot flavors...can't wait to try it again as I was only able to have a small sample...

2/9/2018 - rbc1978 wrote:

I let the bottle breath for an hour. Honestly this bottle had the odor of charcoal starter fluid in the glass...yet flavors were nice Merlot, berries, soft tannins....hoping that fuel smell will not be in all my bottles!

7/17/2016 - rbc1978 wrote:

Disappointed with this bottle tonight. Not a lot of depth that normal Yquem offers...the bottle was not as chilled as it needed to be but had opened a 2009 at the same time & temp and was surprised how much better the 2009 was overall...

7/7/2016 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Starts off with a lot of graphite and leather but slowly moves to darker fruits, spices and earth...tannins are strong so will wait a few years before opening another bottle.

2/22/2016 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

A fantastic Pinot with HUGE Flavor! Big black cherry,licorice, toasty oak, pomegranate, roast coffee. Not a shy wine! Not as bright as earlier vintages but still a fantastic single vintage wine! I paid more for it than I could have but was so enthralled with the 2010 vintage I was willing to buy....I think it could be even better if I had properly let this wine breath.

12/30/2015 - rbc1978 wrote:

Opened bottle while on vacation and couldn't decant it. Beautiful nose and Carmel coloring. Wine is thick and sticks to the tongue well with mild sweetness. Flowery, with honey Notes but was disappointed with it having a slightly tart off note finish. Hopefully if I treat the bottles at home better it may prove to be the wine I thought it was when I tasted it 2 years ago. ..

11/25/2015 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Decanted the wine which certainly improved everything to start! Dense, rich soft and spicy red fruit with currant standing out. A great Merlot certainly for the price.

11/4/2015 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Great Apple flavors opening up to flowery finish. Bottle wasn't chilled enough to drink initially

9/28/2015 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

I think the wine has gotten even smoother since the last bottle nearly a year ago! Short decant of 45 min and was very good. Has taken on a deeper straw color, nice acidity with a great spicy note. The richness is great with some mineral notes also.

7/18/2015 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Still nice Cherry notes with a good finish. Cellared longer than thought as I found the last 2 bottles tucked away in my cellar. Would recommend the wine for it's value!

7/11/2015 - rbc1978 wrote:

Supposed to be the same fruit as Quicinda, not sure as the tannins were tight and I have not tasted the 2009....Like the wine and a great value for the $$

7/11/2015 - rbc1978 wrote:

Great Malbec but does need to breath...used a Rabbit and then still needed at least 30 more minutes before the flavors really started coming through!

7/9/2015 - rbc1978 wrote:

Earthy odor with fruit undertones, taste of strawberry with chewy tannin overtone. I think at least another 2 years in the bottle. This wine could jump in value dramatically with time!

7/7/2015 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

I rated this wine after the 1st glass. I had only been decanted 45 minutes as dinner was ready early, not my plan. Deep dark reds, noise of fruit and leather. Taste was at first thin and fruity cherry, boysenberry and leathery finish. Tannins are still strong and has plenty of life for shelving a couple more years.
After 2nd glass nearly 2 hours after decanting I want to say it opened up some much more and as I didn't want to change my initial rating would upgrade it to a 97.

4/4/2015 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

As previously mentioned, color is lighter than expected. Decanted for 1-1/2 to 2 hrs. Nose is delicate with wafting notes of ripe fruit, earthy with spice and a cedar finish. At first taste your waiting for a punch of flavors and immediately you are overly smitten with its soft ripe tannins. The rise of fruit comes gently on the palate and mineral notes ease into a great finish.
WOW! How am I going to hold off only drinking a bottle once every 5 years to follow this fantastic wine?

4/1/2015 - rbc1978 wrote:

Very light body with Strawberry and Cherry notes...was hoping for more when I bought this wine. Not a huge value for the money. Have plenty more to drink and maybe with longer window before drinking may help.

2/12/2015 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

A dryer Pinot Noir than I usually drink...bright Cherry, Casis flavors with a very dry finish

2/6/2015 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

I think my most disappointing thought with this wine is the plastic cork which tends to leak a little...
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig, red currant, black currant (cassis), lead pencil and stoniness. It tastes like red currant, gooseberry, fig, raisin, burnt and black pepper. The body is medium/full. The wine has leathery texture. The wine finishes short. The wine has low acidity.

11/17/2014 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Nice Cherry/Berry nose. The wine is soft and smooth with medium berry flavors and light tannins...would think there is at most 5 years left in this vintage

11/15/2014 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

First understanding this wine needed time, I decanted it 2 hours before dinner. I believe this helped in providing the rating I gave it! Nose was of bright cherries & berries yet taste was more of darker fruit, allowing for a spicey earthy note to come through. Great finish but still had lingering tannins on the tongue. Will be trying another bottle in 3 years to review again!

3/7/2014 - rbc1978 wrote:

Nice Moscato, heavy pear flavor but not overly sweet. A good desert wine with a fruit tart desert. Would not drink with a sweet desert as it would not hold up...not bad for the cost!

1/6/2014 - rbc1978 wrote:

Nice fruit burst at the start but softens off to nothing on the finish. Not a bad medium price Napa Cabernet.

1/4/2014 - rbc1978 wrote:

Great flavors, apricot, strawberry, carmel after notes...was a delightful compliment to a 4 course meal!

1/4/2014 - rbc1978 wrote:

Ate with Filet & Salmon dinner. Fantastic in the mouth with deep current, cherry and chocolate notes. Opened 1-1/2 hrs before dinner and still was tight at the beginning of the meal but opened up by the end.

1/4/2014 - rbc1978 Likes this wine:

Nice even cab! Soft notes of cherry, leather and currents. Left to open for 1hr

11/14/2013 - rbc1978 wrote:

Heavy alcohol drag down this wine...nice cherry, raspberry flavors with an even finish. In the end I was disappointed with the wine.