2/25/2013 - Rob MacKay wrote:

First time I've had this varietal. Very food friendly with a great combo of acidity and dark fruit. A touch of a pine note in there as well. Good value.

10/16/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Figs and earth mixed with blackberries on the nose. The earthiness extends to the palate and overall, this wine seems to be trying to live in denial of it's Italian roots with a lot of French Provencal characteristics. Finish is a little clipped but overall very tasty and a great value.

5/14/2013 - Rob MacKay wrote:

I'm really digging this varietal lately. This wine showed a nice white pepper note on the nose and some good acidity that helps it work nicely with hearty Italian foods. $22 is a decent price for this tasty pop'n'pour wine.

12/22/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Grassy and very much like a sav blanc. Drinkable and does match well with spicy foods.

9/5/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote:

An interesting little red dessert wine from Tuscany. We purchased this bottle June, 2006 while we were on our honeymoon in Florence, Italy and brought it back with us. All this time later and we decided that it was time to open it up and see if it was as interesting as we had remembered it. It is certainly different then your normal dessert wine. Not sweet or cloying like a Sauternes, not the maple syrup, caramel aspects of a fortified Tawny and not really anywhere in between. It's just a simple little fruity wine that when fully chilled, makes a great little after dinner treat. Since you want to have it nicely chilled, you can also keep it in the fridge with the cork in the bottle for a month or more without any adverse affects. Try it out if you can find it.

4/22/2020 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Badly Corked

8/5/2013 - Rob MacKay wrote:

A definite step up from the 2008 vintage that I had a while back. Much more depth and structure here. Quite nice and still just $15. Excellent value.

11/15/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote:

The nose on this wine shows a lot of earth, spice, green peppers and some dark fruit. The wine was aged in French barriques for quite some time and there is a lot of influence from that on the nose. Slightly tannic on that back end but great acidity up front and nice fruit as well which makes this wine very interesting and complex. Improved with time in the glass and was great with dinner.

7/24/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote:

You don't see that many rosé wines coming out of Piedmont and those made from Barbera are even rarer these days and after having this one, I am left to wonder why that is the case? Color is a little darker then most French rosé and this was really quite tasty with nice acidity and texture with a dash of dark and tropical fruits on the palate. Stands on its own quite well but also goes great with a wide variety of foods and appetizers and at $15, its also a pretty good deal too.

1/31/2013 - Rob MacKay wrote:

A young wine but very accessible right from the start. Ripe fruit with good acidity and very subtle tannins. A great pairing with simple dishes like pizza or even more robust dishes like a hearty lasagna. $15? Are you kidding me? Back the truck up and get all you can as it's a great everyday dinner wine.

4/29/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Very dry with a big fruity nose but the fruit flavors don't carry over to the palate very much. It does have a nice bit of acidity which lets it pair well with a traditional Italian red sauce. The leftover glass and a half was actually better the next night.

8/30/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Normally I would shy away from Barbera as it is one of those grapes that just doesn't do it for me but I picked this up on a recommendation and I'm glad that I did. I found this to be much different from other examples of this varietal in that it was a much more complete and complex wine with a very smooth texture and a mix of deep rich fruit and a touch of earth. At $16, this a great wine to keep around for when you need a go-to Italian wine to match with a hearty tomato based sauce.

2/16/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Pizza nuts rejoice, this is a wine made just for you! I don't think I have had a wine that was better for pizza then this little $15 gem. The nose shows a nice strawberry and white pepper element mixed with a touch of a floral note. Fairly fruit forward with an excellent balance of acidity and weight. There's not much of a finish and if you have some left over after the pizza, it just doesn't seem to be nearly as good but hopefully you will pop it at your next pizza party and it won't get that far.

2/21/2013 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Good fruit, high acidity and minimal tannins make this very easy to enjoy and a fantastic match for many foods. $25 is not a bad price. I suspect that there are a lot of gems to be found with 2009 Barbera d'Alba.

4/25/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote:

I'll rate this wine safely in the 'good' range. Overall, it's pretty simple and fruity with almost a bubbleguminess (new word for today) profile to the fruit on both the nose and palate. Decent acidity but not much of a finish. Was better with a pizza. I'm not much of a Barbera d'Alba fan to begin with but if you are, then this fits the style well and at $15, not too bad of a deal.

4/24/2013 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Haven't had this grape before. Very interesting. Lots of acidity with some minty notes. The wine calms down nicely with some time in the decanter but I found the finish to be a little abrupt. Good wine and under $20 makes it a decent value if you want to try something new.

7/26/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Very dark violet-red color. Nose of dark fruits and red licorice. Big tastes very similar to an Argentinian Malbec. A little tight at first but opened up well after about 30 minutes or so.

11/8/2014 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Well rounded with some nicely integrated fruit flavors and a soft texture. Was probably quite the big wine when it was young but has relaxed quite a bit. Sitting in a prime drinking window right now.

12/13/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Tasted at a holiday party. Not really enough of an experience to fairly score the wine but my impressions were that while there is good fruit up front, the wine itself is still pretty tannic and finishes very dry. Would probably be good with a nice steak dinner.

11/8/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Transparent crimson color. Candied cherries and raspberries on the nose with a medium bodied texture. Nice fruit up front and midpalate with some oak and a little white pepper coming in on the finish to round things out nicely.

9/2/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

There was definitely something a little off on this bottle. I don't think it was flawed but it might have been. Tasted very astringent with a funky aftertaste. no rating.

6/3/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Very similar to the previous bottle we had over a year ago but this one seemed to show more oak, or maybe I just notice it more now then before.

5/10/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote:

It's been a little while since I checked in on this wine, having previously had the 02 and 03 vintage. Dark violet red color with lots of blackberry liqueur on the nose mixed with a bit of new leather and cedar notes. Rich dark fruit flavors with just slightly abrasive tannins on the finish. It is pretty difficult to distinguish this from a typical Napa Cabernet Sauvignon except that perhaps it's not quite as 'big' and it's perhaps just a touch more on the spicy side. Pretty good though and I'd probably buy it again.

4/23/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Excellent Cabernet Franc. Deep purple violet color. Creme brulee or perhaps dried cherries on the nose. Smooth and smoky texture with dark cherries and a peppery finish. Very good.

12/26/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Excellent. Dark ruby red violet color with currants and oak mixed with a bit of a peppery scent on the nose. Lucious fruit flavors with acidity and tannins nicely in balance. No need to wait on this one, it is drinking great right now.

4/2/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Burrell School is located just up the hill from our place in Santa Cruz. This is the first bottle out of our 7 year Burrell School Cab Franc vertical running from 1997 to 2003. The 97 has aged well with the color a very light brick red. Explosive nose that smelled exactly like carmalized or brandied cherries. Very interesting. Earth and spice tones on the palate.

4/10/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Dark but transparent burgandy red color with lots of crushed red berry scents on the nose. Fruity with a spicy element as well, maybe a little pepper. Finishes well with a touch of oak. Nice wine but the 2001 Burrell School Cab Franc is much better.

4/30/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

The third bottle of our 97 - 03 vertical and probably the best one next to the 97 and 98. Fading in color but not quite bricking at the edges. As with the others, this one has strong candied cherries on the nose. Full bodied with a little bit of a balance issue with the alcohol. However, it's still not too bad at all.

4/13/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Tasted in a British Columbia icewine sampler at Blue Crab in Victoria BC. This was excellent. Pale red color with a massive strawberry jam nose. Sweet and fruity with a great texture and decent finish.

9/24/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Dark and highly extracted with a good dose of black cherry and oak on the nose. Starts out pretty wound up but shakes down well with time and eventually becomes very smooth and enjoyable with a nice finish.

9/2/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Upon first opening this bottle we poured a couple of glasses and thought that it was just 'ok'. We then put the bottle on the counter and forgot about it. Came back to it 5 hours later and the wine had become much better, with nice dark fruit flavors mixed with a touch of oak on the finish.

10/27/2021 - Rob MacKay wrote:

This wine surprised me. Lots of funk and manure on the nose but a super clean flavor with good fruit. Pairs excellently with funky cheese.

3/14/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Second taste from our Burrell School Cabernet Franc vertical. This one was definitely not as good as the 97. Seemed to be quite out of balance. Smell of brandy on the nose and strong taste of alcohol. 3/10/2006

12/2/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

100 percent Cabernet Franc. Dark crimson color. Red licorice and crushed black cherries with a touch of earth on the nose. Flavors of dark fruits with spice and a nice finish. Good to drink now but will also age well for a few more years.

9/8/2016 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Just ok for me. Starts out a little on the thin side. Does gain a little weight over time. Decent fruit but not really my style for Cab Franc.

7/15/2017 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Surprising amount of clove and cinnamon on the nose. Nice complexity. Decent weight on the palate. Medium finish.

2/27/2023 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Quite pleasant. Well rounded. Good fruit. It's biggest plus is that its under $25. Excellent value.

9/20/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Perhaps the first Cab Franc Rosé that I have had. Nice light salmon orange color with some raspberry notes on the nose. I found the flavors to be quite tart and there is quite a kick of acidity at first followed by a very dry finish. Interesting wine, but my preference still leans toward the Grenache based Rosé from the south of France.

7/23/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Transparent burgandy color with slight bricking at the rim. Nose of black cherries and white pepper with flavors that nearly match the nose perfectly. Nice balance, nice finish, nice wine.

1/13/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

A good 100% cab franc from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Transparent ruby color with a lot of dark fruits mixed with toast. Opens up well with a little time but starts to fall apart if you leave any for the next evening.

7/25/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Sunriver Artisan Wine Tasting (Sunriver Oregon): I really enjoyed this Cab Franc, which has 6% Petit Verdot blended into it. Nice spicy Cab Franc fruit that straddles a fine line of approaching a jammy texture but still retaining some nice characteristics through to the finish.

2/27/2010 - Rob MacKay Likes this wine:

A friend of mine is making his own Cab Franc from some Carneros (southern Napa area) from the 09 vintage and while it rests in barrel, we wanted to compare it to an unoaked Loire Cab Franc, which is where this wine comes into play. This wine never saw any wood so the pure essence of the Cab Franc fruit is what you get and it's quite tasty as the blackberry notes mix with some earthy elements framed by mild tannins. For $20, this is a nice little wine.

11/22/2006 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Surprising soft and well integrated for such a young wine. Medium bodied, leaning even toward light bodied with nice crushed berry flavors and a soft finish.

11/20/2011 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Interestingly, this was more accessible compared to an 07 I opened with the same amount bottle age on it. This wine shows a really large amount of luscious berry fruit from start to finish. For some people it almost might be a little over the top in it's near sweetness of fruit. There are a few other elements mixed in for complexity but the fruit certainly dominates. Maybe with time it'll mellow a bit.

11/17/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Another fine showing for the mystery cab. This is one of the hidden gems for us this year.

11/25/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Despite being from a weaker vintage, this was one of the better bottles of Silver Oak that I have had. This wine is certainly peaking right now and shows a wonderful mix of ripe red fruit and well integrated oak and tannins. Smooth and lengthy, a delicious treat.

10/8/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

This is really an amazing wine. Bottled "anonymously" for the KL Wine Club from a supposed high end Napa Valley producer, this wine has gobs of fruit and wonderful balance with a great finish. Excellent stuff. Time to buy some more.

12/21/2011 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Quite tannic at first but some aggressive decanting shakes out some sweet fruit and berry notes and a touch of burnt toast as well. Nice wine for the price but certainly needs lots of time in the bottle to settle down.

1/25/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote:

After an hour and a half in the decanter, this wine was fantastic. Some tobacco with a bit of dark chocolate and slight cherry scents with an excellent mix of currant and dark berries and an amazingly soft tannin structure that provides an incredible mouthfeel for a Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine Spectator made this the #4 wine of 2006 and it totally deserves that rank. Unfortunately, this was our last 03 and we'll have to move on to the 04's, which may be just as good.

1/28/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote:

An excellent Napa Valley cab. Medium to full-bodied. Dark ruby color with a silky texture and a very long finish. Great right out of the bottle and continued to improve.