4/11/2016 - Noahc Likes this wine:

I drank this over a month ago and I still yearn for it. Easily it was the best bottle of wine I have had this year. It was an outstanding bottle with a very long finish and smoothness that is difficult to find. For the age, it is very drinkable right now. I don't think it has the tannic structure that a more recent bottle of d'Issan has, but it makes up for that in complexity, finish, and drinkability.

7/11/2016 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Ruby red. Reserved nose, too young/tannic to fully enjoy, but has some potential. Black currant, dark cherry, tobacco. This one could have some staying power and should sit for probably 10 years, but still quite drinkable despite the high tannins. Cork showed no signs of distress and this will age very well.

4/16/2014 - Noahc Likes this wine:

For the price, some good fruitiness and substance.

4/6/2014 - Noahc wrote:

Almost pure sour cherry.

4/6/2014 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Ruby red, unfiltered, deep black cherry and some complexity.

1/19/2014 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Can use some time, but sure is good now

12/25/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Very closed, really needs some time (1-2 years at least). An awful showing.

10/2/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Very nice and held up after a day. Much like the Domaine Carneros clonal series...monotonic but even more perfect with its notes.

7/18/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Some chalky minerality, refreshing lack of oak. Came from a batch of bad, but bottle not spoiled.

6/4/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Not the best showing wine, certainly for the price, but the artwork on the bottle is nice. Purple, nose has a lot of sulfur and a merlot-like character. Tannins a bit harsh and grape stemmy, but has some structure that could hold up with longer time. Unfortunately, for such a young wine, the cork was nearly leaking and I doubt it would have held up for four more years.

5/29/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Deep garnet, with a nose of mint, eucalyptus, and leather. Complex and broad palate, with some cocoa. Acidity and finish are medium, but the wine is bold and could easily handle two to three more years. Cork split in two, though. This bottle was remarkable, as I remember from the tasting room the 2000 did not show well but was priced OK. So I guess the 2007 will be even better, but given the years and the easy extra couple years the '07 will hold up, that might be in 2025. This is best as a food wine, but it's quite good on its own.

5/25/2013 - Noahc wrote:

Purple to deep garnet. Nose has a little initial funk and heat. Spice and blueberry. Not heavily extracted, but not a watery lightweight either. Good acidity and holds up well with food.

5/19/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Pale gold, slight sulfite on nose. Pineapple, almost banana, and mango, smooth butter, a very nice viognier.

5/5/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

No formal notes but very smooth.

4/21/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Very good...this has one of the best quality to price ratios in bordeaux. Held up well on day 2.

4/5/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Brick red, after initial char blew off, a nose of leather and tobacco, with some cherry. Other bottles have had a little better showing, but despite a light initial attack with a slight thinness, it turns into a respectably aged wine that has held up well.

1/6/2013 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Yeast, apple, creme brulee, fantastic.

12/20/2012 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Purple to garnet. Forest floor nose with an underlayment of strawberry. Palate is tart and fruity. Light, almost thin, but enough structure and acidity to keep it interesting.

12/16/2012 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Ruby to garnet, deep in color. A very flowery aromatic nose - violets and roses, with some forest floor characteristics. The taste is similar, more flowers, some grippiness, rather mild acidity, and a subdued dark cherry undertone.

12/9/2012 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Pale straw with a greenish tinge. Tropical fruit on nose with slight petrol/candle wax. Round mouthfeel with medium to light acidity and a slight metallic character with minerality.

12/7/2012 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Probably the best red dessert style wine I have had that was made in the US. A reasonably priced crowd pleaser. Yes it's probably sweeter than most ports but it isn't monotonic and it has a bit of depth.

12/5/2012 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Ruby to garnet in color, smooth toasted oak and high fruit concentration on nose. On the palate, chocolatey cocoa, black cherry, deep fruit with slight tar with mild velvet to slightly rough tannins. Acidity is mild, almost blueberry in character, and is extremely well balanced with the fruit and the mild tannins. By far the best $30 Bordeaux I have ever had.

12/2/2012 - Noahc Likes this wine:

Garnet with slight brick, nose has mostly oak with some cherry, fairly round without much heat and an almost glycerine feel. Palate is fairly thin at first with some blackberry, raspberry, cherry, slight cranberry, not much oak, good acidity, some sweetness followed by tartness, and smooth low tannins. A surprisingly fruity finish. To me it is not extraordinary but it is interesting.

12/1/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Pale straw with a greenish tinge. Nice slate/stone nose, slight fruit. Red apple on palate. Light body, balanced acidity,

11/22/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Had after turkey, no formal notes but liked the bottle, a little woody but interesting.

11/22/2012 - Noahc wrote:

A last-minute Turkey day treat and exactly how I remember the last bottle, minus the play-dough. Smooth, deep, and dark.

11/22/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Opened for thanksgiving along with a host of other wines. No formal notes, but it was very tight and sharp and I thought it could use some time (1-2 yrs?) to relax and stretch out a bit. Has the structure to go much longer, and the finish to make it worth it.

11/18/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Garnet to almost brick in color, slight heat, strong oak. Similar to last bottle except for more heat. Cloudy and should have let settle.

11/15/2012 - Noahc wrote:

This has mellowed considerably, the acidity has lessened and overall is quite balanced. Some forest and wood on nose, wood, black fruit, pepper, and tobacco with a slightly tannic finish. Garnet with a dark but clear core.

9/3/2012 - Noahc wrote:

No formal notes but popped and poured after a Paul Hobbs and Kalin and it was a bit closed and underwhelming. Had some depth that in retrospect could have meant infanticide and it might need five more years for the next go around.

11/13/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Clear ruby, nothing on the nose, medium to short finish. Some furry tannins but not much on the fruit level except for a light layer of dark plum. I can't see the premium of this over the 1.5L Climber pack for this style. Maybe slightly more tannic. Not a bad drink, balanced, but light and not worth the premium price in my view.

11/10/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Purple, very thin in color. Nose had some grassiness and green pepper, funk. A fair amount of acidity, thin, and has some sweet/sour smarties characteristic. The finish is almost nonexistent, except for a faint smarties character after a couple seconds. Reminiscent of the bottle of Hilton Garden Inn Cabernet I had a while back.

11/4/2012 - Noahc wrote:

I have tried a lot of dessert wines at wineries up and down California that have been unseductive and uninspired. My standard is if it holds up to a tokai in depth and complexity, then it might be worth bringing home to the wife. This was the first worth bringing home. Peach, fruit, caramel, and a slight nutty undertone, but overtones of asian fruit, bitter orange peel, and lemon. Almost cloyingly sweet. Having had some excellet tawny ports that dated back to '52, this certainly brings back memories, but I imagine the taste is not for everyone.

11/4/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Clear garnet, a little strong on the oak/wood but not much else on the nose, with some light acidic fruit characteristics on finish. Pretty good, but I knew from some other RRV pinots of this style and vintage that it should be drank unless really looking for tertiary characteristics, which I would guess would take another five years on this one, and probably not worth the gamble.

11/3/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Popped and poured from cellar temp. Garnet in color, nose of oak, some chocolate. Wine is slightly acidic (relative to california standards) with plush tannins. Fairly round mouthfeel but everything takes a backseat to the very slightly bitter and dense oak structure. I never had this before and I sat on it for almost two years for the right opportunity, and other than the high price to quality it's not bad. It is not quite as monolithic as I expected (less fruit extraction--no reverse osmosis?) and it has a somewhat unique profile, at least more than I expected.

11/2/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Pop and pour from cellar temp. This has mellowed considerably since a year and a half ago. The tannins have lowered and though they are slightly less silky and more grippy, overall they definitely reduced. It's not the squid-dark, inky, vintage-one-year-old-port black it once was, the color is starting to diffuse into the lighter red that shows it is past it's infancy. More stuff at the bottom of the bottle. Remains remarkable for the price, some of the heat has gone away (though it still has some bite with air time). The raspberry has turned to blueberry (or maybe blackberry, since the acidity probably has not dropped any).

10/27/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Garnet in color, tobacco, cherry, pepper, vanilla/oak, and currant on nose. Not strong in terms of flavor, tannic, but not too overpowering. Full bodied, medium-medium long finish with some fruit and cherry at the end. Balanced, no heat, good quality to price. A good candidate for steak accompaniment.

10/15/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Garnet, dark but clear. Nose had some initial toast and funk, followed by a bit of spice. Raspberry with a lot of spice on palate, but balanced and just the right acidity. Medium finish, with cherry and a little cocoa at the end. It reminds me of some of the clonal pinots from Domaine Carneros, I like that the flavors are coming from the grape and not the processing. Ready right now, I won't keep this one around for long. For the price, seems exceptional in flavor, but less fruit forward and spicier (cinnamon?) than other ones from this place.

9/17/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Some effervescence, light pale straw. Not much going on, almond and slight apple on the nose, bitter almond on the palate, slight finish of lime, but still not too bad. Held up fairly well for a pinot gris probably designed for immediate consumption.

9/3/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Brick colored and cloudy. Smoke, leather, indian spice on nose. On palate, a ton of acid and some fruit, bacon, and pickled daikon radish.

9/3/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Deep purple and slightly cloudy. Smoke and jam on nose after initial opening, long finish with tobacco at end, glycerine, and wet leaves. Very smooth black cherries with date and figs. 1 minute finish, acidity seems low and tannins are integrated and silky.

8/29/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Deep garnet, somewhat restrained with a nose of play-dough. Palate was deep blackberry with medium acidity and mild tannins.

8/25/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Chimay blue is one of my favorites and 8 months of upright aging really has changed the character of this to a more mellow, less yeasty ale. More experimentation ahead...

8/27/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Purplish color, nose was strong blackberry and cherry, light tannins and higher, but still low-medium, acidity. Pomegranate and some cranberry acidity. Short-medium finish with some dusty tannins. Balanced, and probably has the strength to hold on longer, but why? Not terribly complex or pensive. A nicely ready wine, this is like the vin de pays de '07 Rutherford.

8/3/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Nose had slight air of basement, but otherwise good with a nice balance and bright acidity.

7/7/2012 - Noahc wrote:

This was a favorite of the night. Very fruity but also very earthy, mushroomy, and extremely well balanced.

7/7/2012 - Noahc wrote:

A rustic, masculine nose with savory fruit. It was a bit disjointed and almost a bitter finish. Smooth, but respectable. Cork fell apart, which makes me think more time on this would have led to some heartache.

6/21/2012 - Noahc wrote:

This could be the best under $25 bottle of Merlot I have had. It is in a big California style, but it is nicely big and fruity with a long finish.

5/26/2012 - Noahc wrote:

Great QPR, a crowd pleaser, and a nice non-overly-malolactic chardonnay. Crisp, slight minerality, and strong citrus notes.

5/12/2012 - Noahc wrote:

A bold yet very balanced wine, a good blend and seemed to have less heat than other wines from Chalk Hill.