4/14/2024 - xxquadxx wrote:

Phenomenal wine still. It's classic Old World style right bank which is very refreshing coming from CA. Not slowing down. Still has years left in it, IMHO. Glad still have 21 bottles left. Just purchased 10 more at $35 (shockingly store had some left). I have multiple vintages of this (2009-2015), and 2009 is the best yet!

6/14/2020 - xxquadxx wrote:

Extreme vintage variations with this producer as stated previously. This, once again, was a fantastic showing from a great vintage. It is leaps and bound above less-than-average 2014 bottling which I tried many times. Fruit forward, not too jammy, however, great lingering cocoa leather finish. Great sipper without food. Drink now.

5/27/2020 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Surprised how well it's still holding up. I disagree with CT drinking window. Presence of very smooth and velvety tannins and nice balanced acidity suggested, to me at least, 5 more years or so before any decline. Very nice nose and palate of rich cassis and intriguing secondary notes of leather and chocolate. Excellent on both days 1 and 2. This is probably one of the last Caymus vintages closer to the beloved older style before they started make over-ripped (still delicious) fruit compotes. I''l revisit my last bottle in 5 years. Cheers!

5/3/2020 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

I will cry when I finish my last 2 remaining bottles.

3/31/2020 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Sublime. At 14 years of age, still has years of life left in it. Not many winemakers achieve this level of consistency across the vintages. Just a fantastic bottle with or without food.

2/18/2020 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

This is in a really good place right now. Just as good as '07 vintage. Minimal sediment. Nose is explosive upon opening of start of decant. Palate is lush and very fruit-driven and finish is pleasant medium to long. Still has a nice balance of acidity and I think it'll get a bit more integrated in the next 3-5 years.

2/18/2020 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Maybe it was an off bottle, but I though 4 years ago when I tasted it it last it was a lot better. This time while still good, it felt somewhat flat without secondary or tertiary flavors, with primary fruit and uninspiring finish. QPR makes it good (paid $18). Still have 3 bottles left and will revisit in few years.

1/25/2020 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Agree with previous taster. Spot on. This wine has a lot life left in it. Just had it yesterday and finishing it off today. Fruit is greatly integrated. Everything is in perfect balance and harmony. One of the best if not THE best producer in Sonoma.

1/3/2020 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Made by Caymus. Tastes like Caymus cab. Rich, velvety, chewy and syrupy. This is the BEST Merlot. Period.

11/30/2019 - xxquadxx wrote:

Couple of years in the cellar clearly benefited this juice. It settled down a notch and paired very well with Gruyere cheese Lamburgers. Blackberry and boysenberry compote with a cinnamon/cloves finish. Sometimes you need something very fruit-forward with less complexity to go with a nice meal, and I'm not ashamed of liking this type of wine on some occasions. Now, I've got to figure out when to drink the remaining 3 cases. Cheers!

11/19/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

This is what separates great and outstanding wineries from good or average ones. Bad year? No problem! 2011 was very irregular and inconsistent and majority of wines turned out to be sup-par. Not this one! Very expressive nose and palate of concentrated black fruit with typical ACV "Bordeaux-vy" funk. Excellent sipper without food. In it's prime now, fully matured. Drink up as there's no reason to hold any longer.

11/3/2019 - xxquadxx wrote:

It's average and not overly complex or memorable. Don't get 94-96 pt reviews from VN and WA...What am I missing?

10/30/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

This is a meal in a bottle! Entering it's drinking window now. When I tried it 3 years ago it was not ready for primetime, but now, tannins are mellowed out and fruit just jumps forward onto you. The color is almost black and saturated. The nose os brooding and inviting. Palate is smooth, velvety and luscious. Finish is long and lingering. An absolute steal at highway robbery price of $39 paid.

10/22/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Beautifully (no pun intended) integrated fruit with lush velvety tannins. So pleasant out of the bottle to pair with charcuterie board. It hits all the right notes and perfectly represents Paso Robles terrain at its best. Looking forward in visiting their winery in a couple of weeks!

10/11/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Excellent mountain cab. Keenan never disappoints. Immediately upon opening, the whole room filled up with sweet aroma of dark fruit and leather. Virtually no sediment. Gorgeous in the glass and on the palate. Agree with prior review that it's at peak, but will likely stay there for a few years.

9/24/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

This has always been a great wine and my introduction to L'Aventure estate before I visited them in Paso Robles several years ago. This 2011 does not disappoint. The nose is unmistakable Syrah in its full glory, and by now the tannins softened and settled down to express dark fruit in a harmonious balance and structure. Well done! With some research the 2016 (rated higher) can be had for <$39 which makes it an excellent QPR

9/16/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Outstanding wine. Drinks like a $100+ cab in its prime. Still has at least 5 years to go before falling flat. Beautiful fruit-forward velvety effort. Complex and intriguing, Full bodied and sexy. Glad I have 1 more left. This will be sorely missed.

9/13/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

OUTSTANDING as always! A meal in itself. Paired immensely with bone-in-ribeye after 4 hour decant. Will continue improving with long age, no doubt, as it has already since last tasting about 2 years ago.

9/2/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Fell quite a bite short of expectations. Tasting several years ago proved to be better. Perhaps strange, but significantly inferior vintage of 2011 was a LOT better, more complex and structured, mesmerizing and intriguing, and I enjoyed immensely. The 2012 is flat, uninspiring, and fairly "blah", but decent nonetheless. No point of holding any longer. Tannins are fully integrated. Drink up!

8/30/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Great wine. Perfect reflection of appellation and fantastic vintage. After a 2 hour decant and immediately upon opening, the nose is of typical floral bouquet of Spring Mountain fruit and the palate is luscious and superbly balanced. Medium-long finish. RP score of 92 is spot on. Last time I drank it was 4 years ago, and since it evolved perfectly. Moderate sediment in the bottle, but tannis still have some mild bite to them, so I think it will hold for at least 3-5 more years, and that's exactly what I'm planning to do with my remaining 2 bottles.

8/26/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

See my previous note from a month ago. Was fortunate enough to secure 6 more bottles of this fabulous wine and already could not resist finishing 2 of them. This QPR is absolutely incredible. Excellent on day 1, and superb on Day 2. You can close your eyes while sipping it and immediately feel you're in Bordeaux (left bank). Incredible palate and looooong lingering finish. Still has plenty of life left despite moderate sediment. I'm upgrading my score to 93. Bravo!

8/22/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Typical York Creek. Fruit forward and intriguing. Very consistent winery no matter what vintage or their block that grapes were harvested from. Very good QPR. I personally preferred 2001 and 2004 vintage of this release more, but this is great as well. Always in perennial waiting mode for K&L to access some more of it. :)

8/20/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Last bottle. Outstanding! I gave it 93 in 2013 and in the last 6 years it evolved and matured into a luscious, velvety beauty in the bottle. Perfectly at peak, no decanting needed. Could not help it but to drink it all in 2 hours. Very fruity and balanced, not French-like Bordeaux blend by any means, but with a California flare and rich Sonoma flavors, perfect representation of terroir. Cheers!

8/20/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Last bottle. At peak. Tannins softened up considerably. Fruit is in full force. Great effort and one of better vintages for this wine. Drink now, there's no point on holding any longer.

8/14/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Outstanding wine. Drinking window on CT is flawed. This wine is perfect for drinking now, but I believe it can last 5-7 more years and would be just as good. Little sediment in the bottle. Nose is mesmerizing and the palate is thick, velvety and lush with generous playful dark fruit that softly rolls into the deep long finish that's at least 30 seconds. Paired exceptionally well with beef/veal eggplant parmigiana and chicken cannelloni at at faboluous neighborhood Italian restaurant.

8/13/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Lovely wine as expected from Oakville. Wonderful nose of dark fruit and leather. Nicely matured, but presence of tannins clearly indicates more cellaring potential. I feel it's in a perfect drinking window now. Ever-so-sweet with lingering finish. Heavy but heavenly boysenberry presence with dark cherry on the palate. I have only 1 bottle left. Will re-visit in 3 years. Enjoy!

7/28/2019 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

This is a classic, perfectly aged Cali cab from a fantastic vintage. It's clearly at peak, but not on downfall yet. Tannins are gone, and nose is highly reminiscent of old-world left-bank Bordeaux aged similarly. This is not your fruit bomb that has been "in style" lately, but rather restrained, complex, and fairly evolved beautiful juice. It's simply delicious on both days 1 and 2 and I'm sorry I only have 2 left from 6 purchased.

7/10/2019 - xxquadxx wrote:

Definitely average and perhaps even good wine, but not great. Very different from it's 2012 vintage which was great. Not expressive and muted / closed off nose of green pepper and lavender. On the palate, dried fruits of plum and bing cherries. Somewhat disjointed structure with lackluster finish. Fairly one-dimensional and forgettable. Ok QPR for $20 paid, but not worth more, in my opinion. Lack of acidity suggests no anticipated improvement with further cellaring. Drink now.

6/9/2019 - xxquadxx wrote:

Not a bad wine, fairly good. I remember thinking it was outstanding when tasting it 2 years ago at Flemming's. Not the case with this bottle. Lacks complexity and very monotone, yet pleasant with a strong palate notes of ripe blackberries and boysenberries. Not much heat, tannins settled down. Would definitely drink if poured, but not sure will purchase more as there are many better bottles in this price range.

4/20/2019 - xxquadxx wrote:

Red bing sour cherries. Good wine, but way overpriced what what it is. I'd pay $15 for it, but no more. It's really one-dimensional and has a very strong acidity significantly overshadowing any fruit, which is very muted. I tried 5 bottles of it so far and keep coming back to the same conclusion.

3/24/2019 - xxquadxx wrote:

Last bottle, unfortunately. Given the troubled vintage, this was outstanding. Previous bottles in the years past were muted and green, which is typical for 2011, but this last one was lush, expressive and very well balanced. Pencil lead, tobacco notes and well integrated fruit with minimal tannins. In my estimate, it should hold for another 5 years easily.

3/23/2019 - xxquadxx wrote:

Excellent and harmonious blend that's consistently very good throughout the vintages. For $40 paid, it's a no-brainer. Very good to drink on it's own without the food. Velvety tannins and strong blackberry notes. Syrupy but not too overly-extracted with nice acidity to balance out. 91+

2/19/2019 - xxquadxx wrote:

I don't like Merlot as a stand-alone variety. In Bordeaux - it's a differwnt story. Nonetheless, this is overly- extracted Caymus-like syrupy juice which has no finish, but surprisingly very pleasant to drink as a DESSERT wine. It's HUGE, SWEET and goes very well with blackberry or black currant preserves on vanilla ice cream! Too expensive for what it is, and lacks complexity, but definitely a pleasant surprise. Take for what it's worth. I paid $37 for it, which is fair. Anything more is not justified.

1/10/2019 - xxquadxx wrote:

As others mention, this is a VERY different type of cab from your typical cabs. Yes, it's Caymus-like if that's your thing. Definitely over-extracted, rich, bold, in-your-face New World wine. I was skeptical about this 2016 after very successful and noise-making 2015 vintage. 2016 does NOT disappoint in the least. It's unmistakenly Austin Hope in every aspect and fantastic in it's own right. In fact, blind testing would have you wonder if it's 2015 or '16 you're sipping. It is a bit more restrained, perhaps ever-so-slightly more nuanced, yet lush, velvety, powerful, brooding in a pure Austin Hope familiar manner. Both '15 and '16 are excellent on p'n'p with little decanting needed and approachable now, but something tells me 3 years or so of cellaring will reward '16 vintage greatly. In my best estimate this will peak between 2020-22, but oh-so-good now if you're into this type of fruit juice. If you're looking for complexities of classic CA cab wines, this wine is NOT for you. If you look hard you can find it for <$30/bottle. This is only it's second vintage and so much success already. Stock up now as prices will surely go up as ratings and demand for this wine increase with time. I would not be surprised if it turns into Hidden Ridge vineyards story (remember when it was selling for <$35 until it became very popular and famous and prices more than tripled after Parker gave its '13 vintage a perfect 100pt?)

6/18/2018 - xxquadxx wrote:

Sweet, sugary and one-dimensional, with no complexity, but that's why a lot of people love it. It's ok, by no means bad, just not my preferred style, but apparently, an instant millennial crowd pleaser. I would drink it at the party, but would not have it in my cellar.

11/7/2016 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

This just keeps improving with age. At 13 years it still has probably 5 years until it reaches its peak and mellows out. Thought it reached its peak last time I tried it about 2 years ago, but was wrong - it has dramatically improved. Fantastic showing from Sonoma. Too bad Dick Arrowood sold the winery to bozos. This stuff is legendary.

9/14/2015 - xxquadxx Does not like this wine:

I'm a huge fan of Maroon wines. Their top of the line stuff is excellent. This was a huge disappointing mistake. It was decanted 6+ hours. I just don't understand how you can take grapes from the perfect '13 vintage and make this junk which is reminiscent of rubbing alcohol and a spoon of sugar added to it. Zero structure, no balance whatsoever and no finish at all - simply abysmal! I paid $20 for it - what I waste! Now I have 3 more bottles to give as "presents" to people who know nothing about wine.

1/15/2015 - xxquadxx wrote:

I'm a big fan of Hall wines. My favorite vintages being 2008 and 2006. Given that this was from a very difficult 2011 season, the wine definitely reflects it, but keeps promise to improve with age. As others stated, upon opening, this wine is super tight and closed. Opened up a bit after 3 hours or so. Good balance of minerality and fruit. This is not a fruit bomb of 2008. I'd give it 89 at first. On the second day, things are different. Tannins are mellowed a bit, fruit comes in forward, the wine is now resembling what Hall's greatness is all about and I'd rate it 91 on a second night. Give this one ~3-5 years in the bottle, and I believe it will improve further. For a deeply discounted $22 / bottle I was able to secure 4 bottles, it's simply a steal!

9/14/2014 - xxquadxx wrote:

Very nicely aged wine with tannins that are beautifully integrated and balanced with just the right amount of fruit. This is not a "fruit bomb", this is a 100% classic Sonoma Cabernet structured in a Bordeaux style. Reached its peak and likely will hold at it for another 3-4 years. Long finish. Paired well with beef wellington. I'm really glad I have 4 more bottles.

7/6/2014 - xxquadxx wrote:

Still going strong and no signs of slowing down. An amazing effort from Sonoma. Tried their 2008 Reserve and it doesn't even come close to '05 vintage. Glad I still have 3 more cases left of this beauty.

4/12/2014 - xxquadxx wrote:

13 years in the bottled soften up even these Rutherford tannins, which are now perfectly integrated into this wine. Very fruit forward with not too much oak. Paired well with Roy's coconut garlic mussels and grilled salmon. Nicely aged. At its peak.

3/30/2014 - xxquadxx Likes this wine:

Wow....Incredible. I've always liked Hall wines, with 2006 being the last vintage of excellent quality in my mind. Well, this 2008 is 2 notches better. Decanted it for 9 hours prior to pairing it with medium-rare fillet and lobster combo at Flemming's. It totally blew me away especially for $40 that I paid for it. It unfolded like a $120 bottle of estate Napa cab. Tremendous cassis, chewy but balanced tannins, oaky pencil lead and a hint of boysenberry flavored tobacco. Stunning. I regret having only 2 more bottles left. Will reach its pinnacle in another 3-5 years.

9/2/2013 - xxquadxx wrote:

Fantastic bottle. Exceeded my expectations. Fully opened up after 40 minutes. Paired extremely well with short ribs steak with parmesan-crusted truffle oil sprinkled fries. Strong aromas of blackberry and chocolate. ON the palate, fruit-forward pencil lead with leather and earth tones all concentrated in a long-mouth filling finish with velvety tannins. Rating is justified. Will improve in 2-3 years, I bet.

6/30/2013 - xxquadxx wrote:

3 hours decant. Subtle but nice nose of blackberries and cherries. Palate is almost astringent, like a bad batch of cough medicine diluted with acid. The bottle was not corked. I believe it needs several years shelf time.

5/10/2013 - xxquadxx wrote:

Absolutely astonishing. Very velvety tannins and sophisticated red with long finish. Tasted it at the winery in April 2013....brought home couple of bottles and wished I bought more.