9/8/2020 - Joegish Likes this wine:

This was absolutely excellent with a depth that I have not often tasted and easily the best malbec I have ever drank. The finish was a full 2+ minutes. Actually reminded me of a 2003 Guigal La Mouline at a fraction of the price (was purchased in Argentina). Would love to find more of these.

10/29/2018 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Drinking very well right now. Lots of life remaining. Everything worked with this VP.....REALLY liked this one and intend to look for more. Solid 95 pts.

8/13/2018 - Joegish wrote:

Properly stored in my Le Cache since 2012. Cork floated into the bottle. Very strange. Oxidized and leaking. Bummer.

9/19/2017 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Alcohol, cedar, earthy, barnyard (but not overly bretty), and tannic upon opening. After a 3 hour decant this was beautiful and rather amazing. Fantastic fruit and depth. Would love to see how it did overnight but we consumed the entire bottle. Will definitely try a longer decant before getting into the next bottle. Very Enjoyable (94-95).

3/8/2017 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Drinks far above its price point. Old world taste, well integrated tanins. Not usually a huge tempranillo fan, but this grew on me. Ready to drink.

12/25/2016 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Smooth and ready to drink.

11/18/2016 - Joegish Does not like this wine:

corked.

11/16/2016 - Joegish Likes this wine:

As good as I remember from 10 years ago. No rough edges remaining in this bottle. The XL cork worked well - I bet these have another 10+ years of life. However, I'd drink now as they are in a very good place.

8/22/2016 - Joegish Does not like this wine:

corked

3/7/2016 - Joegish wrote:

Corked. Recent purchase from Acker Merrill.

10/27/2015 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Surprisingly delicious. Not overly sweet - would score higher but the finish is a little clipped... Great QPR. Solid 92.

9/26/2015 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Interesting that this bottle was significantly improved versus the others. Drank far above its price point tonight. We integrated with fine, dusty tannins. Really enjoyed.

4/17/2015 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Lots of pepper at first that reminded me of a Crozes-Hermitage. Mellowed after an hour. Just a bit of The Rocks funk. Enjoyable wine, but would probably not re-purchase for $27.

Day 2: The pepper returned...even more like a Crozes-Hermitage. Less funk today as well. Lots of character, but I really prefer the funk from Reynvaan et al a little more (albeit at a higher price tag...)

3/9/2015 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Not bad for a $20 bottle. Came around after about 45 minutes. Not funky flavors - just cab. Would buy again for $20 or less.

1/28/2015 - Joegish Likes this wine:

A little jammy out of the gate, mellowed nicely. Kind of a Paso Robles cab feel to it, silky. A little more bite would not hurt. Nice QPR. Would be a hot wine at a party and not bad for CA cab drinkers either. Definitely a well-made wine. Recommended. Solid 92.

1/7/2015 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Excellent wine with impeccable balance of fruit and tannin. Long, juicy finish. Loved it! Glad I have another one, but wish I had more.

12/20/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Even better than the last bottle. Great QPR. Like a fine aged Bordeaux...vibrant fruit and a cherry finish that went on for a full 40 seconds. Loved it.

12/3/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Quite excellent for a 17 year old merlot. Plenty of fruit and the normally huge angular Delectus style is rather nicely integrated. Very happy to own a few of these.

10/30/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Solid cab with silky tannins. Great aromatics for $11!!! Had to try this based on the WS92....does not disappoint for a weekday drinker. might buy a few more as cellar defenders....

10/30/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Very young, but delicious. Did not detect any shutting down on this. Powerful nose that filled the room. Delicious after about 45 minutes of decanting.

10/22/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

I have no idea what the other reviewers were drinking. This was a beautiful syrah. Nice nose, fruit, and lengthy finish. Slightly spicy finish with cherry notes (kind of pinot-ish) throughout. Smooth and velvety on the finish. No vegetal notes whatsoever. Bottle variation??? I did have some problems with the cork.....was really tough to extract..... Recommended. 93-94.

10/8/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Bought a bottle at Norwalk Total Wine to see what these are like...

Quite nice, lots of dark fruit, medium long finish with great structure. Thought the balance between the fruit and tannins was just about perfect. Really grew on me after about the 3rd or 4th sip. Might search out a few more...was actually a very nice wine.

Decanted for 3 hours prior to consuming the first glass.

8/26/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Quite pleasantly surprised. Great cab for a Tues night. Reminded me a little of a Cotes du Rhone. I think the partially dried grapes add some reasonable depth to the finish. Solid 89. Wonder if this will evolve...probably not much given it has a screw top!
Follow up after 2 days...noticeably improved. Interesting, maybe it has some aging potential? Recommend trying a long decant as the ABV that was present initially was definitely integrated. Will try again in another year.

8/12/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

This has surprisingly improved in the last 18 months. Very much enjoyed this bottle as it became less flabby and the ABV was not as noticeable. I would say the drinking window is open on this one right now. Served at room temp (72F)...maybe that had something to do with it?

7/31/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Wow....awesome depth with and incredible finish that just builds. Deep and dark fruit, amazing cab. Infantcide...could have lasted another 10 years. Very nice effort - rivals the 2006 Delectus Cuvee Julia.

6/28/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Exceeded my expectations for a LI Winery product. Pleasant floral nose, reasonable finish. Not a bad QPR for $12 (picked up at Total Wine & More in Norwalk last week).

6/25/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Significantly improved versus a year ago. Less mineral and more fruit. The nose has also developed with pleasant floral tones. Great QPR for $12.

6/5/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

I think this is improving over time. Great drinking window right now. Lots of fruit, but very balanced and enjoyable. Probably a crowd pleaser as well.

4/25/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Solid Value. Very similar to the 2007. Hard to go wrong for $13 with this wine. One odd thing, the bottle I opened was out of round - have never seen that before...I presume it was a glass manufacturing defect. I guess that would make this a "defective" or "flawed" bottle!!

4/17/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Same score as before. Outstanding QPR play, a little thin on the back end, but delicious. Pleasant dark fruits and a wonderful nose. A little pepper....reminds me of a nice CdR...

Happy to have more of these...Not sure I understand the mid 80's scores from other CTers.....

4/17/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

My first Cabot. Very impressive QPR. All the rough edges on this 11 year old wine were gone. Smooth with a beautiful nose - found myself sticking my face repeatedly into my glass. Great balance of delicate floral notes and depth. With a little longer finish I would have boosted the score another point. Looking forward to trying a little younger version of this wine in the next few weeks.

3/25/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Better than previous bottles. Opened up nicely after about 45 minutes. Drink or hold.

3/13/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Bottle tasted at Honig Wines Dinner at Culinary Institute, Hyde Park, NY. Beautiful ruby red in glass with wonderful fresh fruit nose. Still slightly disjointed with the tannins slightly fighting the fruit (much more so than the 2011) Also, a little too much ABV for a Honig. Definitely can see this integrating beautifully in another 24 months. Wonderful mouthfeel and mid-palate. Highly recommended and a definite buy for me. 92-93 pts.

2/23/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

very interesting. 11th bottle consumed from the case and this was the best one yet. Infantcide on the others perhaps?
Very nice balance, great mid-palate, wonderful fruit and complexity. Really enjoyed this bottle. 91-92.

2/17/2014 - Joegish Does not like this wine:

Faded fruit, seemed way past its prime. Not offensive, but not enjoyable either. Bummed that I have more. Would not buy again.

2/11/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Had to try try one of these as I have never had a VP from this producer and the WS review was tremendous. Decanted for 6 hours prior to tasting and will revisit tonight after another 48 hours in the decanter.

Lots of dark, sweet fruit with a nice medium length finish. Almost black in color. Nose is pleasantly floral and a little sweet. Reminded me of a 2006 Vesuvio, but a little richer and deeper. Will be interesting to see how it develops over time. Very nice. Recommended. Will hold for 10 years before opening another. 92-93.

Improved....a lot over 48 hours. Whoa!!!
If I could stick my tongue into the bottle and lick the crust, I would. Absolutely delicious and worth seeking out. Upgrading to a 94 score based on potential and pure deliciousness.

2/5/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Man was this good! Very old world nose and style. Excellent depth and very, very balanced. Would go out of my way to buy this wine.

Will wait at least another 2 years before trying the next bottle.

1/29/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

See recent note from markandsusanw...I agree.

I generally like OS wines, the fruit is fading a little here...I do not detect a lot of secondary characteristics developing that would make this more interesting, so I would recommend:

Drink 'em now if you got 'em!!

1/24/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Same tasting notes as last bottle.....maybe even a little smoother. Highly recommend.

1/22/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Nice bright fruit. Very closed upon opening, rounded out nicely around the 1 to 1.5 hour point. Will be interested to see how the remainder is tonight. Good QPR. Recommended.

1/13/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

This is in a very nice place right now. A little tasty funk and great fruit. Very enjoyable. Recommended.

1/7/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine:

This is a definite crowd pleaser with enough going on to make it interesting. Fruity, but with a depth and persistence that kept me and my wife refilling our glasses and opening up a second bottle.

12/28/2013 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Opened up dramatically after a 2 hour decant. Deep, rich and delicious. Will look for more of this as the QPR was great.

11/20/2013 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Was worried about heat damage as this bottle had evidence of a small leak. No problems. Top shoulder fill, fresh fruit, balanced and delicious. Was a very good $25 buy. Glad to have another bottle.

11/6/2013 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Wow. 13 year old Syrah and it could have gone another 10+.

Felt like infantcide....fresh and beastly. Was a little concerned with the synthetic cork, but this delivered nicely. Wish I had more. 92-93.

10/28/2013 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Very nice. Reminds me a lot of the Melville Estate Sta. Rita Hills bottlings. Lots of tasty cherry fruit. Very respectable QPR. 90 - 91.

10/17/2013 - Joegish wrote:

Decent weekday wine that opens a little with about 45 minutes of air. Nothing too special. Some dusty tannins, ok nose. Quite disjointed at first, continued to pull together gradually over 2 hours. I think I have been spoiled by other French 2010's that are in the same price range that I like much better. Actually would not buy again. 87-88.

10/16/2013 - Joegish wrote:

OK, nothing special. I am beginning to think I no longer like Gamay..... Generous with an 87.

10/12/2013 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Melon and citrus. Muted nose. Decent, not great.

10/11/2013 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Great QPR play. Floral aromatics and nice finish. Not amazing...but very good. The word that comes to mind for this one is crisp. I like it. Just bought 5 more bottles....so I guess that is an endorsement of sorts . 90 pts.