4/1/2023 - cgatesman wrote:

They really ruined this wine when they went non-vintage and general California region. This seems fortified with sugar and doesn’t taste like a Pinot Noir at all. It’s sad, because this used to be my #1 QPR recommendation. I’d never recommend this, now.

10/9/2022 - cgatesman Does not like this wine:

They totally ruined this with the NV releases. Meiomi used to be a good QPR. Now it's just garbage. I wish I would have tried this before buying multiple bottles, but it had always been reliable as a vintage release.

3/3/2019 - cgatesman wrote:

Really bad plastic chemical smell on the nose. Great fruit forward flavor profile. The bad chemical smell went away the next day in the bottle.

2/11/2017 - cgatesman wrote:

This bottle was flawed. Wine had a really bad soap smell. Less on the taste, though.

12/24/2016 - cgatesman wrote:

Possibly corked. :-(

12/31/2015 - cgatesman wrote:

Cat piss all day on the nose. Delicious honeydew on the palate!

2/14/2015 - cgatesman wrote:

Bananas, mango and melons on the nose. There's also a floral component to it. Excellent nose. It made me very excited to taste it, and I was happy to find that many of the same notes come across on the palate. I wouldn't call this unoaked crisp, but it's not flabby, either. It has great flavor, and the finish is long lasting. I would venture to say this is the best stainless steel Roche has produced thus far (and I've had them all)!

7/26/2014 - cgatesman wrote:

Way too much alcohol coming through!

6/30/2014 - cgatesman wrote:

Awesome QPR!

2/14/2014 - cgatesman wrote:

Special wine brought back from our honeymoon in New Zealand!

7/26/2013 - cgatesman wrote:

Impressive floral notes, but a disappointing amount of alcohol on palate to give it a higher score.

12/3/2012 - cgatesman Likes this wine:

Awesome QPR!

1/19/2012 - cgatesman wrote:

This opened up quite nicely on the second day!

1/14/2012 - cgatesman wrote:

Holy fruit forward! Extremely ripe fruit with a bit of tartness. Light tannins. Alcohol is well contained by the fruit. Delicious.

7/31/2011 - cgatesman wrote:

Lemons, sugar snap peas, and grass on the nose--refreshing. A bit of bubbly. Lots of flavors--Citrus, passion fruit, greens (asparagus?), and minerality on the palate. Nice acidity and a refreshing yet lasting finish.

7/20/2011 - cgatesman wrote:

Excellent QPR!

5/29/2011 - cgatesman wrote:

Chocolate covered cherries!

4/11/2011 - cgatesman wrote:

Mmmm...Deer Blood!

8/20/2010 - cgatesman Likes this wine:

Somewhat muted nose for this type of wine. But, boy, I was blown away with the strong fruit on the palate. Bomb! There's quite a bit of acid on the back end. It makes your mouth water.

7/29/2010 - cgatesman Likes this wine:

7 Months - 33% New French Oak and American Oak

6/29/2010 - cgatesman Likes this wine:

Nice acidity.

6/15/2010 - cgatesman wrote:

Interesting. I get burnt corn on the cob on the palate. Not only the corn flavor, but also you taste the starch. I'm not a huge Cab Franc fan, but this uniqueness makes me really like this.

5/13/2010 - cgatesman wrote:

Flawed

4/11/2010 - cgatesman Likes this wine:

Fantastic QPR! This is in the top 5 favorite under $20 Pinot Noirs for me!

3/25/2010 - cgatesman Likes this wine:

A nice blend of new and old world. Nice raspberries and cherries with some funk.

This is a FANTASTIC QPR! It may be one of the best under $20 Pinot Noirs I've had, and it's only $14!

3/12/2010 - cgatesman Likes this wine:

Dark fruits, plums. A little chocolate. A bit of menthol on the nose. Some oak in there, but not overpowering. Moderate tannins, and a long finish. This is a bomb, but the 15.5% alcohol is fairly well contained by the fruit. Nice job. Nice QPR.

11/21/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

This "was" one of the oldest bottles in my cellar. We got this in 2004 at Roche Winery. Looks like it cellared well! The cork was perfect (although a little hard to pull out).

And this wine is as good as I remember it! Great fruit and awesome oak integration. You can see the age in this wine--it's a bit brown on the edges. Real smooth mouth feel, and it still has a bit of nice tannins to finish it off. I think it's in its prime!

9/26/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

Almost gave it a 93. This wine is so delicious!

I have to say the nose has even more of a delicious factor than the taste. I get pineapple, bananas, apricots, honey and a little bit of vanilla. Amazing!

The structure and mouth feel is fantastic. It doesn't come off as sweet as you'd think it would after smelling the wine, but the flavor is enormous. It's much like a full bodied white burgundy. This is a serious white wine that could probably be paired with things you'd normally pair a red wine with.

For me, this wine tastes better at room temperature than chilled.

For you people that only drink white wine, this is one to seriously seek out and try! Or if you're just looking for something different...

9/25/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

Corked

7/20/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

Decanted 2.5 Hours.

COLOR - Dark, dark, red. You can barely make out the red on the edges.

NOSE - Dark fruits. Burnt, spent, campfire. There is an element of hamburger, cured meats, and beef jerky.

TASTE - Explosion of dark fruits. It transitions to figs and dates on the mid-palate and finishes off with bacon fat and prosciutto. The mouth feel is amazing on this wine! It's heavy and so smooth! There's nice acidity on the back end with good tannins.

Rob Newsom continues to impress me with his wine making skills! Looking forward to trying more of his creations!

7/2/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

This wine is blowing my socks off! I think this may be the best Italian wine I have ever had. I score it a 93, and I'm definitely looking to buy some more. This is a fruit bomb! It also has that nice light tobacco, leather finish with some firm tannins. Well made!

7/1/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

It's SO much better room temp than cold out of the cooler. When it was chilled, all I could taste was oak. Now, it's an awesome blend of nuts, apples, apricots, corn, butter and oak.

4/2/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

NOSE: Cantaloupe and minerals. Smells fresh!
TASTE: Good weight. Razor sharp acidity. It makes your mouth water! There is mineral and grass aspects to this wine...reminds me of a Sauvignon Blanc. There's also floral notes on the tail end.

3/28/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

NOSE: bananas, peaches, apricot, lemons...amazing nose!
TASTE: smooth, great body. Tons of fruits just like the nose! Pears, apples, bananas...
Very interesting wine and very different. If anything, get this just to try something different.

3/27/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

Decanted 2 hours.
NOSE: Cassis and Raspberries with very mild oak
TASTE: Cassis and cherries. Nice spices...I get a nutmeg aspect in there. It's rather smooth with some vanilla and surprisingly very little oak. Very nice balance.

This wine is surprisingly easy to drink. I drank down half the bottle before I even realized it. It's more fruity than I normally expect out of a cab, but it still has good structure.

3/19/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

Decanted 30 minutes.

COLOR: Dark, dark red! Almost black!
NOSE: Carmel & Chocolate
TASTE: Nice structure; good tannins. It has a nice balance of new and old world flavors. Dark fruits on the palate with some funk in there to make it interesting. Dry and chalky on the finish. Good length.

Well made, and well worth the price. Seems as though it would age nicely with the structure and tannins. Love the nose...candy bars.

2/4/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

Decanted 1 hour.

NOSE - Fairly tight. Cherry cola. And somehow I get a chocolate milk mixed in there. Interesting.
TASTE - Has your typical Pinot Noir flavors...there's no denying the varietal. It's very one dimensional on the palate, however it's well balanced and has good mouth feel with nice length on the finish.

Nice entry point Pinot Noir. Fairly basic, but is balanced and delicious. Not too shabby for the $20 price tag.

1/14/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

Decent QPR.

1/11/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

Raspberry Grape Juice.

1/10/2009 - cgatesman wrote:

Decanted 3 hours.
COLOR: Dark ruby red.
NOSE: Sweet Strawberry and Rasberry candies on the nose. A hint of pepper and oak in there, too.
TASTE: Explosion of dark fruits! Blueberries, blackberries, and cherries. Extremely smooth mouth feel! Very well balanced. The alcohol is very well contained within the fruit. There is a nice mild spice in the finish that adds to the complexity.

The first time I had this wine (and vintage) was on my honeymoon in New Zealand. I fell in love with the wine and producer immediately. I was afraid tasting this the second time thinking I had let the honeymoon moment make me think the wine was much better than it really was, but I am very happy to find that I am liking it just as much as that special day with my wife.

11/3/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

Decanted 1 hour.
NOSE: Cherries and raspberry jam on the nose. There's some chocolate in there as well.
TASTE: Cherry explosion that transitions to a smorgasbord of red and dark fruits. Finishes off with red apple skin and cinnamon.

11/3/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

EXCELLENT QPR! Wish I could find more of this!

10/27/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

NOSE: Your typical SB grasses. Theres some nice fresh pears and a hint of lemon.
TASTE: Crisp, clean with nice acidity. Nice pears, starfruit, and light peaches. There is also a little bit of minerality in there, as well. Nice and refreshing with a lasting finish.

If I were to complain about anything with this wine it would be that it is a little hot, but not terribly.

9/6/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

Decanted 2 Hours. Purple in color. On the nose is ripe strawberries, blueberries and a little bacon fat. Very fruity on the palate. Lots of red berries. Good tannins and a nice finish. There is a little bit of a meat component to this wine, but for the most part it is very fruit driven. Kind of a Rhone style wine. This wine is delicious, and for the price, it's an excellent QPR! I want more!

9/5/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

On the nose, a mix of grape and cherry cough syrup. Strong attack of Dimetapp on the palate! There isn't nearly the amount of blueberry as I thought there would be, but it's an interesting mix of blueberry and grape with grape maybe winning the battle. The most interesting thing about this is the after taste. My mouth tastes like I have been eating summer sausage. Weird, but intriguing.

8/29/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

Decanted 30+ minutes. I don't even think it needed any decanting. The candied aroma is extremely strong just pouring it into the decanter! Deep, deep, dark red.
NOSE: "Purple Candy" and Plums. I could sit here and sniff this all day long!
TASTE: Starts off creamy smooth plums, and transitions to a bomb of milk chocolate dust on the mid-palate. Finishes off with nice purple candy fruits (plums). Tannins are stronger on the mid-palate than the finish, but the finish lasts.

This has to be one of the best Petite Sirahs I have, thus far! Delicious!

8/23/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

Decanted 2 hours. Fruity candy on the nose. A bit hot. Raspberries and cherries. A bit of a fruit bomb for a Pinot Noir. I don't know if Syrah was blended, but it seems so.

8/20/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

I wasn't expecting much from a Connecticut grown wine, but this one surprised me. I was intrigued to find that this wine is aged for only 6-8 (can't remember exact amount) months in French oak keeping the oak down in the final product. Not bad at all. I can see Jonathan Edwards improving this as they mature as a winery. Keep an eye out on these guys!

8/20/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

Very good, and a bit different for a Zin. Spicy. I like it.

8/20/2008 - cgatesman wrote:

Tight nose. Hint of chocolate. SMOOTH! Reminds me of raspberries and cream cheese with a bit of chocolate.