6/13/2022 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Still a typical Tobin James fruit bomb, but holding up fine in 2022.

4/8/2022 - gregbreit wrote:

Still tasting pretty young. Vegetal and peppery. Some subdued bright fruit notes. I’ve got two more in the cellar. Will give them another year…

11/25/2021 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Opened a magnum for Thanksgiving dinner. (Thanks Curt!) Plenty of structure up front. Nice dark fruit with a long finish. In the past, I have only aged these for 4-5 years max. So encouraging to know these are totally drinkable at year 12. I love this wine and this winery.

7/5/2021 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Textbook expression of RR Pinot Noir. Dark fruit up front, with an earthy minerality on the finish. Drinking really well right now.

5/24/2021 - gregbreit Does not like this wine:

Still trying to make sense of this one. I'm a big fan of Spanish Garnachas in general, and I have had others from Extremadura while traveling between Mérida and Sevilla. I was hoping for strong red/black fruit coupled with typical Spanish dryness. This just tastes funky: some faint red fruit (raspberry?) up front that quickly becomes overpowered by herbal notes. A lingering finish, but I can't pick out anything specific except for wood/tannin. We ordered 6 bottles from Last Bottle and opened 2 last night, just to make sure the first bottle wasn't off. We'll lay the rest down for a while and hope that they morph into something more palatable. This wine has enough structure that this should still evolve over the next year. I really *wanted* to like this. Would love to read a rebuttal to my review.

5/14/2021 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Drank one of these in Feb ‘19. This one seems at the threshold of its decline. A little harsh up front, followed by some solid structure on the mid-palate, and a nice peppery finish. Solid Paso Zin, but not a fruit a bomb. Time to drink it if you’ve got it. Nicely done, Janelle.

7/17/2020 - gregbreit wrote:

Some noticeable effervescence in the mouth feel, which mostly faded after 30 minutes of decanting. Drinkable, with fruit and earth notes, but can't help but think the bottle was flawed, and not representative of what I tasted at the winery. Open yours soon if you've got one on the rack.

6/19/2020 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Over the past 20+ years, I've had a lot of frustration with the ageability of Stuart's wines. We've had more than our fair share of corked or spoiled bottles, despite proper storage. This 11-12 year old Sangio was a pleasant surprise. Still very drinkable, with bright fruit and herbal notes. I would have preferred more acid, but this bottle exceeded my expectations. Italian varietals do well in Temecula -- they should stick to that.

2/19/2020 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

This is drinking so well right now, Feb 2020. Balanced dark fruit up front and a looooong, complex finish with hints of leather and smoke.

7/31/2018 - gregbreit wrote:

Was surprised this held up as well as it did, given my experience laying down Stuart's wines. Still drinkable but past its prime. Bright red fruit notes (strawberry esp.). A little more acid would have been nice. If you still have a bottle, open it now, but be sure to have a backup bottle ready to go.

12/20/2017 - gregbreit wrote:

Sadly, our bottle was badly corked. If you've still got one of these, open it soon...

7/7/2017 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Bright stone and tropical fruit notes, nicely balanced acid. Delicious. Paired well with spicy Asian food.

5/15/2017 - gregbreit wrote:

Corked. :-(

6/3/2017 - gregbreit wrote:

Still drinkable but nearing the end. Exceeded my expectations for its age, especially given the history of corked bottles from Stuart.

5/13/2017 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Delicious. Fruit forward but not jammy. Paired nicely with spicy Southern Thai food. Drinking very well right now.

10/16/2016 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

This is drinking really well right now. Hints of caramel on the nose. Muted red fruit balanced with earthy notes. Really opened up after 30 minutes.

8/3/2016 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Drinking very well now. Tannins balance out and herbal notes really come out after opening for 30 minutes. Recommend decanting in 2016. Wish I had more.

12/6/2015 - gregbreit wrote:

Obviously waited way too long in this one. Not corked like a lot of my other Stuart's, tho...

11/1/2015 - gregbreit wrote:

Fantastic pairing with duck confit.

9/10/2015 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Peppery up front with hints of spice on the finish. Not a fruit bomb. Very drinkable now.

9/10/2015 - gregbreit wrote:

Spoiled. Should never have waited this long.

9/10/2015 - gregbreit wrote:

Corked.

7/11/2015 - gregbreit wrote:

Corked. Fruit gone. Musty.

4/25/2015 - gregbreit wrote:

Very drinkable and nicely priced Central Coast Pinot made by one of the masters. Dark fruit and spice dominate, unexpected.

7/18/2014 - gregbreit wrote:

Easy drinking. Sangio dominates the front and mid-palate, but Merlot and Syrah provide some additional complexity to the finish. Drinkable, but probably past its prime in 2014.

1/4/2014 - gregbreit wrote:

Dry red fruit. Dusty finish. Nice pairing with salumi and piave vecchio.

1/3/2014 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Funny, I forgot we drank this in October at the same place. (Duende, Oakland, CA). Dry and fruity, medium body and finish. Deep red color. Holds up to spicy food, paired well with chorizo (Spanish), and stuffed Piquillo peppers. 60% Garnacha, 40% Syrah. Wines from Montsant rarely disappoint.

11/25/2013 - gregbreit wrote:

Hate to slag a wine like this. But this tasted over-extracted and stemmy to me. Either that or an abundance of green bell pepper. Not as food friendly as I was hoping for?

10/30/2013 - gregbreit wrote:

Time to drink this one. Subdued red fruit with an earthy finish. Acid will pair it well with tomatoes, but I wish I had some sautéed mushrooms to go with this...

3/23/2013 - gregbreit wrote:

Spanish Garnachas are one of my favorite styles of wine. Love the contrast of fruity Grenache with dry Spanish winemaking style. This one doesn't quite make the mark. Dry enough, but only subdued red fruit hints. I've had better...

3/23/2013 - gregbreit wrote:

Paired nicely with seared scallops tonight

3/5/2013 - gregbreit wrote:

One of the best Spanish wines I have ever drank. 100% Mencia

3/5/2013 - gregbreit wrote:

2011 actually. Excellent

2/17/2013 - gregbreit Likes this wine:

Drinking very well now. Decanted for 30 minutes. Nice balance of red fruit and mild earthiness - paired well with a beet and mozzarella salad.

9/15/2012 - gregbreit wrote:

Kept it stored chilled, and it held up fine in 2012. Very refreshing on a hot, dry day before heading out to dinner. Mostly red fruit. Yeah, it's on the sweet side, but the bubbles cut the impact. Would work as a dessert wine as well...

8/17/2012 - gregbreit wrote:

Better than I expected. Drink the other bottle soon.

3/31/2012 - gregbreit wrote:

Totally disagree with the "going, going..." review. This is still very drinkable, fruit forward, but balanced. Definitely ready to drink now.

3/30/2012 - gregbreit wrote:

For a 2005 white, this has held up very nicely, although we stored it chilled for most of the time since we received it from Babcock in late 2006. This was a huge hit at tonight's dinner party, paired with a berry tart and vanilla ice cream. Strong apricot and honeysuckle on the nose and palate, but only moderate sweetness, typical of a botrytis dessert wine. Dinner guests were disappointed to learn this is long out of production. I have not seen this from Babcock in several years.

3/23/2012 - gregbreit wrote:

Classic dry Spanish Tinto from La Mancha. Balanced fruit.
Very food friendly.