9/24/2022 - The Dabbler wrote:

Vagenius is right on with the herbs. Initially thought pine but thyme and bay leaf nails it with some air to the wine. I would add cherry on the nose and Sonoma Pinot like raspberry cream finish along with the Zin black pepper. Nice acidity, very enjoyable already!

8/18/2020 - The Dabbler Likes this wine:

Second bottle in last 30 or so days. This really works for me when I want an oaky California style Chardonnay. Try this with bone in cowboy ribeye for change up from the red with steak pairing. The fat from the ribeye brings out a buttery ness from the oak in this wine and the acid cuts the fat nicely. Fun pairing for a warm summer night!

1/8/2020 - The Dabbler Likes this wine:

No recent reviews so thought I would share. This is ready for business pnp. Nice weekday wine. Good acidity so needs food. Medium weight with pepper, blackberry and tobacco notes. Really enjoyed with chicken cutlets. Really nice QPR.

11/8/2019 - The Dabbler wrote:

Funky French nose with barnyard. WOTN at WS Millbrook pickup for me. Planning on laying this one down for awhile.

11/8/2019 - The Dabbler wrote:

Abundant red fruit with raspberry. Delicious stuff! @ WS Millbrook pickup.

2/9/2019 - The Dabbler wrote:

Black Licorice, blackberry, spice and slight heat. Worked well with coal oven pizza.

12/25/2010 - The Dabbler wrote:

Needs time or long decant, very tannic.

1/16/2010 - The Dabbler wrote:

Very fine grain sediment. I didn't get to prepare this bottle correctly. I would make sure to stand upright for a minimum of 24-48 hours before serving so it can settle. I didn't do this so it had a little bitterness until day two when it settled. Ready to go with proper treatment.

2/14/2009 - The Dabbler wrote:

Stood upright for a couple of days then popped and poured. This one is ready to go no decanting needed.

2/6/2009 - The Dabbler wrote:

Opened and drank half on Friday. Finished on Sunday. I preferred this on Sunday because intially it was all fruit on the front end. By Sunday the front end mellowed and the wine was more balanced. If I had more I would either decant or leave in the cellar a little longer.

11/1/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

I almost gave up on this one. But based on skm95t's tasting notes I let it air out for awhile. I initially thought it might be mildly corked with a bit of wet dog on nose. The palate and finish was also off during this time. It eventually blew off but took three hours in the decanter to come around. After the decant it drank pretty nicely.

If your drinking now give it at least a 3 hour decant or another couple of years in the bottle.

10/10/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Really nice value. Lemon citrus with refreshing acidity. Paired up nicely with my grilled calamari, octopus & shrimp.

3/29/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Opened on Christmas Eve and drank over the course of the winter. Was very tight night one and would open a few days before or decant if I did this again but decided at the last minute to open to share with family and friends for the holiday. Later occasions right though March this wine was absolutely stunning! Layered and complex like a symphony in a glass. Carmel, toasted marshmellow, creme brulee, butterscotch just delicious to slowly savor sips of this on a cold winter evening!

9/28/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Gorgeous golden color. The nose is the best part with a deep flinty, sulfer breath that goes on and on. The palate had some weight to it more along the lines of Chardonnay then Riesling. Dry through the mid palate but a little sour on the finish.

9/14/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Got a very small sample at Zachys with purchase. Deep purple color. Very concentrated and intense with balanced acidity. Showing black fruit and licorice but tight right now. Long, long finish. Score should certainly improve with time.

9/6/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Definitely lacks acidity.

9/5/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

On the palate off-dry when entering but finished dry! Nice fruit, good acidity and fragrant nose. This matched up nicely with a variety of dishes at our local Greek restaurant. Very food friendly. I need to get more of this!

7/29/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Cork was not saturated thoughout as others experience but was dry and brittle at the top, however the wine was not spoiled. Decanted for about two hours and could have used even more time. Barnyard nose with some fruit holding on the palate. Acidity in balance. Nice experience.

6/10/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Seems a bit tired! Lack of fruit. Enjoyed this more in its youth!

6/1/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Nice pleasant bottle that was enjoyed by all with a variety of fish and shellfish at Varka. Light-bodied, very crisp, lemon and light acidity. Good food match or just drinking on a hot day kind of wine.

5/29/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Nice experience for this Rhone rookie. The nose was intoxicatingly complex showing leather, smoke, meat, mineral to faint sweat sock. Quite different from the Santa Barbara Syrah's that I have been enjoying as well. If I could do this one again I would enjoy with simpler flavors to let the wine show better then competing with the wonderful layered and complex dishes at Cafe Matisse. The last glass on day two was equally compelling. I don't see a reason to "drink up" its still got life left, but it is drinking nicely.

5/29/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Off Dry. Simple but pleasant with spicy food. Try with spicy asian cuisine.

3/29/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Out of 375 ml. Fair amount of sediment stand upright for a couple of hours if you can. I didn't and the tannins from the sediment made the wine a little bitter a first but came together with a little time. Very nice!

3/1/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Out of 375ml. Popped & poured, started out very light but put on weight and spice after a short time in the glass. Could probably benefit from decanting. Very nice!

2/2/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

Popped and poured out of 375ml. Drinking nicely, drink up! Good balance between fruit & oak, nice finish, enjoyable wine.

1/1/2008 - The Dabbler wrote:

No formal note but really didn't care for this. Did not work with food or by itself. Overly bitter on the palate. Very disappointing compared to other vintages of this wine that I have had in the past.

12/23/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Heavy sediment make sure to stand upright for some time before opening! Otherwise very bitter.

12/16/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Corked

12/16/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

I brought this bottle to a BYO restaurant so I wasn't able to decant or let the wine breath. Consumed bottle over about 45 minutes. I still think this packs a lot of heat especially on the finish. Perhaps more exposure to oxygen would help but it wasn't opening up in the glass over the short term. I will decant for several hours next time and or let the last bottle rest another couple of years and see what happens.

12/3/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Showed best after 1.5+ hours in the decanter. Nice dark color and good balance. Equally impressive on day two. You don't have to rush on this but it's drinking nicely now.

11/23/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Nice fruit, bright acidity. Excellent match for turkey and all the trimmings. Drinking so nicely now that I don't think I'll be able to hold on to the other two very long.

11/22/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Had as first wine with Thanksgiving dinner. Not easy to make mental notes during a busy holiday dinner. Red fruit holding nicely with a nice light touch of oak and good acidity. This wine should drink nicely for several more years but certainly ready now.

11/3/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Last of three and this was the tiebreaker. I gave thumbs down on 1st (Winter 04-05) and thumbs up on 2nd (Fall 06) but no formal notes. This time had an appealing nose and was gratifying to the palate, cherry and blackcurrant with a light touch of oak. Medium acidity and a long finish.

10/27/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Nice color, not deep but elegant. No heat at all. Light to medium bodied. Red fruits on palate holding nicely. Low to medium acidity. Drinking nicely now. Faded a bit on day two. No reason to hold this as I don't see it benefiting from additional aging.

10/5/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Fruit holding nicely mostly cherry. Also shows showing butterscotch. Balanced acidity that makes this wine benefit from food as you would expect with a nice pinot. Drank over two nights and held up very nicely overnight which should suggest some live still ahead but drinking so nicely right now!

9/22/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Drank out of 375ml (wife's got a bun in the oven) at Perilla NYC. Not particularly deep but balanced showing fruit & earthiness with a medium body and a touch of acidity. Complemented the food quite nicely.

9/22/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Wow was this really a NJ wine. Worked great with Chinese food. Jade shrimp & scallops at the Look See. Best of the Four Sisters bunch. I would try this one again.

9/15/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

This is a nice village wine. Showing strawberry, cherry, some earthiness and a touch of cinnamon. Medium high acidity level asks the palate for food accompaniment. Drank from 375ml.

8/18/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

This wine is drinking nicely right now. Showing red fruits with a little licorice & vanilla. The finish was a little short but overall a pleasant balanced wine with soft tannins. Was a nice complement to lamb loin chops.

6/24/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

At first this was a bitter mess. I thought about dumping it and picking something else but I hung in and decanted. Decanting showed improvement to the mid-palate but it never lost the seaweedy, green finish.

6/14/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

No formal notes. Considerably less acidity then the 2001 Sanford SRH pinot noir that we had preceding this wine. Preferred this to the Sanford and it was a better match with my entree of beef finacier with mushroom ragout and white truffle infused demi-glaze at Latour. A balanced layered wine with good depth. Very enjoyable and drinking nicely!

6/9/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Picked this up at the winery last September. Nice winery in the beautiful Santa Rita Hills. Highly recommend a visit when in the area. This wine is showing citrus on the nose with a good dose of mineral on the palate, more citrus and a touch of oak along with very nice acidity. Complimented Alaskan king crab & sweet white Jersey corn nicely. Enjoyed this very much!

6/2/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

I don't have alot of experience with mature Burgundy yet, but this tasted like a young pinot to me.The nose was clearly Burgundy but the only thing hinting to its age was the nice mature color. The palate was showing red fruit along with some earthiness and nice acidity. Overall a nicely balanced subtle wine. Had at Gramercy Tavern NYC and paired beautifully with smoked trout & rack of pork/braised belly. Was getting better all the time as it opened up but because it was a restaurant purchase did not get to let it open up very long. Finish over an hour and a half and it could have benefited some time in a decanter but nevertheless was very enjoyable.

4/14/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Tasted over the course of about 2 1/2 hours while decanting. On the nose cherry, strawberry, black pepper and a touch of smoke. Up front on the palate its all fruit (cherry/strawberry) until the finish that offers some spice. Light in color and nice acidity. There is still a lot of fruit left but it was missing the earthy characteristics that give an outstanding pinot depth.

4/11/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Very pleasant good value wine. Blackberry fruit followed by a nice touch of vanilla and a decent finish with that Rutherford dust. Would buy again for a everyday drinker or to serve to a crowd.

3/24/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Picked this to match up with coq au vin based on Babnik's notes and they were right on. Starts out with cherry cola and blueberry and turns into a smoky bacon flavor, interesting loved the smokeyness. This wine has a good amount of acidity but just a little too hot to be balanced and complement the food.

2/12/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

This is the 3rd time I have enjoyed this wine in the past 9 months. Consist on all three occasions. Nice red fruits and a light touch of oak on the palate. Provided a nice match for a variety foods at a local byo restaurant.

2/3/2007 - The Dabbler wrote:

Soft uncomplex wine but was pleasant. I was not getting a big medicinal taste that others mentioned. I would drink this in the near future as I don't see it benefitting from additional aging.

12/9/2006 - The Dabbler wrote:

I took the wineries suggestion and had this wine with barbeque. Baby back ribs with a dry rub prepared by a pro (Chef Gary at Silver Oak Bistro -BYO). The spicy smokiness of the ribs was an outstanding match match for this wine. A wonderful nose and a subtle black fruits & peppery spiciness on the palate. Tasted more subtle then many other syrahs that I have tasted. Not sure if it was the couple years of bottle age or the spicy food that balanced it out so nicely. I am not a fan of big wines so syrah is not a favorite but this makes me what to futher explore Santa Barbara County syrahs.

12/9/2006 - The Dabbler wrote:

What a delicious white! If only I could find this wine here in Jersey. Was a perfect match with Chef Gary's spicy creamy jalapeno dip starter, barbeque sauce, cajun spiced escargot and shrimp & grits at Silver Oak Bistro. The fruit, minerality and slightly off dry taste provided a nice contrast to these spicy dishes.