11/22/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

It addition to previous note: this makes a wonderful mulled wine for the holidays! Try it with your favorite mulling spices. The scent fills the house like potpourri. Fantastic!

11/12/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Pale straw in color with a slight apple-green tinge. Has an odd nose of lemon and Italian herbs--like whiffing a pasta sauce. It retains some lemon on the palate along with pineapple and grass. Not bad, but not as good as the 2010.

11/7/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Medium body Aussie style, unoaked chard. Citrus and grass on the nose that follow through on the palate. Fairly straight forward with bright acidity. Not a chard for chard lovers though. You'll perhaps appreciate it more if you pretend it's a sauvignon blanc.

11/3/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Dark purple color. Smells like a syrah with no hint of sweetness on the nose. It actually has a decent medium body with black fruit and pepper up front. Tannins are mellow for a syrah and the sweetness comes in early and lingers through the finish. Fortunately, it's not overly/cloyingly sweet. I wouldn't call it a dessert wine per se but it's a bit unexpected when your brain is tuned for syrah. Interesting stuff even though it suffers from a slight identity crisis. Nothing else quite like it out there though. I gave it a try thinking it would make an approachable red for non-wine folks and it doesn't disappoint there. I think anybody could drink this stuff and enjoy it. Seems to balance a little better after an hour decant or on day two.

8/23/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Mmmm...yummy stuff. Big nose of peppery cherries. Nice, full body with red fruit up front, a strong, loamy mid-palate and long finish. Good balance and nicely softened tannins. I hope they have more of this at the shop.

8/19/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Pale straw color. Typical nose of lemon, grapefruit and grass. Simple, tart citrusy palate displaying lime and grapefruit. A surprising minerality on the finish that was quite pleasant.

8/1/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Pale straw in color. Nose of citrus, mostly lime and grapefruit. Citrus continues dominating the palate with slightly sour lemon. Overall it's crisp and refreshing but slightly unbalance toward the acid. Reminds me of a weak lemonade.

7/30/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

To get more than 89 points a wine has to knock my socks off. And this one did! A beautiful New Zealand style wine brimming with fresh cut grass and gobs of grapefruit on the nose. A superbly clean, crisp palate with more grapefruit and herb. By God, it's got that ZING! A better New Zealand SB than most New Zealand SB's.

7/29/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Crisp and refreshing with flint, mineral and chalk. Not overly concentrated but decent complexity and a clean finish. Drank with a homemade choucroute garnie--like they were born for each other.

7/21/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Very light-bodied pinot. Agree with the others regarding needing time after opening. Right out of the bottle I got a very smokey nose with something oddly akin to black olives. Palate was one-dimensional with virtually no finish. 45 minutes after opening I got some red berries and spice on the nose. Palate was primarily spice with a hint of strawberry. Still very light on the finish with little complexity. A simple wine. Not much to stand up to hearty fare.

7/14/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Young ruby color. Red berries and pepper on the nose. A good, stout palate of strawberry and spice, smooth tannins. Moderately long, spicy finish lingers on the sides of the tongue. Rarely had a pinot noir this good.

7/14/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Unbelievably tasty stuff! Dark and viscous. Very port-like nose--dried cherries, apricot and raisin. On the palate, fresh, ripe cherries (and cherries and more cherries!) changing to strawberry jam that lingers with nicely balanced acid. A steal at $22.

7/10/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Beautiful dark golden color. Peaches, apricot, honeydew and floral aromas. Surprisingly one-dimensional on the palate, however. Fairly sweet, but with an odd chemical mid-palate reminiscent of epoxy resin. Finishes with citrus and acid on the back of the tongue.

7/7/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Strawberry and a bit of pepper on the nose. Very light style--some fruit up front, not much mid-palate, very soft tannins and almost no finish to speak of. Approachable and simple but lacking character.

7/5/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Oh, yum, yum, yum. Nice cherry pepper nose as others have said. Big fruit up front, soft tannins and pleasant lingering finish. 5 years from the vintage was perfect for this one. Mine threw a light sediment. A welcome reminder of why I love zin. Give it at least a 30 minute decant.

7/5/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

A decent party wine for non-wine drinkers. Simple and sweet, but lacking any complexity, unbalanced and oily on the palate.

7/1/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Nice golden color. Some fine bubbles and sulfate nose that dissipated after a few minutes in the glass revealing salty pears and honeydew. Simple and clean on the palate, very like an SB--lemon up front and spice in the back.

6/30/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

A medium/light bodied and refreshing PN. Raspberry nose and subtle fruit on the palate. Finishes lightly tannic and on the short side. Very nice with a mild-flavored steak.

6/25/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Bought on a recommendation from the local shop. Strong raspberry nose, like sticking your nose in a jar of raspberry jam. Light and easy with a strawberry palate that's ever so slightly sweet. Very simple and approachable.

6/24/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Pale straw color. Long legs on the glass are delayed in forming. Nose is lemon citrus, green herbs and spicy teaberry. Unfortunately, alcoholic heat thoroughly dominated the palate with virtually no hint of the expected varietal character. Finish was bitter herb and rotten citrus. Really suspicious of possible heat-damage with my bottle given the other favorable reviews.

6/22/2012 - Tuppertn wrote:

Light-garnet in color, nose of berries and green pepper with a hint of smoke. Medium/light bodied, straightforward and simple on the palate with very light tannin. Reminiscent of a Brouilly or Beaujolais Villages. Drink now.