3/29/2019 - wood Likes this wine:

Wow what a great value this was. It was fairly dark for the age, cork came out very clean, no bricking. Nice rich perfectly aged Chianti. Good rich fruit flavor with still enough backbone to make it well balanced. Enjoyed very much

11/7/2017 - wood Likes this wine:

Very ripe rich fruit. Dark fruits and licorice on the pallet. Very nice and enjoyable.

2/1/2016 - wood Does not like this wine:

Past it's prime.

12/22/2015 - wood wrote:

Well past it's prime, maybe flawed.

10/30/2015 - wood Likes this wine:

Light color, odd aroma (tin, metallic?) but had a very nice flavor of red berries and some hints of spice. The structure was very soft. Enjoyable wine.

9/9/2014 - wood Likes this wine:

Pitch black. The blackest wine I have ever seen. Full body and the flavor absolutely jumps from the glass. If you like the fruit of a Petite Syrah, this is the wine to get. The best Petite I have ever had. I loved this wine.

7/24/2014 - wood Likes this wine:

Very bubbly with an intense whiff of bread dough that was noticable to everyone within 10 feet, and that was outside. Nice fruity and yeasty aroma and flavor. Intense bubbles that were hard to settle down. Very enjoyable, and a nice price.

6/15/2014 - wood Likes this wine:

What a difference from my 2010 consumption (rated 84 and said it was odd, short and metallic). I promised to leave this sit for a while to see if it would come around and I'm glad I did. At $9.99 I wasn't expecting much, but it was very pleasant. Very smooth and soft, lots of good dark fruit, cassis and a minty flavor with a small amount of licorice on the finish. One of the best values I've had. Now I wish I had bought some more.

5/27/2014 - wood Likes this wine:

This is a WOW gruner vetliner. Melon aroma with a clear pepper taste typical for a Gruner Vetliner, especially on the finish. A very long finish with pronounced pepper. Wonderfully enjoyable. Wish I had more. What an awesome value.

5/27/2014 - wood Likes this wine:

While this is starting to get a little brown on the edges, it still has stunning aroma of black fruit and chocolate, although some prune was coming through. Drink up now.

5/6/2014 - wood Likes this wine:

Still nice color, aroma very nice with a tad bit of attic dust/must, but nice. Nice soft feel. Flavor of cherry and other red and black fruit. Very enjoyable.

4/19/2014 - wood Likes this wine:

Very soft cabernet, but not in a bad or flabby way. Very nice aroma and up front flavor with a hint of licorice, all fading into a short finish. Needed a little more backbone and longer finish. All in all very nice cab, but probably not even of marginal value.

3/24/2014 - wood Likes this wine:

Light color but full body. Massive fruit flavor with some licorice and spice. Great Rhone style blend of 40% Shiraz, 40% Granache, and 20% Mourvedre.

7/8/2013 - wood Likes this wine:

Very good cab for the price at $13. Hoisin sauce, fig, currant aroma and flavor. Getting a tad old/flabby but still very enjoyable.

6/1/2013 - wood wrote:

Deep inky color. This had a complex array of flavors ranging from spice - red fruits - wood/vanilla/pencil - some stems/herbaceous in the background. Even though this finished a little hot I did like this wine.

5/28/2013 - wood Likes this wine:

Wonderful wine. Still holding up extrememly well. Nice ruby color. Very aromatic of red and black fruits. Awesome structure and balance with sweet tannin and vibrant fruits. What an awesome deal this was.

4/15/2013 - wood Likes this wine:

Bright red color, medium body.Hints of leather and chocolate on the nose. LOADS of dark red fruits with a hint of cocoa and anise, particularly on the finish. Also a bit of earthiness. It could be considered over-the-top fruity as to unbalance the wine.

4/15/2013 - wood Likes this wine:

Great Syrah. Huge amounts of typical Shiraz-like spicy flavors. One of the top 3-4 shiraz I've had. Very enjoyable.

3/12/2013 - wood Likes this wine:

VERY different pinot, almost shiraz-like. Darker than most pinot I've had. Very complex, yet very fruity and flamboyant. Difficulty in identifying specific flavors with all that was going on. I didn't find anything subdued about this wine like many others have posted. I believe this might be the most forward, in-your-face pinot I've ever had.

3/12/2013 - wood wrote:

Classic Pinot nose and feel Very light in color. Very elegant yet complex. Beautiful Pinot. Held up very well and didn't show any signs of fading yet.

2/18/2013 - wood wrote:

Wonderful rich nose and flavors. Very well balanced between rich flavors, smooth tannins and acidity. Drinking very well right now, almost like a CA cab.

2/18/2013 - wood wrote:

Aromas of bread dough. Loads of small bubbles. Very pleasing Champagne.

1/25/2013 - wood wrote:

This one seemd a little old and musty, but still very strong backbone and some OK fruit poking through.

1/17/2013 - wood wrote:

Light color. Zesty, with some mellon fruit flavors. No oaky, buttery character at all.

12/3/2012 - wood wrote:

Something was wrong with this wine, either corked or well past it's prime. Strong aroma of raisons, and wrose on the flavor. Undrinkable, threw it away.

11/21/2012 - wood wrote:

Had this at Jax, popped and poured. Was too cold to start but really picked up once it warmed. Still good color, nice complex flavors of plum, red and black fruits, some currant and just a touch influence from oak. Still a fantastic wine.

10/29/2012 - wood wrote:

Either way past prime or I had a bad bottle. Merely a hint of its former flavor with a very "hot" streak on the pallet.

9/17/2012 - wood wrote:

Stunning aromas of vanilla and black fruits. Still very rich with fruit flavors. It's in a great drinking window right now. 2 years ago I rated this wine 86 as clumsy. Last year I rated it 90 as the aroma was great and it started to come together. Now it was outstanding.

3/10/2012 - wood wrote:

WOW, WOTN agains 2005 Clos Des Papes, 2005 Vieux DonJon, and 1990 Guigal Hermitage. Changed from a fabulous aroma of fruit and spice (some said ash), to include licorice. Great fruit at the first pallet that dimmed on the mid pallet but came back nicely on the finish. Could still improve.

2/6/2012 - wood wrote:

We let it breath for 30 minutes, then drank over the next hour or two without much change. Very good wine that is probably ready to drink now. Fans of well made, structured, complex wines will like this. Not over the top fruit, but well balanced.

8/8/2011 - wood wrote:

This bottle had turned

8/8/2011 - wood wrote:

This had turned.

6/11/2011 - wood wrote:

Very tired, as expected for a 15 year old wine bought without knowing storing conditions.

3/30/2011 - wood wrote:

This had a very old, tired feel with a musty taste. Brown color, very little nose. The feel was soft and smooth but the little flavor that was there was not pleasant. That being said, the cork was very dry and crumbly. It came out in pieces and turned to dust when I squeezed it. It surprises me that the fill still well into the neck. This bottle may not have been stored properly.

3/13/2011 - wood wrote:

Plum and earth

3/13/2011 - wood wrote:

Flavor of buttered popcorn.

1/10/2011 - wood wrote:

Declined a lot since the last time I've had this. Lighter style, reminded me of a cheap pinot. Very tinny at first but that blew off quickly. Pinot style fruit, but not much of it. Something was just amiss.

10/4/2010 - wood wrote:

Harsh, hard tannin that showed no signs of softening. Not a lot of fruit and little finish makes me assume it won't be much better with age. Not worth the price.

8/1/2010 - wood wrote:

Fat and one-dimensional. Had better notes previously but not last two bottles. Hopefully it's just in a dumb phase.

4/26/2010 - wood wrote:

Dark, bold and oaky. Still very complex, changing flavors as it warmed. Not for the faint of heart.

4/26/2010 - wood wrote:

Excellent. This got better as the night went on. Aromas of saddle leather gave way to classic cab flavors and dark fruit. Only slightly browning. Nice finish.

12/26/2009 - wood wrote:

Ripe fruit flavors that seem to have a touch of ripe cabernet. Not a typical Shiraz flavor profile, a little fat but very enjoyable to drink.

12/26/2009 - wood wrote:

Dark color, very rich powerful flavors with a nice buttery feel. Thick and unctuous.

11/15/2009 - wood wrote:

I could not detect any fruit at any time even through the finish, nor could any of my guests, which was needed to stand up to the very rough young tannins.

8/31/2009 - wood wrote:

There's way too much oak for the average chard lover, but it did appeal to me. There's so much oak it left the color very dark, almost amber. The feel was oily and buttery into the long finish. There's some fruit but the centerpiece is clearly the oak.

8/31/2009 - wood wrote:

I didn't rate this as it was corked and turned to vinegar. Seeing through this flaw, it appeared to me that it would be worth another try.

8/8/2009 - wood wrote:

Very fruity on the nose, but the fruit flavors seem to fight with the feel of alcohol on the pallet. An awkward balance that never seems to come together.

7/31/2009 - wood wrote:

Nice purprise for the price. Picked up a little alcohol on the nose, but that was not present no the paalet until faintly on the finish. nive flavors of dark berries and licorice.

5/26/2009 - wood wrote:

There is some cat pee aroma, but not in an offensive way. Mostly grapefruit flavors with citric acidity. Not bad on a hot sunny day.

5/12/2009 - wood wrote:

Excellent nose, but a little rough on the pallet. There's some fruit but it's seemed a little hot with somewhat harsh acidity.