2/2/2020 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Even after an 8+ hour decant this wine was still not quite ready to drink. Enjoyed the earth tones that are more normal to a Santa Cruz Pinot but those needed a bit of softening to round out the other flavors that were trying to peak out.

1/19/2020 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Cork in excellent shape (only .05mm wine bleed). 1 hour decant. Still a year or two left but this wine is nearing its peak. Balanced acidity, tannins and secondary flavors (chocolate, blue fruit and oak among others). Best part was looking forward to each sip to see if there was some new flavor nuance that would peak through. I'm a tough grader as others gave this a higher score. Not a superstar cab but enjoyed the balance.

1/18/2020 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Decanted for 3 hours but still plenty of life left in it. High acidity. Some secondary flavors starting to peak out but another year or two in the bottle may help to bring them out. Definately upside in letting this sit a bit, maybe up to 93-94.

1/10/2020 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

This has much more savory profile than fruit forward. It also has more tannins than any Pinot I’ve tasted giving it a Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot quality to round out its “Pinot-ness”. The flavor profile is not to far off of other Santa Cruz AVA Pinots that we’ve had but the tannins gave it more of a rich mouth feel and complex quality then other Santa Cruz Pinots. For a 2012 it was surprisingly not ready to drink. We gave it a 2 hour decant and realized it could use up to a 12-hour/over-night decant to soften the tannins a bit and open up some of those secondary flavors which are hiding behind the tannins.

12/29/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Short decant and still had plenty of life. Very much a strawberry/raspberry bomb.

12/27/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Clean and balanced citrus.

9/28/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Served at cellar temperature and with 15 minutes of decanting. Cork had about 5mm of bleed on it but otherwise it was intact and no wine bleed on the cork beyond that. Exceptional balance with just enough fruit to let you know this still has a bit of time left. Lots of earthy, leather and eucalyptus undertones to go along with the deep blue mountain fruit. Surprisingly as the wine warmed and the meal went on for over an hour the wine didn't degrade and held its character. Overall a pleasant surprise when opening a 23 year old bottle.

9/22/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

After a 4 hour decant still plenty of life. While fruit is still there it (and tannins) are finally fading some and secondary flavors like chocolate, eucalyptus and dust are appearing. All in all a nice surprise. Can't wait to open another bottle in 2-3 years.

8/23/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Still a lot of life. Blueberry in the nose and palate. Not overpowering but pervasive. Tannins softened but still present to balance out the fruit.

8/13/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Essence of pear.

8/4/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Still lots of fruit (strawberry, raspberry, etc.) and wood. Give it until 2021

8/3/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Drinking very well now. Everything seems to be coming together and just about peaking. Drink in the next year.

7/28/2019 - Black Kat wrote:

I really wanted to like this wine. Multidimensional for a Gruener Veltliner but too much lemon pith. Would not buy again.

7/30/2019 - Black Kat wrote:

Would not have guessed to be a Gruener Veltliner. Wine did not have much going on, it was "just there".

7/24/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Crisp acidity with a distinct lime flavor.

7/27/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

More balanced that most Gruener Veltliner's that we've tasted. Deep acidity with minerality and stone fruit. Hints of citrus but a bit restrained.

7/28/2019 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Nice unassuming wine and would never have guessed it to be a Zin. But not distinguished from other light red wines so despite the price not something I would carry in the cellar.

7/6/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Cork in excellent condition with approx. 1 mm wine bleed. Opened and tasted with no decant (~45 degrees). Bright, clean, lots of acidity and mineralality. Dryer than most Rieslings. As the wine warmed up it developed a yeast-like finish and tasted like it was starting to turn. A flavor profile that was hidden at the lower temperatures. Mostly the back palate changed with the higher temperatures. Great that the winery held this back ~10 years before releasing but I think they were just a bit too late. Would liked to have had this just a year or two earlier.

7/4/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 1/2 hours.
Nose: Black Cherry Compote and Apricot
Palate: Black Cherry Cola, Muted Purple Fruit with Burnt Wood on the Back Palate. Full, Rich Mouth Feel with Medium Acid and Length of Finish. Fruit Was There But a Bit Restrained.
Very Nice Combination of Flavors and In the Order of How Each Hits the Palate.
Went Well with Salmon but Would Also Pair Well with Heavier Dishes Like Veal or Pork.
Very Good Now but Will Benefit with a Few More Years in the Bottle.

6/30/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Still plenty of life.

6/8/2018 - Black Kat Does not like this wine:

Served at room temperature (70 degrees).
Decanted for 45 minutes before first taste
Cork in excellent condition- wine bleed 1-2 mm
Color- Dark ruby/purple-no sign of oxidization in color
Nose- Red fruit up front, leather, dirt and oak
Palate- True to the nose. Tasted fine in the beginning although a little hot. Went well with the meal (veal) but once the meal was over I could not drink what was left. Wine did not turn or was bad but flavor profile did not lend itself to sipping without food. Have not met a Cab that I can't sip without food until now.

6/3/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Drink in 2020

6/2/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Drink window 2019-20

5/20/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Served at cellar temperature (54 degrees), No decant
Cork: Excellent w/ no bleed
Nose: Honeysuckle, Lychee, White Peach
Palate: Lychee, White Peach Pit, Lemon-Lime, Rounded Spice
Acidity: Bright (High)
Finish: Long
Drink Window: 2018-2022

3/27/2018 - Black Kat wrote:

Drank 375 ml
Weak pressure upon opening but good bubbles that lasted 1/2 hour.
Color- Pale rose.
Nose- Fresh, clean, slight citrus.
Palate-medium, clean, sweet front palate with some residual sweetness on the back palate. Low acidity and medium mouth feel with low yeast.
Overall- light and good to drink alone w/o food but would pair well with light, non-salty or slightly sweet snacks and light shellfish. Solid but would expect more for the price.

2/18/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Drank at Mountain House Restaurant and served at room temperature (70°)
-Cork broke apart upon opening but otherwise in good condition
-No decant.
-Color: Deep, bright red, slight oxidation.
-Nose: Cherry sweet tarts.
-Palate: Red fruit dominated by cherry and raspberry up front with some blueberry then baking spice and clove on the back end. Medium to high acidity and good mouth feel with quick finish.
-Paired with: Paired with elk.
-Overall: For a 10 year old pinot noir there is still plenty of life in this although probably due to the acidity. More than most pinot noirs more cherry shows up with is a nice treat.

2/17/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition, 1 mm wine bleed.
-No decant.
-Color: Pale yellow-almost clear.
-Nose: White grapefruit and white peach dominate up front with some vanilla on the back.
-Palate: Very true to the nose, with the white grapefruit and white peach up front with peach pit/minerality showing midpalate and slight vanilla notes on the back end. Medium mouthfeel and medium/high acidity with a crisp clean finish.
-Food Pairing: Paired with salmon
-Overall: Very enjoyable! Minerality and fruit were well balanced and the acidity made it pair well with the salmon and could see this wine going with so many other dishes (Chicken/Fish Piccata and lemon and peach based deserts). Made sure to save a full glass after the food was over and enjoyed just sipping it alone as well. Because of the acidity thinking that this will last a bit longer and more of the subtle notes will come out which would only increase the score.

2/16/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition, good effervescence which last through the entire meal
-No decant.
-Color: Medium straw with a slight green tinge.
-Nose: Green apple with a slight hint of yeast.
-Palate: Very true to the nose, green apple up front with a hint of citrus.
-Food Pairing: Paired with red snapper
-Overall: Good balance but not much complexity. Enjoyable but not memorable.

2/14/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at room temperature (68°)
-Cork in excellent condition, 2-5 mm wine bleed
-Decanted for 1 hour
-Color: Deep red with sight oxidation.
-Nose: Strawberry up front with burnt wood, spice and brandy on the back.
-Palate: Dried apricot up front with burnt wood (oak), brandy and spice on the back end. Similar to the nose. Medium mouth feel and acidity with a short quick finish.
-Food Pairing: Paired rib eye steaks
-Overall: Feeling like this is on the back end of its lifespan. Fruit and tannins were very soft and other subtle flavors were coming through but not the structure and acidity that balanced this wine out in prior bottles. Still very nice and enjoyable but would not pair this with steak next time. Maybe something a bit lighter. Time to drink up the remaining bottles.

2/11/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle opened at cellar temperature (54°) but decanted warming to approximately (60°)
-Cork in excellent condition, 1 mm wine bleed
-Decanted for ½ hour
-Color: Light straw.
-Nose: Lemon curd up front with syrupy, sweet after tones.
-Palate: Not a lot of fruit, lot of minerality showing; like licking the outside of a cantaloupe. Wood-sandalwood/oak on the back palate. Light medium mouth feel with medium acidity and a medium finish.
-Food Pairing: Paired with salmon
-Overall: Feels like this wine still not hit its stride yet, still some time left and looking forward to the next bottle as I hope the score would be better. Will try to serve it a bit warmer as that may help.

2/2/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Drank @ Central Park Bistro (San Mateo, CA)
-No Decant, drank @ room temperature (~70 degrees)
-Color: Deep garnet- clear
-Nose: Balance of blue and red fruit up front with cinnamon and spices on the back note.
-Palate: True to the nose with more of the blue fruit coming through on the front of the palate with a slight oak/cedar and spice finish.
-Overall: a wonderful bottle of wine. Flavors were in balance and harmonious. Like any good bottle with time in a bottle the flavors changed over the course of an 1 1/2 hour meal and it was a pleasure to anticipate what was going to come up next.

1/28/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at room temperature (68°)
-Cork in excellent condition, no wine bleed.
-Decanted for 2 hours
-Color: Garnet- clear
-Nose: Rhubarb and raspberry, with floral notes (rose and white lilac) up front with cinnamon undertone
-Palate: Muted fruit-raspberry and blueberry, allspice, cedar and floral notes (trailing). Light mouth feel, low acidity and a short, quick finish on the back palate.
-Food Pairing: Salmon
-Overall: Not as powerful as most Russian River Pinot Noirs but nice balance. A bit softer than I remember; tasting more like a Sonoma Coast Pinot. Lower acidity and quicker finish than I remember which is a sign it may be past its prime drinking window.

1/26/2018 - Black Kat wrote:

-Bottle served at room temperature (68°)
-Cork in excellent condition, wine bleed 1mm-2mm
-Decanted for 3 hours
-Color: Ruby-medium
-Nose: Rhubarb up front with baking spice (allspice) after notes
-Palate: Palate fairly consistent with nose rhubarb up front with pepper and baking spice on the back palate. Not much fruit. Low acidity/light mouth feel (for a Syrah) and a light, quick finish.
-Food Pairing: Paired spare ribs.
-Overall: Not offensive but not a lot of depth and dimension. Overall fairly bland. Did not seem like it was past its prime and for a 2013 it should still have plenty of life left but just not much there.

1/27/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at cellar temperature (56°)
-Cork in excellent condition, wine bleed 1mm-2mm
-No decant
-Color: Light Straw.
-Nose: Light aroma-Lemon curd and ripe pineapple up front with oak later on.
-Palate: Palate consistent with nose except ripe pineapple hitting first with lemon then baking spice with oak on the back palate.
-Food Pairing: Paired with swordfish & butternut squash risotto.
-Overall: Acts like a red in that it takes a long time to open up. Should decant 30-60 minutes next time so that it can open up and warm up a bit to get more of the subtle flavors which started to come out towards the end. Oak softened up over time and towards the end there were more flavors hitting all parts of the palate.

1/24/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

January 24 Tasting same as January 13 Tasting:
-Bottle served at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition-very little wine bleed (>1mm)
-No decant, drank from the bottle
-Color: Light straw.
-Nose: White Grapefruit up front with Honeysuckle and Lemon Curd towards the finish.
-Palate: Light Red and White Grapefruit upfront and tarragon spice on the back palate/finish. Medium mouth feel and acid with a clean quick finish.
Food: Paired with Salmon (with capers). Will go well with all fish and will stand up to lighter chicken dishes.
-Overall: Very enjoyable wine and one of the best Sauvignon Blancs around. Very consistent from year-to-year with 2014 no exception. Drinking well now but will last 2-3 more years.

1/21/2018 - Black Kat wrote:

-Bottle served at room temperature (68°)
-Cork in excellent condition, wine bleed 1mm-2mm
-Decanted for 3 hours and drank over another hour.
-Color: Light Garnet-clear.
-Nose: Red fruit (Strawberry/Raspberry) up front with earthy notes (Fresh Redwood Forest) and toasty oak on the back.
-Palate: Tart Cranberry/Rhubarb forward with dusty earthiness on the back palate, some of the Fresh Redwood Forest from the nose but a little dustier. Medium acidity and mouth feel.
-Food Pairing: Paired with Salmon (with capers).
-Overall: Ok bottle. At times I really didn’t enjoy how tart this wine was but that was mostly when I was sipping without food. With food it was tolerable. However the dusty/earthy notes on this wine were not as enjoyable and did not combine well with the tartness. Since the dusty/earthy notes were on the back palate it literally left a “bad taste in my mouth” so that is the overall last impression I have of this wine.

1/20/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition, wine bleed <1 mm.
-No decant, drank from the bottle
-Color: Very light straw.
-Nose: Grapefruit and Lemon Curd up front.
-Palate: Grapefruit up front but not intense. White Peach Pit on the back palate. Light acidity and mouth feel and a clean quick finish.
-Food: Paired well with nut encrusted Red Snapper. Will go well with white fish, rotisserie chicken, sautéed fish.
-Overall: Always enjoy holding whites past a few years as some of the other flavors (i.e. White Peach Pit) which were more prevalent now (2018) than early on. Hold for another year or two to let more of the subtle flavors to come out.

1/19/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at room temperature (68°)
-Cork in excellent condition, wine bleed <1 mm.
-Decanted for 1 hour and drank over another hour.
-Color: Ruby Red, on the slightly lighter side of ruby.
-Nose: Pomegranate up front with cedar and oak notes. Cardamom on the finish.
-Palate: Purple fruit up front but tight with tannins blocking some of the flavors. Over time graphite an Cardamom coming on the back of the palate as the tannins softened with time. Tannins gave it at medium mouth feel with medium acidity.
-Food: Paired with Fred Steak (Schaub Meats, Palo Alto, CA) and Maitake Mushrooms. Will go great with beef and pork especially BBQ style and pasta with hearty meat sauce.
-Overall: Still a young Zinfandel but opened up nicely over time as the meal went on. Just means this needs more time in the bottle. Suggest waiting 3 more years with a drinking window to 2025. I am confident this wine would be in the low 90's when it is ready to drink.

1/18/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition, no wine bleed on the cork.
-No decant, drank from the bottle
-Color: Light straw color.
-Nose: Grapefruit up front with Honeysuckle on the finish.
-Palate: Grapefruit forward with a slight straw/grassy mid-palate. Honeysuckle was lingering on the back. Medium mouth feel. With all that going on still a clean finish.
-Food: Paired with Salmon (with capers) with home fries. Will go great with anything light.
-Overall: Consistently one of the best Sauvignon Blacs around. The balance between the citrus and grassy makes this a little more complex than most but that may be because I’ve held this a few years. Hard for me to hold a Sauvignon Blanc for 3+ years but just goes to show that a great quality Sauvignon Blanc can still age well and balance out over time to show some of the flavors that may not have presented itself earlier in its life. Feels like it is a better sipping wine early on and becomes more food friendly with time.

1/15/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition, no wine bleed on the cork.
-No decant, drank from the bottle
-Color: Light rose color.
-Nose: Strawberry up front with rosewater lingering.
-Palate: Strawberry forward and dominate with lemon on the finish. High acidity with a crisp clean finish and therefore a light mouth feel.
-Food: Paired with Salmon (with capers) and went well. Great with hors d’oeuvres, fish and light snacks.
-Overall: A great, everyday sipping wine that will go with food. Generally I would not like a wine this light with something like Salmon but the high acidity helped cut through the oils/fats to clean the palate and get me ready for the next bite. Generally something with a bit more body/structure like a Pinot Noir/Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc would go with food better but this worked well, just a bit differently. At 88, I realize I'm penalizing this wine because it is more of an everyday wine and doesn't evoke emotion like some great wines can do (which help run up the score) but this is such a solid every day and versatile wine that I would serve to just about anyone in the right situation.

1/14/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at room temperature (68°)
-Cork in fair condition. Wine bled up to 80% of cork (4 cm) but did not reach the top of the cork.
-Decanted for 1 hour. Drank over another hour.
-Color: Deep red with a slight ting of brown shade.
-Nose: Muted blue fruit, moldy, oak, cedar, very little fruit.
-Palate: Juniper Berry up front with cocoa, leather and oak on the back. Not much fruit. Very soft tannins with medium acid and mouth feel. Short clean finish with a little oak on the back palate.
-Food: Paired with bacon wrapped filet mignon. Will go well with grilled beef and hearty pastas.
-Overall: A nice treat to be drinking a mature wine with the non-fruit dominate flavors showing up although this bottle was a bit on the backside of its prime drinking window. Still viable and enjoyable just wonder what it would have been like to try it a bit early with a bit more life it in. At 89 (I am a tough grader!) it was still very enjoyable and went well with the meal in fact it really needs food as it was much better with the meal than the half glass that I saved after the meal was done.

1/13/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition-very little wine bleed (>1mm)
-No decant, drank from the bottle
-Color: Light straw.
-Nose: White Grapefruit up front with Honeysuckle and Lemon Curd towards the finish.
-Palate: Light Red and White Grapefruit upfront and tarragon spice on the back palate/finish. Medium mouth feel and acid with a clean quick finish.
Food: Paired with Swordfish (with capers) broccoli and Jicama Mash. Will go well with all fish and will stand up to lighter chicken dishes.
-Overall: Very enjoyable wine and one of the best Sauvignon Blancs around. Very consistent from year-to-year with 2014 no exception. Drinking well now but will last 2-3 more years.

1/13/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition-very little wine bleed (>1mm)
-No decant, drank from the bottle
-Color: Light straw.
-Nose: White Grapefruit up front with Honeysuckle and Lemon Curd towards the finish.
-Palate: Light Red and White Grapefruit upfront and tarragon spice on the back palate/finish. Medium mouth feel and acid with a clean quick finish.
-Food: Paired with Swordfish (with capers) broccoli and Jicama Mash. Will go well with all fish and will stand up to lighter chicken dishes.
-Overall: Very enjoyable wine and one of the best Sauvignon Blancs around. Very consistent from year-to-year with 2014 no exception. Drinking well now but will last 2-3 more years.

1/12/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at room temperature (68°)
-Cork in excellent condition-very little wine bleed (1mm-2mm)
-Decanted for 2 hours and drank over one more hour.
-Color: Deep Ruby/Purple.
-Nose: Raspberry & Blueberry up front with Leather and Cacao on the back end.
-Palate: Blueberry up front. Still a lot of tannins giving it an astringent feeling on the back of the palate. Also Leather and Tobacco on back of the palate. Because of the tannins it was hard to get a good mouth feel.
Food: Paired with Pizza (meat/veggie/mushroom combo) with a thin crust. Would also pair well with anything tomato based (pasta, BBQ, etc.).
Overall: Except for the tannins, which were still a bit overpowering, this was a very enjoyable bottle which leads me to think that it just needs more time. Suggest waiting 3 more years before trying again with a drinking window that goes to 2025. The deep blue fruit on the front of the palate was a nice compliment to the leather/tobacco on the back of the palate.

1/7/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle served at room temperature (68°)
-Cork in excellent condition-very little wine bleed (1mm-4mm)
-Decanted for 1 hour
-Color: Light garnet, clear.
-Nose: Cranberry/rhubarb up front with rose peddle and mint towards then end.
-Palate: Light red fruit (cranberry, strawberry, raspberry but no one dominant) up front with Sandalwood mid-palate towards then end. Low acidity and not a full mouth feel for a Pinot Noir, lighter than expected. Tannins were evident but very soft. Very clean finish on the end.
-Food: Paired with Salmon (with capers) and went very well. Would pair well with salmon, pork, pasta and lighter dishes.
-Overall: Very enjoyable and more of an “everyday” Pinot Noir that did not have an overly distinctive characteristic other than the red fruit up font. Ok to drink now but would be nice to hold for a few more years to let the fruit soften and see what other flavor notes would appear. But don’t wait too long. Since it lacks a lot of structure and with low acidity it won’t age quite as long as a typical Russian River Pinot Noir.

1/6/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition-no wine bleed on cork
No decant, served from the bottle.
-Color: Light straw.
-Nose: Dominant white grapefruit up front with honeysuckle afterwards.
-Palate: Grapefruit up front with apricot notes. Medium acidity and a rich mouth feel for a Sauvignon Blanc. Short clean finish on the palate.
-Food: Paired with Petrale Sole and mashed Sweet Potatoes. Will go well with all fish and chicken.
-Overall: Very nice Sauvignon Blanc was surprised that the mouth feel had more of a syrup/rich fell than I remember past Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc’s having but this was a pleasant surprise. Great to drink now over the next few years.

1/5/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition-no wine bleed on cork
-No decant, served from the bottle.
-Color: Light straw with a slight green hue.
-Nose: Nectarine, Crenshaw Mellon and Lemon.
-Palate: Medium “mixed” fruit up front with slight minerality (like sucking on a nectarine pit). Toast/oak on the back end of the palate. Medium to high acidity. Longer finish than expected with the oak notes on the back.
-Food: Paired with swordfish (with capers). Will go well with most fish and chicken dishes in lighter sauce.
-Overall: Very nice but still needs some time to let the fruit and mineral flavors to balance out, will try again in a year and should last another few years (to 2022).

1/3/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle at cellar temperature (54°)
-Cork in excellent condition-no wine bleed on cork
-No decant, served from the bottle
-Color: Light straw
-Nose: Sharp citrus & grapefruit.
-Palate: Lemon, guava & white grapefruit up front with an herbal (tarragon) on the back palate but a very clean and quick finish, not much lingering on the palate. Medium to high acidity and mouthfeel.
-Paired with Salmon (with capers). Would go very well with lighter fish or chicken in a light sauce.
-Overall: Very nice and just ready to drink but will last easily 2-5 more years. Will try again in 2 years, I expect the fruit to soften a bit and give some of the herbal notes a chance to come through.

1/1/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

-Bottle at room temperature (68°)
-Cork in excellent condition-no wine bleed on cork
-Decanted 2 ½ hours, no sediment.
-Color: Deep violet/garnet.
-Nose: Blueberry up front with earthy (allspice) on the finish.
-Palate: Blue fruit up front (more than just blueberry), vanilla and baking spices on the finish. Mild tannins, slightly astringent and medium acidity. Not quite a full mouth feel but good structure. Medium time on the finish.
-Food: Paired with Fred Steak (Schaub’s Meats, Palo Alto). Will go well with beef, pork and lamb of all types.
-Overall: A great wine but just entering its window so it will improve with age. My suggestion drinking window is 2018-2022

1/1/2018 - Black Kat Likes this wine:

Drank 375 ml - popped at midnight on New Year's
Weak pressure upon opening but good bubbles that lasted 1/2 hour.
Color- Pale rose.
Nose- Fresh, clean, slight citrus.
Palate-medium, clean, sweet front palate with some residual sweetness on the back palate. Low acidity and medium mouth feel with low yeast.
Overall- light and good to drink alone w/o food but would pair well with light, non-salty or slightly sweet snacks and light shellfish. Solid but would expect more for the price.