6/30/2023 - johnmc Likes this wine:

The nose was a little tight but did pick up some familiar blackberry and vanilla notes. On the palette dark fruits popped from nice balancing acidity. On the mid-palette I picked up some espresso and mocha adding body. Finish was moderate but compelling. All in all, great value!

5/19/2023 - tomoem Likes this wine:

CBCC spring wine tasting (part 3)

Immediately this wine starts with strawberry and tobacco both aromatically and in mouth. Lovely .... in the mid pallete I get a sweetness and increased viscous mouthfeel. Very well made and worth finding.

9/11/2021 - davidandrose Likes this wine:

First sample follows a splash decant. Nose is darker than the typical QC Cab, and is tight. Tons of black fruit are well integrated with sweet, satiny tannins,And the wine has opened up rest of the way in just a few minutes. Look forward to watching this evolve throughout the evening.

Two hours later the nose is largely unchanged.The pallet is opening up a bit more, showing blackberry, tobacco The finishes focused front to mid pallet and lasts 20 to 30+ seconds. This is showing incredibly well this evening, and will continue to improve in the coming years. No rush at all.

3/9/2020 - Darwine Likes this wine:

This wine is the closest thing to a perfect wine! At almost 16% it’s not hot but so nice to the pallet. Nose is perfect with blackberry essence with a perfect caramel overtone. The wine is very fruit forward of some beautiful black berry and a tantalizing hint of sweet blueberries! Finish is chocolate and caramel with oh so soft tannins. Wish I could have this wine every nite!!!

3/19/2021 - EasyLiving Likes this wine:

The 2007 Nickel & Nickel Martin Stelling Cabernet Sauvignon presents a lightly sediment infused garnet colored juice with medium legs. The bouquet teases the taster with hints of jammy blueberry, blackberry, strawberry and cherry. True to the Martin Stelling vineyard the palate perfectly matches the nose as flavors of jammy blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, and cherry are dominant with just a hint of mineral and oak to make it interesting and informs that this wine could age another 3 to 5 more years. But why wait? Enjoy it now with a nice grilled dry-aged New York steak as I did. 😁 It was a perfect pairing where the flavors of the wine and steak truly elevated each other.

11/10/2021 - nrjessup Likes this wine:

Black and blue fruitted on the nose and palette with moderate acitiy and a dense layer of oakiness.

3/29/2020 - mats13 Does not like this wine:

Sorry to say I hated this, so much so that I poured out about half the bottle not wanting to waste my time. I *never* do that. Well, I've done it maybe once or twice over the past 20 years (!).

6/4/2021 - mats13 Likes this wine:

Came across as a little bright to me this time, and it didn't hold up next to the Leonetti 2014 I had sitting next to it.

2/4/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Full bore, and for a Dave Finny (sp?) wine, slightly more in balance.

9/10/2020 - mats13 Likes this wine:

Serviceable and solid weekday drinker, solid QPR for what it is. But 95 JD?? Am on the verge of writing his reviews off for criminal score inflation.

5/2/2021 - mats13 Likes this wine:

I've had this wine 2x (different vintages) and each time I felt somehow let down. A little bright, a little tight. By comparison, and at similar price points, I've taken more pleasure from Beringer Knight Valley Reserve and The Prisoner.
[Revised score - started at a 90 and have bumped it to 92. Though honestly on the second day it was really quite good. I bought 6 more today and hope to give them some time or at least approach them differently.]

10/25/2020 - mats13 Likes this wine:

Decent weekday quaff from the makers of Sapporo (the name Oroppas is a palindrome).

12/27/2020 - djrobsd Likes this wine:

A steal when you get it on sale this cab drinks like ones twice as expensive. Nice fruity palate with smooth tannic finish. Great with Christmas dinner.

1/30/2021 - tomoem wrote:

Once again a good value wine with even better QPR. Medium body and round fruits on palette with a fruit forward style to it. Dusty tannins which for me hits the high note here. There are lingering flavors of plum, mulberry and bell pepper.

1/23/2021 - mats13 Likes this wine:

Fantastic offering from Smith.

10/31/2020 - tomoem wrote:

A more delicate variety of a classic Napa Cabernet. The aromas are restrained and tempting with their sweetness. On the palette the wine has a dried cherry mouthfeel. The mid palette is tobacco leaf, bay leaf, slight eucalyptus and some lead pencil. Probably worth holding these for 3-5 more years.

10/9/2020 - mats13 Likes this wine:

In excellent shape. Not as weighty as more recent vintages.

9/30/2020 - pinoteer Does not like this wine:

Second bottle of this wine that I've opened in two days time. Both have oak treatment that tastes like wood and wet newspaper, rather than coconut or vanilla. The wood overpowers the other flavors. I opened the second bottle today thinking that maybe the first one was corked, but this second one is just the same. I really don't understand others' love of this Rioja. I like Riojas, but definitely not this one. Worst 8-bottle purchase ever.

Following the advice of Purple Tooth, I left the bottles in the frig for a few days and then left them open on the counter for 12 hours or more before drinking. The oak was much more subdued and integrated at that point. Because I'm updating this note many weeks later, I don't have revised tasting notes or even recall my sense of a revised score. Consequently, I'll go with my earlier 85 from a previous bottle. Next time, 24 hours of air before drinking and then I can maybe find greater appreciation for this wine.

10/11/2020 - Tannatastic Likes this wine:

Curiosity got the better of me with this one - after trying the 890 last year, and judging by the weight of the '04 Ardanza, it should have been fairly obvious that this is still a baby and has many, many years ahead of it.

The nose is full of VA and sweet black fruits. The palate is again dominated by black fruits and the unmistakable 2004 density, with much more prominent acidity than the Ardanza of the same vintage, which made it an ideal partner for fatty lamb.

I'll be waiting at least 5 years before opening my next one of these (which is what I should have done in the first place!). Not scored because still all about latent potential.

8/19/2020 - mats13 Likes this wine:

Outstanding Cabernet - deep dark fruit with some soy and roasted meats. This would cost 3x in Napa imo.

8/14/2020 - mats13 Likes this wine:

As previous.

5/21/2020 - mats13 Likes this wine:

Excellent qpr from this costco purchase - choco goodness with a background of mint and something vaguely herb-ey in the background.

5/1/2020 - red.red.vino wrote:

Bought from their Aus cellar door in 2016. Bottle sat upright in the wine fridge for 5 days prior to opening. In the decanter for 2 hours prior to drinking, drunk over 4 hours.

Deep ruby, almost forgiven for thinking it has a purple tinge to it. No bricking. Agree with previous reviewers, not a lot of descriptors here. Blue and black fruits, nothing specific, no real secondary or tertiary notes. Palate is more a warmer climate shiraz than cooler, ample, quite dense, full and quite rounded. Tannins a little chewy and drying, finish is solid medium +.

You can tell this is well made. It is actually a nice wine, it is just lacking in descriptors and complexity. Dinner party last bottle of the night for sure, full and tasty, knock it back without too much thought. It is not quite balanced.

Hopeful it is just in a patch and will come alive a little. Structure there to live longer, I’ll try my final bottle in 2022, nothing to lose.

My score reflects taste and enjoyment over technical aspect.

4/21/2020 - mats13 Likes this wine:

Chapoutier's Australian experiment. Drank over 2 days, sorry to report there just wasn't much going on. Pleasant enough I guess but completely forgettable.

1/4/2020 - gjkrmk wrote:

Ruby edges, Hints of dark fruit and some vineyard on the noise. Having a hard time coming up with proper description but it is delightful. Medium body very soft up front and it lingers there. soft on the mid palate with tannins evident but not annoyingly. it opened a bit more over time and revealed some more sweeter fruit. The finish is very short but the QPR on this wine is wonderful from my perspective. A Napa Cab at this price point is wonderful. Pairing it with Gnnochi and a kale, cashew basil pesto. It held its own. A very nice accompaniment. This will be on my buy again list. Rikki told me she enjoyed as well so it is on the buy again list as it had that touch of heat and pepper finish she likes.

2/26/2020 - Teaky Likes this wine:

On the nose get cherry liqueur, strawberry, red bramble, fig and raisin. Flavors are the same along with some leather. This is very nice and proper tasting; everything is in balance and in its place, long finish, very mild tannins, mild but noticeable acidity, very nice and drinking well now, day 2 more caramel and toffee on the nose fruit has faded, fruit flavors still there on the palate with red fruited bramble, drinking very nice day 3 this is drinking very nice everything has come together all the flavors previously described have come together and are in perfect harmony nothing more to say just to be enjoyed at this point

1/31/2020 - JERB Likes this wine:

Oh yeah! Really, really good! Opened for 2.5 hours before drinking. Continued to get even better as dinner progressed.

This wine is absolutely hedonistic. So rich, yet in a very balanced way. Wonderful flavors of robust purple fruits, a bit of spice, elegant presentation on the palete, long finish. Soooo good! Sure wish I had more of these!!

Best wine I've enjoyed in the past few months!

1/12/2020 - RJWallis Likes this wine:

PnP. Bright red fruits on the palette, medium finish. Paired well with vegan dumplings and miso soup.

8/5/2019 - Weinberg Falls wrote:

Deep purple. Quite closed on the nose, cassis and vanilla, slightly acetate.
Palette of sweet fruits, ripe strawberry and plum. This is very jammy but not muddled. Tannins are grippy and occasionally cloying - this is definitely a food wine, but a very polished one. Warm secondaries of caramel, cardamom, cinnamon. Long alcohol-fired finish. I was recommended this against “Dead Arm Shiraz” of the same vintage because it was a more modern, rounder style, but for me the alcohol still overpowers, leaving it lacking some degree of elegance for the price.

11/12/2019 - Pvaddadi Likes this wine:

Semi-fruity with supple tannins. Mid-pallet you get vanilla, black berry and leather. A very very mild spic towards the end. Goes well with red meats, aged cheese and to drink by itself.

1/14/2012 - akinisky wrote:

Light on the pallet

6/16/2019 - mpicasso Likes this wine:

The last review was overly harsh. DRdans review had valid points. It’s an upfront wine with a smaller backside. It’s a touch too smooth in the middle pallet for our liking. At $30 bucks lots of competition out there.

12/26/2018 - mats13 Likes this wine:

Stunning complexity and immense pleasure. It may be the best domestic chardonnay I've ever had.

8/7/2017 - sawira wrote:

Bottle #4 of 4. Delicious, but fading a bit. Consistent with previous notes. Time to drink up.

10/12/2018 - Alaskawino wrote:

Medium to dark purple with a hint of garnet. Barnyard fruit. Prune on farm with mushrooms and leather. Pallet of prune and rasin cherry. Decanted to help the high acid. Tannins are medium but light. Should drink sooner than later.

9/23/2018 - Z1nnfull wrote:

We've had many bottles over many vintages of what is usually a stellar Rhone wine blend (OK, it's Languedoc, but they are Rhone varietals). This one tasted a little "off" both the first and second night, so I am thinking it might be a slightly-flawed bottle or lesser vintage year. Have another bottle, so we will give it another try. Normally, this is a 88-90 for us and goes well with food, this one fell short...no depth, hard to pick out the varietals, a bit flat, maybe old? Again, we'll try another bottle.

12/22/2017 - mats13 Likes this wine:

About as consistent a wine as there is - not quite as big as the Napa Valley, but obvious cousins, a bit over the top as always for me, but I won't ever turn down a sip if its offered!

7/23/2018 - MWiking wrote:

Cured Meat, white pepper, black currants on the nose
On the palette it’s a very tough wine at the start and is inky, with black sweet fruit, crushed rocks, black olives, herbs, smoked meat, blueberries.
Its really good and need some time to open up, but if you give it time you will be awarded. A massive wine that I want to drink more of. Good length

6/9/2018 - jgreco Likes this wine:

The 2016 Pax Hillside Sonoma is the greatest Syrah I have ever tasted. Old world in character. The smokey, fatty, peppery bacon smell and then taste is intoxicating. Herbs, spices, and violets round out the palate. Mouth watering tannins are strong, but in harmony with the rest of the wine’s components. The peaty finish lasts for minutes. I am not sure this is a 100-pointer, but this is a wine I am still thinking about a day later.

1/12/2018 - Muledog71 wrote:

Not impressed, too much heat on the palette. Just a touch rough for me without any of the tawny flavors usually repped.

7/25/2016 - trevor.gillespie Likes this wine:

This wine is Garnache, Carinena and Vidadillo. I think some important things to know are that it was aged for 36 months in a mix of new and used French oak. That's some serious brew time in wood barrels!! Now before I drank this I let it decant in my Riedel Apple decanter for an hour. Then I poured a glass in a Vinum XL Cabernet glass. The nose is incredible and taste matches quite well with the nose. I'll just say read all reviews with a grain of salt. Every person's palette is different but for mine this wine was and is downright fine. As to the cork question that people have raised, I don't care. If the wine was spoiled I guess I would but I trust that this wine is 12 years old and it's drinking might fine! Try it out. Judge for yourself.

1/6/2012 - matthyson wrote:

**Cork showed signs of seepage, tasted much older than its vintage** Fruit was faded and left with secondary notes of black olive and leather. Subtle wine but clearly aged prematurely.

10/15/2017 - vinelouse wrote:

Drank over 2 days with initial 2 hour decant. Deep ruby colour with purple hue. Modern style wine showing ripe black fruits (2010 was a great vintage with well ripening grapes - this might seen a bit too much sun). On the mid palate it falls a bit short but makes up with a long finish which I contribute to its generous oak treatment. Could not detect any significant difference on the second day. Overall a nice wine I could see myself bringing as a gift to some of our none wino friends which prefer less acidic wines. Comes in a heavy bottle - first appearances count.

12/21/2016 - Wine Warrior 1 Likes this wine:

This is a dark and haunting syrah. Black currant with blackberry and cherry. fully surrounded by the smoke of a morning after campfire. Generally smooth with a generous amount of fruit throughout. Strong acidity on the mid-palette. Firm tannins finish. Do not believe this wine will become more integrated but time will allow secondary characteristics to develop.

12/29/2015 - duckywine wrote:

Has turned into vinegar. Drink now, hope your bottles turn out ok.

11/4/2016 - Daisy1995 Does not like this wine:

It turned

4/20/2014 - dmalcolm wrote:

Clearly syrah, this had an enticing nose of dark berries, black pepper and vanilla with some green steminess. On the palate, along with some noticeable heat this displayed an abundance of blueberries, blackberries, cherries and spicy oak. A huge wine. Very ripe, liqueur-like.

10/23/2017 - corkpopper1 Likes this wine:

Great fruit on the palette with soft tannins and a lingering finish. Just what a Chianti Classico should be. Only got better with a little time in the glass.

9/22/2017 - Xavier Auerbach wrote:

Académie des Cinquante Bordeaux visit; 9/20/2017-9/23/2017: Full and rich style as per usual, has lost a lot of its fruit, not excessively oaky or caramelly, but low on energy and acidity, decent finish.

9/21/2017 - TJ_The VitiViewer wrote:

Consistant with my previous tasting note to seeming. However, I admit that I underrated this wine fairly. Not that riper and sweeter than I remember. Still the wine has fine structure, acceptable acidity and fresh red fruits core. Moreover, it is getting complexity as days go by. Although it is not equal to great vintages like the 2010 or 2015, I think it is good enough. 93-94 pts.