11/18/2023 - Old_Winyards Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. Still drinking well. More delicate compared with most US pinots... Definitely closer to Burgundy than California in that sense. Sweet red berries on the start with some tart cherry on the finish. Typical scents of rose petals and some spice on the nose.

1/8/2022 - Old_Winyards Likes this wine:

Black plum and rustic blackberries mixed with some olive tapenade flavors.

5/28/2021 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Faint memory of plum and blackberries, plus some rustic savory notes, mingled with tea and quince.

5/12/2021 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Very rich and fruit forward, plums and blackberries.

1/5/2019 - Old_Winyards Likes this wine:

Yellow gold color, plenty of petrol, stonefruit, off dry but ok / reasonable acidity. Really enjoyed it either Thai food.

3/24/2018 - Old_Winyards Does not like this wine:

Who drinks this stuff? Unpleasantly hot and confected, with obvious sweetness. Engineered in a lab, not grown.

3/24/2018 - Old_Winyards Does not like this wine:

Not wine. Kid's grape juice. Only thing missing is the plastic and foil container with the punch through straw.

3/24/2018 - Old_Winyards Does not like this wine:

I would have liked to claim the bottle was defective, but they all taste like this: sweet, hot, and manufactured.

3/24/2018 - Old_Winyards Does not like this wine:

Toxic swill for people with no sense of balance. Tons of detectable residual sugar. This should be classified as off dry.

1/13/2017 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Notable residual sugar and vanilla, with a slightly hot finish obliterate any sense of place. This could be from anywhere. Not why I buy an inexpensive Italian wine. I expect something dry, slightly earthy, with no vanilla. Might as well be Yellowtail.

5/15/2015 - Old_Winyards Likes this wine:

Rich & leesy, but sufficient acidity to retain plenty of juiciness. Some oak, but not overwhelming. Plenty of chenin character here... I'm a fan.

4/17/2015 - Old_Winyards Likes this wine:

Brilliant wine for the price... juicy acidity, ripe cherry and strawberry flavors, and a nice grippy finish.

1/2/2015 - Old_Winyards Does not like this wine:

Over sweet, over oaked, and over marketed.

5/18/2014 - Old_Winyards Likes this wine:

Good acidity, green apple tartness, mild sweetness, a bit creamy at times, and some petrol notes. Quite a reasonable performance for a MI wine!

5/10/2014 - Old_Winyards Likes this wine:

Had the '01 Finca Sandoval last night, and it has gotten to a pretty nice place. Lots of blackberry, bing cherry, and plum flavors. The midpalate was initially a little hollow, but seemed to fill in during later glasses. Not oaky. A bit of barnyard and some gamey flavors (but not overwhelming, as my wife is averse to this beyond a certain threshold). Only real negative is that the tannins were a bit chalky (maybe sediment got stirred up?). Definite B+ wine (I'm a pretty tough grader, so this would put the wine solidly into the "would buy again" category).

Performed much better than another '01 FS which I had back in '09 (I would have called that one a B-).

Amused as hell by the CT notes which say this is over the hill. If that's the case, I'd blame poor storage. Otherwise, I'd speculate on the subconscious influence of the "2004 to 2009" Wine Spectator drinking window.

4/5/2014 - Old_Winyards Does not like this wine:

Ripe, syrupy, and jammy, no structure, oodles of confected vanilla flavor (probably from elevage with oak chips), unbalanced over-sweet finish with some heat also. Complete and utter crap.

Frankly, this should be free, or they should pay people to drink this. It's difficult to imagine what could possess someone who is serious-enough about wine to use CT to score this over 80 points.

3/26/2013 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Round and polished, black cherries and blackberries. Hint of pepper. International style... Tastes like it could be from anywhere.

5/23/2012 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Beautiful bottle... no formal notes, but this was a steal for $40 from CSW.

2/4/2012 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Drank with Brad Baker. Not as fruit driven as I might have expected, based on some comments. Even a tiny bit of earthy funk to it. Performed above expectations.

7/9/2011 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Didn't take any formal notes at the time, but this was really nice, and still tasted fairly young. Sweet, but well-balanced with sufficient underlying acidity. Honey, apricot, and tea flavors. Just a really really well-poised top-notch bottle of wine.

12/15/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Day 1, nice with just a bit of brett (which I was fine with, though my wife was less pleased). However, by day 2, it turned kinto a brett shitstorm even though I had kept it cold.

1/17/2011 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Drank on conors bday. Still a good backbone, but drinking nicely. Good classic bdx flavors.

2/14/2011 - Old_Winyards wrote:

No specific notes taken, but this was drinking very well. Just lots of pretty, quaffable, juicy goodness. Wish I had more.

1/13/2011 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Starting to move towards the austere / fruitless side of the spectrum. Either heading downhill or somehow flawed would be my conclusion.

1/2/2011 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Less expressive than prior bottles. Less creamy, a bit less fruit, and perhaps just the lightest hint of heat on the finish (although it may have been brought out by the Rogan Josh we were eating).

12/22/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

This was really nice. Flavors of fresh dark sweet cherries and plums. Very pure, with lots of freshness despite the apparent ripeness of the vintage. No need to wait on this one. Nice interplay of some mild supporting tannins on the finish.

9/14/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Fairly reticent nose, but has faint aromas of cedar and tobacco. Dark in color, but doesn't smell overly extracted. Dark cherry and currant flavors on the palate. Not very tannic, but some grip on the finish. A bit of alcoholic heat too? Nice enough.

9/14/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Big and rich Parker-friendly nose of blackberry liquour, chocolate, and sweetly-scented flowers. Smells like a wine shouting "pick me, pick me!" No surprises on the palate... big and bold entry, oodles of blackberry and chocolate. Highly extracted, but has a vaguely creamy texture. This suggests a lot of work has gone-into rounding this wine out. I am sure this has many fans, but to me this lacks soul.

6/17/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Nice claret. Tannins well resolved. Typical cassis, leather, and graphite. On the downward slope imo. Pleasant, but not outstanding.

8/12/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Quite similar to prior years. Tannins a bit aggressive still on the finish. Spicy with black cherry and raspberry flavors.

6/10/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

This worked quite well with a meal. Nice fresh white fruit and mineral flavors, crisp bright acidity.

8/2/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

I thought this was surprisingly good, with currant and black fruit flavors, Rogue valley dust, and some leather. Moderately lengthy finish, although a bit of tartness. Really overperformed for $14.

6/8/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

good, structured syrah with a slight austerity, comparable to the domaine de la bastide that we enjoyed.

7/1/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Lots of honey and almond flavors. The quinine bitterness was a bit strong at first bit bitter at first, but after a short while it opened and smoothed out nicely. Coating mouthfeel. Acidity wasn't terribly prominent, but it wasn't cloying.

6/20/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Took this to a baseball game... no formal notes, but it was tasty enough, dry and bright red fruit flavors, with a bit of bitterness on the finish. Stands tall among box wines!

6/18/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Classic mosel green apple flavors, lime, and minerals. Lots of extract, and really good underlying acidity, although a bit on the sweet side still (in a traditional auslese style). Has the stuffing to age well.

6/12/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Robust strawberry color and flavors. Not a shrinking violet. Dry, but not aggressively so.

6/8/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

A bit on the soft and creamy side, doesn't hide the sweetness terribly well. Pears, and just the barest hint of tropicality. Finish is a bit short/clipped. Pleasant, but falls a bit short of what I'd desire in a kabinett. Not bad, but it just leaves me wanting a bit more zing and finish. Plastic cork.

5/8/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Deep ruby color, with scents of sweet cherry and flowers. Nicely rounded in the mouth, more sweet cherry and plum flavors, some chocolate as well, closes with a smooth finish and the alcohol integrates nicely (I'm very sensitive to Ports that finish hot due to alcohol).

5/8/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

It could use a bit more acidity, but this is still delish.... apricot pie, orange marmelade, honey, almonds... and just the tiniest bit of bitterness on the finish. Viscous and mouth-coating.

5/4/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

My first Heredia, and all I have to say is... "why did I wait so long?!?" This was really enjoyable. Initially the nose was a bit closed, but after 20 minutes or so, it had a really nice and open nose of minerals, sweet cherries, and floral scents. Ruby colored, but relatively light on the palate, but alot of juicy acidity, and unobtrusive tannins (smoothe and fine, but just enough to frame the wine in nicely alongside the acidity). Flavors alternated between tart raspberries and dark sweet cherries, as well as some leather, earth, and mineral flavors. This wine is smooth and balanced, and although I don't drink alot of red Burgundy, this impresses me as having a feminine and Burgundian character to it.

4/22/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Despite being from the Languedoc, this wine had a very Bordeaux feel from my perspective... some plum, currants, and leather were notable flavors. Decent structure and a certain austerity on the nose. Looking online, it seems that carignan may be a substantial component in the blend (which I wouldn't have guessed on taste alone). PAME.

4/25/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Very herbaceous nose.... strong aromas of cut grass, asparagus, and some bell pepper. Not quite as green on the palate... but still a fair amount of bell pepper with some strawberry and dark cherry. Very fresh, and medium bodied. Tannins are somewhat chalky. I like Loire, but this seems underripe... can't really recommend.

4/24/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

I found this to be fresh, good structure, with nice tart red fruit flavors.

3/12/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Light brick color... tart cherries, rustic nose, good acidity. Seems like what I might expect from a basic but traditional wine from Italy half a century ago. Surprisingly enjoyable.

4/9/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Nice solid Bordeaux, with typical currant and some graphite flavors. Smoothe mouthfeel and nice acidity.

4/9/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Nicely made. Mineral driven, some honeycrisp apple, but even a bit austere presently.

4/1/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Deep dark crimson color. Plums and blackberry are prominent on the palate. Some spice. Tannins are a bit astringent on the finish.

3/28/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Drank with dinner and afterwards, but didn't take any formal notes. Seemed to be a bit more on the international styled side of Italian wines (rounded and plush). Not bad, but nothing really memorable or distinguishing.

3/28/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:

Kind of juicy and basic. Seems to be a bit short of fruit, but (oddly) not alcohol (tips at 11.5%), which is a bit noticeable IMO. Maybe it was a bit drier than I initially noticed. In any case, despite its shortcomings, this is just fine for basic drinking at $4.99/bottle.