2/9/2024 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Nice bright acidity with notes of crisp apple, lemon curd, some stone fruit.

4/17/2023 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

My first Liquid Farm wine. Impressive! Quite acidic, tart apple, lime, citrus zest, stone fruit (peaches, nectarines), honeyed pear, minerals and some spice. Just enough vanilla and oak to provide contrast. Long, long finish. Fantastic.

4/15/2023 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Wonderful, classic Bien Nacido syrah. Lots of sediment, deep garnet color still. Darker fruits but with some hints of tart raspberry still coming through. Excellent!

3/15/2023 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Drank over two days, really opened up nicely by the second day. Wonderful old merlot.

11/6/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Looked like a little seepage when opening, and the cork disintegrated and ended up in the bottle. After pouring into a decanter, the wine first appeared tight and needed some time to breathe. Once it opened up, this showed really well. Kept getting more complex and pleasing. Really great wine that could hold up to more ageing.

4/8/2023 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Pretty funky when first opened, but blew off within half an hour. A really beautiful wine, nice expression of grenache. I do personally prefer the syrahs from Cayuse, and this seemed to me slightly less interesting than Cayuse syrah. Still a wonderful bottle that I enjoyed with a friend. On the nose, nice complexity of forest floor, dark fruit, and damp earth. On the palate, it was brighter, with red berries, pomegranate, and cranberry.

9/9/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Classic Santa Barbara chardonnay. Mineral, yeast, mellowed fruit.

7/11/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Really nice white Bordeaux wine, a nice blend of SB and semillon. Well balanced.

7/15/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Really great, flavors of blackberry prominent, earthiness on the nose.

6/23/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Nice mellow chardonnay. Peaches, almonds, very mellow, nicely balanced.

6/5/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Inky black-purple color, opens with a great aromatic nose of blue and black fruits. Very good, a teeth-stainer. PS isn't my favorite varietal, but this is a great example of good PS. If I had more bottles, I'd age them.

6/3/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Really nice viognier-marsanne blend. Brings out characteristics of both varietals. My first wine from this producer, but I'll have to try more.

5/21/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Very fruit forward for a 2010 wine. Vanilla and oak are present, but very fruity. Dark red fruits, some blue/black fruit; it's very good, but would probably age longer.

5/22/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Wonderful roussanne wine; lots of interest and complexity. Minerals, tropical fruits, roasted nuts, honey and honeysuckle, brioche, and lots of persimmon. Probably could wait longer on this, but drinking great now.

5/6/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Really beautiful pinot. Some barnyard nose at the beginning, with loads of cherry coming through. Quintessential Santa Barbara pinot noir, just fantastic.

5/3/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Good wine, lighter, almost grenache-like. Nice to try this unfamiliar varietal.

5/3/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Really great pinot; cherry, earth, almost effervescent but showing really well. Light and airy with tons of flavor and enticing aromas.

5/3/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Really nice pinot, dark, concentrated cherry and berry fruits.

5/3/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Probably past its prime, but still has something left to give.

4/5/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

A wonderful syrah from Jaffurs, although this was my least favorite of their vineyard-specific syrahs. Fairly big nose, well balanced, very good.

4/3/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

100% cabernet sauvignon, 12% alcohol.
Bricking, not opaque, a little lighter in color than I expected.
On opening, a bit of funk and rather earthy aromas, which largely blew off over time in the decanter. Leather, mushroom, truffles, damp soil.
On the palate, black and red cherries, silky tannins, balanced, light, complex. After several hours, picking up some port-wine flavors.
Beautiful wine, not too long on the finish. A real treat to have this 40 year old wine.
Drank over two nights; it was slightly better on the first night.

3/28/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

A solid barbera, which is a varietal I really enjoy. Maybe it lacks some complexity, but it's got great flavor and is so enjoyable to drink.

3/30/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

A robust chianti classico riserva with herbal and cherry notes. Good, but perhaps lacking a little bit of complexity.

3/25/2022 - beerwineben wrote:

At first I was confused because the cork did not match the wine, but it seems they are under the same company. A decent Barolo riserva, but lacking a little complexity. Red fruits, some tar. Not amazing but good.

3/21/2022 - beerwineben Does not like this wine:

I've never been a fan of Beaujolais, but it's been years and I thought I would give it another chance with a Cru Beaujolais. An expressive nose of tart red fruit that was pleasing, but I didn't like the taste as much. Slightly acidic, slight effervescence, fruity, earthy. I didn't care for the initial taste but the more I drank the more I liked it. I came back after a couple hours and had the same experience. It's an easy drinking wine with some complexity, but I just don't like gamay much, so I would rather be drinking other varietals. It's a good wine, just not what I like to drink.

3/15/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

A beautiful wine; pencil shavings, cassis and blackberries, black tea and dark fruits. Well balanced, fairly long finish. Really nice.

3/6/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Really great Santa Barbara syrah (although I preferred the Thompson Vineyard from this vintage). Some black cherry, ripe red fruits.

3/12/2022 - beerwineben wrote:

Beautiful golden color. Can taste the roussanne right away, nice unctuous mouthfeel. Lemon curd, honeysuckle, honeydew melon, beeswax, some citrus. Becomes more tropical with guava and lemongrass, perhaps some white peach. Definitely a roussanne character but more bright and citrusy. Some bitterness of lemon and grapefruit pith. Long finish and nice complexity of flavors.
I really wanted to like this wine more than I did. I think I prefer a straight up roussanne to this blend, but it is a good quality wine. 90+

3/3/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Beautiful wine, lots of bramble berry, notes of olive tapenade, spice, and some earthiness. Really enjoyed this wine.

3/1/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Good wine, nice fruit. Not spectacular but very good

2/25/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

I really like this cab franc; unfortunately this was my last bottle. Lots of blackberries on the nose and palate, with fine dusty tannins. It may lack a little complexity, but I love what this wine has going on. Consistent notes from previous bottles.

2/25/2022 - beerwineben wrote:

I preferred the 2017; this one seemed very bland in comparison. I did prefer this to the Santenay La Comme 2017, which was even less interesting.

2/25/2022 - beerwineben Does not like this wine:

Very oaky California chardonnay. I used to really like this style but in more recent years have moved away from the over-oaked chardonnays.

1/31/2022 - beerwineben wrote:

A decent pinot, but lacking depth, complexity, interest. Some red fruit (raspberry/strawberry/cherry) on the palate, but not so engaging or expressive.

1/7/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Very nice cab franc. I love these Olsen Vineyard wines from Wit/Mazzacano.

12/31/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

A nice New Years Eve bottle, very refined

11/3/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Intense aroma and jammy flavor. Fruit forward, a bit sweet.

9/30/2021 - beerwineben Does not like this wine:

Sweet fruit bomb.

9/4/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Really enjoyed this one from St Estephe. Concentrated dark fruits, blackberry bramble, plum, and lots of earthy tones. Drank over two nights, very good.

6/28/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Very nice and refreshing.

6/14/2021 - beerwineben wrote:

Nose of blackberry, plum, dark fruits, pencil shavings, and some earthiness. On the palate, lots of boysenberry, red plum, ripe strawberry, and some spice notes.

6/6/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Very floral, some grapefruit and pith, minerality and spices. Some sweetness, which I don't mind with this varietal.

5/19/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Ripe blackberry, black cherry and black currant. Nice, well-balanced Napa cab.

5/1/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Dark fruits and berries on the nose, slight tar or iodine. After decanting an hour, more flavors of blackberries, cassis, and dusty cocoa powder.

4/28/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

68% Merlot, 32% Cabernet franc.
Ripe plums and cherries on the nose. On the palate, fresh plums, bright Rainier cherries, some spice and cocoa. Well-balanced, refined, and a bit austere. The cabernet franc really comes through nicely and adds wonderful character.
Second day better than the first.

4/27/2021 - beerwineben Does not like this wine:

I feel this may be entering a closed stage. Very little aroma (oak, sun-ripened berries) when opened, this tasted very hot with the alcohol level. After decanting an hour it was improved but still lacked depth of aroma and flavor. I checked in for the next few hours but it hadn't improved much.
The next day was certainly better, with more plum and spice flavors coming through. Lots of fine tannins coating the mouth.
Overall, a bit disappointing for a St. Emilion Grand Cru at around the $50 mark.

4/24/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Huge nose on this one; smoke, dried orange peel, eucalyptus, allspice, briny olives, and some tar, along with dark cherries, and hints of overripe raspberries. Peppery spice, dark cherries, and candied fruit hit on the mouth-coating palate. An impressive wine.

4/21/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Tart cherries, ripe raspberries on the nose; later some strawberry. Earth and mineral notes, some spices. A nice pinot noir, light and flavorful.

4/18/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Opens with huge aromas of tropical fruit: passion fruit, lime, papaya, plus an herbaceous element of fresh cut grass. Some minerality. Similar flavors of tart tropical fruit, passion fruit and lime, lemon curd. Fresh acidity and well balanced. The finish leaves you wanting another sip. Very nice.

4/17/2021 - beerwineben Likes this wine:

Creamy, some crisp acidity, floral with notes of melon, lychee, peach and pear blossoms. Very nice.