7/16/2012 - cck wrote:

Glad I held onto this last bottle a couple extra years. The time rewarded us with a fantastic cabernet at its peak.

2/5/2012 - cck wrote:

Excellent but too young and hasn't hit stride. Re-visit in 2 yrs.

1/21/2012 - cck wrote:

Give this some time to open up -- at least 2 hours. Last half glass 4 hours in was best.

12/25/2011 - cck wrote:

In its prime drinking window. Excellent cab.

10/25/2011 - cck wrote:

First sip out of the bottle revealed some sour notes. Let this breathe in the glass for at least 30 minutes in order for classic cab flavors to emerge. Probably a 2 hour decant is necessary at this stage.

3/28/2011 - cck wrote:

Agree that this 10 year old is in its prime. Long life ahead but so much pleasure now.

11/12/2010 - cck wrote:

Sadly, this was my last bottle. All notes accurately describe this beautiful Barbaresco. Great vintage!

11/10/2010 - cck wrote:

Probably needs more time. Ripe dark fruit, pleasing aroma. Not as balanced as I like, probably consumed too young. This did get better after 1 hr in glass. Other vintages have been better.

11/7/2010 - cck wrote:

13.2%. Very satisfying Pinot -- made to pair with food. Well done.

5/9/2010 - cck wrote:

Flawed bottle -- big disappointment.

4/16/2010 - cck wrote:

In a closed/shut down state now. Wine opened up after 2 hours to reveal potential from a couple years ago. Hold for another 2 years before revisiting.

2/4/2010 - cck wrote:

This is coming into its own. Very powerful yet well balanced.

2/3/2010 - cck wrote:

Needed every bit of the 3 hour decant. I guess this was one of the "good" bottles. Excellent balance.

11/7/2009 - cck wrote:

Much better after 2 hours in the glass. A little hot but nice ripe, CdP flavors.

8/7/2009 - cck wrote:

Very well made for the price -- $23. Excellent choice to complement homemade pizza or sauce and flexible enough to match with many meals actually.

8/8/2009 - cck wrote:

My patience wore off as this was my last of three bottles. Kind of disappointing really -- considering the high price. Nice dark berry flavors, but not balanced enough and the sweetness was distracting. My wife rated this a B+, I was a bit more generous.

7/5/2009 - cck wrote:

This baby needed over an hour of air to be really drinkable. Loved it after two hours. Medium ruby red, nice nose that showed its heavy alcohol (14.5%) but beautiful dark berry, pine, tar, earth flavors that made for a very nice compliment to farfalle with spinach and brown mushrooms.

7/2/2009 - cck wrote:

Consumed at a blind tasting. This was the hands down winner versus some other sub $30 CA Cabs. Dark ruby color; intriguing nose and nice dark brambly fruit with appropriate amount of tannin backbone. Ready to go. Good value at just under $20.

6/29/2009 - cck wrote:

Gigantic wine with very ripe dark berry fruit and some heat. Not sure this is an ager given its high 15.9% alcohol. Needs 30 minutes of air at least.

6/26/2009 - cck wrote:

This baby needs some time -- essence of excellent Brunello here though. Traditional style, aerate for at least one hour. 10+ more years of prime drinking.

6/13/2009 - cck wrote:

Still a baby that needs at least 2 hours of air to show its stuff. Light ruby in color, the tannins somewhat overwhelm the light nebbiolo fruit. After time, this really starts to sing with cran/cherry, rose and earth. The last 2 oz was the best -- 3 hours.

6/11/2009 - cck wrote:

Very nice and balanced considering the high 14.8% alc.

6/5/2009 - cck wrote:

Big, bold cab. Slightly out of balance which detracted from the very nice initial flavor profile. Maybe a longer decant would have helped?

5/16/2009 - cck wrote:

Light yet some interesting components. Perennial favorite for rose.

5/16/2009 - cck wrote:

Fresh, clean CDR. Good value. Nice wine to open after you've consumed several bottles.

4/29/2009 - cck wrote:

Decanted for full hour. Entering prime drinking window which will last for quite awhile. Nice dark cherry balanced with some wood and minerality. Great representative normale from excellent vintage.

3/18/2009 - cck wrote:

Pretty decent cherry notes. A bit disjointed at this phase but has some pleasure associated with it. Hoping it gets better over the next 6+ months.

2/28/2009 - cck wrote:

Above average, nice flavors but a bit disjointed. Not sure if this will fully come together to garner IWC praise.

2/24/2009 - cck wrote:

Nice cherry notes and easy to drink, versatile. Other vintages are more pronounced than this 2005.

2/14/2009 - cck wrote:

Very fair. I decanted for over an hour which didn't do much for the wine. Fruit must still be hiding behind tannins at this stage. Hold and hope.

2/13/2009 - cck wrote:

Drinking very well right now. 30 minute decant helped.

2/7/2009 - cck wrote:

A must decant for at least 2 hours. Initially quite closed. Dramatic improvement over time. Velvety tannins, smoke, dark fruit that are pretty well balanced at this stage. Not as nuanced as some other '01 barolos, but a nice bottle none the less.

1/24/2009 - cck wrote:

Massive brunello that needs time to come together for an even higher score. Described well by the reviewers previously. I'll open remaining bottle in 3-5 years though it'll last significantly longer. The '97 version of this is still my benchmark brunello.

1/1/2009 - cck wrote:

Excellent pinot, very pure expression with 30 minutes of air. Big cherry fruit with lots of substance. Not overdone like many others from this region. Should develop nicely over the next year or two.

12/27/2008 - cck wrote:

I fall into the camp on CT believing this wine is out of balance compared to the normal standard set at L'Aventure. Beautiful fruit lurking underneath. Definitely a subpar showing compared to previous vintages.

12/19/2008 - cck wrote:

If you loved the '05 version of this, you'll be a disappointed in this version at this stage. Very awkward, disjointed. Hopefully it comes together.

12/13/2008 - cck wrote:

Nice CA chard. Refreshing acidity and low(er) alcohol than most at 13.5.

12/13/2008 - cck wrote:

Best showing yet after 4 other bottles over the past 18 months. Decanted for about 90 minutes and continued to improve in the glass over the course of several more hours. Long long life ahead for this.

12/10/2008 - cck wrote:

Very nice fruit and character. A bit heavy on the alcohol (14.5%) but otherwise an excellent value.

11/8/2008 - cck wrote:

If your style preferences lean toward elegance, lower alcohol, you'll love this. No heat at all -- 13% alcohol the label claims and I believe it. Quite a difference from the Felsina reserves which I also admire.

11/7/2008 - cck wrote:

Best Pinot I've had all year! Drinking very well right now. Windy Oaks deserves great praise for their consistency in delivering well balanced, delicious Pinot.

10/31/2008 - cck wrote:

Above average mature Margaux. A good bottle to open toward the end of a party.

10/26/2008 - cck wrote:

Unfortunately just had a couple sips of this before it disappeared. Everybody loved it. Wish I could've had more.

10/19/2008 - cck wrote:

Much more plush compared to the 2001 bottling of this vineyard reserve. Ripe dark fruit complemented by earth revealing in a fantastic experience. All four in our group preferred this at this time to the 2001.

10/19/2008 - cck wrote:

Decanted for 3 hours which was probably 2 hours too few. A bit of sharpness compared to the 2000 which needed just an hour in the glass to reveal itself. Complex and excellent with food.

10/17/2008 - cck wrote:

No idea what happened to this wine. It wasn't corked. Completely disjointed and hot. Bummer since the others were so good. 85 score is generous given how much I enjoyed the previous 3 bottles.

9/16/2008 - cck wrote:

Surprised that the wine was so average given the superior vintage. Slightly too acidic. At roughly $30, there are many more selections to waste time on this again.

8/24/2008 - cck wrote:

Not as food friendly as previous vintages. Good cocktail sipper, however. Nice value as always.

8/8/2008 - cck wrote:

1 hour decant did this wonders. Excellent with long life ahead. One of my top 5 wines of the year so far -- by far the best Napa cab in a long time. 14.1% alc.

7/4/2008 - cck wrote:

This has everything going on. Certainly young. My favorite of their '06 line up. Remarkable ability from the wine maker to establish some balance at these alcohol levels. His blend is masterful as well. 94+. A bit distracted during the 4th to write detailed notes.