9/12/2020 - TLR Likes this wine:

Purchased directly from the Domaine in 2014. Nose rubber mat with a fine sweet red fruit underlying fruit. Cotton Candy rosewater pomegranate, revisit in 5 years this will stand the test of time very very good

8/15/2020 - TLR Likes this wine:

Purchase on Berserker Day. Tried out my new Coravin. This is a really interesting wine that is not a crowd-pleaser. This is for wine nerdy and for all the right reasons. 12.8% alcohol built to last this is multi-dimensional with lots of herbal, soy, olive, and a dark brooding nature. great food wine Can't wait to revisit. Old world flavors in a new world wine.

2/24/2020 - TLR wrote:

This is a crowd pleaser. Not complex just delicious popped and decanted and this overall was very good. But I would recommend cellaring for 3 - 5 more years for something more complex. this is not over oaked this is american grenache with likely something else... but a good wine to serve with meat - lamb, goat, roasted or grilled chicken, pork and maybe a filet.

2/1/2020 - TLR Likes this wine:

This is a food wine this is not a trophy wine. That being said pair this with high fatty foods, or Beef. We paired with ribeye and it worked magically. Acidity, long silky tannin's laden with red fruit you would not believe this is 15% As it drank like a refined easily 13 - 13.5% wine. Not alchol or heavy thickness. This is alive and well at 10 years of age and I would drink now or hold up to 20 more years. Great wine

11/27/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

Needs an 2 hrs to really open and show its stuff. Great drinking wine.

7/28/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

This is every bit as awesome as people are saying. Great drinking window right now and just delicious with or without food. I paired it with watermelon sauced baby back pork ribs and it was amazing.

7/9/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

Drinking splendidly right now. Brick red, the fruit is still there ever so slightly with minerality and a slight herbal nature. Drink now or hold for a few more. Great juice

6/16/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

This is a very well made wine. Great fruit great length and just at an overall wonderful stage right now.

5/26/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

This is an amazing wine. In fact, I served this blind at a party and everyone was absolutely amazed. WINE of the night. complex, smokey, fruit mid to late pallet. Full flavor, balanced, nuanced. as you can see by the scores youe either love it or dislike it.

5/22/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

Drinking exceptionally well with a great nose of fruit, herbs and mineral. This is all Sonoma and it is good. Fruit on the pallet is full with hints of tannin in the back ground. This is drinking splendid now and likely great for another 5 years.

5/22/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

Cali meets Burgundy this is a very well made wine. Popped open for 3 hrs and consumed over 3 hrs. The nose is Deep cherry and undertones of saline. On the taste the Fruit is behind the mineral and herbal notes our on the front with slight dark cherry behind. This is drinking well but would benefit another 5 years.

4/28/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

Very nice pinot that shows almost no age. very fruit driven with hints of dark fruit. Over all very pleasant nothing remarkable but a solid effort. paired with grilled salmon and veggies.

2/17/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

beautiful, exquisite, really well made. Fruit of smoky, pine, red fruit on the nose, taste of strawberry rhubarb, nice tanin and acid this is just in the beginning phase, try it in 4 years for ambrosia.

1/13/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

color brick nose has alot of cedar, tar, explosive minerality very little fruit but so aromatic with herbs and forest floor it is just amazing to smell. pallet carry's through with very nice acidity drink or hold. Great stuff.

1/13/2019 - TLR Likes this wine:

Brick color, aroma brett but after that blew off it was very mineral driven with hints of herbs and forest floor. Later in the evening pronounced cranberry came out. Drink or hold it is in a very good place now and drinking beautifully paired well with steak but this was due to the intensity. very very good for the price.

12/3/2018 - TLR Likes this wine:

Not a tasting note but my feeling is that this is a great effort and overall a very nice wine. I am all in on this I loved it and would recommend it. Delicious smooth and inviting drinking very well now with room to hold

10/15/2018 - TLR Likes this wine:

this was a great pairing with chocolate cake... Yum everyone loved it and it was a true crowd pleaser. this is not a complex port but easy drinking thick juicy plum with blackberry edge. Deep purple in color and pallet pleasing. all around not something you will be astounded over but a good port none the less

10/15/2018 - TLR Likes this wine:

Really nice Bordeaux and an example of the 08 vintage. As most will tell you 08 is a classic vintage that is drinking well now and has tremendous upside. This wine is no different opened for 4 hours prior to drinking. The wine continued to open as the night progressed over a 3.5 hr drinking window. All the notes prior are exactly how I would describe.

10/6/2018 - TLR Likes this wine:

Still a bit broody - very smooth, very fresh with lots of red fruit/stewed strawberry. I would hold for another 4 years

8/15/2018 - TLR Likes this wine:

great color, nose and taste, succulent, tart, great for food.

6/25/2018 - TLR Likes this wine:

This was in a strange spot. I double decanted after a 3 hr decant. Nose muted and very soft fruit and a lot of minerality. the mouth feel was not like any other petite sirah it was soft slow to develop. The tannins were fully integrated and a pinch dusty. I would say best to pop and pour and monitor over the night and next day. Also no sense waiting time to drink em up.

4/1/2018 - TLR Likes this wine:

This is really nice open this 3 hrs prior and at the 4 hr mark it started signing. smells of California tis tastes of sour cherry, vanilla, rhubarb... Really a good wine. Very well made.

3/31/2018 - TLR wrote:

Popped and Poured... Most 2009's are drinking really nice. However, this requires significant air so I would recommend a decant and this is not a solo point chaser this is a food wine. Pair with Pork, Poultry and heavy root vegetables. Nice but nothing to write home about. I would say giving it 5 more years may help it or not...

2/13/2018 - TLR Likes this wine:

In general the 2009 are drinking really well! This is no different and I feel it has a year or so before it might shut down. This is smooth open and fruity. it is definitely has a hint of spearmint and Minerality that you love from old world wines. Drink now or plan on holding for 20 yrs.

7/16/2017 - TLR Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully no need to wait...

7/8/2017 - TLR Likes this wine:

This wine is full complex and singing right now. This is a smooth cali style pinot with full flavor that really has it all. Smells of a full on feast, meat, vegetable and saline. Really excellent.

5/29/2017 - TLR Likes this wine:

Wow drinking really well now. After 3 hr decant and it really came together with subtle herbal nuances underlying the chocolate covered black fruit. Words such as velvet, silky, fully integrated, fine dusty tannin's. This was a really solid wine...

4/1/2017 - TLR wrote:

Opened for 2 hrs prior and the brooding thick viscous wine was all wound up but after an hour in the glass it opened up just a bit and released hints blackberry cobbler, vanilla bean and coffee. Very thick on the pallet and very smooth. It could use some extra time and would benefit from decant. I would revisit in 5 years. Great potential and a great wine with steak.

2/20/2017 - TLR Likes this wine:

easy drinking, dusty, cherry filling, nice not wow but solid performance

12/12/2016 - TLR Likes this wine:

very balanced classy wine that has expressions of floral, cherry essence and is very easy drinking. in a nice window now. Popped and poured but would definitely be more expressive with a 2 hr decant

11/21/2016 - TLR wrote:

Always excellent and for the money there is almost nothing better. Great Pinot that drinks very well now or for 10 years to come.

7/24/2016 - TLR wrote:

For the price this is of very good value. Both comments made by NSellen and MMCDDS were accurate. I would add that the fruit is slowly fading and for those folks that enjoy fruit should drink up but for those more into the earthy nature of things can obviously wait.

7/3/2016 - TLR wrote:

too much alcohol and fruit....

7/3/2016 - TLR Likes this wine:

excellent effort. Not as fruit forward as previous years.

6/20/2016 - TLR Likes this wine:

soft supple and enjoyable, the boysenberry, blackberry compote scent relinquished a delightful enjoyable blueberry vanilla spice box flavor that was soft and round with a pleasurable overall complexity. Drinking really well right now and for the next 5 years at least.

6/18/2016 - TLR Likes this wine:

drinking well now. really nice acidity and river rock feel and taste. Quite complex and has a passive cherry cranberry under note. overall a nice pinot.

2/14/2016 - TLR Likes this wine:

Solid performer but no WOW factor. This is clearly not a QPR wine but most bought from the mailing list years ago. With that being said this is not a wine to seek out as their are lots of others that perform at a much lower price range. For those who have. Drink up in the next 2 years as this won't be improving.

1/19/2016 - TLR Likes this wine:

Seamless with silky layers of Dark cherries, plums, spices overlap to a full clean finish. This is good and truly in the right spot now.

11/11/2015 - TLR Likes this wine:

Opened 3 hours before no decant. Wine was medium violet along with medium viscosity felt very good on the pallet with wealth of aroma feint herbs and a nice taste of raspberries. This is a really doing well and I believe will only get better. Smooth and silky this is a very elegant performance.

11/2/2015 - TLR wrote:

This is surely maturing into a wonderful drinking wine. Great, Fun, just delightful. This has shed a lot of its baby fat and oak and is integrating nicely. The mid pallet is still pretty thick and I think will become even more refined. This is certainly not in the perfect window but give it 2 more years and I think it will be in stride. Hold or decant for at least 1- 2 hours.

if you like more assistant oriented notes see below:
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like mushroom, medicinal, phenolic and cedar. The body is full. The wine has juicy texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.

8/18/2015 - TLR Likes this wine:

Pure California there is no mistaking it for anything else. Rich Fruit, with hints of cinnamon and a balance that is seemless. There is no not liking this a very nice effort and one that has a good 10 years left. This is approaching its peak and a downright delicious wine. Drink or hold... Enjoy!

5/25/2015 - TLR Likes this wine:

4 hour decant and drank over 3 hours. dusty smooth but a bit disjointed with a very nice spine of tannins. This is an infant and will develop layers of complexity over time. Definitely not the #2 wine status given by Wine Spectator but more in the line with the Tanzer Review.

4/28/2015 - TLR Likes this wine:

good but not great. Black Fruit there but muted tannins not fully integrated and still with a sting of heat at the end. This is critical for a $20 bottle but imho it is a nice QPR just not giving us the true 2007 pedigree

12/26/2014 - TLR wrote:

Average/a bit empty with high acidity. I think this is in a bad place right now. It had wonderful nose but mid palate it just could not come together it was trying but failed. This is drinking youthful so give it 5 more years at least.

10/12/2014 - TLR Likes this wine:

smooth well integrated drinking very well right now! herbal layers with nice fruit!

9/30/2014 - TLR wrote:

drink now decant it. decanted for 3 hours prior and it was well worth it.

9/29/2014 - TLR wrote:

really good Pinot. Cherry, mineral and an ethereal nature that makes this wine truly tasty. I wish I had more!

9/27/2014 - TLR wrote:

Heavy duty Cali Pinot hear dark as you can get and still think it is a pinot noir. This had heavy duty fruit and oak. not to my liking but most people enjoy this by itself as it is not really a food wine

9/27/2014 - TLR wrote:

Popped the cork only for 3 hours prior to drinking over dinner with 2 other 2009 Cali Pinot's This was by far the tightest with lots of astringency and lemon quality. After about 5 hours it started to reveal some fine potential

8/18/2014 - TLR Likes this wine:

Drinking very well right now with plenty of life left! drink or hold. However, holding would be fantastic if you like older bordeaux.