5/14/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Apricot, tropical fruits, orange marmalade. Very Sweet. I like it. I have a an 07 and an 09 left I believe. Not sure I will seek out more of these. Half bottle is the right size for our house. This 750ml will take some time to get through.

5/14/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Gorgeous concentrated dark fruits. Spice cupboard. Not too heavy on the new wood flavors, which I appreciate. Nicely textured. An excellent expression of Yakima valley merlot.

4/27/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

4 hour decant. As a huge Charles smith and k vintners fan boy I have to say this really does not impress. I know 20 was a tough vintage but this is kind on sour unripe side. Doesn’t have the meaty and floral notes and ripe fruit that make the k syrahs shine. Still one my favorite wineries but I’m starting no notice a possible change in style that I’m not a fan of.

4/15/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Pnp for my wifes Birthday. This is the usual cayuse combination of ripe fruit and delicious umami notes. Could list them all off but you know what you're getting into. The cork was perfect. Seemed very young and vibrant still. Ever so slight bitter note on the finish. I'm thinking another 10 years to go or more. These are such timeless wines. Bought two bottles each of 13 and 14 off of an acquaintance for the allocation list price a few years back. Sadly this was my last bottle of the 13s.

3/18/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Its been almost 5 years since my last bottle of this wine. Not a lot of the rocks character here. No harsh edges. At this stage it is a very soft, easy drinker. Not to say the wine is in decline but Id say drink em up.

3/8/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Red fruits. Complex umami flavors. No rough edges. Very long finish. Positively delicious. Still it’s over priced at $120.

2/21/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double Decant. Blue fruits. Violets. Chocolate. Light oak treatment. A sense of place. Not sweet or overdone like moms grocery outlet Malbec. Probably going to get a lot better in a year or two but its in a nice spot now. This is the best WA Malbec that I've had.

2/21/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Black fruits. Chocolate. Has that royal slope terroir and slight funkiness but in a smooth crowd pleasing package. Kick ass cab/malbec blend. Enjoyed the sodo tasting room in the past but this is our new favorite Woodinville spot. Swanky location, nice people, thoughtfully made wines at a fair price. This is a combo that is getting hard to find.

2/21/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Took a couple hours to open up. Unique and complex for sure but, It is just meh for me at the moment. A mélange of odd spice cupboard flavors going on. I love that all of the K Syrah's are so very different. Its really fascinating to me.

2/18/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Ripe and round. Nicely balanced. Firm tannins. A real winner at this price point.

1/29/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Drank at cellar temp. Bright acidity. Grapefruit. A touch on the sweet side for me. Some complex notes. Not as crazy with the asparagus/lemon grass thing as some of the NZ stuff that I've tried. Decent Sauv blanc. Wouldn't seek it out.

1/19/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

PNP. Medley of red and dark fruits. Chocolate, black tea, wet stone. Structure and balance. The right amount of oak. Quality. Year after year this is the best value around in WA Cab. $20? Ill take 3 cases please. Should have bought more.

1/18/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

PNP. Beautifully textured. Black cherry. Smokey. Some savory notes but not one of the funkier wines from Reynvaan. This is soft, velvety textured with resolved tannins. Finish is long. No reason to hold this one too much longer I don't think. Another great redacted wine from full pull.

1/13/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Pnp. Red fruits. Orange peel. Nicely textured. Balanced wine. Easy drinking Rhône blend. Little bit of complexity to ponder in a crowd pleasing package. The Olsen wines from two vintners/covington are some of their best. Always priced very well.

1/6/2024 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Decanted 6 hours. Dark fruits. New Oak. Baking spice. Violets. Nicely textured. Long finish. It’s good but not great at this stage.

12/27/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

This unique blend is a Tempranillo/merlot. The ripe Baja California Fruit is the star of the show but it is rounded. Nice acidity as well as structure. Aged 1 year in new and used American oak. The purity of fruit makes it a crowd pleasing style though it has some great complexity to ponder as well. Really delicious! My first review worthy wine from Mexico. We have been coming to Puerto Vallarta for 20 plus years and always struggle to find wine to drink. Most of what’s here is inexpensive one dimensional wines from Argentina and Chile usually showing signs of being kept poorly. Treat yourself to dinner at Bonito Kitchen and check out their wine/sake shop next door called Casita and Garden. Kick ass fusion menu, live music and a proper wine shop. It’s fantastic!

12/6/2023 - Clark W Griswold wrote:

Double decant. Loads of sweetish red and black fruits. No harsh edges. Lacking something and I cant really put my finger on it. It just a little bit thin and underwhelming at this stage. I think time will help it come together. I love that this winery is focusing on purity of fruit. So tired of all the wines that hide behind high alcohol and oak. Cool new bottles and corks this year. This is a newer label and their wines are worth seeking out.

11/16/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Unfortunately this is the predictable blackberry vanilla bomb that I thought it would be. Too much new oak. Finish has good length. Still a decent value from first bottle for 20 bones. It’s not bad for the Tuesday night pizza wine that it is.

11/6/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Popped for my Dads 70th birthday. Cherry. Smokey. Nicely balanced between fruit and earthy savory notes. Not an overly funky Cayuse. Texture is star of the show here. Love the label.

10/31/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double Decant. Syrah with a Viognier/Marsanne co-ferment. Lovely balance between the dark fruits and the funkiness. Long finish. Damn these 2021 ROAC wines are all frigging delish. Shh Don't tell anyone.

10/27/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

A bit aggressive with the oak treatment here and that is still off putting to me even after a a few years on its back. High alcohol and oak dominate here. Hopefully just needs more time to integrate. I thought this would be a home run for sure with 2018 being such a strong vintage. The 15,16 and 17 were all better wines for my palette. Still this is always one of the best values around in WA cab. Always in my top ten under $30.

10/26/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. This is the much bigger, meatier and shy older brother to the Undammed series. A lot more of the floral and funky notes. Very nicely textured. Should be better in a few years.

10/26/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double Decant. Black and blue fruits. Chocolatey notes. Good finish. Not the most complex or exciting wine. I like that its not overly oaked. An easy drinker. This was better on day two. Showing a bit more. I think its needs more time or long decant.

10/24/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Ripe red and blue fruits. Gorgeous texture. Incredibly fresh and ripe. Some rocks funkiness but very subtle. This is another insanely delicious wine from result of crush. One of the best values around.

10/23/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

That's a case of this bad boy down. Some bottle variation noted. Such a treat to find a daily drinker of this complexity. Meaty and earthy Rocks flavors that are not for everyone. I presume that the low scores are from folks that are not normally rocks district fans? Bottom line, this wine is superb at this price point.

10/23/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double Decant. Concentrated red and blue fruits. Gravely notes. Great tannin management. Unctuous texture. Subtle rocks funk but enough to add complexity. Its drinking well now after decant and some time in the glass but this is one to lay down. Really delicious wine.

10/23/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Blue fruits. Vanilla. Higher acidity. Not bad. Not my fav..

10/18/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double Decant. Black and blue fruits. Full bodied richness. Fine tannins balanced perfectly with bright acidity. Great finish. Some slight floral, herby and earthy notes but this is a big fruity Syrah. When compared to the 2020 vintage, this is by far the better wine.

10/15/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Red fruits. Med bodied. Floral and feminine. A bit of a cherry cough syrup thing going on. Don’t love it.

10/15/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Pnp. Bright red fruits. A decent Tuesday night bottle. Great with food. Amazing qpr for the sale price of $15.

10/15/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Black and blue fruits. Spice. Long finish. This one is a bit less oaky than previous vintages. Still I’d prefer even less for my taste. It’s a solid and reliable big wa cab for the money.

10/13/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Black and blue fruits are packed in there. A closed off beast off a wine at the moment. Needs more time.

9/26/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Concentrated Black and blue fruits. Meaty and floral notes. FULL BODIED richness... A bit on the boozy side. Not the most complex CDP. Very Quaffable and a solid QPR.

9/25/2023 - Clark W Griswold wrote:

I would agree with Jaypeery... This is a tiny bit disappointing when compared to the last few vintages of this wine. I still like it and its still a huge value! Not aware of another quaffable WA Grenache for $25.

9/17/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Doublde decant. Crunchy red and blue fruits. Meaty. Lovely savory saltiness. Always one of my favs from this producer and always one of the better values around in a rocks syrah. That said, 2018 and 2019 were both better.

9/17/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Blackberry. Pepper. Brighter acidity. Fruit forward but not jammy or sweet. Not nearly as ripe and opulent as the 2019. I’m not that big on this but my wife loves it.

9/17/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Green apple, almond, black tea. Oily mouthfeel on this. Very long lingering finish. Enjoyed it. My first NY wine as they aren’t very common in WA.

9/16/2023 - Clark W Griswold wrote:

Double decant. Easy drinking and fruit forward young Nebbiolo. Blackcurrant and licorice. Long finish. Not the most complex at this stage. I like it. Pretty label.

9/15/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Pear, tropical fruits. Really nice acidity. Tasty viognier.

9/15/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Slabslovins got it. "Dark, jammy, smoky, rich, opulent." It's a a Syrah to share with your cab friends. I like it. Great buy for $25.00!

9/15/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Sweetish red and blue fruits. Similar profile to the other Mark Ryan wines. Crowd pleasing style. Excellent tannin management. This is the only Malbec they have made that I'm aware of. Great QPR for Red Mountain fruit.

9/15/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Dry with a fresh and crisp acidity. A great minerality. Always great QPR. Its dependable.

9/15/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

I would agree with some of the other reviews on this one. Its pretty basic champagne. Tart apple notes and not nearly enough of the bready and nutty notes that I love. Not bad as a mystery $40 wine through Gargiste but its probably no better than a $30 costco bottle at the moment. Will give it some more time before opening another one.

9/14/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Raspberry and blackberry. Complex meaty and umami flavors. Silky smooth. Lip smacking finish. Gorgeous savory syrah. At $39 is this the greatest full pull redacted wine ever?

9/14/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Doublde decant. Black fruits. Black licorice. Meaty. Slight salinity. Great acidity. Long finish. Opulent fruit forward wine without being sweet or jammy. Really great!

9/12/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

concentrated blue and black fruits. Meaty and herby. No noticeable rocks funk. Always a great value.

9/12/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Double decant. Meaty, earthy and brambly. Sort of muddled and one dimensional. No better on day two. I know this wine has sort of a cult following but, I really didn't like this very much.

9/12/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Complex Citrus flavors. Zippy Acidity. Best WA Riesling around if you ask me.

9/12/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Basic bubbles. Thin with very little complexity. Over priced for what it is.

9/12/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Totally 100% agree with WINENOT?s snobby review of this wine. Spot on! It is merely an everyday grocery store bottle with Mathews marketing behind it. People will line up to buy it through their popular wine club.