4/23/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Lots of red and blue fruit but not much else on day 1. Next day, herbs, spices, and grainy tannins showed up to join the party, with nice acid and a medium finish. Very good with tri-tip dinner.

4/20/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Slightly translucent crimson. Nutmeg, cedar, and plum nose. Medium to full bodied, savory, with dark red fruit, dirty tannins, and a smooth long finish. Delicious.

4/17/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Ruddy magenta. Crushed raspberry and earth nose. Medium bodied, cranberries, tart cherries, soft tannins, good acid, and a long finish. Good with food.

4/1/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Inky ruby. Oak spice, earth, and cherry cola nose. Medium to full bodied, plum, crushed dirty raspberries, baking spices, woody tannins, good acid, with a long tart cherry finish. Still great, but probably not getting any better.

3/29/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Medium dense dark crimson. cedar, spice and baked cherry nose. Medium to full bodied, sun baked cranberries, pepper, nutmeg, black cherries, grimy tannins, good acid, tar, and a medium to long finish. Always a killer.

3/25/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Thick dark maroon. Earth, dark berries, and cedar nose. Medium bodied, plum, blueberries, herbs and spices, perfect tannins, graphite, good acid, and a long delicious finish. Best on day 2. Lots of sediment.

3/24/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Nice plum and spice nose. Medium to full bodied, sage, pepper, black cherries, cedar, blackberries, dry grainy tannins, good acid, and a long finish that gets better the longer you let it linger. Excellent.

3/21/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Morning pee color and a baked granny apple nose. Lemon curd, blood orange peel, good minerality, and a nice tropical fruit finish. Solid.

3/18/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Dark ruby. Cassis, blueberry, and cedar nose. Medium bodied, plums, tart candy cherries, soft tannins, herbs, and a long tangy finish. Nice.

3/17/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Lightly toasted cranberry color. Rhubarb pie, leather, and earth nose. Medium bodied, plums, crushed cherries, baking spices, dusty tannins, good acid, cedar, a bit of heat, and a long finish. A really good sipper.

3/13/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Still holding its magenta color. Spicy and woody nose. Fresh red and blue fruit, white pepper, sweet tannins, and a great medium to long finish. Wonderful.

3/9/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Nice medium dark red color. A little thin up front, but then lots of cherries and rhubarb, with spices, well integrated tannins, herbal smoke, and a medium to long finish. Very nice and showing no signs of age.

3/7/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Dark magenta with slow legs. Spice, blueberry, and earth nose. Medium to full bodied, cranberries, black cherries, herbs, firm dusty tannins, smoke, good acid, and a long finish. Much better on night 2.

3/6/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Inky mineshaft, with a cedar and dark fruit nose. Medium to full bodied, plums, blackberries, a touch of spice, well integrated tannins, and a long satisfying finish. A little rank on day 1, but so good on day 2. So, hold or decant.

3/3/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Lots of barrel spice, herbs, and black cherries, with nice tannins and a long finish. Similar to last time, but not as fresh.

2/29/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Fairly translucent red. Spice, forest, and strawberry pie nose. Medium bodied, raspberries, hot peppers, dusty cherries, sage, fully integrated tannins, and a medium long, pleasantly sappy finish. Very nice, but time to drink up.

2/26/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Dark with crimson highlights. Cedar, cassis, and spice nose. Medium to full bodied, dirty cherries, baking spices, pepper, well integrated tannins, good acid, and a nice long finish. Maybe not the best vintage of this, but still very good.

2/23/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Hazy dark ruby. Oak, garigue, and earth nose. Medium to full bodied, lots of savory spices, crushed cherries, dirty tannins, good acid, toast, some heat, and a medium to long finish. A bit over-oaked, but otherwise well made and a good value.

2/22/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Lots of spice on the nose, then red fruit, cedar, baking spices, supportive tannins, and a long finish. Smooth and complex, there were no signs of age beyond its current full maturity. Better than last time and excellent from the get-go.

2/19/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Slightly dull ruby color. Cedar, spice and cherry on the nose. Medium bodied, cloves, tart cranberries, pepper, dusty integrated tannins, good acid, and a long dry finish. A little off on night 1, but terrific on night 2.

2/17/2024 - merryberry wrote:

Light to medium ruby. Medium bodied, dirty raspberries, baked cherries, baking spices, smooth tannins, a bit of tar, and a medium finish. A good value.

2/15/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Nice red fruit, baking spices, fully integrated tannins, a little tar, and a long finish. Lots of sediment.

2/13/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Oak spice, aged cranberries, and wet forest nose. Initial hit of rustic tannins and baking spice, then baked cherries, smoke, and a long savory finish. Smooth and complex, this has reached a wonderful place.

2/12/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Lots of spices, barrel notes, tart dirty cherries, dusty tannins, and a long finish. Tasty and a good value.

2/11/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Blushing pink with a very nice strawberry and floral fragrance. Medium bodied, raspberry sorbet, good acid, and a finish that demands food. Very good, as usual.

2/9/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

The nose was a bit off/funky, but the pure red fruit is still there. Crushed blackberries, cedar, baking spices, dry tannins that show late, and a long finish. Very nice, but the nose worries me. Drink up.

2/10/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Very aromatic, medium bodied, nice lemon zest up front, good acid, and some petrol in the back. Much better with food.

2/8/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Medium-dark red. Cedar, rose, and spice nose. Light to medium bodied, dusty cranberries, tart cherries, grainy tannins, dried herbs, a touch of tar, and a medium length finish. Solid and a good value.

2/5/2024 - merryberry wrote:

Translucent orange-red. Raspberry spice nose. Medium bodied, tart cherries, slightly bitter almonds, fully integrated tannins, and a long dry finish. Still fresh, but kind of simple.

2/3/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Dark magenta. Nice nose of blueberry and bramble. Full bodied and smooth, with plums, blackberries, spices, lots of supporting tannins, a touch of smoke, and a long finish. Showing great right now.

1/31/2024 - merryberry wrote:

Medium dark red. Soft nose of earth and strawberry. Medium bodied, cranberries, tart cherries, sage, dusty tannins, a bit of tobacco, and a medium finish. It was fine.

1/30/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Inky purple. Boysenberry jam, cedar, and earth nose. Full bodied, ripe plums, blackberry pie, spices, dry tannins, smoke, and a long black fruited finish. I think its at or near its peak, and will be here for years.

1/28/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Similar to my last TN, but maybe starting to fade a bit. Still very good with excellent complexity and a hot, spicy finish.

1/26/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Light magenta. Rose, strawberry and spice nose. Medium bodied, crushed raspberries, tart cherries, soft tannins, mint, and a sticky red fruit finish. A nice afternoon sipper.

1/24/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Deep ruby with hardly any browning. Cedar and cassis nose. Medium bodied, bright red fruit, sage, evolved tannins, tar, and a sappy medium length finish. Delicious but no longer nuanced.

1/21/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Very funky and brett-y when opened, which took a full night to fade. The nose never really recovered. Full bodied, with lots of black cherries and burnt baking spices, fully integrated tannins, some heat, and a medium to long finish. This was heading downhill, but still fighting.

1/18/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Pure is the word. Pure fruit, pure savory herbs and spices, pure sweet tannins, and a long pure finish. A pure delight.

1/17/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Funky on day one, it slowly rounded into shape over the next 2 days. Very tart cherries, soft tannins, a touch of herbs, and a medium finish. Easy drinking but I think I expected more.

1/15/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Medium dark magenta. Soft nose of barrel spice, forest, and raspberry. Early on, the fruit hid behind tannins, herbs, and earth. After a couple of hours, pure red cherry fruit emerged and balance was restored, although the finish was a bit short. Overall a good effort that's still going strong.

1/14/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Brambly and red-fruited, well integrated tannins, baking spices, and a medium-plus finish. Probably my favorite DCV vineyard designated Zinfandel.

1/11/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

See-through burnt red. Spice, raspberry, and cedar nose. Light to medium bodied, dirty cranberries, smashed cherries, grainy tannins, hat acid, and a medium to long woody finish. The Graciano dominates here.

1/9/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Medium dark red. Spicey oak and soft red fruit nose. Medium to full bodied, cranberries, baking spices, black cherries, woody tannins, a bit of heat, and a medium to long finish. Well made and a great value.

1/7/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Translucent bright red. Cranberry, stems, and spice on the nose. Light to medium bodied, nice tart cherries, sage, smooth tannins, good acid, and a medium to long finish. A good California Sangiovese.

1/6/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Medium weight, balanced flavors of red and blue fruit, mature tannins, and a long finish. Well made and tasty.

1/4/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Medium dark ruby red. Earth, wood, and raspberry nose. Medium bodied, tart cranberries, bing cherries, spices, just enough tannins, sage, and a medium-plus finish. Very good value.

1/2/2024 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Nicely made, with a citrus and minerally nose. Fresh lemon, tart stonefruit, and a medium to long ginger-laced finish. A consistently good SB at a great price.

1/1/2024 - merryberry wrote:

Corked nose that took a full day to blow off. Lots of sediment. Earth, leather, crushed plums, tart black cherries, and a medium finish. This was on the edge of undrinkable, but made quite a comeback overnight.

12/31/2023 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Straw yellow. Nice nose of blood orange and lemon peels. Full bodied and viscous, light grapefruit, river stones, good acid, and a long finish. Well made and tasty.

12/30/2023 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Lots of bricking, with long thin edges. Medium bodied, cranberries, sage, crushed cherries, fully resolved tannins, tons of acid, earth, and a long dry finish. First night nose and taste worried me that I'd waited too long. Second night it was much better, even if the nose was still a bit corky. Drink NOW.

12/29/2023 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Still doing well. Light bodied, light lemon, and a medium finish.