4/1/2011 - BillBl wrote:

Oxidized. No fruit. Terrible.

2/20/2011 - BillBl wrote:

Oxidized. Yuck.

9/14/2010 - BillBl wrote:

Not normally a fan of CA Pinot (Calera excepted) but this one was a delightful exception. Nice fruit, but not one dimensional; good earthy complexity.

8/28/2010 - BillBl wrote:

A delight. Soft tannins, strong fruit with hints of leather and tobacco, 30+ second finish.

6/15/2009 - BillBl wrote:

Soft tannins, smooth fruit but fades somewhat in the glass. Wonderful.

5/25/2009 - BillBl wrote:

Agree with many of the other commenters - less lively than the one I had several years ago. Need to get a move on and drink the other bottles...

A little heavy for a summer afternoon but not too cloyingly sweet either.

5/23/2009 - BillBl wrote:

Drank this in the nick of time - cork was soaked through. Still memorable though.

7/25/2008 - BillBl wrote:

Waited a bit too long to drink this one, although the cork may have failed which didn't help. Sigh.

7/12/2008 - BillBl wrote:

perfect timing for this bottle. Nice nose - classic cab - black cherries, a little leather, soft tannins. Not necessarily complex, but not one dimensional either.

7/4/2008 - BillBl wrote:

Drank this a little bit early -- but thought it was worth celebrating the Fourth with a little style. Decanted it, but drank the first glass within ~10 minutes. Beautiful nose of cherry and leather. First taste: distinctive tannin, but leather, cassis, cherry, and smoke flavors came through shortly thereafter. Within about half an hour, tannins had mellowed and the fruit shone through. Food pairing was grilled tenderloin -- sublime. I look forward to future bottles with a little more aging.

5/25/2008 - BillBl wrote:

Started strong, then lost its mojo within an hour. Just OK the next day.

5/23/2008 - BillBl wrote:

My cork crumbled as well -- but I was able to use my "ah-so" opener that I only have to break out a few times per year. Garnet color, tannins starting to soften. Drank over two nights -- cherries, tobacco -- one of my last four bottles. Every one has exceeded my modest expectations. A fine wine.

5/3/2008 - BillBl wrote:

drank over two nights. On the first night, it was ok, not great. On the second night it really opened up. Initial nose was very earthy, more typical of a a Burgundy. After swirling the Cab came through loud and clear. Cherry, raspberry from there- short finish though. Quite nice overall.

4/28/2008 - BillBl wrote:

OK. Not particularly complex. Somewhat vegetal but not unpleasantly so.

12/21/2007 - BillBl wrote:

Consumed this with a large group, fortunately it was a large bottle to match. Pleasantly surprised, and it was a hit with the family. I'm not a Sideways merlot bigot, but they do tend to be a bit one-dimensional, especially the less expensive ones. This was an exception -- although not terribly complex, well-balanced and nice fruit.

12/11/2007 - BillBl wrote:

Can't add too much to what's already been said. Inky purple (even early glasses left considerable sediment!), spicy on the nose but not as much in the mouth, pure and intense fruit.

11/28/2007 - BillBl wrote:

Tannins were completely soft and round, fruit shone through but with a strong foundation. Was a bit worried this was getting long in the tooth but was pleasantly surprised.

11/23/2007 - BillBl wrote:

Decanted this for 1.5 - 2 hours before tasting. Although it didn't smell corked, it tasted a bit off when we tried it -- don't know if it was the bottle or whether I decanted it too long. I doubt it's the latter, but you never know. Anyway, it wasn't nearly as striking as it obviously was for most of the other folks who've tried it. The tannins were quite soft, but so was the fruit -- not unpleasant, just not particularly striking. I have two other bottles to try, so I won't rate this one.

7/1/2007 - BillBl wrote:

Very nice -- undertone of bitterness (not tannic, minerals really) after a sweet flavor initially. Bathed the entire mouth in strong flavors -- complexity approaching a red but in a white.

6/18/2007 - BillBl wrote:

Very nice Chabis. Green apple and pineaple in the nose. Light oak and vanilla in the mouth; viscous for a Chablis - slight but not unpleasant bitterness at the finish.

6/10/2007 - BillBl wrote:

Dodged another bullet -- again, wine had seeped to the top of the cork, but similar to the previous bottle I tried a few weeks ago, viscous, pronounced tartness, less vanilla this time but can taste the oak on the finish.

6/6/2007 - BillBl wrote:

Good, but not great. Not much in the nose. Impression was sweet and then bitter, almost two dimensional, though that makes it sound more unpleasant than it was. Definite herbal tones. Inky purple. Drank it over three days and it improved a bit. Is it just me, or is this label reminiscent of the generic products from the 70's, e.g. "Beer beer"?

5/27/2007 - BillBl wrote:

Dark, inky purple. Very complex, softer tannins than I might have expected but still a bit of a pucker. Lush blackberry and cherry, tobacco and leather on the finish. Decanted on the first night, finished on the second.

11/23/2006 - BillBl wrote:

decanted 1.5 hrs ahead of turkey time. fine balance, nice fruit (prominent cherries), long finish, perfect pairing with turkey and the fixin's...

7/16/2006 - BillBl wrote:

Cork had a smell like maple syrup when I removed the top of the capsule. Sure enough, streaks of red ran all the way up the cork. Not entirely unpleasant but definitely not right.

6/12/2006 - BillBl wrote:

Berries on the nose (someone else used the word dusty, which is apt). Soft fruit, chocolate notes, spice; nice balance, rounded tannins. Great value for $10.

6/10/2006 - BillBl wrote:

Saw one of the postings that mentioned "band-aid" in the nose and had I not read it after tasting, I would have thought yeah right. But there is an unusual soapy aspect to the nose that is reminiscent of Band-Aids. Also you get mushroom earthiness and some berry/cherry in the nose, along with definite pepper.

But the wine takes flight in the mouth. Nice balance, well rounded tannins, pronounced spice on the lengthy finish. Bought this at the Garagiste garage sale a year ago and haad a hankering for CdP, so ate this with hamburgers off the grill. Wow. Wish I had bought more!

6/9/2006 - BillBl wrote:

Smoke and cherry in the nose, nice balance, cherries and a touch of licorice in the mouth. Was a bit concerned that this wine would be past its prime given the community "drink by" date of 2005, but this bottle was a very fine example of Calera.

5/30/2006 - BillBl wrote:

Traditional Burgundy earthy funkiness on initial opening. When it passed, there was relatively little flavor midpalate and a little acid on the finish. I was a little worried... I waited 10 minutes and was richly rewarded with strong tobacco, smoke, and leather in the nose and mouth, with balanced tannins and acid on the finish. Not a lot of prominent fruit, but a sophisticated, balanced finish.

5/30/2006 - BillBl wrote:

Needed to drink this pretty quickly as the 95 was getting to the end of its shelf life. Was rewarded with a hugely viscous, lush Mersault but with a style more reminiscent of a Montrachet than the typical mineral Mersault. Apple, toasted vanilla in the mouth. After having been open for a few hours and at room temperature, the acid was more pronounced and the wine was less balanced.

5/28/2006 - BillBl wrote:

Wine had seeped through the cork so I was not optimistic, but it was better than I had thought. Viscous, pronounced tartness, green apples with hints of vanilla.

1/14/2006 - BillBl wrote:

From the moment I opened the cork and poured I could tell this was an Aussie masterpiece. Deep, inky purple, intense fruit nose (blue and black berries distinctively) and lush, mouth-filling (berries again), perfect balance. Although I'm glad I opened it, it could use more time -- tannins are just a tad stiff on the finish, so this will only get better. Good food match with blackened salmon.

5/31/2005 - BillBl wrote:

Opaque purple color, good clarity. Black fruit in the nose. Black cherry, hint of mint, tobacco in the mouth. Nice balance. Tannins are fairly soft, rounded, but still definitely present. I was not expecting much given the previous tasting notes but I was pleasantly surprised. Still, I'm glad I opened it now, it was ready to drink. Even the first glass had noticeable sediment, as Siggy found.

4/20/2005 - BillBl wrote:

Ruby red, closed in the nose (opened up later), floral notes forepalate, distinct (but fairly smooth) tannins midpalate, then blackberry. Distinctly earthy tannins.

4/17/2005 - BillBl wrote:

Just opened, not much to report on the nose, hints of tobacco midpalate. Waiting for more. (10 minutes later.) Hints of vanilla in the nose. Taste is still developing, tannins are very pronounced but smooth. Tobacco is very pronounced at this point. (30 minutes later.) Starting to open up, but not getting a lot better. (Two hours later.) Nose is bit vegetal, but hints of caramel are present. Tannins are more subdued, still smooth. (24 hours later.) What a difference 24 hours makes... Cherry, blackberry, with hints of leather. A little thin.

4/17/2005 - BillBl wrote:

Opening the capsule was the first hint -- wine had seeped through the cork. The wine itself was no better -- vegetal nose, absolutely no fruit, on its way to vinegar. Bought this at an auction so the provenance was suspect...caveat emptor.

4/17/2005 - BillBl wrote:

Vegetal, absolutely no redeeming qualities.

4/17/2005 - BillBl wrote:

Corked. Ugh.

4/17/2005 - BillBl wrote:

Vegetal, no fruit, absolutely no redeeming qualities. Didn't try more than a sip. Yuck, waited way too long on this one...

4/17/2005 - BillBl wrote:

A little better than the last bottle. Not vegetal in the nose, and not wholly unpleasant in the mouth. Some fruit, hints of earth. Still, thin and a shadow of its former self. Not worth finishing.

4/17/2005 - BillBl wrote:

Nose was distinctly vegetal so I was not optimistic when I tasted. Indeed, the taste was the same -- vegetal, thin, just a hint of fruit. Didn't finish -- waited too long to drink this one.

4/17/2005 - BillBl wrote:

Long past its prime (if it ever had one). Little color, little body, almost no fruit, on its way to vinegar. Waited way too long on this one obviously...