7/27/2019 - spmulligan wrote:

Spoiled. Vinegar. Bummer.

11/29/2018 - spmulligan Does not like this wine:

Flat. Watered down. Super disappoint.

11/28/2017 - spmulligan Does not like this wine:

Trash

11/2/2017 - spmulligan Does not like this wine:

Fairly certain this is made from concentrate, at least in part. Tastes like Concord grape juice from those frozen concentrate cylinders that you mixed with water I had as a kid. It’s awful. Serve over lots of ice or return he bottle if you can.

10/25/2017 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Aged very well. Great color transitions from rose color to a strawberry hue to violent. Cheddar cheese and heavy mushroom on the nose. Lots more mushroom mixed with some hay and red fruit on the palate. Tannins still there. Wish I had this with a meal.

10/22/2017 - spmulligan wrote:

Even higher rating could be due because this is $10 a bottle. Light and fruit and great balance and acidity. I enjoyed it on its own and with dinner.

12/17/2015 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Same bottle several days later and same score. Nothing fancy about this but a great value IMO.

12/13/2015 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Not lying about the velvet. Simple but silky. 90 points for the price.

12/13/2015 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

This wine is *yuuuge* Big and muscular with a wonderfully long finish. The tannins will suck you dry.

11/15/2015 - spmulligan wrote:

Not terribly impressed

11/13/2015 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Apricot and mead plus some orange peal and lilac notes. Nice finish.

11/9/2015 - spmulligan wrote:

Balanced, smooth but not memorable IMO.

11/1/2015 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

A top notch wine. Consistent with CT user reviews of other vintages, the 2011 was superb. Big nose, great structure, great feeling, long finish. Lots of happiness in this bottle. Black tea, herb, nice fruit and hint of mint. More fruit on day 2 of the bottle.

I had no expectations for this wine, but was very very happy with the bottle. IMO Napa does pure Cabs better than Bordeaux blends but this proves me wrong.

3/17/2015 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Although it is 80% chard, the 20% torrontes is actually more powerful. Floral notes, like lilac, are prominent, but a little more body than a pure Torrontes and none of its disagreeable chalkiness.

3/6/2015 - spmulligan wrote:

Neutral. The wine is fine. Some underripe, tart fruit but blended with a slight ear thy finish. A little tight all around and probably better to wait awhile.

2/8/2015 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Worth way more than it sells for. This could confuse the best taster for Champagne in a blind tasting. Should be rated much higher here on Cellar Tracker, but people's scores generally track costs (unfortunately).

2/6/2015 - spmulligan Does not like this wine:

Hard to drink. I poured my wife a glass without telling her how I felt about it, and she immediately said "This is bad!" No wonder they give you three free bottles when you join WSJ Wine Club.

2/6/2015 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

The nose immediately lets you know you have a great wine. It smells like California. Ruby color with medium watery edge and few color transitions. Palate is not complex, but it is a delicious bowl of fruit flavors.

12/27/2014 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Beautiful transitions between pink/orange to ruby. Thick watery edge. Earth and smoke on the nose. Palate is not extraordinary with nothing really jumping out, but it is integrated and ready to drink now. Good finish despite the less than stellar palate.

12/26/2014 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

So good it made me get back in cellar tracker and start writing reviews. Remarkably silky with bing cherries. Delightful

12/12/2014 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Ale aged in red wine barrels with brettanomyces. A very good, very interesting beer. Nice balance of sweet and sour. Brown sugar offset with sour mash. Finish is all red fruit (from the red wine barrels). Not as complex or long of a finish as Curieux, but still very nice. Expensive ($22 for 750ml)

11/25/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Yum. If this were $60 a bottle no one would bat an eyelash and the scores would be four or five points higher. Won't disappoint.

11/23/2013 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Nose is initially tight, like cheap chianti, but opens up to show some nice raspberry, boysenberry, and pepper. Taste: wow - big, enveloping mouthfeel. More palate on the nose + great chocolate. Port-like on the finish and also on how hedonistic and pleasurable this is. Bitter on day two, so drink up!

11/11/2013 - spmulligan Does not like this wine:

What's the sugar content? Too sweet. It's evident from the color to the nose to the palate. Too much. Odd.

8/23/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Agree that this is not a stunner. Predominant menthol and eucalyptus on day 1. Day 2 is just non-descript and blah.

7/6/2013 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Palate: woody, dark blackberries, oak, and pine needle on palate.
Finish is medium/long with charcoal, oak and camp fire.

This might be one of those wines that old-school, old-worlders complain about. "Blame Parker, it all tastes oaky and new world like." Maybe they're right. I'm new school. This is delicious.

6/22/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Decent and refreshing; tart lemons; good on a hot day in summer

6/16/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Gross. I would rather drink toilet water. My dog has it better than this when he licks himself. Terrible.

6/16/2013 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

High good.

6/13/2013 - spmulligan Does not like this wine:

Wine, I am disappoint. Cheap Rhone style.

6/10/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Super good. Borderline outstanding. Perfect balance of oak and acid. If this was a little bit cheaper, I would buy bottle after bottle.

6/9/2013 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Fantastic. Balanced with right acidity and alcohol and some CA-style pinot fruit which made it less austere than a lot of high-priced Oregon pinots.

6/6/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Medium Good. Strawberries and earth on the nose. Good, viscous mouth feel. Red fruit and some umami on the palate but not much complexity. Acidic. Too tannic. Finish has some staying power, but that might just be the acid.

5/29/2013 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

dark fruits and hedonistic on the nose; powerful palate with cracked pepper, dark dark fruit and some earth notes. My wife says this has more terroir than any California wine she's had.

5/16/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Rhubarb pie on the nose; rich raspberry soufflé like flavor on the palate; good balance and no heat

5/12/2013 - spmulligan Does not like this wine:

Just gross. No redeeming qualities, other than the nose. This is my third bottle, and, every time I don't want to finish it. I honestly feel guilty because it's so bad I want to dump it down the drain. I try to struggle through it, thinking that it is Bordeaux and has to be at least a little decedent, but it's not. It's just not. It's bad wine. A terrible WTSO mistake.

After having two terrible bottles, I went to my local cheesemonger / wine shop, and asked for something to help out an underperforming bordeaux. Even with the specially paired cheese, this was bad.

In short, this is a terrible wine. It's worse than garbage b/c I feel brad throwing it out and I wasted $ on expensive cheese that didn't make it better. I'd like to give away the two bottles I have left, but it might ruin my reputation.

AVOID

5/11/2013 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

Superb.

4/28/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Lighter and glassier than pinot noir. The legs are fast. Nose like my mom's canned plumbs. No earth or funkiness. Very thin-bodied like Beaujolais, but a more fruit-based flavor that is better than Beaujolais in my opinion. Like a thinned-out pinot noir that w/out enough extraction, but still VG. Would drink now.

4/25/2013 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

silky and delicious; not complex but very very enjoyable Carneros pinoit

4/25/2013 - spmulligan Likes this wine:

My first WTSO hit. Inky color. Woody and dark fruit on the nose. More dark fruit, lots of plum, and wood on the palate. Good tannins. Good wine. Great deal on WTSO.

3/16/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Yum-o

3/16/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Like sticking a straw in blackberry jam.

2/4/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Honestly, this stuff is just fantastic and affordable.

1/22/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Second bottle. Nose: peaches and strawberries. (Don't know that I've ever used peaches in a tasting note before). Palate - juicy, ripe raspberries but still with alcohol.

1/21/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Tremendously fragrant and expressive nose. Palate is just too tannic for me. I know a lot of people like this Napa Mountain Cab. style, but it's not for me.... Even with a steak. Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, Mt. Veeder - they all just seem like walls of tannin. I think it's just a personal preference thing because the nose really signified something complex and special and the finish was long.

1/15/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

nose = dusty, old world earthiness; palate = perfectly ripe, juicy plums mashed and darkened a bit with some blackberries; body = medium/full bodied quite a bit of acidity - it's great by itself, but the acidity makes me think it might be better with food..... soft tannins; finish = plum and cherry, but not terribly long - very good

1/14/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

boooooooooooring

1/11/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

Some good new world funkiness like a carneros Pinot; I actually thought the flavors were pretty big and bold and very good

1/6/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

good qpr - not so velvety or rich as you can expect from a great pinot, but you can't accuse this of not being delicious and enjoyable.... they can't all be home runs and this is the kind of pinot noir that keeps us from going broke

1/6/2013 - spmulligan wrote:

nose is subtle with dark berries and a bit of red delicious apple; menthol vanilla and more dark berries on the palate, cushy soft, smooth and approachable