4/21/2024 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Tasted as part of Mary Margaret McCamic MW Chasing Burgundy online class. Lovely wine, way too early to drink. Medium plus acid, medium plus body, tons of floral/honeysuckle, flint, minerality and soft citrus/green apple aromas. Definite lees-aromas on the nose. Concentrated citrus and green apple flavors, tons of minerality and a great textured/chalky mouth-filling palate. This wine definitely needs time - but it was very good now.

12/25/2023 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Terrific Ocxidental PN. Decanted for 45 min. Incredible fruit aroma intensity - darker fruits of dark cherry and blackberry along with brighter raspberry. Tons of orange peel on the nose and also giving some bitterness on palate. Amazing fruit concentration with red and dark fruit. Tertiary notes becoming apparent - forest floor, earth and mushroom. This will easily age well for another 5 years. But a great wine for Christmas dinner.

5/13/2023 - bayareadodgerfan wrote:

Absolutely gorgeous. Perfect balance of acid, ripe citrus fruit and layers of yeasty complexity. Sublime.

2/8/2023 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Decanted 90 minutes. Medium ruby color, medium aroma intensity. Some floral violet notes. Tons of primary fruit aromas - raspberry and cherry especially, but also a little strawberry and cranberry. Subtle secondary oak notes of baking spice. Tertiary aromas and flavors developing - forest floor and earth. Medium+ acid (maybe higher actually), medium body, medium minus tannin. Medium + finish. I think this would benefit from another couple of years for more tertiary flavors and aromas to balance the beautiful fruit. Another beautiful Aubert wine.

12/31/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2hrs - this is a nice cab - very drinkable right now Deep ruby color, aromas of black cherry, blueberry and blackberry with some hints of mint and clove/spice. Some tertiary aromas emerging of tobacco and leather. Full body on the palate - medium acid, med+ but super smooth and well integrated tannins - similar flavors to aromas with addition of oak notes and somewhat more prominent tertiary flavors Overall a very good wine - can drink now but will benefit from further aging.

12/9/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Delicious wine - needs more time in the bottle. Lovely floral violet aromas with concentrated blackberry, black cherry and tons of pepper. Great structure with medium + acid, medium silky tannins and the same concentrated black fruit. Some tertiary notes of earth and forest floo. This will be even more delicious in a few years.

10/22/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Wow! This wine is having a moment. Opened just for the hell of it on a Saturday night with Filet Mignon. Decanted for an hour. Absolutely stunning - especially with an extra 30 min in the glass. Pronounced aromas of fresh black cherry, black plum, blackberry and hints of mint and eucalyptus. Notes of chocolate and toast from oak. Tertiary aromas galore - dried fruit, tobacco and cigar box and earth/forest floor. The wine feel like it’s at its ideal moment on the palate - medium garnet color, solid acidity, perfectly integrated and velvety tannins, and full body. And the flavors are very pronounced following the nose - with tons of primary and tertiary fruit, well integrated oak and those great age-driven flavors. Finish is very long. So glad I opened this tonight!

10/11/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

This wine is ready to drink - probably not improving much more. Still pretty nice glass of wine. Decanted 45 min (should have been longer - I forgot). Medium garnet color, med+ aroma intensity with both fresh and dried black cherry, black plum and blackberry notes as well as some mint. Secondary notes of cedar and toast from oak. Lots of tertiary aromas - forest floor, leather and dried black fruit. On the palate, med + flavor intensity with similar flavors to the aromas on the nose Med/Med+ acid, high alcohol, med+ tannin - but super plush and well integrated. Medium+ finish of dark fruit and tertiary flavors. It’s a nice wine - a little surprised it’s still got this much freshness - but time to drink up

10/9/2022 - bayareadodgerfan wrote:

This wine is still showing nicely - 1 hour decant. Definitely at the older end of its range, but still has a core of black fruit - blackberry, black current and black cherry that still has a good deal freshness on top of nice mint/menthol herbaceous flavors. The wine has med+ acid, full body and the tannins are very soft and velvety and fully integrated at 16yo. Nice tertiary notes of leather and meat and dried cherry, blackberry and plum. Well done Barnett Vineyards, and glad I still have 2 more to enjoy (soon).

9/16/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

This is a really big wine - a big bold california style of Pinot. Tons of ripe raspberry, strawberry and red plum fruit aromas and flavors, on top of great oak notes of clove, allspice and cedar. Medium + acid and soft medium tannin provide needed structure. This can age a while longer - really beautiful glass of pinot.

9/11/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Wow - this was surprisingly good. Really amazing lemon, grapefruit and ripe tropical fruit perfectly balanced with racy acidity and some salinity and even a bit of creaminess (lees?) giving texture and interesting mouthfeel. For $35 this was outstanding and I am going to see if I can get more!

9/11/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Coravin'd - 90 minutes air in glass. This is a great example of St Emilion Grand Cru Classe in its prime. Deep garnet color, with aromas of strawberry, raspberry and red plum and delicate cedar, sweet spice and vanilla notes. Medium acid, plush body with medium, well-integrated and velvety tannins. Showing well balanced tertiary flavors, including leather, tobacco and earth. Ready to drink but can probably go quite a while longer.

7/8/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Incredibly rich and smooth with pronounced flavors of raisin and fig, molasses/brown sugar, cinnamon, chocolate and wood. Still has solid acidity and some faint notes of primary fruit of plums, black cherry and raspberry. A real treat.

7/3/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Gorgeous wine. Green apple, pear, pineapple and oak notes of baking spices, vanilla, cedar as well as a beautiful minerality throughout. Great acidity brings it all together. Wish I had more of this.

7/3/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Beautiful Riesling. Had a chance to visit in person during a trip in April. Green apple, tart lemon and mineral/flint notes along with a creamy texture (from lees contact) balanced by bracing acidity. Great on its own - and with food.

6/1/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Bright and fruity and sweet. Just like one would expect.

4/2/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

What a pleasant surprise. Decanted for 2.5hrs. Medium garnet color. Medium+ aroma intensity, with aromas of cherry, raspberry and cola jumping out along with secondary aromas of clove and oak. Tertiary aroma note include mushroom and forest floor. On the palate, medium body with medium+ acid. Medium tannins that are very smooth and well integrated after 10 yrs. Flavors similar with aromas - with a nice long finish of cherry, cola and earth. For the price, this wine is really a great find.

4/2/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

This wine is gorgeous. Deep gold color with pronounced aroma intensity. Many layers of aroma including highlights of lemon, lemon curd, melon, pineapple, spice, vanilla and oak. On the palate, similar flavor profile with incredible creamy and full body. This wine still has a strong acid backbone and pronounced fruit flavors which suggests further aging is advisable. Glad I still have some more bottles - but this is drinking beautifully now.

3/15/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Wow - 17 years and this is still a fruit bomb. Massive jammy raspberry, red and black cherries along with menthol. Lots of vanilla and oak notes and plenty of tertiary aromas of chocolate, cigar box and tobacco leaf. Still has plenty of acid and tannin to keep going a while. Surprised this is showing this well after this many years.

3/15/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Twenty seven years. Where did the time go - i remember getting this wine at the winery. It’s definitely well past it’s prime - but you can pick up echoes of what it was. Still some red fruit, black cherry and wood notes along with lots of oxidative aromas of olive abd forest floor. But alas the structure is gone and the fruit is well faded. The mouthfeel is silky smooth, but this is well past it’s time.

3/5/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Pleasantly surprised this still held up. Decanted for 90 min. Was a little worried when I tasted right after opening, but with the decant the stewed and dried red fruit came out and the acid and tannins are beautifully integrated. It may be a little past it’s prime but it paired incredibly well with Paella. It turned out to be a real treat.

3/3/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Nice Rioja. Tried this as part of an open label tasting of a crianza, reserva and gran reserva comparison from same producer. This gran reserva was very nice. After 45 min in the glass, lots of strawberry and cherry notes with oak and vanilla as well as chocolate from bottle age. Med acid, med body and med tannin with a fairly long finish. Nice bottle of wine (much more balanced and flavorful than the crianza or reserva from same producer).

2/28/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Bought a half case of this from Wine Access since I haven’t seen much Margaret River available. My wife and I have been trying to go there since April 2020 for our 25th anniversary when….covid. After postponing and rescheduling 4 times, It looks like this year may actually happen now that Australia is opening up. Can’t wait to visit the most remote wine region in the world.

Decanted for 45 minutes. The Xanadu is very nice and shows solid structure for improving over next 5-ish yrs. Deep ruby color with some purple. Aroma intensity is medium with blackberry and black cherry, mint and black and white pepper (the pepper faded as it decanted). Also nice substantial mint notes. On the palate, medium acidity but lowish, soft tannin. and lots of black fruit and herbal mint and menthol. Some smoke and vanilla notes from oak but no tertiary flavors since it’s young.

It’s a very nice wine that will age a bit - but honestly it’s less complex than I expected. Hoping flavor and structure will come together more in next few years.

2/28/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Does not like this wine:

This wine is gone - little to no acid, very weak fruit and what there is is just some weak dried fruit flavors. Did not drink

2/13/2022 - bayareadodgerfan wrote:

Nice simple wine with lots of red fruit on palate and some notes of dried red fruit as well. Good value for the price.

2/3/2022 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Really lovely wine. First time having a Margaret River wine. Pale lemon color. Pronounced aroma intensity - lemon, lime, apple, apricot and baking spices and hint of vanilla and oak. On palate med+ acidity and medium body. Beautiful citrus and stone fruit and vibrant baking spice on palate. Nice oak notes of vanilla and cream. This is really a very good wine - can’t wait to pop more bottles.

12/25/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Decanted for about 45 minutes. This wine is perfect right now. Great lemon, tropical and spice aromas. Similar flavors on palate, with the wine still having great acidity and minerality. Really delicious!

10/30/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Really nice - especially for the price. Nose of white peach, lemon and flint. Palate of lemon, pear and peach with solid backbone of minerality. Well balanced acid - perfect for the rich fettuccini alfredo we had with it.

10/17/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Beautiful! Decanted 90 minutes.
Nose - cherry, graphite, forest floor/earth
Palate - deep black cherry, berry, clove, light oak
Body - med. Finish - med+

10/15/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Nice golden yellow color at the core with silver at the edges. Lemon and vanilla on the nose with hints of toasted oak. Palate - tons of creamy lemon, pear vanilla and spice. Notes of oak in the background. Nice drinkable chard.

9/29/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Wine Folly Comparative Aging Vessel Tasting: Deep ruby red color. Nose - Dark cherry, baking spices and clove, tea leaf and oak/toasty notes. Palate - med+ to full body, lots of dark fruit especially plum and blueberry. Some carmel, cocoa and definite oak flavors. Medium tannin and med acid. Overall an enjoyable Merlot.

9/29/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Wine Folly Comparative Aging Vessel Tasting: Brick red/garnet color showing some definite signs of aging. On nose, lots of cherry notes with some savory/barnyard elements - and lots of oak (in this case American Oak). On palate, nice cherry and stewed fruit flavors, some mint and moderate oak notes (not as forward as it was on the nose). Medium tannin and acidity. More oak comes through on the medium finish. Nice and enjoyable rioja.

9/29/2021 - bayareadodgerfan wrote:

Wine Folly Comparative Aging Vessel Tasting: Definitely characteristic of wine aged in concrete. Deep purple in the glass, nice red and black berry fruit on nose with some herbal/mushroom notes. On palate, tart red and dark berry flavors that are fairly tart. Some chocolate notes and steeped tea leaves on the finish. Moderate acidity but fairly tannic. A decent malbec, but more bitter and less earthy than I prefer.

9/29/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Wine Folly Comparative Aging Vessel Tasting: Nice simple chablis. golden lemony yellow color. Nose very fruity - lemon and apple, moderate intensity. Palate - bone dry, fruit notes somewhat muted with lemon and melon notes. I detected some minerality. Medium + acid, but not overly sharp. Creamy textural notes. Overall nice simple chablis for a warm summer afternoon.

9/6/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

So good! Aubert knocks it out of the park again. Fantastic aromas of spice, tropical fruit and slate. Gorgeous lemon, pineapple and clove spice flavors on the plate. Great acidity well balanced with the fruit. The finish goes on and on. Great to drink now but will certainly keep for a while too.

9/4/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Wow, this boy is still going strong. Decanted for an hour before dinner. Aromas of blueberry and raspberry with lots of cigar box and cedar notes. Took the full hour to open on the palate (was very alcoholic, acidic and bitter immediately upon opening) with tons of blueberry and dark cherry notes, lots of cedar and some vegetal elements as well. Acidity calmed down but still present and medium + tannin. This one could go a while longer in the cellar.

8/8/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Decanted 1 hr. Opened this as a hedge on a 1996 Silver Oak I opened (was faded but still solid) and found it also past it’s prime but still pretty tasty. Dark fruit on the nose - blackberry and dark cherry. On the palate the dark blueberry and blackberrry fruit was secondary to roasted coffee and woody notes. Still had medium + tannin. Medium finish. Feels like it’s prime days are behind it - but still a decent showing.

8/8/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Decanted 2hrs. Pretty solid showing for a 25yo Silver Oak. Probably past it’s prime but still demonstrating nice raspberry notes on the bouquet. On the palate, there were still some soft fruit flavors - raspberry and cherry and perhaps some chocolate. But the wine felt out of balance to me still showing some tannin and body but the fruit flavors were too soft and faded at this point. Still, pleasantly surprised it held up at all.

7/29/2021 - bayareadodgerfan wrote:

More fruit forward and aggressive than I care for in pinot, but still pretty nice. lots of blueberry and dark cherry on the nose with some almond accents. On the palate - big blueberry jam and dark cherry notes as well as some anise and vanilla accents. On the finish there are burnt caramel and vanilla notes - and a bit of a wood-focused and harsh alcohol finish I don’t care for (reminds me more of cab than Pinot).

7/29/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Black cherry allspice/clove on the nose with nice black cherry, chocolate and clove spice notes on the palate. Medium + tannin and medium finish.

7/26/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Nice wine but not my favorite B-C. PnP - on the nose but raspberry jam notes and graphite and green olive. On the palate - brighter and higher notes than I personally care for - cranberry, orange zest and red berry. Medium minus tannin but decent acid and body. Medium finish. Nice wine but I’ve had better from them.

7/22/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

This wine still going strong. I opened it for a wine tasting class I am taking and initially it was very closed (we weren’t allowed to decant). Initial aromas of prune, chocolate and woody notes with black licorice and mint and some menthol notes. It was pretty tightly closed on the palate initially with some dark cherry and oak notes. But, over the course of the class sitting in the glass for an hour - massive raspberry jam aroma and flavor with lush caramel and cherry notes as well. Nice tannin and acid structure makes me glad I have more bottles to enjoy several years down the road.

6/11/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Really delicious and ready to drink. Decanted 45m - jammy and chocolate aromas on the nose, plums and dark red fruit on the palate with notes of dark chocolate and black pepper. Silky smooth and nice long finish.

6/10/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Decanted for 60m. Really beautiful wine drinking perfectly. On the nose lots of red fruit with some spice and some graphite notes. On palate, lots of brightly cherry and raspberry notes - honestly a little bit one-note but so delicious. Drink now.

2/27/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Nice wine right at the beginning of its drinking window. Nice cherry and raspberry notes with black tea and subtle minerality. This will be fun to try again in 5 or 10 years.

2/26/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

This wine is at its peak. Decanted for 30 min. Had both the 2010 and 2011 at dinner and while the 2010 was excellent, the 2011 was absolutely perfect, Deep blueberry and stewed red fruit flavors perfectly integrated with silky tannins made this the perfect time to open. If you have this, open and enjoy.

2/26/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Well, I can say 11 years on this is holding up very well. All the components have come together - the fruit (big raspberry jam), pepper notes and spice are very well integrated with a strong acid backbone. Tannins have become silky smooth. Definitely still going strong.

1/8/2021 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Decanted 2 hrs. Wow might have hit this on its exact peak. Nice garnet color. Nose of blueberry and chocolate. Perfect balance of fruit - still has some bright red raspberry flavors and subdued cough syrup notes (in a good way) with notes of chocolate along with pepper. Perfectly balanced tannins and acidity - a nicely harmonious 14yo wine. Drink it if you have it.

12/6/2020 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Gorgeous - decanted for 90 min. Lots of spice in the nose initially giving way to amazing berry fruit. The wine is perfectly balanced with a nice soft backbone and flavors of raspberry and minerality running throughout. Very ready to drink now but this has some more life left.

11/26/2020 - bayareadodgerfan Likes this wine:

Gorgeous bottle - great acidity and toast notes with lemon and vanilla and some minerality running through. Great finish. Wish I had more in the cellar.