5/19/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Cathy Corison never strayed from making well balanced restrained Cabernets. This one is herbaceous, and has bright Napa fruit but in an understated style.

5/15/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

I found a battle between fruit and tannins with an underlying note of decay and oxidation. What fruit that was there was sweet, but this was a disappointing bottle.

5/13/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

High toned raspberry and blackberry flavors with a bright cherry note on the finish. Very Chambolle like.

5/2/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

More brett than I like. My least enjoyable Sunier of the many I have had, but it’s my first Regnie.

5/6/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Drinking so nicely. There are cherries and black olives with a touch of orange zest. Tannins are very soft.

5/6/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Layered with pear, citrus, and almonds. Absolutely delicious.

4/29/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Bright cherry, soil, lots of acidity. Just lovely.

4/21/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Easy drinking and very good. High toned very fruit. Not much on the mid palate but comes back at the finish. Not complex but it is enjoyable.

4/20/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

A stunning Syrah. Upfront were black olives and olive brine, and behind that were berries, tobacco, and old leather. Still somewhat tannic, but drinking beautifully.

4/14/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Young but drinking beautifully. Lemon, pear, almonds, slightly flinty. Nice long finish.

4/13/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Floral, ripe berries, and brett. On its own, it was a little much, but with braised beef, it was quite good.

4/7/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

A impressive nose with deep dark cherry and florals. Cherries and minerals on the palate. Mostly resolved with tannins sneaking up at the finish and fully enjoyable.

4/1/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Grapefruit, minerals, and good acidity. Showing young but simply fantastic.

3/31/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

It’s been a year since my last bottle and it’s just as good. Garrique,,black olive, and black cherry. Fruit is ripe but everything else keeps it in check. A wonderful wine.

3/23/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Well within its drinking window. Dark fruit, roses, and earth. An acidic punch on the finish. It lingers and it is delicious.

3/22/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

The most unzinfandel like Zinfandel. It is delicious and more like old world than new world. Dark cherry fruit and spice. Good acidity and a long lingering finish. Zinfandel does not get better than this.

3/17/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

I wrote a tasting note 3 years ago and this one is quite similar. Beautiful aromatics. There is bright cherry fruit and roses on the palate. The tannins have smoothed out over the past 3 years and this is a wonderfully enjoyable wine that still has plenty in the tank. However, this is my last bottle.

3/15/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Juicy, with light toast and raspberry notes. Delicious.

3/11/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Dark golden color. Subtle tangerine on the nose. Minerals, tangerine, baked apple, herbaceous on the lively palate. The finish lingers. Unlikely pairing with a mildly spicy Drunken noodles.

2/27/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Ripe but has good acidity and soft tannins. Drinking well and it is delicious

2/19/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Similar to the bottle I had last May. I’m always glad when these no dosage Champagnes don’t have the searing acidity that is painful, and this one has a richness that cuts the acidity. Green apple, orange zest, and a bit of nuttiness that makes this quite enjoyable.

2/18/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Textbook mature left bank Bordeaux. Some of of that Cordier funk that I love, and lovely sweet fruit, tobacco and pencil shavings. Tannins are fully resolved and it has a long sweet finish. Always bittersweet when it is my last bottle.

2/13/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Mostly herbal with some light pear notes. Not my favorite vintage, but still it is enjoyable.

2/9/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Beautiful aromatics. It has a definite Pinot-ness to it. High toned fruit, underbrush, and a finish that lingers. A delightful wine.

2/4/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Bone dry with the taste of raspberries on the finish. I like the style.

2/2/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

A delicious, young Barolo. It is juicy showing berries and florals. Tannins are silky and get more pronounced with air. Nice to get to it while it is vibrant and pleasurable.

1/29/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Elegant and on point.

1/28/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Not the most complex nor contemplative, just delicious.

1/27/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Oxidized

1/27/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Bright cherry flavors, spice, and floral. Delicious.

1/25/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Opened nicely with air. A little feral, but good enough fruit to balance it out.

1/19/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Herbal with juicy berries. Still quite tannic, but very enjoyable.

1/14/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Very inky but deceptively, not massive with good acidity. Dark cherries, black olives, and white pepper. Drinks like a young wine.

1/13/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

An elegant wine that shows cherry and spice. Loamy, some firm tannins, and the usual weightless instensity I get from Kelley Fox wines.

1/10/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Minerality that is through the roof. Fruit is slightly tropical and ends on a salty note. Superb.

1/7/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Stone fruit with a hint of tropical fruit. Just enough acidity to keep it lively.

1/4/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Drinking beautifully. Classic Barolo.

1/1/2024 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Some 2000 Bordeaux are in their prime, and this is one of them. Dark fruit, leather, and feral. Tannins are sneaky, but I’ll take them.

12/31/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Sour cherries dominate this lovely wine. Shows the acidity of the vintage but the fruit carries it well.

12/30/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Flowers, tangerine, energetic and harmonious.

12/28/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

This is the wine I pull at the last minutes, because I decided I wanted wine with dinner. It’s earthy, it’s stemmy, it has a good core of cherry fruit. Not the most exciting, but a good midweek wine with salmon and butternut squash.

12/21/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

There are lovely aromas of red fruit and spice. The fruit is charming on the palate, with herbs and bright acidity. I expected more heft to the wine, but it was delightful with its surprising weightlessness.

12/17/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Citrus, minerals, and acid all beautifully balanced.

12/16/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Red fruit, florals, and soft tannins. This is where I like my Barolo. Just lovely.

12/14/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

All the beautiful smells of Thanksgiving. I didn’t want to take my nose out of the glass. The fruit is shy on the palate, with the tannins being ferocious.

12/9/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

No decant and we drank out of crappy restaurant glasses, and, in spite of it, the wine was lovely. Berries, florals, and licorice with soft tannins. Traditional Barbaresco that is drinking well now.

12/7/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Plums and rose petals. Satiny, delicious now, but good tannic structure for continued aging.

12/4/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

This is not Burgundy. More Grenache than Pinot tasting. The nose is particularly stemmy. The palate shows underbrush, twigs, cherry. I won’t buy this again but I wouldn’t turn down a glass if it were offered.

12/3/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Time to drink this, but there is still plenty of life left. Fruit is fading but still lingering. Leather, earth, cherries, medium bodied, moderate acidity. It did well on the dinner table.

12/2/2023 - Diane (LI) wrote:

My first Beta from Vare Vineyard, and I have to say I like this even more than Montecillo. It’s old school Napa that I love. Cherries, raspberries, florals, a little herbal, it’s an elegant wine. Tannins are surprisingly velvety, and the ribeye we had with it elevated the enjoyment of the wine. No rush to drink this, but it is damn good now.