4/7/2020 - cassetta Likes this wine:

Picked this up on a close out in 2013 for less than $10 per. Stuck it in the family's drink bin and forgot about it. Been recently plowing through most of my petite crus with great results, so I thought I'd give it a go...what a steal! Nice balance and fruit... happy to have 10 of the 24 left for Me to drink.

6/19/2011 - cassetta wrote:

From 375ml. A youthfull pale straw color. Stones, white peaches and star fruit provides a beautiful nose. Lush sweet stone fruit coats the palate with nice acidity providing great body. The finish is long with a slightly sweet edge. This wine is still a baby and has a long life ahead of it. Great stuff!

7/16/2010 - cassetta wrote:

This used to be a really fun wine...it was my go to when I wanted a big glass of lush blue fruit. Sadly this wine is now on the decline. This was my sixth and last bottle. The intense fruit is starting to fade and the heat is becoming very prominent. I had never bothered to look at the alcohol level before, but because of the heat I checked the bottle and noticed that the wine was pushing 16%. The wine was a little disjointed with a raisin element to the fruit. What acidity that was there to balance the wine before seems to be nearly gone. This wine should be consumed ASAP...

4/30/2010 - cassetta wrote:

No POX here! I was going to write a TN but then I saw Paul D's...no need to repeat, his TN is spot on.

8/29/2009 - cassetta wrote:

I popped this after some discussion on ERP about premox...No premox here...light gold/straw in color. Peaches and appricots on the nose. Very tight on the palate...I'm going to let this sit for a little while and follow-up then.

8/24/2009 - cassetta wrote:

Dark and concentrated. Very new world. Nose offers sweet black fruit but with a hint of vanilla. Sweet on the palate but not enough backbone..a little flabby. Nice wine..correct...but nothing special...no earth, no real mid palate...finish is pleasant but short. Expected more from a $50 wine that has spent nearly five years in the cellar...I don't see this getting any better.

6/21/2009 - cassetta wrote:

A father’s day gift to myself. Opened a little after 5pm and followed over the next seven hours. The color was a brilliant translucent garnet. The nose was intoxicating with a core of road tar and decomposed leaves and rose petals in the background. The palate was full with a cascade of sweet fruit and long smooth finish. It is still just a baby, as the acidity was still noticeable in the background and the wine barely budged through the night. This will be better in another five to years.

6/5/2009 - cassetta wrote:

This was a pop and pour. Extremely dark. Intense black fruit laced with black olives, earth and Mediterranean spices provides a gorgeous nose. Lush fruit coats the palate with silky tannins. Surprisingly approachable but still has decent body. Extremely New World in style and made to drink young but will be better in another couple of years but should still be consumed over the next five…

12/12/2008 - cassetta wrote:

Bright garnet in the glass. Spiced red plums soar from the glass with a hint of prunes and some mocha in the background. The 16% alcohol is just barely noticeable on the nose. Lush sweet red fruit laced with minerals coats the palate leaving a smooth long beautiful finish. Great balance with silky tannins. This wine is just starting to enter maturity and should provide plenty of pleasure many more years…1,133 cases made 94+

5/30/2008 - cassetta wrote:

Dark, lush and ripe. A great glass of Barbera. GREAT Pizza wine! This has a little oak and will improve with another year or two in the cellar and should be a great quaff for a few more years therafter. Great QPR for under $20.

11/11/2007 - cassetta wrote:

This was fantastic and definitely over delivered on my expectations. Decanted for two hours and consumed over the next couple of hours. Lush Black fruits with loads coffee and tobacco. Great balance and grip. It went well with tonight’s dinner of Rack of Lamb. An incredible QPR at under $40 to my door.

6/15/2007 - cassetta wrote:

I purchased some of these on a whim when the 2000’s were showing up in the stores about four years ago. I had forgotten about them until last night when I was looking for a quaff.
Blackberries, smoke and Graves earth on the nose. Sweet black fruit fills the mouth with silky smooth tannins providing nice structure. Just a great unexpected surprise! 90-91 pts. Not something for the long term but should provide more great quaffing for at least another 4-5 years. I just ordered three more cases at $20 per bottle – an incredible QPR!

12/8/2006 - cassetta wrote:

Bright straw in color. Powerful nose of tropical fruits. Rich full palate of a mélange of fruit with vibrant acidity. This really reminds me of the '02 Newton Chard but with MORE body. The buttery finish shows the full malo but it's still a powerful wine that needs some time in the cellar. I would liked to have tried the '00 when it was young for the sake of comparison but I think that this will be a longer lived wine. Bravo Jim!

12/8/2006 - cassetta wrote:

Light gold in color. Nose of peaches and pineapple with a hint of butterscotch. Full bodied, the fruit peaches and pineapple comes through in the mouth. The long buttery finish has a hint of minerality. This full malo chard is currently at peak maturity IMO.

12/8/2006 - cassetta wrote:

Classic Gewurztraminer with a strong perfume of lychee and rose petals. The color of straw with a hint of gold. Despite the richness in the nose the palate is bone dry (ala ZH). Oily with nice body and a little spice in the mouth. By far the best non-Alsacian Gew that I've tried.

12/8/2006 - cassetta wrote:

Pale staw in color. Apricot and orange zest on the nose. Bone dry on the palate with great acidity and a long finish of crushed stones. Reminds me of a Trimbach. This will be better and warrant a higher score with a few more years in the cellar.

12/8/2006 - cassetta wrote:

Dark and dense in color. The nose erupts with dark chocolate and cab franc spice (17%). Black friut coats the palate with smooth silky tannins. The wine continued to flesh out over the coarse of the night. Old world nose with a lush new world character. I would have pegged this as left bank bordeaux from a ripe year. BTW, while not in the same leauge, this wine held it's own against the '03 Branaire Ducru.

12/8/2006 - cassetta wrote:

Bright ruby. Red fruits and minerals on the nose. This wine is such a baby and is currently very tight but has excellent concentration and balance. Very Burgundian old world style. I'd really like to see what this wine develops into ten years from now. I would have never guessed this to be a new world wine, let alone a Pinot from Michigan!

9/9/2006 - cassetta wrote:

Deep garnet with a little fading on the edge. Animal fur and beefs blood dominates the aromas with some spice and black plums in the background. Lush on the attack with earth and meat. Plenty of structure to support another 10 years in the cellar. The mid palate could use a little more stuffing and the finish is a little tart though. Overall it’s a very enjoyable wine and was a fantastic QPR.

8/25/2006 - cassetta wrote:

This wine was puzzling. It was much more reserved than the Dunn when opened and took about three hours in the decanter to come around, drank really well between the 3-4 hour point and then it kind of fell apart by the end of the night. Lot’s of plums on the nose, which turned a little pruney at the end. Once aerated the palate was lush but not very delineated just kind of one dimensional. This was a 93-94 point wine for about an hour before it got clumsy. 92 pts.

8/25/2006 - cassetta wrote:

1993 Dunn H.M - was rockin! Lush black-fruits and earth on the nose. It had loads of cassis and a little minerality on the palate. Great structure and balance. While approachable right out of the bottle, it continued to evolve and put on weight throughout the night showing that it has a long life ahead of it. I think that the '93 is better than the more acclaimed vintages of '91, 94 and 95. This was one of the better California Cabs that I’ve had in awhile – great juice! 95+ pts.

6/18/2006 - cassetta wrote:

Thought I’d finally give this a try after 10 years. Opened over three hours, this wine is very dark, nearly black. Black fruit erupts from the glass with some vanilla and earth in the background. It’s very lush on the palate with gobs of glycerin and sweet tannins. Very long and pleasant finish but the tannins afterwards remind me that this wine is still a baby and in need of at least another 5 years in the cellar before being revisited. This is a great young wine now but promises something spectacular in another 10-20 years.

1/13/2006 - cassetta wrote:

Funkycomadina – This wine is loaded with funk, on the nose and palate. Backed with a core of ripe fruit and sweet oak this wine shows a considerable amount of funk for a New World wine. Kind of awkward and a little disjointed at this point. Course tannins are still evident on the finish. It’s really a lush mouth full of funky ripe juice though. This needs a few more years to smooth out but I don’t know if it will help? I LOVE funky wines but this is REALLY FUNKY and Not in an old-world way. Three to five more years in the cellar should help this wine, as long as the funk doesn’t run amuck. Rated for what it is now.

12/31/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Bright light gold in color. Nose of ripe pears and crushed stones. Full bodied with great balance, nice acidity and minerals in the mouth. The finish is long and smooth. Mature Burg at it's best but showing no signs of decline. Great Stuff.

12/17/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Mike Z's bottle, see below. Came back to this wine after it had been opened for 8+ hours. Just rocking! Intense red fruit soars from the glass. Immense concentration on the palate. This wine has an incredibly long life ahead of it.

12/16/2005 - cassetta wrote:

OTH - If your's were impeccably stored, then they might have a chance. Otherwise its nothing but sugar water.

11/18/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Took this to dinner and had it with a Wet Aged Prime Bone-in Filet Oscar. From a magnum and decanted for about 45 minutes. This wine was hitting on all cylinders. Deep dark garnet in color with a little bricking on the edges. Cassis, smoke and saddle leather erupts from the glass. Full bodied, with a core of cassis and completely resolved tannins but still enough to provide good structure. Smooth satisfying finish. A perfectly mature wine IMO. This wine should continue to sing for another 5-7 years for bottles properly cellared since release.

9/8/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Deep purple. Complex nose with bright red fruits and a touch of sweet oak. Lush red fruit on the palate with subtle integrated tannins. A delicious wine that should be better in a couple more years.

9/8/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Bright ruby with some bricking on the edges. Nose of cedar and cassis. Lighter in weight than the others but a very elegant wine with smooth seamless tannins and a long smooth finish. Seems more like a mature Bordeaux than a California Cab. Currently peaking IMO but should hold for another 5, maybe 10 years.

9/8/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Dull ruby in color. Nose of cherries but with a trace of vegetables. Slightly green (stemmy) with under ripe fruit. Light short finish. Fully mature. Drinkable but a complete failure for the vintage. I wish I would have stopped buying these after the '92 vintage.

9/8/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Dark purple. Intense nose of black fruits. Big powerful wine with firm sweet tannins and plenty of grip. Great length. A beautiful multidimensional wine which is still in its primary stage and should be better in a few more years. It will probably reach its peak in 5-10 years. Fantastic wine

9/8/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Ripe red berries and vanilla on the nose. Tightly wound but with a velvety texture. Dark fruits but the oak comes through on the finish. I don't think that aging will help this wine because IMO the oak will out live the fruit. Overall a pleasant wine though.

9/8/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Bright gold. Nose of crushed stones, peaches and a hint of pineapple. Tropical fruit come through on the palate with a nice mineral edge and enough acidity to provide support. Great juice and peaking. Drink’em if you got’em.

8/20/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Dark ruby. Now this is a “modernist” Barolo. Nose of Black cherries and a hint of vanilla. The wine is lush with fruit but the oak gives it a cherry cola profile. With a few more years in the cellar this will be a better wine once the oak fully integrates. Nice wine

8/20/2005 - cassetta wrote:

This wine took about an hour in the decanter to really show itself but when it did I was very happy with what I saw. Bright light ruby. Nose of roses and a little tar. On the palate the wine exhibited red licorice with sweet tannins and vibrant acidity. This was a pleasant surprise, as I was expecting a little more of a “modernist” style but it was anything but. While approachable it will be much better in another 3-5 years. Another excellent wine for the money.

8/20/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Bright garnet. On the nose this wine showed classic CdP garrique (SP?), with some red fruits. Asian spices and red plums coat for palate and the finish is smooth. It has excellent balance and the sweet tannins in the background will provide plenty of support for cellaring over the next 8-10 years. Excellent wine and QPR.

8/20/2005 - cassetta wrote:

From magnum. Dark, dense plum in color with light bricking on the edge. Lavender initially explodes from the glass and then scent of brooding black fruits emerge with some secondary aromas of saddle leather just starting to develop. Lush blackberries and plums coat the palate with a long smooth finish. The sweet tannins are fully integrated but there to provide enough support for the wine to hold for a few more years, maybe more under ideal cellar conditions. Very similar to the ’85 at the same age. Delicious wine.

8/20/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Pale straw in color. White peaches and pears on the nose with a mineral edge. The fruit and mierality comes through on the palate but the finish could be a little longer. The wine had nice acidity and balance with enough structure to improve with a few more years in the cellar. Overall, a very nice wine.

8/20/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Light gold with a nose of tropical fruit. Buttery and lush on the palate. Seemed a little flabby and mature for such a young wine. P&H’s usually have more acidity. This wine should be consumed over the next few years. While enjoyable, this was different than what I was expecting.

8/20/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Dark, dark ruby. Perfumed nose. Rich, concentrated and very fruity. The spirit is almost fully integrated. Still a few years from maturity. Little bit of a bite on the finish. Nice Port but not as good as others from the vintage.

8/6/2005 - cassetta wrote:

I opened decanted this bottle a little past noon, left it in the cellar and consumed the wine over the next twelve hours. The first pour was little under whelming. Bright ruby in color with some graphite and blackberries on the nose. On the palate there were minerals accents with a smooth balanced finish. I continued to check in on the wine about every hour or so to see how is was developing. After about 3 hours in the decanter the wine really started to open up and became darker with some smoke and dark chocolate on the nose but the palate was still a little retrained. At the 4 hour mark it really started to blossom. The color was now a dark opaque. The nose was bursting with coffee and chocolate with the blackberries still lingering in the background. The chocolate was now also coming through on the palate along with the minerals. The wine was superbly balanced with a looonnngg smooth finish. After 5 hours this wine was completely singing and was a mocha berry cappuccino. Rich lush and delicious. This young baby completely blew away the '91 Phelps Insignia, '96 Pahlmeyer and the '96 Opus (the Opus was the best of those three) which I had opened for dinner. The wine held onto its explosiveness up through the 9 hour mark at which time the intensity started to gradually fade. I finished my last glass a little before midnight along with a taste of the other wines mentioned. Although it's fruit had faded some it was still a great glass of wine. Whereas all the Cali's, which were opened over 4 hour later and not decanted, had completely faded away. RMP pretty much nailed this one.

8/1/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Copious amount of ripe fruit but even more vanilla the Hundred Acre. Why the need for this much oak?

8/1/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Nice structure and concentration with silky tannins but the oak just dominates.

8/1/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Very nice for the vintage but the green tannins are still noticeable as is the charred oak.

8/1/2005 - cassetta wrote:

A little rustic in color with leather, smoke and a slight hint of barnyard on the nose. Cassis on the palate with smooth tannins but with plenty of structure. This is currently drinking great and should be consumed over the next few years.

8/1/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Dark wine with no bricking. Dark fruits on the nose with a trace of barnyard but not as much as the ’90. Gob’s of black fruit coats the palate with silky seamless tannins in the background. Just a hedonistic blockbuster of a wine. No hurry but why wait?

8/1/2005 - cassetta wrote:

A mirror but younger image of the ’91 with maybe a little bit more fruit and tannins. Not as rounded as the ’91 but still a great pleasure to drink. Herb’s bottle was pristine and obviously properly cellared – could use a few more years.

8/1/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Nice wine that will make a great drinker with a few more years in the bottle. A little thin on the mid palate and a short finish but overall a success for the vintage.

8/1/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Smooth and more concentrated fruit than the Ducru. Spice on the nose and rich with glycerin that coats the palate.

5/14/2005 - cassetta wrote:

Blair's Burgundy and Bordeaux Blowout: Still a baby and primary.