4/3/2013 - jhkey wrote:

45 mins in the decanter. The color is a dark reddish with just a hint of purple. This is NOT a big, fruit forward wine, it looks almost delicate in the glass. The nose is classic Cab Franc all the way. The fruit is restrained, and there’s a nice nose of that earthy funk and herbal goodness that is so unique to Cab Franc. There’s also something spicy on the nose, maybe some black pepper as well as a hint of cedar which is nice and subtle in the background, no new oak on this. The nose is really nice, one of those wines where each time you put your nose in the glass you get something different and wonderful. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied and incredibly well balanced. The acidity shines through on the medium finish. Tannins are very mild but still present. This wine would be very good with food. We’re having grass-fed strip tonight, I’ll let you know how that goes.

2 hours later – now the fruit is coming out. Nice raspberry and cranberry as well as some minerality on the tongue. And wow, there is also a nice aroma of baking spices (kind of a cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice thing???). This wine is very good. If you like a reserved, varietally correct Cab Franc I highly recommend it, but give it time to open up or give it a few more years in the bottle.

10/27/2023 - jhkey wrote:

This wine is at peak. Absolutely astounding. Rich cherry compote, eucalyptus, leather, clove, spices. Drink now. Wow.

12/31/2012 - jhkey wrote:

This was a bit past its prime and finished third behind a 92 Corison and a 93 st julien. Won't score as the wine was over the hill. Still very drinkable and a good accompaniment or dinner, but I know it was better a few years earlier.

1/21/2011 - jhkey wrote:

PnP - I'm a bit perplexed. I had the 2006 at a blind tasting and was very impressed for the price point. The 2007 (a better year) seems over-oaked? did they increase the new oak treatment on this? Why? I'm hoping a couple more years will relax it a bit...

8/7/2020 - jhkey Likes this wine:

Drank my last one. This is singing now but still plenty of life left. It improved over the time we enjoyed it, opening up with a more expressive nose of leather and spice. Very Well balanced. Wish the finish was a bit longer. Probably has a few more years in it but you can’t go wrong drinking now with an hour decant.

1/16/2022 - jhkey wrote:

No formal notes. Drinking well. Delicious

8/29/2020 - jhkey wrote:

Beautiful aged Cabernet. peaking. Drink now.

2/10/2013 - jhkey wrote:

Unremarkable and unoffensive. The fact that restaurants pour this for $8-$10 glass shows why you should always avoid the house wine. This is wine to pour for your friends who don't drink wine. this is ripe, syrupy, oak pellet wine. There must be RS in this because it taste more like a 15% ABV than the 13.7% on the label.

7/16/2011 - jhkey wrote:

decanted 1+ hours: wow, what a surprise. Not sure how they only have 13.6% in Paso, but this was really good. the bouquet just got better and better - nose of Black Cherry and cassis, leather, spices, mint and eucalyptus. the tannins were nice and round, not overpowering. The finish was very good as well, overall a great bottle, went wonderfully with the grass fed ribeye, black rice, mexican corn and arugula grilled peach salad.

6/29/2012 - jhkey wrote:

delicious, similar to previous notes, with much more spice on the nose, but lacking acidity. The finish seems muted for some reason. I think this one is just slightly starting to fade - drink up (or a case of bottle variation)

4/18/2011 - jhkey wrote:

Nose of black cherry and a hint of blueberry, also getting some mineral/graphite and a touch of eucalyptus. Opened up wonderfully after a couple of hours, and the Rutherford dust really comes out. delicious. good finish. Very good wine.

12/12/2015 - jhkey wrote:

- Ruby color - Quite tasty at 10. Currant blackberry and cedar. A hint of eucalyptus. Great value cab at the price. Would buy again in a heartbeat.

1/15/2021 - jhkey Likes this wine:

Delicious. Not notes but at its peak. Drink in the next 2 years

4/1/2011 - jhkey wrote:

decanted 1+ hr - nose of muted black fruits with strong eucalyptus and mint, very intriguing. Also some mineral / gravel which I enjoy. We paired it with prosciutto and mushroom pasta in a bechamel sauce. The food definitely helped the fruit come out, as I got more currant and some wonderful blueberry. Nice tannins, acidity and a good finish. This wine is quite good but not awe inspiring. I'm planning to hold my other bottle through the dumb period and try it in 3-4 years.

5/10/2015 - jhkey wrote:

drank this with the 2003 Juslyn Spring Mountain. I preferred the other as it had developed more tertiary flavors and the oak was less prevalent. The oak is quite dominant on this. It's not my style but delicious in its own way.

12/23/2010 - jhkey wrote:

pretty typical Napa Cab. Nice nose of dark fruits and green vegetables - I also got the menthol and found it very enjoyable ,nice soft tannins, but nothing on the tongue - almost oily coating - it lacks the acidity that I prefer. This is a good wine to drink by itself, but it didn't add anything to the incredible grass-fed NY strip we were having.

1/8/2011 - jhkey wrote:

Blind tasting at the house for New Year's Day, $20 - $40 range. I had it 3rd out of 6, but it finished 2nd overall with many folks picking it #1 - folks really dug the menthol. Still lacks the acidity I prefer

9/27/2019 - jhkey wrote:

A bit flat on the nose. Probably getting to end of life. Not a lot of fruit on the nose, some Herbs and spice. Low acid. Mellow tannins. Some interesting mint on the palate. Short-med finish. Decent but boring.

1/27/2011 - jhkey wrote:

For the price, this wine is a home run. It's definitely big and fruity (black fruits and dark cherry), but not flat - It has a wonderful acidity and a great minerality, albeit a short finish. It's almost spicy from the limestone if that's possible! Definitely recommend drinking this cool, around 55-60 degrees

1/18/2013 - jhkey Likes this wine:

nose of ripe and sour cherries, minerals/stone and a very slight good vegetal. I'm not very familiar with Carignane except in blends, but this reminds me of a ripe Cali Sangiovese. The tannin remnants from the wine covered the entire outside of the bottle, literally 360 degrees top to bottom. Delicious wine which hung tight with the curry venison cube steaks, purple potatoes and arugula salad, although I feel its sweet spot would have been pork chops or a rich pasta dish. I need to buy more Carignane when I find it.

1/5/2013 - jhkey wrote:

cherry and strawberry jammy up front. baking spices. nicely balanced, nice finish. modern in style but not over the top, a very well made wine. holds up beautifully with the grain/grass choice fed rib eye, garnet sweet potatoes and arugula pear goat cheese salad.

2/27/2013 - jhkey wrote:

the nose is incredibly floral. I can't seem to get past it, I feel like I'm drinking a flower. Otherwise a very good deal on a well balanced wine.

11/13/2014 - jhkey wrote:

delicious - great QPR - buy again.

10/8/2011 - jhkey wrote:

black raspberry and eucalyptus, a touch of stone and the slightest hint of delicious funk - wonderful nose! It has the softness and what I call boredom of a merlot, but it's so well balanced and absolutely delicious! Not a st. emelion, but a delicious CA Merlot

10/8/2011 - jhkey wrote:

agree with merryberry. The funk is delicious but it is starting to overpower the wine. There is definitely some bottle variation on these, probably a result of the significant brett. I enjoy a little brett, but as the fruit fades, it is becoming more dominant. this was the last of my 4 bottles, the score is a hybird.

4/11/2011 - jhkey wrote:

there is just way too much oak on this. it reminds me of a McManis. I can't get past all the oak.

2/27/2013 - jhkey wrote:

Not really my style. A decent deal for the price, but not one I'd buy again.

8/4/2023 - jhkey Likes this wine:

Black cherry and dried cherry, baking spices, clove. Cedar, eucalyptus. Violets and lavender. High acidity. Medium+ tannins, long finish. Wow, surprisingly long finish. This wine is fantastic for this price point. It’s singing at age 13. I can’t imagine it getting any better but it seems to continue to defy the odds. I have one more I need to drink in the next year.

12/5/2014 - jhkey Likes this wine:

No formal notes yet, but this is good stuff. In a great place. Notes to come.

2/21/2018 - jhkey Likes this wine:

Really surprised by the lower scores on this, perhaps drinking it too young? This wine is peaking now, it's beautiful and amazing, I could get lost in the nose alone. Drank after quick decant. Classic Barolo nose - a wonderful mix of blue fruits, orange zest and woodsy forest with earthy undertones. Incredibly balanced tannin and acid and med-long finish. After spending the first course buried in the nose, it paired perfectly with lamb and beef ribs slow roasted in coconut milk.

1/22/2011 - jhkey wrote:

very fruit forward. too sweet for my palate, perhaps some RS in this. Seemed quite flat, very little finish. We tasted it with the Peachy Canyon PS and the JT Cellars PS. This was clearly ranked last of the 3.

1/22/2011 - jhkey wrote:

Great QPR. Nice Fruit-forward easy drinking PS. Decent acidity, finish and tannins. Had a tasting between this, the Peachy Canyon PS, and the Windsor Vineyards PS. This one finished 2nd out of the three.

1/27/2011 - jhkey wrote:

Nice balance and body, the fruit really came out after a few hours. This was the winner in our "under $14 PS tasting". The other bottles were the JT Cellars 07 PS (2nd place) and the Windsor Vineyards 07 PS (3rd place). We didn't score them numerically, but I would guess an 86-87 if you're into that.

3/10/2012 - jhkey wrote:

Black raspberry and some darker ripe strawberry jam on the nose with a touch of oak and some mineral. it lacks the earthiness that I prefer in a pinot, but the acidity is nice. definitely on the darker fruit side of of the PN spectrum, I would have guessed there was some syrah in this if the label didn't say 100% pinot. This is a good Cali PN at a good price,

10/8/2012 - jhkey wrote:

modern fruit forward Pinot. Lower acid than I prefer, it had trouble holding up to the halibut in white wine reduction herbed meyer lemon butter.

5/14/2011 - jhkey wrote:

This wine got so much better after 2 hours in the decanter, it really opened up showing its depth as well as its long finish. Darker fruits on the nose for a pinot, but not over-extracted. a touch of earth and minerals, and a very nice finish. good acidity. This wine is fruity but balanced without being sweet or over- extracted.

5/17/2011 - jhkey wrote:

very good wine for the money. SWMBO loved it, as it's right up her alley. I prefer a bit more acidity in my pinot, but for this price, I'm not complaining. Great work Peter!

2/10/2011 - jhkey wrote:

Medium Bodied Pinot, darker than I was expecting. Decent acidity, some mild barnyard on the nose, wish there was more. It hung in there with the spicy schezuan chicken.

7/20/2011 - jhkey wrote:

great wine for the price.

7/9/2011 - jhkey wrote:

Decanted for 1+ hrs - Raspberry and black cherry, spice and minerals on the nose. Wow, the grilled Coho Salmon brought out a smokiness in the wine that I couldn't detect before. Good acidity, good finish.
Glass 2: now there's something floral and sweet coming on the nose. delicious.

7/8/2011 - jhkey wrote:

really a wonderful deal for the price I paid. This Pinot has EXCELLENT acidity. The nose is very nice and finish is great. I wish I had more!

7/8/2011 - jhkey wrote:

A great Pinot for the price. Good job Scott! No formal notes, but a highly recommended "everyday Pinot".

7/30/2011 - jhkey wrote:

blackberry and granite on the nose, the syrah comes through boldly, I almost wish there was a bit less. There is bit of earthiness but not as much as I prefer. There is also something vegetal maybe? great acidity and good finish. A huge winner at this price.

10/22/2010 - jhkey wrote:

Ruby Red with hints of...? nose: cherries, fruit, floral strawberry and damp earth. taste: leather, rich tannins, minerals and gravel - great acidity, great finish. This was a very good wine, I recommend enjoying it with food. It was delicious with our smoked salmon and chives spread, which I was not expecting.

6/12/2011 - jhkey wrote:

second bottle consistent with previous notes. Mmmmmmmm!

4/29/2011 - jhkey wrote:

Wow, I could just rest my nose inside this and be a happy man. Timing is perfect, the fruit is just slightly beginning to fade and all the complexity is bursting from the glass - decanted for about an hour. Nose: muted red fruits, spices, earthy dank forest floor, and something I can't put my finger on - maybe brick (what does brick smell like???). It's definitely something mineraly (sic). Also something sweet at the end of the nose, in the hated CA Cola category, but much more interesting. There is a very good finish and nice acidity, although I would have preferred a bit more acid pop on the tongue (minor, minor complaint). Enjoyed with a host of raw milk cheeses and aged, funky salami. DRINK NOW! Purchased from Invino - Stelvin Closure.

2/13/2011 - jhkey wrote:

we had this with the 02 and the 06. This was probably in the best place of the three. Nice acidity, bing cherries on the nose, wish it had a bit more funk and earth but it was very pleasant to drink and paired wonderfully with the assortment of heavy apps that we had - especially good with the mushroom saffron risotto.

4/21/2023 - jhkey Likes this wine:

Strawberry rhubarb. Orange peel. Pencil lead. Dried grass / hay. Floral. Medium acid. Low tannins. Med-long finish. Delicious. Drink now.

2/13/2011 - jhkey wrote:

ok burgundy for the price, we tasted this with the 2004 and 2006. The 04 is probably in a more complete place. I enjoyed this, but its past its prime as the fruit is all but gone. it did have a nice funk of barnyard, bootstrap (old leather). A very "rustic" winel. Needed an hour+ to breathe. over the hill, but enjoyable if you like old wine.

2/12/2021 - jhkey Likes this wine:

Fresh raspberries, some graphite and forest floor and a touch of mint. Nice structure and acid..medium long finish. Delicious