7/1/2023 - mgstull Likes this wine:

In a blind tasting, I would peg this for a St Julien. Tobacco and cigar box up front with cassis, cherry, and plum on the finish, with a bit of Mediterranean herbs. Treading the line between primary and tertiary flavors. Has more life left but why wait.

6/23/2023 - mgstull Likes this wine:

One hour decant. Sitting right on the dividing line between fruit and tertiary flavors. Currant and cassis with cedar, leather, and earth. Previous taster noted that there was some cherry on the finish which I found as well. Right in the sweet spot.

6/23/2023 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Pale gold. Toffee, pineapple, and tropical fruit give way to a distinct lemon note on the long finish.

6/7/2023 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Pale yellow. Apple, pear, and lemon with nicely balanced oak. Zesty acidity kept this light on its feet. Long finish.

9/2/2022 - mgstull wrote:

Big and unctuous with an almost oily texture reminiscent of a rhone white. Tropical fruit and white flowers. Long finish.

8/17/2022 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Slow oxd for half an hour. Black cherry and a bit of plum although primarily tertiary flavors. Cedar cigar box and creosote on the back end with a long finish.

5/30/2022 - mgstull Likes this wine:

From magnum. Slow ox’d for two hours after pouring a glass. More elegant than powerful with plum, cassis, black and red fruits, and a bit of eucalyptus. The tannins are largely resolved and this is drinking very nicely.

5/22/2022 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Quick decant and consumed over 2 hours. First sip had a bit of hot alcohol which quickly dissipated. Sweet plum and blackberry followed by creosote notes. Very fine grained and smooth tannins. Long finish.

12/26/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

From magnum decanted and drunk over 2 days. Black cherry, currant, and lead pencil notes in an extracted but balanced package with fine grained tannins. Right in the drinking window but still has room to run.

9/14/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Smooth with blue and black fruit. A nice drink but for me it just doesn’t have a lot of complexity.

9/3/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

1 hr decant. Coffee and blackberry notes jump from the glass and follow through to the palate. Tannins have resolved largely but what remains are entirely smooth. Long finish.

6/4/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

1 hour decant. Plush and smooth mouthfeel with fine-grained sweet tannins on the back end. Blackberry, cassis, red fruits, and a mineral streak. Drinking well now but has plenty of life left.

5/27/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

2 hour decant. Big nose of bell pepper that follows through to the palate. Plum and graphite on the back end. Not evolving the way I hoped it would.

5/16/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Punches above its weight. Pineapple, orange, and grapefruit. Round and smooth and even a touch sweet. Great qpr.

4/3/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Punches above its price weight. Ripe olives and Mediterranean herbs up front with lots of tart blackberry fruit on the back end. Minimum oak. Like a hot sunny day in Provence.

3/25/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

1hour decant. Hitting on all cylinders. Coffee, black licorice, cassis, plum, and Mediterranean herbs. Tannins have largely resolved. This has plenty of life left but is drinking well right now.

1/26/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

1 hr decant. Sweet blackberry, blueberry, cassis, coffee, and road tar. Long finish.

1/25/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Pnp. Lots of blackberry and black fruits with saddle leather. Smooth tannins. A bit of white pepper on the finish.

1/12/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Pnp. Smooth with notes of cedar, blackberry, plum, and white pepper. Mid weight with smooth tannins.

1/10/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Slow ox’d for an hour. Cocoa powder, sour cherry, tobacco, and saddle leather. Prominent acidity.

1/4/2021 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Slow ox’d for 2 hours. Smoked meat and black fruit on the nose. . Blackberry, black pepper, provencal herbs, and minerality in a mid weight frame with light tannins. Interesting and complex.

12/25/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

3 plus hour decant. Well along into maturity now. Sweet blackberry and cassis on the attack gives way to lead pencil, wet stones, and Mediterranean herbs. The tannins are largely resolved. Nice long finish- a minute plus.

10/28/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Drank over 3 days. Creamy texture. Wet stones and spring flowers on the nose. Blackberry, tart cranberry, bacon fat, smoke, and tar. Great stuff.

9/25/2020 - mgstull wrote:

Lighter styled with cherry, strawberry, and earth notes.

8/4/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

A nice fruit forward smooth cab for relatively early drinking. Red and black fruit, dark chocolate.

8/4/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Dark purple. Plum and cassis with a bit of creosote on the back end. Still considerable smooth tannins. 2 hr decant.

7/30/2020 - mgstull wrote:

Drank over 2 nights. Aromas of blueberry, blackberry, and Mediterranean herbs jump from the glass. Blueberry, blackberry, herbs and smoked meat on the palate. Long finish with assertive tannins.

7/19/2020 - mgstull wrote:

Inky purple still. 2 hr decant then drunk over 2 days. Copious blackberry and blueberry with black pepper and smoked meat. Tannins still quite evident.

6/14/2020 - mgstull wrote:

Just not my thing. Drank over three days. Overripe black and blue fruit with hot alchohol on the finish. Powerful but for me almost a charicature of red wine.

6/10/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Like a gangly teenager. Good bones but needs time to get itself together. Mid weight with strawberry and cherry notes. In two years or so it should be on its game.

6/7/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Tasted over two days. Pleasant, not great. A bit hot up front With nice medium bodied red fruit, but also a bit grren on the back end. Expected more.

5/20/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

2 hr decant. Fascinating. Tart berry on the attack with loads of pepper and bacon fat. Bracing acidity. If you can imagine the polar opposite of an Aussie shiraz this is it.

2/17/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Cork disintegrated. Strained into a decanter. Right in its prime. Plum, cassis, saddle leather, and a bit of cigar box. Elegant.

1/29/2020 - mgstull wrote:

Dark red purple. Plum, cassis, blueberry, and smooth fine grained tannins.

1/8/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Dense and almost syrupy. Blackberry and blueberry and perhaps a bit of creosote. Almost too opulent. Gice it another few years.

1/8/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Light styled with strawberry, cherry, and earth. Really interesting spicy notes with oriental and baking spice.

1/8/2020 - mgstull Likes this wine:

1 hour decant. Still tight as a tick. Nice typical cab fruit flavors but still loaded with tannins. Give this another 5 years at least.

12/29/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Pnp. Drinking beautifully right now. Lots of cassis and plum and black fruit with smooth tannins.

12/29/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Pnp. Tasted next to a 2008 Anderson’s Conn Valley- a very nice cab btw - and the cab franc in the Viader made for a much different wine. Black cherry predominated up front and as the wine opened tobacco and leather notes emerged. Nicely extracted with a mid long finish.

12/16/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

2 hour decant. Black fruit, cassis, saddle leather, and lead pencil. The fruit takes a bit of a backseat to the tannins but I think this will improve over the next few years.

12/14/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Quick decant. Really nice mid weight cab franc. Black and red fruit with a hint of cinnamon on the finish. Just enough tannins to provide backbone. This will age but it is drinking well now.

11/28/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

The cork was completely knackered and turned to crumbs when I tried to extract it. The fill level was fine however. Strained into a decanter with two hours of air. Thankfully fine with plum and cassis and black licorice. Not super concentrated but drinking well now.

11/28/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Opened one of these to see what it is about. Big mistake. Even after 2 hours decant the massive tongue coating tannins overwhemed the concentrated black fruit. Put this in the back of your cellar and revisit in ten years or so.

11/24/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

1 hour decant. Inky purple. Smooth black and blue fruit overshadow the slightly gritty tannins.

10/22/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Tastes more mature than its age with cherry, a hint of orange peel, baking spice, and forest floor.

10/11/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

From magnum. 2 hr decant. Plum, currant, and blackberry notes with a creosote note on the back end. Mid long finish with fine grained tannins.

10/8/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

2 hour decant. Red purple with blueberry, blackberry, and red fruits. Smooth and silky tannins lead me to believe that this will not age well in the long term. Like other tasters have noted, I really expected more concentration and power.

9/17/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

1 hour decant. Plush with blackberry and black cherry and a hint of coffee. Smooth tannins are well integrated.

9/15/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Pnp from magnum. Medium to lighter bodied. Cherry, leather, and forest floor. Fully mature with garnet color to the rim.

9/15/2019 - mgstull Likes this wine:

Mid gold with tropical fruit, melon, peach, and vanilla notes with a medium long finish.