December 9, 2023 - Vertical of 2004, 2005, 2006.
This 2006 was the biggest, richest of the three; similar to the 2005 but a notch bolder. Loads of dark fruit, mellowed oak, super long finish. Peak drinking.
October 15, 2019 - Deep-dark reddish-purple in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & crème de cassis with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes, herbs, spices, mint, anise, olives, coffee, leather & a slight hint of cedar in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & silky smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with cocoa, spices, dried herbs, minerals & a slight hint of vanilla/oak. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present at 13 years of age with decanting & extended airing. It appears to be approaching its peak of development but should hold for a few more years although I doubt any further development would occur from additional aging. A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot & 9% Cabernet Franc.
December 26, 2016 - Drinking very well now.
October 27, 2016 - Popped and left open for about 30 minutes before pouring. Better than an everyday drinker but not as complex as I was hoping either. This seemed like it was youthful though and it may be that the second 1/2 of the bottle will be better tomorrow.
Not at all a bad wine and well worth the $20 I paid for it.
July 17, 2016 - My final bottle. Sat in a wide-bottom decanter for about 20 minutes before we got to it. Nice nose with caramelized sugar, mint, anise, medicinal herbs, leaning into peppery notes, green pepper, leather, loads of spice. Still lots of nice acidity, making this really juicy right now...but there is just the tiniest bit of structure left. Slightly more muted than my previous bottle....if this bottle is a representative sample, seems to be starting to move in the downward direction; still offers lots of pleasure and paired very well with seared tri-tip....drink up.
May 5, 2015 - No notes, but consistent with previous drink back in 2013. I don't think this will improve in the bottle, but no signs of fading either.
March 31, 2015 - Agree with 2/2015 tasting note. This is perfect right now. Beautiful garnet color. Dark fruit and touch of menthol on the nose, the fruit hits you right up front with a mix of raspberry and blackberry the mouth feel is medium weight, very silky smooth as it slide to the back of the palate and bites with some mild acidity with flavors of blackberry, coffee and cocoa. Glad I waited this long, perfect right now, don't wait!
February 9, 2015 - One of my favs. It is drinking at a all time best right now.
January 15, 2015 - Plums, herbs, a little cedar, black cherry, and a little bell pepper on the nose. Juicy plum, black cherry, cassis, and earth on the palate. Really nice juicy acidity, good underlying tannins, and a good finish. Overall, the fresh juicy fruit on the palate is what makes this wine. The nose is a bit deceptive, and the mid-palate is a bit lackluster, but on the whole this is very nice.
January 10, 2015 - While this was not our original intention, this ended up sitting in the decanter for about 4 hours before we drank it. Nice nose with good secondary aromas including lots of cola and a fair amount of green pepper. Still some good red and dark fruits with well integrated spice. On the palate, there is good acidity, which pushes in a slightly sour direction and essentially no tannin on the finish (even with a swish).
Day 2: We had about a half a bottle left. This was still pretty good on Day 2. Definitely a bit faded, but still good. In any case, this is drinking well right now and doesn't seem like it's structured to improve much more.