November 26, 2016 - Notes of cedar, black fruit and spice. Leather and dark fruit flavors on the palate. Fully-integrated and ready. Develops a terrific floral overtones featuring lavender and violets. On the palate the fruit turns toward the red end of the spectrum. 91-92 pts.
I had pulled this for the Sunday group vertical and didn't open it then so thought I'd serve it double blind to the Saturday group (two couples including Domino and I overlap). The four of us agreed that this showed very well and would have finished in the top half of the Sunday group voting.
March 11, 2012 - Lovely aromas divine old world terroir from calif
March 11, 2012 - Nose lasts 30 min in glass blackberry hints
December 31, 2010 - Fleshy, full bodied, rich with dark fruits, mocha, and held together with almost fully resolved tannins. Smooth and easy to drink. -JBL
April 14, 2010 - nose - gorgeous nose of dark cherry, maple, and toasty oak
mouth - dark fruit, black cherry, with good minerality, but narrow on the midpalate (as opposed to expansive). Still with some tannins on the finish. I'm hard pressed to see any reason to hold my last bottle any longer.
November 1, 2009 - Still retaining a deep red color, bordering on opaque. Nose of black fruit, coffee and mocha. Medium bodied with persistent flavors and astringent tannins that cling to the gumline rather than integrate. Attractive in a fading way, so I wouldn't tarry in consuming. There's also an earthiness that's quite engaging and with the unthinkably light 13% alcohol, this would be an outstanding food wine over the next few years.
July 2, 2008 - Rich ruby color. Fragrant nose that combines ripe plums, black fruits, mocha and some vegetal notes. Medium to full bodied, suave texture, nearly velvety ripe fruit, cocoa and mild herbaceousness. Hanging in there well, and I would have liked it more if not for the vegetal quality. A very manageable 13% alcohol seems to have contributed to the overall balanced evolution.
March 11, 2008 - Corked
March 11, 2008 - green pepper, coffee, tabacco. a sharp acidic mouth. I couldn't smell the TCA but others could
March 11, 2008 - Corked. Tastes of earth, pencil lead, green bell pepper and black cherry. Alcoholic and bitter finish. Dreadful. 13% alcohol.