I can't agree that this wine is soft. There is a solid acid structure. It has good concentration but without the cloying aspect of so many mass market wines. This gives it some character. Good typicity and a decent finish. Seems like a wise choice for a large event or backyard barbecue.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cellared for 3 years. PnP - served cool around 65 degrees. The nose is beautiful - leather and black/blue fruit in perfect ripeness, vanilla, and just the right amount of forest floor and wood. But on the palette it does feel heavy weighty and the oak is way overdone. There is a long finish with a bitter aftertaste that hints at artificially Oakiness. It’s drinkable and the nose is lovely but overall, I would not buy this again but wouldn’t turn it away at a dinner party. It has tannins so would be nice with some burgers or such but it does fight with the flavors and coats your tongue . Not subtle for sure
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 30 minutes. The nose and palate are not that expressive. The wine has enough tannins to stand up to a steak. This is a serviceable if uneventful cabernet that goes well with food. Don't expect fireworks.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was given this bottle as a gift and didn't expect much. I was surprised. First sip showed all sorts of problems, but they disappeared in less than a minute. A pleasant, soft, everyday drinker. If you want a true bordeaux style red or California cab, drink something else.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is the "Signature Red Wine" for Francis Ford Coppola: Very well structured wine, very "round" as the French would put it. Nice blackberry fruit, soft tannins, easy to drink and appreciate. No surprise that it is A Wine Enthuisiast's Editor's choice (91pts). Pairs well with mushroom-sauced meats, even goes well with grilled pork chops. (Claret is what the British called the early red-wine coming from Bordeaux area- which became their favorite even though is was light red in color. Light color is "Claire" in French, who originally nicknamed these wines "Clairet" which was adopted and retained by the British when Henry the 2nd married Eleanor of Aquitaine - Bordeaux region - and the export of Bordeaux wines began in earnest.)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry and raspberry. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity. Excellent wine - a fine example of the traditional English "Claret". It was the perfect wine to have as a 2nd bottle with a steak dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit musty nose, plenty of one dimensional juicy sweet fruit, raspberry, cherry, smooth innocuous finish. Nothing wrong with this simple blend just a bit boring.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The grand label and designation of " Claret " is a tad pretentious . On nose: prominent oak and strong vanilla bean. On palate: more of the above flavour notes in addition to sweet cherry and chocolate notes, some acidity but very little tannic backbone ....odd notes of root beer and pipe tobacco ....very New World , but have tasted far better wines from Mondavi,Mayacamas and Guenoc Langtry....true , I'm a Bordeaux lover ....but this is sad....some may like it.....me, not so much.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind. Called high production Napa blend in American Oak. Nose of ripe fruit and a hint of tobacco and some vanilla. Loads of berries on the palate with jam. Not a lot of depth here. Surprised by the French Oak. Agree with other reviews. This is a good every day table wine to have with home spaghetti or pizza. Don’t believe this will age well. Good value and would drink again, but not seeing anything above an 85 here.
Another wine I haven’t had in ages. Doesn't have much of a spine but it shows tasty, red and black fruit and a touch of vanilla sweetness. Pretty much how I remember it and does a good job with food.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pop and pour, drank 2 glasses over 2 hours. I found this to be a rather uninteresting and slightly sweet/jammy cabernet. It may just need a couple years to integrate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Said to be a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon 19% Petit Verdot 3% Cabernet Franc 1% Merlot. 12 months in French oak. PnP during dinner with our son in law over. Served along side the 2016 Chateau Bessan from Margaux. This really holds it own along side the 2016 chateau Bessan. All be it, slightly riper and a little bit richer. Otherwise very BDX like. Nita slightly preferred this. Both wines had the same 13.5% alc. For CA Cab blend there is nothing remotely over the top about this wine. Immediately accessible & delicious. Ruby red color. Unexpected depth for the $13 I paid. Aromas of smoky dark berries & creosote. The palate delivers cherry, boysenberry, dark chocolate, expresso and faint tobacco leaf. Best to drink these this in high 50s / low 60s. The winery seems to have this cuvee dialed in and is a great week night red.
This wine when poured looked young with an inky like red color. The legs were medium with a secondary set of legs shortly after the 1st. This wine as well was very complex to distinguish but did give strong notes of oak wood. To the mouth this wine provided sweetness & tartness with a medium smooth finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A real nice deep red appearance matches the smell. It has a deep berry smell a little blackberry. The start is nice and thick with a burst of berry. It is velvety in the middle and brings a little sweet. The finish is a little tart and lightens up with a little strawberry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Said to be a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon 19% Petit Verdot 3% Cabernet Franc 1% Merlot. Aged 12 months in French oak. PnP and slow ox for an hour before dinner. Immediately accessible & delicious. Somewhat lighter ruby red color. The BDX blend adds unexpected depth for the $13 I paid. Aromas of smoky dark berries & creosote. The palate delivers cherry, boysenberry, dark chocolate, expresso and faint tobacco leaf. A terrific value at $13 and great with burgers. 13.5% alc. and slight heat as warms. NOTE, best to drink these big CA reds with a little chill. This starts out very assessible but gets even better, showing more balance and range a few hours+ out. The winery seems to have this cuvee dialed in across vintages almost like a champagne house's NV.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
California blend with a little midpalate grip. Very surprised by others who describe the wine as a mid-week pizza wine and give it 89 points. This is o.k. soft, well balanced, a nice cabernet based claret at an attractive price. The netting is a bit much.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decent weekday sipper or to have with pizza, burgers or bbq. No real distinctive nose, and the flavors were not well joined - probably because of its age. Decent fruit and tannins. Medium short finish. Decent wine for the price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A nice Cab based blend works well as weeknight Pnp wine for most any summer grilling dinner. Dark red cherry fruit and smooth drinking. For $11 hits the mark for what you should expect at that price :-)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
11/14/2022 - pfleche@gmail.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fine example of CA can from Geyservillr. Bold fruit, well balanced and smooth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2022 - S Spade wrote: 88 Points
I can't agree that this wine is soft. There is a solid acid structure. It has good concentration but without the cloying aspect of so many mass market wines. This gives it some character. Good typicity and a decent finish. Seems like a wise choice for a large event or backyard barbecue.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2022 - AjitK wrote: 87 Points
Cellared for 3 years. PnP - served cool around 65 degrees. The nose is beautiful - leather and black/blue fruit in perfect ripeness, vanilla, and just the right amount of forest floor and wood. But on the palette it does feel heavy weighty and the oak is way overdone. There is a long finish with a bitter aftertaste that hints at artificially Oakiness. It’s drinkable and the nose is lovely but overall, I would not buy this again but wouldn’t turn it away at a dinner party. It has tannins so would be nice with some burgers or such but it does fight with the flavors and coats your tongue . Not subtle for sure
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2021 - Ray K wrote: 84 Points
Gave me a headache
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2021 - Ireland143 wrote:
Would drink again
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2021 - madvitale Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still good. At $12-13 a bottle, this will be in my cellar again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2021 - Ahanflik wrote:
Crap
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2021 - bryon m Likes this wine: 90 Points
Aged well in a large bottle. Good color, clear with a medium body. This was soft with nice fruit from start to end.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2020 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 30 minutes. The nose and palate are not that expressive. The wine has enough tannins to stand up to a steak. This is a serviceable if uneventful cabernet that goes well with food. Don't expect fireworks.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2020 - Lulu2 wrote: 86 Points
Was fine .. nothing memorable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2020 - RoccoSydney wrote: 88 Points
Smooth. Merlot chocolate, plums, minimal tobacco
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2020 - cglex Likes this wine: 87 Points
I was given this bottle as a gift and didn't expect much. I was surprised. First sip showed all sorts of problems, but they disappeared in less than a minute. A pleasant, soft, everyday drinker. If you want a true bordeaux style red or California cab, drink something else.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/24/2020 - BURGHen Boy wrote: 87 Points
Mellow, smooth blend, easy drinking for a crowd. Waft of cocoa pops out now and again
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2020 - LaGardere Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is the "Signature Red Wine" for Francis Ford Coppola: Very well structured wine, very "round" as the French would put it. Nice blackberry fruit, soft tannins, easy to drink and appreciate. No surprise that it is A Wine Enthuisiast's Editor's choice (91pts). Pairs well with mushroom-sauced meats, even goes well with grilled pork chops. (Claret is what the British called the early red-wine coming from Bordeaux area- which became their favorite even though is was light red in color. Light color is "Claire" in French, who originally nicknamed these wines "Clairet" which was adopted and retained by the British when Henry the 2nd married Eleanor of Aquitaine - Bordeaux region - and the export of Bordeaux wines began in earnest.)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2020 - Cathy7337 Likes this wine: 97 Points
My fav right now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2020 - Coromandel Likes this wine: 90 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry and raspberry. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
Excellent wine - a fine example of the traditional English "Claret". It was the perfect wine to have as a 2nd bottle with a steak dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2020 - VinHound Likes this wine: 90 Points
So young but unwound well with aeration. Strong fruit. Nice balance. Drinks way over it’s price point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2020 - VinHound Likes this wine:
Young... but opens up nicely as I grill.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2020 - wtianseter wrote: 87 Points
A sophisticated wine with solid fruit in the front and light tannin on the finish. Never disappoints.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2020 - CPDebo wrote:
OK
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2020 - wineshaman wrote: 87 Points
A bit musty nose, plenty of one dimensional juicy sweet fruit, raspberry, cherry, smooth innocuous finish. Nothing wrong with this simple blend just a bit boring.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2019 - whitejnj Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great wine great bouquet and superb tast
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2019 - Pontifax wrote: 83 Points
The grand label and designation of " Claret " is a tad pretentious .
On nose: prominent oak and strong vanilla bean.
On palate: more of the above flavour notes in addition to sweet cherry and chocolate notes, some acidity but very little tannic backbone ....odd notes of root beer and pipe tobacco ....very New World , but have tasted far better wines from Mondavi,Mayacamas and Guenoc Langtry....true , I'm a Bordeaux lover ....but this is sad....some may like it.....me, not so much.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2019 - DJ Veritas wrote: 85 Points
Tasted blind. Called high production Napa blend in American Oak. Nose of ripe fruit and a hint of tobacco and some vanilla. Loads of berries on the palate with jam. Not a lot of depth here. Surprised by the French Oak. Agree with other reviews. This is a good every day table wine to have with home spaghetti or pizza. Don’t believe this will age well. Good value and would drink again, but not seeing anything above an 85 here.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
9/25/2019 - sailincarib Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent wine. Just the right balance of acidity, alcohol, and sweetness. Would buy again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2019 - vegastom2 Likes this wine: 87 Points
Surprised me with it's smoothness and long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2019 - Baron Slick wrote: 86 Points
Another wine I haven’t had in ages. Doesn't have much of a spine but it shows tasty, red and black fruit and a touch of vanilla sweetness. Pretty much how I remember it and does a good job with food.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2019 - FuzzyHamsters wrote: 93 Points
Very good wine. A-. Great flavor and definitely worth it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2019 - Smithiesjs Likes this wine:
Good follow through. Good value wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/5/2019 - galewskj wrote: 88 Points
Pop and pour, drank 2 glasses over 2 hours. I found this to be a rather uninteresting and slightly sweet/jammy cabernet. It may just need a couple years to integrate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2019 - rcoops wrote:
4, heavy body, jammy but a little too malolactic or oaky
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2019 - chablis28 wrote: 90 Points
Said to be a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon 19% Petit Verdot 3% Cabernet Franc 1% Merlot. 12 months in French oak. PnP during dinner with our son in law over. Served along side the 2016 Chateau Bessan from Margaux. This really holds it own along side the 2016 chateau Bessan. All be it, slightly riper and a little bit richer. Otherwise very BDX like. Nita slightly preferred this. Both wines had the same 13.5% alc. For CA Cab blend there is nothing remotely over the top about this wine. Immediately accessible & delicious. Ruby red color. Unexpected depth for the $13 I paid. Aromas of smoky dark berries & creosote. The palate delivers cherry, boysenberry, dark chocolate, expresso and faint tobacco leaf. Best to drink these this in high 50s / low 60s. The winery seems to have this cuvee dialed in and is a great week night red.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
5/15/2019 - mrwebstar wrote: 81 Points
Not as dense as similar cab sauvs, lighter on the fruit for the dark, rich color. Ok, not great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2019 - VinoMomNola wrote: 87 Points
Bright ruby, fast legs, medium+ body, blackberry, white pepper, high alcohol, low acidity, medium finish, medium tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2019 - KnoxBulldogs Likes this wine: 86 Points
I found this bottle to be very subtle - actually lacking - in flavor
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/19/2019 - Kevin Staveley wrote: 85 Points
This wine when poured looked young with an inky like red color. The legs were medium with a secondary set of legs shortly after the 1st. This wine as well was very complex to distinguish but did give strong notes of oak wood. To the mouth this wine provided sweetness & tartness with a medium smooth finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/13/2019 - lbrooks Likes this wine: 88 Points
A real nice deep red appearance matches the smell. It has a deep berry smell a little blackberry. The start is nice and thick with a burst of berry. It is velvety in the middle and brings a little sweet. The finish is a little tart and lightens up with a little strawberry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2019 - chablis28 wrote: 89 Points
Said to be a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon 19% Petit Verdot 3% Cabernet Franc 1% Merlot. Aged 12 months in French oak. PnP and slow ox for an hour before dinner. Immediately accessible & delicious. Somewhat lighter ruby red color. The BDX blend adds unexpected depth for the $13 I paid. Aromas of smoky dark berries & creosote. The palate delivers cherry, boysenberry, dark chocolate, expresso and faint tobacco leaf. A terrific value at $13 and great with burgers. 13.5% alc. and slight heat as warms. NOTE, best to drink these big CA reds with a little chill. This starts out very assessible but gets even better, showing more balance and range a few hours+ out. The winery seems to have this cuvee dialed in across vintages almost like a champagne house's NV.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2019 - bluehorseshoe wrote: 86 Points
Very light in color. Berry fruit with decent acidity and a short finish. Better options available at this price point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2019 - monk1019 wrote: 87 Points
Delicious with Italian lasagna! Excellent QPR for an everyday wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2019 - jsternh Likes this wine: 86 Points
California blend with a little midpalate grip. Very surprised by others who describe the wine as a mid-week pizza wine and give it 89 points. This is o.k. soft, well balanced, a nice cabernet based claret at an attractive price. The netting is a bit much.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2019 - hyakmaria Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicious with our Christmas Eve spaghetti dinner with family and friends. Dark red hue and flavor notes. Very drinkable on a festive evening!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2019 - VinoOhio Likes this wine: 89 Points
A little sweet, mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2019 - Ebonyisbell Likes this wine: 91 Points
Smooth, coats the tongue with deep tones of oak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/22/2018 - Wolfde Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decent weekday sipper or to have with pizza, burgers or bbq. No real distinctive nose, and the flavors were not well joined - probably because of its age. Decent fruit and tannins. Medium short finish. Decent wine for the price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/4/2018 - redmancge Likes this wine: 87 Points
A nice Cab based blend works well as weeknight Pnp wine for most any summer grilling dinner. Dark red cherry fruit and smooth drinking. For $11 hits the mark for what you should expect at that price :-)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2018 - Birorganic Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good value, easy drinker. Nice Blend. Will buy again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment