Small supper at Noizé (Noizé, London): Fascinating wine and great for this Brit to try a Cali Bordeaux blend with some serious bottle age. This is 65% Merlot, 30% Cab Sauvignon and 5% Cab Franc. Very youthful colour on pouring almost Zin like. Nose has a blueberry compote character there are hints of mahogany dresser and later a slice of coffee and walnut sponge cake. Palate is a little slow out of the blocks by comparison but when it gets going has real breadth. Some plum compliments the blue fruits and a little high quality grated chocolate. A treat, thanks, Dave
Pickberry is arisen. 1992. Oxidative (and crumbly-closure) on opening. Damn, do I have to fish around for another bottle? A careful decant and an hour later there’s not only fruit, but some there, there. Plum, iron, cedar, sandal wood, game, blackberry, and spice on the nose. The palate is still tannic and structured—not dried out—framing the ripeness and velvety Merlot character. This is ripe and (given the era) rich, but by no means blowsy or dull. There’s plenty of character and interest and I’ll admit to wishing I’d purchased more. Might be the worst kept secret in wine, but I’ll say it anyway: Joel Peterson makes and has made some of the most brilliant and affordable wines in the United States. Grateful for this and a pan-roasted veal chop with dried porcini, chestnut mushrooms, and a roasted sweet potato. Re-buy? In a second. Showing brilliantly. Happy Easter to those who observe.
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Elegant, old style cabernet based wine that brings a kiss of CA sweetness. Raspberry, gravel, cherry skin, eucalyptus and sage. This is from a different era when herbal side of cabernet was embraced and developed. Sonoma Mountain was still fairly undiscovered in the early 90's, but it is so nice to taste these wines.
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Full of sweetish cherries, black raspberry, hints of bitter chocolate, some gravel -- very classic. Mature structure with just enough tannin left for grip. Fully mature, perhaps the alcohol pokes out just a bit on the back end. Excellent, a very nice CA rendition of a St Emilion. Time to drink up.
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N: Hints of barnyd with notes of spice, hints of choc, berries way underneath
P: LM, poss Med, body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays in touch with the init frt as it seamlessly transitions into a very LONG, poss very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with an attractive tangy/swtness to the firming, dusty tannins. For now with food, could well still improve through '21, then holding for a # of yrs more. Impressive, & not in the LEAST bit "tired"! My EXC+/Exceptional-. 95 pts WA (4/28/95)
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Next to last bottle of the two cases I purchased from the winery in '94. It's clearly past its prime, especially from less than optimal storage over the years so it's surprising that a little decanting opens it up and it's as drinkable as it is. Truly a stellar achievement in its day for a primarily Zin house in Sonoma, an old school Bordeaux meritage meant to age for decades. I guess I'll open that last one next year but it will be a bittersweet moment, like saying goodbye to an old friend.
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A lot of wines (Raj's Birthday); 9/25/2015-9/26/2015 (Cleveland Heights): Very surprising showing IMO for this Merlot based Bordeaux blend. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is really nice. Cherries, cigar box, cassis and slight earthiness. On the palate, the fruit is very much alive. This drinks like older right bank wines (and certainly better than almost all 92 right bankers at this point). Layers of complexity. Nice cherry fruit. Earthy funk. Nice balance. One would assume past peak, this must have been some wine a few years back. Its still outstanding.
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Crumbly cork and a ton of sediment, the wine is still a dark crimson with some bricking along the edges. Spicy on the palate, especially after an hour or so, lots of advanced notes, but it still has a decent amount of tannic structure left. Oak is definitely still there, I would have guessed American oak, though I know at least the current releases are all French. Medium acidity on the finish, very balanced. A really neat wine that is drinking extremely well, but is far from over the hill.
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The is popped, decanted and aired for 4 hours before drinking. It pours a purplish with a brick orange hue and very long legs, no less because of the age. At 22 years old and quite surprisingly, this Bordeaux blend pours with minimal sediment. Although the wine is only 13.8% ABV, the nose shows remarkable concentration and huge extraction. The bouquet of white chocolate, soy sauce, sous bois, truffles. and hickory is focused and on point. On the palate, the wine rolls effortlessly down the tongue with a little tugging from the tannins which provide a well-defined structure. Notes of preserved plums, truffles, and cigar boxes dominate the core of the palate. Finish is quite long as it lasts almost 30 seconds. This wine drinks surprisingly like an aged right-bank Bordeaux and I most certainly would not be able to discern it if tasted blind. Incredible effort.
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Very good, deep palate, clean finish, perhaps will improve with age but at present does not have real interest on the nose or the palate. Has time left, might continue to develop complexity.
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Enjoyed this one with friends at a California wine tasting dinner at Simple Bistro. Sleeper of the night. Unknown, but loved by all. Light red with some brick on the rim. Lush red berry fruit from the start with touch of cedar wood complexity; the fruit sweetness nicely underpinned by good acidity, balanced and very good long finish. Drink over the next two years.
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Light-to-medium bodied with a complex flavor profile of cassis, cedar and earth notes. Fine grainy tannins still present on the interesting finish. Nice but overall seems to lack the freshness and fleshy mouthfeel I'd prefer. Drink up.
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Still deep red, needed an hour in decanter to open up fully, good nose, wondeful palate, good length. After three hours in decanter, remained deep and rich. Some time left, but not clear whether this will improve. A-.
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Chicago Wine Geeks taste Merlot (Chicago, IL): Light ruby in color. Nose has dark cherry fruits, cedar, eucalytpus and some heat. Medium bodied palate offers currants and dusty tannins. Tasty on entry but alcohol pokes out leaving it disjointed and astringent. Disappointing and past its heyday ... not at all like the 95 point RMP tasting note. Drink 'em if you got 'em!
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ZOWIE...put a T-Bone on the grill, and pulled the cork. Long cork is a challenge, the screw needs to be well into the cork or it fractures; same problem with long Bordeaux corks. Rabbit and lever corkscrews just don't have enough "throw"....now the wine; black-cherry and blackberryfruit, big up front with great balance and long finish. Did not decant, but was mindful of the sediment...at its peak! Enjoy
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Napa/Sonoma Events; 8/2/2006-8/5/2006 (Various Venues): Lost some verve, did not have the complexity or blance of previous bottles. This was a recent auction purchase so may have had storage problems. Cork was not seeped through, but did break during opening. In the past, the 1992 Pickberry has outshown the 1993, but not tonight
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GLORIOUS, magnificently rich, black-cherry and blackcurrant fruit, full body, modest sediment but definitely needed to be decanted. Lived up to Parker's accolades in 1995, and definitely has another 10 years left.
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Tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle provided by Ken Johnson. Bright disc. Deep-to-opaque garnet robe with brick rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of chocolate, coffee, raisins, cedar and burnt toast. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, medium supple tannins and flavors dominated primarily by chocolate and over-ripe fruit. Medium, smooth finish. Although there is plenty of fruit left on this wine, I doubt that it will benefit from further cellaring. Drink up!
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4/27/2023 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine:
Small supper at Noizé (Noizé, London): Fascinating wine and great for this Brit to try a Cali Bordeaux blend with some serious bottle age. This is 65% Merlot, 30% Cab Sauvignon and 5% Cab Franc. Very youthful colour on pouring almost Zin like. Nose has a blueberry compote character there are hints of mahogany dresser and later a slice of coffee and walnut sponge cake. Palate is a little slow out of the blocks by comparison but when it gets going has real breadth. Some plum compliments the blue fruits and a little high quality grated chocolate. A treat, thanks, Dave
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4/9/2023 - JohnMcIlwain Likes this wine:
Pickberry is arisen. 1992. Oxidative (and crumbly-closure) on opening. Damn, do I have to fish around for another bottle? A careful decant and an hour later there’s not only fruit, but some there, there. Plum, iron, cedar, sandal wood, game, blackberry, and spice on the nose. The palate is still tannic and structured—not dried out—framing the ripeness and velvety Merlot character. This is ripe and (given the era) rich, but by no means blowsy or dull. There’s plenty of character and interest and I’ll admit to wishing I’d purchased more. Might be the worst kept secret in wine, but I’ll say it anyway: Joel Peterson makes and has made some of the most brilliant and affordable wines in the United States. Grateful for this and a pan-roasted veal chop with dried porcini, chestnut mushrooms, and a roasted sweet potato. Re-buy? In a second. Showing brilliantly. Happy Easter to those who observe.
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3/2/2023 - RockinCabs wrote: 92 Points
Elegant, old style cabernet based wine that brings a kiss of CA sweetness. Raspberry, gravel, cherry skin, eucalyptus and sage. This is from a different era when herbal side of cabernet was embraced and developed. Sonoma Mountain was still fairly undiscovered in the early 90's, but it is so nice to taste these wines.
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5/1/2021 - billBandy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Held up well, but drink in next 6 months. Needed 1hr after decanting to fully open up.
Scent and taste of dried cherries, old leather, raspberry.
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6/22/2020 - coremill wrote: 91 Points
Full of sweetish cherries, black raspberry, hints of bitter chocolate, some gravel -- very classic. Mature structure with just enough tannin left for grip. Fully mature, perhaps the alcohol pokes out just a bit on the back end. Excellent, a very nice CA rendition of a St Emilion. Time to drink up.
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10/4/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Friday Tasting Group: "Killer Bar" (#04 for me) (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 65% Merlot, 30% C.S, & 5% C.F.
N: Hints of barnyd with notes of spice, hints of choc, berries way underneath
P: LM, poss Med, body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays in touch with the init frt as it seamlessly transitions into a very LONG, poss very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with an attractive tangy/swtness to the firming, dusty tannins. For now with food, could well still improve through '21, then holding for a # of yrs more. Impressive, & not in the LEAST bit "tired"! My EXC+/Exceptional-. 95 pts WA (4/28/95)
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8/7/2017 - Fftjr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Can't believe cork popped, perfect fill! Still delicious, great balance, still lively. Amazing.
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5/21/2016 - vinophobic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Showed great, lovely mature CA merlot-dominant blend. Similar experience to others' notes.
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11/1/2015 - Paso Duo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Next to last bottle of the two cases I purchased from the winery in '94. It's clearly past its prime, especially from less than optimal storage over the years so it's surprising that a little decanting opens it up and it's as drinkable as it is. Truly a stellar achievement in its day for a primarily Zin house in Sonoma, an old school Bordeaux meritage meant to age for decades. I guess I'll open that last one next year but it will be a bittersweet moment, like saying goodbye to an old friend.
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9/25/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
A lot of wines (Raj's Birthday); 9/25/2015-9/26/2015 (Cleveland Heights): Very surprising showing IMO for this Merlot based Bordeaux blend. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is really nice. Cherries, cigar box, cassis and slight earthiness. On the palate, the fruit is very much alive. This drinks like older right bank wines (and certainly better than almost all 92 right bankers at this point). Layers of complexity. Nice cherry fruit. Earthy funk. Nice balance. One would assume past peak, this must have been some wine a few years back. Its still outstanding.
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4/11/2015 - Tubulus wrote: 92 Points
Crumbly cork and a ton of sediment, the wine is still a dark crimson with some bricking along the edges. Spicy on the palate, especially after an hour or so, lots of advanced notes, but it still has a decent amount of tannic structure left. Oak is definitely still there, I would have guessed American oak, though I know at least the current releases are all French. Medium acidity on the finish, very balanced. A really neat wine that is drinking extremely well, but is far from over the hill.
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12/17/2014 - emzee.mc wrote: 94 Points
The is popped, decanted and aired for 4 hours before drinking. It pours a purplish with a brick orange hue and very long legs, no less because of the age. At 22 years old and quite surprisingly, this Bordeaux blend pours with minimal sediment. Although the wine is only 13.8% ABV, the nose shows remarkable concentration and huge extraction. The bouquet of white chocolate, soy sauce, sous bois, truffles. and hickory is focused and on point. On the palate, the wine rolls effortlessly down the tongue with a little tugging from the tannins which provide a well-defined structure. Notes of preserved plums, truffles, and cigar boxes dominate the core of the palate. Finish is quite long as it lasts almost 30 seconds. This wine drinks surprisingly like an aged right-bank Bordeaux and I most certainly would not be able to discern it if tasted blind. Incredible effort.
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8/21/2014 - rm97 wrote: 92 Points
drank beautifully
nice balance -
started to break up after a couple of hours but before that delicious
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4/8/2012 - Rechrom wrote: 91 Points
Very good, deep palate, clean finish, perhaps will improve with age but at present does not have real interest on the nose or the palate. Has time left, might continue to develop complexity.
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3/16/2010 - Milos wrote: 94 Points
Enjoyed this one with friends at a California wine tasting dinner at Simple Bistro. Sleeper of the night. Unknown, but loved by all. Light red with some brick on the rim. Lush red berry fruit from the start with touch of cedar wood complexity; the fruit sweetness nicely underpinned by good acidity, balanced and very good long finish. Drink over the next two years.
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7/7/2007 - Nanda wrote:
Light-to-medium bodied with a complex flavor profile of cassis, cedar and earth notes. Fine grainy tannins still present on the interesting finish. Nice but overall seems to lack the freshness and fleshy mouthfeel I'd prefer. Drink up.
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1/31/2007 - Rechrom wrote:
Still deep red, needed an hour in decanter to open up fully, good nose, wondeful palate, good length. After three hours in decanter, remained deep and rich. Some time left, but not clear whether this will improve. A-.
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12/28/2006 - Nanda wrote: 87 Points
Chicago Wine Geeks taste Merlot (Chicago, IL): Light ruby in color. Nose has dark cherry fruits, cedar, eucalytpus and some heat. Medium bodied palate offers currants and dusty tannins. Tasty on entry but alcohol pokes out leaving it disjointed and astringent. Disappointing and past its heyday ... not at all like the 95 point RMP tasting note. Drink 'em if you got 'em!
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11/6/2006 - 1800kidney wrote: 94 Points
Elegant graceful wine, blackberries and deep dark cherries. Decanted and immediately open for business...enjoy!
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8/24/2006 - 1800kidney wrote: 94 Points
ZOWIE...put a T-Bone on the grill, and pulled the cork. Long cork is a challenge, the screw needs to be well into the cork or it fractures; same problem with long Bordeaux corks. Rabbit and lever corkscrews just don't have enough "throw"....now the wine; black-cherry and blackberryfruit, big up front with great balance and long finish. Did not decant, but was mindful of the sediment...at its peak! Enjoy
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8/5/2006 - 1800kidney wrote: 90 Points
Napa/Sonoma Events; 8/2/2006-8/5/2006 (Various Venues): Lost some verve, did not have the complexity or blance of previous bottles. This was a recent auction purchase so may have had storage problems. Cork was not seeped through, but did break during opening. In the past, the 1992 Pickberry has outshown the 1993, but not tonight
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9/4/2005 - jmd60611 wrote: 96 Points
Fabulous wine...Thick, viscous, dense and fruity...This reminded me of the Dominus bigger bodied vintages that I love...65% Merlot in the blend
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7/17/2004 - 1800kidney wrote: 95 Points
GLORIOUS, magnificently rich, black-cherry and blackcurrant fruit, full body, modest sediment but definitely needed to be decanted. Lived up to Parker's accolades in 1995, and definitely has another 10 years left.
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11/21/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 83 Points
Tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle provided by Ken Johnson. Bright disc. Deep-to-opaque garnet robe with brick rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of chocolate, coffee, raisins, cedar and burnt toast. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, medium supple tannins and flavors dominated primarily by chocolate and over-ripe fruit. Medium, smooth finish. Although there is plenty of fruit left on this wine, I doubt that it will benefit from further cellaring. Drink up!
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