Really nice. Mature, with well integrated tannins and subtle fruit. The fruit seemed a little thin, so guessing this is on the backside of life, but probably another year would be fine.
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A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied red blend, with black cherry, currants, coffee, Asian spice on finish. A easy drinker, in a good drinking zone, decant for one hour. www.winelx.com
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PnP, drank half the bottle tonite, the other half in a day or two. This is predominantly Cab Sauv (2/3) blended with Syrah (1/3) and a dollop of Petit Verdot. The wine is deep black/purple, with a gentle fade to a medium purple rim. The nose is clean, and offers up med(-) intensity notes of cola, black pepper / spice, and some vegetal green pepper notes with charred wood in the upper register. The nose is a bit closed and reticent today. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, showing very firm and persistent med(+) tannins, that are just starting to meld nicely with the structured mouthfeel. This wine is obviously dry, and has medium acidity to give it a lively freshness. The black and blue fruits are a bit backward today, and the new oak is really pushing through a bit too much and overwhelms the palate a bit. That being said, it should integrate nicely in the next few years. The medium length finish is full of minerals and charcoal (from the oak). This wine would be best between 2014-2020, IMHO.
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Very inky, almost black, making for a dramatic pour. Aggressive, somewhat alcoholic nose, touch of menthol. Not as heavy as the colour might suggest but definitiely a bruiser-lite of a wine. Fruit all there, leaning toward the tart vs. the ultra-ripe and opulent. Not much finesse - at least at this stage - though it does act as if it might be better behaved with even just a little settling in the cellar; perhaps just a year or two would knock off some of the sharp edges, and at at this price point one can afford to experiment. Good middling length finish. A nice wine that wouldn't back down from lively table fare; I'd pair it with something spicy like grilled sausages in spicy tomatoe sauce or similar, earthy, zesty dishes.
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Tasted this against Efeste's Final-Final. Similar in half cab Sauvignon and half syrah. Zachary's ladder has a dash (4%) Petit Verdot whereas the Final-Final has 2% Mourvedre. Zachary's ladder had more depth and was better with food (lamb). Both are excellent.
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12/23/2016 - carlsport Likes this wine: 89 Points
Really nice. Mature, with well integrated tannins and subtle fruit. The fruit seemed a little thin, so guessing this is on the backside of life, but probably another year would be fine.
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2/21/2016 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Chocolate and black fruit notes- very rich. The palate follows the bouquet. Medium tannins with a velvety texture. Lengthy finish.
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6/5/2014 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 90 Points
A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied red blend, with black cherry, currants, coffee, Asian spice on finish. A easy drinker, in a good drinking zone, decant for one hour. www.winelx.com
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7/14/2013 - johnnyo wrote: 88 Points
Better the next day. Nice fruit with firm Cab structure but perhaps slightly over extracted.
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10/11/2012 - drrobvino wrote: 89 Points
PnP, drank half the bottle tonite, the other half in a day or two. This is predominantly Cab Sauv (2/3) blended with Syrah (1/3) and a dollop of Petit Verdot. The wine is deep black/purple, with a gentle fade to a medium purple rim. The nose is clean, and offers up med(-) intensity notes of cola, black pepper / spice, and some vegetal green pepper notes with charred wood in the upper register. The nose is a bit closed and reticent today. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, showing very firm and persistent med(+) tannins, that are just starting to meld nicely with the structured mouthfeel. This wine is obviously dry, and has medium acidity to give it a lively freshness. The black and blue fruits are a bit backward today, and the new oak is really pushing through a bit too much and overwhelms the palate a bit. That being said, it should integrate nicely in the next few years. The medium length finish is full of minerals and charcoal (from the oak). This wine would be best between 2014-2020, IMHO.
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1/30/2012 - Barstool wrote: 86 Points
Very inky, almost black, making for a dramatic pour. Aggressive, somewhat alcoholic nose, touch of menthol. Not as heavy as the colour might suggest but definitiely a bruiser-lite of a wine. Fruit all there, leaning toward the tart vs. the ultra-ripe and opulent. Not much finesse - at least at this stage - though it does act as if it might be better behaved with even just a little settling in the cellar; perhaps just a year or two would knock off some of the sharp edges, and at at this price point one can afford to experiment. Good middling length finish.
A nice wine that wouldn't back down from lively table fare; I'd pair it with something spicy like grilled sausages in spicy tomatoe sauce or similar, earthy, zesty dishes.
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11/7/2011 - rosesandthorns wrote: 88 Points
Nice balance and good structure and fruit. Little oak. Needs decanting or open bottle for 30 minutes to an hour. Not as complete as Bully.
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8/28/2011 - bpvrm wrote: 90 Points
Tasted this against Efeste's Final-Final. Similar in half cab Sauvignon and half syrah. Zachary's ladder has a dash (4%) Petit Verdot whereas the Final-Final has 2% Mourvedre. Zachary's ladder had more depth and was better with food (lamb). Both are excellent.
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1/14/2011 - dkhale4 wrote: 89 Points
This opened up nicely as the evening wore on. I suspect I tried it a bit early in its life and anticipate future bottles are going to age well.
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1/11/2011 - dala4 wrote: 91 Points
Very nice fruity blend. Let it breathe some. Drinkable now but will mature nicely for a few more years.
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