I bought this wine back in 2007 while on a tasting trip in the Santa Ynez area. 2005 was the year of wildfires in that area and I bought this wine specifically because of the smoke flavor. (I also bought a wine from Epiphany and Zaca Mesa for the same reason, with the intent of doing a meal around the smokiness of the wine and to show how different winemakers dealt with the effect of the smoke on their grapes.) The meal has never gelled, but I had this wine with grilled steaks on Saturday. The smoke overtones has dispersed nicely; however, the fruit had fallen off as well. It was okay with the meal, but not "oh wow!" Please don't think this is a bad wine-- it's not. I was hoping for more from it than what I got.
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Drinking great right now. 45 minute decant. Nose dominated by bright fruit, vanilla, and spice. Lots of layers on the palate. Finish is chalky and coats your tongue. Very interesting wine. Better than I expected given the reviews from others.
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7/16/2011 - Karl wrote: 78 Points
Unfortunately, passed its prime I believe. Disappointing. We should have drank sooner.
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2/13/2011 - sbfireman wrote: 88 Points
Rough around the edges but still with some punch.
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9/13/2010 - jmunoz wrote:
I bought this wine back in 2007 while on a tasting trip in the Santa Ynez area. 2005 was the year of wildfires in that area and I bought this wine specifically because of the smoke flavor. (I also bought a wine from Epiphany and Zaca Mesa for the same reason, with the intent of doing a meal around the smokiness of the wine and to show how different winemakers dealt with the effect of the smoke on their grapes.) The meal has never gelled, but I had this wine with grilled steaks on Saturday. The smoke overtones has dispersed nicely; however, the fruit had fallen off as well. It was okay with the meal, but not "oh wow!" Please don't think this is a bad wine-- it's not. I was hoping for more from it than what I got.
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5/9/2010 - Sniffy-Sniff wrote: 90 Points
Drinking great right now. 45 minute decant. Nose dominated by bright fruit, vanilla, and spice. Lots of layers on the palate. Finish is chalky and coats your tongue. Very interesting wine. Better than I expected given the reviews from others.
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5/6/2010 - c&clamson wrote: 84 Points
Easy drinking, long licorice, cherry finish. Drink now!
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