3/18/2023 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

Not sure what it was like 3-4 years ago but right now this is dynamite! Wouldn't recommend holding these any longer. Enjoy!

11/27/2022 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Nice balance, unsure how this will age.

11/27/2022 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Still has life but unfortunately still had some sweetish barrel notes too.

11/24/2022 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Drank over four nights for Thanksgiving. It never really shined and never really got better than night one.

4/1/2013 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

Wow, this blew me away! Tons of concentration and depth without the expected 15% alcohol burn. This probably wouldn't have been nearly as good 2-3 years ago but trust me, get this if you can!

3/10/2013 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

I had higher expectations for this. It was a little bit thin and a little short on the finish. Drinkable for certain but not mind blowing.

2/27/2013 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

cherry cobbler in a glass, very drinkable. However, not the most complex exciting wine I've ever had.

1/19/2013 - Marc_Iadarola Does not like this wine:

I'm thinking this might have been a somewhat flawed bottle but the cork was perfect and the wine didn't show any noticable signs of bret or VA(maybe premox???.)

Had one glass last night within 20 minutes of opening the bottle and wasn't showing much at all past the super, super dry tannins. Maybe there was a little touch of cranberry and raisin but that's about it. One the second night the tannins had dissipated enough to make this drinkable but it still didn't do much for me. The finish was medium length and the white showed decent complexity with a bit of old leather and tobacco but whatever fruit there was on night one is pretty much gone at this point. Oh well.

12/21/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

The color looks like flat Coca-cola or Pepsi and the taste was a bit too on the sweet side for me. I was hoping for more from this one. Unfortunately its a bit too one-dimensional for my taste.

12/28/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

WOW! Popped and poured. Drank over a period of 4 hours. The first impression was smooth and well balanced with almost no signs of tannin or harsh acidity. In the second hour there developed a nice but of spice that turned into a soft vanilla finish by hour number 3. Really wish I had more of this!

12/21/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

This was the winner of the night against some MUCH more expensive bottles. It had some really nice depth of flavor and complexity for a NV. I only wish the disgorge date was on the label so I could pick up the same thing again. Two thumbs up!

12/21/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Pretty typical sparkler, with a touch of yeastiness and dough but not a ton of minerality or complexity. Certainly not any better than something you could get domestically for $20-25 but if you absolutely HAVE to drink french sparklers this one will do.

12/21/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

Opened and decanted for 2 hours before drinking. The initial nose was full of violets, ripe cherry and a touch of vanilla. On the palate it was very smooth with more cherry flavors and a touch of light chocolate and some sweet tobacco. It had a medium finish. Overall it drank well and wasn't disappointing although it wasn't transcendent either. I'd be curious if this bottle would transform more over the next 5 years or so but unfortunately it was my only one.

12/12/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

Didn't really know what to expect on this one. Drank this along side 3-4 other nice bottles at the CIA in Napa. The biggest impression that it left was of a different mineral character like clay. It almost had a "sandy" quality. I can't say I've ever had a wine like this before but I did like it.

12/9/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

P+P with dinner.

Drank this with pasta with a tomato/black olive/onion sauce. This wine is a winner for the price. I like it because it strikes a nice balance between what you'd expect from a Cali Chard and a Cali SB. On the nose it has nice floral and citric fruit notes. On the palate it balanced acidity and softer tree fruit like nectarines and white peaches. Medium length finish for a reasonably priced Cali white. I'd definitely buy more of this.

12/8/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

Drank with pasta and a tomato/black olive/onion sauce...

P+P, typical old world on the nose with some dark fruit balanced with some earthiness and a bit of funk. On the palate this was soft and approachable. It smoothed out a bit on the second glass after being open for about 45 minutes. For an $11 half bottle this was really nice kinda an everyday drinker.

11/28/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

This is an example of why the cave blend is so good. I drank this with dinner which consisted of a ribeye steak and port reduction sauce with some roasted fingerling potatoes. The wine was a pop and pour and it was just what you expect from a cave blend; nice color, smooth concentrated fruit and a soft finish. I'm sure this will be even better in 1-2 years but its a great Tuesday night wine.

11/23/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

My first Dalla Valle Cab experience(I have had the Maya in the past.) This was everything you except and hear about; good color concentration, a nice balanced nose of fruit, leather, tobacco and tar along with a nice long finish. I'm sure you can age this for a long time ahead but this is drinking very nice right now.

11/22/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

I had very high hopes for this bottle and upon opening it I thought I was going to be impressed. The nose was dark and intense with some black cherry, chocolate and licorice notes. However, the fruit on the palate has mostly fallen away and it now is in a very flat, flabby stage. It was still smooth and drinkable but fairly one dimentional. It would've probably been best 4-6 years ago.

11/22/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

This bottle was opened after Thanksgiving dinner with dessert. I would have rating it higher but surprisingly enough this wine hasn't even started to develop its secondary characteristics yet. It's color was bright and vibrant. If I had tasted it blind I would've guessed it was a 3-4 year old Riesling. The fruit notes were still big and fruit forward ie; lemon, tart apples, white flowers and some limestone. I'm glad I have 2 more bottles of this because I think its got at least 10 years left if not more to develop. Very impressed.

11/22/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

Drank with Thanksgiving dinner. This wine was in perfect condition. The cork pulled easily and the wine had only the normal amount of sediment you'd except from an 11 year old Cab. The biggest thing that surprised me about this wine was just how dark the fruit was for a Cab from Coombsville. It was enjoyed along side a 1990 Spoto Cab, 2000 Dalla Valle Cab and a 2004 Pride Chard. The only bottle I preferred to it was the Dalla Valle and that was only by a hair. It definitely had those typical Randy Dunn characteristics and I'd say stored under proper conditions this bottle still has about 5-6 years left on it. I will definitely be looking to purchase more of this.

11/18/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

First of all, I'm so happy I opened this now! The cork was in perfect shape and there was little to no sediment in the bottle. The first impression gave some scents of cocoa powder, leather and black cherries. On the palate its got slightly brighter fruit notes like blackberry and raspberry with still a touch of chocolate and a subtle hint of tobacco. Overall its exactly what I look for in an Alexander Valley cab, some dustiness, good fruit and earth without the sometimes over ripened fruitiness and alcohol of some of its Napa equivalents. This bottle still has great color to it so I would imagine you could hold it for 3-4 more years but this wine is fantastic right now.

11/17/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

This is a great food SB. There are all the usual sauv blanc characteristics like grapefruit, lemon and touch of pineapple. There is also a touch of spice on the finish which is nice.

11/17/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Very straight forward SB. Crisp lemon nose with good bright acidity on the palate. Not a ton of complexity but a very good summer pop and pour wine.

11/7/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

Opened this on a whim and pretty quickly regretted it. You can tell there is some structure and potential there but this bottle was a bit of a one trick pony. It also wasn't as California pinot as I expected it to be. I'll reserve judgement for 3-4 more years until I open another one of these.

9/3/2012 - Marc_Iadarola Likes this wine:

Pretty typical Italian bordeaux blend. Nice red fruit and a little bit of toasted oak. Smooth finish.

9/3/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Drank for my birthday dinner. Opened and decanted for about 45 minutes before pouring. The intial nose was pretty mild and subtle. On the palate it still had nice soft red fruit and a bit of leather and tabacco. By the second glass it was continuing to open and was showing even more fruit and a rounder finish. I wish I had a few more of these to try after about a 2-3 hour decant.

9/3/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Meh. Lots of asparagus and green olive. Too much acid for my taste and not enough pepper and meat.

9/3/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Fantastic! Loads of leather and chocolate. Just a touch of a vegetal note on the nose to balance it all out. Wish I had more of these

9/3/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Typical Napa cab, good fruit. I wouldn't hold onto these much more than a year or two. Drinking well now.

7/31/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

So chocolate driven. It also has a good amount of black cherry. Very tasty.

7/31/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Typical old world style. Very earthy and musky. Whatever fruit is in there is all candied(figs, prunes and raisins.) It opened up a bit but it will probably benefit from a few more years of bottle age.

7/31/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Insanely dark, almost black in the glass. Super concentrated fruit and structure. If I had the willpower I'd love to lay this down for about 7-8 years.

7/31/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Really tasty. Didn't have quite as much nuance as I remember it having 2-3 years ago but really nice still. Wish I had some more.

7/4/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Smooth and silky, definitely not as concentrated as it was about 3-4 years ago. I'd open these soon because they're drinking well now but I doubt they'll be as good with another few years of bottle age.

6/4/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Typical Pritchard hill juice, fleshy and smooth. Probably ready to drink right now. Glad I opened it.

5/21/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Still really dark and dense for being 6 years old now. It had a nose of leather and blackberrry with some nice dark spice as well. On the palate it stayed just as dark with hints of black cherry and cranberry, not as gamey and meaty as I was expecting. Once it was open for about an hour some pepper and alcohol started to come thru. Still could use a few more years in the cellar.

5/16/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Decent but disjointed, hopefully better tomorrow than it was tonight

5/15/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Kinda one dimensional but smooth. Nice dark fruit. Good length on the finish for the price.

5/6/2012 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Jammy and concentrated, very bright raspberry notes. Super dark and inky in the glass. Pretty long finish for a young syrah.

4/6/2011 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

This is text book Cali Syrah. Very inky and dark in the glass. On the nose its got tons of plum and black cherry with a little bit of bacon fat and earth in the background. On the palate its very supple and smooth, good long finish but it lacks a bit of structure and tannin that would make me think this could sit in the cellar any longer. I'd drink it now as a big fruit forward Syrah and expect no more than that.

3/25/2011 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Opened and decanted for 45 minutes before pouring. On the nose, a good amount of plum and vanilla, some raspberry as well. On the palate, nice tannins, good acidity, fruit is very subtle. The alcohol is still a touch hot for me. Its only listed at 14.1% but its still there. Good mid-palate but the finish is fairly short.

10/22/2010 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

tons of bacon fat on the nose and ripe lush fruit on the palet, very very good

10/22/2010 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

tons of bacon fat on the nose, very opulent on the palet, sooo good

5/17/2010 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Big bright fruit both on the nose and on the pallet. Super smooth yet it has a nice long finish for a young pinot. Could be better in a year or two but I can't see holding onto this wine for very long especially at this price point. An absolute MUST for Willamette Pinot fans!

5/1/2010 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Solid Malbec for under $20. Lots of chocolate notes with some really nice raspberry underneath. Definitely drinking best now.

4/23/2010 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

New world fruit with old world tannins. Very lite on the pallet with a slightly fleshy texture. Probably a better wine for non-cabernet drinkers than hardcore napa and bordeax fans.

12/30/2009 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

Tons of bell pepper, very old world on the nose. Didn't open up much after an hour. Was a little bit disappointed.

12/25/2009 - Marc_Iadarola wrote:

I was nervous when I opened this bottle. The color seemed a bit off and it was VERY tight on the nose. However I let it decant for 30 minutes and it opened up nicely. The tannins were very smooth and it had nice red fruit with just a touch of chocolate and earthiness. This wine was well balanced and was definitely ready to drink. As with many other '02's it was very straight forward and to the point. Good, solid Napa juice and thats about it. I would not recommend more than another year in bottle as the alcohol and fruit seem to be ready to disappear.