2/6/2024 - ponilitiza Likes this wine:

So it's been 18 months since the previous bottle, and as before, I couldn't keep avoiding it forever. It's my last bottle, and my assumption was that this wine was not going to get better, so might as well put it out of it's misery. I was wrong.
Surprisingly, there was none of the skanky moldy flavor of the previous bottle. Don't know if this is the result of bottle-to-bottle variation, or to an unusually delayed closed phase for the previous bottle. In any case, this was a softer, mature syrah with well-integrated tannins, but less of the bold, spiciness of a younger wine. If you have some of this wine, I wouldn't give up on it yet.

11/24/2023 - ponilitiza wrote:

Paired with mushroom wellington and roast turkey for Thanskgiving. Big, smooth, earthy richness. It was fantastic. Wine of the night. Too bad it was my last bottle.

6/15/2022 - ponilitiza wrote:

I avoided this wine for a couple years, due to the other reviewer's notes, but couldn't avoid it forever, so decided to try it with just family at dinner.

Upon opening, every one of us detected a bit of the moldy flavors the other reviewer noticed. But, the reliable cab I opened as a backup quite frankly was no better immediately after opening.

Paired with pasta and peppery bolognese sauce, this wine was actually quite good. The best sip, however, was later in the meal, when I tried a back-to-back comparison with the cab, and sipped the cab first. On top of the cab finish, this syrah was astoundingly good. Never before have I recommended pairing a syrah with cabernet suavignon, but there you have it.

After the meal, sipping by itself, the skanky moldy flavor was back in spades, and this wine got a definite thumbs down from my 2 family members.

So, if you have some of this and don't want to just throw it away, and are a bit adventurous, I would recommend paring it with a salad and zesty dressing, plus a healthy dose of fresh ground pepper, then put the same dose of pepper on your entree. Or, if you are really adventurous, use it as a cab chaser. You will not be disappointed.

This is definitely not a wine to serve by itself, nor to serve to the non-adventurous. But it can be entertaining nonetheless.

8/6/2021 - ponilitiza Likes this wine:

Drank over 2 nights; corked and refrigerated at 38F between. Upon opening, it was more like a young pinot than a zin, with thin, tart red fruit. Not the immediate big rush of zin goodness you get from a young Carlisle zin. But patience is rewarded. Everything zin is there -- big body, spiciness and fruit, but sharp edges have been removed, everything is mellower and more integrated. This is probably the most elegant zin I've ever had.

Profile on day 2 pretty much the same as day 1, with shorter time scale.

Paired nicely with spaghetti alla puttanesca.

3/4/2021 - ponilitiza Likes this wine:

Paired with peppery beef, tomato, macaroni dish. This wine is an a fantastic place right now, echoing the pepper flavors of the food, with good acidity and a balance between youthful fruit and a maturity that takes the edge off the tannins. Very good QPR. Too bad it was my last bottle.

6/25/2019 - ponilitiza Likes this wine:

Popped, poured 2 glasses to breathe. Amazing vigorous bouquet -- you can smell cherry and floral notes 3 feet from the glass. Primary morello cherry flavor on the palate at first, that mellowed with air, with a touch of spice after 45 minutes or so. Enjoyable wine, yet it's obviously not integrated yet. Too bad that was my only bottle; I would love to see where this ends up in 5-10 years. Drink now if you like fruit-forward, hold otherwise.

3/26/2017 - ponilitiza Likes this wine:

This is my 5th of 6 bottles, and it was by far the best. This wine has hit it's stride. Popped and poured, and within 5 minutes, I was going "Wow". Big, integrated flavor explosion with tannins and pepper dancing together. Paired with a stuffed pork chop with balsamic reduction, and I was in heaven. Not as impressive on day 2; maybe this is the last gasp before a closed phase. But on day 1, this was the best wine I've had in a year, every sip was a revelation.

9/27/2014 - ponilitiza Likes this wine:

Drank over 2 days. Day 1 was consistent with other reviewers; like a clumsy teenager, flavors don't seem to come together gracefully. Corked and left at room temp, and the 2nd day, it was a completely different beast. Smokey, big, smooth black fruit with a touch of pepper, and a long finish. Hitting way above it's price range on day 2.

11/26/2013 - ponilitiza wrote:

Tasted 3 times over a period of 8 days; stored corked in the fridge. On days 1 and 3, it exhibited the classic ice wine flavor profile I was expecting, and would have given it a score consistent with the other tasting notes. But, dessert wines are a different beast in terms of their behavior after opening, and this one is no exception. On day 8, it gained a bit of viscosity, significant weight and complexity, with much more intense flavors of pineapple and apricot. It was pretty good to start with, but the improvement was stunning.

1/23/2010 - ponilitiza wrote:

Served well-chilled, this wine opens with a strong, classic riesling sweetness. Just when you're thinking "Is that all? I expected more...", the sweetness dissipates and is replaced by a bloom of fruit flavors, which in turn dissipates into a nice, off-dry mineral finish. The transitions from sweetness to fruit to finish are so explicit and entertaining, I found myself tasting it again, just for the experience. With half the alcohol of many wines, this is a good choice when a lighter wine is in order. I'll definitely buy this again.