9/24/2023 - EricB wrote:

Really enjoyed this wine - was in the mood for a Rutherford Cabernet and this is based on that....
Big and smooth tannins with nice cool flavors. Nice oaky purple nose - loving it.

5/1/2023 - EricB Likes this wine:

Loved it. Big mouth and nose. Nice astringency. Dark Purple flavors. More please

1/21/2023 - EricB Likes this wine:

I liked this surprisingly much. Still a tiny bit of foxy nose but really works with the rest of the body of the wine. Chocolatey flavors still there and could even go a few more years. Drinking nicely right now - took a chance on setting this down and glad I did.

1/8/2023 - EricB Likes this wine:

Liking this. Dark with thick tannins. Best by itself. Probably has some life left in it and drinking well now.

12/30/2022 - EricB Likes this wine:

Cork looked horrible and wet most of the way soon, so had low expectations. Wine was great. Thick body and still some acidity. Drinking well and time to drink up.

12/28/2022 - EricB wrote:

Holy crap this was great. Thought it was my last bottle but have 11 more., I have to thank myself for putting this down 16 years ago.
Graphite and cedar aroma (yes - a pencil). Nice thick body. Love it

8/25/2022 - EricB wrote:

Really liked - don't have detailed tasting notes but minerally and bright. Excellent.

3/19/2021 - EricB Likes this wine:

Wow - even better than a few months ago. This cork was in great shape. After a short decanting, really amazing flavors which are both young and tart and earthy at the same time. Could smell this for hours.

12/9/2020 - EricB Likes this wine:

Did not like it when I first opened it. Thought it might have been corked at first smell and then first taste 5 minutes later was very ragged and tough. An hour later turned into a very nice Rhone-like wine. Surprisingly smooth and leathery. Really enjoyed with roasted beef ribs and french lentils

12/7/2020 - EricB Likes this wine:

Hard to believe this is 19 years old - tasting very fresh and bright. Nose is really deep - great leather and dark cherry. Taste is surprisingly fruity and floral from what I remember when it was younger. Could smell it for hours but actually a bit thin on the tongue. Cork broke on opening but didn't look like anything leaked past it

7/20/2019 - EricB wrote:

Dark Brown raisin color. Still tasting very good and strongly oxidized. Definite prune flavor and still the golden raisin flavor from a few years back. Enjoyed but time to drink the rest

6/23/2018 - EricB wrote:

This is really tasting great right now - nice lemony undertones with a beautiful nutty body. Better than I remember it a few years ago and has plenty of life left in this bottle

3/10/2018 - EricB wrote:

Amazed this is a 15 year old bottle of wine. Dark blackberry flavor, slightly jammy, but a big mouthful of great wine.

3/5/2018 - EricB wrote:

Really enjoyed - surprised at how bright the flavors are after 13 years. Great with food (nice acidity) and by itself. Wish I had an extra case of this. Is really coming into it's own right now.

2/23/2018 - EricB wrote:

Really drinking nicely now - wish I had more laying down. Was best at room temperature - tart butterscotch flavors with a nice balance of flinty minerality. Whole lot going on here - I enjoyed it more on it's own than with food - but was nice with scallops and roasted carrots. Has some thickness as well.

2/22/2018 - EricB wrote:

Wow - this was worth the wait. After breathing for an hour it really got thick and nice. Heavy graphite and astringent tannins that was great with a garlicky hanger steak. Is a big mouthful but still can taste the individual flavors also.

11/28/2014 - EricB wrote:

Suprised by this wine. First tastes were pretty oaky - not used to sauvignon blanc being so creamy. Food didn't help, but room temperature and by itself it took on a little more Graves mouthfeel. Never really loved it but warmed up to it. Low acidity made it tough and flat with food.

10/1/2013 - EricB wrote:

Enjoyed it very much - nice thick mouthfeel like a CdR blanc. Had with charcuterie platter which didn't highlight the wine, but was better by itself. Will try again with better matching food. Would enjoy more acidity with the wine - would be more food friendly

4/26/2013 - EricB wrote:

Really loved it. Well balanced food friendly wine. Had at cellar temperature and was filled with lush purple earthy fruit. Soft tannins but big flavor. Reminded me of a nice rich Barbera. Would be great with roast chicken

4/17/2013 - EricB Likes this wine:

Cork had mold on the outside, and had some leakage through the whole cork. Bottle is getting some good age to it - secondary golden raisin flavors really coming through. Low acidity - keeps this a little heavy and flat. Reminds me of a low quality sauternes. Will try another one to see if this was due to the leakage, but this may be as much as it should age.

4/16/2013 - EricB wrote:

Cork showed some leakage 1/2 way up, but looked mostly intact. Was surprised by how flat it tasted - Was fine with a steak, but very little fruit remaining and some astringent tannins left. Assuming this is a bad bottle

2/15/2013 - EricB wrote:

Bought because it was unoaked - but the heavy malolactic taste made this a butterscotchy mess. Didn't like it

7/10/2012 - EricB wrote:

Really enjoyed - had in a wine bar at MSP airport, and bought a bottle to take home. Good well balanced wine - was great with sausages and cheese. Good body - seemed a little boosted by stemmy tannins, but very nice in the mouth.

4/15/2012 - EricB wrote:

Loved it, good tannin structure with layers of dark fruit. Great

4/15/2012 - EricB wrote:

Enjoyed, but seemed a little oxidized and flat. May have been a bad bottle, but was a little dissapointed

1/6/2012 - EricB wrote:

Reminds me of a nice sauternes more than an ice wine. Thick golden raisin, relatively low acid.

1/6/2012 - EricB wrote:

Nice wine - needed an hour of decanting to get in balance. Nice dark cherry fruit but little strong astringent tannins. May need another 5+ years of aging, but worried about losing fruit. Enjoyed but didn't love

12/23/2011 - EricB wrote:

Very nice, delicate but complex violet and wine. violet and blueberry flavors with nice tannin and astrigancy to bring out body. Was easily overpowered by the mushroom sformato, but was great on it's own. Would be great with the right match.

3/26/2011 - EricB wrote:

Nice big wine with beautiful nose. Some residual sugar which takes away the enjoyment after a few glasses, but still very good

3/25/2011 - EricB wrote:

Drinking very nicely - and should get better in the next 5 years. Still has nice acidity with good backbone of mineral flavors. Was delicious with food (shrimp in light olive oil sauce). Slightly harsh by itself - but was great with food.

2/1/2011 - EricB wrote:

Big, big wine. Was a bit overpowering until decanted for an hour. More balanced slightly oaked cool mineral flavors. This wine needs a while to be at it's prime and will be really, really good. Tight and big with great body.

1/29/2011 - EricB wrote:

Very nice. Needed an hour of decanter before really came into balance. Nice cool purple fruit with healthy tannins to balance. Before decanting was slightly jammy, but that went away quickly.

1/21/2011 - EricB wrote:

Beautiful wine. Nice earthy body and plenty of delicate fruit on top.

1/19/2011 - EricB wrote:

Delicious wine that has many years to go. Great cool flavors with sneaky grape tannins that appeared after a while. Flavors were great with carpaccio and truffle oil - were a little overpowered with stronger flavors, but were totally sublime with earthy foods.

1/1/2011 - EricB wrote:

Nice blue berry nose and flavor. Low in tannins - nice smooth mouthfeel. Some residual sugar which worked great with the Wagyu beef and sweet potato.

12/31/2010 - EricB wrote:

Nice crisp wine. Good yeasty mouthfeel that came out at room temperature and lemony citrus notes.

12/28/2010 - EricB wrote:

Nice wine - crisp with nice lemony finish.simple wine was nice with fried calamari.

11/24/2010 - EricB wrote:

Very nice - syrah is hitting good and earthy right now. Don't have detailed notes but really enjoyed.

8/31/2010 - EricB wrote:

Nice bottle - drank a bit too young. Big fruit flavor with nice earth and acid that came out to balance after an hour.

8/12/2010 - EricB wrote:

Drank this way too young. Stemmy tannins still dominate - it has some nice spice and body, but not ready to drink yet.

5/14/2010 - EricB wrote:

Great big wine.Nice acidity mixed with the nice tannic skin flavor of the amarone. Slight residual sugar but well balanced with the body and acidity.

5/1/2010 - EricB wrote:

Not my style - lots of residual sugar (even now - 10 years later). This reminds me of California Zinfandel.

4/22/2010 - EricB wrote:

Delicious wine. Clear wine with a balance of ripe fruit and oak. A little bit of acidity is mostly balanced by the oaky smoothness, and is a great food friendly wine. Will age nicely for 5-10 years

4/21/2010 - EricB wrote:

First impression was a heavy, overripe, tannic wine. After being open for an hour or so, the life came into this. It's still really not ready to drink, but this powerhouse will be nice in a few years.

3/31/2010 - EricB wrote:

Had at Coeur D'Alene Resort - surprising life left in this wine. Has a nice brown butter color and flavor, but a bit of sharpness (not acidity) - but was described to me as a minerality bite. Enjoyed completely with scallops. Got overchilled and was dull until came back to room temperature. Wouldn;t let age any more, but was nice tonight.

3/21/2010 - EricB wrote:

Nice wine - good slippery mouth feel. Would be better blended with another grape, but a nice drinking wine.

2/5/2010 - EricB wrote:

Delicious wine - was perfect with sliced strawberries. Smooth and rich with enough acidity to keep it from being too cloying.

1/24/2010 - EricB wrote:

Decent, but a little flat

1/17/2010 - EricB wrote:

Loved it - delicious wine. Don't have any detailed notes, but will buy a case. Needed about an hour to open up.

1/8/2010 - EricB wrote:

Drinking pretty darn good for a $16 wine! Had with goose confit and sauteed chard - was the right amount of leather and pencil flavors, with a suprising juiciness that I don't remember from earlier years. Wish I had more of this - is drinking very well.