11/2/2018 - popquizkid Likes this wine:

Open first opening this wine was excellent. No doubt about it this is a ripe, layered wine. Aromas of kirsch and ripe cherry from the get go and a wonderful mouthfeel. The vintage is definitely evident in the ripeness here but I did not find it hot at all. As the wine opened the nose expanded with more of a fig or dried plum note came out that is not neccesarily to my preference. Still a very nice wine.

7/1/2018 - popquizkid Likes this wine:

Nice acidity. Well balanced wine goes great with grilled food.

9/17/2017 - popquizkid wrote:

drink them up. I waited way to long to open my second bottle. This wine is fading and suffers from the prune like aromas exhibited by other 2003s that come to the forefront as they age. If it was not for the intense prune aroma might have scored another point or two.

6/12/2017 - popquizkid Likes this wine:

This has really aged well. A fantastic, complex california Syrah. Unfortunately I didn't have time to take more detailed notes, but it was so good it warrants some sort of comment! Sadly this is my last bottle of Pax.

5/22/2016 - popquizkid Likes this wine:

Cherry, leather, spice. Very good.

12/12/2015 - popquizkid Likes this wine:

big Gigondas with loads of dark fruit and garrigue, but it is not over the top. Pretty nice value.

2/28/2015 - popquizkid Likes this wine:

Still plenty of life left in this. Deep cherry nose with tobacco and hint of mint. Long finish and still a nice tannic structure. Fantastic bottle of this wine. Wish I had more.

6/9/2014 - popquizkid Likes this wine:

Awesome nose of peach mixed with a little bit of petrol. The residual sweetness has faded but it still there. This is drinking great right now -- has everything you want from an aged Auslese.

12/29/2013 - popquizkid wrote:

- It's balanced with a light/medium body. Satin-Like texture with a medium finish - A little bretty on opening. After an hour it seemed to blow off a bit leaving a nice Pinot with some nice fruit and some stems in the aroma.

10/29/2013 - popquizkid wrote:

Another outstanding bottle. See my previous note for more details -- this wine is not falling off anytime soon and I have a feeling it will drink well for some time. Fantastic stuff.

6/23/2013 - popquizkid wrote:

This was a bit disappointing. Smell was really nice - red fruit and black tea. The problem was it was not very balanced on the palate. Alcohol and tannins stood out with not enough fruit to balance. It was not bad per se, but a disappointment considering the price. Reserving score for now -- will let the other bottle age for at least a few years as this is not ready.

11/12/2012 - popquizkid wrote:

This is nice stuff. Lots of leather and barnyard mixed with dark fruits. Very full but balanced on the palate. Very complete wine for the money.

11/11/2012 - popquizkid wrote:

- It's balanced with a medium body. Round texture with a medium finish - Nice earthy nose with hints of barnyard and leather. Dark fruits also stand out. This drinks very easy and is a great buy for the money.

6/10/2012 - popquizkid wrote:

Nice nose -- loads of red fruits, but not overbearing. The thing that sticks about this wine is the finish.It is very long and the wine stays with you for a long time. This is missing a little bit on the complexity front, but the long finish more than makes up for it. Delicious.

3/5/2012 - popquizkid wrote:

Just starting to enter its drinking window and likely will continue to improve for the next 5-8 years. Fantastic classic nose of cherries and cedar. Really opened up after being open for 45 minutes. A great deal at 30 -- wish I would have bought more.

4/24/2011 - popquizkid wrote:

Not very good right now. Pretty much all I got was oak, oak, and more toasted oak. Everyone was in agreement that right now the oak is too prominent. There is something nice hidden underneath, but not sure if it will ever come into balance. If it does it will be a few years from now, but I suspect this could remain an oak monster.

11/5/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Everything that needs to be said can be found in reviews below. An excellent domestic pinot for the price.

10/19/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

A little overripe for my tastes with noticeable alcohol and oak. Think this needs some time to mellow and come together. At this point in its life it is not on par with other Big Basin wines. Don't think it is fair to score this one at this point.

9/25/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Full nose of honeysuckle and pear. A little fat on the palate, but there is a really noticeable, almost bitter slate/minerality in this wine that I really like. This is a really interesting white wine for the money. If it the alochol was not so noticeable and there was a little more acidity this would have scored much, much higher in my book.

9/8/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Red fruited nose of cranberry and cherries mixed with some nice spice. A little hot on the nose -- but this is not apparent if you keep the wine cool. Very well balanced and seamless on the palate. Drink this at cellar temp(which is how I drink pinot most of the time) and it is very enjoyable. All components are in a very nice spot right now.

7/12/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Big nose of grenache fruit. Lots of structure which will allow this to develop for quite some time. Currently very primary. Upstaged by a stunning 2001 pegau that proceeded it.

7/12/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Muted nose. Seemed a little closed even after a decant. Very nice presence on the palate, full, smooth, and elegant. This was a little hot on the finish. Not as good a previous bottles. Think it might be a little shut down, which is suprising for a 2000.

6/7/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Buttescotch/vanilla and tropical fruits on the nose. Smelled like a new world Chardonnay. The palate has a nice hit of acidity. This two a few hours of air to smooth our. At first I was a little surprised by the nose, but eventually it came together and calmed down and was more typical Chablis a little more density than one would expect. This is still a baby. As long as this does not suffer premox I anticipate a long life ahead -- should be fantastic in 5-10 years.

5/9/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

A nice full bodied new world Chardonnay. Tropical Fruits and pineapple on the nose, with a touch of vanilla. A little more forward than I like my chards, but it calmed down after a being open for about an hour. Matched very well with pork w/ white wine, mustard, caper sauce. A little bitterness after first opening, and my guess this is from the oak treatment, which is generous. I would say this will improve for a few years as the components integrate a little better.

3/28/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Very fruit forward, somewhat "grapey". Almost reminds me of a beaujolais on steroids. Big nose of cherry. A little hot - alcohol is somewhat out of balance. After a good decant it calms down a little bit and smooths out. Not as structured and complex as previous vintages. This is a very nice wine, but nothing outstanding. For the tariff I expect a little more, but nonetheless very enjoyable. Think this could mellow a little with additional time in the cellar, but don't see it improving immensely.

3/3/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Brought to blind Syrah tasting -- decanted three hours beforehand. Notes combined from the group.Nose of blueberries,oil cured black olives, and earth. Some minerality detected. Still very structured and tannic with nice finishing acidity. This was a crowd favorite.

Was my last bottle. If I had more I would age them as it is great now, but has a lot of structure to resolve. Terrific syrah.

2/20/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Brought to blind Syrah tasting -- decanted three hours beforehand. Notes combined from the group. Nose of cherries and raspberrys. Leather and musky notes mixed in with smoke. Really nice nose. Very elegant on the finish. Not as muscular as many of the other Cali Syrahs, but a very nice change of pace.

2/8/2010 - popquizkid wrote:

Decanted and drank first half bottle over a few hours. Nice cool climate syrah nose of olives and meat upon opening. On the palate this is in an odd phase right now. Potential is clearly there but oak is clearly predominant on first night, especially after it was open for a half our or so. Finish is very nice though, with some acidity to finish it off. Put back in the bottle and recorked. The next night the fruit really came out and oak integrated much better.This is much bigger wine than I originally though, but very well balanced. I would suggest letting these lie for at least 5 more years. Will revisit in 2015 at the earliest.

12/9/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

After about an hour of being opened the nose really opened up. Smoky notes/grilled meats/restrained dark fruit on the nose. Full in the midpalate with nice finishing acidity. Could have a little more tannic structure -- this is a little "soft", but enjoyable nice wine and for what I paid a pretty nice bargain.

10/25/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Rich, ripe nose of plums and red fruits. Tannins are evident. This is drinking pretty well right now but could use some bottle age to mellow out and come together. Very modern styled Chateauneuf that is a great bang for the buck.

10/18/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Double decanted four hours. Very tight upon opening. No much fruit on the nose, just oak and high acid. After three days of being open(recorked and sitting in the fridge) it has finally started to open and some nice fruit was finally there and helped really balance the wine. If you have these let them lie. This is at least 5 years away from maturity. I think it will be nice once it comes around. Another reminder that Arcadian red wines need a lot of time in the cellar.

9/26/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Ripe nose of blueberry and licorice mixed in with leather. Backed by nice firm tannins. This is ripe but has plenty of structure to back it up. Approachable and enjoyable now but I think it will be much better in five years.

8/7/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

An absolutely delicious Rose. Nice full nose of raspberry and strawberry fruit. Finished zesty with nice refreshing acidity. This went down very fast and was easy to drink.

7/21/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

This is delicious. Rarely find something of this quality under $20. Definitely fruit forward, but not over the top and has just enough structure to hold it together. Full nose of dark cherries mixed with plums. Nice full mouth. Finishes smooth with fine tannins and a touch of acidity. Not very complex, but terrific none the less.

7/20/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Similar to last bottle. Much more balanced than the 2003 at this point this is drinking very well. Still very primary but so delicious am I not sure my others will last in the cellar much longer.

7/20/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Nice nose of peach, pear, and honey. This really falls short on the finish - sort of bitter caused by noticeable alcohol and some noticeable oak. This could justbe in a weird spot right now, but my other bottle about 9 months ago was similar. Have had some mixed results with the 2006 Peay white rhone varietals.

7/6/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Very ripe fruit, almost pruney, but not quite. Still very fresh with a nice tannic backbone. A lottle of complexity here for the price.

6/22/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

On the nose lemon and grapefruit prevail. Definitely some minerality and a faint saltiness on the palate. Vibrant, zingy acidity that is almost too much, but paired really nice with seafood. Drank best after being open for an hour. The finish was a little short and clipped. Nice value Chablis.

6/11/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Nice full, big nose of plums and vanilla from the oak. Very full mouthfeel. Finishes with mocha and a real nice bitterness. While large scaled this maintains balance and has just enough freshness to remain interesting after one glass.

Save a half bottle and drank two days later -- still going strong. This has calmed down, but the acidity is more pronounced. I disagree with some other tasters and think this has the capacity to age very nicely. In my experience Kaesler wines age well.

When in the mood for a bigger wine, grab this and you won't be disappointed.

6/2/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

The fruit has calmed down quite a bit since last year. Nice nose of black fruits. The structure is starting to show a little more. On the second day a nice minerality was present that added complexity. A nice tannic finish. I think these will go a while, but unfortunately this is my last bottle.

5/29/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Best 2006 KB I have tried so far. While I don't neccessarily love big pinots, this was pretty tasty. Big nose of raspberry and cherry. A nice bitter bite on the mid palate.Finished with some nice acidity. Better on the second day.

5/20/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Not much going for this--nose is a little off putting. It is probably closed, but still, nothing positive to say about this. NR

5/20/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Dark purple in color. Nose of plums. Nice mouthfeel. Tannins and acid are very prevalent. This needs 5 years in the cellar--but somewhat approachable now if you can handle the tannin. My guess is this will end being a real nice qpr with some age.

5/15/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

A ricH, ripe nose of blueberries, blueberries, and more blueberries with some pepper mixed in. Not as thick and viscous on the palate as a bottle a few years back, this has calmed down quite a bit. Nice acidity and tannins on the finish. This is is drinking well.

Update: when originally opened I poured half into a 375 to revisit the following evening. I am going to have to respectfully disagree with other tasters who say this needs to drank up and is falling apart. Much more smooth, seamless, and integrated on day two. Still lots of blueberry, but the fruit has calmed a bit, and more complexity has come out on the nose -- some smoke notes are now noticeable. Really nice example of a ripe, but not over the top new world syrah. And a great value since I bough on futures a few years back from the wine cask for $23.

5/4/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Beautiful, textbook California pinot nose. The nose on this wine upon opening was just terrific. Loaded with earth and red fruits. It fell short on the palate and finish. The acidity is currently out of balance as mentioned by a few other notes. This needs a little bit of time and I bet it will come together and will improve.

5/4/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Nose of cherry, cola, and earth.Classic RRV pinot.The mid palate and finish were more complete than the last bottle.Excellent

4/7/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

This changed quite a bit over the first hour. At first it was very grapey with not much complexity and a hint of reduction -- but not overpowering in a bad way.. As it opened up some nice, firm tannins came out on the finish and the reduction blew off. Nose of plums and toast from the oak, with a bitter firm bite in the mouth and finish, which was a little short. For the price, it is hard to find a wine with some age that is this interesting. Based on how it evolved over two hours, my guess is that this has plenty of life left.

3/30/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Some pear and vanilla on the nose, but it seemed a little off. The finish was painfully hot and alcoholic. Not anywhere near as good as bottle last drank last May.Unfortunately I don't have any left.

3/30/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Wow. What an amazing bottle of wine. Some currants and plums on the nose, but loads of leather, earth, and cigar box. The secondary and tertiary characteristics really steal the show here. Very slight hint of funk/brett on the nose, but it was nice and added complexity. This really shined on the palate. Full, round, and smooth leading into a nice long, sustained finish with nice balance of acidity and tannins. This is just one of those wines that you keep going back to and can't get enough of. A gorgeous aged Cabernet. Paired beautifully with the braised beef shortribs.

3/27/2009 - popquizkid wrote:

Dark purple color. Aromas of black currants mixed with scorched earth and charcoal. A little hollow in the mid palate. Tannins are not too evident and there is some nice acidity. This is drinking well now. Not sure how much better it will get.