12/28/2011 - cbero wrote:

Mike hit it on the nose in October. This think is in a great place with everything seemingly in balance. Unfortunately, it was my last one.

12/8/2011 - cbero wrote:

Opened for Turkey day. This bottle was hitting on all cylinders. Not fading at all, with smooth tannins. Pretty darn good for an off-vintage and all. Dare I say... outstanding.

12/8/2011 - cbero wrote:

Still can't get over the value for the price. What a pleasure to drink!

12/8/2011 - cbero wrote:

Completely and utterly superb. Perfect balance of tannins, fruit, and acid. Completely smooth mouthful of fruits with a long finish. No... this wine is not dead, not even fading. This bottle seemed to be right in that perfect window. I actually had to fight my wife for each glass! I have one more bottle, but I don't see myself waiting for too long.

12/8/2011 - cbero wrote:

Very good effort on an AZ producer using CA fruit. Dark and brooding with all of the components of an outstanding wine. Dark fruits, bacon fat, oak and acid in balance. Still has years before peaking.

11/27/2011 - cbero wrote:

I am stunned. P&P with a follow over a day. Took about 3 hours to really hit stride, and when it did.... wow. I couldn't keep my nose out of the glass. Not gonna take the time with common descriptors, it was really that good.

11/27/2011 - cbero wrote:

Disgorged 11/10. At $35 I can't imagine a better QPR for bubbles. This thing had a perfect balance of acid and flavors. Very smooth... really performed well for the holiday.

11/24/2011 - cbero wrote:

P&P then followed for the next 2 days. This bottle still had some heavy mouth drying tannins with some somewhat hidden fruit behind it. Somewhat resolved on day 2, but the fruit didn't pick up. It's pleasurable in it's own way, but far from a outstanding.

10/17/2011 - cbero wrote:

From .375 as a $25 experiment from spectrum. Fill was mid-shoulder, capsule was perfect, showing no signs of seepage. The wine was slightly oxidized, but came together with time in the glass. Obvious bricking, with red fruits showing. Absolutely no tannins, and the slight raisin of the oxidation showing. Still a pleasure to drink, and a fun experiment!

10/17/2011 - cbero wrote:

Last bottle drank 12/10 Couldn't hold off on another bottle. Consistent with prior notes, and notes of others. Dark as night, primal nose turns to deep fruit, anise, and plums. Creamy delicious palate with the right amount of tannin and acidity. Still has a ton of life ahead of it, but a pleasure to drink right now.

8/31/2011 - cbero wrote:

Has really put on weight in the last year, shed the green and is beginning to show some tasty fruit

8/6/2011 - cbero wrote:

Discombobulated, hot, port-like mess. More like sugary spiked prune juice than wine. This is not the first time that I have had the wine, and I enjoyed it in the past. Either this bottle was off, or this thing is already falling apart.

7/24/2011 - cbero wrote:

P&P and followed over 2 nights. Still not ready and very one dimensional with cherry tart fruit. Will need time to balance out. Withholding judgement until another year or two.

7/24/2011 - cbero wrote:

This was from a .375. Agree with Loren's sentiments. This thing just got more and more delicious as it sat open. Smooth with no alcohol bite on this bottle. Would give you a more thorough TN, but it would just read like Loren's. I would only add that I found some yummy asian spice that jumped from the glass. I seriously could not put this down.

7/24/2011 - cbero wrote:

Wow sweet.... First comment from wife: "Is this a dessert wine?" Wont do formal notes with this one, but will tell you that it's a delightful summer drink. Low alcohol, high in fruit and sugar with a touch of minerality behind it.

7/24/2011 - cbero wrote:

Surprisingly still open and accessible. P&P and then followed and consumed by the next night. Deep wine with viscous structure. Oak may be a tad much, and holds the wine back just a bit. Asian spice, earth... an absolute mouthful, but not over the top. Should get better with time. The big brother must be an absolute monster!

7/24/2011 - cbero wrote:

Another year, another great bottle from Broman. This is the current release, as he holds his release until he feels the wine is ready to drink. Some of the grapes are sourced from the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane vineyard and GIII vineyard in Rutherford. You absolutely can not find grapes of this quality at this price point (around $50). P&P and then followed and held until next night. Deep garnet, with firm structure. Still has a mouthful of tannins, but the fruit is all there. Alcohol and oak are held in check. Great minerality with some asian spice on the palate. Not as smooth as the 04 was at release, but that's expected given the vintage. Will be better with even more time.

7/24/2011 - cbero wrote:

Cant say I'm a fan at this point. Pale salmon color, low acid, more mineral than fruit. Just seems to be too much missing and the wine comes off as boring compared to the likes of Blankiet's or Kapscandy's. Yes, I know we are talking about completely different price points and grapes (this one is mourvedre) But a rose by any other name should smell just as sweet..... right? Morgan said is should put on weight and color with time. I'll hold the other bottle for at least another year.

7/24/2011 - cbero wrote:

Very nice. At first, lots of minerality, with some fruit that needed more time to come out. Much better the second day as it was able to push the fruit through. Acid is in balance, could improve with some more time. Excellent buy at the price.

6/17/2011 - cbero wrote:

Slow ox decant for 6 hours. Somewhat of an echo of previous notes. Dusty chocolate, subtle black fruit, tobacco. Very smooth tannins. Outstanding wine.

6/17/2011 - cbero wrote:

P&P then followed over 3 hours from .375. Caramel, Asian spice, and jammy fruit literally jumps out of the glass. The wine is a bit thin, but that was expected. Tasty to drink. Overall surprisingly good and totally outperformed my expectation.

6/3/2011 - cbero wrote:

P&P then followed over 3 days. Just wanted to test one out. All of the pieces are there- well-structured with great fruit concentration- It's just not ready. The mountain tannins are huge, and hard to get around at this point. The wine should be outstanding in 4+ years.

6/3/2011 - cbero wrote:

Again, a bit past it's peak, but still pleasurable.

6/3/2011 - cbero wrote:

Seems to be sleeping at this point. Hold off for at least 2-3 years.

5/15/2011 - cbero wrote:

Surprisingly good for the price point. Great balance of acid and fruit. Has a fun strawberry/cherry component on the nose. Very light, and almost feels a step closer to a rose.

5/15/2011 - cbero wrote:

Not overly impressive in a lineup with 04 RBS and 04 Maybach. Typical BTK profile on the nose. Smooth and integrated but lacking in mid-palate. Still a great bottle of wine, present company did not do it justice. Agree with last post that best days may already be behind it.

5/1/2011 - cbero wrote:

P&P enjoyed over 5 hours from decanter. Surprisingly good. Classic To Kalon perfume. I think this guy is starting to come out of the shell. I don't think it's a classic, and would put the 04 ahead of it. Finish is a bit short, but I could smell this baby all day.

4/20/2011 - cbero wrote:

From .375 to check in with this. The wine is quite concentrated and dark. Nose of chocolate covered strawberries and not much else going on at this time. Tannins are firm, wine has good balance. It just needs time.... a lot of time. I enjoyed the wine, but am reserving score for future judgement. If I had to put a range on developed score I would say 92-94.

4/13/2011 - cbero wrote:

P&P/Decanted and followed over 6 hours. Initial heat blew off after the first hour and it opened up to bright, sweet fruit. Almost too sweet. Finally picked up some other characteristics about 4 hours in. Smoke, scorched earth, good tannin. Still candy sweet fruit in the front palate, with a short finish. It's a well-made second wine, but somewhat pales compared to the 06/07. It will most likely get better with more time.

4/6/2011 - cbero wrote:

1st bottle, totally over-oaked vanilla milkshake. I love Napa cabs, but this guy is completely over the top and out of balance. I'm not sure what to think... 06 and 07 were pretty darn good bottles for the price point. I don't know what happened with the 08. I'm completely disappointed.

3/23/2011 - cbero wrote:

Excellent value! Very dark, I can totally get the CdP comparisons from this CdR. Fruit is still a little tart, and it really started to shine after 4 hours in the decanter. Got the meatiness also. I think this will be great in a couple of years.

3/2/2011 - cbero wrote:

1 hour decant and then followed over the next 5 hours. The nose is there. I can smell that richness from the Dr Crane vineyard, but it just falls short on the palate. The wine is smooth and has really softened, but there is just something missing. There is no rich fruit, or even earth to compensate. I'd almost rather smell it than drink it. It's by no means a bad wine, so the score still stands in very good, I was just expecting more on the palate from the fruit source and the nose.

2/2/2011 - cbero wrote:

Finally a drinkable one! I'm really beginning to wonder about bottle variation with these. Tonight from a .375, P&P and followed for about 2 hours. Some scorched earth, red fruits, vanilla, raisin. A pleasurable bottle.

2/2/2011 - cbero wrote:

I'm beginning to wonder about bottle variation on these. I've had some excellent, and some that have totally fallen apart and exhibit raisin and port alcohol.

12/2/2010 - cbero wrote:

Not much else to say. Excellent value at $35, and should improve with time.

12/2/2010 - cbero wrote:

P&P then followed over two days. What a monster! Almost black in color, with that signature Dal Forno nose of raisins, plums, and black licorice with hints of vanilla. After about 4 hours the wine really started to soften, and gave away its gorgeous body full of dark fruits. Made in the traditional Amarone style (though it's not), this is a pleasure to drink. I think I will hold off on my next bottle for a few more years though.

12/12/2010 - cbero wrote:

P&P. Bad decision. Completely my fault as this definitely needed some time to open up. It only lasted a few hours, and held firm tannins that somewhat obscured the lush, dark fruit behind it. I need to get my hands on another bottle to make amends.

12/2/2010 - cbero wrote:

P&P and followed over 2 nights. A bit more tired than I had hoped. Definitely taking on secondary characteristics of iron, herbs, and soil. Still, well put together, and smooth. It pleased, but didn't wow like the 98 Gravelly Meadow I had a month earlier.

2/2/2011 - cbero wrote:

With all the love lately, I had to open one of these. Dark, vibrant color. Bright nose of red and blue fruits, and a hint of pepper. Incredibly smooth, pleasure to drink. Excellent QPR at $20.

1/19/2011 - cbero wrote:

Felt like drinking something really tasty at the risk of popping way to early. P&P and followed over 3 hours and overnight. It's deep, it's dark.... it was still a little tight and tannic though. I think it's got a great life ahead of it in about 4 years. It reminds me a bit of the 04 vintage. It has all the stuffing to really please in the future.

10/22/2010 - cbero wrote:

Same thoughts as previous note, only another point due to the great evolution over time in the glass. I know its the complete opposite of a traditional Burg, but it hits all the right buttons with me.

1/22/2011 - cbero wrote:

P&P then over 2 hours to check for improvement. This wine couldn't have really fallen apart that quickly right? Thin, alcohol, cola... not much else. I agree with others. Could there be bottle variation?

1/20/2011 - cbero wrote:

P&P then followed over the coarse of three hours, and then the next night. Deep, dark color (JS might say he is a 15 on that). Nose of crushed flowers, violet, chocolate, and dark fruits jump from the glass. Beautifully smooth palate with tannins that could hold out for at least a few more years. Honestly, I loved this wine... loved it even more with the price point. TRB comes through again!

12/25/2010 - cbero wrote:

P&P, then decanted and enjoyed over 6 hours. In perfect balance, and smooth as silk, but with a firm backbone. Nose of Christmas spice (how fitting), dark fruits, slight vanilla and cedar. The smell just jumps out of the glass and beckons you. Delicious mouthful of fruits and spices with a long finish that kept me going back for more. I'm surprised I was able to make it last all that time. Truly an amazing wine and possibly better than the estate cuvee right now.

10/31/2010 - cbero wrote:

Pop and Pour, then enjoyed over two days. Very fragrant, berries, earth, white pepper, and a ferrous quality. Just the right balance of fruit on the palate, with no heat. Very enjoyable, and an excellent wine.

10/21/2010 - cbero wrote:

Pop & Pour, then drank over two evenings.
Solid nose of dark fruits and scorched earth, and a bit of alcohol. Good balance, no heat going down. Solid effort, not stunning, not bad. Still an infant.

10/14/2010 - cbero wrote:

Another corked bottle. The bottle variation on these is bananas.

10/14/2010 - cbero wrote:

Hard to come up with something that hasn't already been said.
Fantastic daily drinker, Bright fruits (strawberry esp) on the nose. Very easy to drink.

10/13/2010 - cbero wrote:

Decanted 2 hours and enjoyed over two evenings. Wow this was great. Fragrant black fruits, coffee, chocolate, and anise literally jump out of the glass. Definitely one of the more fragrant wines I have ever had. Smooth, but still a bit tannic on the palate, but had incredible length. An absolutely extraordinary wine, as I can't stop thinking about it. Easy 96+

10/13/2010 - cbero wrote:

Decanted a bit over two hours. Inviting fragrant black fruits, earth, and expresso on the nose, leading to a smooth silky mouth. Outstanding Merlot (Yes, this is Merlot). Should develop further in the bottle.