3/26/2023 - vinorsk wrote:

Seemed closed to me. The nose was appealing but I didn’t get much on the palet.

3/26/2023 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Still rich and full bodied. More balanced and restrained than in its youth but still a bigger wine.

3/20/2023 - vinorsk wrote:

53%cab, 47% merlot. The winery is organic and some vineyards are biodynamic. A good down the middle Bordeaux blend. Not extraordinary but very good and an excellent QPR. Aging well, it’s balanced, rich and offers a good combination of black fruits, leather, cedar and a little earthiness. Ample tannins and acidity for our roast chicken. The tannins are silly and the acidity a little muted. There’s plenty of life remaining.

3/18/2023 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Decanted for about an hour. Still rich, a little hiot/peppery. True blueberry notes. Smooth, rich core. Decent tannins. Classic cab profile with added acidity, tartness hidden behind the ripe black fruit Very good wine that I wouldn’t have pegged as 20 years old if not for the sediment it dropped. Long finish. Excellent with time remaining.

3/6/2023 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Short decant and then drank with a grass fed strip. It’s a dark, inky wine dropping lots of sediment but appears rich and youthful. The fruits are more cooked/compote than ripe at this point but the acidity and tannins are well balanced and there is a body and something like an unlit maduro cigar. Very enjoyable

3/5/2023 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Five hours in decanter at cellar temp before dinner. A big wine, grippy tannins, black cherries, earth, the rich but less leathery style of Brunello I associate with Gaja. Even more so than most Brunello, it needs food - enjoyed with goat tenderloin and lamb sausage. On its own the tannins dominate. Good wine but not as complex as other vintages.

3/1/2023 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Sage and dark cherries - it’s herbaceous , earthy a dusty cedar note and also full of black fruit all at once. Definitely a food friendly wine given the tannic grip. A lot of complexity for $18. I suspect this will be a love/hate wine as it is not really fruit forward and could be taken as a little lean at 13.5% abv. More interesting than purely pleasurable? I thoroughly enjoyed it with roast duck breast and parsnip purée but wouldn’t sip it.

3/1/2023 - vinorsk wrote:

Off bottle , slightly raisined - maybe heat damaged.

2/20/2023 - vinorsk wrote:

Ripe, Internatioinal style. Pale rim and ruby core. Nose of black fruit and vanilla. It’s a beautiful wine, but not classic Brunello. Medium high tannins and acidity warped in a slightly round mouth feel. Lots of body but not a lot of weight. A little hot (14% abv). A good wine but lacks Sangiovese character. Fantastic with grilled leg of lamb.

2/15/2023 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Drank second bottle in February of 2023 and the wine has developed a little more depth and complexity I like it but still think the QPR is off- maybe it’s a $49 wine with a $60 sticker. Very enjoyable but I’m not buying more at this price given the other pinots available

2/12/2023 - vinorsk Does not like this wine:

Basic, fruit forward and overly ripe, little structure. Paired with skirt steak at Equinox. It didn’t work, more like punch than wine. I couldn’t finish the half glass.

1/22/2023 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Bright, fresh acidity that is well integrated. Delicious black cherry notes. Fine, medium drying tannins and the perfect amount of bite. Like a lighter and slightly more sipe blaufrankish. Very enjoyable!

1/8/2023 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Decanted a few hours and drank with a pork belly. Delicious, balanced, rich, full of body with fine acidity. Still youthful in terms of flavor profile, not a ton of secondary and tertiary notes but very enjoyable. Seems to have a lot of life remaining.

1/8/2023 - vinorsk wrote:

Drank with veal chop after a three hour decant. Rich, earthy, and medium bodied, with grippy tannins; very enjoyable.

12/28/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Rich, dense, silky and delicious. Drinking great in December 2022 but plenty of runway ahead. 14% abv doesn’t show itself as heat but the wine is meaty for a Gamay. A crowd pleaser and a very good example from one of my favorite producers.

12/27/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Refined, bright cherries, clear medium acidity. Absolutely delicious. Medium finish

12/25/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

Basic, reminds me of a Lindeman box wine.

12/20/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

Slight VA, blew off with a little time in the glass. Nice wine with good structure but a little lean.

12/18/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

Soft and round but with enough acidity for some structure. Unripe melon or maybe a pear- it is not tart but also not overly ripe. Reminds me of melon de Bourgogne.

11/26/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

Dark cherries with slight hints of raisins. Medium high tannins and medium acidity. Lingering grippy finish. Drinking well in November 2022 but with lots of life left.

Day2: softer. The fruit is muted and the acidity is slightly more pronounced but still moderate and in the background. Raisin has resolved into more of a blackberry note. Tannins are still significant.

11/24/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

A good food wine, a little ripe and berry dominant famine but a nice complement to Thanksgiving. I prefer the Brut as a sipper.

11/22/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Rich, floral. Soft palet of sweet strawberries. Big body for a gamay. Enjoyable but a little too concentrated.

11/20/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

Very good-smooth, balanced, very well made cab. Good black fruit and smooth tannins. Nice wine but totally international in style. Absolutely nothing Italian or particularly unique about this wine. Great QPR versus Cali. Nice but not special.

11/16/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

Agree with JDPorter3, solidly made but unremarkable It’s straight down the middle of the fairway and well made but not memorable.

11/13/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

VA: pulled cork with a Durand, it was disintegrating and had specks of black mold. Wine smells strongly of VA and taste like nail polish remover Decanted several hours and VA was reduced by 20% to reveal Madeira/basalmic note. Pale rim and brownish core.

11/7/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Very good, a crowd pleaser Medium body, soft black fruits and gentle acidity. Great easy drinking wine.

10/24/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Reminds me of Saintsburry pinot from the late 90s but with more structured acidity. Almost green strawberries on the pallet. Too soft on its own , oddly it gets more body with food. Very enjoyable and never would have guessed Sangiovese.

10/16/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Very good. Dark ruby core and thin pale rim. Nose of leather, pipe tobacco and ripe black cherries, raspberry compote undertones. Dusty, we’ll integrated medium strong tannins and medium/medium light acidity. Classic Brunello nose and flavor profile. Decanted 90 minutes and drank with bison sirloin -great pairing. Very enjoyable, drink or hold. No rush

10/15/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Rich, almost raisin character. The maturity is evident but there is still lots of life. Medium-light acidity and soft tannins, reminds me of vintage Nebbiolo with less grip. Nice funk on the nose, leather and a little barnyard. Very good and excellent QPR.

9/28/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Delicious as always. Two hours in the decanter and drunk with a roasted duck breast. All the previous notes are reiterated. Absolutely fantastic and plenty of time left, in fact it is still a little tight without a long decant.

9/13/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

The acidity is bracing. The wine needs a few hour to open but even then it is a touch astringent on its on. However , it was phenomenal paired with a charcoal roasted duck. The acidity cuts through the fat and allows the Nebbiolo fruit to shine. Dark, earthy, mature fruit. Delicious

9/7/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Rich, dark ruby appearance e. Could be mistaken for Barbaresco or Barolo based on look. Nose has the classic pinot earth but also shows heat and ripe berries. Pallet is more jammy than earthy. Good fruit and medium body, medium acidity behind a thick layer of strawberry compote. It taste a little hot and heavy. Acid and alcohol dominate the long finish. Clearly warmer climate/new world in style. enjoyable but not as complex or linear as I like. 15.3% abv - throws it out of balance. Very good with grilled pork (smoke beats down the alcohol).

9/6/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Nice Pinot, classic flavor profile and not overly ripe/fruit forward. Balanced and enjoyable but less complex than other wines at this price point. Short finish Reasonably priced for a Cali pinot. Enjoyable but not distinct.

9/2/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Decent for the money.

8/30/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Over performs - great QPR.

8/30/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Very drinkable, young and fresh with balanced acidity and a richness to the fruit that gives it a little more complexity than a typical Gran Vin. A good $25-$30 wine.

8/28/2022 - vinorsk Does not like this wine:

Unbalanced Taste of bananas and wood chips.

8/23/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Bright acidic, ripe and well balanced. A delicious Gabi with great QPR. It has some weight, not as light and refined as a certain black label GdG but very good and very good friendly.

8/21/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Very drinkable, more like rich and ripe Gamay. It is all ripe strawberries, soft fruit, and a medium body. Enough acidity to be food friendly but it is very well
integrated with no bite or sharp notes. Reminds me of Saintsbury Pinot from the 90s. Enjoyable but without the structure of Pinot.

8/5/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Agree with EDWINE, this has a great classic nose, is still fairly ruby in appearance, and has a delicious but modern palet. Reminded me of an older Napa cab or super-Tuscan rather than Nebbiolo. Three hours in decanter and drank with beef tenderloin. A great modern style wine, but there are plenty of equally good new world wines for $150. This isn’t outstanding at twice the price. To be fair, 21 years of bottle age does come at a cost.

8/2/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

White pepper, light oak. A blend of red and under-ripe black fruits. Medium body and tannins. The oak dominates the finish. Nice but simple.

7/27/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Delicious. Ripe apple, balanced acidity, sweet lemon, rich but not buttery - toasted white peasant bread. Finish is medium (almost short). More Mersault than Chablis. Very enjoyable but the QPR is a bit out of wack at +$50.

7/19/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Double decant with aerator. Strawberry nose mixed with classic Nebbiolo notes. Smooth, balanced, medium tannins, lots of cherries. Very enjoyable but would have been even better with a long decant.

6/15/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

Highly carbonated - fine bubbles but lots of them. More fizz than flavor - it is simple and thin. Better on day three - still has decent fizz and more of the fruit comes forward. Strawberries and white grapes. Decent acidity but not a lot going on. Nice mixer.

6/1/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

Cork disintegrated on opening. Similar in appearance to the 2018 bottle - cloudy with lots of fine sediment. Palet is more muted/round. Drink up.

5/23/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

A medium body Pinot, the fruit is matched by an herbal almost grassy note on both the palet and nose. Almost dried celery leaf. classic Pinot flavors but the fruit is darker.very enjoyable.

5/23/2022 - vinorsk wrote:

50:50 blend of Merlot and Tannant. 13.6% abv. Nose is fruit and cedar. Ripe, cherry candy. Hints of pepper on palet.Big acidity - almost tart. Grippy tannins - rough. Young wine. Better on day three (coravin) fruit is darker and more mature but quickly becomes raisiny. Enjoyable in an interesting way.

5/22/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Delicious, rich, herbs and black fruit, fine tannins and smooth acidity. Decanted about 90 minutes - longer would have been even better. It continued to evolve in the glass - very good.

5/15/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Rich, leathery earthie black fruits. Substantial tannins, but well integrated. Tart acidity on the finish. A big wine with plenty of time. It's fresh and enjoyable now but there may be layers of complexity yet to reveal themselves.

5/8/2022 - vinorsk Likes this wine:

Still marvelous. Balanced medium body, rich black fruit and medium tannins.The alcohol has moderated and the vegetal notes are gone - more earthy than green. Overall still young. Miles to go.