11/27/2018 - oostexan Likes this wine:

If you have an affinity for Northern Rhône (Hermitage, Cornas, St. Joe’s), but also love that freshness of California fruit, you will love this wine. It’s really delicious. It has all that mineral, flint, iron, pepper, and spice of a great Cornas or Hemitage...but then comes the purity and brightness of fruit that reminds you that this has been bathing in Cali sun. Not a fruit bomb at all...just a balanced, complex, and exceedingly well made Syrah. Yummy.

4/15/2018 - oostexan wrote:

This wine is a perfect example of why you have to be careful chasing points and ratings. I understand the attraction to this wine...it is loaded with sweet cherries, chocolate, is very extracted, and has prodigious oak. If you are into this style...then sure...it is a highly "rated" wine for your palate. I can totally understand why some folks would enjoy this style.

However, if you like balance, minerals, earth tones, and complexity - this is definitely not the wine for you. I personally find it way too sweet, over-oaked, and thought it tasted "artificial". Ironically, given all the great ratings here and on Vivino, I was about to buy a half case of it based on the ratings alone. But I found it at my local Spec's for $ 40 and thought I would give it a try first.

I personally would not rate this wine highly. However, I am not going to rate it as I don't want to rain on the hype parade as some folks really like this style of wine. It's just not for me, so drink what you enjoy!

3/22/2011 - oostexan wrote:

Really delicious for the price. A bit green veggies and a little sharp on the tannins and alchohol. Otherwise, great red fruits and tobacco with a nice center palate and finish. Rating assumes the sub 20 dollar price.

2/21/2010 - oostexan wrote:

Old world meets new. Very fruit forward Bordeaux with a beautiful nose of ripe red fruit and a palate of dark berry, minerals, and earth. Nice finish.

2/21/2010 - oostexan wrote:

Tasted blind by a Robert Craig Mt. Veeder and a Bookwalter Foreshadow Cabernet (both 2006). This wine was comparatively lighter with more forward red fruits, tobacco and chocolate with comparable less tannin. At first the finish was short and lacked focus, but a couple hours of air helped bring it together. Overall a good wine to have in the cellar to drink short term while the really good stuff is sleeping. Reminds me a lot of a Trilogy though the fruit profile is a little brighter, and this is probably a better buy. Oak is well balanced.

2/21/2010 - oostexan wrote:

Not as good as the last one, and was a bit disappointing. Has taken on a green bell pepper taste that, though could be interesting, dominates the fruit. Great nose of dark fruits, but its all green on the palate and has a bit of a tart and clipped finish. Won't touch another for six months or so as this may just need time to continue to work itself out. Tannins are supportive but but subtle.

2/21/2010 - oostexan wrote:

Too sweet, sickly and over the top. Tastes more like a uninteresting port than a good Zin. Not my top of style and not my type of wine. No rating as I know there are those that prefer this style and may find it hits the right buttons for them, but why not just drink a glass of sugary Welch's?

2/21/2010 - oostexan wrote:

Wonderfully integrated, good fruit center and nice velvety finish. Still drinking great, though this is my last one. Yummy.

2/21/2010 - oostexan wrote:

Would echo the other tasting notes here as bright ruby red and cherry on the nose and initial palate, good mouthfeel and nice pleasing finish. Well focused with a touch of depth on the mid-palate that brings cola, and tobacco and finishes with darker fruits. Very nice Merlot that could get more interesting with a couple years in the dark.

2/21/2010 - oostexan wrote:

Deep dark fruit, focused, balanced, meaty, gamey, and delicious. This is how California premium Syrah should taste, absolutely true to the region and varietal. Tons of fruit but not over the top or too raisiny or too much alcohol. Great balance while at the same time hedonistic and deep. Damn good. Oak has integrated well.

2/21/2010 - oostexan wrote:

Drinking fabulously right now. Great fruit and none of the austere tannic profile that seemed to categorize the vintage. Just wonderful and outclassed a 2001 Egelhoff tonight. Great wine with mild tannins. Drink or hold, depending on preference and tolerance for risk.

10/10/2009 - oostexan wrote:

This wine continues to show very well and, when tasted blind, outperform wines that are significantly more expensive. Has a dark profile and is certainly concentrated, but has a long smooth finish. Wines tasted included:
1st place - 2004 Egelhoff Napa Cabernet - 23 points
2nd place - 2004 Provenance Rutherford Cab - 21 points (this was the ringer as I got it for $ 20 and it was significantly cheaper than the others)
3rd place - 2005 Flora Springs Trilogy - 19 Points
4th place - 2006 Lewis Napa Cabernet - 7 Points

10/10/2009 - oostexan wrote:

Was very surprised that this did not perform better at a blind tasting at my house last night. Came in dead last and was a unanimous last place performer. The nose is nice and the front palate is great, the problem is that it is somewhat diluted and awkward on the mid-palate thru the finish. I gave all the wines about an hour of air, and they were wrapped brown bags and tasted blind. Good, but not great and definitely not worth the coin. The lineup and votes included:
1st place - 2004 Egelhoff Napa Cabernet - 23 points
2nd place - 2004 Provenance Rutherford Cab - 21 points (this was the ringer as I got it for $ 20 and it was significantly cheaper than the others)
3rd place - 2005 Flora Springs Trilogy - 19 Points
4th place - 2006 Lewis Napa Cabernet - 7 Points

10/10/2009 - oostexan wrote:

This was fantastic last night...all Napa Cab with a complexity that set it apart. Won WOTN and was my top scorer during blind tasting for my birthday dinner. Wines included:
1st place - 2004 Egelhoff Cab
2nd place - 2004 Provenance Rutherford Cab
3rd place - 2005 Flora Springs Trilogy
4th place - 2006 Lewis Cabernet

9/28/2009 - oostexan wrote:

This is finally coming around. Terrific nose, medium bodied. Still dark red, no visible signs of age. Still lots of acid and a fair amount of tannin, but the fruit is concentrated and leads the way. Nice medium bodied cassis, leather, herbs and earth. Good mouthfeel. Good finish with a little bit of heat. This is still sorting itself out, but the potential is definitely there. Tried one a year ago and it was in a dumb phase, so this is opening up nicely. My guess is that it still needs at least another year or two to continue integrating and develop, but it has the stuffing. Great QPR on a classic St. Emilion Bordeaux.

9/27/2009 - oostexan wrote:

This is a wine that does a lot of things good, but does not do anything particularly great. Medium bodied, nice medium ruby color, dark cherry aromatics followed my a dark fruit profile of cherry, current, with a balanced oak profile. All of it is in its place, good balance and not over the top. Not particularly complex, decent in the mouth, medium finish. Tight at first, required an hour of air. Good daily drinker if you get it at a price that makes sense. Great with a seasoned flank steak.

9/19/2009 - oostexan wrote:

Wall of tannins and alcohol hide red fruit, casis, and a little chocolate. No secondary flavors, very little on the nose even after a couple hours. Just not an interesting wine.

9/7/2009 - oostexan wrote:

Very lively and youthful nose with dark fruit and molasses. The palate was all dark fruit - dark cherry, tobacco, and eucalyptus. Plenty of mid-palate concentration, but a little light on the finish and maybe a little heat from the alcohol. Still very delicious and a well made and balanced wine. Has many, many years to go. I really like this style of Cali cab - not over the top, yet well balanced with plenty of fruit and extremely complex and interesting.

9/7/2009 - oostexan wrote:

A good wine, but definitely not a great one. Very heavy on the sweet red cherry with a little blueberry and dark fruit nuance, but very shy on nose, depth, complexity, and concentration of fruit. For the asking price, not a repeat purchase, which is tough for me to say given that I really like most of their entry level wines.

6/17/2009 - oostexan wrote:

Wine continues to evovle and gain complexity, but still has a lot of tannins to shed and very concentrated. I will try not to touch another one of these for a couple years, but it is just huge with a ribeye or porterhouse. Big wine. Dusty fruit that is indicative of Rutherford. Great wine.

3/21/2009 - oostexan wrote:

Absolutely wonderful nose of deep fruit and sweet casis and cherries, has a toffee like palate of wonderfully deep and luscious fruit. Nice long finish. Beat out a 99 Plumpjack and 03 David Arthur Meritaggio for wine of the night. Unanimous favorite of 5 people. Just really firing on all cylinders.

3/21/2009 - oostexan wrote:

This was absolutely wonderful last night...had a lovely dark cherry bouquet and wonderful palate of dark fruit, blueberry, and some old world tobacco and leather. Mouthfeel was exceptional.

3/7/2009 - oostexan wrote:

Had this last night after a 2002 Ladera Lone Canyon Cabernet and before a 2001 Robert Craig Affinity. The Egelhoff was just outstanding and the clear favorite, though the other two bottles were also very nice. Deep dark fruit, lovely chocolate with leather tones and a touch of mint on the finish. Felt like silk in the mouth. Just wonderful.

2/23/2009 - oostexan wrote:

This is a thick, rich, and delicious wine. Huge nose...I could smell it on the counter from the other side of the kitchen. Lots of dark cherry, eucalyptis, and even some tobacco flavors. Not a huge wine in terms of body, but extremely flavorful and structured. Wonderful job on a tough vintage.

2/9/2009 - oostexan wrote:

Great California cabernet with the classic black cherry, cassis, and toasty oak. I have a case of these and wanted to see how they are doing. The tannins are still very present, but I seriously think there is enough concentrated fruit in there for this to get really good over the next 3 to 5 years. Will check back in on these in a year or two. I think this will continue to integrate the oak and tannins over the next few years, and I think there could be a splendid treat for those who wait. As it stands, it is a very good Cali cab QPR.

9/12/2008 - oostexan wrote:

Enjoyed with Don at Mastro's in Costa Mesa. Delicious. Could smell the aromatics when the wine was poured. Well balanced, terrific fruit, very well integrated. Drinking terrific right now. I have had this in proper storage since purchasing at the winery in 01. Tannins are integrated but still present. Wonderful wine, and not overoaked.

8/16/2008 - oostexan wrote:

Ughh. Vegetal, green, down the drain. This is terrible.

1/27/2008 - oostexan wrote:

Fantastic Cali Cabernet that oozes blue fruit, mild oak, and plenty of balace. Outstanding.

1/9/2008 - oostexan wrote:

Delicious and interesting mix of new world and old. New world in its concentrated ripe fruit and long finish, Old world in its flavor profile of fruit, cigar, and earth. Lots of big fruit here, but needs a couple years to integrate. If you drink it now, give it at least two hours in the decanter. To my palate, it is better than most Napa cabs I have had in the past several months. It does not have the sickly sweet, overoaked flavor profile. Great stuff. Will be better in 3 to 5 years. Great job Bill!!

12/22/2007 - oostexan wrote:

Tasted like it was under ripe and overly oaked. Very green, but had decent concentration, and a short finish. Not my type of wine.

12/9/2007 - oostexan wrote:

Decanted for four hours. Deep and dark with concentrated fruit and good tannin structure. Nice plum, cigar and spicebox on the palate with a moderate finish. Full bodied. Will not crack another one for a good 12 months. This was very nice for the price.

5/27/2007 - oostexan wrote:

Continues to evolve and improve. The bright cherry, plum and chocolate finish characterize this wonderful cabernet. Long finish. Tannins are still pronounced and structure suggests another 2 to 3 years before peaking. Wonderful value with the silky mouth and long finish. Great stuff.

2/19/2007 - oostexan wrote:

Delicious bright cherry and concetrated fruit with lovely integrated vanilla oak. Good acid and tannic backbone with a little bitterness on the finish that cuts through the fat on a ribeye very well. A very, very good effort. Was the WOTN in a blind tasting that included the 2002 Flora Springs Napa Cab, 2004 Ladera Napa, and 2004 Parsonage Estate Cabernet. Gave the 2004 John Anthony a serious run for its money...the room was split on the favorite. I paid 19.99 per bottle on napacabs.com and ordered two cases. This will be great in two years. Highly recommended as a daily drinker Napa Cab.

11/20/2006 - oostexan wrote:

I have another three of these in the cellar and decided to try one. Took a couple hours to open up to be a very nice Cabernet, but not quite enough fruit to really bowl me over. Went very well with ribeyes tonight, but nothing extraordinary.

11/20/2006 - oostexan wrote:

Bought a couple bottles at Farpoint (hey texaswino, we are neighbors!) and opened for an hour before tasting. This wine is like a blueberry monster in a glass. Deep rich fruit, bramply like a zin, good stuff. Bought a half a case and plan to put them in the cellar for a couple years.