4/19/2024 - Morrillism Likes this wine:

No rush to drink up if ideally stored and I’ve changed my drink by date to 2030. Delightful berry aroma. Tons of red berries with a touch of black cherry, anise, and cedar. Well balanced with a silky smooth mouthfeel. Only modest complexity but very tasty nonetheless.

4/4/2024 - ByronCellar wrote:

Not like any chenin blanc I’ve ever had. Undrinkable for me.

3/29/2024 - SMHalps Likes this wine:

Part of a WA State wine night with my group. All the reds were from 2010 to 2013. This was one of three wines from the Champoux vineyard. It was the only 100% Cabernet Sauvignon of the night, and its was opened, but not decanted for at least 90 minutes before pouring. Great nose, dark color, and I think it has improved in the 4 years since my last bottle. I'm leaving the score the same, because of the 3 Champoux bottles at the dinner this was the "least" favorite. Still, very enjoyable and I think it still has years of life ahead of it.

3/17/2024 - lmsmoge Likes this wine:

Have been drinking over a few months, on its own and in mixed drinks (it's great in bourbon drinks). Would definitely buy again

3/14/2024 - skifree wrote:

Definite meniscus but dark garnet in the glass. P&P, notes are from the second day after it sat in my passive cellar overnight. Purchased on release. This wine is all about finesse and balance, just so tasty from the first sip. Nose of black fruit. Black fruit, some underbrush (as BRR noted), and olive in the mouth, and some fine tannins on the finish. Enjoyed it most while pairing with different foods.

2/14/2024 - BRR wrote:

Corked removed for two hours before drinking. Last bottle was in 2018 and it hasn’t evolved much. This is still such a young wine! Complex and elegant with delicious fruit and fine tannins. I think it’s in its early drinking window. What a wine!

2/9/2024 - BBinSC wrote:

Quite good from a PnP - blue fruit and black fruit mostly, but with air getting some menthol and sugar cookie notes. Silky smooth like you'd expect, decent finish. Only surprise is how good it was from the pop. Great value at $28 from WTSO.

2/6/2024 - Carlo Sarto wrote:

My mother's father sent to each of us surviving grandchildren a bag of shelled English walnuts from the tree in his backyard in the year before he died. Until tonight I wondered why. I had some English walnuts with a glass of this wine, as with previous notes from a 375. Good Stilton is often said to be a great pairing with vintage Oporto But, Stilton changes the taste of Oporto. English walnuts are in perfect harmony with Oporto but do not at all intrude in the taste. I am certain my Grandfather Thomson never tasted vintage Graham Oporto or any Oporto. But he knew how good English walnuts tasted. He taught me a tasting lesson.

2/6/2024 - jcasey555 Does not like this wine:

gone, oxidized, one of several bottles…

1/29/2024 - jbro Likes this wine:

Fair is fair. I rated the first bottle of this an 85, essentially panning it as unpleasant to drink. The second bottle I have to rank at slightly above the community average to make up for my prior disrespect, but also because this bottle deserves it. Extreme bottle variation is at play. Tonight’s wine is thinner than the first bottle, seemingly fading a bit. The nose is muted with some funk, leather, but minimal fruit. In the mouth it is like an aged Rhône with fruit fading, some acidity, but tannins resolved. The finish lingers a bit and the wine was a perfect complement to steak. I have one more bottle and will not wait long as I don’t see this improving with additional age.

1/25/2024 - Gregboch wrote:

Yes, this is a Five for me. Game changer. Enjoyed at our annual Christmas tasting dinner and it was paired with a venison. So incredible that I had another glass. Black currant, cassis, black pepper, leather, tobacco. So rich, complex and deep. Good amount of Oak. Frankly, I'll look to buy a case of this. Spectacular

12/17/2023 - Beeck10 wrote:

"What a powerful, exciting, and complex wine! One might expect that with such intensity, patience would be required. Yet, surprisingly, the wine is already accessible and delightful to savor. Its strength is present but not overwhelming, demonstrating an exceptional balance. The aroma is intricate, weaving notes of tobacco, earth, and a bounty of red fruits. Acidity is almost absent, only subtly appearing towards the finish, hinting at the wine's potential to mature gracefully over the next 15 to 30 years. Indulge yourself by opening a bottle now – it's a decision you won't regret!"

11/3/2023 - rbfleming Likes this wine:

What a delight! Rich but not syrupy. Perfect complement to chocolate souffle. What a lovely end to a lovely evening!

10/15/2023 - RJWallis Likes this wine:

Three first place votes from our guests in a 6 bottle blind syrah tasting. Opened nicely after two hour decant. Elegant and smooth as can be. Paired with a Peposo Beef.

9/28/2023 - skifree wrote:

This was delicious and drinking oh-so-well. Classic Syrah, lots of smoke and meat to go along with the fruit.

9/27/2023 - jnewman77 wrote:

First time tasting Thomas; I must say it was not at all what I expected reading the notes; first my cork was perfect; well sealed, no sign of leakage and no staining really past the bottom of the cork; now to the wine; my initial smell after about 15 minutes open was dominated by sweet oak spice; vanilla and a hint of smoke; there is clearly lovely red fruit underlying and some earth, but I had trouble getting past what seemed to be a heavier veneer of oak than I imagined; the palate is ripe and for me borders on big; don't get me wrong it has lovely balance and energy and lots of fruit and earth that I love. But it is not in the "light and elegant category to my palate". There is definitely some tannic structure and plenty of density to this wine and I see it actually becoming quite stunning in another decade. For me right now it seems a bit awkward with oak sticking out and not fully coalesced. That said I see the underlying material to fully absorb the oak and let this soar. I'd love to try a bottle in 10-15 years, but given the secondary market prices I'm not sure I'll spring for one. I do know I will plan to give my other couple vintages much more bottle time based on this.

Night 2, not really much change; still a sweet vanilla note (almost like marshmallow) that dominates for me; palate largely unchanged which bodes well for aging if the cork is sound.

9/12/2023 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine:

Totally 100% agree with WINENOT?s snobby review of this wine. Spot on! It is merely an everyday grocery store bottle with Mathews marketing behind it. People will line up to buy it through their popular wine club.

9/5/2023 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:

I was expecting an extracted, syrupy Syrah, but what I found was a balanced, medium bodied, elegant Syrah that stays true to its Northwen Rhone roots. While still on the young side, it opens up after a 1-2 hour decant.

9/8/2023 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote:

Corked badly

8/18/2023 - ChrisinCowiche wrote:

Took a flyer. Ok but pretty uninteresting.

8/12/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

This is just amazing value! As a longtime list member of the rumored producer of this wine, to my palate it certainly lives up to the rumored source. Just a baby, you can cellar this for 10 years and be very happy with the result, provided Cam's corks hold up that long. Certainly lots of fruit, but 5 years in it's starting to round out. This is my third bottle I think, and each has been better than the last. Impeccably balanced, just the right amount of oak, finish is consistent with producer's house style. I got the same price as Deegie below, $11.58 on sale...maybe the greatest qpr cab purchase of my life!

8/10/2023 - dsimmons Likes this wine:

There are no great wines, only great bottles. So true and this was a prime example. For my tastes, a perfect expression of aged Cab. This bottle was complex, balanced and showed the elegance you find so rarely. Amazing bottle. Drink or hold.

6/13/2023 - TomKlonecki wrote:

Confirmed

6/12/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Still drinking well but not as powerful or structured as I remember the last one.

2/27/2022 - WaWineFan in TX wrote:

So, nothing earth shattering here, but a v solid wine, especially after an hour or two of air. Very enjoyable and solid for the 22 dollar price point at Costco and absolutely nothing wrong with it, not sure what happened with the previous reviewer. Would definitely go back and buy more for this price point and the 2018 vintage from WA.

3/21/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote:

This is just about off the charts, and could hit triple digits in a few years if it keeps developing. Inky black in color, the wine explodes aromatically with its blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, and tobacco, and that's before you get to its deeper nuances of Indian spice, chocolate, and cigar box scents. But the real fireworks are when the wine coats your palate with its multiple layers of dark red fruits, blackberries, and cocoa. Even with all of its richness, there is ample lift, making it easy to get lost here with all the depth, and concentration. The wine is just about seamless on the palate, lingering, building, and expanding for close to 60 seconds. One of the great vintages of Montrose is the swansong of Herve Berland at the helm of the estate. Drink from 2029-2065.

3/11/2023 - peanutbutterskittles wrote:

Smells like Gruner. Nice acidity, not bitter on the finish. Simple, uninspiring, but good.

8/5/2020 - BRR wrote:

All of my other bottles had been more or less pop-and-pour, but this one was given about two hours of air after the first glass. The latter was much better, having taken on weight and depth, with a very nice peppery Syrahness coming to the fore (just as Brian Glas below noted in that TN). The first sips were thin and nondescript. Good stuff.

2/16/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Corked!!!! Ugh.

12/31/2022 - twoamps wrote:

12/31/2022 drank with a nice chateaubriand on NYE. Disappointing. 2 hour decant, some settled sediment, red throughout, but very thin, hollow, and lifeless. Not corked, not oxidized, but not very good and very atypical for a MB. Had been stored at 55 throughout, so dunno what went wrong. Still holding out hope for the other bottle in a few years...

12/31/2022 - twoamps wrote:

Please ignore my previous tasting note; it was intended for the 2014 Monte Bello we actually drank.

12/21/2022 - Clark W Griswold wrote:

Tuesday night pizza wine and nothing more. Screw top is handy. I think the whole Champoux thing is oversold.

12/18/2022 - BRR wrote:

Decanted for about two hours before consuming, although I took a quick sip upon opening. Perfect cork. Consumed in Gabriel Glas stems. The nose, after decanted, was red fruit and a bit of leather. The wine was medium-to-light bodied and was somewhat dilute. My wife said, "This tastes kind of watery." The red cherry and underripe plum fruit was way in the background, and greener notes were to the fore. There was definitely acidity and some evident tannin, but not too much of either. We only drank one glass each because, quite frankly, we didn't enjoy it that much.

A glass on day two was better with the fruit turning slightly darker and coming out a bit more. Still not that enjoyable.

Like many, I was intrigued by the VM 100 on this wine in AG's retrospective. To me and for my palate, this was far from that. I didn't open this wine to try and prove a point against AG but, rather, was really excited to see what it was like. I was disappointed.

There are "old school Napa" producers, but this wasn't that. To me, it tasted like an underripe wine in a bad vintage. If this is what Mayacamas wines are like, I'll take other old school producers like Dunn and Forman all day long. This just flat-out was too rustic and didn't have much in the way of enjoyable fruit.

11/28/2022 - MBusk Likes this wine:

A classic cellar defender, this leads with fresh strawberries on the nose and the palate. The floral inner mouth perfume is lovely. Tangy and slightly peppery. Solid mid-palate density, medium-long finish. For $10 from Full Pull, this is one to buy by the case. (I did.)

11/10/2022 - RandV wrote:

Dry wine
Current price:$70

11/10/2022 - ledocq Likes this wine:

Hadn't had any wine in a couple of weeks and there was a Morgan Ranch wagyu strip that needed companionship. Turned out to be like Astaire and Hayworth. Decanted 3 hours.

11/2/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Purple fruit and structured cabernet.

10/21/2022 - Empirate wrote:

Nice fruit, just thinning at the rim but still garnet. A bit astringent with alcohol also covering up the fruit and medium-short finish. Did not improve over 3 days.

Suffered by comparison to a 2009 ACV CS.

10/13/2022 - RichlandMike Likes this wine:

Dark and slightly translucent Cranberry in my glass, with a cherry and white pepper bouquet. The dark berry fruit flavors are subdued with cedar and leather finish. Drink this now.

10/17 - fixed flawed score from 80 (😳) to correct value - 91🎉

10/3/2022 - WetRock wrote:

Drank my first bottle two years ago right after purchase and it was not a great experience. Fat and Syrah like with a tar note. No sense of energy or exuberance that you expect from the Pisoni Estate. I hope I caught it after a lot of travel or a bottling shock sort of mood so I left this other one for a couple of years and withheld a note. Well a couple years made no difference. Fat and saucy. Lacking acidity to give it energy. The "minerality" in the other notes seem from some other dimension. A wine in this manner could never show something like that. No real tannin either. Just sort of ripe, dark fruits with no sense of framing or borders to hold it together. Actually, it feels like viscosity holding it together. That sort of keeps all the exciting stuff you want all folded onto itself. One of my worst experiences in comparison to history and expectation in recent memory. This is more like a big fat Zin or Napa Cab people drink with BBQ than the complex, electric Pinot you expect with this bottle.

9/20/2022 - DTK Rockstar Likes this wine:

Cali cabs not usually my thing. (Edit so this wasn’t a Cab. Likely due to how late in the night I wrote this note. Thanks to the commenters below for pointing this out. On a note side, seems like I may prefer Cali Zins over Cabs although the sample size remains small. )

This did have the usual jammy notes described below but overall I felt that it was better integrated than others I’ve tried.

9/11/2022 - jmcmchi Likes this wine:

Opened three to four hours. Could have done with more

Bramble acidity works well with taut tannins. Feels lighter than abv would suggest

Revert in five years

7/24/2015 - 5laton wrote:

Gave into temptation and received a dry slap. This was really grumpy and never opened up unlike a bottle last week. Reduction, bug spray notes, and after 3 hours, still not drinkable. Corked up and put in the fridge
Next day, it comes around a little but never gets close to form.

3/15/2022 - Dad300 wrote:

flawed. extremely bitter and a nose of acetone. never burned off. no fruit.. corked? previous bottle was just on the edge of this and was barely drinkable.
of the four bottles that i purchased two were beautiful.. the last two..not so much..

3/3/2022 - nefarm Likes this wine:

Smooth. Friends excited by Seghesion home ranch over paella, but no contest to me.

2/28/2022 - Motz wrote:

Magnum bottle, enjoyed over two days.

On the light side of CdP, in very good ways. Traditional character, on the bouquet and palate, showing effusive notes of fig cake, dates, herbs, iodine, kelp, cured meats, and smoldering coals, etc. All elements delivered with light brush strokes, gracing the palate, rather than assaulting it. Noteworthy poise, delightful balance, considerable range and depth. Substantive and delicious finish.

Acid and tannin going strong. This magnum, it seemed, could have gone another five to seven years, perhaps ten. Appealing, velvet glove presentation.

The wine embraced every bite of food paired with it, from dutch oven pot roast to dried cheeses and charcuterie. Fine QPR!

1/11/2022 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine:

Last tasted 2/20, rated it 96. Outstanding, and fully mature. Ruby-garnet, translucent, not dark like the syrahs. Pronounced aromas of black raspberries and plums, acetic aromas, some oak sweetness, just a touch of smoke and roasted meat. Full-bodied matching flavors, but very soft and round, nicely balanced. Very long aftertaste, some sweetness but a hint of bitter, which then resolved. This won't get any better but should easily hold several more years.
Ric

11/28/2021 - jmcmchi Likes this wine:

Light bodied with more red berries than red leather.

Moderate acidity, surprisingly good with pizza

11/5/2021 - Mike6743 Likes this wine:

Excellent

11/6/2021 - Ron Slye wrote:

This is my last bottle and I am convinced this will age for many many more years. This is not a powerful wine that will mellow. Instead it is at first closed, but after decanting for one to two hours this starts to open and flower. A more subtle almost Burgundian style Syrah. This is not true with other vintages of this wine I think, but this one, or at least this bottle, was. It was beautiful during my last sip. Amd probably would have improved over the night, and will over the years. I envy those who still have some.