2/18/2022 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Vinturi + 1 hr decant. Dark garnet color. Strong blue & blackberry with vanilla on the nose. Still has some alcohol aroma as well. Medium palate, dark fruits and some oak towards the finish. Lengthy finish. Drinks we’ll if you let it open, but has plenty of life left. I’ll leave my other two bottles for a couple of years

5/8/2021 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Not great notes. Popped & poured. String alcohol but not overwhelming. Long legs. Aromas of raspberries & blueberries. Medium to heavy palate. Red berries and cherries on the palate and a big wood not mid palate leading to a lengthy vanilla / oaky finish. Liked it quite a bit. Much better on the second day as the fruit and wood notes integrated better and the wine is more balanced. Will look for more but probably age 3 - 5 years.

4/2/2021 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Not great notes. Popped & poured. Dark garnet color. Red fruits, vanilla & a hint of oak on the nose. Medium to heavy palate. Great dark fruit flavors and oaky finish. Finish was medium. I liked it quite a bit.

2/26/2021 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Glad I still had one bottle and regretting drinking the others earlier. This is drinking well now. Decanted with venturi for 1 hr. Still has very solid legs and the tannins are still there so if kept well I'd say it still has life in it. Barnyard funk on the nose is faint, along with some red fruit. Heavy and a bit grainy on the palate. Carnberry with pomegranate and some blood orange and cherry on the palate leads to strong acid note and a pretty lengthy finish that has a hint of a saline note (interesting). Enjoying it now more than any of the other bottles I had.

12/24/2020 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

2 hr decant. Dark garnet color. Cloudy in the glass. Still has long legs. Still very powerful alcohol on the nose. Dark fruits on the nose. Medium to heavy palate. Dark cherry, blueberry & brioche on the palate. Continues through the mid palate and very lengthy finish. Definitely enjoyed with seafood pasta. Wish I had another bottle. Will seek out another vintage.

5/8/2020 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Popped and poured through vinturi. Deep dark crimson in color. No barnyard on the nose this time, just red berries. Medium weight on the palate. Very well balanced and enjoyable. Red fruits on the palate and that carry through to the finish which adds a peppery note and it’s quite lengthy. Really like this. Will try to get more from another vintage.

4/8/2020 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Double Vinturi on the decanter & 30 mins of air. Very smooth. Red fruits on the nose with a hint of rose petals. Less fruity than before but still there and balanced with oak. Really long finish. Enjoyed it

3/14/2020 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Not great notes but it was much better than my last bottle. Very balanced and a long finish

11/29/2019 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Not decanted. Poured through Venturi. Crimson red. Still has legs and I can feel some of the alcohol still there. Aromas of berries (boysenberry & blueberries) and brioche. Strawberries on the palate. great texture and feel. Tannins are well integrated. Finish is very long with some hints of bay leaf and tobacco behind the acidity. really liked it. My last bottle of this vintage. La Gerla never disappoints.

12/20/2015 - vinniemontoni wrote:

6 hr decant and still has long legs. Nose of dark cherries, cranberry and cinnamon but overpowered by alcohol. Medium palate. Cherries on the palate but not as fruity. Lots of oak and green pepper. Lengthy finish of vegetables and spice.

11/25/2015 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Very nice QPR. Could become my new house sparkling wine.

11/22/2015 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Drinking very well now. Great balance after 2 hr. decant. Lengthy finish.

4/22/2015 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Great weekday wine. Pairs really well with Pizza or Pasta and tomato sauce.

4/9/2015 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Decanted through vinturi. Aired 30 mins. Nose of cherries and still strong alcohol present. Medium palate. Red fruits, cherry, raspberries on the palate with a little roughness of the tannins towards the finish that is very, very lengthy. Like it but I think it needs more air or another year at least.

3/17/2015 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Popped & poured. Very strong barnyard, plum & oak on the nose. First sip was overwhelming with barnyard & a ferrous note. Left open for two hours and it became a well balanced wine. Nose of plum & cherry with a tobacco note. Medium to heavy palate. Wine is strong and gies well with strong tasty foods like homemade pesto sauce. Finish is lengthy. I'm curious about how it will taste tomorrow.

1/31/2015 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Popped and decanted through Venturi. Note is from a 15 minute decant. Nose of barnyard, red fruit and alcohol. Medium palate. Red fruits, strawberry. Tannins present and well integrated. Finish is lengthy. I like this and expect it to get better as the night goes along. Glad I have another bottle.

1/26/2015 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Not great notes as drank with company. However, it's a great bottle.

1/16/2015 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Not very knowledgeable about Nero D'Avola but was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Decanted through vinturi for 90 minutes. Nose of cassis & dried cherry. Medium palate. Strawberries, Cherries and spice towards the finish. Tannins well integrated. Really liked this. Excellent QPR.

1/13/2015 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Decanted for 1 hr. Surprised that it really had integrated the alcohol well, no legs from the start. Blueberry, Raspberries, oak and vanilla on the nose. Nice texture on the palate, smooth & silky. Texture alone will lure you to drink more. Palate very similar to nose, lingering finish. Will try to seek more of this vintage or newer. Excellent Merlot for the price.

12/10/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Decanted through Vinturi for 1 hr. Nose of red fruits with some alcohol left. Has legs but they are runny. Medium palate. Plums, strawberries and a vanilla note at the end that gives it balance. Very good for the price.

12/5/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Decanted 2 hrs. Nose was red and blue fruits with some alcohol left. Medium palate. Red fruits, well balanced with oak notes, vanilla and a hint of spices. Well integrated tannins. Finish is very long and enjoyable.

11/2/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Not great notes as drank with friends. Nice integration of all fruits. Popped & poured through vinturi and still needed another hour before alcohol started to mellow out. Very nice effort. Wish I had more.

10/18/2014 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Poured through Vinturi and decanted 3 hours. Lots of alcohol and long legs that mute the rest of the bouquet of dark fruits. Medium palate. Again lots of alcohol with Strawberries, Dark Cherry and gritty tannins toward the finish which is what I have enjoyed the most. Lengthy. Feel like I opened too soon.

10/11/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Popped & poured through vinturi. Strong alcohol smell but red and black fruits. Medium palate. Red fruits on the palate, acid note toward the end of the palate. Lenghthy finish but a bit one dimensional. Will see how it evolves with air. Good value.

6/2/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Not great notes as we had the bottle with friends over dinner. Did benefit quite a bit of decanting for 45 mins. Very nice.

5/10/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Not great notes but really nice. Toast, nutty and a refreshing finish. Will look for additional bottles.

5/10/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Popped & poured. Nose of pineapple with grapefruit. Very tropical. Medium palate. Tropical fruits, pineapple and an acid refreshing note towards tge finish. A little tart torwards the end but in a good way. Lengthy grafruit like finish. Like it. Unfortunately I don't have another one of these left.

4/25/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Decanted 4 hrs. Still has legs, although alcohol scent has dissipated. Nose of currants with an oak and vegetal note. Medium palate. Currants, leather, a vegetal note and some oak. Lengthy finish. Great value.

3/22/2014 - vinniemontoni wrote:

In line with previous bottles.

3/20/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Popped & poured. Definitely needed about 30 minutes of air. Strong nose of red fruits, heavy palate. Blueberries and raspberries but a strong backbone of oak. Lengthy finish. Wish I had let it air another 45 mins. Excellent.

3/2/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Decanted 4 hrs. Still has legs. Very dark garnet in color. Red fruits, barnyard, leather on the nose. Medium palate. Red fruits, dark cherries, and then a quick acidity note and then the finish. Very lengthy finish (goes on for over a minute). Well integrated but I find a slight imbalance which is interesting but I suspect will take care of itself in a year or two. In my opinion this has a few years left so I am no hurry to drink my other bottle. Really on my flavor profile. Excellent.

2/16/2014 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Not great notes. Took a while to open. Initially very vegetal but opened with red fruit after about 1 hr. Light palate. Medium finish. Not quite my favorite type of wine but glad I tried it.

2/10/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

2 hr. Decant. Helps to bring some of the fruit out. Nose of dark cherries & spices. Strong note of alcohol present. Medium palate. Dark cherry, spice and an oaky note towards the finish. Tannins are well integrated. Drinking well now but has good aging potential.

2/7/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Very nice. Toast on the palate and green apple. Well balanced. Glad I have another one.

1/26/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Decanted for 1 hr. Nose of red fruits, alcohol still present. Medium palate. Not the best Stags Leap I've had but the fruit was there and the vegetal funky note lessened as the night went on. Finish was lengthy and balanced. I have 5 more. Will give the next one until September / October and see how it evolves.

1/18/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine:

Nose of sour cherries, leather and still a kick of alcohol after 2 hrs. In decanter. Medium palate. Freah red fruits a little gritty on the finish but much more balance and integrated than previous bottle. I really enjoyed this. Very lengthy finish. Unfortunately my last bottle.

1/17/2014 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Nice and sweet but maybe I aged this bottle too long. A little cloying and a slight bitten note toward the finish . Overall I liked it but not my favorite demi sec.

12/14/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

1 hr. Decant. Red fruits on the nose and still some alcohol. Medium to full palate. Burst of black cherry, blueberries on the palate with nicely integrated tannins and a little vanilla with acidity for balance. Finish is quite lengthy. It's in ln line with previous note. Impressive, regardless of price. I'd say after a year it got a little better. Will seek again.

12/6/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Decanted through vinturi for 90 mins. Nose of dark berries, still some alcohol. Medium to heavy palate. Palate has a blast of blueberries and dark cherries. Very complex with a note of graham cracker before an nice balancing acidity right before the finish. Silky smooth and well integrated tannins. Finish is very lenghthy. Will seek more.

11/30/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Not great notes but I really like this. I had another bottle with seafood a while back and picked this up for a BYOB dinner. Excellent. Will seek some more. Very fruity Merlot with a lengthy finish and a note of green pepper. Lengthy.

10/5/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Not great notes but needed a longer decant. I know I opened this too early to take to byob italian dinner.

11/28/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Great with Thanksgiving dinner. Nose of red fruits and spice. Medium & silky palate. Red fruits, burnt earth, clove and well balanced. 2 hr. Decant. Could still hold for some time but its ready to drink now. Excellent.

11/10/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

3 hr . Decant. Cherry & vegetables on the nose. Still a lot of alcohol. May have opened too soon. Heavy palate. Cherry, red fruits, plum coated with a bitter note towards the finish. Tannins present and not fully integrated. Lengthy finish. I like it but not as much as Susana Balbo.

11/8/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Better than last time. Devanted for 3 hours. More balanced and less funk. Pomagranate, red fruits. Astringent finish and still some alcohol on the palate. Keeps getting better but not my flavor profile.

11/8/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Not great notes but everything I would expect and want in a Cali cab was there after a 3 hr decant. Red fruits on the nose. Medium to heavy palate with red fruits and some oak and tannins. Lengthy finish. Probably my current favorite weekday bottle.

11/2/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

PNP as the second bottle of the night following a Justin Cabernet. Probably needed at least 30 mins of air but the nowe of fruits & spices was very nice, although it still had a strong alcohol note and it showed on the glass. Medium to heavy palate, closed initially but got better (fruitier and more balanced) with air. Tannins are well integrated and it has a lengthy finish. Much better and balanced on day 2.

10/31/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Really nice cab. Not great notes but very good as a weeknight wine.

10/26/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Really enjoyed this. I was looking forward to it and totally delivered. 4 hr. decant and even then the wine still had some legs although the alcohol smell had dissipated. Muted nose of cherries and red fruits but long decant took some of the nose away from when I initially poured it. Medium to heavy palate. Very fruity up front. Cherries, currants and some forest floor. Nice note of acidity towards the finish, almost to the end is a little coarse. I should have probably let this lie a little longer but it was still great. Finish is very, very long. Only one bottle but I will look for more on more recent vintages.

10/24/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

Not great notes. Had with Pizza and friends during the week. Maybe needed more air but not quite as great as I expected from last time.

10/21/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote:

One of my favorite Riojas. 1 hr. decant. Black cherries on the nose with some spice. Medium palate. Cherries & currants on tge palate and well integrated oak. Tannins are integrated but could definitely go longer. Finish is smooth. & lengthy with a tobacco note. Score reflects another hour of decanting when the fruit started to come alive and balance it even more. Very nice. I have one more bottle that I'll probably lay down for two more years.