9/7/2019 - celo4life wrote:

If you're a complete wine geek and want something that's going to trip you out over a few hours, pick this wine up. Otherwise, I wouldn't suggest it. Initial nose is very off-putting and oxidized. But after an hour an a half of tasting through it, some of the pleasant notes came out. Had some cement, biscuit, lemon zest notes on the nose and palate.

I'm a bit surprised it held up as long as it has, but it's definitely well past it's prime. Go with one of their newer sparkling wines for better quality.

6/20/2017 - celo4life wrote:

If you're looking for something different from Willamette at a value, you may want to check into this one. Mostly tart cherry and raspberry notes on the palate with a metallic back end. Not sure if this wine would be helped with more time. I will give the last bottle another half year and see if I get more developed characters.

5/12/2017 - celo4life Likes this wine:

I gave this a go at a dinner recently and it paired well with the Italian dishes I had. Still a bit young for my liking, so I would sit on this for a bit. Will provide a full review on my second bottle.

2/17/2017 - celo4life Likes this wine:

This bottle was given to me by a family member of the winery and it was stored in conditions that were a little variable. Nevertheless, this bottle still has a bit of character left in the bottle. At first taste, it was surprisingly light with hints of cherry along with a lot of earthy tones. After it opened up, the fruit took over a bit and it balanced out the acidity on the wine. I would say that it's probably at or a little past it's peak so enjoy it while you can if you have it stored at a consistent temperature.

7/8/2016 - celo4life Likes this wine:

I finally decided to break this one out and it's still holding up pretty well. Over time, it has developed a nice petrol note with some green apple and slight tropical notes. If you take care of this wine and cellar it properly, it will pay off. Still has bright acidity and a slight creaminess on the mid palate. Color is still light straw which is quite impressive for an older Washington white wine.

7/4/2016 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Easy drinking Sangiovese with dark cherry, raspberry, toasted oak, and other berry notes. Medium acidity and lighter tannins on this. Still has time to go if you're cellaring

4/18/2016 - celo4life Does not like this wine:

Oddly enough, this bottle was a bit better, but I realize that having the level of sweetness on a Roussanne just bastardizes the varietal. It did show decently, despite it's age with lemon, citrus, tropical fruit notes. The acidity was also a bit better than the previous bottle.

3/25/2016 - celo4life Likes this wine:

This wine just moves as it opens up. At first, I was getting more of the bell pepper notes, then I was getting some tea leaf, but at hour 3, I was picking up more of the cola notes. Just a beautiful wine that still has a bit more time left in the bottle. Shame they aren't making wine anymore.

3/25/2016 - celo4life wrote:

Has a little earth initially, but berry notes with mostly cherry on the nose. Great wine that opens up after an hour. Definitely hang on to this one a bit

3/3/2016 - celo4life Does not like this wine:

Raisin notes and plum.... Pretty much smells like it turned so I won't rate this bottle since I have another one.

1/17/2016 - celo4life Likes this wine:

After about an hour or two, this wine was tasting nicely and the earthy tones & lighter berry notes came out. If you have some in your cellar and have taken good care of it, you still have some time left on this gem.

10/23/2015 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Coffee, cocoa (70% or higher style), smoke, earth, darker berries on the palate. Great with hearty cuts of beef.

10/23/2015 - celo4life wrote:

Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, pepper, spice on the nose and palate. Medium tannins with a nice balance of acidity. As the wine opens, you'll get some nice notes of coffee and cola along with the others. Took a bit to open so taste a little over time, but around the 2 hour mark, it's gonna be money.

10/23/2015 - celo4life wrote:

Smoke, barnyard, earthy undertones, and spice on the nose. Overtime, more of the fruit comes out like cherry, raspberry with the spice notes. Beautiful bottle throughout.

10/23/2015 - celo4life wrote:

Had some notes of tar/rubber w/ blackberry, and pepper on the nose. Tripped me out for quite a bit, but a great bottle.

10/23/2015 - celo4life wrote:

Notes of spice, berry (blackberry), pepper, and floral. Medium+ tannins, but not too heavy on the grip. Nice pick up for your cellar and you can hang onto this for quite a bit.

10/23/2015 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Earthy undertones with blackberry and spice notes. Definitely hang on to it for a year or two as it can develop further, however it is great now.

7/31/2015 - celo4life Likes this wine:

One of the last in the group to break this bottle open. Notes of citrus, grapefruit, and it does have a grassy note to it as well. Medium to medium + acidity, but its very crisp on the palate. Light straw color and could probably go another year or two if you store it in good conditions. I'm drinking this around cellar temperature so it seems to perform well around this point. Maybe a little colder would be fine, but not too much from cellar.

4/15/2015 - celo4life wrote:

Lots of minerality on the nose and palate with notes of dark cherry and stone. High acidity and a slight cross between creaminess and sharpness. Palate is a little conflicted here, but its still a quality bottle

3/27/2015 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Nice floral and tropical notes with nice acidity to balance out the fruit. Still drinking well and could go another few years if stored properly

3/10/2015 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Beautiful minerality and tree fruit on the palate. Great acidity and tiny bubbles that are consistent in the glass.

1/22/2015 - celo4life wrote:

Beautiful golden color. Honey, apricot, peach on the nose. Just beautiful notes of honey and apricot fruit on the palate. Has some creaminess that just lingers. Just sit back and enjoy it!

11/26/2014 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Color of garnet with cranberry, cherry, and raspberry on the nose and the palate with hints of cinnamon and spice. Has medium tannins and acidity. Drinks just fine now and will develop nicely over the years. If you drink it before 2015, decant it for an hour so the flavors and aromas come alive.

9/26/2014 - celo4life Likes this wine:

First off, if you have any bottles of this, save them and enjoy them later! Not because its drinking well, it definitely is. But mainly because this bottle has character. You've got the dirt in the wine, the darker fruits like black cherry, black currant, and blackberry. You also have some tobacco notes and peppercorns (black or green). As it opens up, you have some nice spice notes and more of the fruit coming out.

In a few years, this will be even better!

8/26/2014 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Notes of blackberry, black pepper, dark cherry, and blueberry on the nose initially. Over time, more of the spice notes are present on the nose. On the palate, you get a nice blend of cranberry, blackberry, and other berry fruit. Although the wine had good acidity, the tannins were pretty light to non-existent. Do yourself a favor and make sure decant this for at least an hour, if not two. It gets better as it opens up, but it takes some time.

7/28/2014 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Notes of pepper, blackberry, raspberry, cherry, and red currant on the nose and palate. Has a combination of fruit, spice, and vanilla on the finish. Good acidity and medium tannins. This wine is tasty on its own, but I would lean toward pairing this with a nice meal.

Right now, this wine can age another 3-5 years under cellar conditions and still taste great, if not better.

7/16/2014 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Nice notes of strawberry and citrus on the palate. Has a slight creamy finish with bright acidity. Aged pretty well in the cellar.

4/4/2014 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Lots of earth and cherry notes on this one. Definitely suggest decanting for about an hour to bring out the full notes in the wine.

4/4/2014 - celo4life wrote:

This was flawed all around. Tasted of soap and raisins. I dunno what else to say on this one. Just a huge disappointment.

5/29/2013 - celo4life wrote:

Good everyday wine. Dark purple color, has some notes of dark cherry, blackberry, and berry notes.

5/16/2013 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Nice spice, black pepper, clove, blackberry, dark cherry on the nose. Nice tannins on the palate. Nice blend of currant, dark cherry, touch of vanilla, and spice notes on the palate. Has a long finish on the palate for a young wine.

My suggestion, hold onto this wine for awhile. You'll thank me for it

5/13/2013 - celo4life Likes this wine:

Drinking this wine makes me miss Olsen Estates more and more. On the nose, you'll find nice blackberry, black pepper, and dark cherry. On the palate, you get a nice blend of spices, blackberry, raspberry, dark cherry, hints of vanilla, and black pepper. Tannins and acidity are on the medium side of the spectrum. For an every day drinking wine, this is a good pick

4/23/2013 - celo4life Likes this wine:

A very smooth bottle with nice acidity and tannins. Has some nice berry notes & spice on the palate. This is a bottle that you can sit on for awhile as it will get better with age. Enjoy it with your favorite cuts of beef, lamb, or earthy meats and veg.

4/23/2013 - celo4life wrote:

This bottle does have some nice qualities to it. There is some nice tropical notes on the nose and a bit of apple as well. On the palate, it did have a bit or residual sugar and the acidity didn't shine as much as it should have. I would be interested to see how much longer this one could've aged.

4/23/2013 - celo4life Does not like this wine:

I'm not going to give it a rating just yet, just in case my bottle had a flaw of some kind. The wine had a bit of a metalic taste to it that hid the sweetness & acidity that ya should get from this bottle. Will give the next bottle a rating.

3/10/2013 - celo4life wrote:

Very nice acidity. Hints of pear, lemon, and crisp apple on the palate. Great with lighter cheeses, fish or foods that pair well with acidity

9/12/2012 - celo4life wrote:

The color is a surprising golden rod (and believe me when I say shocking).The nose has some vanilla, honey, oak, and some tropical notes. On the palate, you have a cross between crisp & creamy finish. Has some apple, tropical fruit and vanilla. Worth the price in my opinion

6/18/2012 - celo4life wrote:

This wine has a violet purple color to it. It came off a bit young, but it had some nice fruit character to it. Notes of spice, strawberry, and plum. Had a bit of acid, but the tannins were around the mid-point. Good wine, but probably could've held off a few years before opening it.

4/5/2012 - celo4life wrote:

Wine has a lot of ripe fruit flavors and over time will develop some complexity. A little bit young, but drinks well now. This is one I would cellar for a year or so and see how it develops.

2/22/2012 - celo4life wrote:

Wine showed good balance w/ medium tannins and acidity.

2/3/2012 - celo4life wrote:

Unfortunately, my bottle had a bit of EA (ethyl acetate) smell to it so it rendered it undrinkable.

1/25/2012 - celo4life wrote:

Nice deep purple color. Nose has some nice berry, black pepper, vanilla. On the palate, the flavors just pop. Good to drink now, but will get much better over time

1/20/2012 - celo4life wrote:

Nice notes of apple, citrus fruit, and a lil bit of pineapple throughout this wine.

4/1/2011 - celo4life wrote:

The only wine this grape grower makes and its excellent. If you get a chance to catch him at the winery, makes sure to check out their lastest vintage.

4/1/2011 - celo4life wrote:

Not a bad wine for the price.

12/18/2010 - celo4life wrote:

As it was described at our cellar tasting, this is a classic bordeaux style wine. The nose is quite earthy, but not to the point where it will turn you off. The quality was great and was the surprise of the evening. If you come across this one, you may want to buy a few bottles.

12/13/2010 - celo4life wrote:

A very nice wine from Croatia. Has kind of a jammy characteristic to me which seems to fit the wine well.

12/13/2010 - celo4life wrote:

This bottle somehow seemed a little bit off to me. Probably was past its prime when I tried it, but in any event, it was still drinkable

11/24/2010 - celo4life wrote:

This wine was drinking great when we had it at the cellar. I probably should've held onto it for a year or two, but it was a special occassion. Had just the right amount of spice on the wine.

11/8/2010 - celo4life wrote:

Not quite to my liking. Very minerally and lacked balance