4/18/2021 - richardhod Likes this wine:

I never expected this out of a sangiovese, but wow, this is a revelation. I bought 4 bottles in 2012 because they were on accidental 75% discount in Tesco, and it looked like great wine. Every time I take it I go wow this is good but I bet it opens up in time. And still it's not immediately open on the first day which means it's got years left, maybe two decades even.

This is still dark and closed and tannic on day 1 but after 24-hours of being open it has opened up into leather and Cassis and briar fruits with still strong acidity and some floral notes on the middle and end of the palate. It is long and deep and subtle and beautiful. This could last another 10 years. I hope I haven't just drunk my last bottle! Highly recommended this is a really really good wine, and structured to last.

9/23/2012 - midieh wrote:

Awful. Unclean.

8/3/2013 - msimoes Likes this wine:

The cork was v dry and desintegrated as I tried to pull it. Feared for the wine but it turned out nicely.

Right after popping there were plenty of sweetness and heat on display. 2 hours later, it seems to have hit its stride. V nice in the mouth, though the finish is beginning to show hints of something earthy/mineral that I can't really explain but that i dont find desirable and which i remember from a similar 77G we had last Thanksgiving.

Overall, v enjoyable. My first attempt ever at a score would put it around 91-92.

Edit: at 4 hrs after decanting it is tasting really good. That weird taste vanished, just the good stuff left. Upping my score to 93.

Edit 2: There was a glass full left in the bottle, which i kept in the fridge wo a cork, and went back to it yesterday (2 days later). It was still tasting great, the ending of it would say better than at 4hrs open. Felt a bit more tawny like. V good. Final score at 93-94.

8/3/2013 - trifecta Does not like this wine:

No detailed notes. Taken to a winemakers BBQ, where it was at the bottom of the pack. Just too hot and heavy handed with the oak. I continue to be unimpressed with anything but cab from this producer.

8/14/2013 - klezman wrote:

On PnP at cellar temp it's rather odd - the nose is in the range I'd expect of black pepper and some dark red fruit underneath it all. The palate, though, was rather chalky and odd. There's a bitterness I don't expect. This is well before dinnertime so I hope it smooths out with air.

The air did help somewhat, but not the best bottle of Wellington Syrah I've had. Probably slightly corked.

8/17/2013 - MSheridan wrote:

Dark and dense. Heavy fruit notes of damson and blackcurrant with a chocolate finish. Upon opening I'd find it fairly difficult to distinguish this from some aussie Shiraz.
Settled down a bit on day 2 but still punchy
Tannins didn't give the impression this has a very long future ahead probably more medium term. I would guess to drink this over the next 3-5years

8/11/2013 - trifecta wrote:

Such a beautiful Pinot Noir. I was a bit worried given the sub par vintage for Oregon. Earthy without funk. Leans more to the duff/cedar side. Balanced and elegant with a long finish. As it open the layers just keep rolling through. Tons of depth on this wine and really worth the attention to it while drinking. Drinking really well after an hour or so open, but not need to rush this. Could hold for a decade without a problem.

8/16/2013 - Janstan Likes this wine:

Decanted for only half an hour before dinner of Merryvale's coffee rubbed strip steaks. Cherry, loganberry on palate. Wonderful nose.

8/18/2013 - JasonG Likes this wine:

Love this, just goes to show you can't lump all wines into a generally agreed poor vintage. Turns out 2007 was great in the right hands. Lovely medium-light cherry color. Nose is forest floor, the pleasant earthy funk, no barnyard. Round mouthfeel, dried cherries and traces of noticeable alcohol. But lasting and satisfying. A sense of mint in the nose lasts. Surprisingly good for the price, but you needed patience.

8/14/2010 - Drspat wrote:

Patience is the key here. Just began to open up after one hour of decanting. By the second hour it was tasting great, but we had too little in our glass.

7/27/2013 - HWgeek wrote:

Accidentally opened up another bottle! Still very similar to my last note : The tart and dark cherry was more evident on the palate upon opening, didn't need to decant.
Nice nose with strawberries, earth and a little smokiness to it. Some cherry on the palate good acidity and well rounded. Not a typical Cali PN. Very delicious and more of a hint or reminder of french burgundy. Will TRY hold off drinking more until a little more aging. Expect it will mature with age!

6/28/2013 - As-Is Likes this wine:

Takes a little time to mellow out but has a nice, smooth taste once it has time to breath

5/23/2013 - mibuwolf83 Likes this wine:

Upon first glance, this Chardonnay seems to be holding up well with its clear, yellow gold appearance and showing no signs of its 10-year bottle age. On the nose, I can pick up wet stone with a hint of flint, lemon and lemon zest. The palate is more linear with its diminished sense of the lemon and lemon zest and finishes with a long mineral tenacity. Light to medium bodied, this is a perfect wine for summer drinking.

7/13/2013 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine:

First jolly experience, personally I found the wine to be showing quite a bit of secondary notes, bruised apples, pie crust, macerated pears and hints of vanilla, palate was delicious, finished on a medium length with the acidity prevailing

7/21/2013 - Bill1100 wrote:

Very hot right out of the bottle. After decanting for about an hour it improved quite a bit. Beautiful translucent color, excellent with fennel spiced salmon burgers.

7/13/2013 - merryberry wrote:

Deep dark ruby. Crushed raspberry, leather and earth nose. Medium to full bodied, dirty cranberries, turbo black cherries, pepper, heat, copious sweet tannins, dark chocolate, and a medium finish. Fruit forward but not out of control.

8/31/2013 - awinejourney Likes this wine:

Nice subtle fruit with a great dustiness. Medium finish.

8/28/2013 - klezman wrote:

Delicious. Raspberry, blackberry, leather, bright fruit but intense. Acid is balanced and present as are the tannins. Great wine, definitely in a good zone with some five spice notes on the finish. It's got a year or two to go, but drinking beautifully at the moment.

7/10/2013 - klezman wrote:

On PnP the port character is at the front. With time, that faded somewhat and a nicely textured plum/black fruit but beautifully balanced wine came out. Try the last one 2015-6?

6/15/2013 - Vintomas wrote:

Fine wine BYO (Stockholm): Appearance: bright yellow, the lightest in hue among the four white bubblies
Nose: citrus including zest, ripe yellow fruit, some notes of maturity, possibly some oak, mineral, slightly smoky, some perfume.
Palate: citrus, grapefruit, rather high acidity, some spice, good concentration (but not really "fat"), long aftertaste.
Summary: has not peaked yet, 92 p
Came across as younger and with higher acidity than expected once I knew what it was. We all believed this was an oaked blanc de blancs. A very good but slightly odd bottle.

6/28/2013 - Marcyrillo Likes this wine:

In the beginning the wine was very unbalanced. It improved a lot after several hours of decanting. It is ripe and strong, but with a medium/long persistence and a pleasant aftertaste. Great wine!

7/5/2013 - blakel Likes this wine:

This bottle was not as good as the previous ones.

7/12/2013 - klezman wrote:

Doing nicely - on PnP aromas of dark cherry and plum mixed with a bit of nonspecific herb that made it very interesting. As it got air the acidity came more to the front while retaining the fruitiness. Nice wine overall. Unsure when the last bottle should be drunk.

7/14/2013 - ccrida wrote:

Smoke is much more prominent than I recall, peaty. Raspberry nose, medium body, drying, clean alcoholic character. Will not be holding the rest much longer, although the smoke is strong enough I'll have to spread them out...

6/7/2013 - skibum819 Likes this wine:

Let me start off by saying if your a fan of the big high extracted hit you over the head cabs you're not going to like this. I love those too but this is all about Rutherford and the Rutherford dustiness. It is rich and full bodied but it gives a serious nod toward the old world flavors and the sense of terrior only it's from California that makes this wine so enjoyable

6/22/2013 - Johnny C NYC wrote:

What a winner from this young maker. Full and voluptuous, with a bit of creamy smoothness. No complaints - want to try more Keating. 50/5/12/16/8

4/27/2013 - blewis1041 wrote:

Relatively flat. Was hoping I'd waited long enough, maybe waited too long.

The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Fast. It smells like Toast, and Burnt. It tastes like Oak, Vanilla, Lead Pencil, Black Pepper, and Black currant (cassis). The body is Medium. The wine has Fleshy texture. The wine finishes Medium.

6/25/2013 - klezman Likes this wine:

Drinking nicely. White pepper, sage or some other slightly spicy herb, and some underlying barely ripe fruit. This is delicious and will likely only get better. The tannins are still pretty grippy and even though there's a bitter note at the end it's becoming more integrated with time. Maybe drink one more bottle before a dumb period sets in and save the last for another 10 years.

6/27/2013 - Wicked Panda wrote:

Did not decant, probably should have. Mellow tannins, ready to drink. However flavors were muted, with leather and tobacco dominating. A little dark berry and cassis. Good long finish, with balanced tannins across the tongue. The next day, a little left in the bottle was still good, with cherry notes.

6/27/2013 - Blauweiss Likes this wine:

Very Medoc-like. Truffles, leadpencil and cassis. Long and balanced, complex, really good!!

6/18/2013 - Blauweiss Likes this wine:

Big and bold, still has settled and is now in a beautiful place. Great balance, and long fruity taste with chocolate, licorice, leadpencil, cassis and a touch of stable (in a pleasant way). Great now but will last 5 years or more.

6/15/2013 - mklasing wrote:

Very good PS for the price. Not overpowering, but fruity and excellent with lamb steaks. Plum and raspberry with a hint of chocolate.

6/23/2013 - jlaws7lh wrote:

Very big flavor. Good after an hour decant, but loses a lot as the hours go by.

6/22/2013 - hongjiu wrote:

- Violet color with slow forming legs. It's in total harmony with a medium body. Smooth texture with a medium finish - Booyah. In its prime. I grabbed this by accident thinking it was one of the '96s I need to finish off. Tiny blackberry nose, rich tobacco and slightly blueberry fruit flavoring that is as steady as she goes.

6/3/2013 - trifecta wrote:

PnP. On the nose, picking up a lot of oak and a bit of dark fruit. Set aside to hopefully allow this to blow off. Color only slightly bricked. Palate is a bit disjointed. Picking up heat, rough tannin, and acid, none of which is integrated. ABV is 14.8 and paired with its age the alcohol is very present. This one is past peak, or wasn't great to start with. The fruit was nothing special, just nondescript dark fruit and paired with the heat, disjointed, and over oaked this came off as very disappointing.

8/15/2012 - klezman Likes this wine:

Initially kind of muted, but the finish was all mint while the palate was raspberry or tart cherry.
It's morphed into a nose of chocolate and dark cherry jam (the good kind of jam, not sickly sweet). with maybe a hint of anise. Palate is getting more complex and the finish is solid - about 10 seconds.

1/2/2011 - JN wrote:

Boring. That sums it up. Nothing special here. Close to "la Ciboise", with twice the cost. This vintage just doesn't find the right style and balance.

7/31/2012 - merryberry wrote:

Slightly cloudy dark ruby. Dirty strawberry, nutmeg, oak, and Dr. Pepper nose. Medium to full bodied, cranberries, sharp red cherries, well integrated dusty tannins, pepper, fizzy acid, a bit of heat, and a medium to long finish. This took a lot airtime to get to its peak.

5/18/2013 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Slightly cloudy ruby-garnet. Crushed cherries, earth, and cola nose. Medium to full bodied, tart cranberries, dirty cherries, eucalyptus, well integrated sweet tannins, cinnamon, and a medium to long finish. Well made and well priced.

5/23/2013 - erichbrandt wrote:

Lake

3/23/2013 - discombobulated wrote:

very pale. nose: perfume, hint of fruit - peach or pineapple. A little oily/mouthcoating with a little acid. Little or no fruit. Enjoyable, but not great.

5/25/2013 - Buck naked wrote:

Really nice cab. Velvety smooth with taste of berries and maybe pepper. Nose of earth and green pepper. Medium tannins and medium finish. Well done Peter Wellington .

5/26/2013 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine:

More modern in style than I expected, but absolutely stunning - great depth and a silky mouthfeel. Outstanding.

5/27/2013 - tzarf wrote:

Terrific. Well balanced medium body, medium finish, with just enough grip

5/27/2013 - bg3034 wrote:

Last of these bottles. PnP through Nuance Wine Finer and some time in glass. Deep dark purple color. On the nose, plummy. On the palate, chewy and tart. Some spice, some dark fruit, a little oak. Very enjoyable. Still give it an 89 pts. Aloha!

5/19/2013 - walkerjfw wrote:

Sunday night dinner with the family... with my famous ground chicken burgers, avocados and brown rice.

Decanted, was fragrant and drinkable right out of the bottle. Stayed almost the same for 2 hours, opening slightly. Medium purple, some bricking at the edges. Subtle nose, mild spice, red fruits, leather. Palate carried all the flavors of the nose. red fruits come through with cedar and eucalyptus - like an aged Heitz Martha's... Tannins are smooth and integrated.

Elegant and smooth wine - could almost mistake for a Bordeaux if tasted blind - the eucalyptus gives it away. Cathy Corison makes these wines to age, so its hard to say if it hit its peak. In a zone now, I think it may start to fade, who knows. Gorgeous wine.

PS - with the flavor profile, low alcohol, and mouth feel - you can pair with a wide variety of foods...or drink by itself

10/27/2012 - fruitofthevine wrote:

Supple darkness. Good on its own but shines with a proper meal. Not overly complex but develops nicely after 1 hour decant.

5/22/2013 - tabachus wrote:

Slight closed off even after an hour if decanting. Suggest letting this one open up over two hours or longer as it was significantly different the second day. Smooth medium to heavy bodied mouthfeel. Strong palate with blackberry that nicely faded into the finish. Decent tannins with a touch of oak. Well balanced and enjoyable.

5/14/2013 - KVM wrote:

Deep red. Dark plum and cherry, pepper and vanilla. Whiff of sea shore. Rich plummy fruit. Well concentrated, showing cherry syrup and just a little oxidation (thanks to SoCal heat). This wine, properly stored, should gain complexity and perhaps integrate the oak.

5/17/2013 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

Dark purple with notes of black cherry, plums, smoke, and earth. Fairly well balanced on the palate with nice acidity and tannins that are well ripened. Overall very good, but not as good as some of the classics like Rostaing.