9/3/2022 - Hodby Likes this wine:

Popped and poured, through aerator, following 45 minutes aeration.Three 2 oz tasting portions sampled over a two hour period.

Dark red color, quite saturated. Aroma is big on ripe fruit, and much new oak seasoning; not much breadth or complexity, certainly no bottle development or secondary complexities. It's young, superripe yey not burnt or pruny at all. It feels ready to drink and light bodied with low tannin, low acidity, which is a nice trick with what I assume is mostly Cabernet and Bordeaux varietals. Paso Robles summer heat seems nicely tamed by some carbonic maceration, gentle press work, and whole bunch fermentation. Not classically true to the varietal character to my tasta but it's an easy drinking red. Have no idea how a well stored version may last but I'd say drink now rather than store for adventure.

I did not know much about the producer except that it receives ardent support from its mailing list customerrs. I think this bottling sells on release for around $60/750ml, which wouldn't tempt me; there's so much old vine zinfandel of similar character but more excitement that draws me strongly instead.

9/22/2018 - Hodby Likes this wine:

Medium red-garnet color. Aroma immediate and on the meaty and smoky side,. Balanced mouthfeel. Rich, long finish. Consumed over five evenings, improved each day. Recorked and kept cold each day. Bottle #10 of twelve.

9/8/2018 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red color; there's no violet trace at all now. Well-fruited in the nose, oak starting to peek out first. On the whole, flavors and body are still quite good, with acidity tipped up a click or two as usual with this property. This release has been and continues to be on a level drinking plateau of two years now, one that should last quite some time albeit with a reduced verve compared to bottles of two years back. Bottle #11 of twelve.

1/4/2018 - Hodby wrote:

Medium ruby-violet color. Overly generous new oak nose, with nice herbal-cherry notes poking out from the background. Needed a lot of air (two days) to achieve a more balanced, better aromatic fruit/wood ratio. Smooth mouthfeel, oak-slathered so if you like that style, it's good. Medium intensity, medium length finish.

10/31/2017 - Hodby wrote:

Dark red color, encouraging. Nose is leathery and well-fruited; still young for an eighteen year old Rhone. On arrival, lots of soft tannin and balanced acidity. A midlife Hermitage in the mouth, big fruit and big roasted meat. Medium lenght and medium intensity finish. No hurry on this one. Bottle one of one.

10/28/2017 - Hodby wrote:

Drank just as well as last time. To save reader's time, see my note from April. Very smooth, very ready and in very good shape for sixteen year old syrah, let alone a Crozes Hermitage.

10/21/2017 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red color. Nose shows a fairly heavy hand in the barrel room, French oak taking its place way out in front of red fruit and herb notes. Medium-light body, low tannin and oak again the main textural impression. Decent fruit, nothing exotic or out of balance. Finish medium, overall a bit of a poor value for $60 California pinot noir. Bottle #1 of one.

5/26/2017 - Hodby wrote:

Vivid red-violet color. Distinctive nose, iron, raspberry, black pepper. On arrival, low tannin and medium acidity. Touch of sweetness in the mouth, suggests some whole cluster nouveau Beaujolais style lots.

5/16/2017 - Hodby wrote:

Red-violet color. Grape juice nose, all fruit and no nuance. On arrival, gobs of soft tannin and moderate acidity make for an easy drinking style. Drank this bottle over the course of three evening dinner; the wine remained monolithic, unchanged, undeveloped throughout those sessions. A few points dashed off for $35 wine this simple.

4/22/2017 - Hodby wrote:

Medium garnet color. Leather, violets, slightly meaty nose - harmonious, attractive, clean. On arrival, fine tannin and balanced acidity; good mid-life shape. Finishes long, accent on floral elements.

3/25/2017 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red-garnet, bricked edge. Slow to open nose, of barbecue wood smoke (hickory, cherry, apple), garrigue, beef roast, black pepper. Big on freesias and violets. In the mouth, fruit up front - surprise - with meat, herbs. Medium tannin, balance tipped up in acidity, typical for fine twenty year old syrah. Bodes well for more more aging, but probably matured. Wonderful as is.

1/1/2017 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red-garnet color. Initially aromatically mute on Christmas day, with a three day sit on the shelf a gigantic Cote Rotie emerged. This needs air and a lot of it. Rewards: meaty sauvage nose with violets and black pepper. Deliciously thick in the mouth and refined. Jekyll and Hyde presentations, the initial and days three, four, five. Plan ahead and prepare for a sleeping giant.

11/16/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium dark garnet-red color. Sweet nose, well fruited for Cornas and unusually so for an aged Verset. Some leather and olive brine.On arrival, soft tannin and low-medium acidity, a break from the vintage pattern. Easy drinking, this one; clean, polite, nothing sticking out. Finishes with a bit of milky aftertaste.

9/6/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium-light red-garnet, heavy sediments. Wonderful initial nose, the old Caymus clone and French oak of pipe tobacco, thyme, rooty veggie tray and a little dusty, cherry and red currants. Low tannin and medium acidity on arrival. Develops quickly in the glass and within a hour getting rather astringent. Boy, nice to have this one last time. I sure miss the house style: ripe not overripe, pervasive smooth tannin, good medium body and lithe structure but q long-aging one, untouched by American oak. From magnum, bottle #6 of six.

9/2/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Dark red color. Aromas very promising: clean, plum, wintergreen, pipe tobacco. On arrival, gobs of soft tannin, medium acidity. Mouth-filling texture, medium intensity fruit; not real complex but this drinks so well it would work with many dinners at our house. Versatile. Better than I'd figured for an unheralded grape at age thirteen. Bottle #1 of one.

8/22/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium-dark red- garnet color. Immediate nose and a powerful one, evolving: pencil box, dried Montmorency cherry, anise seed, leather, peppered beef jerky, pipe tobacco. In the mouth, lean rather than overripe but quite fully ripe and developed. Extended finish, black peppered beef and cedar in full display. Lovely stuff. Quite possibly my last wine and tasting note for the foreseeable future. Started a medication program for arthritis - NO ALCOHOL. Ouch. Bottle #4 of four.

8/5/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Dark red-violet color. Goodness gracious, this is disappointing wine and a disappointing product in so many ways. First, that is just such simple wine for $50. It is very heavily oaked, even for cabernet carrying the Caymus name, and that's significant. There is inbalance in this bottle, I think coming from young vines over-cropped and ultra-ripe at harvest, then with a slathering of too much young toast-y oak American oak. The base material just did not have for the concentration in the grapes to support the oak program; it has great ripeness, yes, but that is not concentration. This is a product which represents - to me - one of the worst of market trends, using a well-known Napa Valley producer name (Caymus) to sell dreck at twice its going rate. I wouldn't buy it at $25 ! Resist the temptation. Bottle #1 of one.

4/22/2016 - Hodby Does not like this wine:

Pale straw color. Lemon, pine sap nose. Bitter, piney, oily. No rating.

4/5/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red-garnet color. Terrific nose of campfire smoke, bacon in the frying pan, black pepper, red fruit pie slightly over-baked, menthol and mixed garrigue. On arrival, medium-low tannin and balanced acidity, The herbal, meat-y notes from the nose lead in the mouth, background of nice menthol garrigue with a tingle of acidity at the end. Finishes strongly. Bottle #6 of twelve.

3/26/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Dark amber, brown essentially. Nose of burnt caramel, pear, apple, kettle corn (maderized ?). On arrival, thick and unctuous, low acidity. Tiring to sip. We recorked the bottle, held overnight cold and used the remainders in preparing poached pears, a much more satisfying use.

3/24/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Dark red-purple color. Waves of oak fill the air, the veritable impression of being seated in a wood shop at late afternoon drinking a vat of expresso; almost nothing permeates it save for some grape jam and wintergreen. On arrival, medium tannin, quite brisk but not overdone; balanced acidity. Intense and lavish French oak blankets the palate; vanilla and coffee with some ripe plum, blackberry and wintergreen in the mouth. Very big. Reminds me of early Quilceda Creek cabernet. Finishes strong and long; a tiring glass to finish but impressive. This wine was not built for current drinking, for me anyway.

3/23/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red-violet color. Ripe raspberry and herb-laden nose. Medium-low tannin on arrival, balanced acidity; early drinking style with adequate structure. Ripe - not overripe or sweet - fruit in the mouth, full and easy. Fine value for $16 US. Bottle #1 of three.

3/21/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red color. Medium intensity nose: red cherry, allspice, black pepper, bay leaf. On arrival, medium tannin and balanced acidity; firm and approachable both. In the mouth, bone dry and well-fruited, intense. Finishes with bay leaf, black pepper. Bottle #4 of six.

3/15/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red color, saturated. Fruity, slightly game-y nose of raspberry, celeriac, a whiff of dog fur, black pepper. Low-medium tannin, medium acidity. In the mouth, instantly friendly and very impressive stylistically for me. A balance rare among California PN, neither a huge (over)ripeness or extract, nor severely lean or fat, almost no oak, balanced acidity. Very nice indeed, something I could enjoy regularly especially for its price ($30 US in many places). Fruit oriented ? Sure but not jammy, not flabby, not tiring and yet interesting. Bottle #2 of three.

3/9/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Quick note. Simply wonderful, strong and forward, lacking excess of oak, ripeness, tannin, alcohol. Bottle #5 of twelve.

3/7/2016 - Hodby wrote:

See NILO36's note. Couldn't write it better

3/3/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Amber +1 color. When wine is this good, words nearly fail me. Exquisite nose. Wonderful sweetness, a firm acidity, barest hint of botrytis and exceptionally balanced in the mouth between delicacy and power. Endless finish. Bowed heads around the table for this very rare tasting experience, a near perfect Saar wine. Oh my. Bottle #2 of two.

3/2/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium-light garnet-red color, pale edged. Pleasantly floral nose, some leather, black pepper, raspberry. On arrival, persistent smooth tannin and medium-low acidity. Easy drinking, mature perhaps but balanced, nothing sticking out and nothing heroically sized. Very old fashioned. Not from our cellar.

2/27/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red-garnet color. Pork broth, leather and bay leaf dominate the nose; some red fruits (cherry, cranberry, raspberry) in the background. On arrival, smooth low tannin and medium acidity; easy drinking, meat-y and fruity, lovely and clean. Medium finish. From harvest of Clape's young Cornas plantings (between ten and twenty years old) and his "foot of the hill" vines. Bottle #4 of four.

2/25/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium garnet-red color, pale-edged. Oaky nose, with ripe dusty plum fruit.; leather. On arrival, medium-low tannin and medium-low acidity. In the mouth, a spicy oak veneer over raspberries, plum wine, peppered beef jerky. Sturdy finish, drying with lots of smooth oak and a little acidic zip on the end; black pepper abounds in my emptied glass. An unusual style for modern pinot noir, and not something I typically admire stylistically, but I do like this bottle. I want to think it's akin to admiring how a fat man might move unusually well for his size. Bottle #2 of two.

2/24/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium-dark red-garnet. Aromatics rather primary, of plum, dried cherry, mushroom (very much how I remember it on its release !) On arrival, medium tannin and medium acidity; built well for more aging but where is this thing going ? Plum wine fruit and beef broth in the mouth, a little drying with bitterness on the finish. Unusual for a Beaucastel, to be so primary and undeveloped twenty years after fermentation, and to be so not interesting to drink at that age. Four hours on the table, didn't budge from its presentation one inch. Bottle #3 of four.

2/23/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Pale yellow color. Green pea, grapefruit, lemon-lime, vague herbal notes (marjoram ?) in the nose; very fresh with no oak. On arrival, medium-low acidity, lean. Tasty citrus and delicately "veggie". Crisp, matched well to grilled shrimp citrus, chili and basil. Quickly, an empty bottle - a good sign.

2/22/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red-garnet color. Sweet "hybrid" (Cali-Bordeaux) nose: cassis, olives, tobacco, leather, graphite oil, oak. On arrival, smooth fine tannin and low acidity; ready to drink. In the mouth, there's a more suggestion of a 50-50 blend here, something along the lines of Seavey cabernet and Chateau Figeac in an medium year. Lovely and a fine match to dinner of simply grilled lamb chops. Never saw this bottling in market; thanks Ryan.

2/18/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium-light red-violet color. Thundering nose: violets in a smokehouse, raspberry, Earl Grey tea. On arrival, medium-low tannin and medium-low acidity; elegance, a Gallet pattern. Raspberry and bacon from the nose repeat in the mouth with garrigue. Reminds me of early 1980's Guigal B&B Cote Rotie, and well, this vineyard was a big component of those wines. Terrific finish and matched well to our Carne Asada tacos and pinquito beans. Bottle #10 of twelve.

2/17/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium-light garnet color. Delicate nose, cranberry and leather, modest garrigue. On arrival, low tannin and medium acidity, easy drinking and compatible with food but we found not much to discuss. Medium finish, leather. From Amie and Chuck's collection.

2/16/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium garnet-red. Wicked-good violets, smoked bacon and beef roast nose, with mixed mints, dried cherry and scorched raspberry tart. On arrival, low tannin and medium-low acidity; lithe, almost delicate structure. Meat-y flavors repeat in the mouth, very comforting and enjoyable if also lacking much depth or complexity. Good not great finish, with a little acid kick-up right at the end. Bottle #8 of 12.

2/15/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium garnet-red color, murky; sediments goopy. Sauvage nose: dusty bookstore, sweaty horse, pungent garrigue, beef blood, cranberry, black pepper. On arrival, medium tannin, medium-low acidity. Cranberry, meaty-gamy notes and strong black pepper repeat in the mouth. Dry tannin in the finish. It's a sturdy big boy with the rough on (unfiltered.) Love-hate responses around our table.

2/14/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Dark red color, garnet-edged. Heavy, powerful nose of cherry and raspberry compote, leather, olives, BBQ smoke, tar, celery seed, garrigue. On arrival, medium tannin and medium acidity. Very stout structure. In the mouth, the fruity-savory balance is superb, a true mid-life Cornas. Long, satisfying, rich finish. The emptied glass reeks of cleriac, olives, cherry, smoke, tar. I'm going to keep opening this bottling every few months now, as the combination of bottle development and power is irresistible. Bottle #9 of twelve.

2/13/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium light-garnet-red. Garrigue and pepper beef jerky dominate the nose, with allspice, dried cherry. On arrival, low tannin and medium acidity. A touch of blood in the mouth (iron ?), polite and mellow - even thin - with the cherries and jerky again. Finishes very vividly aromatically, big garrigue and violets and meat heaving from the empty glass. Smells better than it drinks. Bottle #2 of two.

2/12/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red color. Sweet dark cherry nose, with some oak spice and indistinct herbaceous notes. On arrival, low-medium tannin and balanced acidity. Easy drinking, supple with good energy. From our neighbor's collection, a back up bottle for a flawed Cornas. Thanks DoriAnne.

2/12/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium dark red-garnet color. Flawed by cork taint beyond my threshold of appreciation, however, other diners (experienced tasters too) found enough charm within to enjoy a glass or two. Wet basement and putty nose. Compressed, TCA-like nervousness in the mouth. Darn. Bottle #1 of one.

2/11/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red-garnet color. Well-fruited nose (blackberry and cherry), tapenade, smoked roasted meats, violets, black peppercorn. Lovely nose. On arrival, low-medium tannin and medium acidity. Well-balanced flavors in the mouth: fruit, smoke and herbal-floral elements fit together, nothing sticking out. I like this balanced style between the modern new oak school and the traditionalists who use and reuse barrels and puncheons of oak and chestnut for fifteen years and longer. Bottle #2 of three.

2/9/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium garnet-red color. High pitched aromas: garrigue, fresh hay and smoke of burned twigs and leaves, cherry, balsamic vinegar. On arrival, medium acidity, medium tannin. There's dried cherries - singed almost - right in front, with olive brine, herbs, grasses powerfully behind. This is good stuff. The bottle is clean and would have no doubt lasted many more years well stored, unopened. Bottle #2 of two.

2/9/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium garnet-red color. Leather-y nose, with peppercorn, faint cherry, wet dog. On arrival, pervasive dry, medium tannin, medium-low acidity. Tastes older than most '98s. Just dry, narrow, meaty and a bit of wood tannin on the finish. Not enough stuffing for the wood and structure. Bottle #2 of four.

2/5/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium garnet-red color, murky. Interesting nose of roasted walnuts, olives, plums, tar. On arrival, soft tannin and low acidity, easy gulping. Big plum fruit and olives in the mouth. OK finish. California style syrah, a travesty for the site, among the finest in Cornas. Bottle #1 of one.

2/4/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red-garnet color. A racy herbaceous, beef-y nose, with black pepper, smoke, . On arrival, medium tannin, medium acidity; impressively structured, somewhat tight. In the mouth, good fruit lurks behind heaps of roasted meats, ashy smokiness of twigs and leaves and cigar and flowers. Medium intensity and medium length finish, the fruit coming on more here than the nose or in the mouth. Optimistic this is built to last a long time and be better down the line. Bottle #8 of twelve.

2/3/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red-garnet color. medium intensity nose of leather, licorice and cherry drops, charcoal smoke, olives, violets. On arrival, medium-low tannin and medium acidity, good energy once aerated. In the mouth, the herbs and smoke hit you first and hard: licorice, olives, mint, fruit and leather way in the background. M. Burgaud was known for saying his diverse plantings in the appellation help him survive rough vintages. This bottle - from an excellent vintage in Cote Rotie - leads me to wonder if somehow the foot of the hill plantings don't also restrain him from reaching the excellence of his neighbors in the best years as well. Bottle #4 of six.

2/3/2016 - Hodby wrote:

The month's march through 1998 continues. Medium red-garnet color. Warm, smoky nose, with mixed mints, licorice and garrigue, leather, black pepper beef jerky, mixed berries, cherries, pomegranate. Very complex nose, the best part of this bottle. Medium tannin and medium-low acid. Rounded and quite full, classic Cote Rotie fruit, game and licorice. Medium finish. Bottle #6 of six.

1/29/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Medium red color. Huge, complex aroma: wood smoke, roasted meat in that smoke, menthol, fresh macadam, black pepper, olives. On arrival medium fine tannin and medium acidity. Cranberry fruit, barbeque meat, olives, balsamic vinegar. Incredible finish. Pristine cork, high neck fill, coldl cellared for fifteen years. Bottle #15 of twenty-four. Postscript: Saved the remaining 1/4 bottle corked in fridge. On 2/1, the texture, flavor and aroma had intensified significantly. Probably would have scored this higher than 96.

1/28/2016 - Hodby wrote:

Dark red-purple color.. Grape-y and boysenberry nose. On arrival, low tannin, low acidity, slightly fizzy. Residual sweetness, not finished dry. Gobs of boysenberry fruit. Finishes sweet and overripe. Disappointing. Bottle #2 of two.