3/27/2024 - beekeeper wrote:

My last bottle. Not as complex as the last one. Lychee, rose water, touch of honey. Pretty, more distinct than complex. Moelleux with good length but lacking acidity. My guess is this is on a plateau or slow decline. Drink up while it is still interesting.

12/3/2023 - beekeeper wrote:

Needs some time in the decanter to show its stuff and smooth out. An initial woodsy note blew off with air. A touch more concentration would up its score but elegant and very much of its place with cherry, plum, cocoa and hints of truffles. Nice!

11/4/2023 - beekeeper wrote:

Very fresh. Green apple, lime, faint nectarine. Well balanced with a mineral streak. Not super distinctive but the quality shines and the sum is greater than the parts here.

10/13/2022 - beekeeper wrote:

Nothing wrong with it, especially at Costco prices but this version a tad simple and boring compared to the 2019 version which was a killer value.

8/29/2022 - beekeeper wrote:

Ruby with browning edges, sour cherry core with sous-bois overtones and and subtle mushroom edge on a long finish. Nice body and mid-palate with balanced acidity. This very much met expectations for the label and felt at peak for this bottle.

1/3/2022 - beekeeper wrote:

The aging curve appears to vary wildly for this wine. This bottle showed quite mature with tannins fully resolved. Cork barely stained. This opened with a gamey, fine leather boots and wet forest floor nose. The feral notes were mostly gone after 45 minutes and what was left was quite pure, slightly sanguine syrah fruit. Medium body, long finish, classy and distinctive.

1/3/2022 - beekeeper wrote:

Perfect cork. Acetone nose and reductive on opening with some fizz. Much blew off with airing and still enjoyable on day 2 after degassing but clearly not a prime specimen.

11/23/2021 - beekeeper wrote:

First bottle was a bit muted but this one fired on all cylinders. Bone dry, aromatic, with nice acid lift. Citrus, unripe mango-pineapple, ruby red grapefruit, with a medium body and mouthwatering finish. I do not have much experience with kerner but this one tasted halfway between riesling and muscat.

9/13/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

Lime, pear, yellow plum, touch of unripe pineapple. Pretty dry, nice body without being thick, this was better day two and as it warmed up a bit. This as upside but highly enjoyable with some air now.

8/24/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

Gentle old lady of a wine. Not dead, smooth and balanced, but not a lot of fruit left.

8/20/2019 - beekeeper wrote:

Fantastic. This has aged really well. Complex, elegant and fresh.

8/20/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

Much more preferred the 2015. Might still need time.

8/20/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

More depth than expected. Just beginning to show it’s stuff.

8/20/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

Not everyone will like this. Did not feel defective based on what I read. Just not a style I enjoy.

6/8/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

Felt like it was in transition. The first day it was claret like and a bit pruney, by the third night that had blown off and it was smooth, balanced and more in line from what I have come to expect from a Lytton Springs with a bit of age.

6/7/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

If you forgot a split of these in the back of a refrigerator for the last ten years, there is a good chance it is still alive. Pretty nice actually with more complexity than anticipated. Drink up.

5/4/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

Corked. You can tell the wine underneath is beautiful.

3/2/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

Ridiculously good. Star fruit, melon with hazelnut/almond. Great touch oily texture. Great day 1-2, takes a bitter almond turn on day 3.

3/2/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

Very good. Warm fruit, fine tamed but present tannins. Best on day 3 vacuumed and refrigerated in between.

1/2/2020 - beekeeper wrote:

Ready to drink. Very good, distinguished but not exceptional.

3/11/2019 - beekeeper wrote:

Very good, silky. Probably at peak but held well over three days vacuumed and refrigerated.

12/22/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

On opening it was a super tuscan mullet... All Sangiovese up front, cab mid palate and petit verdot tail. After 2 hours in the decanter it was a seemless beauty with warm cherry/plum and violets. Long finish too.

11/23/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Nothing complicated but pretty with violet accents. Suspect will hold for a few.

11/23/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Drank over 4 days, decanted 4 hours but best of day two.

11/23/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Excellent.

11/23/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

The fruit is getting stewed and has lost some fragrance. Drink up.

11/23/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Tropical, a bit oafish but knows what it wants to be.

11/23/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Chocolate covered plums and cherries. Smooth and hints of complexity. Probably near or at peak.

11/23/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Nice enough but either in transition to maturity or on the downslope.

10/13/2018 - beekeeper Does not like this wine:

Fantastic fruit clubbed with too much American oak and robbed of its glory. For rabid dill fans only.

8/26/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Is this top 1er cru or entry level grand cru burgundy equivalent? Who cares, this is glorious chardonnay at any rate and should continue to improve for many years still.

8/26/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

What it gained in silkiness with age it lost in fragrance and fruit. Might be in a transition phase but I like it better in its youth.

7/22/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Varietally correct, juicy and floral.

6/18/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Smooth and balanced, nice fruit, not jammy. Not sure this will gain much in complexity to make it one of the great Geyservilles but it is a legit one and darn tasty. Superb with upscale bbq.

5/11/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Blah. Village level at best. Maybe tired?

2/18/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Likely at peak. Will hold.

2/18/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Best bottle of this so far. This one showed morehoneyed exotic fruits including mangoes an passion fruit. Long, balanced and not cloying. Great bottle. No rush.

2/11/2018 - beekeeper wrote:

Acidity has softened and the wine is a lot more balanced than prior bottles. There is a dry tutti fruiti / juicy fruit thing to it in the background. Different and easy to drink.

11/2/2017 - beekeeper wrote:

Layered cherries from dark to red with complexity lurking beneath. Smooth balanced and long. Feels like it is just hitting its stride and will get even better. Lots of class.

10/9/2017 - beekeeper wrote:

This one was still in great shape. No real complexity but nice cherry menthol profile, smooth and silky, and with a long finish.

9/9/2017 - beekeeper wrote:

A bit tired but still pleasant. Vinous.

9/9/2017 - beekeeper wrote:

Fantastic. Lovely fragrance. Should have bought more.

3/18/2017 - beekeeper wrote:

Mature Bordeaux like complete with bell pepper notes. Still plenty of fruit and enjoyable but better with food. Drink up.

10/30/2016 - beekeeper wrote:

Very pretty, balanced, smooth, floral, juicy mix or red but mostly black fruit. I feels like the floral element (peonies, violet?) come from the petit verdot but one way or another that is a good one. This does not show extensive progression over the last couple of bottles. Should hold up well for another 5 at the very least but I am not sure the profile lands itself to extensive aging.

2/6/2016 - beekeeper wrote:

Out of the gate, the wine was pretty unbalanced and even displaying some slight carbonation. Vigorous decanting and aeration really helped. Gorgeous nose of olives, game and syrah fruit. Fairly high acidity but with just enough body to carry it. Black and green olives dominate but there is a definite meat and fruit track here. Needs food, preferably a meat dish to coax out the flavors and complexity. Not for everyone, and definitely not the best vintage for this wine but by no mean is it a dud.

12/30/2015 - beekeeper wrote:

The first sniff tells you it means business. By far the classiest and most balanced petite sirah I ever had. Inky dark with scarlet red at the rim, dark berries, plum, subtle touch of smoke and graphite. Medium bodied, long and fragrant. Tannins either gone or so well coated you do not notice. At peak but will likely stay there for a good while. Why wait? Enjoy them if you have them!

5/8/2015 - beekeeper wrote:

Best barbera I have had in a good while.

5/8/2015 - beekeeper wrote:

Off dry, complex, exotic fruit, rose petals, long aftertaste. A touch more acidity would make it a superstar.

5/8/2015 - beekeeper wrote:

Not the best vintage for Croft but removed from these expectations it was a still good port.

5/8/2015 - beekeeper wrote:

Oxidized. Did redeem itself in an excellent chicken fricassee though.