3/31/2011 - jesran wrote:

Liked it, but would not purchase more. New world Spanish meets New World Turkish. How about that? Pretty rose petals nose. Medium-light mouthfeel of red berries and yes, stems. Moderately dry finish which I liked. Also reminds me of local South Jersey wine (Outer Coastal Plain appellation or whatever)... Tommasello comes to mind.

3/31/2011 - jesran wrote:

Loved it with food and good company at Mercato in Philly. Did it's job with style; dark fruit nose, great dense mouth feel, slight tartness, and dry finish. Paired with every plate. No rough edges and especially no "fakenesss"; i.e. over oaked, soured or sweetened.

2/12/2011 - jesran wrote:

Heavy Levi Garret chewing tobacco nose. Like opening a fresh bag and sticking your nose in it. Still smell and taste oak after all these years.

2/6/2011 - jesran wrote:

Dark fruit, long finish. New world, old world. I liked it for $20 with pizza.

2/6/2011 - jesran wrote:

Had with DeLorenzo pizza near Princeton.nice pairing but wine was slightly flat. Expected a little more acidity, nose, fruit... Everything sort of blah but no flaws other than that.

1/30/2011 - jesran wrote:

Great with food as usual.

1/30/2011 - jesran wrote:

Maybe past it's final days by now.

1/10/2011 - jesran wrote:

Tasted like syrah...

1/10/2011 - jesran wrote:

Great QPR at $14. Big nose of sweet blackberry, cedar, vanilla, and some other stuff... medium weight. good fruit. nice, dry finish... tannins a little rough and alcohol slightly forward. Good paired with food.

1/4/2011 - jesran wrote:

Paired with Serbian beef and lamb sausage that was excellent. A special treat to enjoy the beloved varietal of Cab Franc at such an old age. I am very forgiving of flaws in elder wines because it is unusual for me to encounter one that remains drinkable. Very little, if any, tannin detectable, just totally integrated. Fruit and acidity still strong. Not overly charming or demanding by itself, but with food arrival it provided the necessary harmony to make a judgment of excellent wine. If there was any flaw it was that the strong perfume, normally emanating from Cab Franc, was no present, but that is a small price to pay for the way the normal harshness of the tannins seems to have disappeared with age. Loved it.

1/3/2011 - jesran wrote:

See through. Almost rose in color. Delicate all around. Perfume like nose of white rose and berries. Blueberries on the palate. The finish kind of wiffs away without too much memory. All about the nose and mid-palate. Not much life remaining on second night.

12/19/2010 - jesran wrote:

Incredible. What red wine should taste like. Went well with Japanese food.

12/19/2010 - jesran wrote:

Matured. Old world meets new. Paired perfectly with Chateau Brion and potatoes.

4/25/2010 - jesran wrote:

Really beautiful bottle. Went wonderful with trout and local herbs.

4/25/2010 - jesran wrote:

Tasted on the second night after a vacu-vin. Really nice with bread, acili ezme, and cheese.

4/9/2010 - jesran wrote:

Really wanted to like this wine because bought a case based on love for the '04... and the reputation of '05... but awkward, green, vegetal, stemminess dominates the nose, maybe oak tea bags too, green on the mid-palate too though nice mouthfeel and the finish is good actually. Dry, lingering echoes of dark fruits. Beautiful balance even though over the top vegetal and suspicions of oak mulch tea partying. All in all like a perfectly balanced cheap ass Bordeaux. Wondering what to do with the 11 remaining bottles...

4/9/2010 - jesran wrote:

Chianti through and through. Enticing, provincial and maddeningly inconsistent. There are two diametrically opposed types of funk on the nose. One so earthy so enticing mushroom, petting zoo and some sort of fresh herb, I even want to say basil because of a minty freshness. Then there's a second funk as if they forgot to rinse all of the detergent out of the vats or the glue from the labeling process accidentally spilled in. It's like huh? Great red fruit. Lovely strawberries. Some tartness and then the bad funk spoils the palate. Then a nice dry finish, but without much lingering, but for $15 not bad. Not a 90 like WS has it though.

4/2/2010 - jesran wrote:

Still kicking, but pop and pour is my advice. This is a fun and interesting wine.

4/2/2010 - jesran wrote:

Still kicking. Lemon, slate, dry finish. Drank to taste, but begs for food.

3/1/2010 - jesran wrote:

Wonderful for my tastes. It had that combination of scorched earth and cherry that I really like with an overtone of clove on the nose that kept the swirling and sniffing interesting. Unidentified funk too, maybe bret... it all fell off and fell apart after 5 hours, but really nicely priced pop and pour Bordeaux. What could be better?

3/1/2010 - jesran wrote:

Loved it. Wonderful aromatics leaping out of the glass. Huge sour cherry and resolving tannins. Went perfect with Italian food and conversation.

3/1/2010 - jesran wrote:

Decanted for full day by opening and putting cork back in. Always a crowd pleaser. I haven't met a person who isn't taken with this wine. Big, interesting, refined and just plain fun to swirl around and gulp. The color is fascinatingly unusual too. Very blueish purple.

3/1/2010 - jesran wrote:

Probably decanted too long. Opened full day beforehand and put cork back in hoping to get best out of the wine on a special night. No doubt it went really nice with fish, but not mind blowing. Earthy, perfumey, and well balanced... I agree with the raisin note on the palate. Tannins are completely mellowed. It's nice. It just seemed to lose something from the last time. I remember more acid 6 months ago.

2/25/2010 - jesran wrote:

Mild nose of dark fruits; plum and blackberry mostly. Fruit showing especially well on the tongue. Tart raspberry, blueberry, add to that an element of some menthol/eucalyptus/mint and mild cedar box. Makes for a pleasant gulp accompanying dinner. Finishes short, but overall nice wine especially the acidic dark fruit which was unexpected.

2/17/2010 - jesran wrote:

Very interesting bottle made from frappatto cultivar. Exhuberant cab-franc like nose, but certainly Italian. Spritzy, fruity, youthful to the mouth. Nice acidity too but not to much of anything really. Went well with food. Unique old/new world experience.

2/3/2010 - jesran wrote:

Aroma of dark fruit, unidentified flowers, and cedar... slight vanilla bean and mint too. Medium color and mouthfeel. More dark fruit on the palate. Mellow and nice, some green stemminess. Ample fruit and tartness for its age. Diminished tannins feel balanced. Finish decently long. Intriguing wine if for nothing but the nose. Stole it for $4 on clearance a few years ago!

8/12/2009 - jesran wrote:

Good not great.

1/12/2010 - jesran wrote:

Boooo! Disappointed and I don't even expect that much from straight CFs beyond the nose. Lame nose though I can't remember much else.

6/13/2009 - jesran wrote:

Balanced, bitter and nice mouth feel.

4/21/2007 - jesran wrote:

Reminded me of shiraz on opening; blackberry, mulberry, raspberry. ON the third day the fruit dropped off a bit and its still nice. 89 points.

11/17/2006 - jesran wrote:

Deep, dark and extracted appearance. Nose obscured at first. On the palate- concentrated raspberry, mulberry, with oak underpinnings. Intense peppery and menthol sensations. Impressive long finish of cherry, raspberry and drying tannins.

11/11/2006 - jesran wrote:

Recent bottle was very, very good. Thick, fruity and a decent length finish. Sufficient firmness. Seems like it mellowed a little after 6 months in the cellar. Wish I had more.

11/10/2006 - jesran wrote:

Exceptional... for the price. Four US dollars! Semi-sweet all around. Fragrant nose that I like. Scents of dark fruit- classic shiraz blackberry, raspberry and chocolate. All scents following through on the palate... mmm chocolate- with a little jaminess (the sugar). Falling apart at the finish maybe a touch (the sugar causing excess salivation), but what do you expect for the $. There is nothing else negative about this affordable quaffer other than being semi-sweet.

11/10/2006 - jesran wrote:

Elegant and a hint of that haunting cab sav taste that I cannot explain, but love. People say I should try cream de cassis, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate on the finish. Love that chocolate in this bottle!

11/10/2006 - jesran wrote:

Earthy! I can taste the farm! Strong bouquet. Flowers on the palate. Nice finish. Overall seems like an aquired taste that I have yet to.

9/9/2006 - jesran wrote:

Last bottle of 3 gone now. Final judgement is a solid value wine. Needs decanting. Tasted best on the second night. Subtle chocolate flavors kept me sipping and it was quite enjoyable.

8/13/2006 - jesran wrote:

Very good Coonawarra Cab-Sav IMO. Excellent fruit and acid, enough vanilla, smoke, and toast to balance. Elegant finsh. Bargain at $26. My wife was not as impressed, however.

8/13/2006 - jesran wrote:

Not my favorite style. Fruity, fruit bomb landing with a splash on the mouth. Excellent if that's what you're into. 89 pts

7/26/2006 - jesran wrote:

Great bargain for $12 on sale. I sing the same tune as others. One of slightly above average Bordeaux with a big Aussie fruit injection. "Sunshine in a Bottle" with some sophistication...

7/13/2006 - jesran wrote:

Great wine! Firm, balanced, and complex. Nose of cherry and smoke. On the pallete comes dark fruit, cherry, prunes, and some vanilla. On the finish plums, leather and iron ore cut and fade with impressive length.

7/2/2006 - jesran wrote:

Adequately crisp, almost carbonated on the pallete. Pineapple, golden delicious apple, sweet... good cold light bodied wine.

6/27/2006 - jesran wrote:

Got a bottle as a gift. Loved it and rated it 93 points. Lovely cassis, vanilla, cherry, with excellent subtle acid and tannins for a well balanced wine with a long enough finish. All for ~$7, unbelievable! Immediately bought a case from Total Wine- Cherry Hill. Was disappointed at it being totally different; hot, over acidic, no vanilla, no tannins... below average $7 wine. Returned the case. Went back to the place of the original gift purchase, BJs, and bought a case. This batch was heavenly, just like the original gift. Drank a couple bottles. Had a friend confirm the quality for good measure and was thrilled. All bottles rated 90. A little thinner and shorter than the original gift, but when a $7 wine reminds you of Caymus you know you've got a winner. Cellered the rest of this case. Bought yet another case from the same place, BJ's. Sadly, this batch was totally different from the other. What is going on here? Good fruit, cherry, strawberry, not too hot, quick finish. No vanilla, no cassis. 3 cases, 3 totally differant tastes... This wine was all over the map, as if I was drinking different years with every case. I'll give it 89 as an average, but ranging from 82-93 the effort was not worth it other than to see firsthand how inconsistent labels can be.

5/20/2006 - jesran wrote:

excellent value, medium bodied and balnced, subtle nose, smooth palette, slightly lingering finish, all with subtle elegance

5/18/2006 - jesran wrote:

Excellent value, $6, hot throughout, fruit forward but very well done fruit, dark fruit on the nose, Welch's Concord, wafts of angel food cake, uncomplicated but balanced on palatte, perfect acidity, dry pepper finish even if still hot. Best $6 I've spent in a while.

3/16/2006 - jesran wrote:

awesome! smoke on the pallette, dark fruit, long lingering vanillin oak on the finish