3/12/2016 - Oskiwawa wrote:

Every now and then a wine far exceeds your expectations and tonight this was one of them, Much deeper and richer than expected. Apple and cream on the palate. Great depth. Really enjoyable Will be interesting to see how this develops.

11/4/2016 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine:

Far too early to be opening this but I wanted to get an idea of the wine. Nose of currants, spicy oak, sour cherry, and plum. On the palate, slightly walled off but still has red and dark fruit flavors poking through the toasty oak. Long finish with plenty of lively acidity to balance out the grippy tannins and best of all hardly any heat from excess alcohol. Lots to love here, wish I had a full share now. Hold for at least three years before the next one. Well done smig.

6/19/2016 - Rich.Herbs wrote:

Decanted through vinturi and drank over a period of 3 hours. At first the nose and taste were dominated by roasted red peppers, which was not unpleasant, with an underlying fruit and still vigorous tannin. The finish was slow and grew like a vibrating bell. Then the fruit faded, and with food, the wine felt thin and acidic, and was dismissed by my wife as of no interest. After three hours, it was a bit smoother, but still unfocused, trite, and brash, without balance.

I wanted very much to like this wine, like I liked other Cos, and looked for excuses ("it's a beast but perhaps if I love it more and truly, it will turn into something beautiful"). But it's been stored impeccably, given time to open up, etc, so there's no excuse for such a poor showing. Could it be a closed phase? I don't think so because it was not tight, just unfocused and trite. I still have 8 bottles and I can dream of a turnaround or assume it was a "bad" bottle, but I'm not optimistic.

2/19/2016 - fingers Likes this wine:

Getting better and better with each new bottle opened. It is still rough and tumble at the pop, but after a few hours of air everything integrates and the nice savory texture of maturity is setting in. For the price paid, these are turning out to be better than cellar defenders and more legitimately, special treats.

2/9/2016 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine:

Funkalicious with great nose of dark berries, olive, anise, tar, and violets. On the palate, lush and silky with blueberry, blackberry, black olive, melted licorice, and sage. Long finish with great grip and nice lift. Drink or hold.

2/1/2016 - Oskiwawa wrote:

Opened and decanted for two hours. Drank over the next three.

Young looking dark red color. Nose of cherry, vanilla cream rasberry and currant. Good acidity with lots of fruit. Texture is fantastic. Came across as a little bit hot and will need time for this to integrate. Well balanced with a good life ahead. Could not resist opening one of these but obviously it needs time. Will open the next in 5+ years. This should hold up very well for 15-20 years.

8/9/2015 - fingers Likes this wine:

Pretty well resolved now and drinking in great form. Hints of smoke and spices, dried cherries, sweet and savory elements. One of the better CdP's in my memory. Oh yeah, it isn't CdP. ;)
Really nice wine, Mr Smigelski. Fully IPOB.
5+12+16+8= 91

11/21/2015 - Oskiwawa wrote:

This is drinking incredibly well right now. Dark red fruits with enough acidity to hold it together. Silky in the mouth. Can't ask much more from this level of a wine. Should improve over the next 5+ years. No rush to drink it up but absolutely enjoyable now.

11/10/2015 - GalvezGuy wrote:

Not sure what to make of this. It acts like a shut down wine. There is a decent nose of red and black fruits with a hint of spice. On the palate, a bit of sour cherry. Nice acidity and tannins. Decant the next one and see if it opens up. 88 for now.

7/10/2015 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine:

A rustic wine.
An old geezer who keeps telling obsenely scabrous stories that children should never hear, that make ladies' ears wither and priests cross themselves.

Early drinking window. We dbldecanted for five hrs.
Wife was not so happy with this btl.

7/31/2014 - GalvezGuy wrote:

Opened, cork immediately mushroomed showing the amount of pressure in the bottle. Allowed to stand open for 3 days to allow carbonation to dissipate. Poured a glass, huge whiff of vinegar, dumped the rest. Will probably use the rest of these as marinade, I don't see much hope for them.

7/6/2014 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine:

Served with fried chicken. Nose of biscuit dough and citrus peel with hints of apple and meyer lemon. On the palate, light racy, everything in place with toast, citrus, and apple flavors. Nice finish. Great value.

6/14/2014 - Rob MacKay wrote:

Decant this for about two hours. Opens up to reveal a stunning, complex mix of flavors. Sensory overload. Elegant and powerful at the same time with a very smooth texture.

3/31/2014 - Rob MacKay wrote:

The 2012 Estate Cuvée is probably one of the best iterations in several years. Absolutely delicious right out of the bottle with a great mix of fruit and cocoa notes framed by smooth tannins. Very well balanced. Should age well by why wait when it's already this tasty.

1/6/2014 - GalvezGuy wrote:

Lots of fizz.

10/7/2013 - cartime wrote:

Tasted at the winery. Typically love this wine, but this vintage, it seemed overtly ripe and tropical without the acidity to balance. Will need to try again.

10/30/2013 - fingers Likes this wine:

Even better with a little age on it, I think this surpases any domestic SB available for the vintage (except maybe the single vineyard Capture). Luscious grapefruit, guava, papaya and fantastic texture and harmony. Very long and complex finish with precision and fullness. A dichotomy of crisp and smooth with more of an Old World elegance than what usually comes out of California. 5+12+18+8 = 93

10/25/2013 - dave smigielski wrote:

Marin County Wine Group - Aged Cabernets 15 year min.; 10/24/2013-10/25/2013 (Mill Valley, Ca.): Classic BDX nose, hints of tobacco and pencil lead. a really nice wine and it was the #1 wine of the flight for me. Not as youthful as the 92 Forman, but showed better, in my opinion.

10/19/2013 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine:

CT Texas VI - Return to San Antonio; 10/18/2013-10/19/2013 (San Antonio): Double blind. Powerful nose of dark fruit, leather, cherries, and spice. On the palate rich red and dark fruit, leather spice, vanilla. Obvious oak on a drying tannic finish. Knew it was Tempranillo but would not have placed this in Rioja, obviously a more modern style. Hold for at least five years.

7/3/2012 - vindictive wrote:

lovely old chenin. Still bright and vibrant and develops nicely over a few hours. Good structure and has a panopoly of scents emerging over time. How to pair this with food - a not too sweet dessert or cheese ? It is a cerebral wine and seems best at the end of a meal. We drank it on its own after a dinner featuring amore recent vintage dry Loire wine and it was very enjoyable. Decades of life ahead if this bottle is representative.

10/15/2013 - GalvezGuy wrote:

Popped and poured. Notes are from one hour open, when it really started to integrate and shine. Nose of lemon curd, yellow fruits, apple, and spice. On the palate rich, yet restrained with Meyer lemon, tangerine, pineapple, green apple, and spicy oak. Finishes crisp. Drink with a short decant or hold for a couple years. Surprisingly good juice.

9/17/2013 - markandsusanw wrote:

Consumed at Bern's 2013 (approx. $225 off the list) ... Cork crumbled upon opening, but nose remained bright and fruity. Deep purple pour, with a lot of fruit to open. Tasted extremely fresh for something so aged. Clearly, perfectly preserved. Lush, rich and utterly smooth. Backbone and structure still present.

9/17/2013 - wineberg Likes this wine:

Oddly enough, I had this bottle at Bern's tonight too.

Labeled as imported by Bern's themselves at some point. Same as markandsusanw, cork pretty much disintegrated when opened.

Will agree with them too on the TNs. Still had fruit, but definitely taking on secondary flavors; saddle leather makes an appearance for me. As noted previously, this was very smoothed out by the age, but still seemed to have plenty of tannic backbone left. Pretty sure this could go a few more decades, but my guess is that part of the reason for that is storage in Bern's cellar, which is colder than 55 from what I understand.

Very enjoyable bottle.

8/11/2013 - Eric wrote:

Is 2001 a wonderful vintage or what? Little respect on release and yet nearly always drinkable. Pape Clement is just stunning. Still largely primary with loads of juicy, red fruit. However there is some lovely tobacco and chicory emerging that just scream of Graves. Wonderful minerality and balance, quite supple and enjoyable. Delicious!

8/4/2013 - khmark7 wrote:

Amazingly fresh, concentrated, complex, balanced with a long aftertaste. A great example that a well made ripe California Meritage can age gracefully. Score range from the group was between 95-99. I am simply not creative enough to describe this wine with my words. Sorry.

5/25/2013 - typ993 wrote:

Nice structure, starting to take on that nice aged brownish-red color in the glass. Still drinking nicely, but think this is starting to peak at 10 years out.

5/3/2013 - GalvezGuy wrote:

CT Texas V - North Dallas Forty and then some; 5/3/2013-5/5/2013 (McKinney, North Dallas, TX): Old school here we come. Great nose of orange peel, spice, dried cherries, dried flowers, earth, mushroom, and anise. On the palate deceptively full-bodied with cherry, orange peel, mineral, earth, spice, and herbs. Long finish. Needs more time.

5/19/2013 - thomaslangberg wrote:

Totally flat, no fruit at all. Bad bottle!?

5/3/2013 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine:

CT Texas V - North Dallas Forty and then some; 5/3/2013-5/5/2013 (McKinney, North Dallas, TX): Beautiful nose of vanilla, cherry, orange peel, and spice. On the palate, bright cherry, orange peel, and spice. Beautiful balance. Drinking very well right now. I like this just a bit better than the 94 Tondonia today, in a few years it may be a different story.

4/30/2013 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. On the nose, bing cherry, black cherry, red raspberry, cola, brown sugar, clove. On the palate bright red cherry with hints of Asian spice and cranberry. Finishes tart and very hot, which takes away from an otherwise great package.

4/8/2013 - paulst Does not like this wine:

Very mature golden-red color; seamless; lacks acidity; open and drink immediately; mushy.

1/15/2013 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine:

Decanted four hours. Nose is a little shy and closed off but there are some nice black fruits along with anise, some vanilla, and spice. On the palate, rich, full, and silky with blackberry, blueberry, currants, vanilla, spicy oak. Finishes very long with nice acidity and substanital tannic grip. Hold 5+ years.

1/8/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote:

This light Pomerol is dominated by bright red fruits, herbs and earth, finishing with a tart, earthy, spicy, red berry finish. This requires consumption as it's probably going to drop more fruit sooner than later. From such a good vintage, it was a disappointment.

12/24/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote:

Drank from magnum. Decanted six hours. Complex nose of dark fruit, herbs, anise, olive, nice smoked meats, and an unmistakable funk. On the palate, dark fruit, olive, roasted game, licorice, sage. Finishes with great length and grip. Late entry into the Top 5 wines of the year.

12/19/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote:

Big wine with lots of black cherry, plum, currant and obvious alcohol on the nose. On the palate big fruit with plum, black cherry, spice. Finishes with lots of heat that obscures everything else. Sorry I own more of this, will probably use it for cooking.

12/15/2012 - Oskiwawa wrote:

Global World Offline Online (Online): Decanted 2 hours.

Big nose of dark fruits, some vanilla with a bit of alcohol heat. Dark cherry palate with a bit too much acidity at this phase. Strong tannins. This wine should benefit from a few more years of cellar time. It was mentioned that there is a blueberry background flavor which made us wonder whether there is some shiraz in the blend. Overall an enjoyable wine and worthwhile if it can be found in the $35-45 range. This should easily last for 5+ more years and drink well.

12/9/2012 - pjaines Likes this wine:

I keep coming back to this wine - it is different, interesting and has character. This has beef, soy, struck match (yes really) and tangy, musclar fruit. In a word, it tastes like no other pinot noir other than Leyda valley. Burgundy dont own the rights on what pinot should taste like, and this is very much a Chilean take on a decent wine. Very good.

12/8/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote:

Unscrewed and poured. Nose of citrus, rubber, petrol, and peach. On the palate, plenty of citrus and peach with a bitter apricot pit edge. Finishes dry with lots of zing. I want to like this more, but that petrol/rubber element never lets go, even after a couple of hours of air.

12/2/2012 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

I continue to be impressed with the consistency that Maggie makes syrah. Popped and poured for a friend who was about to deploy to Afghanistan. Great nose of white pepper, meat, and black fruits. Nose has a delicious floral aspect that really makes you want to keep your nose in the glass. Palate is sharply defined with prominent acidity, but still has opulent dark fruit, meat, and pepper. Great length on the finish. On par with prior efforts, and seems to have better balance and life than the '05 and '06. This will not disappoint fans of the style.

12/2/2012 - JOsgood wrote:

Fantastic! Lots of barnyard - yes, I very much like it. Super old school on the palate. So many layers here and nothing over the top. Flawless balance. This is a can't miss wine and way underrated by the critics.

12/3/2012 - galewskj wrote:

A very small pour at a tasting but I found it easy to grade this one. Classy. Drinks like a good old bordeaux, refined, balanced, everything in place, nothing out of place.

9/3/2010 - GalvezGuy wrote:

Glass enclosure instead of cork. Still would consider this a pop and pour. Definitely young, nose of blueberry, vanilla, black currant, hint of graphite. On the palate it feels a little fakey fakey on the fruit, lots of oak presence. Finishes with decent acidity and smooth but sturdy tannins. Drink with a decant or hold 3-5 years. Disappointing from this estate. Excellent. Many better values, even at a $30 price point.

4/6/2010 - mjf@ulkner wrote:

Popped and poured. This was my first '07 SS. A much lighter-bodied effort from this producer- this for better or worse lacks a lot of the oak, sweetness, and extraction that they are known for. This definitely improved in the glass over time, and was a big hit with our tasting group. I am curious whether SS will continue this stylistic change- I like it- but this may not appeal to fans of "full throttle" PN.

3/24/2010 - vinocerus wrote:

After being completely unimpressed by the KB 2006 RRV and Sonoma Coast appellation versions last year I decided to take a chance on some singe vineyard versions and, by luck, I was able to get some on the last offer. To offer some background, I don't drink Burgundy: the good ones are too expensive for me and every single "QPR" even from stellar vintages has been absolute crap so I pretty much avoid Burgundy. When I drink a California pinot I'm not looking for "burgundian" or feminine or classic or whatever adjective one can come up with. I also don't want an overextracted sweet concoction that resembles syrah or some other liquid aberration that seems to occur with some Cali pinots. My previous favorites were Copain's Kiser En Haut along with Summa OV from RM. This KB Keefer was stellar. Opened but not decanted about 4 hours prior to drinking. Small sample on opening surprisingly approachable, classic pinot nose with cherry, floral, and slight lavender component. Full bodied, balanced, nice structure without noticeable heat. Developed fabulous components of red fruits, strong floral notes, spices, and some cola elements. Palate carried through with the red fruit and a unique note that was tough to describe (sassafras?). Enjoyed this wine tremendously. Don't know if I would peg this as a burgundian or an unabashedly cali pinot, I do know it is delicious.

3/25/2010 - dannyk8232 wrote:

Thought this would be more pleasant. Harsh, angular and artificially acidified. Bummer.

3/12/2010 - brigcampbell Likes this wine:

The wine looks Inky colored.
The legs are Medium.
It smells like Black currant (cassis), Cherry, Medium Toast, Oak, and Vanilla.
It tastes like Oak, and Cherry.
The body is Medium.
The wine is textured Polished.
The wine finishes Medium.

3/9/2010 - gpowell1978 wrote:

Lovely bouquet; flowers, perfume, red and black berries, mocha and earthy notes. Soft, supple, well integrated tannins and a reasonable finish. Well made, not classic Bordeaux by any means, but a well produced wine in this non-classic vintage.

3/6/2010 - markjahnke wrote:

I said we would wait a year to re-visit this wine, and it just so happens that tonight we decided to pop this a year and just a few days later. Popped and poured, and showing a great ruby color in the glass, the nose on this wine showed the typical Kosta Browne fruit profile, with that creamy Kosta Browne sweetness that we have grown to love. On the nose, there was some nice dark cherry, hints of cola, raspberry, and some cinnamon and spice. I could still sense a bit of alcohol on the nose, even more so than the last bottle we had. The nose was rounded out by some lavender and faint hints of cardamom. On the palate, as much as I hate to say it, this bottle just didn't perform like it did when we had it last year. It had some nice creaminess and acidity to it, with a bit of earthy elegance, some herb, cherry cola, and other berry fruits. It was the finish however that didn't seem nearly as smooth as it has been the many other times we have had this wine. There was still definitely some heat on the finish, which I attribute to the alcohol, and it just seemed to be a high octane, over extracted, over ripe wine to me. Many will say that I might just be growing out of this style of wine, but I know that is not the case. I will be the first to admit that I cannot drink this style of win on a regular basis, but I really was craving this style tonight. In short, I think that once again we'll let the remaining bottles lie on their sides in the cellar and sleep for another year before re-visiting, however, it may have just been the fact that this wine needed an aggressive decant before serving, which I did not do. The wine definitely mellowed out with time, and the last glass was definitely the best, so who knows for sure. For now, 88 points is the score that is awarded to this wine. Cheers!

3/7/2010 - Brsed Likes this wine:

I am a really big fan of Windy Oaks wines. Very expressive nose of cherries and spice. Great depth of fruit with a refreshing crisp acidity.

3/4/2010 - jamscreator wrote:

Initially a strong nose of Sauvignon Blanc which threw me. Gorgeous golden color - I mean very very golden. Pineapple, mango and some tropical notes with a sugary thick syrup. Finish was long and delicious. Drank from a 375ml bottle. Will be anxious to try this one again in a few years.