4/24/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Very California in style with ripe cassis and dark chocolate flavors. Drinks above the price point for sure.

4/11/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Holding steady with great acidity and enticing layered aromas and flavors. What every wine aspires to be. I will buy again when I find it.

4/3/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Fully mature, but not over the hill, tending toward some residual sweetness and gentle ripe black currant and spice flavors. Fading acidity, structure teetering on the brink. Drink now.

4/3/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Crisp and refreshing with a nice streak of saline minerality.

4/5/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Virtually the same as last bottle consumed a few years ago. Classic aromas and flavors of roasted herbs, smoked meat and dark berries. Dense and dark, well crafted wine, nothing to complain about here.

3/27/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Leans more toward the melon, Meyer lemon and apple flavors, which I prefer over the gooseberry/cat pee profile.

3/31/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Took this cellar orphan to a dinner party featuring Italian cuisine. Loaded with sediment, color brownish burgundy, flavors of ripe stewed spiced fruit, not quite DOA but close. An experiment in aging that didn't quite work out.

3/29/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Found this cellar orphan which had been previously marked as "consumed."
Well, what a good surprise, mellow, rich and deep in flavors with melting tannins and enough acid to support the generous fruit and notable warm spices. 20 years old and a superstar! Perfect to sip on its own and with a pork and spinach ragout. Garagiste said it would age for 20 years and it has done so splendidly.

3/24/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Holding up very well with lovely secondary characteristics.

3/23/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Overly fruity, candied and not much structure. Some time in cellar might help--fine for picnic on the beach with spicy foods.

2/28/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

This is an amazingly durable bottle of wine. Densely packed with ripe black fruit and spices. Tasty, ripe and savory, it held up well for over a week while open. Kudos to the winemakers.

3/10/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

I had no idea that this one would be frizzante, and slightly sweet. This would’ve been best with a dessert of some kind so it wasn’t a good match for soft cheese and crackers.

2/25/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Falls right into the category of "what was I thinking?" when we bought this at the winery tasting room. Nice little wine but simple and a touch sweet and certainly overpriced at $36. I should have bought way more rose at Domaine Tempier!

2/10/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Wine is not supposed to smell like Dijon mustard.

1/28/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Robust and heavy duty Napa Syrah. Dense and loaded with spice box and sweet tobacco, tannins are soft and acidiy still present. Not really my favorite kind of wine, but durable and drinkable for sure.

1/29/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Tastes more like a fresh and fruity field blend than a true Dolcetto. Nice acidity and some layered red fruit flavors, hint of wood aging. Good but definitely overpriced.

12/26/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Interesting wine. Aromas of pipe tobacco, burnt chocolate and soy sauce. Palate features ripe black berries, vanilla spices and warm mulled wine tones. Good acidity prevents it from being too ripe or sweet.
We haven't been drinking much syrah lately, will have to try some others soon to compare varietal characteristics.

1/11/2024 - IlonaN wrote:

Almost a dead ringer for a nicely made Meursault--stone fruit and baked citrus aromas, touch of vanilla, some rocky minerality and lingering acidity. It also cost about the same as a lower-tier Meursault, so no bargain here, but it's a very lovely wine.

12/14/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Still holding up well, good showing for a 13 year old Bordeaux from a "petit chateau." Layered red fruit, ripe and gently spicy, soft tannins, nice but gentle acidity.

12/15/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Critics not correct: this was not particularly interesting and placed last in a lineup of CNdPwhites.

12/15/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Spectacular showing for a 10 year old viognier from the southern Rhone. Aromas of Apricots, white flowers and citrus zest, palate is unctuous and satin-y, with increasing acidity and lasting zesty finish.

12/6/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Not as terrible as I thought it might be. Decent pinot aromas but finish is a tad bitter and stemmy. Packaging also not attractive. It was an experiment in tasting very cheap pinot.

11/29/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Started off smelling a bit like prunes and leather, then opened up to show nice cherry liqueur, toasted herbs and earthy notes.
Time to drink up!

11/18/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Fared better than the 2022 version of this same wine, but both were blown away by a 2010 Les Ménétrières Pouilly-Fuissé, which makes me realize these wines really improve with age.

11/15/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

At a perfect drinking level, this wine was a pleasure for everyone at the table. Balanced, notes of coffee and chocolate, dry and savory.

11/12/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Quaff-able red blend, good for an outdoor gathering featuring grilled bratwurst. A touch oaky but supported by ripe dark fruit & juicy acidity.

11/8/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Dry and crisp, very much like a good rose from Provence. Wish I'd bought more.

11/2/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

The nose promises more than the palate delivers. Aromas are floral with hints of apricot and almonds, palate is dry and layered but lacks acidity. Decent little white wine.

10/28/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Still in fine shape. Dense and dark, dried black fruit but no raisin flavors, warm spices, faint touch of bitterness with a pleasing slightly sweet and lasting finish.

10/27/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Splendid showing for this 21 year old bottle. Ripe and sweet fruit with gentle supporting acidity and lovely floral notes. Exactly what it was supposed to be!

10/27/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Oxidized, completely over the hill. Cork was loose and saturated.

10/16/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

K liked it but I found it a bit harsh and woody. Serviceable blend but would not buy again.

10/16/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Pleased to note that it lost the bubble gum nuance of whole cluster fermentation and showed just freshness and a nice level of modest complexity for a young gamay. Good with spicy food, definitely drinkable but not worth the wine club price of $32.50, when you can get a designated BOJO for less than half of that and it's a wine that can take serious bottle age.

8/11/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

I'll have to jump in here and report on two tastings of this wine. First was when the wine was 5 years old. As with preceding notes, our group of tasters was widely divided on opinions of the wine. The person who brought said she was embarrassed to have brought it to a tasting.
Second try of the wine was a bottle I brought to Jocko's in Nipomo, June 2021. I intentionally brought it to see if it had improved from the sweet, syrupy, concoction we had tasted previously. Nope, it was virtually unchanged and again elicited comments from "Wow, this is delicious" to "OMG, who brought this awful stuff?" I plan to hold my remaining bottle until 2032 when it will possibly be worth $1,000 and I can sell it and buy some good Bordeaux.

8/9/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Steiner characteristic road-tar aromas persist. Good acidity, elegant texture and medium finish. Nice domestic pinot!

7/7/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Savory, layered, altogether a very well made wine that compliments a variety of foods.

6/21/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Gift from Carlos. Pale pink and zesty on the nose and palate. Very much like a well made Provence Rose, and appropriately priced.

6/6/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

I should have known better than to buy this, even for the GO closeout price of $2.20. Awful. Sweet grape and strawberry juice. No acid, no structure. Poured it down the drain.

5/31/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Fully mature, still powerful and assertive on the nose and palate with an array of dark berries, mellow wood notes and still present alcohol. Zingy and zesty on the palate with red and black fruit, mellow tannins. Drink now.

5/21/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Still young and packed with formidable tannins. Hints of some lovely cassis and sweet tobacco come across on the nose, but the palate is closed for business. Not much change after being open for 24 hours. Try again in 3 years.

4/28/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Reliably delicious and continues to be the best burg on the table compared to other red burgs of the same vintage and producer level. Will probably hold up well for at least another 4 or 5 years.

4/17/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Nothing complex here but perfectly serviceable for a weeknight dinner at local Chinese restaurant. Sweet/tart berries on entry and juicy finish. Drink now.

4/12/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Ready to drink now. Fairly typical well made Oregon Pinot Noir with some nice floral and spice on the palate. Definitely overpriced but eminently drinkable. Not built for the long haul IMO.

4/8/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Fresh and aromatic, lively acidity and some mineral notes along with some melon and stone fruit notes. Really good, will probably improve slightly with a little more bottle age.

4/7/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Delicious. My last bottle.

4/7/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Nose was promising but palate delivered nothing but stemmy tannins, stony minerality and acid. No fruit, obviously way over the hill. I kept thinking it might open up but no luck. I guess my assumption that this wine would hold up over the long haul was wrong.

3/17/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Not quite excellent, but close. Very clean and linear in aroma and flavor, with tart pear and apple notes and a hint, very subtly done, of cream and oak. I hesitate to say it's Burgundian, but it brought to mind nicely done Pouilly Fuisse.
These Chardonnays seem to be aging very well.

3/17/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

The nose certainly promises more than the palate delivers. Lovely floral and sweet herbal notes on the nose but palate is stark and somewhat shrill, with tart cranberry and under-ripe cherry notes. Some nice minerality but overshadowed by
a sense of "not quite ready yet". Might it flesh out and become what the nose promises? We won't know because this is our last bottle of this vintage and this vineyard.

2/3/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Excellent example of Loire cab franc. Tobacco leaf and sweet berries jump out of the glass with just a whiff of barnyard that eventually blew off completely. Terrific structure as the remains of the bottle sat open on the counter for 3 days and were even better than the first evening.
No rush here.

1/23/2023 - IlonaN wrote:

Not sure what to think about this wine. Dense, extracted, moderately tannic and finishes on the sweet side but not unpleasantly. Held up well and actually improved after 3 days open on the kitchen counter. Will have to try another one and pay more attention.