4/12/2020 - Larry Brooks Likes this wine:

Maturing, earth and minerals come across as bitter. Two days later softened and smoother. Originally 88, today 90.

9/15/2019 - Larry Brooks Likes this wine:

Great balance of acids, fruit and oxygen, ready and able. Not super complex, but very enjoyable. Tannins soft, ready now.

12/27/2015 - Larry Brooks Likes this wine:

Still alive with fruit and in balance! Past its peak, still a great treat.

3/6/2014 - Larry Brooks Likes this wine:

Came in third out of three in a blind tasting with two of my own California wines at a party, but I would be happy to have made this wine. Still in balance but a bit more simple comparatively. I surprisingly liked the younger 2011 Sonoma Chalk Hill Cab compared to the esteemed 2009 George III vineyard, Beckstoffer Cab, as did the group.

12/7/2013 - Larry Brooks Likes this wine:

Fruity nose, high extraction that tastes a bit higher than 14.5% alcohol. Young, not a fruit bomb despite the big extraction, with darker fruit, good structure, with big but perhaps too bitter finish (oak?). Nice, but I paid $56 for it, more than it is worth to me.

7/8/2013 - Larry Brooks Likes this wine:

Loads of fruit, not too complex but everything is working right now.

1/7/2013 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Smooth but present tannins, smooth flavor, no hurry to drink yet, but good now.

1/15/2012 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Very impressive, I would have probably guessed California except it had a bretty nose at first. More fruit forward than usual from France. Nice balance and some complexity too.

1/16/2012 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Nice ripe fruit, and in balance with acid and tannins. A little less smooth than I would have liked at the finish.

10/8/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

My Homemade wines were brought to our tennis party. Maybe 12 mostly men drinking it but some women tasted. 2007 merlot, 2008 Cab Merlot, and my 2008 Syrah/Cab. No one studying wine as much as I do, but all wine lovers spoke positively and a sweet only red wine drinkers also were impressed. Crappy red wine with sugar tastes better than crappy red wine, welcome to 5-10 dollar wine!.

This time this wine started slow (my palate or opening up??), seemed a bit oak missing at first, but was drinking quite nicely by the end of the bottle.

The 2008 Cab-Merlot got most of the top comments and I agree it's the best that I brought, so I guess some were paying attention. That is a 92+ wine, and has been given an estimate selling value of 35 dollars by a local high volume wine store owner. This Merlot predominant wine came in second a year ago in my wine tasting group event against other right bank blends in a blind.

10/3/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Pleased the crowd.

10/1/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Pretty Basic

8/22/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Very comparable to my wines, this one is really well balanced, with very nice fruit forward style, and good balance of acid and tannins. 20+ second finish. Nice.

8/14/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Solid as always.

8/14/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

While a very nice extraction, I think if the fruit holds out that still more time is required to get the best balance from this one.

7/22/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Strong and powerful, but much time really helped this wine. Over alcohol less noticeable than in the past. Too bad it was my last, as I drank it in the wrong years of it's life it seems.

6/11/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Needed an hour or so to become outstanding.

3/2/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

What a mistake I made only producing 17 bottles of this! The nose JUMPS out of the glass, with dark fruity balance and finish that is perhaps the best I have made. Only two bottles left, save this to wow only the most discerning crowd.

1/23/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Will try rest tonight. Wasn't in the class of the 2005 Glaetzer Bishop on day 1 tasting.

1/9/2011 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Light bodies, light fruit and extraction.

12/25/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Agree with everyone else. pencil, earth, blood fruit, acid and tannin balance. Very Good.

12/23/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Bright Cherry and beautiful balance of acid, with ripe tannins. Tasted vs. 05 Amon Ra, this was WOTN. Yum!

12/23/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Tasted against 2005 Penfolds RWT - Darker fruit, very balanced and smooth. Not as bright as the RWT, but perhaps a little more depth and nuance. Most preferred the RWT, but this one is great too!

12/19/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Good Nose. Good balance of acid and tannins, some structure. fruit there at the beginning, not so much in the mid-palate and finish. Was better with food.

11/25/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Perhaps on the decline or at least in my too warm cellar. Fruit more muted than I remember.

11/21/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Great Nose, not typical Aussie as it was definitely structure forward rather than fruit forward. Black fruit, graphite, perhaps brown sugar(not sweet).

9/11/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Nothing distinctive

8/28/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Purchased in Australia a few years ago and flown home with me. Tasted vs. our homemades, a Silver Oak, an '04 clarendon hills hickenbotham, and a 2000 Leasingham Clare Valley, all cabs.

How is it that they get so much extraction down under? They were all just a bit too much for me.

Also get Briar, blackberry/rasberry flavors, nicely balanced, just a little green. I'm sure others will enjoy more.

7/31/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Had real trouble liking this wine due to the alcoholic finish that it had. Out of balance due to that. Couldn't buy another at 14.5% alcohol. Maybe another vintage?

4/24/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

apricots and peaches. Very nice

4/24/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Chocolate, Dark cherry, oak, tobacco.

4/24/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Bright Red California Fruit blast, great mid palate, long finish. Really nice.

4/18/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Red fruit and mild but available tannins, fairly bright fruit for a Maryland grape. Good acidity and balance, nice midpalate, and maybe a 10 second finish. One of the best MD wines I have tasted. Just a bit too simple to warrant a 90's score, but this still beats the cheap stuff.

4/11/2010 - Larry Brooks Likes this wine:

Again, had to be day 2 before this wine was really kicking.

4/5/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Napa vs. Bordeaux (Rick's House): Certainly the worst of the tasting other than the flawed Troplong Mondot. I liked it, but in hindsight, that's a lot of money to pay!

4/5/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Napa vs. Bordeaux (Rick's House): Wicked nose, something wrong. Perhaps oxidized, but not corked.

4/5/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Napa vs. Bordeaux (Rick's House): Ended up being the best of the French offerings. I chose this among the top 3 on the first pass. Ended up third. Really nice mid palate and long finish.

4/5/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Napa vs. Bordeaux (Rick's House): Compared to the others in the tasting, I thought this was one of the California wines.

4/5/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Napa vs. Bordeaux (Rick's House): Very intense, great mid palate and very long finish, more tart/acidity (I thought California). WOTN

4/5/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Napa vs. Bordeaux (Rick's House): Great Mid Palate, long finish

4/5/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Napa vs. Bordeaux (Rick's House): less punch in the palate and finish then the top contenders on this night.

2/27/2010 - Larry Brooks Likes this wine:

Popped and Poured. Much better on day 1 than prior note. Peppery, good acidity, medium finish.

2/20/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Parker's reported flavors of kirsch liqueur, herbes de Provence, and an oil of pepper-like character were right on for me.

Others thought it tasted a little oxydized. Since my cellar is simply a basement and not kept at 58 degrees, perhaps it is aging faster for me.

Very interesting.

1/22/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

After reading Istaples review and recognizing my cellar is a bit dry, I chose this tonight. The cork was indeed dry and broke up on first attempt to open. With great care, I did extract it somehow managing to avoid cork floaties in the bottle.

The wine did not appear dead and I thought it was nice. Tawny red color. I found a nice complexity of grenache/syrah flavors, a good nose, and appeared to have a nice aged character. The finish was medium, however I did get a slight aftertaste that I usually associate with a bad/old oak aroma. I believe that Chateauneuf-Du-Pape is aged in neutral oak, so perhaps it was a little old. Or I suppose it could blow off with air time, if it does, I will modify this note. Update: It did blow off, just like my own syrah cab.

I suppose if I had any more I would say drink up. But as the cork may not survive much longer, it is at least near or just past prime.

1/8/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote:

On opening, this wine has loads of plum fruit, good acid, but has what seems like a bad or old oak flavor. Initial rating, 87.

But on day 2, all of the bad flavors are gone, and this wine really is well balanced, with a very nice long finish as well. This was proven by opening a new bottle to compare to the 1 day old bottle, and it is very obviously better after a day. Not sure whether bottle aging will cure this, or that it will need a long decant each time. If planning to show friends, will need to open it a day ahead and decant or double decant.

11/28/2009 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Day 1: Rough and bland on day 1, which is when I tried and finished the first bottle. Would have been 85 if measured on day 1
Day 2: Really smoothed out today, and very enjoyable. This needs air and time!!!

10/24/2009 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Earthy Bordeaux, nice extraction, not in the same style as was tasted next to our California. More left, will taste again tonight to see how it evolved.

10/19/2009 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Too young probably to taste. Did not compare well to Northern Rhones

9/21/2009 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Tasted against 40-180 dollar Left Bank Bordeaux and California cab based bordeaux blends.

Among 6, came in tied for second, beating the others.

Note to self to look up competitors.

9/9/2009 - Larry Brooks wrote:

Good, not great. My impression is that this is overripened or over-extracted. Don't rebuy based on this vintage. I make better wine for this price.