4/7/2024 - pickhardt wrote:

At first it really tasted like a Grenache. Very light in color and body. A little better a few hours later and a little better than that and a little more Zin-like the next day. Overall a little disappointing.

2/19/2024 - pickhardt wrote:

Fruit forward more than funky/earthy. Nice complexity. Great value.

2/8/2024 - pickhardt wrote:

This was a good wine, but maybe too young? I decanted for more than an hour. Prominent tannins. Less prominent acidity. Good, but I was hoping for better.

2/7/2024 - pickhardt wrote:

It smelled like a musty basement as soon as I pulled the cork. It blew off a little but not completely. Disappointing.

1/15/2024 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Three years after Wine4Lux's note, I find that I have the same notes: "grilled meat and violets on the nose, a very savory wine-spice, pepper, and smoked meat are primary on the palate, blackberry with a touch of vanilla as well". I feel that the fruit is not terribly faded. The color is still robust and not brownish. Drinking this wine 12+ years after the vintage (a difficult one at that), this clearly was a well-made wine. Really nice, long finish.

12/11/2023 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

I would definitely rebuy this. Really firm, mouth-drying tannins with good fruit and acid. Decent finish.

12/10/2023 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

This was my first Oakville Farmhouse. It was really nice, although it's probably not getting better. It still has really nice fruit. Nice finish. A pretty good amount of sediment at the end of the bottle.

12/5/2023 - pickhardt wrote:

Tart and lacking the depth of body that I was hoping for. Ok, but disappointing.

11/5/2023 - pickhardt wrote:

This was my third bottle of this in the last couple months. One at home, a tasting in Sonoma, and this one. I *think* this was the bottle I bought in the tasting room. This one had a subtle, but present funk on the nose that the others did not have. It was good, but it may have had just a touch of bret or something.

11/7/2023 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

A little funk on day one. Cleaner fruit on day two.

9/17/2023 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Great dark fruit. Briary. Spice. Long finish. Brightness. Great wine. Opened the bottle (with no decant) two hours before drinking.

1/15/2023 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

This was borderline 90-91. Better, dark fruit than I hoped, but the fruit was mostly front and mid-palate rather than in the back. The finish and complexity were not what I hoped from a $150 list price wine ($75 to me). But I did like it. I uncorked it 90 minutes before drinking, but did not decant. It did not seem to change or improve over the course of drinking.

12/15/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

Just OK.

12/14/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

Decanted for 2-3 hours. Better than I recall in the tasting room last month when paired up against the 2017, which was great. Paired with baked ziti with meat sauce.

12/11/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

After a 75 minute decant, this was tight, bold, and tannic, with some fruit. After the next two hours, especially with food, it became softer and juicier. Really nice, dark, complex fruit. I wish I had opened it up 2-3 hours earlier, but 3 hours in it's singing. Still dark, but nice acidity with a long, long finish.

11/21/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

Good fruit The body was a little thin.

10/23/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

Lots of minerally citrus, not too much oak. Maybe a little butter, but for me (an Anything But Chardonnay guy), it wasn't so bad. Really nice pairing with a chicken breast & rice casserole. I would consider purchasing again, but I mostly just wanted to try it out. I'd probably prefer an Albarino or a Sauvignon Blanc. At the end of the day, this was a very nicely made wine.

9/25/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Nice acid and flavors. Went well with a chicken breast & rice casserole. I don't drink a lot of whites, so 89 is a pretty good score for me. I'm glad I bought and drank it. I would buy it again.

7/24/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

I uncorked the bottle but did not decant about 8 hours before dinner, which was grilled pork ribeye chops, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. I was thinking about a 91 rating most of the way through the meal, but after 90 minutes it sang even more, bumping up the score to 92. Great balance of dark fruit, complexity, tannin, and finish. I'm so glad I have another bottle. :-) FWIW, I thought it was dark and savory, as a great Syrah should be.

7/17/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

Decanted for an hour. After a couple more hours it was still a bit too tannic to drink without food for my taste. Really nice fruit and good with food, but I will wait a while for my next one.

7/10/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Great fruit - mix of Zin & Carignan.

7/3/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Uncorked about 4 hours before drinking, but no decant. Started out with great fruit and a full body with noticeable tannins, which we all liked. Drank along with a 2016 of the same wine over the course of the evening. The 2108 evolved into a smoky, almost Syrah-like place (still really good, but interesting) while the 2016 hit it's full stride a couple hours into drinking with fabulous fruit and a long, complex finish. So at the start I preferred the 2018, but in the end I preferred the 2016.

7/1/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

First few sips were a little tart somehow. No oomph of mid-palate. Got slightly better with food. I was hoping for more since I've had better for a few bucks less from WS.

6/26/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

Really nice balance. Not too aggressive like most New Zealand SBs, but really pleasant.

6/25/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

Great nose, great dark cassis flavors. Still enough tannin to have a bite, but smooth. Nice enough acid too to round out the experience. Approaching "teeth sucking" good and from me that is a high compliment. A very healthy dose of sediment at the end, but unfiltered wine is good wine.

6/20/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Pinot-like lightness in color and body; 12.4% ABV; really nice.

6/9/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

Good fruit A bit soft. Not overly complex or interesting.

4/24/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

I bought this based on the description of citrus notes and zingy acid. While it was true to the grape, it was quite acidic - almost too much so. I imagine many would find it too out of balance, but I'm glad I bought it.

2/27/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Before I even taste it - wow, the color is very dark compared to most Pinot Noir. The taste of the fruit is also dark. Cherry, cranberry, spice. Great RRV fruit.nose. Really nice finish. I'm very glad I purchased this.

2/26/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Decanted for ~75 minutes. Nice dark fruit, but it didn't get past a 90 for me. Still it was very enjoyable.

2/13/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

I brought the N.90 Walla Walla Merlot and the N.102 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon to my Super Bowl party. The cabernet was thin and uninteresting. The Merlot had nice dark fruit and good structure. The N.90 Merlot was the clear winner.

2/13/2022 - pickhardt Does not like this wine:

I brought the N.90 Walla Walla Merlot and the N.102 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon to my Super Bowl party. The cabernet was thin and uninteresting. The Merlot had nice dark fruit and good structure. The N.90 Merlot was the clear winner.

2/10/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Nice acid for a cab (and long finish). Still has good fruit and a really nice backbone of refined tannin. And did I say acid? Yum.

1/30/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

This was a gift - one I was very happy to receive in 2021. True to my previous experience with this wine, it's a little softer to me than some other Bedrocks. Nice, but not amazing. Still, what a very nice gift!

1/13/2022 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Good, but starting to get a little soft in the 375ml bottles.

1/2/2022 - pickhardt wrote:

Started via Coravin ~10 days ago. Popped & poured the rest tonight. Great fruit and juicy acidity. Decent structure. Went really well with spaghetti & meatballs.

12/21/2021 - pickhardt wrote:

Good flavors with a solid, dark core of fruit, but lacking much complexity or zip. Decent value at $20 or less.

11/28/2021 - pickhardt wrote:

Four hour decant. Nice, but nothing special stood out.

11/21/2021 - pickhardt wrote:

I'm a little disappointed. I bought this because I have loved older vintages of this wine and I love a great Sangiovese-based Super Tuscan. I only received my shipment 4 days ago, so it's earlier than I normally would open a bottle. This wine was deep, dark, and serious, but not bright or acidic like I would expect from 50% Sangiovese wine and also more leathery tannic than fruity. Next time I'll probably open one with food that would normally pair with a dark Bordeaux blend and re-evaluate.

11/20/2021 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Great QPR. Significant but not overwhelming tannin. Interesting complexity.

11/18/2021 - pickhardt wrote:

Light color, but not lightweight. Good oak.

11/18/2021 - pickhardt wrote:

Young, tannic. Rough, but enjoyable.

11/8/2021 - pickhardt wrote:

There are very few chardonnays that I like. This wasn't one of them, but it was better than most. Glad I gave it a shot, but not a re-order for me.

10/31/2021 - pickhardt wrote:

Brick red / brownish hues. Nice acid with distinct tannins. Good, but not as memorable as some other Barolos I have had.

10/30/2021 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Nicely aged. Good complexity and finish.

10/21/2021 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

I have given very few wines a 93. This is *almost* there, but I'm giving it a 92. Great fruit, complexity, and finish. I didn't look at my cost until just as I'm writing this, but I think it was a very good deal. I was fortunate enough to have a 2008 Caymus Special Selection Cab last night, and I think this compares nicely. I would say 1st world problems, but I have no problems with these wines.

10/9/2021 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Probably not improving, but still nice. Significant sediment in last glass.

10/6/2021 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

I really like this wine, but I think the Alpicella is a better wine and a better value. This one was pleasant with good fruit and little dark complexity, especially after it was open for a while.

9/5/2021 - pickhardt Likes this wine:

Great intensity and development of flavors over 4 hours.

8/5/2021 - pickhardt wrote:

Not great when first pouring a half glass via Coravin yesterday. Today, opened remainder 90 minutes before drinking but no decant. Noticeable better. Deeper & darker. Much nicer. Recommend decanting or at least giving some good air before drinking in the next year.