Important Update From the Founder Read message >

Comments on my notes

(46 comments on 38 notes)

1 - 38 of 38 Sort order
Red
2016 A. Rafanelli Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley
12/31/2023 - JERB Likes this wine:
94 points
Decanted for 3 hours. NYE at our house. USDA Prime Bone-in Rib Roast (4 ribs) reverse seared ala J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Fabulous meal and excellent wine!

This Rafanelli cab was my WOTN. There were other excellent wines on our table, but this one was my favorite. I liked the vibrant fruit, the long finish, the youthfulness that seemed to say, "Come on! Let's play!" This vintage still has plenty of years ahead of it, but it is drinking beautifully right now as a youngster. The 2014 we enjoyed in July was more elegant, but this 2016 was also darn good!
  • JERB commented:

    1/2/24, 11:17 PM - Also on the table were a 2009 BV Georges de Latour - very, very good, but I actually preferred the Rafanelli; a 2011 Adelaida Viking cabernet - very good, but definitely different from the Napa and Sonoma cabs; a 2018 Herman Story "Nuts & Bolts" - also very good! Bottom line... it was a fabulous evening!

Red
2017 A. Rafanelli Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley
Beautiful wine but it needs air to really shine at this youthful stage. Caraffed for 1.5 hours prior to drinking and it was still so intense on the first sip. It showed best at 4.5 hours when we finished the wine. At that point, the mix of fruit, spices and a touch of leather were coming into focus.

For my taste, this hasn’t quite hit its drinking window but with enough air, you can coax out a beautiful wine. I’ll wait another 2 years before revisiting.
  • JERB commented:

    8/5/23, 7:51 PM - We drank a 2104 Rafanelli cab last weekend and it was spectacular!

Red
2017 Adelaida Syrah Anna's Estate Vineyard Paso Robles
7/28/2023 - KAKneale Likes this wine:
95 points
Incredible nose and even better in the mouth. An amazing Syrah paired with an equally amazing ribeye (best I ever had) at Brothers Red Barn in Santa Ynez with more than anazing Wino friends
  • JERB commented:

    8/5/23, 6:56 PM - So good - on all accounts! 🍷👍😊

White
2021 Alta Colina Grenache Blanc Estate Paso Robles Adelaida District
7/29/2023 - KAKneale Likes this wine:
92 points
Great hot, late afternoon wine to enjoy with Wino friends at home in Buellton Excellent nose with floral notes and just right amount of dry sweetness
  • JERB commented:

    8/5/23, 6:54 PM - It was indeed quite nice on a warm afternoon!

Red
2017 Écluse Insider Paso Robles Red Blend
4/7/2021 - MateusPetrus Likes this wine:
92 points
R&M dinner, all loved it. Tight nose, average finish, but really nice in between: lots of fruit, some oak and very light spice.
  • JERB commented:

    6/20/23, 5:13 PM - @MateusPetrus - I see your tasting notes fairly often when I am looking at wines in my cellar. It would seem that we are both members at Ecluse Wines. I opened their 2016 "Insider" a few nights ago and was essentially underwhelmed. I guess I've been a member with Ecluse for about a decade. I still enjoy their wines and I think they are usually a good value, but I may be looking to spend my limited wine budget around at other producers in the future.

    Cheers! - Jack

Red
2016 Neal Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
6/8/2023 - AlStar82 wrote:
90 points
Solid easy drinking red blend. Not too memorable, not the best QPR.
  • JERB commented:

    6/10/23, 11:48 AM - Greetings from San Diego CA.

    I am just curious as to what you paid for this bottle? I get mine through the Neal Wine Club and paid $45 per bottle of these 2016 Napa Valley cabs when I purchased them.

  • JERB commented:

    6/10/23, 2:35 PM - I will admit that I have a bias in favor of the wines that Mark Neal makes. I have met him and had the privilege of attending his "Cellar Depletion Dinner" fundraiser. I just find his entry level Napa Valley cabs to be a very good value. I have tasted Napa cabs from other producers that were priced higher than the Neal Family Napa Valley cab (I'm thinking specifically of the Caymus Napa Valley cab and the Round Pond Estate cab) and I prefer the Neal. Then again, there is great joy in finding new wines to like! Cheers! - Jack

Red
2016 Herman Story Bolt Cutter Central Coast Red Blend
1/2/2023 - JERB Likes this wine:
91 points
Paul's wine. From a decanter. Interesting comparison to the 2016 Booker MFN. The "Bolt Cutter" was more subdued, less vibrant than the MFN. It had good flavors and was certainly a very good wine, it was just a notch below the MFN for me.
  • JERB commented:

    4/29/23, 6:51 AM - Too funny! The whacky, wonderful world of wine! I will be interested to hear your impressions of the two wines. Cheers! - Jack

Red
2013 Écluse Syrah Lock Vineyard Paso Robles
3/21/2020 - MateusPetrus Likes this wine:
88 points
Never seen so much sediment!
Deep garnet. Smoky aroma. Light tannins. Red cherries, a little tart. Medium finish of cherries and minerals.
  • JERB commented:

    8/12/22, 7:29 PM - Just curious… you have this tasting rated at 88 and a tasting from 2017 rated at 92. Were the two bottles purchased at the same time. I am just really intrigued as to what created the disparity. Thnx! -Jack

  • JERB commented:

    8/15/22, 10:36 AM - Thanks! Fascinating, though more likely just disappointing for you!

Red
2016 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Vineyard Under the Mountain Santa Clara County Red Blend
7/15/2022 - adnorthup wrote:
4 hour decant. From a mixed block of Zinfandel and carignan. Blueberry, blackberry, loads of tannin still, oak influence showing a little bit. The fruit is there, the oak is starting to integrate, but this still feels like a baby at 6 years old.
  • JERB commented:

    7/23/22, 2:08 PM - So what's your sense? If planning to drink it now (tonight), 4 hour decant? 6 hour decant (Yeah... I'm already too late for that one!)? Or should I leave it alone for another year or more? Thnx! - Jack

  • JERB commented:

    7/23/22, 2:16 PM - THANK YOU! Will enjoy a '17 Dolinsek or Pagani instead.

Red
2013 Paix Sur Terre Either Side of the Hill Paso Robles Syrah Blend, Syrah
4/9/2022 - KAKneale Likes this wine:
93 points
Amazing nose and taste on the palate. Depth of texture with afternotes of tannin
  • JERB commented:

    5/4/22, 12:18 PM - Did you really mean to score this at 78? Just curious.

Red
2013 Paix Sur Terre Either Side of the Hill Paso Robles Syrah Blend, Syrah
9/21/2021 - Srsnyder wrote:
90 points
Brief very non-technical note here… still extremely enjoyable, very nice balance of fruit with tertiary aromas and flavors. Super enjoyable with tri tip and pork ribs and vegan sides. We really like this stuff. Great producers who are also wonderful people.
  • JERB commented:

    11/20/21, 9:43 PM - Tasted this at the winery last week. It was a no-brainer purchase. Outstanding!

Red
2018 Carlisle Syrah Sonoma County
2/6/2021 - Dale M wrote:
91 points
While I have enjoyed all of the Carlisle (and Bedrock) basic Syrahs and ZIns, its hard to guess how to allocate funds for these vs single vineyard designations which often do not cost a substantial increase in price. If I had tasted my one and only of this 18 Sono Co. Syrah I would have bought at least 6. I like pgm's note on 8-15, my view as well.
  • JERB commented:

    8/22/21, 8:50 AM - Absolutely agree! This is a fabulous "entry level" blend from the Carlisle team!!

Red
2016 Bedrock Wine Co. Oakville Farmhouse Red Blend
3/27/2021 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine:
94 points
14.5% abv. Dark ruby, very aromatic. Ripe plum, blueberry, black raspberry and forest floor. Noticeable tannic structure. Excellent depth and length. A terrific wine that is still improving.
  • JERB commented:

    4/27/21, 4:54 PM - Just curious - as I am considering taking this wine to the first gathering of three couples since March of 2020 - you had this wine in December of 2020 and again in March of 2021. I get a clear sense that it is quite enjoyable right now. I ask because you also stated in your 12/13/20 tasting notes that it would be better in 3 to 6 years. I only have this one bottle. What's your sense... enjoy it now with dear friends or hold on to it for another few years? Thanks & Cheers! - Jack

  • JERB commented:

    4/27/21, 7:56 PM - Thanks!

Red
2016 Carlisle Zinfandel Piner Olivet Ranches Russian River Valley
3/27/2021 - JERB Likes this wine:
92 points
Decanted for 1.5 hours. Nose struck us as very focused with bright red fruits - raspberries & cherries. Palate was excellent - very well balanced with lots of bright flavors. The word that kept coming to me was "focused." This was excellent tonight, but I suspect will continue to improve over the next 3 to 4 years.

This was the first wine of two for the evening. The second wine - which accompanied bison ribeye steaks, prepared sous vide then grilled with mushrooms - was a 2001 Heitz 'Trailside.' Yeah... That was sublime!! And very different from the Carlisle.
  • JERB commented:

    4/3/21, 1:17 PM - @Mark1npt - The bison was excellent, though my wife did not enjoy it as much as the other three of us did. It is amazingly lean! The Heitz came from our very gracious hosts who have a much deeper cellar than I do.

Red
2012 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
11/24/2020 - EpochMD Likes this wine:
97 points
Tasted next to the 2010 vintage; This had more poise, grace, and more complexity and felt a bit older than chronologically older 2010. Spectacular if you want to find a wine on the cusp of starting to age - all the things you (I) want - poise, fruit, and finish. Currant, plum, and anise, dried cherry. Really special bottle - probably a bit of an emotional rating, shared with my father on a physically distanced (can we scrap the stupid social distance moniker? We need people and connections now more than ever, just at a 6-10 foot radius . . . and masks of course.) Cheers to all the CT crowd - Happy Thanksgiving.
  • JERB commented:

    12/27/20, 5:18 PM - Thanks for the notes on this wine (and the 2010), but more importantly thanks for the admonition to drop the "social" distancing! 'Physical distancing is so much more accurate and appropriate! Cheers from San Diego - just about as far away from you as one can get in the continental US.

Red
2016 ONX Level 22 Paso Robles Red Rhone Blend
12/12/2020 - Grateful4Red Likes this wine:
88 points
Upon PnP, this was almost sour. It improved a bit with some air and time, but still not worth buying more.
  • JERB commented:

    12/20/20, 9:51 PM - I found it 'earthy,' especially on the nose. I suspect the mourvedre provided that aroma. I get your sense that it was 'sour,' but for me it was more of a sense of 'dark and brooding.' But then, I like the earthiness of mourvedre. I also found that it was better on the second night, better balanced. It would seem that it benefits from quite a bit of air. Got mine at SD Wine Co. Yours?

Red
2003 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Vineyard Rutherford
8/9/2020 - JERB Likes this wine:
94 points
Oh my... That glorious Cabernet nose! It makes you want to just park your nose inside the rim of the glass for a long luscious encounter with the wonderful aromatics. I got dark red fruit, some dusty chocolate and a hint of baking spice. I got sumptuous! One hour decant. Drinking beautifully right now! So glad I have dear friends with deeper cellars than mine! IMHO... this still has a few years left, in spite of the CT suggestion that the drinking window started closing in 2019.
  • JERB commented:

    8/10/20, 10:17 AM - @jenmermaidia - My good friend who brought the wine and I both agree that as long as the wine is stored properly, it should be just fine in four years for your daughter's 21st birthday! Happy Birthday to her!!

Rosé
2017 Epoch Estate Wines Rosé Paso Robles Rosé Blend
7/4/2019 - erwanlemoing Likes this wine:
91 points
Nice, crip, great rose
  • JERB commented:

    6/1/20, 7:09 AM - Just curious...

    In looking through your tasting notes, you drink a lot more rosés than I do. I readily admit that my experience with rosés is not as extensive as yours. I also see that we share an affinity for Central Coast wines! But I am curious about your 100 point score for this Epoch rosé. I imagine [I don't know because I have never had the privilege!] a 100 point wine as a mind-blowing experience; as an OMG! moment. Was this wine that OMG! moment for you?

    I love the wines that Epoch makes - though I can't afford too many of them - but none of their wines I have ever tasted would score higher than my OMG! wine to date which was a 1990 Chateau Angelus that was shared with me by a dear friend with much deeper pockets and cellar.

    Again, just curious. Cheers! - Jack

Red
2016 Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Ranch Russian River Valley
1/31/2020 - JERB Likes this wine:
93 points
Oh yeah! Really, really good! Opened for 2.5 hours before drinking. Continued to get even better as dinner progressed.

This wine is absolutely hedonistic. So rich, yet in a very balanced way. Wonderful flavors of robust purple fruits, a bit of spice, elegant presentation on the palete, long finish. Soooo good! Sure wish I had more of these!!

Best wine I've enjoyed in the past few months!
  • JERB commented:

    3/3/20, 8:43 AM - Oops! That word continues to befuddle me!

Red
2015 Joey Tensley Fundamental Central Coast Red Rhone Blend
12/26/2017 - JERB Does not like this wine:
85 points
The poor showing on this wine was likely due in part to the fact that it followed a really good wine. What we got was a very disjunct taste that was dominated by earthiness - not a lot of fruit at all.

I'll be honest, it is the first Tensley wine I have ever not enjoyed.
  • JERB commented:

    12/20/19, 2:09 PM - @jjlgd - You may be onto something there! I hope so as I have always loved Tensley wines!

Red
2013 Booker Vineyard Estate Paso Robles Red Blend
8/18/2019 - seijaro Likes this wine:
92 points
A bit unusual for Booker, kind of astringent and sharp. We liked it, but have to say we like other Booker offerings more than this one. We got raspberry and cranberry, not the usual tastes in a Syrah blend.

9/12/19 Another bottle, much nicer than the last one -- 93-94. Smoother without the tartness and with bigger flavor. This is what Booker is spozed ta be.

3/7/20 Last bottle, another 93. A nice Syrah blend, again big and full. Great with pizza. We just like Booker.
  • JERB commented:

    9/18/19, 8:47 PM - I am wondering if you feel that there was something "off" in the first bottle? I have liked everything I have ever had from Booker and your initial note gave me concern. Did your second bottle restore your faith?

Red
2016 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Papera Ranch Russian River Valley Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel
11/20/2018 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine:
93 points
Not at all ponderous, but great power, intensity and focus. Really a delight now and on the ascent.
  • JERB commented:

    8/22/19, 9:06 AM - If I am reading across multiple open windows of tasting notes, you have also tasted the 2016 Carlisle Papera. I am wondering if you can recall how the Bedrock and the Carlisle compare? I am considering doing a side-by-side tasting of the two at a gathering this Saturday evening and would love to hear your insights! Cheers! - Jack

  • JERB commented:

    8/22/19, 10:20 AM - Mike - Thanks for the input! I still haven't decided. Whatever we end up with, it is likely to be good! Cheers. - Jack

Red
2012 Alta Colina Syrah Toasted Slope Paso Robles
8/17/2018 - JERB Likes this wine:
91 points
I have always preferred the brighter flavors in this sun-soaked wine when compared to Alta Colina's "Old 900" syrah. It is so interesting to read other CTer's notes on this wine. We had this wine along with the 2015 vintage of this wine alongside the 2015 "Old 900" and the 2012 "Old 900." [Yeah... It was a great evening!!] Given the opportunity to compare these four wines side by side, this one - the 2012 "Toasted Slope" - was my favorite! I did not get the "darker fruits and the smokiness" that some CTers mention. But I wonder if that is because it was alongside the "Old 900s" which definitely had a wonderful smoky component. What I did get was a very well balanced wine with great red, tending towards purple, fruit flavors. It doesn't smack you in the face. It says, "Sit back; take your time; enjoy." Really nice!
  • JERB commented:

    8/10/19, 7:58 AM - @vintage1949
    Dave - It is definitely drinking well. This note is from last August and I have to believe that it has only gotten better! Cheers!! - Jack

Red
2016 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Evangelho Vineyard Contra Costa County Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel
7/4/2019 - JERB Likes this wine:
91 points
Bedrock Evangelho - 2015 & 2016: Decanted for 3+ hours.

The nose on this wine was darker than the 2015. It gave more blueberry/blackberry and plum than did the 2015. It also smelled less "perfumy" than the 2015 - more robust.

The taste mirrored the nose in those darker fruits. To my sense, it had decidedly more depth of flavors than the 2015 and a longer finish. I would suspect this wine will continue to evolve and improve over the next 3 to 5 years. I did not get as much of that sense from the 2015.

We (10 of us) tasted this 2016 Evangelho alongside the 2015 Evangelho from Bedrock. It was a very interesting experiment! 3 preferred the 2015; 6 preferred the 2016; 1 felt they were equal. I was among the 7 who preferred the 2016 - I felt it had more depth of flavors than the 2015. The fascinating aspect of this experiment was the fact that the only variable in the two wines was the vintage. We figured that essentially meant that the primary variable was the weather during the growing year. We assumed that there was not a marked change in the way the two years were vinified. Fun tasting experiment!

It is a privilege to be able to drink wine from grapes planted 100+ years ago! I am grateful for the emphasis that Morgan and Chris and the Bedrock team place on preserving this "heritage" vineyards!
  • JERB commented:

    7/5/19, 1:37 PM - @ex-sommelier - Excellent point! The puzzlement for me is that I tend to think of additional bottle age as something that usually improves the wine - especially when they are relatively young, as these two are. Yet the additional year did not seem to give any advantage to the 2015. I guess that means I need to run more "tasting experiments"! :-) - Jack

Red
2016 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Dolinsek Ranch Russian River Valley Red Blend
9/24/2018 - michigan dogs Likes this wine:
93 points
not only was this wine drinking well young, unusual for Bedrock, but it was clearly one of the best Bedrock's I've had, well balanced, tasty.
  • JERB commented:

    6/9/19, 10:13 PM - I have found the Dolinseks to be one of the few wines from Morgan and Chris that is approachable early in its life. So many of their other wines require patience (and storage that I don't have!).

Red
2015 Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Ranch Russian River Valley
5/25/2019 - JERB Likes this wine:
92 points
Memorial Day 2019; 5/25/2019-5/26/2019 (Big Bear CA): Excellent wine! A strong 92! We tasted this Carlisle Papera head to head with a 2015 Bedrock Papera. The Carlisle was preferred by the group. The Carlisle struck us as having better structure, a longer finish, more integrated flavors, just an overall better wine. They were both good, but the Carlisle was the clear favorite!
  • JERB commented:

    6/9/19, 10:06 PM - >michigan dogs - Another trio I am looking forward to tasting all in one sitting (big party!) are the Pagani Ranch bottlings from Bedrock, Carlisle, and Ridge. At this point I only have the 2016 vintage from all three producers. Cheers! - Jack

Red
2015 Shafer TD-9 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
5/26/2019 - JERB Likes this wine:
90 points
Memorial Day 2019; 5/25/2019-5/26/2019 (Big Bear CA): Shared this bottle at a restaurant dinner with a bunch of friends. It was good, but it was not notable - it did not make me stop and say, "That's really good!" I guess my sense was that I can get wines that are just as good for less money. Maybe I just need to save up my $$$ and spring for a Hillside Select!
  • JERB commented:

    5/30/19, 6:35 AM - Mark1npt - I really wanted to like this wine because I have very much enjoyed Doug Shafer's podcast entitled "The Taste." I will continue to listen to the podcast, but I doubt I will be buying another bottle of TD-9. Cheers! - Jack

Red
2016 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard Russian River Valley
Last tasted at the winery when we visited in July. I dug it then, and its drinking stellar again today. These bottles arrived a few weeks ago, and given the charity challenge running for our man Jason Hagen, figured this was a good bottle to honor him and his health. Opened this about 30 mins ago, dumped it into a nice stem, serving it at 66 degrees. Vintage after vintage, this is consistently beautiful stuff, a wine I have been drinking for 16 vintages. Distinctly juicy, with a bright core of acidity that frames the dark raspberry, some light vanilla and a finishing purity of cobbler-like fruit. The finish has excellent structure, with a final note of licorice. Delicious again, Mr Officer.
  • JERB commented:

    3/18/19, 7:19 PM - Thank you for your wonderfully detailed TN!!
    I'm curious... Would you give it a numeric rating, or is that something you simply choose not to do? Whatever the case, I am soooo looking forward to enjoying my bottles!! - Jack

  • JERB commented:

    3/19/19, 9:14 AM - Thanks for the explanation and the insight on the wine! - Jack

Red
2016 Carlisle The Integral Sonoma County Red Rhone Blend
12/9/2018 - Lforrest wrote:
winery -55% Syrah and 45% Mourvèdre, both varieties were picked simultaneously on October 1st. The Mourvèdre was added to tank first, completely as whole cluster, while the Syrah was fully destemmed and added on top. Twenty-eight days on the skins. Nineteen percent new French oak.Medium-dark to dark ruby-purple. A highly perfumed bouquet of smoked meats, mulberry, black olive, and spring flowers. I could sniff this all day! On the palate, medium-full bodied with flavors of black fruits, earth, and savory spice. Finishes quite long with authoritative but polished tannins. I love this wine now for the aromatic fireworks but believe its best lies ahead. Enjoy from 2023 to 2033.
  • JERB commented:

    3/18/19, 7:10 PM - Thanks for your very detailed TN! The last thing you say is that this should best be enjoyed from 2023 to 2033. Is your suggestion that this wine will not truly hit its stride after 2023 and we should hold off until then? I ask because I'm not sure I can wait that long - and I know I don't have the storage space. If I can't wait 4 more years, what did you do to allow it to open up? Thanks! - Jack

  • JERB commented:

    3/18/19, 8:59 PM - Well okay then!!
    I will try to wait!!
    Thnx!!

Red
2016 Limerick Lane Zinfandel Russian River Valley
Taste CA Wines (San Diego Wine Co.): N: CLOSED; Berries, earth, poss iron?

P: LM body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by astringent pucker, but without losing contact with the initial frt as it fairly seamlessly transitions into a very LONG, BALANCED finish with a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. Deserves/NEEDS through '20, then drinking for 3, poss 4, yrs more. 14.8% ABV; My EXC, more with cellaring? 95 pts ea Jeb Dunnuck & Vinous (Galloni), 93 ea WS & WE @ $40, and 92 WA. [This vendor's $34.95 puts it in the TOP 15% of wine-searcher's postings.]

Note: A *much* more positive TN than on 10/27/2018!
  • JERB commented:

    1/20/19, 8:26 PM - I love the folks at San Diego Wine Co., but Vintage Wines [just east of SD Wine Co on Miramar Road] has had this wine for $20 a bottle for at least the last month.

Red
2016 Booker Vineyard My Favorite Neighbor Paso Robles Red Blend
Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 2 *shared,* VERY impressive bottles] from 11/02/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Apparently 69% C.S., 20% Syrah, & 11% Petit Verdot

N: CLOSED, but SEEMS ripe with notes of vanilla?

P: LM body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which leads into a LONG, still very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with a bitter/swtness to the dusty tannins. NEEDS into, poss through '21, then approaching its 10th. LOTS of potential in a big, yet potentially elegant, style! My EXC-. 97 pts Jeb Dunnuck & 96 WA. IF you've an interest in this, you need to "RUN, not walk" to this vendor's $59.95** as it's an ASTOUNDING ≈ $20 < than anyone else listed on wine-searcher's ALREADY large posting!

**HOPING that wasn't a typo on our tasting sheet! [Also, until I get this entered into a "Tasting Story", the vendor is Vintage Wines, Ltd. of San Diego, CA]
  • JERB commented:

    12/7/18, 7:07 PM - Sure hope you were able to capitalize on the $59.95! They now list this wine for $79.95.

  • JERB commented:

    12/8/18, 9:15 AM - I am in San Diego! I did not see that price at Vintage Wines or i would likely have been all over it! The only reason I was looking for My Fav neighbor on CT was because a wonderful friend just gave me a bottle as a gift!

    What Vintage does still have (or at least had earlier this week) that is an incredible value is the 2016 Limerick Lane RRV Sonoma County zinfandel for $20 a bottle. I went in with friends last week and we bought a case!

    Cheers! - Jack

Red
2015 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Pagani Ranch Sonoma Valley Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel
8/9/2018 - rdf58 Likes this wine:
92 points
Bright and young. Lively acidity and the usual Bedrock aromatics. Red berries and a touch of loamy earthy. Interesting contrast to the slightly riper 2015 Carlisle Pagani.
  • JERB commented:

    11/4/18, 6:28 AM - It looks like you have done something I am seeking to do at some point - taste the Pagani from Bedrock and Carlisle side by side! My plan is to go one step further and add the Ridge Pagani Ranch into the mix and make it a trio.

    So much wine... So little time!

Red
2012 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
3/18/2016 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine:
93 points
Napa / Sonoma Day Trip: Tasted at winery.
~4,000 cases made.
PnP -- This is dark, young, and tight; yet shows so much already. From vines at 800-1000 feet elevation over Napa valley floor, this has gobs of flavor yet a fairly silky structure. The finish goes on and on.
Well done, and I look forward to see how this one ages -- I expect a long life ahead!

Me - 93, Wife - 94
  • JERB commented:

    10/5/18, 7:53 PM - I know that I am 2.5 years after the fact, but what a fabulous trio for tastings!! Envious!

White
2014 Alta Colina Grenache Blanc Estate Paso Robles Adelaida District
7/5/2015 - STM82 wrote:
84 points
Really lack luster. Disappointing knowing how great their wines are.
  • JERB commented:

    1/22/17, 9:42 PM - I know this is an older tasting note, but I am wondering if you have had any of the AC Grenache Blanc since this bottle? I ask because this is one of our favorite summer white wines and every bottle we have had has been excellent!

Red
2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Gibson Ranch McDowell Valley Syrah Blend, Syrah
8/2/2015 - JERB Likes this wine:
92 points
Okay... I will admit that I am smitten with the wines from Bedrock! I have yet to open one that I did not enjoy. This Gibson Ranch is no exception! This is a full fruited wine, not shy at all. A terrific blend of flavors that I would swear has zinfandel among the grapes, but no - no zinfandel. For $40, this is an amazing value!!
  • JERB commented:

    8/3/15, 7:16 AM - Wilypod - Yes. It is very drinkable right now! Will it get better with another year in the bottle? Most likely, but I went for it and was very impressed!

Red
2012 Herman Story Casual Encounters California Red Blend
4/24/2015 - JERB wrote:
87 points
Unfortunately, this bottle did not live up to what I tasted at the winery when I bought it. It got two hours in the decanter, but it did not have the fruit flavors or the structure I remembered from tasting in Paso. Had we tasted this blind, I would have guessed it to be a much lower priced ($20 or less) bottle. Oh well.
  • JERB commented:

    4/25/15, 10:09 AM - Yeah... could have been slightly corked. It did not have the mustiness that I usually associate with a corked bottle, but it certainly did not have the vibrant nose I expected from this blend and it did not compare to the wine I tasted at Herman Story last fall when I purchased this bottle.

Red
2008 Tensley Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard Santa Barbara County
12/1/2013 - HOS Does not like this wine:
84 points
Now I'm worried. Second bottle of the case and something is wrong. Sour fruit and high acidity just killed this bottle like the last one. Should be a stellar wine but just not working.
  • JERB commented:

    2/8/14, 5:46 PM - I would strongly suggest you contact Joey Tensley. They have always been very approachable and helpful to us, though we have never had a problem with bottles being less than what we expected.

    http://www.tensleywines.com/

Red
2005 The Colonial Estate Shiraz Exile Barossa Valley
11/23/2010 - beezer6 wrote:
93 points
An absolutely massively structured wine with layers upon layers of depth and a port-like quality both on the nose and palate.
The aroma of fresh black truffles immediately soars from the glass accompanied by black spice vegetation and extremely dark caramelized
blackberries, chocolate and dark roast espresso. Very nice unique nose. The palate is rich and highly extracted. More high quality black fruit, olives, baking spices and volcanic rock lead to a massive weighty finish. The bottling is highly viscous and filled with berry liqueur.
Though the bottle doesn't divulge the alcohol content I imagine it surpasses the 15% mark, though the heat has some nice restraint. A solid bottling that I wasn't sure I would enjoy due to the ridiculous markdown at the time of purchase. Not worth the original $150 price tag, but definitely well worth $50 - the discounted purchase price.
  • JERB commented:

    1/10/11, 9:38 AM - Wow! Do I ever feel like a thief! I purchased my 2 bottles for $20 each!! Drank one of them about a year and a half ago and loved it. Trying to save my other (last!) bottle for a special event.

1 - 38 of 38
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC.

Report a Problem

Close