1/11/2013 - wineguy21 wrote:

Incredible. Better than both 05 Schraders opened after.

11/21/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

Incredible young cab. Made for quite the treat with a prime ribeye.

4/16/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

I stumbled across this wine while tasting in the Sonoma/Napa area a year or so back. I should have picked up more than this one bottle as I really enjoyed it with Easter brunch.

3/24/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

Incredibly rich with a finish that sails on and on. I really enjoyed this.

2/13/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

Very solid. Violets, black and purple fruits on the nose with blackberry currants, plums, espresso and graphite on the palate. Smooth, fleshy tannins with some nice minerality. Far more approachable than the 07 was at this point last year, and IMO, the best Lillian Syrah to date.

2/7/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

Tasting alongside an 07 Cayuse Impulsivo Tempranillo. Quite a bit less fruit than the Impulsivo, but a lot more going on and interesting on the palate.

Incredibly funky green pepper/wet dog elements to the nose, but that was expected...after all, it's a Cayuse, and also Cab Franc dominate. The palate packs a bit of green notes on the front palate, but they almost instantly dissipated into smooth red and black fruits over a long finish. And also as expected, that classic Cayuse minerally iron/blood component was present as well.

A very interesting wine, that really had me thinking over the 4 or 5 hours it was consumed and evolved.

2/7/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

Huge funky, earthy nose with black and blue fruits. The palate was completely dominated with black and blue fruits, and that classic minerally blood/iron quality I have always picked up on Cayuse bottlings. Was enjoyed far more than I expected, and the fruit really overpowered that Cayuse funkyness.

2/7/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

Very enjoyable, and great at the price, but this is really an 09 Cabernet? With no decant whatsoever, there was absolutely no tannic structure present from the very start. Incredibly smooth and soft red and black fruits with some cedar and chocolate. The nose a little restrained, but still very pleasant.

I once read TRB = DIT (Drink It Now), this bottle instantly made me think of that quote. As said, it's a very enjoyable and great wine at the price, but I really don't see where this is going. The group of 5 of us all agreed with that assessment.

2/7/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

Incredibly rich, lush and layered with tons of dark fruits and chocolate. Nearly pitch black in the glass with stellar and typical To-Kalon perfume. Despite all the rich and in your face fruit, it's incredibly smooth, lush and velvety on the palate, with a mouth-coating finish that goes on and on for minutes. One of the best Schrader's I've tasted. Incredible now, and I frankly don't see it getting much better.

I for one am on the side of finding Schrader's far better as early drinkers than a wine that's built to age well. I had several 04's in 2011, and quite a few were already fading, or clearly at peak. I'd say this one has a couple more years of prime drinking ahead of it, but once it's fruit begins to tone down, it clearly won't be what it currently is. Just my 2 cents.

2/7/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

Very solid as usual, but not going to give this one a rating. Was drank right alongside an 06 Schrader RBS that was incredible...the Schrader certainly set the bar high.

1/17/2012 - wineguy21 wrote:

A bit tighter than the last few bottles I've had. Possibly closing down a bit. Still a solid wine, but I'll wait awhile before cracking into another.

11/28/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Incredibly smooth and velvety mouthfeel despite the 15.5% alcohol. Easy drinking Cab with black and red fruits over chocolate and licorice. I don't see this wine evolving much with time...I would drink up if I had any more.

11/28/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

A lot more tannic than the bottle I had last Spring. I'll likely wait at least another year before cracking into one of my remaining bottles.

11/28/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Incredible at the pricepoint. Right up there with the 08 Anderson's Conn Valley Reserve Cab as one of the best QPR's of the entire 08 Napa Cab vintage in my book.

11/5/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Inviting forest floor, cedar, cinnamon and dark fruits on the nose. Big kiss of sweet black fruits and plum liqueur up front, then some leather, tobacco and mocha come in on the long finish. Great mix of new and old world. Great finesse, ample tannins and acidity. An impressive showing. In a great spot right now, but clearly hasn't hit its peak yet. 10 plus years minimum left ahead of it.

9/30/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Very cloudy with lemon oil, tropical fruits and honeysuckle dominating the nose and palate. Not close to the 08 Aubert Ritchie in my book, but still a solid bottle of Chard.

9/21/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Enjoyed this on 3 occasions already, and stellar each time. What an incredible young wine...I really look forward to its future.

9/21/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Corked.

8/17/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

This is an incredible young Cabernet. I've gotta say, I have tasted several very expensive, highly sought after and rated 07 Napa Cabs thus far, and this could very well be the best of any of them at this point. 70% percent To-Kalon fruit, and an incredible value at the price considering what you get. Don't hesitate to crack into one of these now, it's clearly ready.

8/17/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Nice nose of blackberries and blueberries with a hint of cream. Big and fruit forward on the palate, but not over the top. Gobs of blackberries dominate with some plums and vanilla cream. Lacking a bit of the complexity that the 07 Caymus Special Selection has, but still a real solid bottle of wine. I will say that I don't know how much better this will get with time though...I'd say it's only got a couple years of improvement ahead of it.

8/10/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Tasted blind alongside an 07 Schrader RBS, 07 Dana Lotus and 07 Kapcsandy Grand Vin. Ranked 3rd on everyone's list at the end of the night.

One thing I will say about this one is that we all expected the Colgin to stick out like a sore thumb in the blind tasting due to its alcohol being significantly higher than any of the other 3 bottlings...but no one was able to pick it out in the blind lineup. No heat, and a nice rich and silky mouthfeel.

8/10/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Tasted blind alongside an 07 Schrader RBS, 07 Colgin IX and 07 Kapcsandy Grand Vin. At the end of the night, the Dana took 2nd place in everyone's lineup.

This was the first time any of us had tasted a Dana, and it was a pleasant surprise. Though I will say that none of the 4 bottlings lived up to the expectations, or their ratings.

8/10/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Was tasted blind against an 07 Schrader RBS, 07 Colgin IX and 07 Dana Lotus. Perhaps the most controversial wine of the night, but also ended up being all 4 of ours favorite when all was said and done.

First off, this was the only wine that was decanted at all before dinner, and it already had an 8 hour decant time under its belt. For the first 2 hours or so of the dinner, this wine ranked in everyone's bottom 2 of the 4 wines because it had a rather green/herbal edge to it. But after those couple hours, then putting it at a 10 plus hour decant, it really started to open up and sing. By far the most complex wine of the group, and it had a nice silky smooth sweetness to it at this point as well.

8/10/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Yes very young, but really didn't live up to the hype and expectations. Was tasted blind against an 07 Colgin IX, 07 Dana Lotus and 07 Kapcsandy Grand Vin. While none of the 4 bottles blew any of us away, this bottling ranked last amongst the entire group.

7/26/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

I know Buccella Merlot's are known for big fruit, but this vintage ventures into the territory of complete fruit bomb. I really enjoy their 07 vintage, as it has good structure and acidity to balance a bit of the fruit, but this bottling came off really one-dimensional. At times, it tasted like I was solely drinking plum/prune juice. I'd say it's good for what it is, but not at the price. I hope the next 2 bottles I have evolve a bit more with time, but I don't find that too likely.

6/25/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Very nice. Took just about 15 minutes to open up after a pop and pour, and just continued to get better for the hour after that it was consumed. Big and racy glycerine-laced nose with licorice and red and dark fruits. The palate had a nice sweet burst of red and dark fruits up front that then layered nicely over dusty cocoa and mushroom flavors. New world up front, then old world on the mid-palate, then a nice balance of both on the finish. Nice wine.

6/25/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Wow, even better than the '94 Montelena I recently tasted. Great nose and a nice smooth palate with very little signs of its age showing. Holding up incredibly well for a 20 year-old Cali Cab.

6/25/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

I've typically enjoyed this quite a bit in the past, but this one came off way over-oaked to me.

6/25/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

I don't very often drink white wines, but this was very nice. A lot of tropical fruits on the nose and the best way to describe the palate is laser-sharp...very crisp and focused with its beam of lemons and tropical fruits.

6/25/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

A nice wine. Big with semi-sweet blueberries and blackberries. Great structure and a nice mouthfeel with a long finish. This should really be a knockout in another 2-6 years.

6/25/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Quite a disappointment at the price. Soft as a pillow with just a pop and pour and no decant. This is a young 08, really? Very smooth with not many tannins at all present. Doesn't show much potential at all for future evolvement, and really lacked in structure or any form of wow factor. Don't get me wrong, it was still an enjoyable wine, but for its $225 price tag...you should get a lot more.

6/16/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Pretty nice nose, but not incredibly aromatic. The front palate of this wine was rather stunning...a big gush of nice, structured ripe fruit, but then it almost instantly fell off into nothing for the mid and back palate. This wine clearly would be in the 95+ territory had the initial flavors carried on, but I still gave it a 91 solely because of how enjoyable the initial couple seconds was.

6/5/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

I don't drink a whole lot of champagne, but this was a solid bottle.

6/5/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Was very surprised with this showing. This wine came off nowhere near dead, as some notes have suggested, and showed very well. Some roasted nuts, mint and a bit of a medicinal hint on the nose. No signs of bricking with ample fruit, a nice mid-palate and a drying finish. This was likely the most controversial wine of the night, but I enjoyed it.

6/5/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Smooth and velvety tannins with subtle fruit. Drinking nice for its age, but not quite as much fruit as I was expecting from this vintage. Still a nice and enjoyable wine.

6/5/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

A solid bottle of Cali Pinot.

6/5/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

I pretty much agree with bulldurham's note. Good juice, but didn't live up to the reputation. Nothing bad about it, but nothing good or great really stood out either. Every Aubert Chardonnay bottling I've ever had put this to shame.

6/5/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Smooth milk chocolate and caramel over black and blue fruits. Medium body with a medium finish. This is a nice, smooth wine, and likely at its peak, but still several years of enjoyment ahead of it. I enjoyed this, but the 03 Foley Claret I had a couple months back is clearly a superior wine.

6/5/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Great wine with great complexity, structure and flavor. Still a few years of improvement ahead of it, and at least a decade or more of good drinking. No rush to crack into one, but in a good spot right now.

6/5/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Great wine, but surely not for the fan of the Old World style. Nothing about this wine says CdP, and after just one whiff, I instantly thought California.

6/3/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

I've enjoyed several of Rosenblum's Zin bottlings over the last few years, and I gotta say, this may be my favorite to date.

6/3/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Smoky peppered beef jerky with a ton of oak and dark fruit. Needs time.

5/23/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Continues to be the best Zin I have yet to taste...

5/15/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

A tad better than the bottle I had last month, but still far from great. Don't get me wrong, it's still good juice, but clearly not worth the price or hype...continues to easily be the most disappointing Schrader bottling I've tasted. Honestly, I think this bottle's best days are already behind it. IMO, drink up if you have any.

4/16/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Several flights of wines served tonight, so no formal notes. All I can say is that this bottling was far lacking in comparison to the 04 Schrader RBS and CCS bottlings that I had back in January of this year...I wouldn't even put them in the same sentence. Still a good wine, but a disappointment from what I was expecting due to the previous 04 Schrader bottlings I've had recently.

4/3/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Pop and pour. Great nose of cherries, mint, baking spices and plums. On the palate is gobs of plums, cherries and coffee-laced chocolaty oak. The acidity is still decent, but not too prevalant, and I'd say this wine has come completely into balance. Good grip, and a long, smooth, semi-sweet finish. In a great drinking window right now.

3/20/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Even less impressive than my previous bottle. I don't know how in the world this wine was given 97 points by Wine Enthusiast. We ended up using this bottle to cook with after a few of us tried it and were all disappointed. Montes needs to stick to Chile when it comes to producing wines.

3/20/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

Drank from magnum. Not a lot going on with this wine, but still smooth and enjoyable. Definitely drink up if you have any.

3/8/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

This wine is Napa meets Bordeaux. The Cab Franc really comes through on the nose. Layers of black and blue fruits with tobacco and herbs on the palate. Incredibly smooth with a long, semi-sweet finish.

3/8/2011 - wineguy21 wrote:

I can tell this is a good, promising bottle of wine, but it is incredibly closed down right now. There was a little bit going on for about 15 minutes after we popped it, but then it shut down for the rest of our 2 plus hour dinner. Fortunately we had an 06 Alban Reva and 07 Dow's to enjoy alongside it. I recommend a 4 plus hour decant on this one if you want to open it soon.