12/25/2012 - skin2win Likes this wine:

I'll begin by writing that i believe it's unfair to score any wine in its youth when it has yet to reach its potential and so I'll refrain from doing so here.

That said, I believe this wine, in time, will reach its full potential (and perhaps then some) and be deserving of the accolades it's received.

Decanted 6 hours. Initial nose was of complex campfire, smoke, mesquite, tobacco, which 3 hours into the decant became muted. Medium-bodied, raw silky tannin. Palate incredibly tight, but some pure red and blue fruit, flowers, minerals. Tight, tight, tight. Almost racy in its acidity. Alcohol coming through on the back end. Tremendous balance already, though, of all its elements.

Someone described this wine as elegant and I agree. It has all the tools. Superb structure that bodes very well for cellaring. 5 years (or more) will yield a better appraisal of this wine's potential.

7/8/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Decanted three hours at cellar temperature.

Nose of cherry, other crushed red fruits, some garrigue, grilled herbs, hints of red licorice.

Medium-bodied, integrated tannin, +acidity. Cherries, candied apples, some licorice. really just pure ripe fruit on the palate. Nice balanced. Length is lacking.

An enjoyable Zinfandel that's by no means offensive or in your face, yet you know what you're drinking. A beautiful match with Zinfandel-marinated lamb. Drinking well now and certainly no need to wait.

6/10/2012 - skin2win wrote:

6 hour decant.

Nose has red fruit, porcini. Full body, medium acid. Red fruits, minerals dominate the palate. A bit hot. Gripping tannin.

Structured wine that has potential. Almost approachable now with proper decant, though this really needs more time in the bottle. Hold. 92

6/9/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Decanted for 6 hours.

Hoisin, blueberry, hints of violet, rose, and crushed raspberry, mineral on the nose. Medium body, medium acid. Red and black fruits, minerals on the palate. Firm tannins. Medium finish.

Has all the tools. Certainly approachable now with a proper decant. Would recommend holding to allow for palate development. Excellent value. 91+.

6/8/2012 - skin2win wrote:

PnV. Drank over the course of several hours.

This has cherry, blackberry pie, vanilla, some minerals on the nose. Medium body, +acid. Blackberries and blueberries, again some minerality. Integrated tannin. +finish. Balanced.

GREAT entry level chianti. You would be hard-pressed to find a better pizza wine @$10. Easily worth a case buy to follow over a few years. 90+

6/4/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Bottle to glass.

Almost Burgundian, with minerals, cherry, black cherry. Medium body, medium acid. Black cherry, hot stone. Concentrated fruit. Medium+ finish.

Very nice entry level Pinot noir from this producer. I could drink domestic Pinot like this all day. . . .91+

6/2/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Bottle to decanter to glass.

Nose with savory herbs and toast, initially disjointed and slightly off-putting, but with time came together. Light body, medium acid. Cranberry, light cherry on the palate.

Agree with those who've stated this does not represent 1er cru burgundy. Tasted blind, this could be a nice cru beaujolais. Drink now and enjoy for what it is.

6/2/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Bottle to decanter. . .6 hour decant

Nose has fig, raspberries, very primary. Medium body, medium+ acid. Palate echoing the nose, again very primary (of course to be expected with such an incredibly young wine). Fine tannin.

This wine is delicious right now with a significant decant. Certainly has the structure to hold for years. What this wine lacks, at least right now, is a sense of place. Tasted blind, this could be something from the languedoc, a super Tuscan, etc. 92 now, 92+ with some bottle age and personality.

6/1/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Venturi to decanter. . . .drank immediately and then over a hour or so. . . .

CRAZY aromatics. Spiced fruit (Suckling called Christmas pudding - right on). Plum, licorice, mineral on the palate. Medium body, racy, hot on the back end. Integrated tannins.

Aromatics and structure impressive for an IGT at this price. Balance thrown off by the alcohol. Might be worthy to follow for a few years to see if this wine develops better integration. 91+ for its potential.

5/30/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Venturi to decanter; 1 hr decant.

Nose has mesquite, grilled herbs, minerals, buried red fruit. Medium body, medium acid. Red and black fruits, mineral on the palate. Fine tannin. Balanced. Lots of grenache character.

Purchased this wine one year ago and this is the 3rd bottle consumed. Previous bottles were unbalanced and I questioned the potential of the wine. This bottle was drinking well this evening. I don't believe holding this wine will allow for further development and recommend drinking now.

5/29/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Venturi to decanter; 45 minute decant.

Classic Cabernet profile from nose to palate. Dried cherries, currant, some mint, vanilla, with the palate reflecting the nose. Medium-full body, sweet tannins, medium acidity. Balanced. Medium-plus finish.

This is the last of 6 bottles that have been consumed over the past 2 years. This final bottle showing probably at its best, though not quite as fresh as previous bottles; certainly fully integrated, however. This wine is ready to drink now and I suspect holding any longer may risk decline.
Genuinely 90 pts on its own; 91+ when considering QPR (paid around $11 for this).

5/28/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Decanted 1 hour.

Adulterated pineapple, hints of white flowers, canned asparagus on the nose.

Medium body, medium acidity. Green apple, lime, quinine notes on the palate. A bit hot, off balance.

I like the un-oaked style of this wine, but was just slightly off balance this evening. Wouldn't hurt to hold this a bit to see how it integrates.

5/28/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Decanted this for an hour, and saw true benefit from the decant.

Minimal aromatics, but offers muted melon, green apples.
Medium body. Green apple, steel. Excellent concentration. + acid, but not overpowering in the least. Really impeccably balanced.

Certainly structured enough to hold for several years, but really tough to wait on this.

5/27/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Decanted for 7 hours.

There's a freshness to the crushed red and blue fruits, mint on the nose. Anise, to be sure.
Medium- full body. Slight sweetness to the vanilla and toasted oak. Red licorice, anise. Olive? Violets? Fine-medium tannin. Fine length.

I think the Spectator rating was about right on this one. Could easily go for 5 + years in the bottle, or drink now with decanting.

5/26/2012 - skin2win wrote:

3 hour decant. Nose of vanilla, new oak, red, black fruits. Palate rather uninspiring, reflecting the nose, but blunted. Uninspiring, especially given the pedigree and press.

5/26/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Similar to earlier notes. First bottle was decanted which really allowed the wine to show well early; this bottle was PnP but drank over several hours which allowed development, and this was in good form as the evening progressed. Enough acidity to stand up to tomato-based sauces.

5/21/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Subtle raspberry ganache, minerals on the nose

Medium body, good acidity for a CdR. Tannins well-integrated. Red fruits and minerals on the palate. Really rather beautifully balanced. Great length.

This wine falls in my top 3 CdR of all time. It is drinking wonderfully right now and there is no need to wait on this. I'd expect it will drink well for at least another year.

5/18/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Blueberry nose, some bramble even.

Medium body. Fine tannin. A bit alcoholic and off balance in its youth. Good concentration on the mid palate. Blueberries, hints of graphite. Medium-plus finish.

This wine is delicious right now. Whomever said it was reminiscent of Aussie Shiraz was right on. I'm hopefull this will develop some complexity with time.

5/13/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Red fruit and minerals on the nose, and perhaps even a subtle vegetal quality. Clove? All very restrained.

Medium body. Fresh acidity. Fine tannins. Spice and mineral upfront, with tart red fruit on the mid-palate and finish.

5/12/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Quite simply I was tired of looking at this bottle in the cellar.

Upon opening, wonderful vanilla and red fruit character on the nose, but the palate ushered in astringent tannins and a thin body as others here have alluded to. . . .

7 hour decant. . . .

Nose has developed some focused dried fruit and flower character, spice. Palate has put on weight, now medium to full-bodied. Berries and flowers, some tobacco. Really rather wonderful, and a beautiful match with bison tenderloin and morel mushrooms.

A pleasant surprise given previous reviews, though it always surprises me that such low reviews are given knowing the wine was consumed improperly - it's not the wine's fault.

I wouldn't hesitate to cellar this bottle another 3-5 years, and would give a long decant if opening now. But really an enjoyable wine, especially at its price.

4/23/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Hints of dried flowers and red fruits on the nose. Light to medium body, with surprising acidity for a Dolcetto. Mostly red fruit on the palate, with some minerality coming into play. Medium finish.

2/5/2012 - skin2win wrote:

Bramble fruits and a subtle mocha note on the nose. Blackberry, raspberry, minerals on the palate. Great acidity, fine tannin. Well-balanced. Outstanding with lamb tacos. WS right on with their rating. Certainly a re-buy. Look forward to the 2010. . . .

3/5/2011 - skin2win wrote:

Popped and poured.

Color: deep purple.

Nose: cherry, plum, oak, dusty milk chocolate, spice, rhubarb?

Palate: Medium-bodied. Red fruits, plum, oak. Decent acidity. Hot. Medium tannin. Medium finish. Components not well-integrated at this point.

Overall impression: decent QPR. Was hoping for more given WS rating. May settle down with some cellaring. Have a couple of bottles that will rest for awhile.

3/3/2011 - skin2win wrote:

Dark purple. Pure grape juice with some candied notes on the nose. Palate with dark fruits, hints of vanilla and oak. All generally well-integrated. A fruit bomb. Complexity left wanting.

3/1/2011 - skin2win wrote:

Had the opportunity to try this from a restaurant list.

Popped and poured. Beautiful garnet color. Nose was incredible; fresh, red fruits, cassis, leather. The most captivating nose of any wine I've experienced. I literally could not stop smelling. . . .

Medium-bodied to be sure. Again, fresh. Core of red fruits persisted, with perhaps some white pepper and hints of vanilla. Good acid. Beautifully balanced. Persisted on the palate for minutes.

This was a wow wine for me.

1/4/2011 - skin2win wrote:

Another WS Top 100 I was excited to find and try.

Popped and Venturi'd into a decanter. Purple in color. Nose was very closed, hardly giving up anything, save for some faint notes of coffee. Palate closed as well, offering only modest dark fruit and mineral.

Decanted two hours. Nose evolved some, giving up now red fruit, spice. Palate continued to disappoint, with the same black fruit as it had upon opening. Nice minerality, though, which echoed old-world character. Tannins a bit dusty. Medium-bodied, if not a bit hollow. Palate components not well-integrated.

Overall, disappointed given the WS accolades. Not even close to 97 pts for me. My initial tasting doesn't support much development for this wine. Bottle variation? I hope so.

12/20/2010 - skin2win wrote:

Was excited to find and try this based upon the WS review.

Opened the bottle and tasted a small pour. Inky purple. On the palate, incredible concentration of black and red fruits, mineral, and great acidity. Tannins certainly apparent.

Decanted an hour and subsequently drank over another two hours. Fruit, minerality, acid integrated beautifully. Tannins softened greatly.

The wine has obvious potential. Will hold the rest of the 6-pack for a few years down the road, though it will be difficult to stay away. . .