12/4/2011 - rjonas wrote:

Decanted for 30 minutes; poured through aerator. Dark purple color,
The wine looks Garnet colored.
The legs are Medium.
It smells like Black Pepper, and Black currant (cassis).
The body is Full.
The wine is textured Silky.
The wine finishes Medium.

12/4/2011 - rjonas wrote:

Decanted for about an hour. Initial color was muted but as it got air, the color deepened to a rich ruby. Nose was complex but refined with background hints of smoke layered with an earthiness you'd expect from a classic Bordeaux. Very refined on the palate, not big but definitely stood up to the steaks we paired it with. Very enjoyable wine.

8/29/2010 - rjonas Likes this wine:

muted pepper.

8/8/2010 - rjonas wrote:

In a word, terrible. bright red and thin in color. strawberry koolaid in flavor. not at all a good example of a sangiovese.

6/30/2010 - rjonas Likes this wine:

Dark, sultry, delicious...

5/23/2010 - rjonas wrote:

THIS is what a WA state Malbec should taste like!!

5/1/2010 - rjonas Likes this wine:

pretty good wine and great QPR. Still cellaring well. Tannins are smoothing out but still present. great color.

4/18/2010 - rjonas Likes this wine:

Superb example of a classic. Deep ruby color, faint funk at opening, big nose and long, satisfying finish... Decanted for 1 hour and consumed over the next two hours... Exquisite...

4/10/2010 - rjonas Likes this wine:

Lighter and fruitier than most Turley Zins. Bing cherry color, medium alcohol, pleasant mouthfeel. A very likable wine at a good price.

3/21/2010 - rjonas Likes this wine:

The '06 is smooth and complex... The '07 is still a bit disjointed but you can tell all the right components are there; just needs a little more bottle time.

A note: Left a taste or so in the glass for a couple of hours and then re-tasted.. Definite improvement with airtime.. Would suggest decanting/aerating if you want to drink now..

3/20/2010 - rjonas Likes this wine:

Needs some air time; bit of a fruit bomb after pop and pour but mellows and balances out over time.

2/26/2010 - rjonas Does not like this wine:

A bit flat. Not much interesting... actually a bit too "grapy"... Drank over about an hour or so... it opened up slightly towards the end of the hour but not so much special...

2/25/2010 - rjonas wrote:

Good Cab. VERY dark in color... not much on the nose but acidity is balanced... nice finish... Wouldn't stand up to a CA cab but a good Cab nonetheless

2/18/2010 - rjonas wrote:

Blend: 80% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 13.5% by volume
Temperature of fermentation: 30-32 degrees
Must contact: 18 days
Maturing: 1/2 in new tonneaux; 1/2 in old tonneaux
Time of Maturing: 12 months in tonneau, min. 2 months in the bottle
Bottling: January 2009
Perfect with: Pasta dishes, roasted or boiled white meat, poultry, roasted or grilled fish

1/19/2010 - rjonas wrote:

Much like the Brooks PN... Wasn't even worth finishing the glass much less the bottle... too light and thin.. very uni-dimensional

1/19/2010 - rjonas wrote:

Not even worth finishing the bottle... Thin... light in color... no depth whatsoever... not even much taste... poured out the 1st bottle and giving away the 2nd...

12/29/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Young but quite delicious! Whiff of alcohol on first pour... mild/moderate tannins.. Plum undertones...

12/23/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Still drinking well. Not terribly complex but has a good balance of tannins and fruit. Pleasant finish... Can't really complain for $9....

12/22/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Good representation of CA Zin. Tannic upon opening but that let up rather quickly. Good fruit and balance... Tiny hint of smoke after about 30 min...

12/14/2009 - rjonas wrote:

An excellent wine, however the mouthfeel seemed just a tad thin. PB has a reputation for awesome wines that need quite a bit of cellaring to get the most out of them.... We decanted this one, albeit only for a short while... Additional air during the course of dinner did seem to help it open up a bit.. Would be interested to try a time-test on my remaining bottle to see if more aeration/time-out-of-the-bottle would open up the wine even further.
On its own, the fruit was well balanced, excellent dark color, wonderful nose. Very enjoyable...

12/14/2009 - rjonas wrote:

This one just gets better with age... Sadly, my last bottle. I'm a little disappointed that Cana's Feast (formerly Cuneo) seems to be sourcing more of their grapes from WA... Not that there's anything wrong with WA grapes but the melding of WA/OR fruit is what makes the Cuneo wines so spectacular...

10/28/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Agree with last tasting.. now getting some shoe leather as well... very good wine.

9/26/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Hmmm. what do I say.... I love Morrison Lane wines... Love the winemakers... Cinsault is not your typical single varietal.... They did a good job, not that I have a lot to compare it to but am thinking that Cinsault is not one of my favorite single varietals... It was a bit thin.. good nose... medium to light finish.... light in color.... Probably much better as subsidiary varietal than a standalone...

9/7/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Better than I expected.. Not a huge Chianti fan and this one was a little bland at first but after being open for about 30 minutes, depth began to appear... good color, somewhat raisiny nose but not overpowering... medium finish

9/6/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Consistent, however now thinking it should be drunk in the next year or so..

8/4/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Still loving this wine... A bit coquette-ish at first but a little time and some swirling finally got the tobacco and lead flowing... Nice aromatic nose and not too much in the way of tannins. Great heft on the bottle too... Really a well put together wine and marketing package for a $26 bottle of wine... how do these people make money? ;-)

7/25/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Just okay.... Nice and clean but nothing outstanding.

7/23/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Another excellent wine from Gorman... Big nose, cherry, muted tannins, moderate finish. Dark ruby color

7/19/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Wonderful.. Popped and poured straight from the cellar and even cold, had a fantastic nose...Only got better as it warmed...

7/12/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Popped and poured. very full bodied and multi-layered.

7/12/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Really good Turley Zin... Leather and pencil lead on the nose, full mouth of berry flavors, great finish.

7/11/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Are you kidding?? For $20?? This is an AWESOME wine.. Great nose, color and finish... Unbelievable QPR..

6/20/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Still awesome. dark color, bit of prune on opening and a bit of alcohol... still took about 20 minutes to open up but so worth the weight.

6/18/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Still needs time in the bottle (a couple more years at least) decanted for an hour before drinking; still needed more swirling/air to wake it up... A very good wine and I look forward to trying it again in another year or so.

6/18/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Think this one needs a bit more time in the bottle... very uni-dimensional on open... probably would help to decant

6/15/2009 - rjonas wrote:

This is a stunning wine.. Deep dark purple color. HINTS of cherry. Alcohol somewhat strong on opening but dissipates after it's been open for a while...

5/27/2009 - rjonas wrote:

A bit too "prune-forward" for my liking. Tannins faded quickly upon opening. Not too much alcohol.. Not the best Zin I've had but still a good wine.

5/22/2009 - rjonas wrote:

wow... quite big for a sangiovese. dark color, medium alcohol, nice finish.

5/17/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Yum... Dark color, bit of cherry tobacco but only in the background. Nice finish...

5/17/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Needs a bit more cellar time. An improvement over previous year's CF (Under Eastside label). More fruit than prior year.

5/17/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Crisp and dry... medium color... Smoke on nose... Nice wine for a summer evening

5/12/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Very good. Good QPR.. Good example of a Cab from Hogue. Nose was a bit light but lots of sharp fruit on the tongue. medium finish.

5/11/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Took with us to Phoenix... It just keeps getting better and better. Popped the cork and out came the floral bouquet... AMAZING dark color.... Definitely can tell the "Mark Ryan" touch.... Awesome wine.

5/5/2009 - rjonas wrote:

VERY good example of a Chilean Cabernet and excellent QPR. Spicy with hints of cherry and blackberries... Wonderful with pizza...

4/29/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Definitely a good QPR Carmenere... Have to reserve my real tasting note as I'm still getting over a cold... I thought I smelled and tasted black olives on the nose and mouth, however my partner disagreed... A very good wine for $9...

4/20/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Wasn't very pleased with the first whiff or taste but definitely settled down after about an hour. Very high alcohol (which was the problem with the first whiff) but definitely a good QPR Zin. Better with food than on its own.

4/18/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Disappointing. Too light in color... No flavor... Definitely not a typical Nebbiolo...

4/12/2009 - rjonas wrote:

This one needs some time after opening to show its true self. Enjoyed on its own, after dinner. Some alcohol on the nose but not overpowering. HINTS of cocoa in the background. Smooth in the mouth, round and full and slight amounts of pepper on the finish. A nice example of a Turley Zin. Overpriced? Maybe a tad. Would describe as exemplary in the $30-35 range.. This was a bit above that, so I'll stick with "nice example of Turley".

3/15/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Still one of my favorites from Walla Walla. Tremendous depth for such a low priced wine. Great balance.

3/13/2009 - rjonas wrote:

Amazing wine at an amazing price.