3/13/2022 - bruinesq84 Likes this wine:

Well this is ready to drink. Pretty much a pop n pour. Little barnyard funk to star- blew off after an hour or so. Full mouthfeel, round smooth tannins and beautiful red fruit. Very nice. Not going anywhere.

10/6/2016 - bruinesq84 wrote:

slow ox'd 3 hrs and drank about 3 hrs after. Nose and palate was the same-- orange peel. really didn't work for me. perhaps a bad bottle so I won't score.

1/26/2013 - bruinesq84 wrote:

opened and slow ox'd for 8 hrs. recorked and took to dinner. decanted and drank over another 2 hrs. all i have to say is :) :) :) I am not worthy to describe all that goes on in this wine. no heat and smooooooth.

12/12/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

slow ox'd for 11 hours and then aerated and decanted at restaurant. Had a sip before recorking/taking to the restaurant and not much going on but not in a bad way. From prior experiences I've had with wines that start out with no real taste or body, they have turned out wonderful after a number of hours in a decanter (e.g. 1997 araujo and 2001 Napa valley reseve)
this wine was the same. after allowing the wine to open in the decanter after an hour or so, wonderfully smooth as silk palate with delicious red and blue berry flavors. Nice fine tannins with rather lengthy finish. Just so damn tasty. Definitely has the stuffing for another 10 plus years. definite rebuy at the right price.

6/9/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Pop and aerated. Drank over 1.5 hrs. Initially, still very tight and tannic. Opened some after 30-45 mins to reveal cassis and an earthiness. Fruit still hanging in but the wine still needs 3-5 yrs if this is representative. I liked it, but unfortunately didn't eat the right food with it (needed beef). VN and well made wine. only 84 cases made.

6/9/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Pop and decant. Ddin't take long for this one to fully open. Drank over 1.5 hrs. Nose and palate both contained rich red fruit, bit of cassis and earth, though the fruit dominated. Tannins pretty much fully intergrated. Finish was long enough. In the end it was just one Pri-Delicious wine. Will try to find more.

5/31/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and pour. drank one glass only, about an hour after decanting. While secondary flavors are somewaht limited, this is DEEEELICIOUS, so I have to give it a higher score than I would otherwise, based on development alone. Great dark berries, some herb and spice in the background. Bit of pepper, though the fruit does dominate. Still some tannic support, though it should be drunk over the next few years I would guess.

5/12/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and decant/filter, as there was alot of sediment. nice nose of cassis and dark berries, with some leather in the background. Mouthfeel not as big as a more recent vintage would be, as expected. But the fruit, while fading, is still very tasty, and the tannins are hanging around on the backend. All in all, a satisfying Lewis cab. But, I'd agree with others, time to drink as it's not going to improve. This was a better exapmle of the '02 napa cabs I've had over the past year or so, as most are fading faster. Stick with '01 napas by rule.

5/11/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

popped 10 hrs ahead and slow ox'd; recorked and took to restaurant. decanted and drank over 1hr. Definitely one of the best Ca pinots I've had. Great depth of flavors on the nose and in the moouth. Bright Cherry and a bit of earth. Nice tannic backbone and long finish. Excellent! Alcohol was noticeable early on in the day, but by the time we drank at dinner, mostly integrated.

4/25/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Pop, aerate and decant. Drank over a couple of hours. Initially, a spice oaky nose with some licorice. Palate invitingly juicy. Over the course of time became quite smooth, with a moderate finish. Nothing huge though. Very pleasant drink. Like it alot, but didn't fall in love with it.

4/10/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Had this a few days ago. Popped the cork and slow ox'd for 9 hrs. Recorked and decanted. Drank over 2 and 1/2 hrs. This bottle was great from inception. Nose rocked the room with blue berries and cassis. Bit ot tobacco in the background. On the palate licorice and a velvety feel. Opened somewhat over the evening, but not alot. Obviously can go another 5-10 yrs easy. Excellent bottle of wine. 96 pts is a high score for me.

3/31/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and decant. Drank with the '04 maiden. Woo, strawberry and more strawberry! While it is rich and ever so tasty (hello Caymus) it does have some acid underneath that causes me to keep drinking. Otherwise, I think I would have had to quit after a glass or two. It did evolve somewhat with a bit of tartness in the mouth, but still smooth on the finish. Nice wine like all the Belle Glos I've had. Not for those who want to experience a burgundian pinot. (duh!)

3/31/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Pop and filter into a decanter and drank over 2 plus hrs. Initially, a nice vanilla smoothie on the nose, with some tobacco in the background. On the palate, the wine evolved nicely over the two hrs into a mix of dark fruit and licorice with clove and some earthiness. Long finish as noted by others. A wine to think about as well as to enjoy drinking. Can't wait to drink the Estate, if this is an accurate barometer. One more bottle; a definite rebuy in the $115-130 range.

3/29/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop aerate and decant. Drank over 2.5 hrs. Nice chocolate and blueberry nose. Certainly an herb lamb. after an hour or two secondary floavors developed, with some earth and mulitberry flavors, all dark. Decent finish. Nice now, but we'll see how it evolves. Opened fairly quickly, almost too quickly which may signify an early drnker only. Have one more bottle.

3/28/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and decant. drank over 2 hrs. initially bit tart, but could tell there was a nice earthy burgundy underneath. took about an hour to fully unearth the flavors. Sorry, couldn't help that. Anyways, definite barnyard feel with some depth of fruit as well. Good round mouthfeel too. Finish was decent, 20 secs or so. Overall, VN effort, especially considering I picked it up for all of $9! Would think this easiliy lasts another 5-10 yrs.

3/22/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop, aerate and decant. drank over 2 hrs. At first, even after aeration a big tannic beast, with noticeable alcohol. Dark Fruits with cassis and some licorice. Took about an hour or so for everything to settle down and come together. Ended up in a very nice balanced place. Nice finish too. Believe this could use another 5 yrs easy or a 2-3 hr decant. Good job though. One more bottle.

3/17/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and decanted; drank over 2 hrs or so; beautiful nose immediately prominent. Dark fruits, bit of caramel, with an underlying pleasant warmth. Great thick legs on the glass. Nice palate with dark fruits, minerals, kirsch and a bit of earthiness. Tannins are solid and supporting nicely. Good finish of 40 secs or so. Excellent wne and frankly of the vintages ive tried (92, 95 and 01) the best for my tastes.

3/9/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

corked!! had a nice cab flavor profile underneath, but this bottle was in a hurry to go bad. Cork taint went from just noticeable at opening to owww within 30 mins.

3/8/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop, aerate and decant. drank over 2-3 hrs. Had my lasat bottle of this about 8 months or so ago, and the time has ceratinly helped. This bottle, while fairly tannic at first sip, eased nicely over the 2-3 hrs. Nice blackberry and cassis nose, oak also nicely integrated on the nose. Palate was equally balanced with beautiful mid palate and a finish that easily lasted 45 secs. This one should continue to evolve over the next 5 yrs, but is open for business now, if this bottle is represntative.

2/18/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and pour; decanted and drank over an hour or so. Probably will give the next one about an hr or two decant. but, this one rich and jammy wine. High marks for delicious factor. Needs some time to flesh out secondary characteristics, but tastes so good now, why wait. First time with this winery. VN.

1/29/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and decant; no waiting time. Drank over and hour or two. Pretty much echo prior notes. This is my typical "92 pt" wine. Fruit was jammy and palate was very smooth. Mid to light bodied for my tastes. Finsih was decent, but not that lengthy. Again, a very nice drinking wine, but not mind blowing.

1/29/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

opened 8 hrs, let stand. recorked and took to restaurant. poured out of bottle over an hr or so. ok so i didn't wait the self recommended 3-5 yrs, but the 8 hr pop and stand worked well. This was doing really well. Came together very nicely. Mid to big body with blueberry and cassis notes, with a bit of eucalyptus. Long finish with enough tannic bite to let you know its still young. With proper prep, definitely can drink now. But, I still think it will improve with 3-5 yrs of bottle time. Last bottle..

1/23/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Pop, aerate and decant just before dinner. Drank over the last hour or so of dininer. Nose of dark berries and cassis; typical blueberry aroma with some chocolate notes. Palate is medium bodied with distinct tannins and not too mouch heat. Best sips were the last, as so often happens with young Napa high end cabs drunk too soon or not decanted long enough. Though i really enjoyed this. Have another left and will wait on it. Drink in 3-5 yrs.

1/19/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Pop, aerate and decant. drank over next 2 hrs. This bottle showed quite well, though the backend tannins are still a force. Could easily last another 10 yrs. But, having said that, there's no reason no to pop it now. Expressive nose, showing dark fruits and some eucalyptus. Decent medium body and finish that lasted 30-40 secs. Quite nice.

1/11/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop, aerate and decant. drank over 2 plus hrs. Should have re aerated as this was huge. Huge fruit, tannins and alcohol. It was integrating as time elapsed, and no doubt drank this way too soon. needs at least 4-5 yrs. However, that being said, the purity of the fruit and mouthfeel are great. This is the second of the 3 bottle allotment i received, and i will wait on the last one for some time.

1/11/2012 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop, aearate and decant. drank over 2 hrs. Starts out very earthy with fruit hidden. Alcohol at 14.5% and noticeable. took awhile to open, yet still that earthy component dominated. Another commented that it smelled like his grandfather's farm. Nice mouthfeel and did have a sense of roundness to it. Decent finish. I think this one need a few years to come together, but still a very nice atypical cal pinot.

12/31/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Popped and decanted as part of BYOB wine dinner. Out of the gate big tannic, but delicious. Great nose of vanilla. Drank a small second glass about an hr or so after the first. Palate smoothed out nicely. Extremely well made wine. Long finish. Definitely should age well. Kudos to the wine making team at Ashe. (for me drank ever so slighty better tha nthe 07 scarecrow, though i think in 5-10 yrs the scarecrow will be better IMHO.)

12/31/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Popped and decanted. Drank as part of BYOB wine dinner. Big the whole night. Very focused and pure dark berry fruits. big tannins; but, still creamy and big mouthfeel. Finish long, but alot of heat. Will benefit from 5-10 yrs. or long long decant. Thanks to Scott C. for bringing.

12/15/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop, aerate and decant. drank over 2 hrs. Tasted before decanting, because i wanted to experience the wine in all of it's youthful glory. Wooooo, is this big. Big oak, big pure fruit and big tannins. After aeration settled down somewhat, thought the tannins will need at least 3-5 yrs to integrate; but it's still Schrader and still one of the most pure expressions of fruit around. Still delicious, just way way too young. Hold and try in 3 yrs.

12/14/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Pop, aerate and decant. Actually had this a couple of weeks ago. Not up to the quality of the '08 as far as a pop and pour wine. Opened with huge black fruit and ALOT of OAK. Yes, i believe the Oak monster is in the house. Slowly evolved over two hrs, though the oak never really balanced out for me. No doubt will get better over 3-5 yrs. Certainly not bad, but if you paid $100 for it, it's too much (And i love Lewis wines!)

12/9/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop, aerate and decant. Drank over 2-2.5 hrs. Starts big and with heat on the finish. nice red cherry mixed with some blackl fruit. Decent mouthfeel, though not as creamy as i would have expected. Finish lengthy enough. Over time alcohol settled mostly, though still not integerated at the 2 hr mark. Give this another couple of yrs before retry. nice enough.

12/1/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and left in bottle. Drinking quite well from the start and held up really well over 2 hrs of drinking. Fruit still beautiful and tannins, while mostly integrated, still left a little bite at the back end. Finish a good 30 seconds. Overall, very nice. Although, this was the second of 2 bottles i have had in the past month, and the first did not have the same level of fruit. First bottle 90, second 93. ALL HAIL PRIDE!

12/1/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and decant. drank over 2 hrs. Bit tannic at first. After 30 mins or so opened up and tannins receded mostly. Still has a nice mouth feel and structure. But, the fruit is gone. Overall, still pleasant but obviously over the hill.

11/13/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

ditto my 5/12/10 note.

11/13/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop, aerate and decant. Drank over 2-3 hrs. While fairly open at the start, this really rounded out well over the 2-3 hrs of tasting. Nice cherry flavors and a 20 second finish at least. Well liked by everyone, even "non-pinot" drinkers. One of the better pinot values for me in recent memory. VN and happy to have 4 more bottles.

11/11/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Pop and filter into a decanter. Drank over the course of 2 plus hours with a steak. Started out a bit tight, but could tell it was going to open up nicely, which it did in about 45 mins. Drank very smoothly with great dark fruits and well intergrated tannins. Decent length finish. Should last another 5 yrs. Beat out, very slightly, a 97 pride claret.

8/11/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

excellent from the get go. fruit forward cab balanced on the backend by the sangio. overall, an excellent version of the meritaggio. perhaps the best i've tried.

8/8/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

opened and decanted. Bit tight and light on the palatte when first tasted. Began to open after 45 mins or so. Nice melange of earthy and fruity flavors with the italian tannic finish not as pronounced as a barolo but still noticeable. Nice finish lasting about 25 secs. Overall, a nice food friendly baby barolo and at the price ($12 on Last Bottle Wines.com (if you haven't signed up with them, you should) a great value play. only 2 more bottles...damn.

7/3/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and pour. drank after a 2002 quintessa and 2009 melville terraces. very nice nose with earth and fruit. Certainly not a RRV, though color was still dark. Smooth entry and light to medium body. Smooth finish. "A nice wine". Not going to cause me to remember for months but certainly wouldn't aviod.

7/3/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and pour. tannins softened amd fruit taking a backseat. What is left are the strong scents and tastes of mint and eucalyptus-- gets stronger the longer the bottle was opened. Not bad but not great. Drink up. Better with ribeye.

6/22/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and aerate and drank over a few hrs with the '04 dancing hares. This one is extremely tart and acidic. so much so that it really struck me as odd. not balanced with the fruit. evened out somewhat but never completely. if this is representative then would not rebuy.

6/22/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and aerate and drank over a few hrs. Initially smooth but tight and not completely integrated. But opened up nicely with blueberry and dark mocha notes. noticeable oak. nice finish; 30 secs or so. overall a nice napa cab. doesn't distinguish itself from others though.

6/9/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and pour. started out with little fruit and underwhelming tannic structure. Evolved a bit to release some fruit, but this bottle definitely a few years past prime. the corked '92 was actually better and younger acting.

6/8/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and pour. First whiff..UGH corked. Damn. Oh well, strangely the cork taint never really reached the taste though it killed the nose. Overall, still a fairly big mouthfeel with good tanninc structure and nice leathery cedar covered dark fruit flavor. Nice wine. would definitely rebuy. no score. probablay a 92-93 without the cork issues.

6/4/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and pour. Nose fully evolved --mature cabernet with mix of fruit and earthiness; slight tobacco too. palate was medium bodied but very smooth with similar flavors as the nose. finsih a bit acidic. wine fell off some after 2-3 hrs. Went terrific with bone in ribeye. Drink now.

6/3/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

aerated ad decanted over 2-3 hrs. Initially very odd and separate flaovrs. couldn't actually describe what i was smelling. but this changed considerably over 2-3 hrs. During the process got some hard liquor smells, perhaps bourbon?? also, earth and some tobacco. At the last, it became quite round in the mouth (and new world like in the use of oak) though on the finish definite Italian Barolo..dusty/dry tannic finish. I really like this and can't wait to drink the other 3 bottles. Definite rebuy at $38.

6/3/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and pour. experience pretty much the same as last time. Just velvet and pure fruit with underlying bacon fat and bit of game. great again! I see GV just tasted this. GV please don't tell everyone to get on this mailing list. M Smith only makes 46 cases of this..... My allocation must be more than 3 bottles in the future!! LOL.

6/2/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

Last drank a bottle about 5 or 6 yrs ago. Remember really liking it--robust flavors great tannic backing. Bordeaux blend of cab, cab franc and merlot. Pop and pour this time around. Definitely has become a mture cab blend. Elegant and well balanced were the first things that came to mind. Definite eucalyptus with mellow dark fruits. Smooth mouthfeel, and tannins, while still present, definitely make way for other aspects of the wine. I'd say drink up now, but should stay for another 3 yrs at least. Winery makes consistently good wine.

6/2/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

aerated after opening but probably didn't need it as it was pretty mellow from the start. Great velvety mouthfeel with bigtime diamond mountain fruit. MMM. not an ample mouthfeel which is the only thing holding me back in the rating. nice fiinsh though. Really like Wallis wines and can't wait for the 08s when TRB oversees the wine making.

6/1/2011 - bruinesq84 wrote:

pop and pour. Very developed and mature. while the fruit initially wasn't really present it did develop after a half an hour or so, combined with some earthiness and bit of eucalyptus. Nice round mouthfeel. While not the top of the vintages i've had with DV cabs, certainly a value play for them. nice.