11/8/2020 - Drewine wrote:

Super surprised in good way by this. Became more balanced after 1-2 of being open. Generous fruit and very nice eucalyptus counter balance note. Decent acidity. Can’t imagine it developing more positively but should be fine for 3-5 more years, Od think.

4/18/2014 - Drewine wrote:

Disappointing. Lazy wine with decent tasting fruit, some mineral and petrol but not nearly enough acidity to give any cut or brightness. Much richer than I hope for in a Kabinett

7/21/2013 - Drewine wrote:

Pleasantly surprised how beautiful this showed. A lot of petrol upon initially opening but nice melon (cantaloupe) and salty mineral notes with rich texture and good acidity.

4/10/2013 - Drewine wrote:

Taste like good quality fruit worked a little too hard before reaching bottle. Pretty texture, nice fruit, just a touch of heat. Some slightly stewed notes showed especially on day two along with a little chared bacon. A little Rhone like.

2/12/2013 - Drewine wrote:

Possibly slightly corked. Defenitely awkward, tight, hot with a little funk. Showed better days two and three with nice waxy nut, hay and dry tropical notes emerging but still not balanced.

10/4/2012 - Drewine wrote:

Was afraid this could be over the hill but not even close (although I'm not sure there's any upside to holding). A little bothersome heat at first but this seemed to resolve itself very nicely with air and was singing after about an hour. Delicious, bold flavors and gorgeous, silky texture.

4/19/2012 - Drewine wrote:

Nice acidity. Petrol, dampened fire, stone/salt, peach pit, lime, tart apple. Racy but creamy texture. More tropical as it warms.

2/8/2012 - Drewine wrote:

Butterscotch, and minerally, slight smoke, subtle honey on nose. Palate shows more citrus zip and herbs. Seemed broad and viscous at first but felt like it lost its umph pretty fast and was a bit watery mid to finish. Probably time to drink up.

1/14/2012 - Drewine wrote:

Pretty and balanced. Candied cherry flavors along with clean dirt, floral and slight herbal/tobacco. Doesn't really change gears but is a smooth ride. Decent acidity but feels like a drink now to 3 years.

12/31/2011 - Drewine wrote:

Old world, barnyard, leather, dried flowers on initial nose. Took about an hour to start singing and for some pretty blue and red fruit to come forth and balance the earthy notes that matched bouquet. Silky, medium bodied with slight candied edge. As mentioned, definitely port like on nose and somewhat on palate. Would probably have guessed Amarone or even feminine style Nebbiolo if I hadn't known. Can't imagine this improving as the fruit notes took some coaxing and were minimal for what I'd like in this style.

8/2/2011 - Drewine wrote:

A lot going on here to love. Rhubarb, peppery green bean and slightly smokey grapefruit. Basically a deep rose. Intense and pure.

5/28/2011 - Drewine wrote:

Agree with recent notes. Drinking beautifully right now. Still youthful but good time to get after it!

4/1/2011 - Drewine wrote:

Nice petrol and citrus nose. Quite dry with acid, chalky minerality and lime dominating palate. Maybe a echo of peach. Beautiful "cut" that I couldn't get enough of.

4/1/2011 - Drewine wrote:

My first 100% Tannat. Very Spanish tasting. Big, dark fruit, quite tannic and oak a little too much. Would love to try another bottle in a few years to see how it holds up.

2/26/2011 - Drewine wrote:

One of the best Pinot Grigios in my memory.

1/28/2011 - Drewine wrote:

Hanging in there...barely. Does seemed to have picked up a fleshier texture than 12-14 months ago.

1/20/2011 - Drewine wrote:

Balanced, beautiful fruit and long, fine finish. Really just an effortless wine. Merlot seemed to really be a standout aspect in middle and finish. Drank after having been open and partially served for several hours.

1/14/2011 - Drewine wrote:

Decanted for one hour and consumed over next two. Drinking beautifully right now. I did not find heat overshadowing the fruit.

1/7/2011 - Drewine wrote:

Popped and poured. Delicious but didn't really give it a chance as it was consumed within 30 minutes. Initial impression of a little too much use of oak seemed to be coming into better balance just as finished. Overall, a very approachable wine with some new worldish friendliness without losing its true, old world identity. 91+

12/25/2010 - Drewine wrote:

87+. Nice brooding fruit and earthiness but never really took off. Does taste like it has some oak influence although winery website says all stainless so that's kind of interesting.

5/27/2010 - Drewine wrote:

Definitely need to decant. Was nearly undrinkable upon opening. Very harsh, briney flavor that passed somewhat after an hour but still very tight. Day two and three showed much more fruit and balance.

4/18/2010 - Drewine wrote:

One of the most over-delivering wines in recent memory. Rich, velvety, ripe, balanced wine with true fruit flavors and drinking perfectly right now. Probably the most impressive red I've had from La Mancha. Not incredibly complex but so well made. Wish I had more and will seek future vintages.

4/18/2010 - Drewine wrote:

Very disappointing mostly due to lack of acidity.

3/6/2010 - Drewine wrote:

Lime, grapefruit, mango and jalapeno pepper on the palate. Pear flavors came forward a bit as it came closer to room temp. Acidity was bright enough at beginning but felt a little flabby as it warmed. Good value with genuine fruit flavors. Very versatile wine and good value.

3/3/2010 - Drewine wrote:

84-85 points. Fruity, rich blackberry, blueberry, orange peel with a healthy dose of charcoal/woodsy smoke. Full bodied. Biggest criticisms would be a slight fake fruit aspect, little sour.

3/3/2010 - Drewine wrote:

Petrol and flowers on nose. Slight hint of fruit up front but finishes very dry. Drank on its own and was enjoyable enough but has enough remaining acidity to make it a good food wine

3/2/2010 - Drewine wrote:

92-93 points. Decanted for about 15 minutes. Slight heat at beginning which mostly blew off after another 30 minutes. Delicious, rich pinot with beautiful mouthfeel. Dark cherry, dr. pepper and baking spice notes are seamlessly woven and balanced with just enough acidity right now.

12/30/2009 - Drewine wrote:

Decanted for 2-3 hours. Very polished and nice balance of dusty earthiness/red fruit/acid but a little simple and also agree that it will just diminish from this point forward.

6/17/2009 - Drewine wrote:

Overall impression reduced by a bit of bothersome heat on the nose. This is not as much of an issue on the palate which is quite balanced. Had some 2007 Saldo from Orin Swift earlier today which I preferred to this but is more expensive.

5/7/2009 - Drewine wrote:

Used for cooking which worked great and drank over two days. Little tight on day one opening to a little more on day two. Kinda thin and a little bitter but OK. Red and black Twizzlers with a little oak on nose. Same flavors on palate but in a higher toned, sour way. Remember this being better upon release so assume it is past prime.

2/17/2009 - Drewine wrote:

Nice, pure fruit with nice musky spices. Frizante keeps it from being cloying. Very tasty, light alcohol (7.5%), great value.

2/17/2009 - Drewine wrote:

Fantastic and perfect with poblano/cream chicken. Grass, hay, citrus, floral, gunpowder. Touch of nutty sweetness on finish. Perfect acidity in balance with fruit. Best DeSante SB yet.

1/22/2009 - Drewine wrote:

Fantastic structure and texture. Medium bodied with some creaminess but great acidity. Grapefruit, honey and my mom's freshly dumped ashtray circa 1979.

12/6/2008 - Drewine wrote:

One of my favorite pinots in quite some time. Can't imagine it drinking better than it is right now. Fairly complex but perfectly balanced, great mouthfeel and an extra point or two for just being so dang enjoyable.

12/3/2008 - Drewine wrote:

No oak present at all that I can tell. Simple candied sweet and sour green apple with fairly clean finish when chilled. Surprisingly pleasant.

12/3/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Great value. Big, beautiful, fresh blueberries transition seamlessly to an earth, tarry, smoky finish.

8/8/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Preferred on the second day. Good acidity. Mostly citrus, gooseberry, grass, on the first day with puff of smoke on the finish. Maybe some residual sugar. More sour apple candy and mineral flintiness on second day. I enjoyed it more as it came closer to room temp. 88-90.

7/26/2008 - Drewine wrote:

A fair amount going on but disjointed. Long, thin finish that leaves the feeling of a film you don't necessarily want hanging on.

6/28/2008 - Drewine wrote:

I've probably had 15-20 bottles of Vinho Verde from 4-5 different makers and this one stands out the most to me. Very enjoyable and a great value. It seems perfectly made and getting the best expression possible from the grapes.

6/27/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Overall winner at summer white themed Wine Night. Very bright acidity with citrus fruits and grape nuts being my most memorable impressions.

6/27/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Probably the most crazy expressive nose I remember on a white. Potpourri and perfume city! Taste was ok with nice acidity but a little too much going on overall that is not in harmony. A wine that I think many would enjoy but bordering on sickening for me. Definitely also noticed the soapy aspect that Rossodio noted.

7/6/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Don't have great notes but remember the veggies and dry finish. Fairly expressive nose. Nice medium bodied texture balance with a bit of tartness that I enjoyed and interested me enough to want to but more and put a couple away for awhile.

7/6/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Popped and poured. Was drinkable but not much for me to get excited about. It felt its good qualities were fading. Little fruit. I was surprised others said they liked it but they had been drinking so...

5/16/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Drank with poblano marinated chicken. Very good. Great value.

4/26/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Nice, medium body and good texture. Pleasant with some tropical fruit and maybe minerals. Not too sweet but don't think it has the acidity to keep this going for more the long haul. Would like to try again with a proper food pairing and served slightly colder.

4/26/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Blueberries and maybe graphite. Was really seeming to be coming together nicely around hour 3 after decanting but it the last was consumed at that point. 90-91 points right now with potential for 92-93.

4/23/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Interesting nose initially with typical citrus, grass and tropical fruit. Maybe cantaulope and new rubber tire too. Pretty sharp on the mouth dominated by grapefruit. Secondary tropical fruits flavors but seems a little out of balance. This may be more of food SV than some others less tart and dry. Tasted over two days.

4/16/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Was really looking forward to this based on reviews here and elsewhere. I was disappointed but not for the reasons that most people here are criticizing it. I did not find it to be a fruit bomb whatsoever. It was big and powerful but thought it was more in line with azwino's comments. Eucalyptus and maybe lavender were in front of fruit which was mostly cherry. Dry tannins. Decanted for about an hour after standing upward all day. Heavy sediment. I'm not going to officially rate this as I believe I was influenced by very poor food pairings but feel it is in the 90-92 range. Glad I have one more bottle to try to get as excited as some others are.

4/16/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Little bit of some bug spray or other chemical on the nose that didn't blow off for some time. Light to medium bodied with fairly silky texture and nice cherry and spice for the most part. Pleasant but no real distinguishing characteristics to blow me away but holds up against many much more expensive Pinots.

3/31/2008 - Drewine wrote:

Light, simple, decent.