1/28/2024 - PASimon wrote:

Opened for Nona’s 72’nd birthday celebration at Aria. (Nona, Ulli, Jessica, Tony)

11/21/2023 - PASimon wrote:

TCA

11/8/2023 - PASimon wrote:

Wonderful but serious sparkling wine. Deep rose color….almost an orange tint to it. Needs both air (an hour) and food. It’s versatile……salmon, charcuterie, cheese, etc….but I would not drink this without food. Interesting and well done once again by Soter!

8/19/2023 - PASimon wrote:

This is in a very good, mature place now……but I wouldn’t wait too much longer to open it.

2/15/2023 - PASimon wrote:

This wine had a LOT of sediment! I have enjoyed a lot of wine from all over the world in the last 15 years and this bottle had the most sediment I have ever seen. It was also very tiny so it never settled to the bottom of the bottle or glass. Tasted good but the cloudiness/sediment was hard to get past.

12/1/2019 - PASimon Does not like this wine:

I have to admit that I found this wine terribly unappealing. I am a general fan of the producer.....but not this wine. I was excited because many described it as a Rose that drinks like a red wine. I did not think so. I felt like it drank like a liquour or something similar. Oh well....now I know.

10/24/2016 - PASimon wrote:

I rarely add public notes now days.....but this is NOT an 87 point wine. It is well made and balanced. It is driven by dark fruit and cedar.....but with a mid palate of earth tones and leather. Everything one looks for in an Oregon Pinot. As much as I hate scoring wine.....I had to speak up. Enjoy!

1/31/2015 - PASimon wrote:

Fantastic! Textured, Focused and encredably well done! QPR = Wow.....

11/28/2014 - PASimon wrote:

There is not much that I can add to what has already been said about this wine. Fantastic! Ready to drink.

10/31/2014 - PASimon wrote:

I allowed this wine over four hours to decant based on prior experience and it needed every minute of it. The wine remained very cloudy - almost murky - through the entire evening. It actually paired well with Chili on a cold night because of its solid spice and pepper core - but I would be very hesitant to drink this by itself or paired with anything mild. I'm not sure it will improve with age but I would not expect it to decline for a couple of years. Pair correctly and open when ready!

9/13/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Great effort by a St Julien Classic!

9/12/2014 - PASimon wrote:

As expected - It's dead. It had a moment where it tried to come together - but it lasted a few minutes and then fell into an alcoholic, mentholic mess! Worth while experiment though…..

5/18/2014 - PASimon wrote:

I gave this 90 minutes of air and drank it with a friend who brought a 96 Cos....The Cos blew it away! This was fine, but flat and one dimensional - certainly given the pedigree and price point.

5/11/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Still very, very young and HUGE! My wife almost insisted that it was a Syrah until I showed her the bottle. I will wait it out on my other bottles and likely not buy anymore.

5/4/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Another great showing for LB. Started off with some funk but that blew off fast and opened up to that prefect balance between secondary and primary profiles that I have come to love with 1995!

5/4/2014 - PASimon wrote:

This was a great Rose! I was afraid that we may have pushed it too far in the bottle and should have opened it about two years ago….I was very happy to find that was not the case at all! This was full of life and had picked up a depth and creaminess that I did not expect out of an Oregon sparkling. Tony Soter has made a wine here that can hang with many of the grower champagnes I have had the joy of opening over the years…..Great effort! Paired with west coast raw oysters.

4/20/2014 - PASimon wrote:

This is the highest score I have ever given. Fantastic, aged Sauternes! I can't add to the notes below other than to say - unbelievable!

4/19/2014 - PASimon wrote:

I'm a big fan of 95 BDX but this was just "good" - the nose was very promising but the rest kind of fell flat. Nothing bad - it was just rather one dimensional and the finish was short. It would have been better at half the price.

4/16/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Still dancing! Lots of sediment - One hour decant - very good new world Syrah.

3/26/2014 - PASimon wrote:

This is in a great window now. Popped and poured and it was ready to go. Actually, if I had anything critical to say at all it would be that it seemed to oxidize after about an hour. As for the tasting notes, can't add to whats already been said. Cigar, Cedar, etc....very good!

3/8/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Exactly what "Will" said on 12/26/13.

2/22/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Do not hold any longer! This is not over the hill - but also not going to develop anything positive from here. Crowd pleasing, balanced Cabernet that should be opened this year.

2/22/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Cedar, Mulling spices, and cigar dominate this wine in a good way. Everything is integrated and balanced. Very nice and ready to drink - I would not hold more than another year.

2/22/2014 - PASimon wrote:

After a 4 hour decant this was singing. It picked up significant weight from opening and is certainly in a great drinking window now - In my opinion it will stay that way for 2/4 years to come. Big, broad Barolo! NEEDS FOOD!

2/12/2014 - PASimon wrote:

A solid production from an above average - but not great - vintage. This went through some funny cycles during the 3/4 hours it was open. It actually popped and poured well as I tasted upon opening. It was round, bursting with red fruits and had a very long finish. About an hour or so in it actually became a bit austere and the tannins took on a jagged edges. We let it sit for about another 90 minutes and it settled down lot - softened and those great Bordeaux/St Julien leather/pencil lead type characteristics began to show. Unfortunately for us that was on our last glass. I will give this another 2/3 years before opening my other bottles.

1/28/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Very good Rose - very poor QPR. Don't think I'll be buying more.

1/6/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Surprisingly and incredibly youthful, balanced and a pleasure to drink. Not overly complex - but very well integrated and a pleasure to drink.

1/3/2014 - PASimon wrote:

This was remarkably young. After decanting for three hours it was giving almost nothing on the nose other than a bit of green pepper. On the palate it tasted like a wine that was 5-7 years old....not 24! After a bit of time in the glass it began to show deep cassis and currant flavors with a bit of cigar box/cedar -- but still nothing to indicate a quarter century in the bottle (forest floor, leather, tobacco, etc). Those things never came.....but I really liked it regardless. As for this bottle, it was just entering its drinking window and would have gone for a very, very long time. I realize that bottle variation is more prevalent in wines this old.....but I am hoping the rest of my quality BDX from 1990 drinks just like this because, if so, I will be enjoying it for a long time to come!

1/2/2014 - PASimon wrote:

Had three bottles - This was the best of the three by far. Very good, even without food. First bottle opened in the New Year!

12/30/2013 - PASimon wrote:

This is in a very good place right now. Drank from a Magnum. Very polished with great, long finish!

12/25/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Corked! Too Bad.....OK bouquet from the bottle then it turned to a port like, burnt sugar mess.

12/25/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Fine - but overpriced at $125 from the winery. I purchased on WineBid about a year ago for $40 and that was about the correct price point for this wine. Soft and crowd pleasing - but simplistic and uncomplicated in a pedestrian way. Also showing more signs of age than an 8 year old wine should....drink up.

12/24/2013 - PASimon wrote:

This was a soft, approachable, balanced wine with wonderful layers and a medium/long finish. I could not believe how drinkable this was five minutes after opening a magnum. Not over oaked or over extracted and you have to read the alcohol level on the bottle to believe it. Looking for more....Hat tip to Vineyard Manager Jim Barbour! (0 views)

12/24/2013 - PASimon wrote:

This was a soft, approachable, balanced wine with wonderful layers and a medium/long finish. I could not believe how drinkable this was five minutes after opening a magnum. Not over oaked or over extracted and you have to read the alcohol level on the bottle to believe it. Looking for more....Hat tip to Vineyard Manager Jim Barbour!

12/24/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Another solid performance from my my favorite, all time, wine producer. But this is just too young. It will eventually open up and sing with 3/4 hours of a wide based decant - but, you will be forcing a square peg into a round hole. As expected from 2003 this is a Bordeaux that will appeal to your typical New World fan - it's the perfect wine for drawing a Napa lover to the Old World. It's got cassis, and bright fruit - layered with cigar box, leather and cedar to add it's unmistakable St. Julian characteristics. I'll open my next bottle in about 3/5 years. So much for 2003 being an "early drinking" vintage - I have had the 03 Ducru, Pichon Baron and Pontet-Canet this year and have yet to see any of them as near ready.

12/21/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Softer than expected based on my experience with other vintages of this producer. Decanted for an hour and rebottled for a restaurant - it was ready to go once reopened. Integrated tannins with high toned fruit and a round, pleasant finish that didn't last as long as I had hoped. It was paired with fresh shaved white truffle pasta - so, everything gets a bump from that - but this was legitimately good wine on its own. It is ready to drink well before the 05 or 06 of the same label.

12/20/2013 - PASimon wrote:

This wine is fine I guess....it's rather one dimensional and nondescript. I wish they would raise the price and make a true "second label" to Schrader. As it is now, the wines are just worlds apart.......

12/17/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Surprisingly open for business. Soft, approachable and well balanced with cassis, coffee and mineral overtones. I could not enjoy the the bouquet as much as I would have liked because I was outside on a cool evening. But this wine has entered it's drinking window and will be there for a while to come.

12/12/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Solid wine at the end of it's secondary goodness. Starting to thin out and fade a bit but still allows some dark fruit through and integrates the mocha, leather and earth nicely for a new world wine. I would say this wine is toward the end of it's life - but not on life support yet. Don't let it see 2015!

12/12/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Another flawed bottle. But from the same lot as the last flawed bottle, so no surprise. Barbour is typically a wonderful wine....these were just poorly stored. Win some, you lose some.....

12/11/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Pretty bad. One demential - over extracted - too much alcohol (15.5) - literally burns going down. Tried upon opening, again in an hour, again in two hours and agains the next day. Not good at any stage.

12/9/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Although all of the leading indicators were leaning toward this wine being sub-par....it was very good! The foul was brittle, the cork was so loose that it pushed into the bottle with pressure from the wine key and the nose was not great at first. But almost immediately, the wine began to shine with the focus and class that 1999 is known for. Soft, integrated tannins -- lots of balanced fruit left -- and just the right amount of secondary goodness was present. Buying it this late in the game was a gamble, but it paid off this time!

12/7/2013 - PASimon wrote:

This was fantastic! At the risk of sounding cliche, it is the prefect balance of Old World and New World. Decanted for about 45 minutes and poured shallow glasses before enjoying with well paired food. I would give this a try in the next year if you've been waiting like I had....it's ready!

11/29/2013 - PASimon wrote:

This wine was disappointing. I believe it is beginning to stretch it's prime drinking window. The alcohol is more noticeable than ever and it has taken on a slightly prune like overtone. Glad I don't have anymore - but sorry I picked it for Thanksgiving. Maybe we'll do better for Christmas!

10/27/2013 - PASimon wrote:

I don't have much experience with aged CDP but this wine was fabulous! The cork looked like it went in the bottle last week - no seepage, even up the sides. We did not give it much time to open up and it didn't really need it. The subtle mulling spices and dark fruit overtones that draw me to CDP were still there - just in the background rather than "in your face." I did not get the "meat/syrah" thing as much - but I did get a solid dose of leather and earth. I'm not doing this justice....but it was BALANCED and fantastic!

10/7/2013 - PASimon wrote:

I was shocked when comparing this wine to it's most noted professional review. It just goes to show you the power of "real" reviews from "real" people. It was wonderful with a focused bouquet of red fruits and a palate of cassis and - almost Bordeaux like - pencil shavings. Not too big - not too thin.....very nice! I'm looking for more....

7/4/2013 - PASimon wrote:

Best QPR out there.

7/4/2013 - PASimon wrote:

This is a big, big, big, bold Napa Cab! I am shying away from this style more often lately - Which may be the time of year or it may represent a palate shift. But, for what it is, it's well made.

7/4/2013 - PASimon wrote:

This is really developing and settling nicely. Lower toned fruit than some of the other Hall bottlings....Not over the top Napa Cab. Very Nice!

6/6/2013 - PASimon wrote:

A solid Syrah that is becoming more integrated. Deep blue fruits on the front end followed by a bit of spice on the finish - but no residual heat because the alcohol is soft and settled. Ready now or in the next two/three years.