3/22/2024 - TomH wrote:

Rich, lush, but not super complex. I get a tiny whiff of overripe/dried fruits but its not distracting or unpleasant. A pleasant enough drink that won't get better. For the price I can't complain.

1/3/2024 - TomH wrote:

The other notes capture this wine well. It's a solid, well made port. It's delightful with friends and cheese after a meal but it's not the kind of profound port (like an epic 2011 marquee) that you'll remember for years. It's a fun one and that's it. No rush on this one.

1/3/2024 - TomH wrote:

It's got that classic Margaret River red fruit/bright acid. More character than any 19 dollar cab from the US. At the price, a buy.

12/4/2023 - TomH wrote:

Forgettable

11/22/2023 - TomH wrote:

Drank months ago, so sadly no detailed note. However, main impression was that this was delicious and had plenty of time left to enjoy it.

6/6/2023 - TomH Likes this wine:

Give this time to unfold in glass. Elegant and seductive Pinot. No rush if you have it.

6/6/2023 - TomH wrote:

Not overwrought. Good structure. Not sure I see the Bordeaux comparison that Dunnick sees in his review, but still an excellent wine. Will buy again.

6/1/2023 - TomH wrote:

really solid value Malbec. Tons of black fruit. Glad i got a case.

1/28/2022 - TomH wrote:

6th or 7th out of a case, consistently a good but not great Champagne. Would buy again, worth the asking price

10/10/2021 - TomH wrote:

Score unchanged from 2/3/2019. The fruit profile was more more black current and dark cherry tonight, which is completely contrary to that tasting. A notable coffee nuance was present as well, which another taster called out.

Long short short, if Bordeaux is your bag and you have in this cellar - lucky you. It's good now, will be good for 5 to 10 years more, and will smoke nearly anything from California in a comparable price point.

10/2/2020 - TomH Likes this wine:

Dark cherry, damp earth, cedar, green herbs, flowers on nose. Mellow and generous on palate, medium length. More of that cherry fruit that was promised on the nose, leathery and cedar notes. Extremely easy to drink. Slightly astringent tannins on finish. Healthy acidity. Really just quite lovely. No rush on this one but no harm to open now; I suspect those tannins will turn to satin in a few years.

7/27/2020 - TomH wrote:

Surprise of the year for me. Someone gifted me a bottle of this ten or so years ago. I never kept it in my wine cellar -- just in the pantry laying down. I'll be honest, I thought it would be a crap wine. Absolutely horrific storage for a decade+. My wife was asking me to clean up some similar 'gift bottles' bottles in this location, and the moment I pulled the cork, I could clearly smell fruity aromas of a much younger wine and not the oxidized, sherry like notes I was expecting. Pouring it into a glass, it looked strikingly like a tawny port, but with far more vibrant and fresher aromas. Suggestions of wild strawberry and watermelon, the vaguest suggestion of oxidative toffee like flavors, but very pleasant toffee at that. Good length but a bit a simple on the palate - the complexity there does not match the aroma. I can only imagine what a well stored bottle tastes like!

10/10/2019 - TomH wrote:

Liked more than first bottle a few months ago. Good translucent ruby color.
Ripe red fruits, tiny bit of earthiness. Juicy acid. Great texture and persistence.

8/25/2019 - TomH Likes this wine:

I'm pretty far past the other folks in regards to my rating here, but I think it's legit. My half bottle has been open for three days. While it was good on opening night, it's a wonder to behold right now. It's more integrated and harmonious as compared to the first night, everything is just meshing right now. On the palate, there's this bitter honey or orange rind quality with an ever so tropical fruit note, plus apricot and honey especially on the finish. On the nose, there's all those notes from the taste plus a very 'clean' lemon note and a whack of pure botrytis.

First night a 92, now after three days open it's a 95 and really quite extraordinary. This is a joy to drink.

8/25/2019 - TomH Likes this wine:

Lovely and classic Napa Cab. One hour decant and good to go.

8/21/2019 - TomH Likes this wine:

Classic Anderson Valley Pinot, really good stuff. Lighter red color, red fruits (raspberry, strawberry), green herbs, and good acid. Glad I have more.

7/30/2019 - TomH Likes this wine:

Agree with the general sense of this wine here on CT. Cadomer's notes from June are pretty close to my experience - tropical, ripe rich fruit, but lower acidity is evident from the heat of the vintage. Atypical for this bottling.

I've had a lot of Prum WSA over the years, and I wish I had held onto this last bottle '03 for another ten or twenty years. There's a chance it will fall apart, but I'd bet there is an equal chance that we'll see this shed of the fat it's showing now and blossom into something more, something with a bit more spine. I say that because this wine was impossibly youthful. Little color change, barely any secondary notes and still possessing a remarkable core of fruit. If you have more than a few bottles, I'd suggest writing 'Hold till 2030' on the label of one of those bottles. Prum's long history has shown it's worth a gamble.

6/16/2019 - TomH wrote:

Really hard to fathom at this price point; while it's not the last word in complexity or length, it has an absolutely cheery personality and totally pure fruit profile backed by a whisper of tannins and the perfect amount of acid to tie it together. Try to find another Merlot at this price point that isn't flabby, overtly sweet, lacking acid, or just generally poor. If I were a restaurateur, I'd purchase this by the pallet -- it's food friendly as hell and I'd have a hard time believing anyone who says they don't like it.

5/11/2019 - TomH wrote:

Pleasantly evolved with a muted but still vibrant bouquet of cedar, tobacco, damp earth, incense, cassis and plum. There are mild hints of tertiary notes, like soy and mushroom, that I expect to only increase at this point as the fruit fades.

Bricking at the edge and translucent ruby at the core; overall a pretty healthy color for a cheap wine at 19 years of age. Some tannic grip still evident on the palate, and the wine is in possession of a decent fruit based core, a pleasing richness, and it has a medium length finish. Worth noting that this was more alive after 20 minutes after the cork was pulled.

Based on the taste, this was at it's best 3 to 6 years ago, but this is on the gentle and gradual path that well-built Bordeaux travel down to join the choir invisible. I'd expect to find pleasure in this for a few more years.

Bit of a long note, but this is a sentimental wine for me; this was the last bottle of the very first case of Bordeaux I ever bought en primeur, paid 144/case. Consider that -- what other region in the world has produced (and continues to produce) wines for under 20 bucks with a decade+ of longevity and evolution to observe and enjoy? That's why Bordeaux is still my number one love.

5/5/2019 - TomH wrote:

Not much change from my bottle half a year ago. This is a Syrah heavy, Northern Rhone styled CdR that evokes some of the flavors of either Cornas or even Cote Rotie (depending on the taster), if not the depth of those hallowed soils. Still, at 22, this is bargain.

5/3/2019 - TomH wrote:

Well above the standard Cali Cab for 25 bucks. Cedar, ripe wild blackberries on the nose, cedary/sandlewood notes and more black fruit. Moderate alcohol by modern standards. A buy for sure.

4/5/2019 - TomH Likes this wine:

Just stupid good. I paid 43 on futures and there's _nothing_ from California that could begin to compete with this for that price. Even at current ask, it's a gorgeous textbook left bank bordeaux - black fruit, cedar wood, earth and leather. Tannins still present but mellowed, fruit elegant. Really just a beaut

3/20/2019 - TomH wrote:

Bottle 1 of 24. Paid 8.04 for half bottle on futures. Original intention was to wait 2 years or so based on past experience with Lanessan. Based on some disappointing notes here on CT, I decided to check in earlier than planned.
This is *exactly* what I was hoping for when I bought it; A Tuesday night claret. The kind of pleasantly enjoyable workaday red wine one can crack open without concern. Nose is red cherries, some pluminess, and cedar. Palate is grippy, red fruits and earth. Oak present but will be better integrated in a year or two. Good persistence. It's unmistakably left bank Bordeaux, and the kind of food friendly wine that is right in my wheelhouse. At current market price of 22 dollars, this is a no-brainer buy for long term Bordeaux drinkers who appreciate traditional wines. Wait 2 years and drink through out the decade.

3/10/2019 - TomH wrote:

Really playing it close to the vest right now; this was served next to a 2013 Caparzo that was giving a lot more than this was. Both wines were double decanted in advance. I recommend holding for another few years if you have it.

2/6/2019 - TomH wrote:

I'm going high on scoring this wine vis-a-vis my CT peers. Mirroring so many of my experiences with Xavier, this wine was just 'meh' on day one. Primary, a touch too fruit driven, chunky, and even monolithic. Day 2 is different beast. Not enough complexity or length to merit a score in the 90's, but it's a silky textured Cotes du Rhone with plush red fruit and a pleasant hit of white pepper spice. Really quite lovely, and at 13.99 it makes a mockery of what California can produce at that price.

2/3/2019 - TomH wrote:

Young to my preferences, but absolutely drinkable. Red fruit, leather, and earth on the nose. Plush in the mouth, good length. At 40 dollars ask, this is a gorgeous value that I'd expect to shed it's primary character and develop some engaging secondary characteristics over the next 5 to 10 years.

2/1/2019 - TomH wrote:

Youthful color, purple black. Has that interesting mix of savory (meat/smoke/leather) and fruit aromas that the Copain Syrahs from the same era had. Initially this was downright grapey; I was at a child's birthday party my first reaction was that it smelled like Fanta grape soda that was served. That thankfully passed, and grew into more adult (and interesting aromas) that one would expect from a medium aged Syrah from the North Coast - spice, purplish black fruit, and meaty aromas. Palate is surprisingly tannic, plenty of plum-y and even grape-y fruit, but good length. No sign of the prune aromas that others have reported, and this seems like it would be find for a few more years but unlikely to gain anything.

1/30/2019 - TomH Likes this wine:

Quite complex, lovely tipple. Not austere like some dry Chenin can be. Agree with earlier comment about serving temp — this was better at cellar temp than fridge temp

1/26/2019 - TomH wrote:

An absolute charmer. Not the last word in complexity but an absolute buy at the current ask. Strawberry and spice, ain't that nice.

12/21/2018 - TomH wrote:

Really lovely, great value. 2012 Bordeaux are in their prime now

12/1/2018 - TomH Likes this wine:

Solid bottle and excellent value

11/30/2018 - TomH Likes this wine:

Really just superb. Deeply aromatic with notions of apricot, honey, and almond paste. Noticeably viscous in the glass, almost oily in the mouth. Buttered peaches and more apricots and honey in palate. A real depth of fruit in the midpalate, and length is longer than i could wait for the next sip.

Two people at the table let out an audible 'wow' on the first sniff. This is the real deal. Perhaps not as elegant as a top estate from Sauternes, but a similar flavor profile and just a steal for the price.

11/24/2018 - TomH Likes this wine:

Best vintage I remember of this; there’s a surprising amount of weight and a real sense of extract in the mid palate. For the price, a no-brainer ‘buy’

11/23/2018 - TomH wrote:

Delicious but very primary and youthful. This needs more time, at least 5 more years

11/21/2018 - TomH wrote:

Markedly better 2nd night; very much a surprise. This didn’t feel like it was holding anything in reserve on opening but it clearly was. Supple textured with red fruit and good length. Decant or hold another few years.

11/18/2018 - TomH wrote:

I prob should have waited; this shipped cross-country less than a week ago. This was delicate, perfumed -- pale translucent red. Piney, floral aromas. Medium assertive tannins. Power of the bouquet grows over time.

I'd expect this to settle down from shipping and loosen up a touch with age. Very pleased with this for 20 bucks.

11/15/2018 - TomH wrote:

Superb. A stony, mineral kaleidoscope of apple and pear. Buy!

11/10/2018 - TomH wrote:

Wildly divergent scores for this wine here on CellarTracker. My bottle tonight was a clear winner. Solid yeasty nose with a powerful nose of apples and pears. Rich creamy palate with suggestions of Gaia apple and hints of nuttiness on the back end. All supported by a solid backbone of acid age minerality. Recommend.

Based on the huge standard deviation of experiences, I suspect there’s a rotten batch of this going around — perhaps heat comprised or old bottles.

11/9/2018 - TomH wrote:

Brilliant for ten minutes — peppery beef blood and black fruit aromas, dark color. After that, gradually got more and more disjointed. Waited too long

11/9/2018 - TomH wrote:

Light color, aromatic, wild strawberries. Good value.

11/3/2018 - TomH Likes this wine:

Bought from the twatmongering thief John Fox at Premier Cru, 24.99

Darker than I expected, barely translucent ruby throughout and little fading at edges. Good secondary development, earthy cedar aromas and whiffs of plum and black current. Slightly astringent tannins that I believe will outlive the fruit. Medium length, good mix of fruit and earth in nose. The CT drinking window is way optimistic in my opinion — it would be best to drink this in next five years before all that’s left are tertiary flavors and an overabundance of tannin. That being said - at 24.99, zero regrets except where I bought it from. Also, more enjoyable than the 2006

10/26/2018 - TomH wrote:

Good midweek sipper. Not especially complex, but it's a quaffable, delicious and pleasing wine. Drink now. Cool it down a bit before serving; was nice at cellar temp - not as much so at room temp.

10/24/2018 - TomH Likes this wine:

Really quite a nice tipple, especially at 20 bucks per. Bought over a year ago, finally opened one up. Nearly opaque garnet. A touch subdued on the nose, but there's a depth of fruit on the palate that suggests this will develop quite a bit more. Dense, chewy. Tannins reach the gums. Classic, savory Bordeaux palate -- really *tastes* like right bank. What other red wine regions besides Bordeaux can offer such typicity at the lower end of their respective price bracket? Medium length finish.

If the aromas do get a touch less monotone and come into parity with the outstanding richness of the palate, I'd bump this up a point or two. Drink now to 2025.

10/22/2018 - TomH Likes this wine:

Pepmi’s note is spot on; it’s challenging to find a wine, not just from Napa but anywhere, that offers this depth of flavor for this price. Took an hour to open up. Classic Bordeaux cedar and blackcurrent bouquet, positively voluminous in the mouth with a near chewy texture. Rich red fruit and leathery flavors on palate. Tannins still present but not obtrusive. The length and complexity isn’t at the level of a well-run classified growth, but it shows why Bordeaux is what it is. Nobody besides Bordeaux is doing cab/merlot blends at this level for this this price. Wish I had bought 3 cases instead of six bottles. Will drink well for at least five years, and probably ten.

10/18/2018 - TomH wrote:

Good weeknight quaffer. Bright citrus aromas, creamy palate. Kind of simple but very inoffensive and food friendly.

10/7/2018 - TomH wrote:

Eminently drinkable and enjoyable Chianti. Earth and red fruits on the nose, pleasant secondary notes of leather and truffle on the palate backed by notions of red raspberry. Feels timeless and classic. I got this as importer clearance at half retail but it’s readily worth full ask of USD 40. This is a buy.

8/24/2018 - TomH wrote:

Decanted half an hour. Color was surprisingly dark and youthful. Nose was pure left bank Bordeaux - earth, dark fruit, leather. This feels like it's right in it's prime drinking spot. I've got one more bottle that I'll probably drink in the next three years.

The community drinking window here on CellarTracker is way conservative - 2007 to 2016. I would have said 2015 to 2023 based on last night's tasting.

8/21/2018 - TomH wrote:

Three nights open and zero decline. Honeyed stone fruits, lush texture, lengthly finish. Hard to imagine anyone not loving this. It pleases the crowds and the geeks.

8/11/2018 - TomH wrote:

Deep black fruited Cotes-du-Rhone. Surprisingly tannic; so much so that it you feel it on the upper gums. First bottle as a year and a half ago was markedly spicier and more austere; not nearly as enjoyable a drink then as compared to now. Very Syrah nose with spicy,leather and black fruit. In the mouth it's all lush blackberry and good depth. Hits well above the base 'Cotes du Rhone' appellation. Recommended.

6/6/2018 - TomH wrote:

Initial impression on the nose is reminiscent of a warm year Cote du Rhone, with that dusty smell and black/red fruit but the palate is more New World with a cherry vanilla richness. It's an interesting wine for sure, but it's a bit coarse and even a touch hot (the 14.2% listed seems low to me).

It's good, but profoundly hard to justify at 40 bucks a pop. This is a vin de plaisir, a rich burger wine on a Tuesday night. When I think about the regular wines in my 'rotation' that I purchase for 40 bucks a bottle - be it an Oregon Pinot, an excellent Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux, or even a lower end Brunello; this falls far short of any of those. Yes, those are indisputably far different wines, but I am only thinking of QPR. Wouldn't buy again.