5/14/2019 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

I'm impressed! Not only was it a more than drinkable 20 year old Merlot, it went in my fridge for three days after maybe a glass and a half were drank, and wow was it super smooth and mellow on the reopening! And still a slight tannic structure, well integrated oak, and believe it or not there was still some appreciable fruit! And at around $40 shipped/bot, I'm quite pleased I bought two! I have to recommend some duration of a decant though, probably at least 30-60 minutes, if not a slight aeration before (re-bottling and?) throwing in the fridge for a day or two. Some old wines taste... well, they taste old... but because they made the journey without getting ruined, you appreciate them for what they are. This was much better than that.... :)

4/11/2019 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

This was my first DeLille Rosé, and I have to say I was impressed! Maybe it's just my style, but I thought it was one of the best Rosés I've had, but I'm rather new to the style, so take it for what you will. The directly previous TN's are pretty spot-on, I just feel like the total package is very well put together and balanced, and frankly quite delicious! I'm reeling it back with 92, because I want to say 93.... It's tasty juice!

3/30/2019 - CamraMaan wrote:

Corked. Poured out cloudy and was undrinkable within minutes.

7/15/2018 - CamraMaan wrote:

I can imagine this potentially not lasting two days strong if it wasn't refrigerated somewhat soon after opening (and left open and uncooled for 4-5 hours), but that's what I did, and day 2 it is drinking better than day 1, but I didn't give it much of a chance the first day. Loving it day 2 though! If my hunch is correct, based on other reviews, this could fall off quick day 2, but it's singing now! Well balanced and put together, multifaceted, but I'm finding it's depth to be primarily tied to it's astringency, which is understandable for a 2015. It's hard to judge it's future based solely on day 2 as such, but I'm guessing 3-5 years until prime time.

Update: Day 3
It's even better day 3. But most telling is the fact the bottle sat on a shelf all night and was not cooled. I have to assume that these bottles have simply been in a dumb phase for most everyone, as my bottle sat over night from day 2 to day 3 without chilling in the fridge, and came out even better. So I feel like these are pretty safe to cellar for a bit.

7/15/2018 - CamraMaan wrote:

So hard to rate this bottle... Day 1 it wasn't bad, but felt tight and restrained, with my wine friend even thinking it might be slightly corked (even though the cork had almost no penetration, like 1/8" or less!!), as it just was never "on", so half the bottle got recorked and sat in my fridge for a day. Day 2 it was still similar in having an off character, but opened a little more, but for a 13 year old Merlot you have your concerns if it can have a good life yet. Then the story gets weird. Day 3 I depart Seattle driving south to Tahoe, in near 100 degree heat with no A/C... I did my best to shield 11 total bottles from the heat, and because of my collection I left in the evening and drove all night, slept six hours, then put all the bottles in a cooler with ice as I finished my trip to Tahoe. Long story short nothing spoiled, but this bottle was starting to warm, the other 10 stayed cool enough until the next house. This brings us to the evening of Day 4, and it was still drinking... well enough to not throw it out, but it didn't get finished, and eventually got recorked and set on a shelf (not cooled). Day 5 is now, and it's arguably drinking it's best. Go figure. Lots of sediment in this final last glass. Such an odd bottle. If this is consistent, I could fathom attempting to cellar this stuff another 15-20 years. And I wouldn't blame someone for trying. No rating.

6/27/2018 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

I kinda crossed my fingers buying this bottle hoping to find wine diamonds (tartrate crystals) like the last poster, as I've found that to often correspond to yummy bottles, but alas my cork had none... :(

Cork looks great, maybe 3/16+" saturation; PnP with no decant, but poured using an aerator. The wine has a clear red ruby color, barely noticeable slight bricking on the edges, and visible sediment in the bottom of the bottle. The legs are pretty quick to start dropping, showing nice long thin but well defined lines, with a decent density of lines. Nose.............. Initially you get a lot of the merlot and cab franc, with the can sauv seeming somewhat mellow and resolved into the plushness of the background flavors.

Notes didn't get much further into the night, except that it balanced out into a very nicely drinking wine that my gut was saying 92+. It drank surprisingly well!

6/13/2018 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

First thought: the nose on this, once it's sat for 10 minutes, just punches you with a bouquet of swirled aromas that together are quite yummy, pulling you back for swiff after swiff, but it's hard to dissect what the concoction is at first glance. It all blends together very well!

Second impression: this has a nice, young, bright acidity that pops, then rolls into a slightly tannic light purple cherry flavor; again, young, but you can see this is pointing into a really good direction, that I feel confident will produce a 93+ wine at it's peak, if cellared appropriately, etc. Right now, again first impression, this should evolve into a quite enjoyable 92/+ as my night progresses with glass #2 (2nd half of bottle to fridge for another night), but currently climbing quickly into the 91 territory @ ~30 min. Guessing a 45 min decant would be my choice next time if I was aiming to enjoy every last drop, yet still watch an evolution in the process... :)

Third impression: @ the $30 total price I paid, this is killer value juice!! It's very approachable now, but has enough going on to confidently cellar another 2-3 years and expect even better results.

40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 30% Mourvedre. PnP into a Riedel Cab Sauv glass.

This has a nice garnet color, with purple-tinged edges. The legs are finicky and weird... it took a lot of swirling attempts and ultimately time to get them to start dropping, but an hour in and I now have wave after wave of legs dropping, densely packed into parallel lines, well defined individually, but also combining/splitting, and seriously wave of legs after wave of legs, as if there was a source of new/more wine replenishing the top inner walls of my glass; quite fascinating and entertaining to watch!

tbc

5/30/2018 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

No decant, slow open in bottle. Cork had some respectable saturation, maybe 3/8" deep, and broke off at the last half inch (which was also likely due in part to a shorter cork screw). Poured into a Riedel Cab Sauv glass. This showed as very approachable on the PnP, but 30 minutes in the bottle helped.

Clear crimson color with slight bricking on the edges, legs have a medium speed and medium width, and some light sediment in the bottle from sitting on it's side.

The nose is interesting... at least early it isn't very fruity or pungent, but kind of a light strawberry and fresh raw red hot peppers (picante?), like you expect it to be followed by the bite of red pepper hot/spiciness, but it never comes. This blends with that light strawberry tinge quite well, but again it's light and not very pungent... you kinda have to work to get it out.

On the tongue the palate is rather similar to the aroma, still on the light/medium side, and a mixture of strawberry and fresh cut picante peppers, maybe? I recognize the distinct pepper character, but I can't place/name which one it is. Whichever hot pepper, the strawberry fruit balances it well, and the acidity is in check, tannins still have some structure, but you can tell most have also resolved into this plush concoction. On the back end of the flavor ride you get a little black cherry in the resolved-tannin finish.

The fruit tailed off on this after about 3 hours of sitting in the bottle, bringing out a bitterness, so there's no question your remaining drinking window is small and getting smaller. Drink up!

5/29/2018 - CamraMaan wrote:

And that's more of a 93+...

This was the WOTN in my eyes and my friends' against...

2013 Department 66 D66 (Grenache; T-4th)
2010 Giacomo Grimaldi Barolo Sotto Castello di Novello (close 2nd)
2013 Tenuta Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino (T-4th)
2014 Quilceda Creek CVR (3rd)

So if that says anything, it drank pretty darn good!! ;)

Wrong setting for my ADD brain to remember any worthwhile notes, but I have another in the cellar that will hopefully fit that bill, and presumably two more on order after that. My wine-store-manager/friend is having me get him 6 bottles as well. It's good juice. Impressively good, holding strong and solid five hours after it was opened, pretty much from the PnP on. I don't expect to see this again after it's off my auction radar, but I won't hesitate to grab more of I get the chance... and I count my lucky stars that after tax and shipping I'll be paying under $25/bot, because this is more like a really good $70 bottle that aged perfectly.

It should also be noted that this is a Matthew Loso wine....

5/27/2018 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

750ml bot getting rationed for a week or two...

Day 1: She looks yellow/yellow-brown, with medium legs, smells like lemon rind, ripe apricot, super-ripe pineapple and a little apple-cinnamon. There's apricot, pineapple and honeysuckle on the palate, with a slight tinge of lime on the side-edges of the tongue; enough going on to be a little interesting, but the sweetness is almost a touch too much in the balance, until it sits in the glass a bit. It's full-bodied with a satin-like texture, medium-high acidity, and a 25+ second finish. The last sips in the glass were the best. Let next glass warm and breathe a few... 91+

Day 2: Hasn't changed too much, maybe a touch less heat. Otherwise hard to tell the difference much from last night.

Day 6: This got yummy!! The too-sweet nature of the wine has backed off, but it's obviously still quite sweet. But now the fruit is singing it's solo, front and center of the stage. Candied grapefruit, dried apricot, and boytrytis, with no heat (or a shadow of it), and a medium acidity that's nicely in balance, if maybe a touch soft. It's expanded to a 30+ second finish... it saturates your tongue and keeps tickling it with flavor, well after it's been sent slowly down the hatch. The legs are still about medium speed to develop, but now they get more defined and keep their backbone longer, thinner. It maybe lost a small step in its complexity, but it made up for it in extra depth of purity in some of its core tones. 92

5/24/2018 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot

Surprisingly approachable on the PnP (did not decant), showing a red cherry palate, good nose, some tannic backbone still present, but its far from dominant in it's presence, allowing the fruit to show through quite nicely, but not in a sweet way, more of a bold dry fruit. Low acid and alcohol presences, but still nicely there in the balance of it all. Medium body, clear dark ruby color, the legs are few and kinda slow to develop, but they start thick and stayed thin and strong to the end (more entertaining to watch than usual). Its in a very well rounded and balanced place right now, and might hit peak in the next couple years, would maybe recommend waiting 1-4 years for the tannins to resolve a little more (if I had a few bottles to sit on), but it's definitely good enough to drink right now too! A comfortable 91+, only because it lacks much depth on the whole, but as balanced as it is this go, I'm saying 93. At ~$50 via auction (incl ship), I'm pretty happy with the (biased) value of my experience with it so far. Definitely enjoyable juice!

Re-corked and put second 2/3 of bottle right into fridge after I opened it. Will hopefully get back to update with the rest of it. But honestly, as approachable as it is right now, it's a shame not to drink it all now... :( But off to bed soon.

5/15/2018 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Decanted on opening, but it didn't really open up for about four hours. Some oak still present, but after four hours it softened up nicely. While there is a nice flavor in balance, it seems to finish a little short, only lasting maybe 5-10 "strong" seconds, and then lingering very softly (too soft) for a few. An almost dry tart black cherry on the palate, but with some expressive fruit in the profile, plus a little tart huckleberry. A rather muted nose in my glass, really quite hard to pick up much. The tannins seem to be resolving fairly well, but with some backbone left that urges more cellar time, maybe another couple years, or time in the decanter. Not a lot of heat after four hours, revealing the fruit and tannins nicely, but again the short finish. Light-medium body, nice clear garnet color, with what could be the beginning of bricking. First night: 91+, almost want to say 92.

Second half of bottle not decanted, just corked and refrigerated. Later date notes to come.

5/11/2018 - CamraMaan wrote:

Lots of heat on the PnP, garnet/purple color, good legs, still has some tannic backbone, still tasting young, but judging from other reviews I believe its evolving tannins are starting to open to a more accessible state. Nice fruit is showing through, but its tightly bundled with the high heat and still-young tannins, so some time should still do it good. But at the moment its just kind of good, but with no wow factor. I'll open my other bottle in a couple years, and decant more next time.

4/15/2018 - CamraMaan wrote:

This was a wine of two sides and faces, the first night, where it probably earned a 91, and two nights later after sitting in the fridge, where it really opened up, lined up, hit its stride and punched a smile onto my face! It was close to great on the first night, but I didn't really expect it to improve like this after two nights in the fridge, where my vote is now a 93. Most of my following comments reflect the wine on day 3, unless otherwise noted.

It was consistently lacking any heat, revealing a real solid fruit structure, without the fruit bomb sweetness. Pomegranate, a mixture of red and black fruit profiles, tannins abound, but in balance with the fruit, resolved enough to barely dry your tongue, but still let you know they're there.

On a "big wine" scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 6 or 7, as it has some punch and structure, and with the low acidity it hits you right away, and lingers a solid 10-15 seconds. As an example of the low heat, with most "normal" wine if you hold some in your mouth it'll start to "burn" your mouth a little, but this wine doesn't. It tickles like it might start to, but it never does... and that was both on the PnP, as well as on day 3.

I would honestly recommend opening a bottle a couple days ahead of intended drinking time, pour out a glass that you pour back in, and then recork the bottle for a couple days. It's that much better, and it's good enough to want the whole bottle that way, not just the last glass... :)

Or, sit on your bottles and let them ripen with time, as these are still a bit out of balance, if even still pretty good at the same time, but the potential is high enough to warrant holding. I have two more bottles, and hopefully I have the willpower to wait 3-4 years before I crack another one, but if I don't, and I open one sooner, it'll be well planned out ahead of time so it can sit open for a couple days before I drink it.

1/18/2018 - CamraMaan wrote:

Appearance: clear dark ruby, fast/thin/long legs, very small amount of sediment.
Nose: tart red fruits, cranberry, cherry and pomegranate.
Taste: Subdued mature red cherry, tart strawberry and tea. Medium body, medium/low acidity, medium length of finish.

This needed to breathe for an hour or two (minimum) with a decant before it started to gel, so I recommend the same, maybe three hours. It feels young and in need of a little sleep. If I had a bottle to hold onto I would plan on 2021. Nothing in it says "too old" nor "in stride", so I have to think waiting should help more. But there is an excellent wine waiting to blossom in other future bottles, but a 94 would be a max... if not 93. But for now I feel 91-92 is its current showing.

10/26/2017 - CamraMaan wrote:

Noticeable sediment, tartrate crystals on the cork, which was otherwise clean, but broke a half inch from the bottom. This feels like an old boxer who is past his prime, but still throwing some good punches and landing them. Its 80% inspiring and intriguing, then 20% old, confused, and closed (a grumpy old man...?). But to its credit it took 30-60 min to open up and become drinkable/desirable (90 pt), and then kept opening (91+ pt)... and two hours in its still getting better (92 pt?). But there's a funk to it, an almost dark carbon-like astringency, that has been slowly blowing off, but its still a somewhat overbearing presence, and it unfortunately dominates the aftertaste. As the funk blows off and evolves though, its become more of a dark tart red flavor, and more appreciable, albeit still "funky". Tart dark cherries, forest floor, a little cranberry? Impressive for a 15 year old syrah to still be intriguing, but its still far from a knock out.

10/2/2017 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

93+

Wow, what an impressive wine! I only wish I had of decanted the bottle, or waited an hour and a half before intending to drink it. By the time it started to really sing I only had a glass left, and I believe this would have opened even more had I given it more time. I won't hesitate to buy another bottle if I can!

8/24/2017 - CamraMaan wrote:

Cork was perfect. Did not decant, and recorked the bottle after each glass.

Nice deep bouquet on the nose, red fruit. It opened slowly, but had a taste of "past its prime" from beginning until about 2 hours in, albeit in a very drinkable state. Then the funk started to burn off, and it started to come into balance more. These TN's are from 2 hrs in. Its a thick viscous wine that smoothly saturates your tongue with raspberry and bright strawberry notes. Sweet, but far from the typical sweetness of an "Aussie Shiraz"; more tart and sweet than jammy.

Unfortunately this bottle only hit it's stride for about an hour before tailing off, when the earlier "past its prime" taste rose up again. And I can't even say that taste ever fully went away, but it certainly dissipated enough for an hour of pretty good drinking.

My bottle perhaps had some exposure to heat before I got it, but it looked pristine to me, and aside from what simply seems to be the result of age, it drank well enough to assume no heat damage. I think its just at that end stage. If you have any bottles, I think its potentially a risk to wait any longer to pop them.

8/3/2017 - CamraMaan wrote:

This was hard to judge, but that wasn't a bad thing. It had a continually evolving complexity that was just kinda hard to put your thumb on, but it was a nice complexity that kept you wanting more. As a bottle I brought, I had high expectations, and I felt like they were met. As an unknown bottle to my wine-friend, his expectations were lower, and he was either surprised, or blown away, but he loved it nonetheless, as did I. It started with a complexion that a Pinot Noir lover would appreciate, which evolved into a mixture of red and blue fruits, with a touch of "tang-ness" in the right way, and finished as more of a balanced blue and black fruit compote at the end. Forgetting the grapes used, we both guessed Cab Franc on the front end, if not even a Pinot Noir, which we learned later learned was the Tempranillo, and wow, its integration with the CabSauv and Shiraz was like an orchestra layering flavors out as the song went on, with creative transitions that never said 95+ point wine, but rather said 93+, with the dreams and theoretical foundations that could hopefully get perfectly integrated to that level.

Based on my bottle (BOMB), I feel this is a wine that hits a 94 at its best, which isn't far off from the one I drank, and may be within reach in the next couple years. It just felt like it was a slight bit disjointed from being in a very beautiful place.

I have one more bottle, and I think its close enough to its drinking window that the right occasion will pop its name with pleasure.

6/18/2015 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Bottle #2 pretty much the same as the first, except I think this is best characterized as a bright tart red fruit wine on the pallet, but in the best ways possible... just enough sweetness to keep it in balance. The nose did start off with some barnyard funk to it, but after 15-20 minutes that went away. And again it started with an acid bite that eventually burned off to open up the wine. Its really a quite pleasant bottle, and full of complexities that I tend to appreciate.

12/4/2014 - CamraMaan wrote:

Decanted for sediment.

Nice nose of well aged red and black fruit. Nice garnet bricking, almost no legs on the glass. There's no question this bottle is past its prime, albeit that doesn't mean it has no life left, its just walking down the slope of maturity. On the PnP there's still some cranberry and raspberry fruit primary, with some slight tannic draw, but no doubt most of the tannins are well resolved and aged. Acidity still remains, overpowering the tannins and fruit, creating a slight imbalance. This is not some aged fruit bomb, but almost more Pinot Noir in character. In fact, if I was blind tasting I might guess it was a PN that was slightly past its drinking window (except visually slightly darker in color).

30 min after PnP, some of the acidity has burned off, as has some of the strength of the nose. What was once off-balance is now doing a nice balancing act. Less raspberry, more cranberry on the tongue, and the pleasure meter has gone up overall. Its becoming quite drinkable, raising my eyebrows. Swish it around and there's a red fruit symphony developing all over my tongue. Can't help but hope there is more harmony in store, with due time. As aged wines go, that are decidedly past their prime drinking window, this certainly has what I might venture to deem an "after life"... really quite appreciable, but maybe not what it once was. On the PnP I was hesitant to say the $15 auction price ($25/bot after shipping/tax on two bottles) was fully justified, but now I won't hesitate to say its well worth it.

60 min after PnP... not much change from the last entry, which isn't a bad thing! Its better to maintain, than to die off. If anything there's a little more life to the nose, but that's honestly hard to gauge... simple air flow from the heater could be affecting that. I might venture to say a little more fruit "sweetness" is coming through? And I haven't mentioned this, but there's a tartness tied to that cranberry flavor that is working quite well (an appropriate tannic astringency). Its still in balance, and I would call it harmonious. Enjoying it, I am. Albeit this is one wine where it helps to see/feel/know where it came from (on the PnP) to appreciate where it is now... call it the evolution of the pallet, growing accustomed to the base consistency of a wine. I'm not sure another wine drinker might appreciate this as much if they started drinking it right now, an hour+ after the PNP. This is a wine in a window that takes you on a sensory journey... can't ask for more, can you?

90 min... no change.

120 min... no change. If anything, my pallet feels a slight degradation in the "fruit" element... if anything.

End of bottle... again, very little change.

All things considered, I'm impressed, considering there was very little to go off of to inspire my purchase. Don't buy this with the expectation of your average fruit bomb Aussie Shiraz. This is far from it. But if you've had more than a few wines aged 20+ years, you might know what's potentially in store. In that general category, this falls into it, and it does well.

Do not wait to drink this! Its only going to walk further DOWN the path of maturity......

11/12/2014 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Upon PnP I had some doubts, as there was a weird characteristic that I wasn't fond of... a weird bitter aftertaste I'm not used to. It burned off quickly though, and 10-15 minutes later started to taste like a normal bottle of fruit forward wine that was in need of time to open up. Sure enough, an hour later it was showing quite well, but really hit its sweet spot after being opened for two hours. Its not a pure jammy powerhouse wine at the moment, but is certainly fruit forward, and has a nice balance of red and blue fruit flavors, with a acidic and tannic backbone that says this still has some shelf life left for future development and refinement. Even three hours into it the tannins are not yet all resolved, and honestly feels youthful. Really quite impressive for a 10 year old shiraz at such a low price point ($25 before shipping for this bottle). As it is drinking tonight, I think its a QPR steal! I would happily pay up to $50 for another bottle if its the same as this one, and would even pay a little more if the world's stock was drying up.

I'm leaving 1/3 of the bottle for night #2... Aaand: 24 hours later the tannins have resolved and mellowed out, showing more fruit, but there is still some acid backbone and life to it. I'm still quite impressed with this bottle! There really has been no loss in quality over the last 24 hours!

If I can acquire another bottle it will be laid down until 2016-17, as that feels like the optimal window, however this may drink well into 2019 if stored properly, and a touch later before it simply gets too late to be desired. If correct, that's just... impressive. Again, GREAT QPR!

I felt a 94 rating wasn't pushing too high, but I also feel this could get higher in the next couple years... time will tell, for those who have a bottle to open...

NOTE: This bottle had a sediment layer on one side of the bottle that says it had been laid down and not moved for quite some time... to me a good sign. I have to assume this was properly stored and cared for, and we all know that unless you buy a bottle upon release and cellar it yourself, or get one off the cellar shelf of the winery itself, then you never really know its history. The signs say this bottle was properly cared for, which always bodes well for optimal drinking.

9/18/2014 - CamraMaan wrote:

Potential for 91 rating, in due time.

This needed an hour to an hour and a half to open up and reach a decent drinking level, but even then the balance between tannins softening and the acidity just never hit the stride it could. If I had another bottle I would keep it down for another couple years and then either decant or soft-open for an hour, and expect that such a wine is the best these bottles can muster. Still potential left to be had, it wasn't bad to drink right now, but it left something to be desired.

Wait, and drink down the road, if you have one.

3/23/2014 - CamraMaan wrote:

Maybe 91? I've been drinking a lot of '03 Napa cabs, mostly because they've reached a point of maturity that has long been desired, and while this one wasn't bad by any means, it paled in comparison to the others I've had so far (in the last month or two), which have been quite impressive, to say the least! My only hesitance in giving a grade is that the bottle was consumed rather quick, so its time for exposure to air was limited. It maybe lasted 45 min. But in 45 min every other '03 Napa cab I've had recently hit its sweet spot with no problem. So yes, in that respect it paled in comparison. Nat bad, and it was only $20 (pre-shipping), so I'm really not complaining... just saying there are other '03 Napa cabs that are more worth your money, at that price level.

3/23/2014 - CamraMaan wrote:

I've been on a binge of drinking various fine 2003 Napa cabs, as they've all seemingly reached their maturity (finally), and this one did not disappoint! Full bodied, full of flavor, full of dark berry awesomeness, well rounded and fit to please! Hard to find a fault! It wasn't perfection, how but how often do we really find that?? At the bargain price of $45 (before shipping), I thought it was a steal! I'll happily buy more if I can find them!

3/2/2014 - CamraMaan wrote:

This bottle is much better than the last! So well rounded, still slightly tannic, so it has some life left to it, but its drinking very nicely right now! And that's on the PnP! It just keeps getting better though. Its fully hitting its stride! The tannins, acidity, fruit, its all there in harmony... these 2003 cabs worth the wait. Glad I have one more bottle left, and I'll be opening it at an appropriately good time... :)

2/6/2014 - CamraMaan wrote:

Drank maybe 3 weeks ago, so I can't give it an honest rating, but I remember thinking 92+, maybe up to 94. Can't recall an accurate description, just glad I bought three bottles, with two left. At $40/bot (before shipping) I thought it was a good value wine for sure!

10/13/2013 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

For a 15 year old shiraz I was quite impressed! I bought it based on CT reviews, and for ~$45 it was well worth the money! Drank it happily from the PnP, and wouldn't recommend decanting or letting it sit and oxygenate... its just not necessary anymore. But I think this is at the end of its PRIME window. It hasn't begun to fade yet (although this is the first time I've had it), or at least doesn't show the signs of it. But it likely will start to soon. I'm guessing another year or two of satisfaction in drinking, but I have a hard time seeing this stay too steady going forward. Tannins are resolved, acidity still in balance, but still full flavored and well balanced overall! If you see one (in the next year or two), buy it with confidence, but base your price/value on how far out from this you are buying it. I wouldn't pay more than $55 (some might rightfully justify a little more though), and less as time goes on...

10/10/2013 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

92+. I tend to drink a bottle from the PnP to evaluate its change over time. On the PnP there was still a tannic edge that didn't take too much time to wear off, and from the start I would give it a rating in the 91+ range. I don't fully recall any distinct tasting notes, but the flavor didn't change much as it softened up, simply subduing the tannic overtones. It was a pleasurable wine to drink and savor, and my reserved note is that it resolved into a 92+ wine. Some may give it a slight bit higher rating, and don't get me wrong, this Turley didn't disappoint! For the $60 I spent after shipping, I might pass on it if I had the opportunity, but for $50+ I would happily buy it again. The drinking window is undoubtedly dwindling, but you probably have a year left in its prime. I do recommend it though!

6/26/2013 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

As the previous CT member said, this was a surprise and a treat! The wine looks yellow-gold colored. It smells like mango, melon, and pineapple. It tastes like sweet green apple, pear, lychee, pineapple, and has a botrytise character, similar to a nice young Sauternes. The body is medium/full with a silky texture. The finish is long, like 45 seconds good! It was hard to give a count on the finish because you just want to take another sip! There is a perfect balance between the sweetness of the wine and its acidity. For $30 (after shipping) this was a steal!!

Now, even though I'm not sure if this affected the wine or not, I have to mention that this was an odd bottle, that had seen more "life" than I want with my bottles. For an 8 year old bottle, the capsule was both oxidized and worn, and had shown signs of seepage. Once the capsule came off I was surprised to see that the cork was 100% soaked, much more than any other bottle I've ever opened. Yet the cork came out in one piece, looking healthy, albeit soaked. But I would have a hard time believing any of this had hurt the wine at all... it was that good. :)

I'm giving it a 95, but I would also understand some giving it a 96. Lovely wine!

6/20/2013 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Thick! Immediately coats every taste bud on your tongue in a maple syrup and prune grip. The flavor lingers and lasts forever! Solid points for the lingering adventure. I just wish there was more acidity and fruit to balance it out. Still, this will impress untrained palates. But to compare to a 1996 Tokaji Eszencia I had on my birthday last month, this Solera is the entry mat to what the super sweet desert wines can be. I can't justify higher than 93, and I could see justification for a more trained palate to go even lower. But this is still a fun wine! For $30 (after shipping) I have zero complaints!

I like to try various cheeses when I drink wine, and I like to find a balance between cheese and wine, almost like a serving size of both together that harmonize. With one of my favorite organic mild white cheddar cheeses (Clover), the amount of Solera needed in a balance was surprisingly small, it carries that much weight. But together, in the right dosage, they were quite a pleasure to combine!

My roommate, who is not new to wine, but not exactly a well traveled wine drinker either, said this was the best wine he's ever had. But, he's also unashamedly a fiend for good maple syrups, so that flavor really gets him going.

I'm not sure, but I have a feeling this would trump the best maple syrups on a hot bed of pancakes, simple because its that good, in that direction, yet still maintains a more diverse profile. Its far from being quite that thick, but I'm almost feeling the urge to make some pancakes just to use it as syrup.

6/14/2013 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Decanted, let sit maybe 15-20 minutes. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow. Beautiful strong nose, strawberry, strawberry jam, apricot, pear, stoniness, nutmeg, honeysuckle, and brett. Nose is strong and luscious on the decanted pour. Flavor after short decant isn't as good as I expect, so I'm waiting longer to assess.
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45 min: A light, but well rounded pallet begins to unfold, masked by some solid tannins. On the early stages it tastes like cranberry, red currant, forest floor, oak, hay/straw, wet dog, and barnyard. Having had this before, I expect it to open up more in due time, so now its just the waiting game. (89)
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80 min: Now it starts to come together. Still light on the overall flavor, certainly not to be confused with a fruit bomb, but its a very well rounded profile. A little raspberry jam seeps through with the sliding tannins, a hint of young red cherries, pomegranate, stoniness, bark, some alcohol, and what I think best describes it as cherry tinged wet dog. (91)
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2.5 hr: This just keeps developing and evolving, bringing the hopes up. You can tell there is a solid high character waiting to be reached.

This next round is more of the last, but slightly enhanced. The nose hasn't evolved much, but that's not a bad thing. If anything its just slightly subdued, but still quite pleasant. (92)
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4.5 hr: Now this has really kicked it into gear! The tannins have backed off, but are still present. The acidity has kept in check (relaxed a bit from the "PnP") and is sitting about right. The alcohol is right in line as well. The flavor is overall quite the same, but now the scrambled has been unscrambled. The holes have been filled. Now the symphony is playing. This should keep evolving as the night wears on, quite possibly getting better. (93-94) We'll see how she sits tomorrow, but its bedtime for now...
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So I saved two glasses for day two, one left in the decanter, one I left in the bottle (open for a couple hours, then corked, never decanted). The decanted glass had lost some of its charm, but was still strong enough to drink without complaining. (89-90)

The bottled glass, however, was singing! All the tannins had resolved, the fruit was in harmony with the alcohol and acidity, just a pleasure to have on day two! Honestly it was very similar to my last decanted glass last night, but with more tannin resolution, a little more raspberry and now some "young" ripe blackberry, and a little less nose. (94)
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Overall, this wine is still young, and has some maturing to go through. It drinks very well after a long decant, but I would recommend waiting at least another three or four years if I was holding any bottles. I think with some good cellar time, this could turn into a very elegant dinner cab sauv. At the right price ($45/bot?) I will happily buy more!

6/10/2013 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Found a couple more bottles of this and had to grab them. Drank one of them a month ago for my birthday (still holding the other). A lot of great wine was consumed that day, but I wasn't taking notes. My friend had brought a '96 Caymus, and the Robaire was hands down better by a consensus opinion. But he also brought a 1996 tokaji eszencia that redefined phenomenal. Anyway, this is best described as a well balanced, high character, non-fruit bomb wine that its hard not to appreciate. Hopefully Robaire gets back to making wine here again pretty soon!

6/10/2013 - CamraMaan wrote:

Was very impressed with this bottle! Unfortunately I drank it about a month ago. If I see another bottle I will not flinch at buying it.

6/10/2013 - CamraMaan wrote:

Opened at a friend's birthday party, and I wasn't in the zone for tasting notes. I enjoyed it though, but kinda wish I had waited another year to open it. It'll last longer than that, but I think it peaks pretty soon.

6/10/2013 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

No notes, drank it a week ago. But I enjoyed it, as did my friends. Good enough to be convinced to pull out my second and last bottle as an encore. Made a mental reminder to score it 92-93... approachable on the PnP, but climaxed with a 93 point song in my book.

6/10/2013 - CamraMaan wrote:

Pretty sure I had a flawed bottle. Quite a disappointment considering the anticipation I had built up, not to mention the cost. Sad days... :(

5/17/2013 - CamraMaan wrote:

Tempted to go 93, so we'll call it 92+. This is a very well balanced wine, with the acidity bouncing off the sweetness of the wine just right. Green apples, white honey, and a lingering finish. Silky but not thick. Just a very smooth and flavorful Riesling. Made for a nice sipping starter (first of seven bottles) on my birthday... :)

5/16/2013 - CamraMaan wrote:

Phenomenal!! A massive fusion of pineapple and prunes and raisins in the best way possible! Syrupy on the pour (out of a 187ml bottle), with a mouth coating viscosity that takes your taste buds on a pleasure ride... and one I'll never forget. We also opened a 1990 Vinum Regum Rex Vinorum Tokaji Aszu (5 Puttonyos), and while I wasn't expecting the world out of the Rex Vinorum, there was simply no comparison. That Eszencia is something special, and quite a treat for my birthday! :)

5/10/2013 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Don't even think about drinking this before its sat for at least two hours. Took three hours before it got to its sweet spot. Wonderful wine, great drink! Love the mix of dark fruit flavors! Nice and complex, well balanced once it sat long enough. I drank one of these about six months ago, and finished the bottle when it started getting good. This bottle I waited a half hour, tried some... waited another half hour, tried more... kept spacing out a tasting, and it took two hours before the acidity wore down enough. But once it did it was just what the doctor ordered! Next two bottles I won't even waste any of it for a small tasting for the first three hours... :) Sooo glad I have the next two bottles as well! Grab some if you find any! Should be a great wine for the next ten years. And do yourself a favor and grab some truffle goat cheese to eat with it!! Match made in heaven!

3/23/2013 - CamraMaan wrote:

A solid wine once it opened up (which didn't take too long once it went in the decanter). Had it with an assortment of cheeses, and as always the truffle goat cheese did wonders in bringing the fruit forward. Hard to judge overall because my palate was overwhelmed by cheese flavors, but I would happily drink this again.

3/15/2013 - CamraMaan wrote:

Opened and poured straight into a decanter. Was not impressed on the PnP, and after a couple hours I was still thinking of just how unbalanced this wine was. Well, about 2.5 hours after I opened it the wine started to come to life, the tannins relaxed a bit, and it started to balance out into a much more smooth drinking wine. Lots of red fruit, raspberries, good flavor. Saved a couple glasses for day two, and pleased to say that it softened up that much more, and was still quite flavorful and pleasant. This is not a beast of a wine, so I would not expect any 95+ ratings even at its prime, but this could sit at 92-93 if opened at the appropriate time. This wine, albeit 6 years old, is still very young. I would wait 3-4 years if I had another bottle, and would expect it to be hitting its strides around then. Solid potential. 91 now, 93 if you wait...

4/9/2012 - CamraMaan wrote:

I don't see any way for this wine to have a rating below 91 unless you have a flawed bottle. But I can see some palates differing in the perceived complexity and well-rounded nature of the wine. I thought it was quite enjoyable myself, great flavor, not a fruit bomb, good complexity, and quite tempting to open my second bottle. This bottle in particular I would give a 93+. Shipping included I paid about $100 for two bottles and I would be tempted to make that purchase again.

1/5/2012 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Wow, this is drinking amazingly well right now! It took maybe 10-15 minutes for a slight funk aftertaste to burn off, but even from the PnP to that time it was still nice. But once that burned off it really opened up! While its somewhat of a fruit bomb right now, its still got a very nice complexity to back it up! I bought this on a whim after reading the previous CT review, but I don't think 90 points does this bottle justice, not the one I opened up at least. I highly recommend buying one if you find it!

12/22/2011 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Solid, for sure, but not as good as I remembered my first bottle. Still a quite pleasing Pinot Noir!

12/22/2011 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

This took a while to open up. On the PnP it was just bad. After 30 min it started to get palatable, 60 min to start tasting good, and 90 min before it started to sing! This was also a 1.5L that we opened. Once it opened up I thought it was quite good, impressive to say the least, but my friends were being little negative Nancy's because it tasted so bad on the PnP. No flavor profile to provide, but I would gladly buy and drink another bottle!

12/22/2011 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Good, but not nearly as good as my first bottle. I'll hold judgment until I drink my last one.

12/22/2011 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Wasn't bad, and I would drink one again for the right price, but the drinking window on this is dwindling... no reason to save them.

12/14/2011 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

The other CT notes/ratings are right on! I thought it would be a risk to buy a bottle based on only two reviews, but this was a great value buy at about $45 total. The best words I can use to describe it are "well balanced"... fruits, tannins, heat, everything is as it should be, completely in balance, and the balance holds. I found it to be a nice taste on the PnP, and it just keeps going and getting better! I've had better from a '96 Kiona Cabernet for other WA wines (which was absolutely spectacular!), and a few other Napa cabs have also blew it away as well, but this is still amazing! Like was already said in the other CT reviews, if you can find a bottle or two that have been well cared for, buy them without fear! Oh yeah, and I would make a guess that based on the current tannic structure this still has some years of drinkability left, and might even get better....? No guarantees on improvements though, but it should still hold well as it is. Go get 'em before I do! And now back to the rest of the bottle... :)

12/3/2011 - CamraMaan Likes this wine:

Much better than my first bottle! I was actually looking at opening this bottle as a means to make more room in the cellar. Oh so glad I did, versus making it a gift or something! I had planned this to be a young wine night, along with a 2009 CDP and 2008 Pomerol (of which I have four bottles each), and lets just say that I was up for an experience, but not expecting too much. Well the 2009 CDP was surprisingly very tasty, and the Pomerol was much less so. So when it came to opening this bottle I kinda figured we had already been graced with one good bottle (the CDP), so lets just get this over with and move on... but wow. This was actually quite similar to the CDP in flavor, with not a lot of tannic structure (but surprising more than the CDP by a touch), with a heavy dose of dark berry compote. Fruity, but necessary too sweet. very nice for sure! And this was on the PnP as well! Over time it developed a little more of a tannic bite on the front of the tongue, and less on the back/side of the tongue, but still maintained a very pleasurable flavor. At least with this bottle, its drinking surprisingly well right now!