2/5/2024 - daniel.jay wrote:

Very disappointing... thin and lifeless. Hoping this was a flawed bottle.

1/17/2023 - daniel.jay wrote:

Spectacular. 3 hours decant.

5/6/2022 - daniel.jay wrote:

This is in a very good place right now. Best with about 60 minutes of air. Plenty of structure to go a few more years.

11/1/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

This was a spectacular bottle - plush red fruit (strawberry, cherry), plenty of acidity for balance. Drank large yet light.

9/23/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

Purchased on futures in 2012. Opened two bottles side by side for large party. One bottle clearly flawed - hint of TCA, no fruit on the nose or front of palate, a little raisin/port on the finish. It improved with air, but not much. Scoring the other bottle, which was quite good and typical Viader - mountain fruit, well integrated, plenty of life left. Drink or hold.

9/18/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

This was a hot mess on opening. Almost no nose whatsoever. Came around to ok after about an hour. Found a few classic Napa cab notes, dark fruits, a touch of carmel/butterscotch, but really didn't come together. No score, possibly flawed.

9/18/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

This was very good. Quick decant. Plush mouthfeel, tons of ripe strawberry. Crowd pleaser.

8/4/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

This drinks at 1.5-2x its price.

5/27/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

This was either significant bottle variation or this wine isn't in a great place right now. Disjointed in terms of acid, tannin, came off as light-med bodied, grenache-dominant. Not bad, but not up to the standards of other bottles. 88 if scored.

5/27/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

Received the '16 and '18 in the wine club and opened during Memorial Day BBQ. Served them both ice cold, back to back, while I was working the grill. I couldn't tell you which was which, and I think at least one guest mixed the two vintages ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Seriously, tho, who cares? These were situationally on point: Light in color, light in body, easy drinking, no harsh corners. They were both gone in 45 minutes, which is exactly the point of $17 rose.

5/27/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

Received the '16 and '18 in the wine club and opened during Memorial Day BBQ. Served them both ice cold, back to back, while I was working the grill. I couldn't tell you which was which, and I think at least one guest mixed the two vintages ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Seriously, tho, who cares? These were situationally on point: Light in color, light in body, easy drinking, no harsh corners. They were both gone in 45 minutes, which is exactly the point of $17 rose.

5/21/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

Brought to burger night at Fiorella - great pairing. Classic, high octane, herman story rhone; a little soft but just enough structure to carry it through. Always best at cellar temp.

5/26/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

This wine is absolutely singing right now. Balanced enough that it can be opened and consumed, but even better with a 60 min decant.

5/19/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

This was good but not great. Reinforced my take on the 2011 vintage. Classic napa cab flavor profile but with a hint of a green/vegetal/stem note and lacking in body and richness compared to other Barbours.

5/26/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

This was a rare miss for HS - too sweet, a little flabby, lacked the tannic and acid structure to stand up to the gobs of blue fruit, spice, and <16% etoh.

3/17/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

30 min in decanter at cellar temp. A complete joy - honeysuckle, butterscotch, apple. Great mouthfeel, effortless.

2/17/2019 - daniel.jay wrote:

Corked

11/23/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

1 hr double decant - was just barely adequate. This is bursting with ripe red jammy fruit, touch of meat and spice. Found it more mouth-forward than expected. Great viscosity and balance. Not heat despite high ETOH.

11/22/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Pop and pour - immediately approachable. Strawberries, vanilla, flowers, great acidity, balanced mouthfeel. Even better with air (darker fruit, less oak), but disappeared before we got there. If possible, decant 1hr.

11/23/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Melon, pear, apple - very fruit forward, highly quaffable. Fan favorite.

11/22/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Opened on Thanksgiving at 10am and tried over next 24 hours. This wine never came around and never gave up anything - was left at end of night. Lacked fruit, presented as tannic, dusty, leathery, hint of green bell pepper. Bought on release and properly stored, perhaps a bad bottle. Disappointing.

11/22/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Potentially damaged - wine had moved partially up the cork. Little nose at first. Very familiar with this wine, it eventually showed some of altamura's more hedonistic characteristics. Would score 89-90 for this showing.

11/25/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Did not show well. Dark napa fruit was present but not strong, got notes of black olive and brine. Damaged? Will not score.

10/21/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

This was very disjointed at opening. Came together after about 45 min. Would recommend decant of more than 1 hour.

10/20/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Drank at Angler w/ petrale sole and butter-based sauce. Pairing was fantastic.

10/3/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Classic HS - deep, brooding, meaty, high alcohol, all the while managing to stay just barely in balance. As good or better on night two. Drink or hold.

9/12/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Drank in honor of the passing of its namesake, Ulises Valdez. This wine is still years away from its peak, but it's still phenomenal today with just a 45min decant. Beautiful primary raspberry/strawberry fruit, with herbs and forest notes (but not the pumpkin pie spice of some others), hint of oak. Paired beautifully with pork chop.

9/24/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Drinking very well right now - body and intensity of an SV, very impressive for a blend at this price point.

4/6/2018 - daniel.jay wrote:

Flawed - fizzy/secondary fermentation

10/15/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Best bottle to date - immediately approachable, more fruit forward. Fantastic with food. Great value.

10/11/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

I don't like this wine... but this bottle was not as bad as later vintages. It's still too sugary, too viscous, too jammy to be pinot noir.

7/24/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Varietally correct, great structure, slightly less fruit forward than Altamura/Barbour/Araujo. Leans toward red fruit over blue/black. Decanted for 1.5hr, didn't hit its stride until about 3 hours. Long life ahead.

7/20/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

This came together really nicely at about 90 minutes. Young, primary, fresh, tending toward red fruits (strawberries, cherries, raspberries) but nicely balanced with a hint of baking spice (clove, nutmeg). Oak is present and works well. Ideally hold, but very drinkable now with appropriate decant.

7/9/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

This was a good wine, but not a great one. Balance tipped toward acid. Fruit lacked plushness and fullness associated w/ other great Aubert pinots.

7/7/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Grippy, textured, surprisingly tannic for 2005. Great Napa mountain fruit. Drinking fantastically, still has plenty of life.

4/8/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Supple, vibrant, elegant, reflecting cooler Nor Cal climate rather than Central Coast offerings. Over 15% but not a hint of heat. I expected this bottle to be fantastic and it delivered. Drink at cellar temp. It's too bad winning WOTY drove prices up on all vintages of Relentless.

3/28/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

This was consumed with no decant. More restraint than, say, a KB, and more primary in strawberry/cherry flavors. A touch of mushroom/earth. Sojourn is remarkable for its pure drinkability, great balance, no heat. The prices on these have been creeping up over the years, but the quality of the wine justifies.

3/29/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

This needed 3-4 hours to open up, at which point it became a luscious mountain fruit beast, well balanced from the cab franc and (surprisingly) resolved tannins. Really enjoyed. I think Viader is suffering from some bottle variation as this was dramatically better than prior bottles.

3/23/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

I keep waiting for this wine to mature into something more interesting... but it doesn't.

3/24/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

No decant; nose was correct but a little reserved and mineral at first on the palate. Opened nicely to classic KB fruit by 90 min. Darker and more brooding than the SC bottling.

3/21/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

No decant w/ ribs and french dip at Hillstone. This was so good with the smoky ribs. Gobs of fruit (red and blue), meat, smoke, earth, bramble (no pepper), enough acidity to get the job done. Less tannic than expected for its age (i.e. drinking perfectly now). Claims 15.2% alc but not a hint of heat anywhere on the palate. Great work, pure party.

3/11/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Slightly less of a vanilla-bomb than anticipated. I will not purchase this bottling again. Though I remain a fan of the Special Select.

3/11/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Still young and primary, gobs of red fruits, fresh acidity, great concentration. Will benefit from some age. Decanted 60 min, not enough.

3/11/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

From magnum, no decant. Perfect age, light bricking, cherries, strawberries, resolved tannins, plush mouthfeel. Started to fade at 2 hours.

3/5/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Nothing to like about this. Way too much oak, some acid, no tannins and boring fruit.

3/10/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Mark Aubert is known for his chards, but his pinots deserve equal praise. Obviously a new world wine, lots of ripe red fruits (cherry, strawberry), flowers, hints of earth, cola, and spice but perfectly balanced by acidity and tannins. Huge nose. Luxurious mouthfeel. Went beautifully with food (Bistro Central Parc) and on its own. Decant 1 hour.

3/3/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Absolutely singing at 90 min. Within the typical Napa cab flavor profile, tending toward tart red fruit than over-ripe dark fruit. Medium weight. Had at Bellota - great food, great wine.

2/8/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Better on night two, oak/vanilla had calmed down.

1/20/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Brought to Lazy Bear. Rather overwhelming situation to judge a wine, but went beautifully with nearly everything, in particular the duck and beef. This is huge napa-style cab but drinks effortlessly, great acidic balance, resolved tannins. Gobs of ripe blue and black fruits, hints of cedar, tobacco, baking spice. Unfortunately my last one.

1/7/2017 - daniel.jay wrote:

Really delicious, great structure, plenty of acidity/freshness, leans toward bright red fruits over more classic napa dark blue fruit.