12/28/2023 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine:

Loved this! Lots of plum, coffee bean, spices, leather in the nose, beautiful harmonious almost silky texture , medium acidity, long finish

6/19/2023 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine:

Lots of primary dark plum, blueberry, spices and some earthy notes on the nose, really generous almost mouth coating fruit on the palate with fine well integrated ripe tannins , medium acidity and medium plus finish

6/19/2023 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine:

Really enjoyed this tonight with some tandoori shrimp lots of mango, red apple skin, golden delicious, minerals , bright fresh herbs, subtle spring florals on the nose, similar plate with bright acidity and just the right amount of RS, lots of focus and a long finish

4/23/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Wow was this good. Perfect blend of sweetness and fruit and acid that did not fatigue the palate. Perfect match for some spicy thai food but great on its own.

4/1/2023 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

This is killer on the nose - hugely fragrant and complex and electric. Rock candy, honey, honeysuckle, mint, green peas and grass, lime, slate and rock. This is pitch perfect and sharp as a Katana. Laser sharp on the palate as well - more green and less sweet this is closer to the Oben than the Terrasen but has more material and complexity than the Oben - still just a touch dry for my Kabinett - tons of lime and green and mint, really brothy and full of saline minerality towards the end palate into the finsh. The palate is light as a feather and really poised. Finish is super saline minerality and lime. Lovely, but my $ is still on the Terrasen. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 16.5-17/20.

3/4/2023 - Rich S Likes this wine:

Deep golden color with slight amber notes. Nose of ripe, baked golden apples, honey, candied apricot, honeysuckle, a bit of burnt sugar. As good as the wine smells, the palate is even better. Intense flavors of candied citrus and stone fruits with honey and apple pie notes with an incredibly long, sweet finish that is balanced by ripping acidity. The finish on this wine is particularly noteworthy and rivals some of the best dessert wines from across the globe. Spectacular wine and worth the price for sure.

2/18/2023 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine:

I love willi Schaefer wines and this was another beautiful showing lots of yellow tropical fruits, a green and red apple skin mix, slated minerals on the nose, near pitch perfect poise on the palate with fruits, RS, acidity all singing in harmony

12/25/2022 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine:

Quite dark in appearance , Burnt sugars, yellow tropical fruit, honey and spice on the nose, similar plate with zippy acidity and obscene amount of fruit and a crazy long finish

5/4/2022 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:

Tasted at opening and then revisited a week later from a sample poured off and sealed without airspace for serving at a Zoom tasting discussing the winery and its vineyards

light lemon color, crystalline notes of fruit punch, lemon and melon on the open nose, dark metals, on the palate the most open of the 3 grand crus but still quite tight in the grand scheme of things, a generous- almost lush- melon and orchard fruit quickly gives way to a painfully tight midpalate that remains aloof through a deliciously tart long finish, lemon notes, iron bands tightly casing an almost pulsing fruit core, hints of dry lime, melon, grapefruit, tangerine, beatifully defined with painfful precison from start to finish, enormous potential, a week later with 2 hours of airing out of sample bottle- tense nose, taut, coiled, honey without sweetness, pear, melon, peach blossoms, on the palate gloriously detailed, this has a digital definition present in many great wines- but rarer still is that even at this young age the countless details are so seamlessly harmonized that one must completely surrender and concentrate to fully see and experience all of the subtleties that join to create a greater whole, melon, slate, quince, and an endless array of floral notes, hints of wild french strawberries, broad and deep yet incredibly restrained, in addition to its obvious beauty there is a cerebral quality here that is quite rare- akin to Chateau Ausone and not all that far off from Romanee-Conti itself, and- quite uniquely- presented in a very unassuming and endearing package, the history here is too new to know what will come of this in time, but I am predicting an uncommonly long life that will handsomely reward the patient, wine in its purest and greatest form, a masterpiece.

(*****), 2030++

3/18/2022 - Kirk Grant wrote:

PnP in a Grassl Liberte. Cork is sound & in good condition. This is the same vineyard that Keller's Abtserd is made from. Keller's vision of this vineyard is clear & crystalline while this is deeper & more brooding. To offer some context for White Burgundy lovers, Keller is like a Chevalier Montrachet & Wittmann is akin to Batard Montrachet. The color is a deep golden yellow, with scents of lime, white floral notes, chalk, slate...the nose is just spinning out with a wild array of scents. The palate is taught & coiled tightly as others have suggested...but I do not regret having opened my first of four bottles. Outstanding now...with a very high likelihood that this will one day be something extraordinary in another 10-25+ years.

1/10/2018 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Alc: 14%; Mid yellow
Gentle aromas of ripe papaya, orange blossom, sea salt and yellow flowers. Some development noted.
A plump, almost oily entry with fresh fruits set against a mineral-edge briny texture. Cleansing acidity, the mid-palate has breadth and richness with lots of quince, dried hay, white pepper and clementine peel. The wine has a gorgeous flow, with more richness than expected and excellent concentration. There is a very distinct tactile sensation of cayenne pepper on the finish giving a gentle prickle. Great length, with plenty of fruit filling the back palate and a hint of celery salt.

9/4/2021 - eoinhharkins wrote:

Really enjoyed this tonight expressive nose of sea coral, stoney minerality, apple skin and pears, surprisingly generous fruit filled texture with typical racy acidity as a back bone really nice , brined finish too that begs another sip wish I had more of this!

5/3/2021 - rieslinghoarder Likes this wine:

Ordered a mixed case of 2019 chardonnays from Seth after being very impressed by the couple 2018 bottles I sampled. This Eola-Amity Hills bottling is a blend of 50% Seven Springs vineyard and 50% X Omni vineyard. Consumed from a Grassl Cru glass.

Flint/matchstick on the nose, leading into lime zest, underripe Granny Smith apple, ginger, mint, and crushed rocks. With some air (Seth told me to decant, but I already had the wine in the glass), more lemon/lime oil and baking spice notes waft from the glass. The wine is bright on the palate, with shimmering acidity, yet delicate and fades gently with citrus flavors over a long finish. My first go at the 2019 Morgen Long wines, can't wait to try the rest.

10/20/2019 - eoinhharkins wrote:

Loads of ripe dark berries, dark minerals, spices and raw game, palate is quite smooth for such a young cornas, with the grainy tannins only showing on the fresh persist finish

8/21/2020 - eoinhharkins wrote:

Slightly better than last time! Georgous nose of amber/yellow tropical fruits, apple, dried honey and a stoney notes in the background, palate is expressive and ripe, but far drier than the nose would lead you’d to believe, high acidity and a really nice long finish!

8/19/2020 - eoinhharkins wrote:

Pretty nose of dark red berries, earthy minerals, purple florals, elegant palate for such a young wine, with smooth well integrated tannins, medium acidity and medium plus length finish

1/19/2020 - aquacongas wrote:

Columella complete Vertical Tasting (Fritz Frau Frazi Düsseldorf): First of all it was an amazing tasting. No bottle was corked or defective. We double decanted all bottles. We drank one bottle after one. No flights. We started with the bold years but they were so good that I changed the order after 6 vintages and I mixed the elegant years in between. All old bottles delivered phantastically.

The order

2005

Still primary fruit, very balanced, starting to reach his peak, silky tannins, alcohol well integrated. 93+

2003 DMG

From this size really fresh, black berries, a bit plums, soft tannins, you feel the hot vintage but not marmelade style, easy to drink and not over the top. 92-93

2007 MG

Still some oaky notes, much fruit, somehow one dimensional and missing a bit the refreshing acidity. I would prefer 03 as a warm vintage. 90

2002

Very reluctant, it reminds me to a classic Bordeaux vintage, even the nose shows black currant and cedar wood. Delicate and elegant. Even it was one of your first vintages it is a masterpiece, really not bold and broad. At least 10 more years. Great. 95-96

2001

Great structure and ultra fresh, firm tannins. It needs decantation. Lovely fruitieness and some herbal notes. A decade ahead. 94+

2004

I had this wine a few times before. Always delivering as today again. Fresh, elegant, decanted for 2 hours, reminds me to a very good Northern Rhone wine. Great acidity structure. White pepper, dark berries, saline and firm and ripe tannins. No hurry to finish it. For many in the group WOTN. 94-95

2011

Maybe this bottle was not perfect, a bit clumsy and some acetone

2016

3 hours decantation, ultra fresh and young. Very accessible and a pure fruit. Reminds many friends to a great Burgundy, I would go for a great CF from the Loire as Clos Rougeard. Graceful 95++

2014

2 hours of decanation. Fresh, accessible, evrybody's darling from the beginning. Tannins soft, great refreshing acidity, very balanced. 94

2000

Lovely, lean, still primary fruit, spicy, pepper, dark cherries, precise finish. Starting to reach his peak. At least 5-7 more yeras ahead. 94+

2006

A bit broad and wild. A lot of fruit but missing structure and substance for a further aging. 90

2008

Balanced, in a really nice drinking window, reluctant fruit but cracking acidity. 93

2009

A bit broad, a lot fruit, alcohol perceptible, somehow one dimensional. 91

2013

Fine, elegant, great structure, a lot of acidity, reduced fruit, spicy, a monster, precise finish. A lot to come in next 2 decades. 3 hours decantation. 95+

2012

Powerful and fruit dominated, less concentrated than 2013. Balanced, niice drinking window. 92

2015

Compared to 2013 a bit more "alcoholic" and not the finesse but still powerful and spicy Northern Rhone wine. Only 1 hour of decantion. Maybe this was the "problem".94+

2010

Still young, Many in the group are flashed from this wine, for me a bit short in the finish. Not completely balanced at this stage. I guess maybe in a closed window. Great structure. 92

2017

3 hours of decantation. Fresh, alcohol percetible, maybe it was a lot of alcohol at the end of the tasting, nicely balanced in fruit and acidity, great length, precise. 93+

My Top 5

2002, 2016, 2001, 2013, 2000

12/24/2019 - eoinhharkins wrote:

Another vintage and another great showing of this wine 2011, last time I was in Napa! Gorgeous nose of dried earthy minerals, cranberry and raspberries palate is a bit tense with lots of fruit, acidity and fine pin point mousse and a really long finish

3/11/2019 - sirpat00 Likes this wine:

This one needed a while to open up even after a ~3h decant. Also worth mentioning this got lined up unfavourably with an expressive and intense Opus One 1996. But once you focused you found black coffee, dark chocolate and marzipan along with perfumed flowers and a red fruit core. Some minerality and ash. Great, fresh and juicey palate showing character and vigour and layered with various sorts of freshly picked berries. Light texture and perfect harmony from mid-palate all the way to the finish. Tannins feel like satin on naked skin. Good length. Refined and complex without being a show-off. Versatility over time in the glass adds to the arcane beauty. I had high hopes for this one and found them fully confirmed – was even leaning towards 98PR which would also have been just as deserved and may yet happen before long as I'm not planning to wait very long for my next bottle while scrambling to acquire pretty much everything that's left in the Swiss market. Initial scores by pundits when this juice hit the bittle were rather poor (low 90ies) and therfore it’a simply amazing how this evolved. As the pure opposite of a muscular Napa cab, it maybe comes as little surprise that the highest scores from pro’s have been awarded by women: Jancis Robinson (19/20 in 2016) and Jane Anson (100/100 in 2018).

Having tasted this embodiment of elegance and class, I'm surprised to see the relatively conservative scoring by most. Well, just so that you know: You're wrong.

12/16/2018 - Chomsky wrote:

Killer. What an intense and crazy wine. Piercing nose of kumquat-citrus and dried peaches, rainwater, very light marzipan, just so lovely. Brisk and piquant on the attack with saturating citrus and stone fruit with ripping acidity, super clean and preposterously fresh and energetic. The finish ends with tart citrus and a salty/nutty/oily resinous note that reverberates as it slowly fades away. Sick wine.

4/24/2018 - Mlermontov wrote:

ripe black fruit, cedar notes, resolved (perhaps a bit advanced?), good mid, if a bit leaner than the nose lead on.

1/26/2018 - dead puddle wrote:

After 1 hour decatation (needed) nose still shy on melon juice. Mouth is good, simple lemon core, salty, balanced and short. A wine for expert who wants to discover the limits this grapetype. An excellent wine maker in an excellent year makes an good wine. Twenty euros in France. Worth a try .

1/22/2018 - Rich S Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. Light to medium garnet color. Nose of dried red berry fruits, mushroom, wet earth and a little tobacco. Similar flavors on the palate along with red plum and cedar cigar box. Medium acidity, tannins mostly fully resolved, medium body. Sweet red fruit note on the finish. Very nicely aged mature Bordeaux. Not sure what else you can ask for. Have 1 bottle left that I will drink in the next year or so.

4/12/2015 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine:

On the nose there are Dark fruits, with vanilla, spices,cassis, similar palate with hints of heat and bitter chocolate, medium acidity and sweet tannins on the medium length finish

4/29/2017 - eoinhharkins wrote:

Hit the spot tonight with boba short rib burgers, the spicey, smokey dark red tight berry notes on the nose, palate has expressive dark fruit, and while there is a tannic grip on the mid palate it more about demonstrating structure than austerity, medium plus length. This is for me a far superior wine than the 12 I had recently and don't follow the region enough to know the specifics or ratings of the vintages

2/4/2017 - eoinhharkins wrote:

After an hour in the decanter you get a Nice mix of green and yellow tropical fruits, some minerals and subtle green herbal note, palate has medium plus acidity, good length and persistence

1/29/2017 - eoinhharkins wrote:

My first tasting the the pmr Chardonnay from 14 checking in on it before the release tomorrow, while it's a nice wine and my style of Chardonnay it seems atypical of what I've come to expect from this site, everything fells more dialed down and restrained and really doesn't come across like any of the previous 3 vintages, notes of lemon, pear, saline hint, similar palate with lots of fruit on the attack that really subsides after the mid palate, lots of acidity and good structure.

1/23/2017 - DavidWong168 Likes this wine:

Kerin O'Keefe's tasting note is pretty much spot-on. There's a preponderance of oak on the nose: the curtain of vanilla is so thick you have to look hard for the fruit hiding behind it. The Mocali website states one year in large Slavonian barrels and two years in French. The attack shows ripe cherries and strawberries alongside some bitterness and astringency. Aggressive tannins are palpable from the get go. Thankfully they soften with time in the glass. Toasted tobacco and cherry liqueur reverberate on a long finish. The tannins should mellow with bottle age; I'm hoping the oak will likewise fade with time.

1/17/2017 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

didn't heed my own advice and drank my last bottle... still tasty

1/14/2017 - Rich S wrote:

Refraining from rating as I am not sure if this bottle was right. Very oxidative and missing a freshness to it on the nose. Good acidity on the palate but any apple or citrus flavors were beneath a lingering oxidative, yeasty note. Hoping my next bottle shows better.

1/1/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine:

This wine was drinking superbly a couple of years ago but then closed down. Having left it for a year its is certainly starting to open up again. Possessing a delicate nose of cherry and strawberry it balances nicely in the mouth with very firm tannins which have resolved just enough to give sufficient roundness on the palate and allow the fruit to shine through. It has a very long and firm finish. However, the full potential of the wine is being hampered at present by a wall of tannin and although palatable, this needs to resolve to allow the wine to become something very special. I suspect that as with many 1995's it could be only a matter of months for this to happen.

12/21/2016 - Fetid wrote:

Been looking forward to trying this but sadly the bottle had gone off. :-( Shame as it has been kept in good conditions.

5/20/2016 - eoinhharkins wrote:

not sure what to think, only that it was a screw cap I would have thought this was corked ...

10/2/2016 - Motz wrote:

Drank over three days. On the first the wine featured concentrated blackcurrant, rocks, tobacco, and black earth. Though potent, the wine was taut (serious acid) and somewhat reticent. On the second day it showed notably more openness and roundness and also added a pungent, Gran Reserva Rioja-like element (dried urea). Otherwise, blackcurrant, light roast South American coffee beans, drying tobacco, and gravel elements draped a medium plus acid and medium tannin frame. By the third day the wine had entered its sweet spot, more than hinting at what it should become in 15 to 20 years...and I would love to taste it then!

Overall, very young and showing tremendous substance for the generally underappreciated vintage. My favorite wine from this house aside from the 2000 vintage. Time will serve it well.

9/18/2016 - MrBrege wrote:

From Coravin. A year has gone since I last tried this. Much better now after having been in a closed phase a year ago. I can understand that lovers of traditional Bordeaux may think this a heretic wine, but I am also such a fan of the traditional, and I still think this is absolutely superb! In many ways it is more similar to a Brunello than a Bordeaux, but what it is not is a Napa fruit bomb. On the attack and the mid-palate, it has that almost overwhelming strength of fruit laced with commensurate acidity while the tannins are present albeit receding. Yet there is enough freshness to the experience to know that it heralds from Bordeaux. I love it!

7/30/2016 - eoinhharkins wrote:

I don't normally buy or drink entry level trocken German Riesling but given the vintage hype decided to try some, while this is not a bad wine by any means it does not change my previous position, there's a loaded upfront slate mineral note, with subtle green apple skin and lemon rind, nice medium acidity fresh mouth feel with A low fruit feel and medium length finish.

9/2/2016 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Only needed one short olfactory pass over the first pour to know I could click "I like it," evoking spontaneous yelps of "that's what I'm talking about," and "thank you Sir, I'll have another"-no wait, that's not where I want this to go.

To me, great (affordable) left bank Bordeaux doesn't explode from the glass in a scud missile assault of fruit and alcoholic heat, it expresses itself in successive waves of classic cabernet driven impressions, each building and complementing the others in a holistic, integrated fashion. So far, all I've done is smell this wine once and I know.

At age 11 we find ripe red plum and currant fruit, tobacco, cedar, and graphite all just essentially hanging there for the taking. I wanted to confirm the lack of heat, and the label says 13%, which of course may not be wholly accurate, but I'm going to give it the benefit of a doubt.

Before tasting, I checked the color, and it's still opaque at the center, a dark red that starts a noticeable bricking towards the rim, suggesting some level of maturity.

The first sip is surprisingly smooth, the tannins fully resolved, and it spreads in a mouth-coating blanket over the palate. A big hit of coffee perceptible now that I missed on the nose. With air, everything is intensifying, except perhaps the fruit, which suddenly has taken a back seat. I'm going to wait for a while and come back...

Now a half hour in and it's back on plan, pretty fruit, smooth, soft, plush and very drinkable, tannins becoming a bit dusty towards the finish. I'm about to dive into an herb grilled sirloin and I think they'll become fast friends. Net net, this one isn't going to hide her charms, they are on display for all to see.

8/31/2016 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

I had this right after the 2 Weiser-Kunstler 2015's, and to be honest, it was a tough transition, with all the RS in the W-K's. This is sleek and sharp, with a lot of the grassy herbal, almost musky aroma I get from the Kupp along with sizzling slate and flint. A bit of lemon, but this is pretty wicked, at least to me after the sweeter wines I had. In the 14-15/20 range.

9/4/2016 - eoinhharkins wrote:

While I enjoyed this, it definitely needs allot more time to fully integrate the cedar/woody notes on the nose and palate. There's cedar, dark cherries,, black raspberry, vanilla and tobacco leaf on the nose, similar palate but the core wood notes are hard to deal with at this point

8/1/2016 - isaacjamesbaker wrote:

About two years since I brought this bottle back from a winery visit in South Africa, and I think it's improved even more. Nose shows green onion, bell pepper, sea salt, crunched sea shells, notes of anise and clove, too, all on top of white cherries, peaches and limes. Creamy texture but bracing acidity. Laser-beam style stuff. Tart green apples, limes, tangy peach. Complex elements of cucumber water, white pepper, sea salt, minerals, chalk and talcum powder. Wow. This is beautiful stuff – aging so nicely. Not tired by any means, but I would be hesitant to cellar this for more than two more years. Such a cool wine. Sauv Blanc with 12% Chardonnay.

8/14/2016 - fc1910 Likes this wine:

Opened this bottle for an afternoon barbecue, some prawns, lamb, steak, first of all: perfect match, the power of this bottle is a good partner to grilled food, popped and poured in a big Bordeaux glass the wine opens up rapidly, volouptous fruit with a lot of stonefruit and a whiff of honey, maybe from overripe grapes, very limy on the palate, a terroir wine, lots of acidity in the background, but this bottle is tasty and very delicious right now, very long finish, hmm......, bottle comes from a cold cellar therefore I would recommend to drink this wine the next 3- 10 years, ***(*), 90- 92+?

8/13/2016 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:

Olga Raffault Les Picasses - Past & Present Tasting (New York, NY): Library release bottle. Stood up for 24 hours prior to serving. Fill level was to the bottom of the neck. Cork was intact with minimal seepage. Black charcoal looking substance (assume dried wine) under foil on top of cork. Slow ox'd for 1 hour prior to tasting. Color was red with slight browning. On the nose this also had a bell pepper note although much less pronounced than the '85 and '87. On the palate this was also more vibrant with red fruit, nice acidity and bell pepper. Nice long finish. This one seems to have more life left in it. The group and my favorite of this flight.

8/15/2016 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

really tight on opening, initially only giving some funky secondary aromas that almost made me think it was corked, but it opened up nicely with some air. Definitely a richer and more masculine bottle than the rest of the AHF lineup, but quite nice and still has room to gain complexity.

7/6/2016 - bevetroppo wrote:

I enter this tasting note not out of enthusiasm but more as a warning should I encounter this wine again and think it might be good. It's barely good, showing modest varietal character and only a pale imitation of the Etna terroir and volcanic energy I look for. There are hints of alcohol on the nose and finish, and it's thick and pudgy in the middle. No way to go through life, son. One of the least pleasant Etna wines I've had. I could go on and say, it's weary, flat, stale, and unprofitable, but that's just piling on-and this is a '14? Fie on you. Hey, Marc de Grazia: non grazie.

6/28/2016 - bevetroppo wrote:

I have a lot to commemorate with this note. It's a milestone (#1300, but who's counting?), a tribute to my liver, and to Burgundy, which over the 10 years+ years I've been at this on cellartracker.com represents 27% of my note-taking output-which as we say in the financial realm, is a concentrated position.

Burgundy was also on my mind as my brother forwarded an article this morning by Elin McCoy (is she the real one? hard to tell from her journalism), proclaiming the death of Burgundy due to the recent run of calamitous vintages and the growing worldwide interest stripping inventories bare and turning the wines into hedge fund trophies.

From my perspective, this has always been the case. I could never afford DRC or Leroy no matter how bountiful the harvest and still can't. But I'm not complaining a bit. I'm extraordinarily fortunate that I can open a bottle like this on a random Tuesday night when Elin McCoy has just done her best Cassandra imitation and given Burgundy a dose of the Clape.

Turning to more serious critical guideposts, I've always been mystified by the palate-ial discrepancy between how Jancis Robinson and Allen Meadows regard Burgundy tasting windows. This wine is a mere toddler at age 5-Jancis said you can start to glug-glug in 2015; Burghound says don't start until 2021. I'm no mathematician, sir, but that's a gigantic discrepancy over a 10 year span. It's either a case of "to each his own", or they don't know any more than we do, which is cold comfort in an expensive and variable region like Burgundy. However, my own experience recording 349 Burgundy notes and probably drinking 100 other burgs without notation is that in these last 10 years there has been a tremendous upsurge in consistency, and that's helpful at any age. 2011 was beset with issues of weather and pestilence, but you wouldn't know it here.

In a fascinating nod to the above debate, out of the bottle I would say Jancis has it right-first impressions were light, airy, open and appealing notes of cherry,minerals and forest floor, not a lot of depth but excellent freshness expressed in a taut acid finish. But after an hour, the Burghound's perspective starts to make sense as it seems to be closing up, becoming leaner and less inviting. Tannins dominant the finish with a little chewing. Then two hours later it swings back the other way, while filling out a bit more. Go figure.

Premier cru quality is hard to ascribe, but that's from a guy who always goes with the vintage chalk whenever possible, and therefore depth is usually not an issue.

Bottom line, I think it's still too young, and will improve over the medium term as it relaxes and the fresh, inviting fruit gets a little more breathing room. But that's the beauty of Burgundy, to always make you ask, after all, what do I know? So says note 1300.

6/19/2016 - Rich S Likes this wine:

Decanted, threw a lot of sediment. Dark purple color. Nose of cassis, mint chocolate, black currant and a touch of vanilla. Similar flavors on the palate with ripe, dark berry fruit and some toasty oak along with a bit of eucalyptus. Medium acid, medium sweet tannins, medium+ body. Drinking very well right now but this is a drink now wine, which I have found to be the case with many 2007 Napa cabs. Structure is not here for long term aging.

6/13/2016 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

First bottle of this so far... immediate impression is a bigger, darker, more fruity wine than the 2013. Still balanced, but slightly less elegant and high toned relative to the 2013. Nice wine, but between the two, so far my preference remains with the '13. Still a good wine and great value though.

6/12/2016 - eoinhharkins Likes this wine:

Personally think think this is in a good spot right now, though will get better, sweet pipe tobacco,, some dried dark fruit on the nose, palate has nice fruit on the attack, there are still unresolved tannins that the mid palate struggles with but it still finishes well medium plus length

6/12/2016 - brown57 Likes this wine:

Aerated and decanted for 90 min. before getting started. Initially our bottle had a stewed quality that I don't favor however this subsided over the next two hours as the wine evolved in the glass.

The profile is one of dark red fruit, black cherries, white pepper, and dried herbs. This is drinking pretty well right now but can also be held for 5+ years. Need to resist the urge to keep tapping into the 2010 CdPs in the cellar since the better made ones will continue to improve and gain complexity over the years.

5/23/2016 - Rich S wrote:

At first, this was a bit thin and earthy upon opening. After about two hours of air time the nose opened up to show slight earthy, barnyard notes, mushroom and tart red fruit with hints of herbs. Light and tart red fruit on the palate with earthy undertones and little sign of oak. Medium+ acid, medium tannins and body. Still a bit leaner than I would like but drank well with food including two fish courses. If I had paid the $30 or so retail price for this wine, I would be perfectly content. Not so much at the restaurant price paid........