2/3/2023 - dinwiddie wrote:

Badly corked.

11/9/2022 - dinwiddie wrote:

corked

10/17/2021 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Like most of Paul's wines, it requires some age before drinking. Even at 15 years old, it was tight and somewhat astringent on opening. However, after an hour and a half in the decanter it had really opened up and smoothed out.

8/2/2020 - dinwiddie wrote:

Great nose. Soft tannins. Notes of leather, cassis and herbs. Medium long finish.

5/10/2020 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Still amazingly fresh and light. Crisp with a slight sweetness.

6/18/2019 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Some age has really helped this wine. Wonderful floral nose of dark fruits and spices. Still powerful and fruity, black cherry and nutmeg and cinnamon spices. Strong mid-palate with soft tannins and a velvety mouth feel. Long finish. Very definitely a CA pinot noir.

5/23/2019 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Tasted at the winery. Fantastic wine. More like a Cote-Roti than a southern Rhone. Mainly syrah with a fantastic nose and long finish.

5/23/2019 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Tasted at the winery. Wonderful nose and long finish.

5/23/2019 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Tasted at the winery. Wonderful wine with great nose. Nice acidity and very young.

5/23/2019 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Tasted at the winery. Great nose of grenache floral with soft tannins and nice mouthfeel.

5/23/2019 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Tasted at winery. Grapefruit and citrus nice long finish

5/11/2019 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Decanted and after an hour this wine was singing. Flavors of plum, wild berry, raspberry and notes of spice. Nicely integrated and soft tannins. Strong mid-palate with a long finish. Went wonderfully with the duck breast I was eating. Wish this wasn't my last one from this year.

3/11/2019 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Consumed with dinner at Fiola Mare in Washington DC. Wonderful notes of citrus, peach, apple and pineapple with a nice minerality. Full bodied with a great finish. Fantastic with both the Dover sole and grilled calamari. Very Burgundian in many ways. Fantastic wine.

3/11/2019 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Consumed with dinner at Fiola Mare in Washington DC. Opened and decanted for about an hour before drinking. Plum and blackberry with notes of herbs. Nicely rounded tannins and just a hint of vanilla from the oak. Somewhat rustic at the beginning but after the second hour it had smoothed out and was excellent.

8/29/2018 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Drunk from a 375. Served with Wagyu beef and mushrooms. Wonderful earthy nose with spicy notes. Dark purple with no bricking. Mature, but it could go for a few more years with no problem. Bodes well for the Magnum that is sitting in the cellar. Cassis, cedar, and mocha. Smooth tannins with a muted oak flavor. Fairly long finish. Very nice wine for an excellent meal.

8/4/2018 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

With dinner at China Chilcano in Washington DC

6/10/2018 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Drunk with a dinner of rack of lamb, sweet corn risotto and snap pea and mushroom stir fry.

5/9/2018 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Opened for my birthday dinner with cap steak au poive and baked potato. Decanted for 45 minutes before drinking. A little lighter than what I expected from something made by Michael Browne, but lots of fruit with a very expressive nose. Fairly long finish. Got better as the evening wore on but maybe my expectations were higher than they should have been. Still and excellent bottle of wine with a lot of years ahead of it.

2/28/2018 - dinwiddie wrote:

Excellent with ribeyes and mac and goat cheese.

2/14/2018 - dinwiddie wrote:

Garnet color with no bricking. Earthy with some leather and dark fruits. Somewhat muted from the last time I tried it five years ago. Soft tannins, medium finish. Went very well with coq au vin. Probably nearing the end of its window, suggest drinking it sooner than later.

1/28/2018 - dinwiddie wrote:

Opened with flank steak and a baked potato. Decanted for a bit. Lush, velvety with lots of fruit. Fairly long finish. After a couple of hours it was still powerful and smooth. Very soft tannins, touches of vanilla and cedar.

9/20/2017 - dinwiddie wrote:

Opened to go with brisket for the first night of Rosh Hashanah. A little tight when first opened and a little lighter than I expectedbut then it opened up in the decanter and gained some heft. Garnet with a little lightness along the rim. Lots of black fruits with notes of tobacco and beef. Not at all tannic, very nice mid-palate and a medium long finish. When I finished the last glass 4 hours later, it was superb.

7/2/2017 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

A bit tannic on opening, but 30 minutes in a decanter and it was much less so. Lots of fruit, medium finish. Enjoyable Tuscan wine if you don't demand too much of it.

6/18/2017 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Decanted for two hours before dinner. Opaque inky purple. Wonderful nose of cassis, eucalyptus, and black fruits. Mid palate strength with the same flavors. Medium-long finish that was a little hot. I think that I will wait a couple to three years before opening another.

6/12/2017 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Consumed with a chicken curry that my son made for dinner. Stood up well to the spices and had an wonderful acidity and purity that made it very easy to drink. Glad I bought enough to enjoy through the summer.

5/19/2017 - dinwiddie wrote:

Consumed at Crave the Food in Harrisburg with family and friends. Because there were several other wines opened, I got to consume the majority of this along with my wife's cousin Judy. (She had a rack of lamb that this went with wonderfully). The tannins have softened greatly, but there is still a nice toasty oak note and a core of wonderful fruit. Nicely balanced with notes of cassis, cedar, chocolate, and some herbal tones. Medium body and acid. Drinking very well but might be at its peak.

3/11/2017 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

One of my wife's favorites, for good reason. Drank it with dinner for her birthday at Taberna del Alabardero in DC. Wonderful nose, lots of blackberry and raspberry fruits. Nice acidity with firm but mild tannins. Long finish on a very elegant wine. Went wonderfully with both the sea bass and the duck.

11/24/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

I love Loring PNs and this was no exception. Wonderful nose, firm structure, raspberry, blueberry and boysenberry notes and a fairly long finish. Nice acidity says that this will age well.

11/24/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

It's Thanksgiving, bring a Zin they said. So I did. While not the best Ridge Zin I've had, it was well received by all at the table.

11/24/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

On of the favorites at Thanksgiving dinner.

11/24/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Hugely extracted cab. Huge nose, and lots of fruit. Well integrated tannins. Very nice mouthfeel with a strong mid-palate. Long finish.

11/24/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Popped and poured before Thanksgiving dinner, actually to drink while preparing dinner. Love cabs that age well and this is drinking wonderfully. Lovely nose, cherries and cassis with a touch of cedar and flowers. On the palate a gentle caress of soft tannins with plum and mocha and a long silky finish.

11/1/2016 - dinwiddie wrote:

I found this to be somewhat "hot" with an antiseptic note to it. It wasn't terrible, but lacked fruit and was somewhat thin on the front end. My son just set it aside and said he wasn't interested. The next day it was a little better, but not a lot.

9/4/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Popped and poured at the end of the meal. Should have let it decant for a couple of hours. Was quite tight, but opened some in the glass. Shows great potential to be a fantastic wine. As it was, it was extremely enjoyable. Elegant with an aromatic nose of red fruits and spices.

9/4/2016 - dinwiddie wrote:

Very impressive wine. Stood up well to a cheese plate and paired wonderfully. Strong minerality and acid structure that make me think I need to try to keep some of these for a long time to see how they age. Very austere for a Finger Lakes Riesling with well defined flavors of . Wonderful wine with strong citrus, peach and slate notes. Long finish.

9/4/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Decanted two hours before dinner. Drank with salmon and a quinoa and butternut squash salad.

Wonderful nose, and very focused wine. Lots of plum, raspberry and blueberry notes, strong mid-palate and nice long finish.

9/4/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Popped and decanted, but poured less than 15 minutes later. Huge nose, lots of fruit and spices. Well integrated tannins, lots of dark fruits. However, you can tell this was made by some CA PN guys, very extracted and forward. Still, I loved it and the ladies my wife had over for dinner thought is was "a very sensual wine."

8/17/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

I took this to lunch with my staff from the office. Still vibrant, but probably at the end of its best window. The tannins had smoothed out to almost non-existent and it needed no decanting or waiting. Popped and poured and excellent at first sip.

Nice nose, but somewhat muted but lots of red fruits on the palate; red currant and raspberrys. Lots of Merlot in this blend. Reminded me of a mature St. Emilion. Mid palate was nice, but not quite as strong as it was in the past. Medium length, with a very nice finish.

8/14/2016 - dinwiddie wrote:

Drunk with a flank steak, mushrooms, and creamed spinach. Dark garnet color, no bricking. Decanted for an hour before drinking. Menthol and cedar on the nose, well integrated tannins, a little soft on the mid palate, but fairly long finish.

4/24/2016 - dinwiddie wrote:

I prefer these with some age on them, they tend to be somewhat disjointed early. It smoothed out nicely however, lemon and almonds with a nice acidity. Some mild oaky notes to give it a nice buttery mouthfeel without being to viscous. Nice wine, but not as nice as a couple from earlier years. Still a very interesting Chard.

3/12/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Opened at dinner at 701 in Washington DC. Meaty syrah yet the tannins are fairly soft. Lots of dark fruit, black cherry and raspberry with a wonderful smokiness that lasts a long time. Fairly long finish. Went wonderfully with the smoked duck breast that I paired it with. Also stood up well to dessert.

3/12/2016 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Opened at dinner at 701 in Washington DC for my wife's birthday. Expressive nose of blackberries and raspberries with a slight floral undertone. Ont he palate it was very opulent but sophisticated. Dominated by flavors of berries and currants, with some fig and caramel. My son noted a slight flash of sweet grapes on the back of the throat. Very long finish. This was just too easy to drink.

12/31/2015 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Opened an decanted for an hour before drinking. Wonderful nose of blackberry and anise. Flavors of herbs, tart cherry and dark berry and just a touch of black pepper. Fine grained and very well integrated tannins. Finish is sweet (in a good way), laser focused, and persistent. Probably just getting mature and I will save my remaining bottle for a year or two. Very good example of Eric's touch with Syrah, and a fine example of why Sonoma Coast Syrahs find a welcome place in my cellar.

8/29/2015 - dinwiddie wrote:

Still amazingly fruity, not at all over the hill. Wonderful nose with a very long finish. Definitely the WOTH among some very stiff competition.

8/29/2015 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Consumed with dinner with friends and family. Opened at the last minute so no decant. Very plush. big nose of fruits and spices. Very popular with all.

8/16/2015 - dinwiddie wrote:

Decanted for an hour, probably could have used one more. Inky color, nose of blueberrys and violets. On the palate there is a nice mouthfeel with flavors of blackberrys, cocoa and allspice and beef. Fairly long finish, well integrated tannins. This wine can go for at least 5 more years with no problem and will probably go longer than that.

8/9/2015 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully. Decanted for two hours before dinner. Wonderful nose of spices and black cherry. Nice mouthfeel, not at all tannic or hot. Gobs and gobs of sweet fruits, just a touch of cedar. Not your typical cab, more like a Cab made by some Pinot guys that got treated like a Syrah. Different but very tasty.

7/18/2015 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Wonderful bottle. Still strong ruby color, a little clouding but no bricking. Full bodied but feminine with flavors of cranberry, chai tea, and orange peel. Definitely an Oregon Pinot, sophisticated and elegant without being dainty or thin. I wish I had more than just one bottle left.

7/11/2015 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Drank at dinner at Amici Miei in Montogmery County MD. Very nice wine. We picked it up at the winery in 2010 and this is the third bottle I have consumed. Meaty wine, nice acidity without being hot. Still has a lot of fruit, dried plum and raisin, with firm but smooth tannins. Went very well with the rabbit I had for dinner.

6/20/2015 - dinwiddie Likes this wine:

Opened with dinner at Jackie's in Silver Spring, MD. Wonderful expressive nose, the table next to us perked up when it was opened. My wife noted that it was just too easy to drink. blueberry, wild berrys and plums with a touch of spice. Smooth with a nice mouthfeel. Fairly long finish. Wonderful expression of what the RRV is all about when it comes to Pinot Noir.