7/23/2017 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Took a few hours in the decanter to come alive. Smooth blend of red and black fruit, peppery herbal notes, and a long but subtle drying finish. Very nice. Like most SMV Elivettes, this is not a beast of Cali fruit and oak; it's all class and balance.

1/16/2017 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Phenomenal. Huge wine, bursting with blackberries, smooth tannins and perfectly balanced.

6/9/2016 - GlassHalfFull Does not like this wine:

Some acetone notes that blew off significantly, but still made an otherwise good wine tough to appreciate.

10/22/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Oaky. Promising but needs time.

8/24/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Needed an hour of air. Young and oaky, needs time.

8/13/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

This really came into a zone. After a bit of air, quite good. Dark and dense in the glass, big and chewy, with a long, tannic but balanced finish. Big fruit, with classic CdP spicy character. Good drinker at a very fair price.

8/4/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

OK but nothing special. A bit dead fruit wise, clean finish but nothing of real interest.

8/4/2015 - GlassHalfFull Likes this wine:

Surprising. Big bright fruit finishing clean, with some minerals and lengthy but smooth tannin

6/27/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Purchased from a private cellar 4 years ago, with no guarantee of provenance, but was in good condition with low neck fill. Saved this for my (and it's) 40th birthday. Double blind tasting among 11 other wines, mostly big Cali cabs/merlots (Dunn, O'Shaughnessy, etc), with a couple other 20+ year old bottles. This was my #1, and #3 for the group. Removing the capsule revealed a red, saturated cork that crumbled to pieces. But surprisingly, the wine was in perfect shape.

Just amazing... Rusty garnet. Eucalyptus and tobacco nose. Tannins still present, but perfectly resolved. In no way is this too old. Leather, forest floor, mintiness, and some light red fruit still holding on. Finish that lasts and lasts, even with the tiniest sip. Not to be over dramatic, but this absolutely stopped me in my tracks. Really one of those epic wine tasting moments.

7/2/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

This was much better than expected. Great balance between the fresh red fruit, acid, and moderate tannin. Light bodied and refreshing. Worth stocking up on.

6/15/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Quite a bit of acetone and heat. Didn't hit the spot...

4/21/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

not as good as winery tasting. But a good qupe.

3/31/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Nice peppery syrah. Some alcohol evident, but a great example of non-fruitbomb CA syrah at a great price.

3/10/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Decanted 1 hr before serving. Not very memorable. Tasted like just a simple young grenache. Good fruit (although tending toward dried fruit flavors), but lacking much spice, earth, or other complexities. Expected more, and maybe it will come with time.

3/2/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Outstanding QPR. Decant or leave in the glass for an hour, and this wine is classic Barbaresco. Tannic yes, but a great drinker at this young age. A lot of comments on the youth of this wine, but I thought it was very balanced, and drinking more like an 8-10 year old bottle. Dried cherries, dark earth, charcoal, and anise poke through before a dry nebbiolo finish.

2/25/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Young, but very good. Rich cabernet fruit, good balance, and long tannic finish. Dark fruit with charcoal and chocolate notes and noticeable alcohol and oak.

2/16/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Very good, but expected more. The acidity was not quite up to the level of sweetness. That said, amazing flavors of honey, stone fruit, and petrol. Rich, syrupy mouthfeel, long finish. Great with foie, but as I said, some additional acidity would be welcome.

2/16/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Exceptionally crisp and dry; all minerals and acidity, with minimal fruit. A refreshing sipper, and a great food wine.

1/27/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Great value. Tannin, fruit, earth, and acid in excellent balance. Nose of berries, brambles, mineral and light funk. More berries, moist earth, pepper, and herbs on the palate. Not huge, but kind of perfect for what it is, extremely pleasing, and quintessential CdP.

1/21/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Pleasant, well made, and reasonably full bodied. Liked it, but tired of it after a glass.

1/21/2015 - GlassHalfFull Likes this wine:

Quite a nice wine at a very reasonable price. Big and bold. Tannins dominate, and it could use a couple years if aging, but balanced enough for drinking now with a good steak.

1/12/2015 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Dried fruits, with little structure to hold it up. A big wine, and suitable with BBQ, but not worth the price.

12/14/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Ok for the money, but lacking any real zeal. Muted nose. Medium body with raisin and charcoal flavors and a bit of alcohol heat.

12/14/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Outstanding value. Cool climate syrah notes of pepper and brush. Dark fruit in the background. Well balanced, and wide open. Wish I had more...

12/9/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Fantastic value. Took an hour to open up a bit. But really showed young barolo quality. There was some funk, maybe even a touch bretty, but that doesn't bother me here. I'd decant for even longer next time, maybe 2-3 hrs.

12/9/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Very young, rough, and detected some VA. But hey, it's a $10 bottle. It does have decent Toro character.

11/18/2014 - GlassHalfFull Likes this wine:

So, yes, it's not the most complex wine. But it's very rioja and its balanced and beautiful. Good acid, earthy notes, and bright red fruit. A Tuesday wine to look forward to.

11/12/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Pretty good. Quite Italian. Good acid, bright berries, a hint of barnyard, and a drying finish. Light but nice.

11/4/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Was expecting more complexity, but a very good wine. Full bodied, well balanced, with a bit of minerals and graphite poking through the huge fruit.

11/3/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Much lighter in color and body than I remember. Modest chalk and berry nose. Very pleasant but light fruit palate with good acidity and light tannin. Would not have guessed a young Mt Veeder...

11/3/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Decent, but not up to expectations. Fairly rich and full bodied for a CA PN, but overly oaked and a bit short on the finish.

10/31/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Stinky and fabulous. Well balanced, barnyard, tart, tannic finish. Great value.

10/27/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Not my style, but a well made wine. Obviously, this is a big boy. Not just fruit, but oak, tannin, and alcohol (lots of alcohol). Some nice charred notes, and a lengthy finish, but overall I prefer less of an assault and a more elegant wine. Paired well with BBQ.

10/15/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Way too oaky and not good.

9/24/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Weird. I go back and forth on whether I like this wine. powerful green olives, like drinking from the olive jar. Low tannin, but still feels bright for a 2005. Not your typical ribera for sure.

9/22/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Big and bold even at this age. Still retaining some fruit, but the leather and meaty notes are starting to dominate. Long finish, great balance, and a steal of a value.

8/18/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Great value. Bright fruit, but mostly just fruit, and very young and primary. Had some odd (reductive?) notes that dissipated over the evening. After a day, a very good wine came out. Tannic and tasty, could have mistaken for a $40 Rioja. Could benefit from some more cellar time.

6/27/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Something a bit odd about the nose... Can't quite place it. But it's a well balanced, medium bodied ribera on the palate. Berries and leather with a bit of acid and tannin to round it out. Very good value, and the odd nose might blow off with a little time, ours was PnP.

6/20/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Sheeeeeeeit this is good.

6/16/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Nice and clean, but without a ton of complexity. Good for the price.

6/16/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Cloudy. Raisin on the nose, cherry palate, with little tannin or complexity. A little too ripe for my taste, and somewhat monotone. But the other tasters liked it more than I did.

6/16/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Quite a bit of oak, but enough dark fruit and fine tannin to support it. Really nice with a bacon wrapped filet.

5/29/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

This one was walking the line between good bottle age and corkiness... In the end it landed too far on the mothball side to enjoy. Unknown provenance (bought 2nd hand) but was at least 5 years from purchase.

5/24/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

2 hrs of air, came together. Not the lengthiest wine, but tasty, well balanced, and really hard to put down.

5/16/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Surprisingly cloudy wine. Light in color. Really enjoyable nose of berries and minerals. Great fruit palate. Boysenberry and raspberry pie, good balancing acidity, light tannin, with a short but very pleasing finish. This was in pretty good balance upon opening, but started to really develop after a few hours. Might not be a head turner for big cab drinkers, but for the style, it was very enjoyable. Pair with BBQ chicken.

3/31/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Light body and relatively short finish, but nice complexity. Rustic, with lots of earth and barnyard, decent fruit, and some spice. Balanced acidity. For the money, expresses the style well.

1/24/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Very very good... in great balance, but should hold just fine. Leather and dried meats on the nose, with some cedar. Acidic berries, finishing with heavy band aid. Quite a long finish for a bargain wine of this age. 01 Ribera is where it's at!

1/18/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

A little disjointed, needs more time.

1/9/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Fairly light in body and taste, especially considering the heavy syrah component. Retains a noticeable italian feel, despite that syrah. Some sort of slight funk, which will either remain a nice bit of complexity, or could progress to downright corkiness. Good balance, but just not memorable. A decent wine for a decent price, but I don't see the 90+ ratings, at least on this bottle.

1/7/2014 - GlassHalfFull wrote:

Wow, has this thing come alive. Big, dark, and rich, but fully balanced, with a long, satisfying finish. I did not get the overpowering oak I previously noted. Drinking fantastically now, so while it might still have a long live, no reason not to crack a bottle now with a strip steak. A great surprise!