3/16/2024 - Dar3 wrote:

Balanced, classic Grenache notes on the nose, lighter body than I expected for some reason. I would say drink now

8/17/2023 - Dar3 wrote:

Impressed. Would never have guessed this was 22 years old. Has held excellent balance and smoothness, has some youthfulness and power still, but I don’t think this will improve with more age.

6/13/2023 - Dar3 wrote:

91+. Drinking great

6/7/2023 - Dar3 wrote:

At first sip, tasted of cherry cough medicine, improved in a short time. Vibrant and delicious, drinking well, but will easily last 4-5 more years

6/3/2023 - Dar3 wrote:

Drinking surprisingly well, but I wouldn’t wait. Very smooth

3/31/2023 - Dar3 wrote:

91-92. Drinking very well right now.
Will last a couple of years but probably won’t get any better so drink soon

3/31/2023 - Dar3 wrote:

Good, probably just past it’s peak, would drink now

3/31/2023 - Dar3 wrote:

Probably past it’s prime

3/31/2023 - Dar3 wrote:

Great wine, drinking well.

9/10/2020 - Dar3 wrote:

Drinking well, very enjoyable. 90+

10/20/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Nice, solid rioja with some classic flavors. Very smooth. Medium to lighter bodied

8/14/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

89-90. My first time trying this wine. Solid, drinkable, balanced, but not particularly special. I don't foresee development of complexities or secondary notes that would make this worth aging for longer, but I could be wrong!

8/12/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

I was worried this would be over the hill, and I’d say it’s probably is past its prime. But once every few years I end up opening a Pinot noir from this winery, and this reaffirms for me, they make excellent Pinot noir.

8/9/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Not my favorite brunello, but I really think this needs at least another 3 years to give it a fair shot
Edit: this did improve quite a bit with aeration. Would still give it a few years but if having it now, would decant

7/19/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

First Washington Sangiovese. Very unique and enjoyable. Thick, almost syrupy body on the first day, less acidity than an Italian Sangiovese. Picked up a bit of acidity and lost some sweetness on day 2.
Would buy again.

6/26/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Excellent. Wouldn’t age it any longer, but shouldn’t fall apart in the next year or two.

6/13/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Unbelievable. Very powerful, tons of fruit and even significantly more oak. All of the oak/tannin/power suggest this needs to be aged (although delicious now if you like the style). However, it’s hard to see how the balance will unravel with cellar time, which is why I stopped at 92. That said, all of the Lancaster I’ve had has aged well. If time is kind to this wine I can see a 94-95 in 5+ years.

5/27/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Delicious, with some barnyard funk.
Would give this at least 2 more years before opening. 90-91 for now, will probably hit 92

5/21/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

91-92. Delicious

4/23/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Great right out of the bottle

3/31/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Phenomenal!

3/30/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Excellent wine. I thought this was going to be well past it’s peak but was delicious and will easily last another 5 years

3/16/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Excellent. Very rich, deep, smooth. It’s a bit heavy on the Brett funk right now which will be more enjoyable when this settles down in a few years.
91 pts for now, but I could see this hitting a 94 with a few years. Best drinking window probably 2021-2028+

2/27/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Immediately out of the bottle, I was surprised with campfire notes I so often only associate with South African wines. This dissipated over the first hour, becoming a nice balanced Pinot but better with food. Day 2 was similar to the end of day 1. Was surprised upon finishing it on day 4 that it became incredibly smooth. Overall nice wine and would recommend.

1/31/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Very interesting. Has the funk and oxidation of an aged wine, but was clearly a powerhouse at one point and still has quite a bit of fruit. Not a combination you find often. Enjoyable with some aeration

1/1/2019 - Dar3 wrote:

Probably 89 on opening, improved significantly to 91-92 after mild aeration. Aged but can last a few more years.

12/18/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

90-91. Very enjoyable. Drinking right now, will probably peak in another year, and drink well over the next 5. Would buy again.

11/18/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Brought to pre-Thanksgiving Friendsgiving. Very good/delicious. Drinking well.

10/25/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Excellent South African blend. Was surprised to find no sediment in this 15 year old wine, must have been filtered. Very smooth, very balanced, excellent nose and secondary notes consistent with its region. Wish I had more

10/25/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Atypical Brunello on day 1, but still enjoyable. More typical on day 2. Decent qpr

10/25/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

91+. Very well made. Always enjoy the Brunello from this producer. Slightly modern in style, consistent with other vintages.

10/7/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

94-95. Exceptional. Drinking well. Doubt it will get any better, but will drink well easily for another 5 years, maybe 10

10/1/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

94-95. Phenomenal, one of the best wines I’ve had in some time. Not drinking anywhere near it’s 16 years either. No need to wait, but no need to rush to drink it either

9/11/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Drinking very well right now, but should hang in there for another 4-5 years

8/26/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Very enjoyable, drinking well now but probably at the start of its prime drinking window so it will definitely go for several more years. Very well balanced, nice nose and palate.

7/16/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

This might be hitting it’s peak. Delicious.

7/11/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

91-92. Does not taste it’s age, drinking quite well. Delicious.

6/21/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Superb

6/15/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Drinking so well right now. Smooth and complex

6/11/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Way exceeding expectations. For whatever reason, I opened this with the expectation that it would be a fairly basic, intro, nothing special wine from a region I have always loved. But this was really excellent, and a reminder of why I love Priorat. It is typical enough of the region that my wife guessed it blind. Drinking very well now but I expect it to last at least another 5+ years. Very delicious, would buy again

5/19/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Wow, drinking beautifully

5/19/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Amazing. This wine never disappoints, any vintage.

4/27/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Delicious

4/11/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Thought this would be past it’s prime, but it was probably the most enjoyable of the 4 bottles I’ve had over the past few years

4/1/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Very solid, big Syrah. Almost Australian in style. Would have said this is for drinking now but it held up very well through 3 days so it may drink well for another 5+ years.

3/17/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

I am fairly new to this winery, but in the last 2 months I have had the 2003 Estate Cab, 2001 Nicole's Cab, 2001 estate red, and now this, the 2002 Estate red. All have been excellent, although I would rank them in the opposite order of my expectation, or at least price. The 2001 and 2002 estate reds were both phenomenal and have held up very well. I would say the 2001 was smoother, tasted much more aged, and was complex. This 2002 was more powerful, youthful, and delicious. Both were great, will continue to keep an eye out for this winery.

3/1/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Very nice Napa cab. better than I expected it would be from reading other CT reviews. I enjoyed this quite a bit on day 1. Drinking well now.

1/30/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Not incredibly complex at this time, but quite delicious

1/28/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Continuously solid

1/24/2018 - Dar3 wrote:

Still quite tannic. Balanced. Would like to try in another 2 years if I had another bottle