12/30/2023 - nickgorski wrote:

Drink now before it fades away completely

7/5/2022 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Needed a bit of something sweet or fortified to use in a dish, and dug this out of the cellar. Has held up well and is drinking now. Cork on this 375 (had wrong size in CT) had more than a quarter inch of tartrate crystals clinging to it. Sweet but not cloying, did well with chicken in cream and a cheese course.

5/11/2021 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Cellar temp with 60m slow ox. Minerals against a background of dark fruit. Went great with chicken shawarma and middle eastern sides, but didn’t get the grilled meats or smoke that others sensed. Drink or hold. My first bedrock mataro, I’ll be all over this and others in future releases.

4/4/2021 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

An hour of air and served at 60F. Blue and black fruit, a streak of minerals in the mid palate, confection and sweetness on the finish. I found it integrated and ready for business, but a pairing of kielbasa and pierogi may have helped make it work.

3/28/2021 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Passover wine was flawed so opened this as a PnP backup. Served at cellar temp. Made in a contemporary napa style. Deep, rich, dark notes with integrated powdery tannins. Black fruit. Drink or hold.

11/8/2020 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

What a beautiful vintage of this wine. No new notes to add, except to say that I spent 15 minutes on winebid and other sites looking for additional bottles while on my second glass. Outstanding.

8/2/2020 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Several hours slow ox. Unassuming and silky. Notes of pepper and faded herbs. Green and savory, but in a pleasantly mature sense. Mint on the medium finish. Good acid and food friendly. Drinking now but still plenty of time on this.

3/2/2020 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

2hr slow ox. Cherry & berry on the nose. Palate initially of red fruit that got darker over the course of the evening, spice, some complexity with integrated tannins and structure. Will be hard to leave laying on its side, drinking delightfully now. Feels more polished than many zin field blends, maybe less rustic or more easygoing personality.

1/5/2020 - nickgorski wrote:

PnP. Big fruit initially: black cherry. Rich, caramel and sugar. Initially pleasant, the medium finish seemed off and bitingly bitter after 90m. Small amount on day 2 and the unpleasant finish was gone along with the big fruit.

12/29/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Purchased days ago at a wine shop, 30m decant to help with sediment. Cork was dried and crumbly. Very savory: black olive, cured meats, black pepper, smoked meat. Was exactly the style I was looking for tonight, but this was not a balanced wine. Delicious.

11/10/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

60m decant. Yummy. Bright red fruit with good acid. Something like blueberry as well, crisp ripe fruit. Delicious.

10/28/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

PnP at tailgate. After a few minutes air integrated blueberry, steely minerals and savory tones. Drinking now.

10/13/2019 - nickgorski wrote:

Drinkable at $4/bottle

9/23/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

3hr slow-ox. Nose of brambles and dark fruit. Tart raspberries on the palate. Medium finish. Simple and pleasant zin.

9/21/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

90m decant, benefited from the air. Sweet toffee & cedar nose. Cherry and red fruit but dominated by graphite, cocoa, and dark powdery tannins. Well integrated and good medium-long finish. Drinking well, enjoyed this one.

9/15/2019 - nickgorski wrote:

PnP. Simple, sweet, pleasant enough; possibly better on day 2. Closed and muted nose. Low QPR for me.

9/15/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

30m decant. Grippy, plenty of red fruit, but not as open as a past bottle. Good but was disappointed that it didn't show as well as I remembered.

9/8/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

90m decant. Screamed turley mountain zin to me through and through. Dark fruit, char, pepper. Restrained and more berry than plush stone fruit, terroir came through for me. Enjoyed too quickly with a ribeye to take better notes. Good now with a decant, may get better yet.

7/31/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

PnP, drinking so well. What a steal.

7/28/2019 - nickgorski Does not like this wine:

Closed upon open, much better after a couple of hours of air. Lacks concentration or distinction. Not objectionable but entirely forgettable.

7/21/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

60m slow ox. Oaky nose, cherry on the palate. Tannins are resolving, still just the hint of a pucker on the medium finish. Drinking well but no rush.

7/9/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

PnP. Seemingly old world nose, stewy fruit, leather, mushroom. On the palate bright mountain berries and cherry. Better with food but ok on its own. For SA malbec I seek out a fresher fruit style, this has a bit more funk than I prefer, but overall drinkable at the price point.

7/7/2019 - nickgorski wrote:

PnP; I should have read my previous note and given it air. Overpowering oak on the nose, dark smoky oaky zin. Put in the fridge for 48 hours and tasted the end of the bottle, wine had calmed down and there was more fruit.

6/30/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Surprisingly good at $7. Good acid, pairs well with a variety of food.

6/29/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

2hr slow ox. Oak, cedar, earth, eucalpytus on the nose. Purple fruit, leather, wood, smoke, minerals, mocha, integrated smooth tannins. Shorter finish than I'd like. Dark wine, I prefer more fruit-forward vintages of synthesis. I like this wine, but I wish I could like it more.

Drinking now, don't see this going another decade as per user opinions though.

6/24/2019 - nickgorski wrote:

2hr slow ox. Black olives, saline to the point of sea-water, charred meat. Integrated tannins. Slightest hints of black cherry near the end of the bottle. Well made, just not my kind of juice.

6/17/2019 - nickgorski wrote:

PnP. Funky old-world nose, reminiscent of cote du rhone GSM. A bit greener with some herbs. In the mouth, clean fresh cherry with a lingering bitter backbone of anise. Angular -- attack and finish, mid-palate not as present. For the price quite drinkable and paired well with food, not something I'd look for specifically to rebuy.

6/14/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

PnP. Big syrupy dark fruit on the nose. Rich blackberry, licorice. Integrated tannins, a bit dusty. Good, pleasant finish. Drinking now.

6/9/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

75m slow ox. Carmel, vanilla, cherry on the nose. Red fruit, berry, tight mountain fruit on the palate. Elegant, integrated tannins, I'd prefer to drink this in another 9 years rather than now.

6/4/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

PnP, consumed over two days. Nose of flowers, herbs, jolly rancher. Intense, vibrant cherry and strawberry on the palate. Super fresh and crisp. Fun.

6/2/2019 - nickgorski wrote:

Better on the second night after storing half a bottle in the fridge. Nose of plum, blackberry and purple fruit. Juicy and plenty of berry and dark fruit in the mouth. Drinking now and better sooner than later, astringent tannins on the finish.

5/27/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

I served far too cold as an aperitif. Great nose as it approached room temperature, much better on the palate as well.

5/12/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Woah. 2.5 hour decant. Intense. My notes are similar to WA's: savory, meaty, minerals, black, saline. Even after the decant, better on day 2 where tannins had calmed and more complexity emerged. One difference: LPB says to drink beginning 2018, no way this is ready now and won't be for at least a couple more years.

5/9/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

75m decant. Cedar, wood, leather, cinnamon, vanilla nose. Mocha, blackberry, dark fruit, almost powdery tannins. Lots of oak but integrated, drinking now. Being familiar with Martin Ray I could call the producer blind on this one but might miss on the AVA.

5/6/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Dumped into decanter and began to enjoy. Initially deliciously simple: juicy, fruit forward, food friendly. After a couple of hours, more tannins and structure have emerged, more zing and pepper on the finish, and there's a brambly complexity that wasn't there early. Drinkable now but like other '16s the best seems yet to come.

4/13/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

60m decant. Big nose of blueberry and dark berries. Dark fruit, cocoa powder and powdery tannins in the mouth, great finish. Open for business but no rush, what a pleasure.

4/11/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

30m decant. Crisp, fresh fruit: cranberry, cherry. Acid. Structure on the finish of a young mataro. Absolutely delicious with a bit of air and served with food. Lots of acid to sip on its own, but just juicy enough.

4/6/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Opened as a second bottle, disjointed at first. Showed much better after an hour or two of air.

4/5/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Tropical nose. A bit more heft than the '16, good acid. Great food wine, especially with burmese takeout!

4/2/2019 - nickgorski wrote:

Yech. Seemed like a tight merlot on the nose, but really yucky flaw of some sort. Extremely bitter but didn't seem like acetic acid. Can't get the finish out of my mouth even after a meal and rinsing well. Unfortunate.

3/30/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Corkage, no decant. Initially super tight, could benefit from air. Minerals, minerals, minerals. Totally different from ‘15. Delicious, but will leave remaining bottles on their side to see if fruit blooms years from now.

3/27/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

PnP. Cherry and a hint of vanilla on the nose. Crisp and clean, red fruit with cherry predominant, medium long structured finish. Primary. Drinking great right now.

3/25/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

45m decant, served just above cellar temp. Initial notes closer to VM, after another couple hours of air closer to the release notes. Red fruit and spice on the nose. Creamy & silky in the mouth. Initially citrus notes: orange, lemon, lifted perfume along with a healthy dose of berry and red fruit. Later the citrus faded and a stronger backbone emerged and the finish lengthened. Did lovely with sweet & spicy chicken and lemongrass rice. A healthy decant will help if drinking soon and no surprise the best may be yet to come on this one, but quite good now.

3/16/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

60m decant. Oaky nose. Dark fruit and Rutherford powder on the palate, good medium-long finish. Very primary. Did well with a ribeye. Drink or hold.

3/13/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

My, how this has calmed down over the years. Wonderful nose of leather, wood, graphite. Black fruit, medium finish. Tannins still there but not kicking you in the gut like they did years ago. I preferred this on the younger side but still like it now.

3/6/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Popped this in an ongoing effort to clear out cellar space, and wasn't expecting much. Instead got fresh fruit, plum, medium-short finish. Paired really well with a lemon vinaigrette over chicken. I don't know what to make of this wine, it's completely different from the last bottle. Drinking now.

3/2/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

60m decant. Red fruit, exotic spices and tannin with a great long finish. Simultaneously grateful and frustrated that my other bottle is stored offsite because it’d be gone tonight for sure otherwise. Drink now or later.

2/27/2019 - nickgorski wrote:

PnP, enjoyed over a few hours. Long legs, red and black berries on the palate, oaky nose. Good attack and midpalate, finish gets a bit woody and unpleasant. Decent QPR and will keep an eye out to try again.

2/17/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

Fresh red fruit, smooth but not rich. Light in the mouth. Acid was a bit out of balance and it threw the medium+ finish off a bit.

2/13/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:

PnP, cellar temp. Oak has integrated, no longer comes off as quite so hot. Really drinking well. Great fruit up front, nice medium finish with plenty of lingering tannin.