4/30/2012 - Smonte81 wrote:

Ruby red with darker center. Nose was big lots of earth and cherry. Drank well upon opening with the nose becoming more expressive after 60 mins. Great acidity, nice fruit andante spices, with very smooth tannins. Wine was full body and the finish went in forever. This wine is drinking great and will be for quite a few more years.

3/9/2012 - Smonte81 wrote:

The nose was light, the floral note dominated with some meld of peach and pear. Very nice mix of the apple, peach and pear on the palate with the sweetness from the residual sugar coming through. Also nice heap of acid that stuck around forever. This was a tad sweet for my liking, though the shop owner insisted it was a dry representation of the grape, oh well. Despite that, this is a well made wine and I agree that this would be a very good quaffer for the summer.

3/7/2012 - Smonte81 wrote:

Definitely give this one some air. After a good half hour the heat on the nose disappeared and you get your earthiness with a touch of red fruits. The nose stayed pretty tight. The taste was pretty balanced. Had some decent acidity, a bit of earth with good spice and fuzzy tannins on the finish. This wine is not anything spectacular but a reasonable Pinot for the price.

1/31/2012 - Smonte81 wrote:

Easy drinker, not much structure. Fruity and watery, will please your average dinner guest but not very interesting. You can do better at this price point.

1/31/2012 - Smonte81 wrote:

Popped and double decanted to remove sediment. Cork was pretty solid and in very good shape. Very youthful in the glass, dark ruby red no signs of aging on the outside. Took about an hour to really sing but the nose was full of damp red fruits, slightly floral and a bit of barnyard. On the pallet you get some subtle fruitiness with quite a bit of acidity, tannins are soft and round this out well. This had a nice grippy finish that drew out the black pepper notes. All in all a very good wine, had all the flavors of a big youthful one but playing together in soft integrated fashion. This one will be good for quite a few years to come but I think its in a good place right now.

12/23/2011 - Smonte81 wrote:

Smelled of tart fruit and white pepper. On the pallet this was bone dry and very mineral, almost salty. I enjoyed this, could have used a bit more acidity but a very good value considering the price point.

12/4/2011 - Smonte81 wrote:

Drank this without taking notes. Nice dark fruit on the nose and pallet. Very approachable and straight forward. Pretty balance considering the alcohol level. Good easy drinking.

11/16/2011 - Smonte81 wrote:

Dark red, slightly transparent ruby rim. Decanted 1 hour, flowery somewhat oaky nose. An okay, young bordeaux lacking a bit of acidity, tight on the fruit. Started out with a little too much oak on the pallet but this dissipated over time. Medium tannins and slight heat. Needs some time for the oak to resolve.

11/14/2011 - Smonte81 wrote:

Needed about 45 mins of air to develop a nice cherry and floral nose did get some slight heat. This was a medium bodied wine with a very dark purple center but still translucent. At first this bottle drank like a pinot, acidic/tart cherries but with a peppery finish. The second glass tasted almost like a shiraz, slight fruitiness but lots of black pepper through the finish. A decent bottle but I would have liked a little more fruit to balance out the spiciness.

11/8/2011 - Smonte81 wrote:

Drinking very well. Shows some signs of aging, was a dark brick red still opaque actually darkend a bit with air. Double decanted, took about 45 mins for the nose to develop. Classic bordeaux, earthy, somewhat musty, some dark fruit notes and a subtle citrus note that brightened it up a bit. Plenty of fruit up front, cherry and cranberry, not jammy. Tannins showing in the mid, nice medium body. Silky finish that held on . An enjoyable bottle and I think this can get a bit better over the next few years.

11/4/2011 - Smonte81 wrote:

Double decanted, drank over 3 nights. Dark and inky with a translucent ruby rim. Nose opened over time earthy with a hint of leather. Tame on the front with subtle acidity, which came through a bit more predominant mid pallet. Tannins were fine grain and gripped on the finish, black berry finish with some lingering dark chocolate. Medium body with a medium to long finish. Better with food, nothing spectacular. 81

10/31/2011 - Smonte81 wrote:

Popped and poured a small glass then let it sit in its bottle for an hour. Color was a dark ruby and the nose was slightly floral with the aroma of dark berries and over time it developed a bit of tar. At first I didn't like this seemed a bit to tart for my taste but it balanced out a bit. The tartness, although still there, subsided a bit and the fruit started to show nicely by the second glass. The mid pallet wasn't too interesting but you could coax out the tannins with a little slurping. I'd say the finish was about med to long this wine held very nicely. Did not get any heat as suggested by others. At 8 bucks this was well worth it, easy to drink yet pretty interesting.