4/12/2024 - Nikiwinegirl Likes this wine:

I'm a long time fan of Byron Blatty Wines. I love the fact that he is making wines from and around where I grew up. I opened this up to pair with a steak dinner with friends and decanted it about 2 hours prior. I love this Cab. Beautiful deep ruby red, great nose, structured tannins, well balanced and a long finish. There were other Cabs brought by guests but this was a crowd favorite.

4/12/2024 - NoahCap wrote:

Oh my God this is good. Definitely a warmer/richer expression of Sauvignon Blanc, with plenty of rich lemon curd and sweet pineapple a full 15% ABV, but not without a bit of that characteristic green grass, raw bell pepper, and cat pee. That may not sound all that appetizing to the uninitiated, but this is gorgeous nose. Medium to full bodied in the mouth. Wonderful vibrant acidity balances the rich creamy tropical fruits. Long and complex finish. No alcohol heat whatsoever. This will last for years to come. Not cheap, not easy to track down, but truly gorgeous stuff.

1/12/2023 - tward Likes this wine:

Wow! Can he prove that he didn't bring in top quality bulk juice from France? A ringer for French Gamay - Beaujolais meets Loire style. Crunchy red fruits, pomagranite, vibrant, zingy acid, and a wall of granite. Roast a chicken on a drizzly evening, have this, and pretend you're in a Paris bistro.

Point me to another domestic Gamay that tricks me into thinking it's from a high quality French producer.

Nice QPR at $20.

(Drank well over two nights spaced apart a few days, barely suctioned, no gas.)

12.5% abv

11/30/2014 - Ajnate wrote:

Love these wines but this 98 was defiantly past its prime. enjoyable enough for the first 20 minutes but got a bit thin after that. then again, 16 years is an unfair push even for Andrew Will....

6/17/2012 - rmcnees wrote:

Full bodied Bordeaux style - forward fruit of red cherry, hint of currant and spice come together in a nicely balanced and polished firm red with a lengthy finish.

12/12/2023 - Montesquieu wrote:

Cranberry juice and white pepper. Polar opposite of southern Rhone Grenache in that there's not a shred of terroir. It's all bright, thin, in-your-face fruit. Analogous to the difference between a Central Coast Pinot Noir vs. a red Burgundy. This is definitively not my style preference, but I can enjoy and appreciate it to a degree. There are plenty of <$50 Old World Grenaches I'd rate higher based on my preferences for earth and terroir of various weights/densities.

3/9/2024 - 3daywinereview.com Does not like this wine:

Well the average is going down in this one. Almost no taste in this one. Has a chemical taste which is so common in these cheap, oaked chipped Chardonnay’s. Apple and mild spice. Super short finish. Easy pass.

3/7/2024 - Brian Glas Likes this wine:

Tasting on day 2. Sweet raspberry fruit with good balancing crunch.

2/27/2024 - 3daywinereview.com wrote:

Day 1: Again amazing. Grass, lemon zest, orange peel, stone, floral and spices. This wine is super complex and medium plus finish. An outstanding effort that can't be found many places in the world for this price. 93 points
Day 2: Stone orchard fruit, grass, lemon, orange peel, spice, floral and stone. Beautiful on day 2. 94 points

2/29/2024 - rogernn@aol.com wrote:

Light color, no oak. Very neutral wine. Little nose, short finish. Dry. Bulk wine quality.

2/24/2024 - Brian Glas Likes this wine:

Tasted after 1 hour of air. Spicy sweet cherry fruit. Nice tang. Good balance. Very nice.

1/26/2024 - 3daywinereview.com wrote:

This wine is one of the better values out there for under $25.00. Iron, earth, mild funk, red berries, earth, black pepper and exotic spices. Medium plus finish and drinking well young but this will go 10 plus more years.

11/14/2023 - joesi16 wrote:

Apple and pear with a dose of acidity, improved on night 2

7/13/2023 - Brian Glas Likes this wine:

Dark berry fruit. Cocoa. Soft tannins. Long smooth finish

11/11/2023 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine:

The notes on this wine on site are excellent and they have another cardinal virtue - I agree with them.

This wine gains substance and character with time, like the best women; we like 'em a bit on the plump side in the Peoples Republic of Lynehamsas. Plump does not mean overblown and spavined in relation to this wine, however.

In the South Pacific Puerto Rico this is a rather pricey wine, but I don't really care because I like it and money should be used carefully - to buy as much fun as you can get, given that time in this vale of tears is likely to be unpredictable and nasty and then there is of course that death thing and not being able to take it with you, or some such stuff.

Additionally, as an inveterate fool I really need to stay in character and spend my pesos on this kind of thing.

This was a wonderful accompaniment to a warm and humid day, where I lolled about pleasuring myself, whilst common prostitutes oiled my under-paunch and massaged my jowls. I also read a bit of Tolkien for the first time in about 40 years.

I recall reading LOTR several times a year between my last year of Primary School and the end of my second year of High School. Although Tolkien's works reek of a Trevelyan like outlook on society, I still enjoy them, perhaps for a sense of gentleness amidst the carnage and the rural, or Ruritanian idyl has appeal to the Vozhd of Lynehamsas. Sort of like this wine, really. I think this wine may be a super freak...but now I am drifting across to Little Miss Sunshine and that must be for another day.

12/25/2013 - stevefallin Likes this wine:

Surprisingly fruity after all these years - decant and let it breathe for three hours or so...

4/12/2020 - FierceRedPanda Likes this wine:

This needs food! A very Old World style of Cab; lots of grippy tannins and acidity. Sandalwood, clove, and lavender on the nose. Medium to full body, with flavors of blackcurrant, spice, flint, and the cooling signature Coonawarra eucalyptus/menthol note. Finishes long. Paired beautifully with lamb shoulder chops - the tannin and acid cut right through the unctuous lamb fat. I might buy a couple more bottles of this vintage to see if the tannins calm down with a bit more age.

1/13/2024 - Bjweiss Likes this wine:

This is excellent and shows the beauty of Chardonnay in Oregon. When I first opened the bottle at 57 degrees, it had what felt like some extra RS, but chilling it down a few degrees to about 50 Fahrenheit corrected that immediately. Super aromatic in the glass, great color, and richly concentrated with both fruit and rocky mineral notes. This is punching so far above its price it’s a little ridiculous. Saul has a huge hit here.

11/12/2015 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:

cork crumbled at opening.
some bricking but color is remarkably dark for its age.
Nose shows reduction
Palate is lovely sweet fruit, just starting to show leathery tannins and secondary flavors. Long finish.
An absolute steal at auction for $10. Washington gets so little credit...

1/23/2024 - 3daywinereview.com wrote:

Day 1: Solid again. Saving the last bottle for a 10 year of vintage to see if these hold up that long. Bramble, raspberries, black pepper, earth, gravel and black licorice. Medium plus finish and nice concertation. Again a great value. 91 points
Day 2: Very nice again with Garigue, roasted meat, raspberries, black pepper, earth and gravel. Very much in the drinking window but would be interesting to see how long this one can go. 91 points

2/27/2023 - Odedis.Wine.reviews Likes this wine:

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Flowery nose of blueberries, plums, sweet fresh cherries, light oak, wild flowers and tobacco leaf.

Medium plus in body and elegant, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, blueberries, plums, cherries, light oak, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, light vegetables, bitter herbs and peppercorn.

Soft finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Syrah from Arroyo Grande Valley in California. Elegant, fruit forward and engaging.

Still young, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

This Single Vineyard feels like a young Northern Rhône Syrah.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Tangy and interesting.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime. Easy drinking and good by itself or with food.

Syrah grapes were aged for 20 months in neutral French oak barrels.

14% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$60.

6/12/2021 - Winevestor Likes this wine:

Much better duo comparison this time. Drank this compared with the 2013 K Vintners Cattle King. A great pairing! I gave them equal scores but very different wines. The Lagniappe had a little more bottle age than the last time I drank it. It is a little more restrained than the K Vintners, but just as complex. No bricking, lovely dark purple, and still in its prime. This will go for several more years. Ripe plum on the nose. Bright wine, clean, medium body. Bright just ripe cherry. Long finish. Just so good to drink. What is up with these Washington Syrahs - great QPR. Just leave them in the bottle a few years to emerge. Lovely wine.

12/31/2023 - rocknroller wrote:

New Years Eve (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Medium red color with a 6mm transition. PNP, drank a glass over 2 hours. It's been just over a year and a half since checking in on this. Tonight's bottles was very good, but didnt rise to the level as recent bottles. It really seemed to be gaining depth and complexity over 90 minutes, just when it was about gone. Tart raspberry, dried earth, leather, tart dried berries, dried tobacco, graphite, deep and long. This really didn't even start to develop the typical perfum for an hour. 93+ to 94pts.

2/7/2016 - Mossrose wrote:

Dark ruby color with no black. The nose is a strongly fragrant red cherry and pumpkin pie. The sip has black and red cherry, earth and mushroom, refreshing acidity, a somewhat rustic drying tannin with a lightly bitter edge, and a ripe fruit sweetness more often found in California Pinots. The concentration is good enough for even a small sip to fill the mouth with flavors. Needs aged a few years more for the texture to become silky and all the parts to integrate into a seamless whole.

12/5/2023 - TallMikeWine Likes this wine:

Decanted, then let fly! Lovely currant, and all the red fruits, maybe a hint of blue. Then came the baking spices, and at some point some really interesting root beer notes. The tannins are still pretty chewy! I'm just checking in with this. It's so hard to wait! But wait I will. 2 more years? Can I do it?

12/15/2023 - Stuberman wrote:

We have tried and know that Tablas Creek is highly respected, but we just don't like its wines very much. This one is thin and lacking in flavor.

5/17/2023 - LotionInTheBasket Likes this wine:

Likewise to most, I'm counting down what I have left from Todd. It seriously kills me that one day this all ends. I just hope that the retirement boat is treating him well. This brings me to 13

This bottle is fruit forward of raspberry, strawberry, and pomegranate tart goodness. Not quite as structured but ok for that pretty spry punch of tart that punches in that sucks you in. Smooth otherwise, velvety.

Not a typical Todd wine, interesting, and enjoyable.

11/11/2023 - MrOctoberfest Likes this wine:

Brian Glas is right. This $hitty Todd Hamina wine is absolutely delicious. Lovely red fruits and the texture is like drinking liquid cashmere. I would never tire of drinking Biggio Hamina wines, and sadly, I am now down to two bottles. WHY DID YOU RETIRE TODD?!?!?

12/13/2023 - Brian Glas Likes this wine:

Tasted after 40 minutes of air. Medium gold color. Light floral and saline on the nose. Expressive pear fruit. Just explodes on the palate. Just love the wines from this vineyard. You just taste the California sun in every sip. Big hit of dry extract. Nice lift on the mid palate. This is getting better and better with each sip.

12/7/2023 - Tmcquillen Likes this wine:

This 2020 Kynsi Pinot Noir Stone Corral Vineyard wine is certainly a thematic journey in a glass. It exudes an impressive profile of dark cherry, plum, and wild berries on the nose, followed by a tantalizing hint of toasty vanilla oak spice, tobacco, and a delicate waft of forest floor. On the palate, it boastfully presents a harmonious blend of fruit, spice, and earthy grace. The silky tannins, balanced acidity, and a long finish make the wine very approachable, venerating its gracious profile of delicacy and complexity. An ode to its terroir, this wine certainly tells a tale of its birth place – the celebrated Stone Corral Vineyard.

11/13/2019 - mercurius wrote:

Very light and floral nose. Nice acid but very thin. I believe that it's either very young vines or not enough fruit dropped.

5/13/2020 - 3daywinereview.com wrote:

Day 1: Always cool to be the first to post a wine on tracker. Wow! Mild funk along with strawberries, bramble, smoked meat and floral notes. Good acidity and medium plus finish. Really impressed on the pop and pour on day 1. 92+ points
Day 2: Nice funk again. Reminds me a bit of the 2007 St. Innocent White Rose. Bramble, smoked meats, floral, earth and strawberry. Medium plus finish and holding form on day 2. Really nice Pinot. 92+ points
Recommendation: While benefit from some aging. Drink 2023 to 2030.

11/12/2023 - Djfermentation Likes this wine:

Quite lovely and a pleasant surprise. We opened our first of four today for morning happy hour at Nevada State Swimming Champs in the RV with great friends. Awesome, should have bought more!

6/25/2022 - Jake112380 Likes this wine:

Really outstanding blend, showing the best of Bordeaux in the Walla Walla Valley. Red and black fruit with tobacco hints and some oak influence. Big bodied, medium tannins, and a long, pleasant finish.

11/5/2023 - jmcmchi Likes this wine:

Medium gold, lighter and less cloying than nose would suggest with its rich lemon marmalade and honey

Lovely texture, nice balance of acidity and sweetness

10/27/2023 - jwp.beekman@gmail.com wrote:

Very nice, especially for the $25. Light nose but darkish fruit flavors. Good value

9/22/2023 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Brilliant, pale-gold in the glass. Aromas of persimmon, white peach and lime, with honeysuckle bloom, chalk and hints of nutmeg. Taut and succulent on the palate, highlighting intense white stone fruit and orange blossom over a dense core of stony mineral, jasmine, fresh parsley and white pepper. Lean, adding complexity and volume, with racy well-integrated acid and round depth of zesty white fruit and savory herbs on the finish. Excellent.

4/22/2022 - Nguyenning Likes this wine:

Dee-licious. In it's prime. Very easy drinking. Somewhat fruity which is ok with me. I wish they used cork instead of screwtop so my wine snob friends would take them seriously.

10/20/2023 - 3daywinereview.com wrote:

Wine Palooza (Eagan, MN): Least favorite wine at the event. A bit hot with earth and some red currants. Not in a good place right now.

10/14/2023 - Brian Glas wrote:

Popped and poured. Some citrus fruit with a bit of residual sweetness. Comes across as flabby. Zero mid palate and finish. Shocked that DeLille put their name on this. The cheapo chard from Columbia Crest is far better than this. Agree with others here. This thing is a real dud and not sure why Garagiste agreed to dump it?

SkiFree is spot on with their note.

12/15/2022 - gbanks wrote:

Frankly one of the best bottles of PG I've ever had. I spent some time in Südtirol this summer and this puts me right back there. The depth and richness reminds me of a Terlan riserva but with more verve, and a little focused wildness like Kitzmüller. A unique almost kiwi skin nose, huffing kiwis beside a misty waterfall inside a library. Yet so moreish. Really hard not to just sit here and drink the whole bottle. What a kaleidoscopic ride. Fing congratulations Saul this is it.

9/22/2023 - Zitan wrote:

Nice Garagiste QPR - pear and citrus on nose and mouth - decent length - not over-oaked like cheap Cali Chards - maybe a little flabby, but very pleasant - I’m not expecting poetry at $14 a bottle

9/18/2023 - Brian Glas Likes this wine:

Tasted after 20 minutes of air. Zippy acidity. A bit of wax. Apricots. Saline. Mineral. Very interesting and complex wine.

6/27/2023 - VAGenius Does not like this wine:

Quick decant. Dry black plum with tobacco leaf, dust, and oak on the nose. Flat black fruit and plum palate coats the tongue but doesn't deliver much else than clay. Black olive brine builds on the finish, adding salinity and acidity before finishing with wet oak. Served with food but didn't find it enjoyable to drink. At minimum, give it a longer decant.

10/13/2020 - JohnTelford wrote:

For information studying for L3 WSET so please forgive (or please challenge). Medium intensity on the nose, deep ruby, clear and no visible faults. Cranberry, strawberry (ripe), black cherry, red cherry, wet stone, smoke, tomato leaf, vanilla (slight), flowers violet. Med Alcohol, Med tannins. Medium(+) body. Flavor intensity Med (+). Finish Med (+). Can drink now but has potential for ageing. Over all quality very good.

9/11/2023 - Skiffpoint Likes this wine:

My wife says “I think the Blue Label is awfully good wine!”

5/27/2023 - jmcmchi Likes this wine:

Pale, closer to a blanc franc than anything

Light acidity, crisp raspberry

9/5/2023 - Brian Glas Likes this wine:

Tasted after 1 hour of air. Sweet blackberry fruit with nice balancing crunch. Spice. Finishes with drying tannins.

8/20/2023 - rocknroller wrote:

Monthly Tasting Group: Pinots for Anywhere (BLVD Kitchen & Bar, Wayzata, MN): Small pour. I've never had the '05 Justice before and it did not disappoint as it was in very finie form still. Plenty of fruit, darker berries with deep cherry and nuances of pomegranate, Christmas spice notes and dried floral tones set this off nicely with a sleek textue and medium plus body. Loved it. 92+ to 93pts.

8/29/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote:

Ripe and fairly large scaled for St Innocent of that time, this still shows some assertive tannins that slightly detract from the overall balance. Good now through the next few years.