5/24/2015 - gphayes Likes this wine:

I'm not sure why the CT Community Score is an 87. This is a great bottle of wine. Rich dark fruit gives way to a subtle lingering clove spice finish. Black cherry and chocolate cherry flavors, slightly sweet, with hints of vanilla, wet stones and cola on the mid-palate and finish. Drinking exceptional now with some air, but enough backbone to last for several more years.

7/23/2012 - gphayes wrote:

Nose of tropical fruit salad, flavors of tart pineapple up front, honey and floral notes on the mid-palate, then a nicely balanced lemon-lime finish. Would stand up well to slightly spicy Asian dishes, white fish with buttery sauces or sharp cheeses.

7/17/2012 - gphayes wrote:

I really enjoyed this one. Aromas of a bowl of ripe peaches with light floral notes. Round upfront flavors of tart apricot and tropical fruit lead to a mid-palate of clove spice giving way to a beautifully balanced finish of grapefruit. A round, soft mouth feel and a complexity of flavors that evolve and linger on the palate with an elegant and structured finish. This wine would work as a summer sipper or a foil to spicy foods. I'd like to give it a try with grilled or seared halibut. This wine is a 2012 SavorNW Wine Awards Gold Medal winner.

12/18/2010 - gphayes wrote:

Corked. Darn. Was looking forward to this, my last bottle.

10/3/2010 - gphayes wrote:

Dark and complex, but oak is a little overpowering. Decant or hold and hope this integrates. Does have potential over the next few years.

6/4/2009 - gphayes wrote:

Nose of dark, ripe fruit (raisin, plum or currant) gives way to leather and shoe polish. Nicely balanced on the palate with smokey blueberry and a touch of vanilla. Doesn't go the sweet blackberry route like the 06 Sarah's Blend, but is a much dryer balance with a dry tea-like or graphite/mineral finish that lingers slightly. Quite enjoyable and a great QPR. Should have bought more at this price and has plenty of structure to continue to evolve for another year or two.

4/23/2009 - gphayes wrote:

Corked

1/26/2009 - gphayes wrote:

Based on previous CT reviews, I did not decant. Nice bottle, but oak is dominant flavor profile. Nice lingering finish. Probably not much upside potential for continued cellaring. Drink up if you got em.

8/25/2008 - gphayes wrote:

Wow! Drinking great right now. Beautiful deep crimson. Aromas of licorice, tobacco and baking spice. Flavors of peppery blueberry on the front palate with a long lingering finish ending with earthy mineral notes. Excellent balance and structure. Should be good to continue to cellar, but hard to believe it will improve. May be at its best right now. Drink over next 12 months.

4/28/2008 - gphayes wrote:

Better than I remember. I decanted this one for at least two hours and drank over another two or three hours. Really improved throughout the evening. Didn't make notes, but flavors were dark, complex and interesting with a nice lingering finish. Plenty of structure to continue to cellar well for several years.

4/21/2008 - gphayes wrote:

Leathery oak and barnyard still dominate the nose and taste on this for at least 3 hours. Dark fruit and pepper began to come forward when woody notes receded. Continue to cellar or decant in the morning for dinner.

3/24/2008 - gphayes wrote:

One dimensional, totally lacking complexity on first opening. I tried again on day two without much change. On day three this showed most complexity. Not overly tannic, but reasonable structure left here. Let it cellar or decant in the morning for drinking later.

2/17/2008 - gphayes wrote:

Surprisingly good, given the 84 point CT community average rating. Thought this was quite good immediately on uncorking. Nose offered dark fruit of jammy blueberries giving way to licorice and clove spice. Flavors start with black cherry with some earthy, mineral and cola notes. A longer finish would have made this outstanding. Probably not enough structure here to have any more upside. Drink in 2008.

2/16/2008 - gphayes wrote:

Didn't make tasting notes, but enjoyed this bottle. Opened a little cold direct from cellar, so I decanted. Took a couple hours to come to temperature and open up. Flavor offered black fruits with some complexity, good balance and nicely structured. Should continue to cellar well and improve in the bottle.

2/9/2008 - gphayes wrote:

Dark, ripe, jammy fruit gives way to some tobacco and licorice on the nose. Flavors of blackberry pie with hints of vanilla and spice. Still slightly sweet, but rounds out with air as some earthy notes beginning to emerge on the long finish. Still plenty of upside for cellaring. Some integration of flavors would still benefit this. Still think 2009 or 2010 will be the peak for this one, but could cellar beyond.

1/17/2008 - gphayes wrote:

Decanted this one for two hours. Beautiful dark purple in appearance. Expressive nose bursting with ripe black fruit (blackberry, Italian plum, black currant) and dark chocolate ending with licorice/clove spice. Silky mouth feel and flavors of blueberry and plum with cola and hints of vanilla balanced by an earthy finish of tea, tobacco and pencil shavings that lingers for several seconds. Should be still on the upside or at least 12 months. Kudos to Dick Cutler for this one. Very enjoyable.

1/16/2008 - gphayes wrote:

When fully open (I decanted for three hours), this wine offers sweet baking spice on the nose with dark fruit of black plums or currants, giving way to licorice. Nicely balanced flavors show black cherry and a gravel or graphite minerality that lingers for a few seconds. Caz provides TMI in his 12/2/07 notes, but pretty much nails the profile of this wine that leans toward old-world style. With plenty of tannins, this should cellar well for the next couple of years.

1/13/2008 - gphayes wrote:

This has improved each time I have opened a bottle. Decanted this one for about three hours. Full bodied and black cherry red. Nose is beautiful with sweet baking spice, vanilla and ripe black currant finally giving way to licorice. Flavors start with dark fruit, giving way to gravel-mineral notes, tea and lingering into a finish of pencil shavings and spice. Still has solid structure and should continue to cellar well with some improvement still possible judging by its evolution the past year+.

1/10/2008 - gphayes wrote:

Again no tasting notes, but this was a great bottle right from the uncorking. Probably still improving, this was outstanding with an herbed pork tenderloin that made the slightly sweet and spicy finish go on and on. Thanks Gordy and Myles, this is great juice!

1/2/2008 - gphayes wrote:

Cloudy and brickish red in appearance, nose is still bright with cherry pie, tobacco and spice. Flavors of tart red plum, with gamy leather notes, earth, dried herbs and black olive. Still has decent balance, but structure starting to fade. This bottle was a .375, so full size bottle may be aging better, but it's time to drink up.

12/16/2007 - gphayes wrote:

I'm still trying to figure out why I bought this wine. Oak dominates for days. I've tried to give it the benefit of optimistic possibilities, but this wine is too much work. Decant for at least one day or let it sit and hope for the best. Drink with food.

12/8/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Last bottle. Corked.

12/8/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Blackberry pie filling.

12/8/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Nice bottle. Good balance for high alcohol content. Even stood up nicely to chocolate cake.

12/8/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Drank magnum. Nice, but fading. Drink up.

11/28/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Nice nose of black currant, tobacco and licorice. Balanced, but not very complex. Flavors of black cherry on the the front palate, finishing with subtle notes of damp, mossy earth. Probably as good as it will get. Drink it over the next 12 months.

11/28/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Decanted for about an hour before having a first glass. Big, smack in your face jammy fruit dominated both the aromas and flavors, but this showed some promise with a solid structure and other flavors around the edges. Can relate to others comments about blackberry cobbler as the nose also shows clove and baking spice aromas, along with tobacco and floral notes. Flavors started out ripe strawberry jam on the front palate, but showed mineral, dusty earth on the finish. Vacuum corked and finished on 2nd day to see some softening of the jammy fruit and better balance with other aromas and flavors, though still a little too smuckers sweet for me on the nose and front palate. Flavors on second day softened to plum and black cherry with peppery notes and an earthy/gravel finish. Unless you like em jammy, decant for 24 hours or hold for more integration. I think there could be a point or two upside to this one with time.

11/21/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Decanted for about two hours. Nose of currants, sweet tobacco and cedar spice. Flavors of black cherry, cola and pencil lead on lingering finish. Shows nice balance and structure. Wish I would have bought more of this bargain. Will hold my last bottle for at least 12 months. Don't know if this will benefit from cellaring, but shows no signs of decline.

11/18/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Didn't make tasting notes, but enjoyed this wine with big, rich, concentrated dark fruit. Opened and had one short glass on night one, then vacuum corked. Slightly better on day two with rounded flavors, not real complex, but nicely balanced and good long taste with only a hint of sweetness.

11/14/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Opened at about 9am and recorked. Poured into decanter at about 6pm and immediately poured a short glass that showed cherry and berry on the nose with tobacco-vanilla oak and maybe a touch of earth. Flavors were slightly tart cherry and a bit of gravel earthiness lingering on the finish. Tartness softened with air and the wine showed nice balance, soft mouthfeel and held up well for over two hours with little change. Shows no signs of decline. Will hold my last bottle for at least a year.

11/13/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Decanted for 1.5 hours but couldn't get past the dominant oaky leather aromas and flavors (rated a 74). Vacuum corked and tried on 2nd day, but still way too much oak for me. On day three, this was more integrated. Oak still up front, but softened to flavors of pencil shavings balanced with strawberry and cherry fruit. This needs more time in the cellar for integration and plenty of decant time. Hold em if you got em for at least another 3-5 years and hope for the best. Could have an upside rating in the high 80s with time.

11/13/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Great bottle. Drinks nice popped and poured, but also benefits from some air. Dark fruit of blueberry, blackberry is balanced with peppery spice and other nuances linger through a long finish. This is dark, extracted and slightly sweet, but definitely not a jammy fruit bomb. Probably at least a two year upside on this. I'll drink through 2010.

8/30/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Wish I had more of this bargain. Sorry, no tasting notes since it was my last bottle. Nice fruit and spice with medium long finish.

8/6/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Another great bottle. Dark fruited, balanced, complex and a lingering finish. See previous tasting notes for details.

7/31/2007 - gphayes wrote:

After previous experience, I opened this for a taste, then vacuum corked to try on second day. The dominant oak and leather was much more balanced with the dark fruit. Will continue to cellar and leave plenty of time for decanting on future bottles.

7/28/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Didn't make tasting notes, but agree with recent reviews. Nicely balanced dark fruit, chocolate and vanilla with a lingering finish. Probably at its peak, drink within 12 months.

7/27/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Good from first pour, nose shows dark fruit of plum, blueberry and blackberry, sweet tobacco and licorice. Flavors include spicy blueberry, cherry, cola, pepper and notes of hay/straw and minerally earth. Nice lingering finish.

7/23/2007 - gphayes wrote:

I'm not a dessert wine lover, but this one is a winner. Dark, dense, candied cherry has enough structure and balance to avoid over the top sweetness. A beautiful finish with a hint of brandy or liqueur. Will covet my remaining bottles with a drinking window through 2025.

7/23/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Enjoyed this, but still needs air to show its complexity. On first opening, nose and flavors are dominated by leather and oak. After a couple of hours, this becomes a more balanced, old-world style rioja. Leather and oak are toned down, balanced with cherry/berry fruit and a lingering earthy finish. This could continue to cellar well beyond 2008.

7/23/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Popped and poured. This bottle seemed off like at least one previous bottle. Taste was dominated by black olive and green pepper. Vacuum corked and tried on second day to find more what I expect from this wine. Seems like a little bottle variation - maybe the result of multiple purchases from different retailers throughout its distribution.

7/21/2007 - gphayes wrote:

A surprising bargain. Deep and dense with dark fruit that is nicely balanced with moderately lingering finish showing earthy and floral notes. A lot of class for under $15. Should have bought more.

7/20/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Enjoyed this bottle. Rich dark fruits of plum and black currant dominate the nose with notes of licorice and tobacco. Flavors include a rich blueberry with clove spice and cola. A little sweet fruit forward when first opened. I vacuum corked most of the bottle and drank next day. On day two, sweetness was balanced with other flavors, reflecting more of an old world style. Next time, I will decant for at least two hours to find the balance between my pop-and-pour taste and second day taste.

7/20/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Didn't make tasting notes, but very enjoyable. Probably rated low. Popped and poured, this was good from the start, but definately improved with air. Will use some restraint next time and decant.

7/18/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Tight, dry and hot on opening, aromas are dominated by oak, leather and hay. With some air time, dark fruit begins to emerge, showing plum, black currant and sweet tobacco. After about two hours, this begins to show more fruit forward with flavors of black cherry, leather, tobacco, coffee, earthy notes of gravel and dried herbs. Strong tannic backbone. I'll decant next bottle for two hours. Good bottle for chianti fans. Vacuum corked glass on second day showed a loss of complexity.

7/8/2007 - gphayes wrote:

I'll stand by tasting notes from 11/06, but think this wine is still improving. Did notice more vegatative (green pepper) notes that softened and disappeared after time in the decanter. Looking forward to future bottles and expect no problems with another 12 months minimum.

7/8/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Showed better than last bottle. Didn't make tasting notes, but this got better with some air. By last glass, quite enjoyable. Will decant next time. Probably still improving in the bottle.

7/4/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Nice, but needs some time in decanter or more time in cellar. Nose is pleasant with loads of dark fruit showing ripe black currant, blackberry jam and licorice. Initially had sliight sulphur aroma that blew off with time in the decanter. Solid flavors of black cherry, plum and some interesting edges of earth, tobacco and tea or dried herbs.

7/4/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Decanted over an hour before first glass. Nice complex nose of black currant, plum, blackberry jam with spicy edges of clove, licorice and leathery-oak. Taste is well integrated dark fruit with nice balance. Mostly black cherry with some pepper and cola. Short, but pleasant finish. One bottle to go, could still hold for 12 months, but not a lot of improvement expected.

7/1/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Enjoyed this more than the last bottle. Still a little more blackberry jam than I prefer. A little sweet, but better balanced than I remember the last bottle. Aromas of blackberry jam balanced with spicy notes of licorice, leather and pepper. Dark fruit flavors of blueberry, plum and blackberry jam with some complexity of clove spice, cola and leather emerging. I decanted for over an hour. Vacuum corked glass on second day was still good and more integrated. Probably still getting better in the bottle.

7/1/2007 - gphayes wrote:

Enjoyed too much to spend time making tasting notes. Decanted for over an hour, paired with grilled salmon, but this kept getting better and the after dinner glass stood well on its own. Glad I have more.