3/16/2024 - geoffreychambertin wrote:

A bit madeirized, still nice, but maybe not the best storage before I bought this.

12/25/2023 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:

Exquisite! The nose is to die for. Lots of DRC stems/whole cluster goodness and spice, fruit still in tact - lots of cool red fruit - I would say 08 is on the classic side. Powerful and sensual at the same time. Ethereal - glides on the palate and just lights up every square nanometer of your mouth with hits of flavor. The inner mouth aromatics are astonishing. The flavor persistence is most impressive - I had a few sips while cooking and the finish just kept going, like you can taste the wines after many minutes between sips, heady aromatics, just gorgeous. Perfect Christmas dinner wine.

12/3/2023 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:

Fantastic on pop and pour. The nose started out with menthol and medicinal herbs on the first pour which quickly transitioned to intense perfume of violets, Asian spices - 5-spice, hoisin, aniseed. On the palate, surprisingly generous amplitude of fruit given the vintage - black plum, baked cherry, fig, red licorice, of course beautifully balanced. This is drinking really well now, given the vintage I'm not sure I would hang on to this much longer.

8/8/2021 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine:

Lovely flint on the nose. Leroy-esque. Very elegant. Still has some structure and definitely at the darker end of the fruit spectrum for pinot noir. Some licorice and dare I say, marzipan, on the finish. Just delightful. From SJW

10/18/2023 - mattyboy_ wrote:

Lackluster showing. Pop and pour had an alluring nose of sweet dried cherry, dried herbs and balsam then it quickly went into a dumb phase where the palate was dry and tannic and flavors became one dimensional. A touch of VA detected as well. It's absolutely dreadful what the prices are going for these days when the wine doesn't live up to the quality/pedigree. I've had my fair share of wines from Pepe with only a few being good/very good but not what I would call great or exceptional - I don't get the hype anymore

12/7/2022 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:

Drank in Zalto Burg glass. Pop and pour. Deep and brooding. Big baked cherry and cabinet spice hits you in the face. Wow! Just spectacular. This vineyard is a sleeper as it abuts right next to Bonnes Mares. You can taste the pedigree. A wine that will reaffirm why Burgundy is the best. Thrilling bottle.
In a great place right now, why wait any longer - ready to drink now.

12/5/2015 - ilcalmo wrote:

My contribution to a blind tasting of "killer" wines, this more than held its own and surprised more than a few people when it was revealed. Furthermore, while this was obviously a well-preserved bottle, it didn't seem in imminent danger of death, and I would guess it would have held up for another year or two. This showed classic aged cab flavors, lodging itself somewhere between Bordeaux and a classic Napa cab in profile. A damn good bottle of wine, and highly recommended if you can find a good example.

5/28/2015 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:

While clearly young, this is very much approachable. I must say without stating the obvious lineage of this wine, that the pedigree is there and the wine is cut from the same <insert Loire cult/unicorn wine producer here> cloth.
The wine is like a fine jewel, incredibly polished with a silky Burgundian texture and sensuous nature. In the mouth it has poise, transparency and freshness. Very complex. The aroma marries earthy and gaminess with floral and wild berry flavors. You can literally see into the future, not guess, but actually see how this will gather even more complexity as it ages. This wine is a study for what exceptional cab franc is or could be. 94-96 pts.

10/14/2014 - Vintage82 wrote:

Nice fill, saturated cork but I got it out complete. Nice surprise for price paid as part of a mixed auction lot- color was deep red to magenta w a tinge of brown. Classic claret nose, not completely clean. Some estuary smells, no real fruit remaining, but palate was broad and warm with resolved tannin. Was in no way disjointed or falling apart. Needed the food it was served with but was a quality baseline for old bordeaux.

Does anyone know the history of this producer? I can't find anything.

12/2/2014 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:

Very compact, minerally and chalky. It is so tightly packed and so angular and prickly. Very, very high acidity - it's a very difficult wine IMO that requires contemplation. Even after day 2, the wine doesn't uncoil itself. Very aromatic with bright lemon and greenish grassy aromas and flavors.

6/20/2014 - aagrawal wrote:

Coravin 6/20/14: Surprisingly deep golden color for such a young wine; intense but complex nose with beeswax, lanolin, citrus fruit, apricot, very slight baking spice; palate is medium-full bodied, fully dry, good acidity at first and throughout while still being a bit waxy and coating on the palate (good!), a bit jarring at first with the flavors like each thing hits you in turn without gliding into the next, needs a lot of time to integrate, some white fruit throughout that fills into apricot towards the end, great freshness, very slight salinity towards the end; finish is long and ends with a minerality/salinity not seen on most of the rest of the palate, high acidity is refreshing for the next sip. This is fascinating. A completely different experience from every other Chenin Blanc I'v'e tried, this is obviously very high quality, young, needs a lot of time to integrate, and is a serious wine. I could just smell the nose all day. A great buy at K&L given the discount, and my last two bottles will be spread out over the next 10-15 years. 94-95++ with potential for even more greatness.
Update: As this warms up, it gets even more integrated and even more complex on the palate with some citrus rind. This is a true world-class wine even now, and I'm looking forward to what it will become.
Opened 6/26/14: Still just as wonderful. This is a world class 95+ point wine with great complexity, great acidity on the palate, mouthwatering flavors and aromas.

5/14/2014 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:

Not quite ready. Nose is still muted but showing faint dusty cherry, smoke, asphalt, scorched earth. Savory cherry, slightly tart but very coiled up. With some time in the decanter, the tannins softened a little. Not much fun to drink yet.

5/13/2014 - mattyboy_ wrote:

Doesn't really convey the pedigree of this vineyard. I was expecting more and this did not deliver. Faint spices, dusty red berry, forest floor, scorched earth.

3/17/2014 - huberww wrote:

Disappointing, lacked mid-palate and lots of green flavor. Bad bottle?

3/5/2014 - mattyboy_ wrote:

Much better in its youth and by youth I mean on release. The nose is predictable RRV cinnamon and baking spices and ripe (candied??) strawberry. On the palate there was an artificial flavor aspect which I didn't like. The acidity and freshness this wine possessed on release was just nowhere to be found - now it feels big and clumsy. Disappointing prospects as I really loved this wine and this vineyard.

1/6/2014 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:

Incredible Pauillac nose. Soaring aromas of lead pencil, pain grille, cassis, pen ink, leather. The nose outshines the palate. A little bit too thin and lean for this caliber wine. I would buy more just for the nose though - wow!

12/17/2013 - Davyd Chong Likes this wine:

Treated my grandma to a 1979 Chateau Montrose for dinner at a Chinese restaurant to celebrate Christmas. When I first uncorked and tasted it at home, there was an amazing crispness and lightness to this wine, with lots of red fruits and grapes on the palate, Bordeaux nose with hints of strawberries, raspberries, and was immediately approachable. It had a Pinot quality to it that made it rather seductive. A quick 20 minute decant sufficed. At dinner, the wine continued to open up, with more red fruits and french oak. Very elegant, extremely easy to drink, and I must say, it was one of the most thirst quenching wines I've drank this year! After about 1.5 hours, earthy notes started to appear. I was very impressed with this wine. Didn't remember it tasting so good the 1st and 2nd time I popped this bottle. After every gulp, my grandma cutely went "Ahhhhh...!" Personally, this could be first growth quality! Because of its Pinot quality, this wine is best drank slightly chilled (at around Pinot Noir serving temperature).

8/23/2013 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:

A treat to drink. Classic WA state cab with sensible alcohols (~13%) Believe it or not this still has maybe another 3-5yrs left in it. Mature fruit with tertiary flavors - leather, tobacco, coffee, and a tad of barnyard funk.

10/21/2013 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:

Not in the same league as 2008 - my favorite QED vintage. This is very rich and quite "big". Well balanced but not with the same precision as 2008. More on the fruit side than the savory side that I love from Rasa. I believe this may be the first QED vintage for them and a good effort given the successful trajectory into more recent vintages.

5/31/2013 - VinZen wrote:

Flint and slate is the first impression. With structure. Like a farmer's rock wall. But not any wall. A farmer's rock wall designed by Andy Goldsworthy. A wall that sets the view to the next level of experience, Cherry pie. And licorice. And smoke. Hmmmmmmh. Thank goodness for interesting wines.

9/9/2013 - Napabend Likes this wine:

Huge red! Excellent!

3/14/2013 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Silky mouthfeel, very voluptious. Super refined fruit and tannins here.

3/10/2013 - ToddS Likes this wine:

Fabulous young wine.

2/1/2013 - mattyboy_ wrote:

My first Pegau.

This is a pure unleaded high octane chateauneuf du pape - definitely not for the uninitiated.

The wine sports a very deep almost blackish and opaque color. Very rich, complex and concentrated flavors of kirsch, dates, prunes, chalk, beef blood, iodine, cedar, baking spices, garrigue, and spring flowers. The bouquet is very high toned and very complex. I do agree with other tasters that the brett in this wine is a bit overbearing though personally I don't mind the aroma.

As much as I loved this wine, it took me 5 days to finish the bottle, I was only able to drink a glass a night as my poor wife couldn't handle this including myself :) Perhaps I'm not man enough.

If you must open one of these now you will be treated to a nice preview but I would recommend not touching these for the next 7-10 yrs.

12/3/2012 - pdemaio wrote:

Big fruit and cola. Some dark fruit on the nose. Cough syrup detracts from the burgundy flavor profile. Finish faded fast

11/29/2012 - Jack O'Brien Likes this wine:

What a wonderful Rhone. I love the white-pepper and graphite nose. Huge, but elegant fruit with some density. Great mouthfeel and resonating taste of spicy raisins and blackberry. Nice earthy chalk dust component with dark bitter chlorate notes as well. So good.

11/4/2012 - garambler wrote:

Friends and I tasted this at the Woodinville tasting room on 11/4/12. It had an elegant, complex and fragrant bouquet of smoke, cassis, blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, and spice aromas. The palate was smooth, poised and well balanced with flavors of black currant, blackberry, vanilla, and spice. 91+

11/19/2011 - hdchappy wrote:

I agree with Klaas, recently went to the tasting room and this winery had one of the best top to bottom line ups I have ever tasted. All estate Red Mountain fruit and most of their wines are about $30, might be the best QPR in the state of WA. Loved it!