6/7/2008 - mquetel wrote:

Very nice, but young. Suggest 1 hour min decant.

6/7/2008 - mquetel wrote:

Yummy!

4/15/2007 - mquetel wrote:

Received as gift from dad, appeared to be completely cooked/oxidized

12/15/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Not tasted yet. More info from vineyard:
Old vine zinfandel ledgendary field blend from 100 year old vines from the Casa Santinamaria Vineyard on the western edge of Sonoma Valley near the base of Sonoma Mountain. The vines are head-trained, dry-farmed and spaced 8x8 yielding 1.3 tons per acre.

12/15/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Not tasted yet. More info from vineyard:
Situated in the western hills above Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley, the T. R. Passalacqua Vineyard produces some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in Northern California. This vineyard receives full daytime sun with cool night air, an ideal combination to develop the intense fruit flavors that characterize this wine.

Harvest was on October 21, 2003. The sky was clear and the air was cool and crisp. The fruit was harvested by hand and sorted in the field.

During fermentation, winemaker Joe Otos achieved maximum extraction of flavors and soft tannins while minimizing harsh tannins associated with the seeds. The resulting wine is intense, but balanced.

After fermentation, Joe barrel-aged the wine in 100% premium French oak, with 35% new barrels, principally tight-grained oak from the best French forests. The final wine is richly flavored with black currant and blackberry flavors and hints of cocoa, cured tobacco leaf and anise. The entry is sweet with a silky middle. Overall, the wine is rich, seductive and well structured. Compared to the 2002 wine from this vineyard, the 2003 has lower acidity which makes it suitable for a wide range of foods. The tannins are well balanced. While it is enjoyable now, we think this wine will age well for many years. To promote this long aging potential we have selected a heavy bottle and sealed it with an extremely long cork (54mm).

About 600 cases were produced. The alcohol content is 14.3%, the TA is 6.34 and the Ph is 3.42.

It won Gold Medals at the 2006 San Diego International Wine Competition the 2006 California State Fair, the 2006 West Coast Wine Competition and the 2006 Lone Star International Wine Competition.

12/15/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Not tasted yet. More info from the internet:
Wells Guthrie sources fruit from two vineyards — Madder Lake in Lake County (very steep with volcanic soil) and Vecino Vineyard in Potter Valley (farmed biodynamically) — and combines it with a few de-classified barrels from the Copaín Syrah program. Like Wells’ other wines, it is deep, intense, and Northern Rhone-like with smoky, earthy, black raspberry fruit and hints of coffee and licorice.

11/11/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Outstanding! Balanced, well developed and silky tanins, deep and brooding flavors of cherry and blackberry. Wish I had a case of this stuff!

11/5/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Nice, earthy. Reasonable structure.

11/3/2006 - mquetel wrote:

BIG wine, very enjoyable. Decanted 15 minutes.

10/31/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Disappointing, poorly integrated... would not buy again.

11/4/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Good QPR, did not decant, would recommend 30 minutes or so.

11/4/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Disappointing given the price point. I had this wine (different vintage) a couple of years ago and that was a much better experience.

10/28/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Decanted 45 minutes. Excellent!

10/28/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Lovely, fruit forward with mellow tannins and a long finish. Did not decant, next time suggest a 20 minute decanting.

10/23/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Drinking better tonight, a fine wine... looking forward to the 2003

10/23/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Can't agree with Parker on this one... not quite 90 in my book

10/23/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Decanted 45 minutes, needs perhaps 1.5 hours. Nice wine, lacked some depth and fruit.

10/14/2006 - mquetel wrote:

balanced but seemed to lack intensity and depth. I was not exhilarated

10/12/2006 - mquetel wrote:

big, oaky, pleasant. needs to be decanted for a minimum of 30 minutes

10/13/2006 - mquetel wrote:

nice bottle, good weekend red of medium intensity

10/11/2006 - mquetel wrote:

forgettable, would not purchase again

10/14/2006 - mquetel wrote:

Reasonable everyday wine, not particularly complex and seemed to show too much alcohol... happy to support my Oregon producers, though.