2/4/2023 - shapida wrote:

CORKED! Bummer

5/13/2022 - shapida wrote:

CORKED!

8/26/2021 - shapida wrote:

CORKED!

11/28/2019 - shapida wrote:

N/R - flawed

10/6/2019 - shapida wrote:

Fantastic! Glad I let this one age.

8/5/2018 - shapida wrote:

Corked! Bummer!

6/3/2018 - shapida wrote:

In a great place - tannins are integrated, very smooth mouthfeel, flavors of cassis, licorice and dark fruit. Last and best bottle of 3.

5/28/2018 - shapida wrote:

CORKED - bummer!

12/11/2017 - shapida wrote:

CORKED

11/25/2016 - shapida wrote:

coked, unfortunately

1/4/2015 - shapida wrote:

Outstanding! Drinking GREAT and probably the best wine I've had in at least a year. Wish I had more.

11/29/2013 - shapida wrote:

Flawed bottle

4/12/2012 - shapida wrote:

In a very good place right now.

12/25/2011 - shapida wrote:

corked

12/22/2011 - shapida wrote:

FLAWED (VA) dammit

12/13/2011 - shapida wrote:

Corked Dammit!

4/22/2011 - shapida wrote:

corked! damn

10/2/2010 - shapida wrote:

Outstanding! Plenty of life ahead, great structure and got even better with each glass. Very enjoyable now.

5/13/2009 - shapida wrote:

Terrific bottle of wine. Old world in style, very balanced. Really enjoyed it and considering the price, a steal.

3/8/2009 - shapida wrote:

Absolutely delicious. In such a good place right now. Fruit is still powerful, full bodied with a long and spicy finish.

2/17/2009 - shapida wrote:

Popped and poured. Very impressed. This wine is in a good place now, as the tannins are soft and some secondary flavors are noticeable. Chocolate and dark fruit, smooth and silky. I am not a big fan of the 2003 vintage for most napa cabs but this was very good.

2/14/2009 - shapida wrote:

Decanted half an hour. Initially showed a little heat, but over the course of the evening, this developed into a wonderful wine. Flavors of chocolate, red fruit and some licorice. Very smooth and silky mouthfeel, well balanced, tannins have integrated. This is drinking beautifully now.

2/14/2009 - shapida wrote:

CORKED!

2/8/2009 - shapida wrote:

brought to Pratt's event - very enjoyable

1/31/2009 - shapida wrote:

Decanted about half an hour. Awesome nose! Silky, smooth and delicious. A real winner.

1/29/2009 - shapida wrote:

Brought to Pratt's Lugeresque. Profile of dark fruits and cassis. Drinking wonderfully. Won its flight and for many was WOTD.

1/23/2009 - shapida wrote:

Popped and poured. This wine seems to be in a really good place. Fantastic nose and truly delicious. Loads of red fruits, that classic cola and some spice. Also, no discernible heat, which has been an issue for me with other KBs in the past. Excellent.

12/24/2008 - shapida wrote:

amazing nose! Lots of fruit with some floral/perfumey notes. Beautiful wine.

12/20/2008 - shapida wrote:

Quick decant then consumed over 3-4 hours in the snowstorm. Definitely got that meaty, bacony component on the nose as well as the palate, but also blackberry and blueberry fruits, smoke and a hint of flowers. This was wonderful and improved with each glass.

12/19/2008 - shapida wrote:

A fizzy, spritzy brett mess.

12/18/2008 - shapida wrote:

Brought to GH cult cab dinner. Showed very poorly. Spoofilated is the best descriptor I can come up with. Considering what I paid for this wine, it was extremely disappointing.

12/13/2008 - shapida wrote:

Loved it. Popped and poured. Fantastic aromas of red fruits and spice. Very concentrated on the palate with classic RRV cola and cherry flavors dominating but also tasted some baking spice and raspberry. I found this wine to be nicely balanced, with a good mouthfeel and acidity, long finish but no discernible heat. Quite enjoyable and went fast.

11/26/2008 - shapida wrote:

CORKED

11/23/2008 - shapida wrote:

Consistent with prior notes. Super aromatics, some sour cherries and a floral component. Quite enjoyable.

11/16/2008 - shapida wrote:

Beautiful dark garnet color in the glass, with a nose of black cherry, currants and cedar. On the palate, plums, black fruits, cedar and a touch of anise. Tannins are integrated at this point, with low acidity, and the mouthfeel is very smooth. Really elegant and in such a good place right now. Quite enjoyable.

11/2/2008 - shapida wrote:

An oxidized, pruney, alcoholic mess. Undriknable - not sure if the synthetic cork was the problem, but this bottle was flawed.

10/19/2008 - shapida wrote:

Popped and poured. Very average, nothing more than that.

10/13/2008 - shapida wrote:

Cork cracked but removed intact. Deep dark in color with a wonderful nose of tobacco, mocha and cassis. Silky smooth on the palate, with black currants, licorice, leather, tobacco, tea leaves and some earth. Great mouthfeel, lots of layers of flavors and complexity. An excellent wine.

10/12/2008 - shapida wrote:

Decanted 4+ hours. This was MUCH betterthan last bottle we had about a year ago. Nose has some cedar and dark fruits, almost Bordeaux-like. On the palate, chocolate, black fruits, licorice and tobacco. Still very tannic and completely mouth coating. Drinking well but has a long life ahead. I enjoyed this one a lot.

10/12/2008 - shapida wrote:

Decanted one hour and served at cellar temperature. Killer nose of red fruits and flowers. On the palate loads of raspberries an, cherries, also cola and spice. Delicious. Only downside was some noticeable heat and a relatively short finish, but this wine is drinking quite nicely in its youth.

10/10/2008 - shapida wrote:

Popped, poured a glass out and let sit in the cellar for about half an hour before drinking. Dark purple color in the glass with a really nice yet restrained nose of plums, cassis and cherries.. Fruity on the palate too with some currants, red fruits and a classic Napa cab flavor profile. Drinking GREAT right now, very approachable with soft tannins, medium to full body and silky, structured mouthfeel. Good finish with lasting flavors of cherry and cassis. I like this one and for what I paid ($33), a home run.

10/6/2008 - shapida wrote:

This wine is a blend of syrah, grenache, mourvedre and counoise. It was relatively light in color with a restrained nose with hints of flowers and some red fruit. Light to medium bodied on the palate, with some sour fruit and black pepper. Low acidity, tannins were not noticeable, short finish. A simple wine with decent flavors, easy to drink but not a lot of depth or complexity.

10/4/2008 - shapida wrote:

Lighter style with notes of elegant red berries and flowers. Nicely balanced, drinking well.

9/29/2008 - shapida wrote:

Decanted for one hour. I can't believe how good this wine is, considering the price. Loads of fruit, particularly cherries, with some currants and tobacco, as well as some noticeable but pleasant oak. Surprisingly soft tannins considering how young it is. Lengthy finish of red fruits.

9/27/2008 - shapida wrote:

Decanted for one hour and served at cellar temperature. I think this wine has the potential to be quite good, but the high alcohol is way too distracting, causing it to be out of balance. The underlying fruit has really good flavors of plums, pepper and some licorice, but this was too hot for my taste. It did get better over the course of the evening, but I couldn't get past the alcohol.

9/16/2008 - shapida wrote:

This was a pop and pour but consumed over several hours. Deep dark purple color in the glass, with aromas of vanilla, raspberry, spice and tar. This is a BIG wine, one that screams "new world". Lots of jammy fruit, with earthiness, currants, tobacco and some vanilla/oak for sure. Mouthcoating and bold, still has firm tannins and a lot of acidity. Well made, and especially considering the challenging vintage, quite enjoyable.

9/14/2008 - shapida wrote:

Noticeably dark purple color in the glass with an aromatic nose of plum and blackberry and smoke. This wine was consumed over the course of the evening and with each glass, gained a bit of complexity and became even more enjoyable. On the palate, the predominant flavors are black fruits and smoked meat, with a subtle hint of pepper. This is not as big and bold and full bodies as the Pax single vineyard syrahs, but it's a very nice wine and a good buy for under $30.

9/12/2008 - shapida wrote:

Brought to CLONYC's TRB-athon dinner. It had great aromas of red fruits and a bit of a floral component, but to my taste, it was a bit oaky and showed some heat. I look forward to revisiting this wine after it has aged a bit and don't plan to open my next bottle for a while.

9/12/2008 - shapida wrote:

Brought to CLONYC TRB-athon dinner. Consumed alongside the '04 Schrader Tokalon and '04 Schrader RBS. The Tokalon and CCS were strikingly similar on both the nose and palate, with the Tokalon being a bit sharper and the CCS showing a bit of heat on the finish. Still, these are tremendous efforts and very enjoyable. Will wait a while before opening another.

9/7/2008 - shapida wrote:

This wine has a classic Napa mountain flavor profile, which hits a sweet spot for me. Concentrated and intense, with lots of cassis, black fruits and licorice, along with a gentle touch of oak and some earthiness. Lush mouthfeel, full body with a terrific finish. This is a rich, well balanced wine and I am so glad I waited for it to get into a good place. If you have one, don't hesitate to open it. This is a serious wine that is drinking well.