9/5/2020 - Griffeyfan04 wrote:

Cloudy wine with lots of bubbles and very uninspiring. Lots of acidity and lemon and some tropical fruits.

10/7/2019 - GQG Likes this wine:

Maybe the wine of the '16 vintage right here for me, right up there at the top with the Carter O.G. and the Vice Versa Magnificent Seven. Amazing juice, and a revelation of sorts as this is my initial foray into the wines of VHR.

A lifted, floral nose worth contemplating is so fine that one is compelled to proceed. Purity of red fruit is the initial sensation but almost instantly, waves of dark, earthy, savory fruit combine with a wonderful jolt of acidity to fully energize the attack. No sleepwalking into the mid-palate! With all senses focused and on full alert, the core fruit somehow continues to expand beyond even heightened expectations! Velvety tannins add grip, directing the by now cascading waves of refined and pure fruit across the top, mid, lower, and nether regions of the palate. All of this complexity of red and dark fruit is pushed through and sustained on the lengthy finish by the energetic acidity and notable minerality. This is a special wine; perfectly balanced, intense, silky, flavorful, complex, energetic, and alive.

Needs about an hour in the decanter to really jump out of the glass. Trying one now is no crime; it's a revelation.

9/10/2018 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine:

Ready to drink on initial pour and coated the mouth with smooth fruit and sweet tannins. In a great spot now and going to be hard to stay away from the other two bottles

6/5/2018 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine:

Good now but can hold for a few more years and be even better. Just a touch of oak that still could integrate

11/5/2017 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine:

Felt a little oxidized but don’t know if anything was wrong with it. Just felt old and showed some bricking. Orange peel and and a short wood finish. Bummer

10/16/2017 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine:

This is what I am talking about. Pure class with velvety tannins and blue fruits abound with a hint of vanilla oak. Dense yet soft. Can’t wait to drink my remaining bottles with a good decant or a few more years to evolve

6/7/2017 - Griffeyfan04 wrote:

Have to admit this was kind of disappointing. Hoping it was just an off bottle because the others I have had are great like they usually are. Might be through a little phase maybe. Gonna give the others 6 months maybe....

3/14/2016 - *Vine* wrote:

Popped and poured, deep ruby hue. Complex nose of black cherry, blood orange zest, cola, cigar box, forest floor and smokey spice from toasted oak. Medium to medium-plus body. The palate mirrors the nose and expands into the herbaceous while also showing hints of anise and an impression of minerals on the back. Lengthy close is carried by tannins which are somewhat chewy and mildly astringent.
Excellent structure, incredibly youthful and screaming for 3-5+ years in the cellar...and although this is actually super tasty right now, one can't help but keep pondering upon just how amazing this might be one day with even only the slightest amount of age on it, so absolutely stacked with potential this is.

Quick comment: Both this and the 2014 Sonoma County Chard are literally Marcassin quality for 1/10 the cost or less -- how does TRB make $30 wines like this??

1/1/2016 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine:

A very yeasty and biscuit driven wine. Great for New Years Celebration

11/26/2015 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine:

Not as good as last bottle. A bit more flabby than last time. Still great but not excellent

1/11/2015 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine:

Similar notes to my last bottle. No variation like some have seen. Love the saddle leather, orange peel, and game meats on the nose and palate. Really a nice wine

1/20/2015 - Griffeyfan04 wrote:

Very uninteresting and not hitting it for me. No real acidity to speak of, some white flower and mild lemon grass flavor. After seeing notes on CT i was a bit underwhelmed. Which stinks because I have had a few Bedrock wines and have been impressed. Perhaps something was off

12/31/2014 - davidn wrote:

Decanted for 1½ hours.
Okay... 100 points doesn't mean perfect because I believe that there is no such thing as "Perfect". I do think it means it is as good as it gets! I did have one bad thing to say about it but you'll have to read this whole thing to find out what it is.

If you're a fan of Michael Browne's Pinots (I am and have tasted every KB made through 2011) you've got to get this bottle. IMHO this is the finest Pinot Michael has ever made! It is definitely one of the best California Pinots I've ever had in more than 25 years of "serious" wine tasting! Huge aromas of sweet, ripe red fruits. But in the mouth the fruit was not at all overwhelmingly sweet and ripe. The rainbow of fruits that where there were really subtle; so much in fact that I found myself picking up one or two of the different fruits in every mouthful. The fruits, subtle as they were, would explode around my tastebuds; real excitement in every sip! I thought the balance was perfect too with just the right amount of acid to make this absolutely great with a good steak or piece of lamb. Medium to big mouthfeel/texture and a finish approaching 90 seconds. If I were to say something bad about this wine it would be that that it was so savory it took twice as long as we expected to get through the main entrée. The next course was ready way before we were ready for it. I suggest you plan your meal with that in mind. I truly thought this wine was as close to perfect as you can get and look forward to the next bottle with great anticipation and excitement.

8/21/2014 - twelch wrote:

Absolutely stunning. Beautiful complex fruit and spice. Rich and complex and drinking like liquid silk. If I had to pick a weakness it was that it was almost too silky.

2/19/2012 - Griffeyfan04 wrote:

This is the oldest Napa Cab I have ever had the chance to taste and I was pleasantly surprised. Garnet rim with still a nice amount of dark purple red to this. On the nose brown sugar and a Applewood smoked bacon that was mesmorizing and some pretty floral notes. the palate had great texture still with a great amount of acidity still in this beauty! Some great leather, and actually some red fruits in there as well still, great baking spice quality to it that was hard to ignore. This was decanted and drunk immediately. Amazingly we enjoyed this wine over almost 2 hours and it sang the whole time. What a treat and for $75 it was a steal.

2/14/2013 - megropolis wrote:

I do not understand why people review this wine positively. It is hot alcoholic mess with no structure to support over extracted fruit. As big as fruit is, burning sensation in the back of the palate dominates profile.
It did not get better over three days and I do not see how it would be better with aging. I guess I should have known better when I saw 16.1% alcohol.

9/18/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote:

1982 Leoville Poyferre offers a beautiful, intense perfume filled with truffles, Cuban cigars, ash, earth, Asian spice, cedar wood and black with red fruits. On the palate, the wine is rich and sensuous, ending with a lush, mocha and cassis filled finish. This is drinking perfectly today. As good as this is, and it's very good, the current vintages starting with the sublime 2000, are even better!