4/1/2018 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Still tight after opening, even short decanted. Nevertheless, fairly balanced dark fruit, heat, and backbone, with long finish that had vegetal hints. Day 2: tightness gone; plush and full; fruit and spice balanced, more heat on finish. 93 is day 2 wine. Would decant for at least 4-6 hours otherwise.

3/7/2018 - HungryMother wrote:

A lot of cherry, less pepper; mid-range mouth feel;not much complexity. Perfectly fine for midweek dinner, but would not hold longer.

2/12/2017 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Really accessible;crisp, Fuji apple mid-palate; toasty but balanced. Popped and poured. Was worried about being too early in the drinking window, but this was great.

2/7/2017 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Drank over two nights. Almost inky in glass and a ton of sediment. Beautifully structured, with a fair amount of heat/spice, dark fruit and some bacon and oak on the finish. Really enjoyable.

2/1/2017 - HungryMother wrote:

Very drinkable. Nicely balanced, with round fruit and a bit of backbone. Consumed over two nights and improved on second.

12/30/2016 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Pretty much the perfect CA Cab. Opened but did not decant 1 hour prior to drinking. Almost inky in glass. Nose with lots of earth and some floral; totally integrated tannins and rich, dark fruit. Unctuous in mouth and smooth finish. Completely balanced and exemplary wine. It was our last bottle, and I wish we had more.

12/30/2016 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

This bottle was not as impressive as the prior bottle of the vintage we consumed (which I scored a 98). The difference may be attributable to the fact that this bottle did not have as much time to open up prior to drinking. Or it could be age. In any event, still tasty: balanced tannins, some astringency, strong nose (oak and spice, with must), cherries, currants, a bit of petrol, and a long, integrated finish. Perfectly good, just not quite the wow factor we had with bottle #1.

12/27/2016 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Cork completely disintegrated, so we opened, sieved, and decanted for 6 hours prior to drinking. Bottle had nice tannins, a lot of loam, pepper, and spice, and mild fruit (more cherries and currants than berries). Overall, it was a pleasant bottle but not a special one, which was a disappointment given the price point.

7/10/2016 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Balanced, quaffable, and very well received. Neither over oaked nor overly buttery. Smooth finish; some citrus and vegetal notes.

7/4/2016 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Yowza. This wine was beautiful with just minimal aeration. Really well integrated; rich, ripe fruit balanced by mellow tannins (esp for a 2013). For the price point, one of the best bottles we've had recently. Will buy more.

6/15/2016 - HungryMother wrote:

Drinking really well now. Consumed over the course of two days. Dark in the glass, limited sediment. Plush palate and mouthfeel. Nicely structured with balanced fruit (cherries and bright berries), medium tannins, and a hint of olive on the finish. Paired with Korean food on night 1 and spaghetti with bolognese on night 2. Both worked.

4/24/2016 - HungryMother wrote:

Popped and poured. Really overwhelming hot, dark berries and not much else. Replaced cork and revisited the following day. The heat and fruit bomb quality had dissipated; much better, more interesting glass. That said, will cellar our remaining bottle a bit longer.

4/18/2016 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Drinking well now. Basically popped and poured, which I worried would do disservice to the bottle. But, this wine is ready to go. Dark in glass, relatively mild nose, totally harmonious glass - tannins are mellow, fruits (both light and dark) are present but not overpowering, spices and a bit of ash/smoke provide interest. Really plush.

4/11/2016 - HungryMother wrote:

A gorgeous bottle - almost golden in the glass, plush mouth feel, honey, some vegetal and citrus notes, slight viscosity, long, well rounded finish. Drink now.

4/9/2016 - HungryMother wrote:

Still early. Opened (but did not decant) for 6 hours prior to drinking. Finished 3rd of 3 in blind tasting. Not yet integrated - super vegetal/funky nose and open (one taster was certain it was Walla Walla rocks). Grassy, earthy, with some dark fruits and a bit of tang. Not bad, just know it will be better.

4/9/2016 - HungryMother wrote:

Opened for 6 hours (but did not decant) prior to drinking. Consensus favorite in blind tasting of 3 Syrahs. Rich nose, inky in color. Incredibly plush wine - had minerality, smoke and rich fruit; some charcoal on finish. Tannins have mellowed, but still provide structure. Served with orrechiette with Italian sausage, fennel and chard. Drinking very well.

4/1/2016 - HungryMother wrote:

For the price, this may be the perfect weeknight wine. Lots of well integrated fruit, mild tannins, mid-length finish. Just pop - er, unscrew - and pour. Great with spicy meatballs. I am partial to Seven Hills - good people, good wines - and this bottle only increased the love. Drink now.

4/1/2016 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Still young; not totally integrated. Opened and drank over the course of two days. Strong nose; bit of grass, cherry, blackberry, smoke. Will leave remaining bottles alone for a few years and see how they develop.

3/27/2016 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Excellent and at its peak. Garnet in glass; leggy; no sediment. Must, loam and leather on the nose; light fruits (currant and raspberry) and mild tannins; some anise too. Overall, well integrated; long-ish finish. We drank this over the course of several days and it just kept improving.

5/15/2015 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Terrific petit sirah - inky purple in glass, chewy mouthfeel, dark berries, spice and a bit of earthiness. Paired with gnocchi in pork ragu. Drinking well now; would allow at least an hour to open.

3/19/2015 - HungryMother wrote:

Some days, you open a bottle of wine, take a sip to see what it needs, and realize you have just stumbled upon perfection. This was one of those days. One of the best I've ever had upon opening, and it continued to improve. Full, rich, round mouth feel. Integrated fruit (black cherry, some plum), leather, pepper, soil and some must. Mellow tannins. Smooth finish. Sedimentary and leggy in glass, and thoroughly enjoyable. Our last bottle of Fjellene. A pretty great way to end it.

3/22/2015 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Opened and decanted 90 minutes prior to drinking. Served with steak au poivre and stuffed baked potatoes. Dark in glass, mid sediment, mid legs. Balanced tannins and nice, round mouth feel. Finish is mid-length. Fruit is integrated - cherries, dark berries, and a bit of currant. Definite earthiness on palate, some char. This was a lovely bottle. However, it was clearly bested by a Jacob Franklin Petit Sirah from 2008. Latter bottle was essentially popped and poured, but more memorable wine in every way.

3/10/2015 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Drank over the course of two nights. Popped and poured on night one. Dark in the glass. Some legs and viscosity; very little sediment. Strong flavors of black cherry and licorice; fruit forward but not overpowering. Medium body; mid finish with some spicy/earthy notes coming through on the finish. Flavors were even better integrated on night two. All in all, a delicious blend at this price point. Showing very well now. HungryHusband says 94, I say 92.

3/9/2015 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

10 years in, this merlot is pretty tasty. Dark red in glass, a ton of sediment. We aerated into a decanter, decanted for 90 minutes prior to drinking. Rich black cherries, currants; mellow acids and balanced tannins; undertones of leather. Long finish. Not a fruit forward merlot. 14.8% abv; would drink soon. Served with shepherd's pie.

3/7/2015 - HungryMother wrote:

Opened and decanted 2 hrs prior to consuming. Cork broke, lots of sediment. Almost black in glass. I usually love T-Vine zins, so I think missed the window on this one - lots of chew, and fruit had mellowed, but vinegary bitterness creeping in. Finish was not great, and not much of the earthiness I usually see in their zins. Too bad.

1/21/2015 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Opened but did not decant 90 minutes prior to drinking. Interesting, albeit somewhat dissonant, notes: mild fruit (cherries, currants, some red berries), stone, hints of pepper, petrol, and smoke. Not much of the chewiness that you often get with petite sirah (which I don't mind); dark in glass, with little sediment/legs. We did not finish the bottle on day 1; I thought it would improve on day 2, but it remained constant. A good - not great - bottle, although I appreciate the different take on p.s.. Will cellar others a bit longer.

1/19/2015 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Drank this over the course of two days; first day, we drank at same time as 2012 Myriad Napa Cab (decanted briefly before drinking on day 1). While that wine was good, this bottle was truly great - deep dark fruit, an lush palate, balanced finish, with underlying notes of terroir (spice, earth, some lead). Finished the bottle on day 2. Palate had coalesced further and finish was incredibly smooth; fruit notes were modulated. Dark in glass and a ton of sediment. Drinking very well.

1/19/2015 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Open and decanted 5 hours before drinking. Still a mouthful - solid, structured tannins, fruit forward but not overpowering, some leather and metal, bit of chew, long finish, dark in glass. Really enjoyable bottle. Drank on own and with charcuterie. Opened second bottle and aerated prior to drinking; served with beef and bacon chili. Spice of meal complemented and mellowed wine. We'd been raving to our dinner guests about Mike's wines. After these bottles, they get it.

1/3/2015 - HungryMother wrote:

Brought to restaurant and asked them to open 90 minutes before dinner. A truly gorgeous bottle. Lots of minerality and earthiness (graphite,stone), balanced by mellow fruits, hints of pepper and leather. Tannins were just about perfect; long finish. Very dark in the bottle; decent amount of sediment. Shows vineyard terroir very well. Excellent with (in this case, lamb) and without food. Exhibit A of a balanced CA cab.

11/10/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Opened and decanted Saturday for dinner Saturday night. After decant, still had explosive palate - dark berries, leather/jerky, and a hint of metal - typical of mourvedre. Dark in the glass, with minimal sediment; medium viscosity. On day 2, palate hadmellowed slightly - less fruit forward and more integrated (metallic hints gone). Preferred day 2 wine. While I enjoyed this bottle, will cellar others a bit longer.

11/6/2014 - HungryMother wrote:

Bought this at Costco for $15 per bottle as a weeknight wine. Popped and poured. Lots of fruit; not a lot of complexity. Not much structure in the mouth; slightly tart on the finish. Middling sediment and low viscosity. I typically enjoy Fidelitas wines (I think they have a nice sense of place, in addition to fine fruit). Was underwhelmed here.

10/30/2014 - HungryMother wrote:

Drank over the course of 3 nights; popped and poured over aerator on night 1. Dark in glass, low viscosity, low sediment. A bit tart and thin on night 1. Improved greatly on night 2 - tartness dissipated, minerality came out, more structure in mouth. On night 3, more fruit present, but some of structure lost. Each night, better with food than without. Have been drinking a lot of big new world reds recently, so appreciated the lower alcohol content here. That said, not a great bottle, especially 11 years in (we may have missed the window).

10/11/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Opened but did not decant for 1 hour prior to drinking. Stood up well to other Napa cabs, but believe this will improve with more cellaring.

10/11/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Opened (but did not decant) for 1 hr before drinking. Brought to 50th birthday party and was huge hit with all (and particularly good with lamb).

6/15/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Delicious and at its peak. Father's Day dinner. Decanted for 3+ hours prior to drinking. Served with grilled flank steak. Terrific structure in the mouth - an almost textured feel, with dark cherry notes, leather/tobacco, some smoke, and some spice. Nicely balanced; long finish. Dark in the glass; relatively little sediment. Nice effort from the Elyse team.

6/17/2014 - HungryMother wrote:

This is a fine weeknight French pinot noir - soft and light in the mouth, minerality, mild fruit (mostly currant); not a lot of complexity and a bit of a flat finish, however. Will see how it opens up over the next day or so. Garagiste purchase.

6/1/2014 - HungryMother wrote:

Brought this to a birthday brunch. Mid gold in color, medium bubbles, nice toast in the mouth - perhaps the toastiest Schramsberg I have had. Went well with a variety of choices - scones, salad, gravy. Would buy more and let it develop a bit longer, but still delicious now.

3/9/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Drank over two nights. Dark in glass, very smoky. Popped and poured on first night; the wine really did not coalesce. Fruit was overpowered by the smoke. Benefited from some aeration - much more balanced on night 2, with smoke still present by complemented by berries, earthiness, and some minerality.

3/2/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Opened this (but did not decant) two hours prior to drinking. This is a fine, well-balanced blend (black cherry and currants, slight tar, earth, warm spices) with medium tannins, a pleasant mouth feel, and a mid-long finish. That said, I have had difficulty getting excited about Long Shadows of late. At this price point (this was a $50 bottle), a lot of Washington and California wineries are producing a more interesting product.

3/1/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2+ hours before drinking. Still had some of the distinctive funk on the nose, and at the back of the palate. That said, beautifully integrated wine - currants, black cherries, tobacco, loam/mushroom and a bit pepper/spice. Long finish; dark in glass; fair amount of sediment. Was one of 4 WA syrahs served at the dinner party, and easily the best. Drink now.

2/25/2014 - HungryMother Does not like this wine:

Terrible.

2/25/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

We popped and poured our first bottle of this red blend. The first taste was not great - brett-y feel on the finish, and really flat initial palate. Once it opened up, however, the palate blossomed - nicely balanced tannins, hillside fruit (mostly berries and cherries) - and the brett went away. Even better on night two - notes of tobacco and earth emerged. We gave the second bottle plenty of time to breathe (but did not decant) prior to drinking, and it was consistent with our later experience of bottle #1. Not sure if the open was due to our storage (too cool) or an anomaly in the bottle. In any event, with some time to open, this is a terrific, hillside blend from one of our favorite family wineries.

2/1/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Served with charcuterie, cheese, olives and almonds; fruit and (slight toast) in the wine nicely complemented the fattiness and salt of the snacks (and the latter highlighted the citrus and floral notes in the wine). Many friends seem somewhat perplexed by rose, let alone brut rose - we consistently serve this Schramsberg with appetizers (great QPR), and it is always received well by even the most skeptical guest. Drink now.

2/1/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Served this with various Washington oysters and a mignonette sauce. This was the first time we had tried Schramsberg blanc de noirs with oysters. Delicious. Dry, with a fair amount of toast (but not yeast), medium bubbles, and a long finish. The toast in the wine paired nicely with the sweet brine of the oysters. Admittedly, I am a Schramsberg fan, but with the price points on wines like this, I wonder why I buy anything else.

2/1/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Opened these bottles for 1-2 hours before serving but did not decant. Served with jambalaya - the fruit forward aspects of the wine (black cherry and berries, with hint of must/spice) and relatively mild tannins nicely complemented the spiciness of the dish. Dark in the glass; some sediment; mid length finish. This wine might become more balanced with another year or so, but it is drinking well now. These were our last two bottles; while we were happy to share them with friends, I wish we had more.

1/23/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

We popped and poured this bottle; ended up drinking it over two days. Initially, it was tight, with a metallic note on the finish. Fortunately, it opened up considerably with a bit of air - fruits mellowed and nicely complemented the structure. Medium color in glass, long finish, some sediment. Paired nicely with pot roast. Have another bottle that we will put up a bit longer; will also ensure that we decant well in advance prior to drinking.

8/3/2013 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

The winner of the Honey Badger Wine Company blind tasting (vs. Dr. Rob's Elixir and A Little Somethin' Somethin'). This Napa cab was remarkably balanced, extremely drinkable, and altogether delicious - evidence of a pretty decent palate in the winemaker, and a lot of luck.

8/3/2013 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Consumed in blind tasting against other Honey Badger Wine Company blends (Combibo and Dr. Rob's Elixir), this Napa cab (leavened with doses of malbec and merlot) took second place. In the bottle for a tender year, it exhibited surprising complexity, with dark cherry, cassis and berry flavors balanced by minerality and spice (the latter a favorite of the winemaker); altogether, surprisingly nimble for a young cab blend. After the success of this vintage, the winemaker announced her retirement, dedicating herself to the enjoyment of others' labor (and more sophisticated palates).

1/21/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

Part of Grape Killers VIP Package. THE perfect weeknight drinking wine. Honestly. Reasonably priced, surprisingly complex (after it opens up; granted, this is a 2012) and even better on day 2 (assuming you get there). Will buy more.

1/11/2014 - HungryMother Likes this wine:

We popped (but did not decant) 3-4 hours prior to pouring, and ran it through the aerator prior to drinking. It was not enough - initially, even in the glass, it was extremely tight. As it gradually opened up, it lost the astringency and revealed a wonderful combination of fruit (currant, cherries, light berries), tobacco and spice; a bit of loam too. It was a wine that we all sipped, then swirled a ton, sipped again, and ultimately were fighting over the dregs in the bottle. Had I another bottle, would have given it more time and treated it more kindly before serving. Even with our mismanagement, it ultimately showed well.