8/11/2012 - CaliCab wrote:

Restaurant purchase, pnp. A great nose of baking spices. Palate a bit thin and flat, good acidic balance, plenty of tannin structure, but simple, amd too light on fruit.

8/7/2012 - CaliCab wrote:

PnP. Yet another example of a Parker-must-smoke-crack wine review. 90 points? Are you smoking...uh...OK, I already said that Parker must be smoking crack. This stuff is honestly vile. Wicked, wicked pyrazine. STRONG basil bouquet. Strong. Basil. Like SERIOUS basil. Weird, weird note. Don't know if I have gotten it before on a wine. And oregano. Unbelievable green notes. Tomato. It's like I'm in an Italian kitchen, but without the good wine.

Palate continues a lot of the same. Strong tannins, good acid, but the pyrazine just overwhelms everything else. It's like chewing on a mud, green pepper, basil, mint and oregano sandwich. With a little sweet blue fruit and a lot of alcohol heat on the back end. Blech. Unfortunately, I bought a case in the hype. Luckily, I only paid 2.99 a bottle. The rest are going out as gifts for people who won't notice or care how bad it is.

(p.s. - if you read this and I gave you a bottle as a gift, this tasting note was intended as satire and as a means to scare off anyone else who might try to buy it up from under me. Seriously. I gave this wine to you because I value our friendship and this wine, just like you, means a lot to me.)

5/27/2012 - CaliCab wrote:

Cloudy light ruby. Initial nose had a hint I petrol of all things, tar, and creosote. Opens to baking spices ad sweet, cloying cinnamon nose I have come to expect from AHF demuth. Very tart, sweet cherry and bright red fruit. Very tart, but enjoyay so. Good tannin, well integrated. only black mark is a bit of heat. Great overall, and young.

11/6/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Just shared a sip off my wife's glass, but a great first impression. Unique color, great weight, curious mint/eucalyptus note. Will hold scoring until I can give it a proper taste.

11/3/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Pnp. Very interesting nose - wet grass, smells like overgrown grasses after a rain. Clean dirt, nature-smelling. Some spice box. Iron and stone. A little like an old colonial house...aged and settled, stone foundations and dirt. surprisingly heavy on the palate, thick and unctuous. Crisp acidity, sweet mid palate, plummy. Grapey. Tart. Raspberry. Black cherry. Some heat on the back end, but the acidity and cherry lingers on and on. Really great.

10/26/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Great acidity, light tannins, sweet attack. Long, long finish. Too grapey, but just rec'd delivery today so we'll see how it evolves after a rest.

10/13/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

OK. This wine is a bit of a jeckyll and hyde. Why? It's great. It's a great wine. Warm, heavy, thick and mouth coating, tarty fruit, lots of good warm oak in the form of smoke and roasted meats. High-ish alcohol at 13.9% but completely hidden away - very little bite and almost no bitterness. Good finish, with tannins coming out on the back end and the acid and sweet fruit lasting a good while.

So the downside? It is not characteristically correct for sangiovese at all. Yes, it is too sweet. There is almost none of the raw meat and blood you;d love to get on the nose. It is too thick, too viscous. Not high enough acid. Not your standard tart cherry.

So, it is god. But it is so wrong.

I might even mistake this for a merlot if it was poured blind.

9/8/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Much better than the last bottle. Out of the gate this is way over oaked, heavy, vanilla oak. But with a good few hours of air, that subsides and this becomes much mellower in the oak. It is still strong, but less sweet, and more integrated with the jammy fruit nose. Super High acid, heavy fruit, nice tannins but at the perfect point of aging. Thick and viscous, real new world. But the finish goes on for literal minutes. Much redder fruit than I'd expect from a cab blend - Strawberry, raspberry. Just goes on and on and on. Almost more than any other wine I have had. This one grew on me.

9/7/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Four bottles purchased and drunk. All were stringent, hugely acidic, resiny, and some if the highest phrasing wines I have ever tasted. Intriguing, but not lush enough for my taste.

8/31/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Stellar nose. Sweet spicebox oak. Very fruity, like blueberry pie. Some savory aspects, too, almost soy or worcestershire. Just spectacular. Gorgeous. The kind I want to sniff all night long, and it develops nicely with time in glass. Some caramel. Lots of vanilla. Some smoke. A bit of everything, if you look for it, you can find it in there. I love it.

The palate is underwhelming after the nose. It has great body, as would be expected at 14% alc. And stiff tannins. Acidity is sufficient. But it is hollow on the attack, and oily in the mid palate. The fruit comes back in the finish, but it is quickly overwhelmed by heat and bitterness from the high alcohol and tannins.

This is a baby, and hopefully things will come into balance in the palate over time without the bouquet losing its wonderful fresh, new, fruity, spicy, oaky complexity. It is the great mix of young wine and older wine that makes the bouquet so fascinating.

All in all, a truly great bottle of wine.

8/15/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

A sumptuous nose. Roasted, rare red meats mixed with sweet cinnamon and spicebox. A little Worcestershire or soy. Eminently sniffable. A touch hot on the attack, and tannic, tannic, tannic. Great acidity, though, and good sweet and sour cherries. Bitter mid palate. Too bitter. Alcohol bitter. Depressingly bitter, because the nose was so delectable. 93 pt bouquet, 84 pt palate = 86 pt wine.

6/23/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

This has developed incredibly much over the 4 years I have had it. Color is lighter red, tinged with brown. With a good dose of air, this has an interesting tuscan sangiovese meets USA quickie mart nose - not quite smoked, roasted meats, not quite slim jims. (not sure if there is any sangio in the blend). There is definitely some red cherries in the nose, and brighter fruits. Some black pepper. Bouquet would be great if it wasn't tinged with too much alcohol and oak. Palate is thick, a bit flabby on the attack, but nicely acidic in the finish. Still a good dose of tannins in there. Log finish - a lot of acid bust some fruit lingers around, too, in the form of tart cherries. There is a real port quality to this, more than partly from the alcohol (reads 13.9%, but I think it is closer to 14.5 or more). On the palate the oak is heavy and full of caramel vanilla, so if you don't like american oak stay away.

It is a good drink, but over oaked and too high alcohol.

6/20/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Decanted 1.5 hrs prior to tasting. Tasted solo and with grana padano cheese. It's fine. That's about it. Simple nose, subtle oak in smokey meats. Lots of grapey blue fruits. Good weight, good balance, good structure, but simple. No fireworks, no spark, no soul. Nothing complex or distinctive.

6/17/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Having had and loved a few vintages of the higher level d'Alessandro wine, il bosco, this was a major let down. Nose is downright insipid. Grapey. Fruity. Not much else. Palate is chemically. Hot. Fake acid. Tannic finsih. Jammy. Not a pleasant bottle of wine.

6/16/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Had this by the glass at a local restaurant, and loved it. Picked up 6, and this is my first of that batch. It's sat for a week or so, so I think it would have had sufficient time to settle down, but this, while good, isn;t quote living up to the other bottle.

Nice savory nose, full of dirt, deep blue fruit, and lots of sweet, yummy oak, full of cedar and black pepper. Not fake oak, though, has a nice bouquet and not overwhelming, more woody. New world fruit meets old world oak. Definite alcohol on the nose. Heavy mouthfeel, and deep, stiff tannins. Too alcoholic, and the heat overwhelms the early finish. Great fruit, and great acidity, and everything to make this a great wine, but unfortunately the alcohol kills it, and that is not something that will improve with time. Deeper blue fruits from the majority merlot on the attack, but the finish is all sangiovese cherries. Great length, actually enough to outlast the alcohol, further showing that there is good stuff in there.

6/16/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Very new world, with gobs of sweet, smoky oak, and lush fruit. But great oak treatment, not overbearing, the kind you can sniff all day.

6/11/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Pleasantly surprised by this little vacqueyras. Purchase off the list at a little local restaurant I stumbled on off a highway for $28, more pleasant surprises to see that CT avg had it at $20 retail. Love little local places. This had a nice if simple nose, well oaked and good fruit, clean and earthy. On the plate had great acidity and dark fruits, I guessed it at 60/40 Grenache/syrah, turns out it was 60/30/10 with the mouvedre. Good spice, food weight, all around a good little wine. A little hot from a bit too high abv.

6/6/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

This was a great, and unusual, bottle of Sancerre pinot. Sweet, red fruit nose, lots of sweet oak and florals. Tasted blind, I immediately guessed Cali pinot in the new style (kutch, anthill, etc.), and was surprised to hear it was a red sancere. Great tart acidity and a nice tannic backbone. Fruit forward, but well aligned with structure. Quite good.

6/3/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Big meh. Well enough structured, abd good acidity and dark fruit, but fakey insipidly simple, and has an underlying unpleasant note that belies explanation that makes it less than acceptable for $11. For the $36 I paid in a restaurant, downright offensive.

4/9/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

My first of "The Todd's" wines. It is fine. Not a 91 ptr, but fine. Solidly built overall, has the air of a well crafted wine. Nose os standard fare for a higher end cali cab - caramel/vanillanoak, loads of black fruit. With a good dose of air, a strong note of green pepper comes to the fore, and a touch of cedar/black pepper. It is flabby on the attack, but a respectable acidity comes thrgh quickly on the mid palate. Alcohol is too high - lends an overall sweetness, btterness and heat that seriously detracts. Just waited too long to harvest. In a challenging vintage - cool then wickedly hot, then cool, poor vineyard management caused a lot of producers to wait too long to pick...in think this one fell victim to the same. The fruit does hang around for a good long finish...if there was just a touch higher acid and a good dose less alcohol (holy crap, I just looked and this clocks in at 15.1%! WTF!), this could be a great wine. Maybe less oak, or at least older barrels.

Edit: this does improve with air. The oak gets less sweet and more smoky meaty, and the acidity starts to really pop. Still killed by excessive alcohol.

3/23/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Purchased off restaurant list for 4, so popped and poured. Sweet cherry nose, just hints if Tuscan bouquet. After a little air in glass, the oak started to come through, but still the primary note was the fruit. Shockingly light color, translucent ruby, Nebbiolo like. Palate follows the nose - light, fruity, and tart. Good acid, but very light tannins. too light. Sweet, easy drinking, but un brunello like.

With more air, this started to come around a bit with more complexities in the nose and a touch more weight in the glass, but at this point the bottle was gone! All in all quite pleasant, but not a standard brunello experience.

Note: With proper air this may have gained a point or two n

3/20/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Nose of meats and hot dogs, deep blue fruit. More oak on the nose than fruit. Some tobacco, bacon. Jelly, perfume. Actually, smells just like a Vegas casino floor - tobacco, cheap perfume, and steak. Full mouth, jammy, juicy. A good dose of heat, good acid.thick, very fruity, and oak driven. Definitely new world, but actually qute good. Enough structure ton stand up to the fruit, and very oaky, but not overly sweet or obtrusive oak.

3/20/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Very pleased with this bottle. Great Italian nose, well integrated and treated oak, red fruits. Very full mouthfeel, almost unctuous,and a little sweet. Great acid as should be expected from etna. A little bitterness and heat coupled with the oily body suggest a little high in the abv. Slightly too jammy. Harvest slightly earlier and this would have been a great wine. But very enjoyable as is.

3/19/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

On Pnp, Displayed a bit more oak that gave up scents of roasted meats, blood, dirt. Yummy. Aft soe air, the roasted scents and smoke fall off, and teh scent is of clean dirt and raw meat. Attack is sweet, tart, and rife with tannins. Very juicy, a little bitter and hot. All in all, good.

3/10/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Nose is slightly caramel, slightly bread toast, slightly cream, a little dust and earthy mud. A good dose of mint/eucalyptus. Bright fruits, cherries. Palate is fresh, nice crisp acidity. Sweeter and fruitier than the nose would suggest, tart raspberries and sour cherries. Good weight, but not heavy, nice, easy drinking. There is an off flavor I can't place throughout that comes to the fore in the finish, and some heat and bitterness don't match the 13% ABV, but do highlight the bit of disjointedness in this wine.

3/10/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

First Jura. Curios wine. LOADS of sheep's ass, LOADS of acid, good dose of red, tart fruits. Cranberry, sour cherry. Sherry-like qualities. A bit thin for my personal preference, but an intriguing wine.

3/8/2011 - CaliCab wrote:

Nose strongly of worcestershire. Dark fruits, raisins, prunes. A bit too print, and the worcestershire is incredibly strong. Smoky, sweet.

On the palate - heavy, heavy mouthfeel. Like ink. Definite sweetness that I characterize with amarone, and mouth gripping tannins. A good dose of heat, i'd clck this in at 14.5% (a check puts it at 15%). smooth, oily attack, and the acid and alcohol come through strongly in the finish. Really, really long finish, comes in waves. A full minute later, a wave of tartness comes through, then a wave of Bitterness, then tingled - a lot of alcohol notes in the finish.

Really good, and very intriguing.

12/31/2010 - CaliCab Likes this wine:

On Pnp, this guy is still a tannic beast. Initial nose is very smokey, woody, and oaky.

Color is deep ruby, turning slightly translucent at the rim, not even the slightest hint of any bricking.

The tannins just blow away most anything on the palate, but some good, deep blue black fruit fights it's way to the fore despite the tannin's best efforts. The is also a LOT of spice and bitterness, presumably from a high alc content - i'd guess ths one at high 14% alcohol, if not breaking 15%. (a quick check, label reads 14.5, but i think it actually clocks in higher.

After an hour's air, the nose has left the smoke in the background and taken on a strong mentholyptus air. Just plan delicious nose. A lot of the oak has backed off, and some fruit comes forward on the nose joining the ever evolving men's club oak scents. On the palate, the tannins have backed off, but still lurk on the ropes, hitting you when you least expect it. But now it is the acid that has come out swinging, bringing ten fruit forward in a tart, mouthwatering blue fruit.

At two hours in, the nose has subdued into a more mapley sweet oak with some roast nuts, and the eucalyptus pokes it's head in too.

The heat has burned off almost entirely, a hint in the finish. But now the acid is in balance, some delicious sweet fruits come to the fore like never before, and the tannins hover in the background before coming in for a one two punch in the finish with the alcohol - a stiff, warm, deliciously bittersweet and long end to every sip.

This is just a great study in a wine, simply because of the journey it takes over the time in the decanter.

This has a good 10++ years to continue to develop in bottle, but to the eager, it is a treat now too.

12/12/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

On initial pnp right from cellar, very tight. Nose really isn't giving up anything at all. After 15m in glass, starts really opening up with a little oak, leather, roasted meats. Deep, semi-translucent red with noticeable bricking.

Palate is crisp with acidity. Very sweet attack, but tart sour, sour cherry dominates. Tannins are definitely present but far from overwhelming, and perfectly in balance. Seems quite high alcohol, as a good dose of side tongue bitterness is prevalent in mid palate, and finish has a lot of heat. Nose is now very smoky, oaky, but a delicious Italian oak, leaning toward caramel.

At 30m some of the acidity seems to have mellowed and a lot sweeter cherry and even strawberry comes through. Still a lot of bitterness and heat from too much alcohol.

Falls apart rather quickly, I definitely would not decant, and would look to drink up over the first couple hours. I think this peaks at 30-45 mins.

12/12/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Let down. Completely uncorrect varietally. Color is a deep opaque red, almost Shiraz-like. Nose is Rhone funky. Palate has a stiff wall of tannins, covering some slight sour cherry. A bit of a bruised apple note on the nose makes me think there may be some mild oxidization at work, so i'm not scoring.

11/28/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

I have really wanted to like this wine. But, you don't always get what you want. Nose has a bit of strawberry,but is overwhelmed by bad oak. Smokey, but nit a nice smokey oak, more roasted meat, not a varietally correct nose.. On Pnp, it's like strawberry soda. Every bottle i have had had a effervescence, a secondary fermentation, that is seriously off putting. After some ar, that passes, but, man, this has a horrible finish, bitter, unpleasant. Artificialsweet fruit, bad oak, nasty aftertaste. All in all, not enjoyable, at any price point.

11/21/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Surprisingly good, cheap Napa cab. Oodles of blackberry, strong oak, but not overwhelming. Well integrated. Young and tight. Best after 4+ hours on air, tannins ease back and becomes a smooth, supple wine with enough acid to keep it fresh. very highly recommended.

11/19/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

I pulled this from the cellar, and I have no idea when I got it, what I paid, or anything about it. Pleasant for an, I assume, low end Priorat. Loads of blueberry, and a good helping of oak. Oak becomes increasingly predominant and overly sweet with some air. Nice spicebox in the nose, with cinnamon, nutmeg, baking spices. A warm and cozy nose. Almost buttery, creamy bouquet.

Plate is high spice, high acid, with a sweet undertone. Loads of backend heat. No idea what the ABV is but I'd guess it at 14% easy. (OK, went and looked, and bottle says 14.5%, and I buy that and then some). Alc level shows itself in the heat, sweetness and heat, as well as a good dose of bitterness. Alc and tannins overpower a little tart fruit. Palate is a bit simple, after a really yummy nose. 88pts

9/6/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Very old world in acid vs fruit components. Nose is strongly white pepper, with a good dose of bramble. A bit of stewed red fruit. A slight hint of oxidization, but not enough to say if it is just a stewed note, or a fault. New world drinks will think this is thin, it is just not Jammy and high alcohol. Pretty good for what I paid.

8/4/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Honestly a great nose. Very dusty, clay, almost. Blue fruit. Sweet. Creamy, like blueberry yogurt. Very well integrated oak, certainly present, but not in any definable form - not vanilla, or nutty, or leathery, or any other normal way, just there, in the back, adding complexity. Some vegetal components - tomato, grass, florals...Smells like a farmer's market. I really like the nose of this wine. Really like it, because there is a lot more I can't place.

Palate is heavy, loads of body, and the nose carries on to the palate. Tannins are still stiff, and has a pretty sweet attack. Interestingly, oakier on the palate than the nose. With second sip, tannins become harsh, drying. Really drying. But this is a great wine. Just young. Crazy tannins, and a LOT of fruit, that will probably come in lin ewith some more time in bottle. And, plenty of acidity to age along with the tannins. At this point, the nose is definitely a step above the palate, which is too tannic, too sweet, and unidimensional, but even the taste is high 80's. Put together, 89-90 points, with the stuffing to go low 90's with time.

7/30/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

I think the other CT notes are way off base. I was fascinated by this wine. Deeply Tuscan nose with lots of roasted meat, but also Pinot noir, with bright fruit and strawberry cotton candy sweetness. I had a very hard time nailing the varietals on this, but wou,d never have guessed it was 50% syrah, it had no bite, or other elements that I'd call classically syrah. Then, there is no way in would have tagged the other 50% because I had never heard of xinomavro. I did go with an italian Pinot, and the somm atthe restaurant said that xinomavro is often compared to Pinot, so it makes a bit more sense.

Anyway, this had great acidity, it was full of fruit, but nothing cloying, very well integrated oak and a great nose with tertiary flavors that kept it very interesting. A great wine, and quite a pleasant surprise.

6/30/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Oak. Oaky oak. Over-oaked oak. If you took a nice helping of oak, smoked it in some oak, and added a bit of liquid oak before you soaked it in oak chips for 24 months, you might have a starter wine that could be aged for a few years in new oak to start to get the flavor profile of this wine.

6/25/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

On initial open, great nose of bramble and blackberry. Dusty, garrigue. Very subtle oak. Still good tannins, and some sweetness in the. I'd palate and finish. Surprisingly long finish, too. Nice acidity, but just a bit too simple for a great score. As a poor blind taster, even I was able to tag this as majority Grenache, minority syrah, so I'd say it is pretty varietally correct. Spicy finish I'd chalk up to the varietals as well as a little alc, which also gives a bit of a bitter edge and good weight.

6/9/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

really surprisingly good. Pnp. On intial taste, I told my wife I'd call it ata $35 wine, and guessed I had paid $29 for it. When I looked it up and saw that it was actually $10, I was shocked. Great, subtle, but very italian nose of meat and smoke. Oak gets a little strong with some air, but it is still that nice old world, smokey roasted oak, not sweet, caramel or vanilla at all.

Great weight, i think the listed 13% abv is probably a bit light, but nice acidity to counterbalance it. No idea what the blend is, but I would have guessed a sangio / cab blend from the nose.

5/29/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Massive wine. Ink dark, totally opaque. Actually a bit tame on the nose, shockingly. Well integrated, but readily apparent, oak. Cigar box and even some roast meats. Thick mouthfeel, heavy, dark fruit, and wild alcohol. Enough acidity to make the overall impression that of a well made wine. Long finish, but so overpowered by the alcohol that the fruit takes a back seat. Delicious, over the top, and a great example of this style of wine if it is your bag.

4/28/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Not your standard cali zin. Smoky nose, more wood and forest rather than typical CA caramel. Actually, some roasted meats in there...almost tuscan. Pretty interesting nose, actually. On the palate, initial impression is high acid...tart, bordering on astringent. Feels lower alcohol - label reads 14.9% but it doesn't come across that high, save for a little heat on the finish, but that could also just be chalked up to the varietal itself. Not an excessive amount of weight, very little bitterness...perhaps just masked by the high acid. This really comes across as a cool climate syrah, more than a cali zin. interesting, and better than I expected.

4/27/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

To be honest - I was worried about trying this wine. Being friends with the winemaker...what if I didn't like it? What if it was crap? Not that I didn;t have expectations - this guy certainly knows his stuff - but everyone has their palate, and even the great ones miss every now and again.

Man, was I worrying for nothing. This stuff is great. If I had never heard of this guy and picked it up off a shelf in a store for half again over what it actually cost, I would have been happy.

Not translucent, but not opaque. A nice light, bright ruby, even with a slight brownish tinge. Nose of cotton candy and maple oak. Delicious nose. Scrumptious nose. The kind you want to just sit and sniff for a while before you even bother tasting. Strawberries and maple smoke. Delicious.

On the palate, tart red fruits, and heavy fruit. This is a pinot in the new new world style, definite fruit forward but with the acifdity to keep it place-driven, not overly sweet or cloying, not too heavy and manipulated. Great acid definitely counterbalances the bright red fruit. This is along the lines of a Kutch pinot - I saw a lot of parallels here.

If there is one criticism, it's a bit high alcohol, so it has a little too much heat and a touch of a bitter finish. It gives it good weight, though, which will be a plus to many drinkers, but it is a little bit of a mismatch to the good acid, the delicate appeal of the wine, to have a heavy handed body and abv. Don't know how much input Brandon had on harvest date.

All in all, a truly great wine, and jaw dropping for a rookie effort.

4/19/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

On initial pnp, great nose of smoked sausage and dark fruit. A slight bit of funk, but not rhone styled, more rotted meat than barn. Something very Bavarian about the nose, like a brauhaus - meat and oak, old fires and smoke. Palate is in line - heavy mouthfeel, creamy, almost, in body. Great acid, and some real back-end heat attests to a high alcohol content. Semi-sweet attack, loads of fruit, but a LOT of heat. Too hot. Much like my experiences with the 2004, the heat blows away everything else. Stiff tannins, and bitter - another too high abv cue. Curious to see what a little air has to say. After 90 minutes, the palate has come around a lot - sweet blue/black fruits, lucious and jammy. Still has the bitterness ans heat of too much alcohol, but there is a lot more fruit to balance it out. And acidity to keep it fresh, though the mouthfeel lends itself to flab from the high abv. Still too disjointed for an especially high score, but turns into a good drink.

4/8/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Strong black pepper, some reddish fruits. Stiff tannins, great acid. Some alcohol on the back end in heat and bitterness. All In all quite good.

4/4/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Brownish, opaque for a nebbiolo. Earth, tobacco, plummy nose. A bit tight. Not giving much on the bouquet. Drying tannins, Huge, hot finish - I think this one is pretty high ABV. Sweet attack, bitter, hot finish. Sums up 2003 as a vintage pretty well. I feel that this is a well made wine from a challenging vintage.

3/28/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Couple years since trying this last. Better, has come together a touch and some of the heat and bitterness has settled, but still pretty ho hum. Over oaked, very caramel-y new world oak, and far too much alcohol (reads 13.9% but I think it is closer to 14.5). Heavy fruit, but it is disjointed, very flabby, and not especially well built.

3/26/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

I thought this was an excellent wine. Not the standard fruit forward new world pinot...a lot more on the nose than what you would expect. Some nice tertiary notes of funk, forest floor, and dirty cherry. Palate is smooth and fruity, nice acid balances it out. Great body, and sufficient tannins. Sour cherry and bright blue fruit. Quite good.

3/20/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Woah! Way more oak than I have ever seen from this producer. Still good, and honestly it is nice smelling oak, but VERY strong. Not scoring because it is so young, I was really just taking one for the team here. Great fruit, awesome acid per usual, but the finish is a bit oak bitter. Obviously needs some time, but I hope the oak can come into balance.

3/20/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

very floral. citrus, perfume. nice acidity. a bit sweet on the attack. simple, but good for a warm spring dinner al fresco.

3/18/2010 - CaliCab wrote:

Still quite an enjoyable wine. Not close to being over the hill, but definitely doesn't need any more cellar time. Surprised that this hadn't picked up more earthy, tertiary flavors, still a very fruity, sweet CdR. Some of the barnyard actually has decreased from last bottle. Sweet, fruity, and yummy, but a little bit of the bloom has fallen off the rose.