2/23/2020 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Pop and pour, decanted for ten minutes.

N: candied watermelon, red apple skin, cranberry. Cola, shale, river rock.

P: McIntosh Apple, stewed raspberry, overripe
strawberry. Black dirt, cola, damp grass.

Nose was very fruit forward but the non fruit characteristics linger on the palette for a nice long finish. This is a beautiful wine. Wish I had more of it.

It’s opening up quickly. I am curious to see where this goes in an hour.

2/22/2017 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

There's an amazing amount of fruit left on this wine for its age. Notes of apple, peach and stone fruit. There was a creamy, hazelnut thing going on as well. Pretty long finish. Great bottle.

11/24/2016 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: strawberry rhubarb, dried cherry, dried plum. Leather, ash and some very light eucalyptus.

Taste: dehydrated red fruits - strawberry, cherry and raspberry. Leather, cocoa and shale.

Poured from a magnum and decanted 2 hours. We had this with thanksgiving dinner. The color has not turned as much as I expected it to. Quite Burgundian in style. I love revisiting these old Brown Ranch Pinots from Saintsbury.

7/5/2016 - Legend38 Does not like this wine:

No seepage and perfectly intact cork. Almost all the fruit is gone and it tasted slightly oxidized. Oak characteristics still lingering strong.

7/5/2016 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Decanted one hour.

Nose: under ripe raspberry, strawberry and fig. Cola, caramel and lead pencil.

Taste: strawberry rhubarb, tangerine, orange peel. Hard caramel candies, baking spice, leather.

Great acidity and nice finish. It's young, but it's showing very nicely right now

Loving this new addition to the Saintsbury lineup.

5/21/2016 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: blueberry, blackberry, raspberry. Cocoa, vanilla, baking spice.

Palate: more red fruit than expected. Cherry, strawberry, plum. Tobacco, vanilla and some cured pork.

Drinks nice. Definitely overpaid. That's Napa cab for you.

4/17/2016 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Decanted one hour.

Nose: pear, mango, orange peel. River Rock, some feint caramel and butterscotch candy.

Taste: candied apple, lychee, melon. The caramel and butterscotch is very apparent on the the palate. Also, salt water taffy.

Medium body and finish.

For me, this was a standout in the Failla tasting. It had and still has a lot of character.

3/22/2016 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: dried cherries, blackberry and plum. Tea, lots of tree bark and smoked pork.

Taste: Apple skins, dried red fruits like cherry and raspberry. Still getting the tea, strong oak and a little caramel. Nice tannins. Medium finish.

Bought this on a whim to drink on my birthday and I'm not disappointed.

12/26/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: stewed cherry, red delicious apple skin, raspberry. Smoked ham, leather and faint bay leaf.

Taste: red delicious apple, sour cherry and strawberries and cream. Leather, vanilla and charred beef.

It's worth noting I coravinned a sip of this yesterday, so I'm not sure if there was any consequence there. Not sure how much longer this should sit.

12/24/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: blackberry, prunes and burnt cherry. Carmel, cured ham and smoke.

Taste: stewed cherry and blueberry, raisin. Tar, leather and burnt caramel.

Not a lot of acidity. Soft tannins.

This was open for an hour. Disappointed in the sense that this was over 100$. Otherwise it's a decent wine. Curious to see how it holds up to the NY Strip I just ordered.

12/9/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Pop and Pour.

Nose: Ripe red fruits: strawberry, cherry and dried fig. Non-fruit: tea, cedar and baking spice.

Taste: under ripe cherry, strawberry jam and orange peel. Non-fruit: getting the tea again, some vanilla and tree bark. Nice acidity. Medium+ finish.

Drinks nicely and is not an overdone zin fruit bomb.

12/7/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: ripe cantaloupe, melon and green apple. Really nice fruits. Ocean floor, lavender and under ripe green bell pepper.

Taste: very ripe cantaloupe and melon. The nose matches the palate so well in regards to the fruit. There's some restrained apple. Non fruit: saltwater taffy, butterscotch and caramel.

At such an early age, this is already nicely balanced. Would love to taste it again next year.

11/27/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: lush, dark fruit. Plums, blackberries, boysenberry. Cocoa, eucalyptus and tree bark.

Taste: raspberry jam, stewed blackberry and blueberry. Restrained oak, black dirt and dark cocoa powder.

This is tasting great right now and I think it has some time left. Nice acidity and tannin.

11/26/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Decanted one hour. This bottle was a magnum.

Surprisingly, there is no sediment.

Nose: fruit is still forward, despite the age of the wine. Getting a lot of red fruit. Cherry, strawberries and red delicious apple skin. The fruit is not over or under ripe. It's kind of just there. Non fruit aromas: cola syrup, with some restricted cedar and spearmint notes.

Taste: Sour cherry, under ripe strawberry and even some lime juice. Lots of acidity and minerality. Nice lingering tannins. Non fruit: cigar box, wet stone and shale. Nothing overpowering. Everything has integrated nicely.

Medium plus finish and complexity. It has cellared nicely and will be a great wine to compliment thanksgiving dinner.

11/21/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

PNP

Nose: underripe cherry, fig, strawberry. Coffee, cocoa, tree bark. I don't think the fruit is primary in the nose.

Taste: fruit is definitely primary on the palate. cherries, strawberry jam, raspberry. Leather, tobacco and oak.

Nice tannin and acidity. A lot of oak tannin. Medium finish. You could do far worse for 20$.

11/15/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

I remember loving this at the winery, and that's why I bought a bottle. I've seen all of your reviews and I've decanted this for 2 hours. Thank you. It's really coming into form now.

Nose: soft and lovely. Delicate raspberry, strawberry jam, and plum. Caramel, vanilla and musty basement.

Taste: stewed dark fruit, cherry, strawberries and cream. Still getting the vanilla and caramel, and very nice oak tannins. A little lead pencil.

So well balanced. Nice acidity. Nice finish.

This is a winner.

11/8/2015 - Legend38 wrote:

Been curious about this one for awhile. Only let it breathe for ten minute or so. The color is almost apple juice like, as old chards tend to turn.

Nose: fruit is not forward. Chalk, mildew, licorice. A lot of earthy notes I can't accurately describe. If I'm forced to pick fruit, I'll say very under ripe apple and pear.

Taste: unfortunately, this wine has turned. It's undrinkable. Hopefully it's just this bottle. Damn.

10/11/2015 - Legend38 wrote:

Nose: stewed red fruit, cola syrup, grape jam. Vanilla, toast and some oak. Taste: ripe cherry, strawberry and vanilla. Slight hints of oak. Medium in body and finish, but this is an elegant, feminine wine. I like it.

10/11/2015 - Legend38 wrote:

Had this last night. Still drinking quite well.

10/5/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Carneros Pinot at its finest. Nose: ripe red cherries, red fruit, cedar and a hint of funk. Taste: stewed, ripe red cherry, cola and oak/clove. I think this wine has a ton of life left in the bottle and I'd love to revisit it in 3-5 years.

8/11/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: honeydew, melon, green apple. Lavender, hay and leather, of all things.

Taste: Very ripe melon, green apple, under ripe lemon. Creamy vanilla frosting, oak and the leather I smell is evident at the back of my palate.

I don't like it as much as the 12, but it's good. High acid, medium body, medium finish.

8/7/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Surprised on the color on this. It's still quite ruby. Decanted 45 minutes.

Nose: Somewhat mild. Lush, ripe raspberry, strawberry, red bell pepper.. Bacon, rose petals and shale.

Taste: gummy, luscious red fruit. Almost like a fruit Rollup. Caramel and oak. Nice acidity and nice finish. This wine is drinking nicely right now. Surprised how well that fruit has held up.

8/6/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Decanted 45 minutes. Nose: stewed red fruits, mostly raspberry. I get a little blackberry as well. There's some cola, tea and a little leather. I drink a lot of this vintage and that's the first time I picked those non fruit aromas up.

Taste: Sour cherry, raspberry and orange peel. I get the leather towards the back of my palate along with lead pencil and oak.

This wine is definitely changing and it's interesting to see what's happening in the bottle.

7/27/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Decanted 30 minutes. Delicate nose. I don't think fruit is primary on the nose. Vanilla, butterscotch and cured meats. Some cranberry, underripe cherry and a bit of red apple. On taste, the fruit is primary. Cranberry, tangerine and blood orange. Some leather, tobacco and caramel. Medium plus acidity, Medium finish, medium plus complexity. This is a fantastic wine.

7/15/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: very ripe red strawberry, raspberry and plum. Non fruit aromas: caramel, lead pencil, shale. Taste: maraschino cherry, strawberry jelly, ripe raspberry. The presence of oak is very evident - the caramel from the nose is present and also some vanilla extract.

6/3/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Nose: cherry, cola, apple skins, river rock. Taste: gummy red fruit, underripe red delicious apple, underripe raspberry, nice oak integration. Nice, bright acidity. Medium finish. Drinking nicely right now.

6/2/2015 - Legend38 Likes this wine:

Decanted for one hour. Nose: underripe cherry, underripe strawberry, cola, butterscotch, vanilla. Taste: underripe red fruits, cola, pencil shavings, burnt oak. Drinks fine now, will benefit from age.

5/31/2015 - Legend38 Does not like this wine:

Disappointed. This high elevation cab fell extremely flat. I'm normally a fan of atlas peak fruit, but not here. Strawberry, vanilla and oak, virtually no tannin or acidity and a lightning fast finish. Perhaps a dud bottle.

1/17/2015 - Legend38 wrote:

Consistent with previous notes.

9/9/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

Consistent with other reviews.

4/11/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

Nose: strawberry, cherry, black pepper. Palette: strawberry, cola, pepper, ash. Medium body, medium minus acid, medium minus tannins. Easy drinking.

3/9/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

Nose - red fruit, strawberries and whipped cream. A little forest floor. Medium finish, low tannins. Palette reflects the nose but there's no earth at all. Silky smooth mouth feel. Expensive at 80$, but enjoyable.

2/7/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

Smoke, earth, leather and pencil shavings on the nose. Powerful roasted blackberry, cherry up front and the leather and oak on the back. Tannic. Long, oaky finish. Interesting and bold Pinot.

1/26/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

Not as good as I remember from last time. A bit thin and falls flat really quick. Bevmo has this on their 5cent sale, which makes this wine 15$ a bottle, but this is not a 30$ bottle of wine.

1/25/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

I've had this decanting for two hours. I knew it needed to open up after the first two sips, but did not intend to wait that long. hot nose, very earthy, and red fruit lingers somewhere behind. I'm a big California coast Pinot Noir fan and read favorable things about this Pinot, so I gave it a go. The most amazing thing about this wine is the Rocky Mountain terroir taste. For lack of a better description, there's a lot of rocky minerality in this wine, but is so well balanced with the pronounced cherry and strawberry flavors. Medium finish, with a nice mouth feel. Unfiltered, so there's a lot of sediment. Not an issue for me. If you can find it, give it a go.

1/24/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

Smells like strawberries and cream, and balsamic. Big, full mouth feel. Tart red fruit and spices. A little inky at the end. Medium and balanced finish. Really enjoying this. Wish I bought more.

1/24/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

Dark ruby color. Roasted cherries, followed by cranberry, bark and some spice. Slightly acidic on the finish. Better than decent finish.

1/18/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

For all the hype chalone gets for their Pinots, I'm very disappointed with this, especially at 31$.

Very damp nose, accompanied by some spice and red apple. The dampness continues while tasting, blackberries in the middle and Maraschino cherries at the end. Medium to light finish. Wouldn't buy again.

1/16/2014 - Legend38 wrote:

Earth, must and spice on the nose. This mouth starts with a dusty flavor, accompanied by an Indian like spice I cannot pinpoint at the moment. Another user suggested coriander, that might be it. There's some currant and raspberry in the middle and it seems to finish of with a little vanilla and caramel at the end. I've had much better Carneros Pinot, but this wine is fine.

12/31/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

I can't stop thinking about this Pinot. It's incredibly soft with a light cherry aroma. Don't let the lack of nose fool you. There's some boysenberry and grass at the end. I'm not doing this wine justice. Just buy it.

12/27/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

I agree with what a lot of the 11/12/12 reviewer said, except for the Meiomi part. Funny thing is, we had a bottle of meiomi belle glia right before this and we enjoy both. I'm immediately getting some blackberry and fresh cut grass, but I can also tell this is a very complex Pinot Noir with more than a few layers. Our friends at Saintsbury gave this to us and we are not disappointed.

12/27/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

This Pinot has a very soft feel. I get cherries, vanilla and some caramel. This is not a big bold Pinot, but at 20$ this is a wonderful every day Pinot.

12/24/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

Needs more time. Should develop nicely.

12/13/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

Nice full mouth feel. Dark cherry and grapefruit. Ash and leather notes at the end. I've had this decanted for 30 minutes but suspect it might need awhile longer to fully develop.

11/29/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

Very fruit forward , very young. Enjoyable at this price point. I'd drink this again tomorrow.

11/28/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

Revisiting this old friend for the first time in a few years. Earthy flavors with some cherry and plum, but not extremely fruit forward. Spicier notes were more pronounced with our butternut squash soup. This magnum has been open for over an hour and the flavor continues to evolve.

10/18/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

Raspberry, strawberry and big fruit flavor in general. Some tannins on the back. This is a big zin.

10/4/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

Raspberry jam, a hint of vanilla and a velvety finish. Excited to let this open up a bit, even though it's full of body already.

9/11/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

46$ a bottle? Kind of disappointed

8/21/2013 - Legend38 wrote:

Smoke, jam, leather and a bit ash. Very enjoyable.