1/26/2011 - stevek1510 wrote:

poured a glass and let it sit for over an hour before i touched it...the nose made me think "holy shiite this is a big bastard"....huge in-your-face nose, i felt like i was water boarded with blueberry sauce...hot blueberry pie, sweet, thick and syrupy-reminds me of a blueberry port i drink from duckwalk vineyards.....thankfully, the nose was a little misleading and the flavors took a step back from the ledge.....if the flavor matched the nose it would have been too over the top for my palate....firm blueberry flavor throughout but dialed in to allow some secondary flavors to come through...i get some plum mixed in there as well and even a hint of cinnamon in there somewhere.....and some pear tartness on the finish...solid finish, good length...not something i could drink all the time but i did really enjoy this...91+

11/4/2009 - stevek1510 wrote:

2 hour decant...nice and dark, just looks like it's going to be a big thick wine...cherries and vanilla mixed with a hint of eucalyptus on the nose....also a little vegetal on the nose...cherries and strawberries right up front mixed with a little leather...also getting some tartness like a raspberry jam....having a tough time nailing all these flavors independently but they all work together beautifully.....great flavor, full mouthfeel, and the eucalyptus is barely there on the back end...this is not a characteristic that i usually enjoy bet here i find that it works.....remarkably smooth for something with 15.6% alcohol...sure am glad i have some more...drinking great now but i am looking forward to seeing how this evolves

2/13/2009 - stevek1510 wrote:

My first thought was-needs more time...decanted for over 1 hour....first few glasses had a "tang" to it like a sour candy...behind it you can taste a full bodied somewhat complex wine but it just seems a little scrambled at this point....pronounced flavors that just seem a little a little out of order...I don't know why, but I feel another year or two would help round this out and balance the flavors...definitely a nice dark, rich red.....nose of blueberry and a grape flavored candy...my last glass, 3 hours after decanting, really smoothed out....i get all the dark fruit up front and then a transition to a earthy, mineral taste..overall, very enjoyable, but I would give this some time in the bottle

10/21/2008 - stevek1510 wrote:

Outstanding, probably the best merlot I have had .....nose of cherry, strawberries and cola....15.2% alcohol but not noticeable on the nose....black cherry right up front blending into plums.......very full flavor but not over the top, very delicious....I cant emphasize the smooth finish enough...some tannin on the end....the high alcohol % does not come through on this at all....a wonderful merlot

6/3/2008 - stevek1510 wrote:

Drank this before I wanted too but noticed some dried wine on the capsule.... I wasn't sure if the cork was bad or maybe some wine spilled on it at the winery but I didn't want to take the chance that this was going to get more oxidized as time went on.....after popping it I could see the cork seemed to have a soft spot running through it which ma have led to the leakage at some point...luckily the wine was fine, as far as I could tell....great dark color...nose of milk chocolate and warm strawberry syrup with a hint of the alcohol which is a little high at 15.9%....very smooth, I really expected a little harshness with that alcohol %....great transition from mid palate to finish, very, very smooth...plums and chocolate covered strawberry with some earthiness in the background...very well rounded, everything seems balanced with this wine...outstanding

1/3/2008 - stevek1510 wrote:

Nice dark color. Probably one of the most obvious noses of milk chocolate I have ever experienced. Also a little bit of plum on the nose.Full mouthfeel, big flavors of plum and strawberry. Very smooth. Solid wine but a little unusual, I liked it a little better when I first opened it. As time went on, it seemed to get more vegetal with an ashy aftertaste which are not characteristics I particularly enjoy.

12/21/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

This wine completely evolved over 3 hours. Had I scored it when I first opened it, it would have been much lower. Still no anywhere the 70 WS gave it, but clearly lower. Great color, nice and jammy looking. When first opened a scent of eucalyptus and high alcohol were dominant which thankfully wore off after decanting for 2 hours. One unusual note, the first glass I had was after about 2 hours of decanting and there was very strong cranberry flavors which disappeared after the first glass. Full dark fruit spectrum with a healthy serving of strawberry on top. Earthy/leather characteristics on the mid palate. Lush mouthfeel and smooth on the finish. Can't put my finger on what it is this wine is missing but just doesn't blow me away. Still a good to very good wine and would probably buy again.

12/20/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Bumping up my previous rating. I certainly have had wines more complex than this but this scores very all all across the board. Initially still deceiving, looks a little thin. Other than that, it is excellent. Huge nose, great fruit, great mouthfeel and finish. Outstanding QPR and a fully satisfying everyday drinker. Looking forward to the 05's and hope they show as well as the 04's

6/22/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Nice color, big fruity nose...smooth from start to finish...nothing complex or even distinctive but a tasty wine....would buy again, a good "second" bottle....good qpr

6/10/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

great color, nice and dark...nose is dark cherries and root beer...also a little "hot" alcohol wise and I decanted for almost 2 hours... super cherries on the mid palate carried to the finish...cherries seem to dominate but I get a faint dark fruit salad...kind of a mixture of flavors behind it but nothing dominates enough to be distinctive....a little bit acidic on the finish....maybe another year to smooth this out?...

5/23/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Great color, as dark as it gets....solid nose...complete dark fruit salad, no alcohol "burn" which is nice.....fairly smooth with a cherry "bite" on the finish...nothing profound but great qpr, big enough to stand up to any food without dominating....wish I had another bottle to cellar...I think it could be a 90+ with another year for the flavors to develop

3/17/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Nose of muted dark fruit and gives the impression that this wine would be very "hot"...it is quite young....great color, almost opaque...great ripe plum and tons of dark of chocolate...delicious...nice long finish....a real solid bottle and great QPR

3/13/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Candied cherry nose and a little cedar just a hint of raw meat...ok ruby color, looks a little bit thin....tastes well rounded and smooth...black pepper on the finish...some strawberries on the mid palate but no flavor really dominates....decent zin for $10

2/14/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Weird wine, when initially opened the nose and taste was poor, a little vinegary, color was lighter than expected...after being open for 3 hours it came around and totally changed..still not great but alot better...nose of candied cherries....a little light, not a big cab, not the big mouthfeel I was expectng...some dark fruit, maybe plums and a hint of raisins....a little spice...fairly smooth, average finish...not as good as I had hoped

2/10/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

odd nose...minty plastic....off flavor...not good...no finish...poor

2/9/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Nice color, dark and ruby on the edges...powerful nose...sweet fruit, reminds me of starburst candy...nice flavor, can't pin it down to one fruit, like a fruit salad...very enjoyable.....surprisingly smooth for a fairly young wine....great qpr...screaming value

2/3/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Nice nose, cherry with a hint of vanilla....smells of good pastry...delicious fruit, strawberry and raspberry...nice full mouthfeel, very smooth, decent finish...very good...doesn't blow you away with one dominant aspect which is nice....very well rounded

2/2/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Amazing color....and that's where it ends for me...faint nose of dark fruit with cinamon and spice...smells like it would be high alcohol....taste just is not "comfortable"...doesn't seem to go together....very dry, lacks any smoothness, too acidic

1/30/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Huge nose...could smell it from across the room....great fruit....strawberrry and bittersweet chocolate with a touch of rasperry...a little cedar on the finish...the zin (58%) really shines through.....smooth...light but a complete full wine...very good

1/27/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Nice color, fairly dark and ruby on the egdes...grape juice sweetness on the nose...heavy sour cherry on the mid palate and finish...very short finish...one dimensional...fairly priced

1/24/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Big fruit on the nose, smells like it would be high alcohol, a little hot....tast very much of sour cherries but not over powering...tart...long dry finish...again tart on the finish

1/20/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Very good, fruity without being a "fruit bomb." Smooth going down and a long finish.

1/16/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

white pepper and strawberry jam...fresh raw red meat, like a good butcher shop, not overpowering but it came to mind on the nose...i mean that in a good way....smooth going down....tobacco on the mid-palate...a little cedar on the finish..non of the flavors are over the top, I enjoyed the bottle

1/12/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Awful....maybe a bad bottle bottle, super bitter and sour, no good characteristics. Poured 3/4 of the bottle down the drain.

1/11/2007 - stevek1510 wrote:

Easy to drink, easy going down, almost like a merlot. Still very young, there are not many rough edges but a year or two would smooth them out. Didn't leave a huge impression on me but for the price, this is a wine I will surely buy again.