1/2/2022 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Ed makes great wine. I think blind this would best a lot of $50-$75 bottles of Napa/Sonoma. Wonderful dark fruit, depth, and spice. Tannins are evident but not overwhelming. Long finish.

8/1/2021 - mseeber wrote:

Bad cork possibly. Secondary ferment in bottle, vinegar

7/23/2021 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Started off fruity (ripe cherry, pomegranate, raspberry) on night one, mellowed out over night two and three to become a balanced, savory (olive, mushrooms, and cranberry sauce) wine. Strong showing for a 12 year old wine.

5/11/2021 - mseeber Likes this wine:

A well made wine. A little on the plush side, gooseberry, lemon curd, tangerine, (Meyer lemon) lemon pith. A hint of sweetness and some mineral notes (gravel, stone). Fish with beurre blanc, goat cheese, salad Lyonnaise, salad Niçoise. Mussels.

4/5/2021 - mseeber Likes this wine:

A lovely wine that is a great option for exploring Bordeaux varietals beyond California in the U.S.

Food friendly, reminds me of a walk through the woods. Enjoy now with grilled salmon, roast chicken, charcuterie plate, venison, or mushroom dishes. Nothing too rich as it would likely would be overpowered. Needs a short decant (1-2 hours) and serve around 65-70 F degrees.

1/7/2021 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Big, juicy fruit. Glad I jumped on this despite having no preconceived impressions of what this wine would be. Dark purple in the glass, plum, blackberry, cigar box. Long length, huge body, bold... consumed over a couple evenings. I suspect this wine will soon be on more people’s radar. Southern Rhône in spirit, but definitely a California gem!

1/7/2021 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Needs an hour of air to settle down. Tart cranberry immediately upon open, settles down into plush red cherries, red raspberries and cranberry. Good spice (cinnamon, white pepper, star anise). Very balanced, good acidity. Enjoyed with Indian food (vegetarian curry, potatoes, peas, mushrooms).

1/2/2021 - mseeber wrote:

Soft and subtle. Probably best with a simple poached salmon or roast chicken, although not particularly fruity. There is faint cherry and raspberry, blackberry on the finish. Muted spice notes that are hard to discern. A nice wine but not particularly exciting.

12/10/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Orange in color (slight amber/gold), nose of peaches, tangerine. Lemon peel, white peach, golden raspberries, floral notes. Dry finish with the slightest mineral and honey finish. Such a unique wine.

12/7/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Bright red fruit, black pepper, minerality, licorice, medium body. Not sure about the low ratings as for a ~$10 bottle this is pretty tasty. Red sauce (pasta, pizza), grilled firm fish (mackerel, salmon), cured meat, game, mature hard cheese.

10/19/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Huge Napa fruit. Black cherry, currants, anise, black pepper, long finish. Huge nose.

10/11/2020 - mseeber Does not like this wine:

Tastes reduced or cooked. Glycerin, cherry cough syrup, vanilla, butter. Not my style of this is indicative of the wine.

4/13/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Fresh, fruity, and lively. Enjoyed with Easter ham and Easter lamb.

4/12/2020 - mseeber wrote:

Perfect wine for cooking Easter dinner. Strawberry jam on brioche, tobacco, licorice, pepper. Well balanced, great length, medium body.

4/9/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

A unique wine for sure (Mission grape). Best slightly chilled but not cold, maybe 60-65 F. Drinks more like a light Pinot Noir or Grenache, bright red cherry and strawberries, black pepper. Good structure. Fresh and food friendly. Really a a versatile wine. I suspect it would go great with street tacos or Santa Maria tri-tip, I enjoyed it both with sausage pizza and teriyaki chicken.

3/29/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Medium light body, good mix of fresh fruit (raspberry, Bing cherry, cranberry, pomegranate) and forest flavors ( dried leaves, forest floor, juniper). Nice acidity and length.

Roast chicken, grilled or baked fatty fish (salmon), mushroom or butternut squash risotto, salad Lyonnaise.

2/17/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

A little closed off but the fruit is there. PnP. Might need a slight chill. Paired with diver scallops and tomato, red pepper, and garlic pappardelle. This wine complemented it well. Good acidity despite the age, if there is any oak it isn’t noticeable. Nice white pepper and red fruit work with the salinity of the shellfish.

2/10/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Nerdy wine. Bright, tart fruit (watermelon hard candy with a cranberry finish). Fresh and lively. Definitely some sort of schist or limestone which gives it a saline quality. Very food friendly (vegetable soup, paella, chicken: roast or fried, burgers).

1/27/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Feminine, dry, Critrus, faint strawberry and rose. Fine mousse. A delicious sparkler that is probably best for toasting, aperitif, charcuterie and mild cheeses.

1/19/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Raisin on the nose, Ripe cherries, strawberries and brown sugar on the palate, leather and tobacco leaf with some tart fruit (blackberry, raspberry) finish.

Made some bbq baby back ribs on the big green egg, this wine was a strong match.

1/1/2020 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Great value at $14. Clean with interest. Not as much finesse as French sparklers. White peach, lime zest, pear.

12/20/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Watermelon, salinity, fresh and lively

12/14/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Tomahawk ribeye and sautéed broccoli. Firm tannins, dark berries, plums, bramble, leather and tobacco leaf/cigar box. Probably needs a few more years before it is totally balanced but drinks very well. Extremely long finish.

12/15/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Made some seafood paella and this was a great match. The bubbles were fine and cut through the spicy and smoky paprika, while complementing the shellfish with citrus notes and tart green apple. Great length, the tiniest amount of sweetness. Golden raspberries and white flowers on the nose. Superb for the price!

10/19/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Very elegant and structured. Paired with roast pork and root vegetables, and butternut squash soup.

11/13/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Delicious. Enjoyed with stuffed cabbage rolls which paired well with the notes of cinnamon in the Zinfandel. Dark fruit, black cherries and blackberries, crazy long finish.

11/2/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Good fruit for an off year. Long finish, a lot going on. Hard to discern all the different secondary notes but this wine is complex. Enjoyed with an apricot glazed, apple /mushroom/ onion/rosemary/sage/thyme stuffed pork chop. A great pairing with the acidity cutting the richness of the pork.

10/30/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Pumpkin carving tonight with a wonderful Petite Sirah. Ripe and full of dark red fruits, boysenberries, black cherries, plum. Black pepper, Earthy, with a long finish.

11/6/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Dry, lemon peel, tropical notes, nice finish with a touch of toasted coconut and caramel

11/14/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

No signs of fading, complex, fruit and spice are all present. The fruit leans tart cranberry balanced by raspberries and cherry. Asian spice, cinnamon, pickle/olive brine, forest floor. Delicious!

10/26/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

A great sparkler that is food friendly and uncomplicated. Lemon peel, green apple, fine bubbles.

7/25/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

I grill-rotisseried some chickens and this was an awesome pairing. A fair amount of sediment. Baked cherry pie,deep strawberry undertones, almost zin like character. Black pepper and baking spice. Coats the mouth well, easily another 5-10 years before the fruit begins to fade. A tinge of orangish brown on the rim, but barely noticeable.

8/11/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Butterscotch, carmelized pineapple, honeycomb, white flowers. A great wine to drink with my summer veggie pasta (sweet corn, fava bean, cherry tomato, basil, Parmesan, thyme, olive oil and butter. It had speck in it also which worked really well with the wine).

7/29/2019 - mseeber wrote:

Raspberry pastilles, ripen dark cherries, good funk (warm dirt and straw in an old barn). Chalky tannin that lasts a few seconds and finishes with berry, spice and licorice.

7/14/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Ripe berries, warm spice, faint oak, wonderfully full. Drinking with a grilled T-bone, roast root veggies and mushrooms. A great complement. Some similar notes to Southern Rhône, but unique flavors likely from the volcanic soil. A nice wine to have on hand for grilled fare.

7/10/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Great paired with bbq (St Louis spareribs with Memphis bbq sauce). Not too much oak, good fruit, good spice complementing the black pepper on the ribs, and certainly big enough thanks to the Petite Sirah.

6/4/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Amazing fruit, fresh and juicy. Slight tart but very quashable. 12%

6/1/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Dark black cherries, cola, autumn spice. Good way to enjoy burgers on the patio. At least 5 years left before i suspect the fruit will start to fade.

5/13/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

This is how I rock Mother’s Day. Salmon color, borderline peach. More Chardonnay notes than I remember from the last bottle, citrus peel, tart apple, great mousse. Would work in a mimosa but no reason to as this is simply a great sparkler on its own.

5/2/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Medium-heavy body. Broad range of dark and red fruit. Good spice and long finish.

4/27/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Happy I tried this wine. Uncomplicated, solid value, crowd pleasing for a medium weight wine. Still full of life, an easy purchase for everyday drinking.

3/16/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

A nice everyday Rhône-ish wine. A lot going on for a value priced bottling, food friendly (burgers, bacon, earthy pasta, rustic fare). A good introduction to Keller.

3/21/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Glad I held onto this. Enjoyable with St Patrick’s dinner of corned beef and mashed potatoes with Irish soda bread. Clean, bright and still singing. Cran-raspberry, tea, warm spice. Medium-light body.

3/10/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable. Balanced, dark and complex. Will soften over the next few years, although it drinks well now. Ripe raspberry more than dark cherry. Warm spice notes.

3/2/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

More balanced than last time, entering a good window. There is some underlying fruit that is somewhere between a pink grapefruit and cranberry-orange that compliments the dominant ripe raspberry/red cherry flavors. Good spice and length. Decanted 1 hour.

3/3/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Dark black cherries, black licorice, sweet tannin, long finish. Big Zinfandel with the Petite Sirah bringing a great complement of structure and length.

2/28/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Served slightly chilled (60 F) with garlic shrimp pasta. A very complete sparkling wine that is an easy buy. Green apple, tart lemon peel, clean finish.

2/19/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

The fruit is more balanced with the rest of the wine now. Decant carefully. A pleasure to drink. Good acidity and interest beyond the fruit. Length is shorter than the last bottle but still a high QPR. Drink now

2/14/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

Fresh and crisp. Screams for shellfish or a vegetable terrine. A cold salad or ceviche would also work well. Lemon peel, salinity, crisp and refreshing finish.

2/13/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine:

I can’t believe how much better this wine seems to get over time. As it approaches its twelfth year it is really a pleasure to drink. Very expressive nose, medium weight and sense of place. There is an elegant wine that will shine alongside a variety of roasted and braided dishes, or earthy vegetarian dishes. I’m guessing the screw cap is part of what enables this wine to avoid fading. At least five more years of enjoyment.