6/21/2022 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote:

Drinking well, smooth, well integrated, nice balance of brambly and slightly dark fruit with a lingering spice note on the finish. Fruity, but not sweet, in early maturity and should drink at peak through 2028. Worked well with BBQ.

6/7/2021 - EMark wrote:

Dark fruit nose typical of a CS-heavy blend. Surprisingly gentle hit of dark berry--blackberry, blueberry--on the tip of the tongue. The Syrah content seems to stifle some other cabernet dimensions that I might normally see. On introduction there is a silky mouthfeel. However, as the wine moves to the rear tongue and the throat, tannin and acid are detected. A full-bodied wine that will benefit greatly from several more years of aging.

9/17/2020 - River Rat wrote:

Quick morning taste with Will at Rivers Marie. Wonderfully bright nose almost like you can smell the tartness of the acidity. Red currant, red licorice, spice, very polished, great depth, long finish. Expansive yet balanced palate with fairly ripe chalky tannins. Everything I loved about the 2014 at release but to the 3rd power. Will nailed this one, I could gulp this down in a heartbeat. Enjoy now but buy enough to age some. Beautifully done.

5/27/2019 - EMark Likes this wine:

Nice mouth-filling wine. A lot of red fruit on the tip of the tongue, but not syrupy. Some sturdy tannin. For the price ($15) a pretty good everyday drinker--and, I have to say a very excellent cooking wine.

6/22/2018 - EMark Likes this wine:

Fairly fruity--interestingly more blackberry/blueberry than the cassis that I normally get. Some stoniness around the edges of the tongue. Sedate tannin, slightly more acid. Easy-to-drink wine at this stage. Very pleasant and lingering aftertaste.

12/30/2016 - EMark Likes this wine:

Very much a barnyard nose. On the tongue, typical, to me, lightly red-fruited, but, then, noticeable tartness. Medium bodied. Very drinkable, and, for $14, good QPR.

9/14/2016 - EMark Likes this wine:

Fairly dark purple in the glass. Fruit/berry heavy on the nose. Really not over-the-top fruit on entry—some blackberry, some suggestion of lemon in the background. Certainly not fruity sweet. Sufficient acid to give it a good backbone. I’m not normally a “Grenache guy,” but I like this one.

5/24/2016 - EMark Likes this wine:

Red plum color—slightly darker than most trendy California PNs you see these days. Interesting fruit flavors on entry—some black cherry but more stone fruit, plum, I guess. Medium-bodied. Fruit is neutralized mid-palate with earthiness and acid. Acid is what really makes this an enjoyable wine.

12/18/2015 - EMark Likes this wine:

Very attractive gold color. Somewhat oaky bouquet that suggests vanilla. On introduction, there certainly is vanilla oak, but there is also a lot of fruit—Granny Smith apple as much as anything. So, while there is a significant amount of oak, there is, obviously, also plenty of acid that makes this a pleasant drinker. We’re having a slow-cooked Moroccan chicken dish for dinner, tonight, and this should match very well with the spices.

11/16/2014 - River Rat Likes this wine:

First look at a new wine. A California negotiant Cabernet from Robin Akhurst and Brian Schmaltz. Volume 1 comes from Oakville and that's all I knew coming in. Cool label and the bottle shape is unique. Very appeling visual package. The wax capsule was nearly rock hard and took some elbow grease to cut through.
Decanted in the AM, rebottled in the evening and brought to dinner at Walter Hansel Bistro. Had approx 15 hrs of air.
Nose was black currant, coffee grounds, tobacco and hint of graphite. The palate is more young than fruity with more black currant, black raspberry and some rustic minerality. No bell pepper but no overt ripeness either. Medium/full bodied, good intensity but still a bit wound up. Striking a nice balance between fruit and tannin. Reasonably priced for the overall experience.

10/26/2014 - EMark Likes this wine:

Fairly big melony/flowery nose. Quite crisp on the tongue. I can still get them melon and hints of lilac, but the dominant flavor is lemony tartness. This not a full-bodied Chardonnay that many crave. It is an easy-to-drink, refresher that can be enjoyed with or without accompanying solid food.

9/18/2014 - EMark wrote:

I’ve heard of wines being in their “dumb stage” early in their bottled life, and I’m wondering if that’s what I have here. It doesn’t seem to have much verve or integration. This is a wine that does not blow me away with fruit. There are some hints of cherry, but mainly I get a mineral or stone flavors. Gripping tannin and some acid tartness. Actually, my kind of wine because I don’t feel like I’m drinking Kool-aid, or cough syrup. We will check back on this one next year.

9/7/2014 - River Rat wrote:

I acquired a bottle of this pre-release from Robin asking for my thoughts on it. I opened it Friday night and it's now on day 3 with no preservation other than a cork. Dark fruit and tobacco dominate the nose along with some cedar. Rich, juicy and full bodied accented by judicious oak and tame tannins. The tobacco and cedar extend through the finish.

Remembered it showing some reduction back when I tasted it from barrel a few months ago. No such showing now, really nice effort.

8/28/2014 - EMark Likes this wine:

Woody, somewhat fruity—berries—nose. Whoa—practically, no fruit to speak of on introduction to the palate—almost a neutral sensation. Some tartness—reminiscent of plum—on the edges of the tongue, then something of a hit of tannin. Interestingly, most of the flavor of this on is way in the back of the palate. [After I wrote this, I read the reviews of other CellarTrackers. I guess I don't know anything about wine. Or there is something really different in the bottle I opened. I like this wine because I did not get the in-your-face-fruit-forward thing. Also, though, I am not sure there is much more aging potential here.]