4/10/2021 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Still a little closed. I'm going to wait another 1-2 years before I pop my final bottle. There's some real potential here, though, for a 93-94 point score.

4/10/2021 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This wine is going to be terrific in a few years. It's still a little closed but you can tell there's a supercharger in the bottle--i.e., this wine is going to sing in a few years and merit a 95+ rating.

4/10/2021 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Really delicious wine that we drank with dinner after a four hour decant. Lots of complexity in this wine. We enjoyed it with tenderloin and roasted potatoes. Drink up!

4/8/2021 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This is my favorite Epoch blend and this vintage may be their best yet. The bouquet more or less exploded out of the bottle and the aromatics were fresh and fruit forward. This wine was ready to drink and not tannic at all, and the finish was long and satisfying (my favorite part). It was all we could do not to finish the whole bottle in 15 minutes.

3/25/2021 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

I thought this was a fabulous bottle of Larkmead after decanting it for an hour. It's still bright and fresh and has a terrific bouquet. Ready for prime time!

3/23/2021 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Maybe it's just me, but I thought this was fabulous. Fruit forward without being too hot or oaky. My cup of tea!

1/16/2021 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Solid effort from Quixote. I thought this bottle was more approachable than a lot of their wines this early on. I usually wait seven years or more to open their Petite Syrahs but this bottle had a lot of good dark fruit, was nicely balanced, and wasn't overly tannic.

1/3/2021 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This wine paired really well with our Sunday evening lasagna. It was a very drinkable and a pleasant surprise all things considered. This bottle was a gift so we drank it not knowing anything about the winery or frankly, the Montepulciano varietal. We would definitely drink it again.

12/26/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

We broke the cork opening this bottle but managed our way around that issue. A very enjoyable port which we paired with our chocolate dessert. It's a very solid effort and while it didn't hit us in the face with a "wow factor", it had a nice, long finish. Two thumbs up!

12/25/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Beautifully balanced wine that's showing plenty of black cherry and blueberry notes as well as a touch of graphite and chocolate. We decanted this beauty for two hours and wish we had more.

12/18/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Tasting really great now and a fabulous QPR to boot. Wish I could get more.

12/4/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

A youngster that needs some time to mature. This wine is pretty tannic and you can definitely taste the heat.

12/4/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

A young wine that is still approachable. I'm letting my allocation age a little more before I open another. Suspect it will be a 93-94 point wine for me.

11/20/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Really delicious. Of all the Syrahs I've had from the Paso Robles region, Block B and Alban's Lorraine might be the best. This bottle was beautifully bright and balanced. There's not much more I can add. Drink up!

11/21/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This has improved in the past year since the last bottle I drank. We really enjoyed this wine--it was nicely balanced and not too tannic. I would say it's just hitting its stride.

11/13/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

We were patient with this wine--the winemaker had recommended a 4-6 hour decant before we did a virtual tasting with him and we were rewarded. A beautiful, soft Grenache blend that was thoroughly enjoyable. We paired it with sauteed salmon and mushroom risotto. Drink up!

11/13/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

A group of us tasted this alongside the '16 Beguiling and all four of us loved the Audacious the most. It's a big boy, with all the baby fat and power of a big Rhone Ranger so buckle up. We loved how the Cabernet managed to shine through and brighten all the big Rhone varietals. Highly recommended.

11/14/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Still needs more cellar time. This wine was closed on the nose when we first opened it. We decanted it for about 45 minutes and it finally woke up from its deep slumber after an hour or so. Once it opened up, it was very balanced with a nice finish. In a few years I'll open another and I bet my score will increase 1-2 points.

11/11/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

We drank this bottle during the Clif Family Virtual Release Tasting. It's very approachable for such a young Howell Mountain Cab--the tannins are barely noticeable and there's a nice soft quality to the finish. I think there's room for probably another 1-2 points in my score when this ages just a little.

11/11/2020 - George Lopez wrote:

Really delicious, thoroughly enjoyable. A big GSM with bright fruit and a long finish.

8/29/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Absolutely delicious—well worth the wait. Paired with filet Mignon with wild mushroom sauce. One hour decant. Great fruit, smooth finish.

8/29/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Hands down the best bottle of wine I've had from Law Estate. Just delicious. We popped and poured and paired with roast pork tenderloin with a cherry glaze. I last drank this wine a few years ago and I gave it a 92 and said it was too young, but I can tell you now that this baby is ready to go. Drink up!

6/6/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This isn't a big Napa fruit bomb--it's a really tasty wine made in the Bordeaux style. Definitely needs to decant for at least an hour or two. I bought this magnum six years ago and was glad I waited. There's still a lot of life in this Materium. Cheers!

5/13/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Excellent QPR! This wine consistently drinks better than other wines in the Justin portfolio, IMHO. Very good right out of the bottle.

5/17/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

On the lighter side with good acidity. We paired it with grilled salmon and really enjoyed.

4/21/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This is excellent Malbec. In fact, it's the best American Malbec I've ever had. It's fruit forward and ready to drink with a solid finish. We popped and poured and enjoyed it with some cheese and pretzels.

4/16/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

I've waited over 10 years to drink this bottle and it was well worth the wait. This wine is very well balanced and it still has some tannins on the finish, suggesting 5-10 more years of peak drinking, IMHO. My other impression of this wine is that it tastes more like a true Bordeaux wine than any other California wine I've had. The winemaking style is obviously restrained and therefore reveals subtle tasting delights the longer it's allowed to breathe. So enjoyable!

4/12/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Fairly closed but a lot of potential here. We popped and poured so perhaps we should have decanted for a while, judging from the other reviews. Well, as they say, if at first you don't succeed.....

4/10/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Beautiful nose and great color, but overall this wine is pretty young--it needs 2-3 more years of aging for this guy to fully integrate. I am going to hold off before drinking my final bottle. I think my score may improve by 1-2 points by then.

4/3/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

The right amount of aging is really important for Betz Syrahs, IMHO. La Cote Patriarche is one Betz's better Syrahs and in this case, 6-8 years of aging is just right. We really enjoyed this bottle and are looking forward to drinking another in the not too distant future.

4/4/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Finally, a 2005 Bordeaux that's ready to drink. Very nicely balanced with a good finish.

3/27/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

First of all, I believe that 2007 is the best vintage for Napa Cabernet in the last 15-17 years. After quaffing this Crossroads nugget, which was the entry level red wine for Rudd at the time, I'm still firmly convinced of that. This wine drank beautifully after about 30 minutes in the glass. And for those who are still sitting on some of this, there are still some tannins evident on the finish, suggesting perhaps 3-5 more years of life might be left. Drink up!

3/28/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

As good as Petite Sirah can get. Just wonderful!

3/23/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Viognier is a varietal that I don't have a lot of experience with but this Viognier was just delicious with nice acidity and balance. It's ready to drink and the surprising part of the tasting experience was that it had a little body, as opposed to drinking a typical Sauvignon Blanc.

3/27/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

I haven't had a lot of high-end Zinfandel but it's hard to imagine there being a better one than Epoch's 2016. We really enjoyed this Zin with a charcuterie plate on a beautiful spring evening. This wine had a great nose and a nice long peppery finish. It's quite good!

3/7/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

After a long wait, this wine is finally ready to drink. Two years ago I opened one of these 2012s and it was still too young. However, this time was much different. This LMV Salon is rarin' and ready to go.

2/16/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully right now. So well balanced and flavorful, with a long finish. Superb!

2/16/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

I love this Port--it's one of the best QPRs around and it's delicious. We paired it with dark chocolate for dessert. Salut!

2/8/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Still developing complexity but could use a few more years of cellaring. Good wine!

1/30/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This wine has the potential for a 92-93 point score from me but it's a bit too young right now. It was fairly tannic and closed and even after an hour of decanting we still thought it was a bit disjointed. Hold for 3-4 more years.

1/30/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Great bottle of wine that's drinking very well right now. We decanted this wine for about 45 minutes before diving in and it really began to sing after about an hour. Beautiful bouquet of dark fruit and spice with great complexity developing the more your nose gets into it. The tannins were practically nonexistent so the finish was nice and long. Highly recommended.

1/17/2020 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This wine has improved since the last bottle we had four years ago. It was delightful and I'm not sure how it could get any better. It needed about an hour of decanting to reach its peak.

12/30/2019 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

I thought this wine was fantastic. We paired it with baked salmon and boy did it ever sing. Beautiful bouquet of cherries and cedar and a long finish. Highly recommended.

12/25/2019 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

We drank this Firebelle with our Christmas dinner (KC strip steak, truffle potatoes and sauteed mushrooms) and it was a fine pairing. All of us enjoyed the classic Larkmead flavor profile and thought this wine would continue to drink well for another 5-10 years.

12/25/2019 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This Besoleil batted leadoff for us on Christmas Day and it did not disappoint. It's one of the best bottles of Betz wine I've ever had. Very fresh, great bouquet, soft tannins and a pleasant finish. I can't imagine this wine drinking any better than it is now.

11/16/2019 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This wine is massive and still a youngster, albeit an 11-year old youngster. The Quixote folks once regarded 2008 as their best vintage and I can see why. There's a lot of fruit and vibrancy in this wine but there are still a lot of tannins. We still enjoyed this bottle a lot, but I'm looking forward to opening my final HOM bottle from 2008 in a few more years when this wine will be more fully integrated. At that point, this wine may command a mid-90s score from me.

11/15/2019 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

This wine is drinking really, really well right now. I'm sad this was our last bottle. Perfect for the holidays!

10/28/2019 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

Really delicious and full-bodied, without being too heavy and extracted. We really enjoyed this bottle over dinner with salmon and ribeye. Probably the best Law wine I've had.

10/27/2019 - George Lopez Likes this wine:

One of the better California Pinots I've had lately. Nicely balanced, fairly soft tannins and a smooth finish. Just entering the drinking window.

10/14/2019 - George Lopez wrote:

I've waited a long time to open this bottle, but it was well worth the wait. This is a beautifully balanced Cabernet that drinks more like a left bank Bordeaux than a typical Napa valley floor fruit bomb (e.g., Caymus). As a result, it paired well with the northern Italian pasta dishes we shared, some of which were delicate dishes that you wouldn't normally drink a Cabernet with.