6/2/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Decanted for 20 minutes. Reddish orange opaque. A little bricking noted. Plum,tar, anise, and violets, lavendar, and bacon. White pepper, dark fruit and cherries, earth with minerality noted on the nose. Takes some time to open up but when it does the fruit and floral notes become more apparent. On the front palate red fruit and spice. Lower and mid palate alcohol lingers. High alcohol content (15.5%) mostly apparent on the nose and mid palate. Nice long lingering finish of soft tannins, moderate minerality, and high acidity. Hints of cocoa/chocolate noted on finish. While integrated well, layering of favors not as complex as with other CDPs. Give it about an hour to properly decant and aerate properly. Flavor profile improves with decanting and time. Drink now or hold 5+ more years.

4/14/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

N: fresh ripe black cherries and currant, licorice
P: figs and prunes and dates. Interesting fruit profile. Well balanced with complexity but a little fruit forward. Nice now and layers of favors apparent. Long finish. Higher alcohol and can use some time in cellar

4/14/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

N: black plums and mushroom. Earthy.
P: tight on opening. High alcohol and acidity.

4/14/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Piatelli trinita grand reserve 2009 Malbec Cabernet blend
N: pleasant black cherries and mild spice. Earthy. Cedar & tobacco. Hint of vanilla.
P: has flavors of dr pepper. nicely balanced but alcohol coats thru to back. Good now but will be very nice in 5 years. 91 alc. 14.5%

4/14/2013 - Win-E wrote:

N: cherries and roses. Lovely. Hint of earthiness. Very pretty. Not jammy.
P: perfumey Moderately balanced only higher in alcohol than expected. Needs a little time to open up. Longer tannins an moderate minerality.

4/14/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

N: black cherries and plums. Hints of lavender and vanilla. A little earthy reminiscent of
Bordeaux style.
P: uniquely distinct from other Malbecs. Smoky plums and chocolate. Wine making style apparent on nose and palate. Well integrated, complex, and layered. This will age so well but is drinkable now. Wait if possible. Will definitely improve with time. Will Love this if you like old world style.

4/14/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

N: black plums, black cherries and cedar. Notes of vanilla. Hint of vanilla and smoke.
P: nice fruit and spice. Mild minerality and higher alcohol. Needs some time to integrate and bring the elements together cohesively. But has potential. Wait to drink but if you drink now... Rated as 88-89.

4/14/2013 - Win-E wrote:

Super oaky on nose harsh tastes corked or cooked alc 14%

4/14/2013 - Win-E Does not like this wine:

N: raisins and red plum. Nice red cherry & cream overtones. Cardamom and spice. Aromatic.
P: dark fruit but oakiness overpowers fruit. moderate tannins and higher alcohol (14.5%) leading to long acidic and harsh finish. Needs time to integrate and come together possibly. Not balanced.

4/14/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

N: apples and peaches. Very light honey and
P: smooth fruity but not overly sweet. Nicely balanced. Not tart or dry. Mild minerality. Tastes of ripe peach preserves. Not jammy or oaky.

4/14/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

N: black plum and tobacco red pepper like paprika.
P: tannins a little tight. Not fruit forward. But needs time to open up. Higher acidity and minerality. Long alcohol thruout palate. Needs time. Will be better with decanting and can probably use more time cellaring.

4/14/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

N: pear, jasmine, lemon
P: biting into a Granny Smith. Juicy and sweet at mid palate. Not long finish but mineral and tart finish. Nice balance 89. Ready to drink now.

2/21/2013 - Win-E wrote:

Violets and leather. Truffles and flowers. Tastes of black plum, spice, pepper, fig, and prunes. Herbal, eucalyptus, and hint of chocolate. This was very pretty and very drinkable now. A little fruity and will improve over time.

2/21/2013 - Win-E wrote:

Reddish orange opaque in color. Mossy, earthy and green. Some tar coming thru. Nice moderate tannins with not very long finish. Taste reminiscent of black cherry cream soda. Very pleasant.

2/21/2013 - Win-E wrote:

Nice violet color. Perfumy with hint of fried potatoes, beetroot, spice, and earth with red fruit layered toward the end. Nice tannins with long finish. Very enjoyable. Nice!

2/21/2013 - Win-E wrote:

Green moss, earthy, mushroom and raw peeled potatoes. Not our favorite CDB. Terroir and cassis.

2/21/2013 - Win-E wrote:

Opaque ruby colored in glass. Oaky and earthy on the nose with hint of truffles and wildflowers. After some aeration...smells very pretty. Nice tannins and minerality with long finish. Notes of lavender, cherries, rose petals, and eucalyptus.

2/21/2013 - Win-E wrote:

Brick colored. Very tight on opening. On the nose: very strong...very green, barnyard, & rubber. Dark berry layered beneath. Figgy, dry with tight tannins and long finish. Smoky wood with high minerality. May be hard to drink for some as bouquet can be off-putting.

2/9/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Ripe Rasberry's and cherry's, white pepper and chocolate, floral bouquet, well balanced, earth mid palate. Delightful.

1/27/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Decent. Beautiful start but lacks depth, complexity, flavor mid to end palate, very easy to drink

1/20/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

This is an amazing wine, interesting, different. Anise, fig, date, plum. Smooth and balanced. This will never disappoint and during a tasting separates itself from the pack due its nuance, creativity, expression, and uniqueness.

1/27/2013 - Win-E wrote:

Color: Dense and dark purple. Opacity.

On the Nose: Leather, black cherries, ripe plums, blackberries, and spice.

On the Palate: Chocolate, licorice or anise, black fruit, and raisin. It is more full-bodied than expected for a Zin yet still expresses a little thin on the mid and back palate. Short on the finish. This wine is not balanced or complex. It is not quite like a typical zin...thinning out in the middle.

While the price point (under $15) is good .... there are other zins around the same price point that have more personality.

1/19/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Color: Crimson and opaque. Dense looking.

On the Nose: Figgy, dark plum and blackberry, licorice, and earthy.

On the Palate: Spicy on the front end with black pepper notes toward the back. Dark fruits come in toward the middle with black currant, plums and blackberry and anise and a very mild cocoa note.

This wine smooths out towards the end with a longer than expected finish. This wine is pretty balanced in acidity and minerality and tannins. It is a good competitor to its own reserve brand: the Ares. Robert Parker gave this vintage a 95. It is drinkable now... and later. If you pay $40... it is still worth the expense.

1/27/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Color: reddish with slight orange hue. Moderately clear but not transparent.

On the Nose: mildly medicinal, earthy, bacon-fat, and mushrooms. Cola and herbal. Plums and cherries.

On the palate: Tannins with minerality. Red cherries and cranberries. Pickle undertones with raisin notes. It is still young. Will come to age in about 3-4 years.

Surprisingly happy with this. The price point of $19.00 is good for this wine. If bought, better to wait to open in a couple of years or decant for a few hours before consuming if kept at around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

10/12/2012 - Win-E Likes this wine:

On the nose: spice and peppery, plums and black fruit. Floral with subtle violet and chocolate.
Dense and bold. Color reddish violet.

On the palate: Tight on the opening. Better with aeroation. Give it some time to open up. Fruity. Both fruit and alcohol forward. Black cherries and plum. A little light on the finish... not a long finish. Has some cocoa/chocolatey notes. Herbal and floral. It is tasty now... but will age well.

1/27/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Red Garnet colored and opaque. Full-bodied bold grenache blend.

On the nose: hints of rubber and asian spice with subtle eucalyptus, blackberries, cassis, and nuts.

On the palate: Earthy and tannic with long finish. Peppery and dark fruits (Black berries, black plums) mild tar. Could use a little more time but good now, too. Dense... but easy to drink and quite enjoyable.

1/21/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Nose is minty, eucalyptus, boisenberry, rich soil. Spicy in the front, clay component, balanced though very young - still much room to come together. Love it...

11/11/2012 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Color: pretty purple color.

On the Nose: Graphite, silvery spice, smoky, iron, not fruity, coastland, foresty.

On the Palate: minerality, tannins, plum, black cherry, foresty.

When we drink it... it brings back memories of the pacific coastlands and mountainous regions.
Very nice!

11/10/2012 - Win-E Likes this wine:

On the Nose: Oaky, rich, black cherry, fig, plum, tobacco, earth, ripe bannana and earthy with hints of cinnamon.

On the Palate: Alcohol forward, black plums, peppery with black berries and herbs.

Complex bold wine with higher alcohol and tannins. Will age nicely.
We paid $34.

11/10/2012 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Deep Cherry and berry, tobacco on the nose, floral, spice, alcohol is intense on the nose. Palate: Mushroom, black berry, red cherry, vanilla, slight mint with some minerality sweet and fruity. pleasant wine to drink. I think of Royalty when drinking.

11/9/2012 - Win-E Likes this wine:

The wine looks bright Ruby/Violet colored. The legs are Medium. On the nose: spice, tobacco, mild blackberry and raspberry. Subtle floral notes with white chocolate and lilac. Sweet delicate and fruity. On the palate: delicate with vanilla, cocoa, cherry and spice. Very easy to drink. Not very bold or complex. Very pretty and feminine. Light.

1/21/2013 - Win-E Likes this wine:

Opened it way too young, needed a lot of time in the Decanter, very tight in the opening but got better. Fruit forward, strong notes of Blueberry and Cream Cheese, high tannins, spicy. Full bodied, very bold.

10/28/2012 - Win-E Likes this wine:

This is a beautiful gem, 2 hours of decanting.

On the Nose: Oaky, rich, figgy, black berry jam, long ending, apricot notes, dates, anise / liquorice.

On the palate: figs on taste, deep, layered, rich, elegant, refined, sophisticated with minerality. We think Meditarrean Coast. Yummy. Outstanding!

10/27/2012 - Win-E Likes this wine:

On the nose: Ripe plums, black currant, black cherries, jammy, apples, cherry blossom, jasmin, slightly smoky with boisenberry.

On the Palate: Complex and dense, black cherries, plums, delicate in front, mid notes of acidity. Ruby, black magic opaque. Excellent wine, loved it!

10/22/2012 - Win-E Likes this wine:

On the nose, Bold, mushroomy, tobacco, smoky, oaky, white turnip, black berries, black currants.

On the palate: plum, cherry, strawberry, vanilla, low tannins, smooth, alcohol bite at end, all spice, anise, coriander. Finish was not long, better at the beginning.

A Great Value!

10/21/2012 - Win-E Likes this wine:

On the nose, earthy, rose petals, black cherries, rasberries, smoky, floral, foresty, peppery. On the palate: vanilla center, buttery , black berry, cranberries, tannin's, minerality and floral, feminine, pretty, delicate.

1/20/2013 - Win-E Does not like this wine:

Chocolate, berries, somewhat fruit forward, black currant, very peppery. Harsh and tasted very high in tannins. Tight on the opening.