1/14/2024 - moudy wrote:

Popped and poured a glass. Typically red cherry, strawberry, cherry cola flavor for a CB. Unfortunately, my guests only wanted bourbon. So, on day 2 the top notes I described above had integrated with underlying flavors. It was hard to describe because there were no dominant flavors, but it was nice. Day 3 - I was expecting to pour it out but it was drinking even nicer than day 2. No idea what was happening here as my CB experiences have been that the wines don’t last long on e open, but this was a nice surprise.

11/18/2023 - moudy Does not like this wine:

Quite possibly the worst bottle I have ever tasted.

I have tasted cough syrups that are less sweet. Maybe there is a market for this wine, but for me.

6/18/2023 - moudy wrote:

I bought 3 bottles and had the first in May if 2021. I was not impressed and stashed the other two away.

For Father’s Day 2023, I decided to try a bottle and was blown away. The flavors had integrated. I am not great with describing the subtle flavors, but this was / is a great.

I look forward to bottle #3.

4/21/2013 - moudy wrote:

Good pinot. Had more acidity than I expected

4/21/2013 - moudy wrote:

Very concentrated and sweet. In some ways tasted like a mild or light port wine. Very enjoyable bottle,, but not what I expected.

2/23/2013 - moudy wrote:

This was an elegant wine in the middle of the drinking window.

2/23/2013 - moudy wrote:

Lately, I have been drinking the 09 Gigondas and it is probably unfair to compare this bottle to an 09. The fruit was there, but it was muted. The tannis were broken down and the wine was very smooth, but a bit bland.

2/23/2013 - moudy wrote:

I really was looking forward to enjoying this wine based on the fantastic bottle I had from a previous vintage. That bottle tasted like a chocolate malt with a bit of red fruit. This bottle was a bit astringent and lacked the malted milkshake taste and most of the red fruit. Overall, not a bad bottle for $15 - $20, but it that was nice price.....

1/11/2013 - moudy wrote:

Great wine. Cherry and raspberry flavors were strong that I expected. I would actually say the flavor that came through was more of a cherry pie. It was a nice pinot, but a bit different than anything I have experienced. I actually felt that this could have been a really good, really heavy Cru Beaujolais. Great wine

11/23/2012 - moudy wrote:

Really drinking well. This was my last of 6 bottles. It still had more youth than I expected. Red fruits, bit of spice, mellow tannins. Considerable sediment

10/2/2012 - moudy wrote:

still a great bottle some of the pepper and spice has diminished and some red fruit is starting to show

9/21/2012 - moudy wrote:

This was a tough wine. I purchased 2 bottles in 2003. I recall the first one was pretty tough to drink. There was a tremendous amount of barnyard and dark undertones to the wine. When I tried the second bottle a few nights ago, the barnyard was not as strong as I recalled, but it was still there to extent that I struggled to get through a single glass

9/21/2012 - moudy wrote:

I was so looking forward to drinking this wine, but it paled in comparison to the Syrah from SLO - Susan's Hill that we opened prior to this bottle. It did not seem well integrated and gave the impression that the flavors were either muted or watered down.

9/21/2012 - moudy wrote:

Absolutely loved this wine. This was the first SLH Syrah I have tried and it was fantastic. Big, dark, spicy wine that had layers and layers of flavor.

9/21/2012 - moudy wrote:

Fantastic wine. For a 2001, I was surprised how youthful the wine still was.

8/18/2012 - moudy wrote:

Popped and poured. Initially, lots of fresh red fruit & hint of anise. After about 15 minutes, the red fruit was overcome by a pruney/raison flavor. I

4/22/2012 - moudy wrote:

Much better than previous bottle. It had a nice, deep dark red fruit flavor & I started to notice browning around the edge of the glass. If you have a bottle, probably should drink while it is at it's peak.

3/16/2012 - moudy wrote:

red fruit, a bit earthy, a little leather. I agree with previous tasting notes it is thin, but still a great value.

3/12/2012 - moudy wrote:

I just could not get past the acidic taste / mouth feel.

3/12/2012 - moudy wrote:

Fantastic bottle. Initially, the wine had a lot of oak, but the red fruit started to come through after 15 - 20 minutes of decanting. Beautiful wine that is drinking well.

3/2/2012 - moudy wrote:

Astringent, earthy, with a lithe red fruit and leather. For $30 - would have been happy. But, for $60 - a bit disappointing

3/2/2012 - moudy wrote:

This color was dark red / violet. As I decanted the wine, I noticed just a bit of brown.

I did fast a few faint red fruit note, but the astringency of this wine took over.

It was big.

2/15/2012 - moudy wrote:

Agree with comments from November 2011 - the wine is in a clumsy phase. I would wait a few more years.... This bottle did not taste like a CdP. Prune/raison was the primary flavor with some soft red fruit and leather in the background.

2/15/2012 - moudy wrote:

Remember drinking the bottle after a big Duckhorn and realizing the stark contrast. While this was a great bottle, I now have a better understanding of why a Cur Beaujolais should always be served before anything else!

2/15/2012 - moudy wrote:

Outstanding wine. I can not recall the notes, but do remember thinking it was in the perfect drinking window.

1/21/2012 - moudy wrote:

Big, in your face, concentrated Pinot. Picked-up blueberry, tar, and smoky that was best described as charcoal. It was a good wine, but in a blind tasting, I would not have been able to this was a Pinot

12/18/2011 - moudy wrote:

I was a bit concerned about this bottle. In 2005, I purchased a number of Barolo's WS rating 94+ and have been sadly disappointed with each.

As I am trying to drink through the wines with the lowest Cellar Tracker rating, this wine was next on the list.

I was pleasantly surprised. It took about 2 hours to open-up and reveal the light red fruit. Some tannins were still evident in the wine and I could pick-up a bit of a stew plum, but overall - much better than expected. Will hold the remaining bottle to enjoy with friends.

11/27/2011 - moudy wrote:

Agree with comment that this wine could hold it's own against CA cab's that cost twice as much. Great value.

11/27/2011 - moudy wrote:

Still is at it's peak. I was a bit surprised when the wine was poured that it still looked and smelled fresh. The "prune juice" color you sometimes get with a wine that has a bit of age was not evident at all. The wine was smooth and had mellowed into a wonderful CdP.

11/24/2011 - moudy wrote:

Drinking well. My first bottle was abut 3 years ago and I recall being disappointed, thinking it was too young. Today, the wine is in a great place showing cherry, tobacco, leather, oak...

10/3/2011 - moudy wrote:

Nice red fruit within first 30 minutes of opening. A green olive flavor took-over by the second evening

9/17/2011 - moudy wrote:

I was concerned this bottle be past its peak. It was still young and could probably age for many more years. Fantastic bottle.

8/28/2011 - moudy wrote:

A bit thinner than I was expecting. Left me wishing for more.

8/28/2011 - moudy wrote:

This bottle was better than the previous one in Feb 2011. I am starting to think the first bottle was flawed. By no means did this wine live up to the high 90's rating. It was OK to drink with a pizza or use for cooking, but not more than that.

8/20/2011 - moudy wrote:

Fantatic wine. Decanted for about 2 hours prior to servings. It was a big wine full of dark frait.

8/20/2011 - moudy wrote:

Fantastic wine. I was a bit worried it had past it's peak, but it was not. Dark cherry, damp forrest floor, red fruit.

8/14/2011 - moudy wrote:

I was not sure what to expect from the bottle. It had been in the cellar for a while & I was afraid it had been held too long, but that was not the case. It was drinking perfectly. After 20 minutes, it opened and was a fantastic CA cab. I am sad this was the last of the 6 bottles ordered.

7/30/2011 - moudy wrote:

Surpirsingly "violet" and light. Nice wine but not what I was expecting

7/28/2011 - moudy wrote:

On the downside of the hill

7/19/2011 - moudy wrote:

Light & slighlty vegetative

4/17/2011 - moudy wrote:

Thinner and not as aromatic as I expected.

4/16/2011 - moudy wrote:

flat was a good description....

2/20/2011 - moudy wrote:

Sad to see the last glass go....

2/20/2011 - moudy wrote:

I tend to agree with the note that said the wine tasted better with food than alone. I hate to say it, but I do not look forward to the last bottle in the cellar.

12/8/2010 - moudy wrote:

beautiful deep red color made me excited about trying first bottle of the 09 vintage. The green olive taste was a bit of a surprise and pretty challenging to get past. Maybe it was a bad bottle?

11/23/2010 - moudy wrote:

I felt it was thin and the red fruit had disappeared, leaving a rather weak wine behind

11/23/2010 - moudy wrote:

We missed the peak. It was tiered

10/30/2010 - moudy wrote:

Great, full bodies pinot. Still at peak

10/30/2010 - moudy Likes this wine:

About 3 years ago, I had my first of 2 bottles of the 01 Mercury Head. I walked away from the experience saying that was my benchmark for a great CA Cab.

I shared the 2nd bottle with friends at a birthday party and it was the hands down WOTN. While it drew rave reviews, I do feel that it either there is some bottle variation, or the wine is slightly past it's peak. It was a great bottle, but not quite the experience as the 1st bottle 3 years ago.

8/28/2010 - moudy wrote:

I really love Gamay wines and this bottle came very highly recommended. It was nice & light with a lot of red fruit & some earth, but was not exactly what I was expecting.