4/1/2024 - Stevere Likes this wine:

I can vouch for it: Here we are in 2024 with a 21-year-old blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with a little Sangiovese and dollops of other Bordeaux blend grapes. It is still fresh with ample body. Fruit has declined off of the earlier peak but it is still a very rich wine, similar to a Left Bank Bordeaux with a bit of Sangiovese tartness that makes it stand up to tonight's Wagyu ribeye.

3/14/2024 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Beautiful! Cherries, cranberries, and a hint of vanilla. And, it has a decent amount of structure. Mild tannins at this point in time helps it blend with food, but it is so nice to drink, it may be gone by the time the cooking is done. This wine is a pleasant surprise if you can find it.

2/21/2024 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This is exceptional, truly the type of big brawny Cabernet you would expect of a Beckstoffer vineyard. Black fruits dominate and are so pervasive you can drink this now. But the backbone is there to make it for another 25 years. And it only costs a fraction of Hundred Acre.

2/9/2024 - Stevere Likes this wine:

I can hardly believe it, but this wine is still good, not oxidized. Tannins are gone, so it is just lovely, sweet grape juice. Red fruits predominate. If anyone still has this, I suggest you drink it.

11/13/2023 - Stevere Likes this wine:

The wine is still drinking very well - no oxidation. Dark fruits are still vibrant, and the tannins are soft but still there. Nice cassis and blackberries.

9/17/2023 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Beautiful fruit in the nose that carried through in the tasting of the wine. Really an excellent Echezeaux that does not get the recognition it deserves.

7/13/2023 - Stevere wrote:

Oh my! My nose is overloaded by the aroma of this wine. Huge intense complex fruit and lasts for 10 minutes on the palate. Amazing how all these flavors blend yet remain distinct. Aired for 4 hours.

7/4/2023 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This took 11 years to calm down and resolve itself into a quite nice Pinot Noir. Bright red fruits and palpable body have finally overcome foundational tannins.

6/6/2023 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This wine is drinking well despite its youth. Violet, mulberry, tar, a little blackberry. Tannins are young, not intrusive, and should be enough to stand up to our experimental Bolognese sauce made with Sicilian sausage. Will benefit from age - many years ahead of it.

5/2/2023 - Stevere Does not like this wine:

Oxidized.

5/1/2023 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Excellent bottle of wine. It's young for a Howell Mountain cabernet and needs to be about 4 hours to soften. Then, it has intense levels of dark berries like blackberries, blueberries, and cassis built on a sound and vigorous foundation.

4/16/2023 - Stevere Likes this wine:

I love it! Full of intense blueberry, cassis, black fruits, with a hint of vanilla and chocolate. Lovely wine.

4/9/2023 - Stevere wrote:

Fruit forward, a bit too much, because it was a little candied and sweet. Otherwise, balance was good and tannins quite mild for such young cabernet. Nice mix of dark and red fruits and a bit of white chocolate came out with food. While it was pleasantly drinkable, it was pretty simple.

3/12/2023 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Currants and black cherries with just enough tannins to keep the wine going. Tastes good now, but drink up!

3/11/2023 - Stevere wrote:

More great winemaking from David Ramey. Drinking well already. Nice dark berries, currants, raspberry. Tannins moderate but a bit bitter. Give it a couple hours of air or a couple of more years so the tannins subside.

3/11/2023 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This is a great bargain at Costco right now for $95. Big, brawny, hedonistic dark berry fruit and a strong tannic grip. Parker says drink 2015 to 2030? Make that 2023 to 2040. I strongly recommend a couple hour decant to tame this broncin' bull.

12/11/2022 - Stevere Likes this wine:

2nd bottle tonight, good wine; please see my previous review.

12/11/2022 - Stevere Likes this wine:

There appears to have been some controversy about this wine in past reviews. I just opened one to air before pairing with New York steaks tonight. Smells good, tastes good. Tannins pretty much gone, precipitated onto walls of the bottle but enough left to give foundation to the wine. It's still bright, with dark fruits and sweet cassis. It is improving after being open only 20 minutes. Sorry I need to wait for the steaks.

6/8/2022 - Stevere wrote:

Ready to go as soon as it was opened, it is a medium bodied wine with a predominant layer of dark fruits. Ripe and soft tannins, good balance.
It went well with ribs.

5/29/2022 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This is full throttle Napa Cabernet. Big dark fruits, full body, youthful tannins that are not bitter, this is a great bottle of wine now. In 5 years, I would expect the tannins to reduce to a more balanced state and the fruit to sustain its massive intensity. If the next five years goes as I expect, It is going to get an even higher score. If you drink it now, try to give it 4 hours of air and a decant.

4/11/2022 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Oh my! Why did this have to be my last bottle! This was delicious! This goes to show why age can bring wine to a miraculous state. The nose is intense with red fruits and the flavor is dominated by sweet wonderful cherries. It's too bad real cherries don't taste this good.

1/12/2022 - Stevere wrote:

Too feminine for me.

12/14/2021 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Approachability improved substantially after only a half hour of air. The wine had comfortable flavors of dark berries and black forest cake. Nice balance, with both oak and heat nicely under control thereby providing a sweet berry compote finish.

4/10/2021 - Stevere wrote:

Powerhouse Kirk Venge Cabernet. Full of dark fruits with some heat and tannins that will dissipate over 5 years. Somewhat underpriced at $65.

6/19/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This bottle was a very pleasant surprise, because two of the same I opened a year ago were oxidized. Plenty of nice black berry fruit right up front, tannins gone, even a bit of chocolate and mocha. This wine was made by the Phil Baily of the Baily Winery from estate grapes to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the beautiful historic Prado in Balboa Park. (The 100th Anniversary year actually was 2015.)

6/3/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This was seriously delicious berry-filled Napa Cab. Dense, full-bodied, intense, early in its drinking window and still drinks great now. I gave it 2 hours of air and it evolved quickly in a positive development of fruit on the nose and flavor. Nuances of tobacco and licorice.

5/7/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Unbelievable! Drinking this was one of those experiences we wine lovers live for; they seldom occur in a lifetime of drinking fine wines. An "out of body experience." The color was dark red, not trending towards orange like younger Barolos. The nose was red fruits and no oxidation. The flavor was pure, deep, beautiful fruit juice, with a hint of tobacco and herbs. How did Enrico Serafino make wine that would taste so good, balanced and fresh after 56 years? We loved the 2000 Gaja Costa Russi we drank with it, but the Gaja was only 20 years old. Wow! (and, I have one more!!)

5/5/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Tasted immediately upon opening, this wine has a lovely cherry nose that follows through in the tasting. The flavors are fairly intense, lots of cherry, strawberry and raspberry with a nice soft tannic balance and long finish. It's a lot of wine for the money and I wish I had more than one bottle left.

5/2/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

What a delicious Pinot. It gives an ephemeral nose of fruit, mostly cherry but also some cassis and a hint of blueberry. The fruits loyally follow into the taste with balanced acidity, piquancy, and a very long finish. This was number 10 of a case of 12 and each bottle has been wonderful. We drank it with one of Oregon's best 2010 Pinots. The Oregon was great, but the JCB, to be blunt, just put it to shame.

5/1/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This is a very well balanced Brunello of medium intensity and amazing refinement. It will drink nicely for another 5 years, but it sure was good tonight!

4/29/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This little old Bordeaux is still a total pleasure to drink at 23 years of age! Great balance, good piquancy, and zero oxidation pave the way to dark fruits, mushrooms, forest floor and a touch of cigar butt. It's alive and well but probably best to drink it pretty soon.

4/25/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

As someone who typically forsakes the Rosso and goes straight for the Brunello, it was a big surprise how enjoyable this wine was. Great flavors of red fruits, sweet flowers and even a hint of mocha, this stands above all other Rossos I have tasted. This is a high quality wine with balance and body, better with pizza than Chianti.

4/21/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Rich red fruits in a well-balanced wine makes a near perfect pairing with pasta bolognese. Typical of a big barolo, this wine stands up well to the power of the bolognese.

4/18/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Oh boy, are the 2010 Brunellos drinking great! Intense plums, dark fruit, a perfect balance from a piquancy and modest acidity that will make it sing with spaghetti and lasagna bolognese. Should drink great for at least another 5 years and drink OK for another 10.

4/17/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This is a full bodied Grenache right in the middle of its drinking window, with a little Syrah mixed in. It has intense flavors of red and blue fruits with enough body, acidity and heat to accompany grilled pork tenderloin.

4/17/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This is my last bottle. At 15 years of age is it lovely, nice flavors, nice intensity, and the wicked tannins that the wine still had 5 years ago are finally gone. I'm glad I kept this around long enough for it to turn into a nice bottle of wine. I'll grade it in accord with where it is now, with no influence from the bad behavior of its youth.

3/24/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

At 20 years of age, this was a pleasant surprise, a very sound bottle of wine. Full bore Cabernet that just needed a lot of time for the tannins and heat to subside. Well, they are gone now and have left behind a quite lovely Chilean Cabernet layered with nice fruit and good balance. I'll admit, I had one of these about 3 years ago, and it was oxidized, and another about 6 years ago that was very tannic and rather disappointing. Earlier bottles were indeed dominated by uncompromisingly strong tannins, but Neal Martin really misjudged this wine when he gave it an 86 and said to "drink now." The years of age did wonders and I know he would judge this wine very differently now. The degree of improvement in just the last several years is amazing.

3/21/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This wine has matured beautifully. Abundant dark fruits solidified with a medium body and zero oxidation. This second growth of the Miner Family was a real pleasure with prime rib.

3/14/2020 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This is a great old Barolo, showing a bit of age, but still great and powerful. Plums, spices and tar, as you would expect, plus a hint of mocha to make it more interesting. A powerful lasagna was well paired with this Barolo and made the Barolo stand out all the more.

2/24/2020 - Stevere wrote:

This is an intensely flavored Barolo, but the flavors are not ideal. There is an unfortunate amount of tannic bitterness, evidenced by a surprisingly small amount of sediment. Sweet fruit and tobacco flavors are weak, perhaps fading with age. If you are going to drink this wine, I suggest about 12 hours of air, in hopes that the tannins ebb and the fruit emerges.

2/1/2020 - Stevere wrote:

This was once a great bottle of wine. Unfortunately, this bottle was oxidized. The cork was OKbt wine was cloudy and the nose oxidized, from one minute to 3 hours of air. Flavor was a lot better than the nose, but still, this needed to be consumed a couple of years ago.

12/17/2019 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This is an interesting blend of Cabernet and Barbera from the Martinenga vineyard, a prime source of Nebbiolo for Barbaresco. The black and blue fruits typical of Cabernet abound with a foundation of Piemonte acidity. It pairs with steak and pasta with bolognese sauce.

12/16/2019 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Suprisingly smooth. Pear with a hint of vanilla. Really quite refined - 70% polished.

11/26/2019 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Very pleasant blueberries amongst other dark fruits cover soft sweet tannins. Moderate body on a lovely wine that is drinking very well right now. I will probably last until 2024.

10/31/2019 - Stevere Likes this wine:

What a pleasant surprise! The wine is full of fresh dark berries and plums with a hint of sweet tobacco. The intensity is unusually high for a Twomey Merlot and yet there is a plushness to it. Color is deep red, no orange yet. If you have it, drink it!

8/21/2019 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Age has finally made this traditionally made Barolo into a gentle giant. Unlike ten years ago, this wine is now very easy to drink, smooth and pure fruit juice. Dark fruit predominates with hints of leather and tobacco. Not a hint of oxidation or other signs of age. I suggest an hour of air. It still tasted great the next day.

8/18/2019 - Stevere Likes this wine:

Deep dark burgundy color and a blueberry nose lead to a flavor of intense dark fruit. Balance is good with the fruit covering the tannins and heat under control. This is a very well made wine.

7/10/2019 - Stevere Likes this wine:

From other reviews it appears some other viewers have gotten corked bottles. This one was fine. Beyond fine- it was great. Dark berry fruit presents in a lovely balance with modest tannins. This is a rich wine, but certainly not a fruit bomb like some other Aussie wines of lesser pedigree. Substantial structure and some residual acidity made it pair well with food.

6/24/2019 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This Pinot is very pleasant to drink, medium body, leading with cherries, followed by cranberries and raspberries. Still a bit on the young side, I suggest giving it a couple more years.

6/15/2019 - Stevere Likes this wine:

This wine has improved greatly with age. Excessive heat and tannins are gone while the dark berry fruit has come to the forefront. Full-bodied and intense, the syrah in this stands out and dominates the blend. (It also has some Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.) The wine is near peak and is drinking great.