5/5/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

What a difference a bottle makes. My last bottle of this was good, but a bit underwhelming.

Going into this one, also a 375ml, I had low expectations. After a perfect cork pull with ah-so, the wine was just singing right away. The fruit was not as dried out in profile, the mouth feel was silk, and there was a great caramel/graham cracker note alongside the sweet cherry and strawberry flavors.

5/3/2024 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

Pop and Vinturi. Earthy nose, definitely old world, with some cherry and plum. Med+ tannin but with a creamy mouthful so not obtrusive. Med+ finish is very nice, carrying the red fruit with a hint of licorice.

5/1/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

As always, light, vibrant and tasty - soft textured with fresh cherry flavors.

4/28/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

This is very different than the 10 year tawnies I've had from the bigger houses. Upon first opening, the wine was a bit harsh, had a tart acidity, felt light in body, and had a short finish. However, with a bit of air, the wine eventually mellowed and tasted more typical. It's still on the drier side overall.

4/20/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Classic barolo profile, drinking very well now bordering on tertiary development yet with good fruit remaining.

4/20/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Orange peel, dried apricot, black tea - great pairing with an orange semifreddo. Consistently great wine.

4/13/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Compared to most dry Rieslings from the region, these wines always have a lot of fruit giving the perception of a bit of sweetness. This has aged very nicely with great orchard fruit, hint of petrol. Acid feels a little on the lower side, perhaps from the warmer vintage. Either way, delicious.

4/13/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Silky smooth, classic burgundy - in a great spot right now

4/11/2024 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

Yum. What a nice surprise. There's red and darker fruit with a rocky, earthy note running throughout. Medium body, medium+ acid, medium tannins but they are supple. Finish is medium+ in length. I'm so glad I have more of this.

4/10/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Not rating, as I have no idea how old this is.

That said, it's drinkable on a Wednesday night. Simple with blackberry and a touch of VA.

4/7/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Lots of fruit here but balanced by strong acidity. Stone fruit leads the way but there's more going on. Simply delicious.

4/7/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Delicious, fantastic. Electric acidity, balanced by a medium body frame with fruits feeling lemony and almost tropical. Long finish.

3/31/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

While the wine is starting to show its age when it comes to color, the palate is still vibrant and delicious with typical Pinot noir character. In a great spot now!

3/31/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Very tasty stuff - I was just caught off guard by the sweetness. I expected a dry white but this is definitely off-dry. Nice as a patio sipper but could probably also pair well with a fruit salad for a light dessert.

3/26/2024 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

Cherry and plun fruit, with some cigar box and dried herbs on the nose. Perhaps some anise too. As expected with these wines, a fantastic value.

3/24/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Absolutely delicious, with freshness and lightness not expected from this warm region. Beautiful blend.

3/23/2024 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

Not yet rating as I think this may still be too young, or needed longer air exposure. There's really nice cherry flavor, wet stone, pencil shaving, and something fresh and medicinal. Just not as open as I thought it might be at 13 years of age, and finishing a bit short. Will wait a few more years for my next bottle.

3/17/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Very tasty, pretty fruit forward but balanced - has a Riesling feel overall, very good value

3/9/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Tasted alongside the 2009 vintage of the same wine - what a treat.
As expected, very pretty red fruits with hints of spice and a sense of minerality. At 14 years of age, the fruit is starting to lean towards dried versions, but overall the wine still comes off as very fresh, and especially compared to the 2009, where the fruit was more dried/cooked (riper vintage?)

3/9/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Excellent and delicious Riesling. Very typical for the region, with a very pure and forward fruit profile that offset the acidity well.

3/5/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Stunning at almost 15 years of age

3/3/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Dark fruits and toasty notes, very silky now and ready to drink

3/3/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Largely agree with the previous notes, there's some very pretty cherry flavors here with sweet oak notes. Great acidity and overall balance, and I found this very approachable now, not seeming to require further aging.

3/3/2024 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

Lime zest, underripe peach. Very zingy acidity with light/medium body. Refreshing. Very nice for seafood or warm weather sipping.

3/1/2024 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

A very young wine but seems ready to drink now. A dark fruit medley with some black licorice and spicy oak notes, tannin is present but very round/soft. Acid is medium at best, so I'd say drink on the sooner side.

2/21/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Ready to roll right now with medium body and medium-, soft tannin. Very typical syrah with dark fruit and some earthiness.

2/9/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

My last bottle of a case. I've had very mixed reactions to each bottle and they've varied over the years. This bottle is showing fairly well, and there's a very strong eucalyptus-ish scent on the nose, playing against some pencil shavings and perhaps some black liquorice. The tannin has finally yielded, and while there's not an abundance of fruit, it's within an appropriate range for an old-school Bordeaux. A nice food wine overall with medium acid and tannin at this stage, and should also hold on a few more years at least.

2/4/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

This showed far better than my last magnum over 2 years ago - at the time I feared it was going over the hill, but I was wrong - this bottle had really nice fruit and impeccable balance.

2/3/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Brought to drink alongside Omakase at our favorite sushi restaurant. This may have been my first time tasting Chardonnay from here, so wasn't sure what to expect. Ultimately this showed very lean, and while it had an enticing nose with hints of flowers, there wasn't much fruit on the palate. I'm not against this style of wine, but I guess i just wasn't expecting it here with the Chardonnay.

2/3/2024 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

When I received this as a gift from my brother in law, he told me to age it. I obeyed.

And he was wise. This is a perfect mix of bold and mellow, structure and elegance. There's a deep core of dark fruit, black licorice and a touch of oak, and it's just really enjoyable. In a great spot now.

1/19/2024 - wirelesswine wrote:

Perhaps getting a little tired but otherwise pretty tasty for the price point

1/11/2024 - wirelesswine Does not like this wine:

Nose has some red fruit and hint of barnyard
After being open a couple of hours, it's pretty flat on the palate though with med- tannin and medium acid. It's fine, but not living up to my expectations.

Edit: with time, some florals came through...but not changing my overall opinion much.

12/30/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

My first experience with this bottling - was very surprised at how the American oak stood out so much. I had served it blind and initially got a guess of Rioja, which was telling. Still lots of tannic structure here which bodes well for some more time in the cellar. Very tasty wine now though, richly fruited but with plenty of freshness to carry it along.

12/22/2023 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

At this age, this wine is very soft and silky in texture. The nose has dried cherry and cranberry, a slight barnyard earthiness, pencil shavings and a hint of cigar box.

This carries to the palate which has medium - tannin and medium acid and intensity. Overall this is an elegant and Burgundian example of Pinot.

12/10/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

A little spritzy on the palate - strange. Slightest oxidative notes from bottle age. Nice wine but this bottle didn't bowl me over.

12/10/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

In a great spot right now. Red fruits, mineral - very pretty.

12/6/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

Very balanced Cali chard. Excellent for the price.

11/30/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

This wine has definitely continued to evolve and is not as enjoyable as it once was. The nose is really nice and complex with cassis, eucalyptus, black licorice, blackberry, and cigar box. But on the palate it seems leaner and I wouldn't guess this as Australia - seems more like a restrained Bordeaux without a lot of fruit.

11/24/2023 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

Very fresh on the nose with gravel, Cassidy and cherry. Very typical Bordeaux sensibility. Medium everything. Quality wine.

11/23/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

Bottle had been sitting a while under questionable storage and had a 2016 date - but the wine was perfectly fine, very fruit driven and pleasant.

11/19/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

Wow, this is really good and seems to have been my best bottle yet. It's got that old wine feel, but the fruit isn't dried out in flavor. Just a hint of tannin hanging on, otherwise smooth as silk with the red berry fruit framed by interesting cigar box and other earthy notes.

11/1/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

Delicious....stone fruit, perhaps a hint of petrol starting to creep up? Just off dry with vibrant acidity.

11/1/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

In a great place - still big brambly fruit, but the structure has started to yield just enough to enhance the perception of it.

10/29/2023 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

Ignore the 99 point sticker on the obnoxiously large and heavy bottle.
Inside is some interesting juice...a blend that definitely works well. Lots of pear with some light citrus. Med acid and length. Cool blend.

10/21/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

Light, spritzy, but overall a little disjointed

10/14/2023 - wirelesswine Likes this wine:

Lots of pyrazine but also pretty fruit carrying it

9/20/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

Nice wine. Very restrained for California - not a lot of oak, some menthol and florals dance on the nose along with the berry and plummy fruit.

9/10/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

Dark cherry, balsamic, eucalyptus, and cigar box. Really nice wine, quintessential Tuscan wine to serve with an Italian meal.

9/3/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

Really delicious, crisp but also very fruit forward.

9/3/2023 - wirelesswine wrote:

Would recommend as a mixing ingredient more than a standalone wine.