11/13/2019 - brian przyzycki wrote:

The 09' Lapierre has the better story but this is the better wine. Why do I think he (Marcel) wouldn't be upset by my opinion? Such an influential man (Marcel) in such a significant wine region. I will brag about the days when these wines were 30 bucks! Sadly... This was my last.

7/16/2019 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Last one. Wow this stuff was awesome. See prior review. If you like cru-boo, it really doesn't get any better than this. I am giving an extra point here because it's a decade old and still has life!

4/27/2019 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This was really nice boo! In a great place right now.

4/17/2019 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This was outstanding. Still has plenty of life.

2/18/2019 - brian przyzycki wrote:

UGHHHHH!!! This was so close to being a memorable bottle of wine. I feel for the wine maker and his/her pain. Great balance and everything a RRV pinot should be. Unfortunately, the bouquet and finish were just somewhat off. The margin of error is just so small. I enjoyed it and kudos/bravo to Dumol, but this isn't a classic 95+ wine.

1/15/2019 - brian przyzycki wrote:

I stand firmly behind my cellar and it's provenance. These are just starting to raisin and prune. Notably worse as the bottle was open. DRINK UP!

12/2/2018 - brian przyzycki wrote:

92. Great wine and impeccable balance but it does have a bell pepper finish that prevented me from falling in love with it. No hurry...lots of time with this one.

10/19/2018 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Last of 3 bottles and this one has really hit its stride. In a really good place right now and I regret pulling the cork so early on my previous 2. Shame on me for listening to the experts that said to drink my 03s early.

10/5/2018 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Did not decant. For the first 30 minutes this wine drank like a 95 pointer with bright red fruits, leather, and firm acidity. Everyone was impressed. Within 30 minutes, this thing dropped quicker than Bernie Sander's Presidential run. Turned stewed with raisin-like fruits. Do NOT decant and drink quickly......

8/31/2018 - brian przyzycki wrote:

disappointed in these. I love Shea's wines but this great year didn't pan out.

5/10/2018 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Drink up. These are fading faster than the White Sox's chance at a winning season.

3/22/2018 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Wow!! I have enjoyed this wine a couple times and was somewhat unimpressed. Good but nothing to write home about. Holy smokes....tonight's 05' was oven shittin' rediculous! The flavor of this wine was unlike any other cabernet I ever had. Reddish pomegranate fruits with no tannins and devoid of alcohol. Truly memorable. Now I get it. This stuff is the real deal. It just takes time to hit its stride. I will now buy this wine again in exceptional vintages. Bravo!

3/5/2018 - brian przyzycki wrote:

One of the best cabs i have ever had. Bravo!

1/28/2018 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Wow this was unexpectedly good. Most 11's have been adequate at best buy not this girl. Great red fruits and dusty mocha/berry flavors. Impeccable integration. 15.4% alcohol is invisible...you have been warned! A cab made for pairing even though it's a Chiapetti veal patty night for us. Very well done in a difficult vintage. Ignore the drinking window...has a couple more years easily. Bravo!

10/23/2017 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Far from the best KB if have ever had. it was my last though

10/13/2017 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Warning: i am a huge Robert Foley fan and lover of red fruit dominated cabs. Foley made the wine but this is all black fruits. Blackberries, truffles, and olive tempenad. So why the generous score? This wine rocks these flavors out of the park! So silky, long, and integrated. 30 second finish! What a wine. Bravo!!!

9/22/2017 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This wine is actually Chateau Girard's Artistry bottling. Used to sell for $60 a bottle. Phenomenal QPR in my opinion. I agree they need a few years to hit their stride. However, I will debate anyone to find me a better deal on Napa red. The 2013 Clos Du Val was the big bargain last year. This is a much better wine.

7/9/2017 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Yeah.....this blew the doors off some other more expensive wines. I love this winery and buy it up whenever I get a chance. So glad I have one more.

6/6/2017 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This was hands down the second best Beaujolais I have ever had...and I drink a lot of beaujolais. Wow...what a wine. Where do I start? The nose is clean and floral with mixed berry aromas. Kinda like walking by a fruit stand next to the ocean. The palate is a hodgepodge of spicy dried oranges, plumbs, and cranberries. Reminds me a little of Christmas potpourri if this makes any sense. The mouth feel and balance are as smooth as a wine can be. An underlying metallic iron streak keeps this baby oh so interesting. This had a ton of sediment stuck to the side of the bottle so I think it integrated precisely into what it wanted to become. My score may seem generous to some but I would be eager to defend my position. Bravo and Kudos Damien Coquelet! So glad I have one more Big Cock in my cellar!

5/9/2017 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Okay... I write a lot of reviews but the one varietal I feel I am an expert on is Beaujolais. This is a very good wine but a VERY POOR expression of Morgon Beaujolais. Much more like a fleurie than a Morgon. If that doesn't bother you then drink up and bravo. No iron or blood orange....all lush fruit. Sort of primary but very good none the less. I can appreciate all the different regions but prefer Morgon for everything this wine lacks. STILL....very well made.

4/4/2017 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Maybe not a 97 pointer, but I'm really glad I snagged a half dozen of these. Clean floral nose with a little licorice. Glycerin smooth palate with mixed red and blue fruits paired to a mocha/graphite finish. Doesn't have that Napa snap but it is a Sonoma wine. Very nice. Great balance and long finish. The 2013 clos due Val was lasts years bargain cab. This wine is the solid 2014 winner IMHO. CHEERS!

1/14/2017 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Past its prime.

11/18/2016 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Wow this was nice. Initially served a tad too cold so first glass was muted. That said, it was like pouring honey from a bottle. So viscous and syrupy. Beautiful butter and warm tea without over the top malolactic oakyness (which i like!) Classy wine. Now i know why i tried to get 6 bottles and was only awarded 2. BRAVO!

10/27/2016 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Wow!!! Suprised by the low scores here. Is everone getting spoiled by how good the 13's are??? This is the bohemian deal of the vintage from my perspective. In fact, this is officially the party wine of casa de Przyzycki this Christmas season. Tons of flavors going on here; mocha, spice, bramble, with red and blue fruits. A little thin on mouthfeel but the balance of this wine will make you overlook this attribute. Puchased at a sub $20 price. BRAVO Bogle for your 20 second finish!!! Such an interesting wine that changes sip by sip.

9/2/2016 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Wow.....hate to give a sub 90 rating on what should be a steady Eddie every year but this had waaay too much residual sugar to merit a higher rating. Great juice but they messed up the wine this year. I could see a party group loving this but for the true Zin fans, they missed the mark this year.

7/12/2016 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This exceeded expectations on every level. Smooth silky wine with ultra extracted blackberry mocha flavored and floral alcoholic (in a good way) nose. Wow...won hell ova wine.

11/8/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Don't call me grasshopper anymore. This was the first bottle of bordeaux I felt like I truly understood. Not the best I had, but the first I understood. Experience is invaluable and now I get it. Graphite, slate, rose petals, and cherry wrapped in a long silky blanket. Homogenous with a leathery, pomegranate finish. A wise man once said all roads of wine passion eventually lead to bordeaux. I can honestly say I am finally on that road.

11/5/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This wine deserves a classic rating if there ever was one! It's easy to get an over extracted cab wannabe pinot that blows the masses away. This wine is all finess and delivers like a champ. Medium silky body with perfect spicy raspberry/cherry flavors. A lot like a RRV kosta browne on the Adkins diet. Very elegant and classy. Have one more and will hold for another 5 Years. Can this improve? Kudos calera! Served with duck breast.

10/25/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

On its downward slope. No pun intended.

10/19/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Lots of black olive and spice with this one. Quite enjoyable and youthful for a 9 year old wine. BTW....the cork on this wine looked brand new. Served with a leg of lamb.

9/27/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

I withhold a review at this time. Closed down and would not budge. Seems very well made but...???

9/24/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Hot Damn, this was oven shitten' good! The 08' kites rest is an iffy wine but this stormy terrace vineyard is off the hook! Meow! I cannot believe how special this was when compared to the kites rest. Over indulging clouded serious notes, but this was up with some of the best pinot I have had. Good blend of burgundy and Sonoma coast style. Not a ton of spice or cola like a RRV, but earthy, balanced and not over-extracted or commercial. Served with coconut braised chicken from this month's bon appetite cover recipe. Recipe rocked but this out-shown the meal. Bravo!

9/3/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

I only got my hands on 3 of these and waited until tonight to pop the first. Huge aroma of raspberries upon opening. No decanter but lots of swirling. Lots of Blackfruits and mocha with a firm mineral and medicinal formata. Super silky and smooth. I love cru-boo but rarely stray from Morgon. This is the first Moulin a vent I really loved! Bravo. Served with the obvious...grilled chicken. Finished by itself.

8/13/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

I agree there are better $20 dollar bottles of wine, but this bottle is fairly priced and well made with some slight secondary notes to be interesting. Better to overpay a few bones for good wine than to blow 18 on a loser. Sweet cherries with subtle earthy notes and medium balanced finish. ETOH well integrated. This winery is now on my radar.

8/5/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Great but I really think I enjoy the RRV bottling better. Who cares if it wasn't WOTY? Classy wine regardless. Served with Asian grilled flank steak on beautiful lake minocqua.

8/2/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

My first Togni. Yeah....I was told to forget them for at least a decade. This was phenomenal for the first hour and then, sadly, turned primary but still enjoyable. In its stride, it showed cherry, mocha, and currant with a licorice menthol finish. No green notes for me at all. This winery deserves the reputation and tariff it demands. Bordeaux in style and quality.

6/14/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Something about this wine intrigues me. It drinks like a typical Rhone blend but the petite syrah carries the finish like a bellman hauling luggage to the penthouse suite of the Ritz Carlton. Floral yet meaty at the same time. Violets and black licorice. Served with St. Louis style barbeque ribs while watching the finale of GOT season 5.

6/12/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

From my perspective, this is a winner. Very bright, clean and fresh with red fruits and a light mocha leather background. No tart cherry side notes. Quite lithe. Parker has burned me on some of his other cheapo recommendations, but this one is spot on. I looked hard to hunt these down....glad I did. Served with chicken marsala.

5/26/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

I really like pride wines but this bottle was a disappointment compared to other bottles. An overpowering alcoholic nose destroyed the currant and Blackfruit profile that Is the signature hallmark of this wine. I noticed it less with my steak, but on its own it was impossible to overlook.

5/20/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This was stellar. Such a rich and homogenous blend of cherry, plumb, violets, leather, and spice. I doubted the rating like most of you until I popped the cork. What a bohemian deal @ 25 bones. Served with linguine carbonara and sweet sausage.

4/22/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

I really wanted to like this wine because previous exposure to other vintages were positive. Well made wine but never reached the wow zone for me. Perfect level of extraction but didn't have the pure fruit I look more. A little stewed for my taste which negated a higher score. Still....quite nice. Served with farm raised sockeye salmon.

2/27/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This was suprisingly nice. Great balance and spice here. In a very nice place right now. Well integrated.

2/6/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This was probably the best chardonnay I ever had. All future chardonnays I drink will be immediately compared to this night. Wow...what a wine. Honeysuckle, butterscotch, butter and creme wrapped in a ever so lightly Oaked blanket. So long and multi layered. Each sip was a new experiment. A truly memorable bottle of wine. There are times I am embarrassed about how much money and effort I put into wine. And then, there are bottles like this that make me feel so alive! I have to find their 2012!

1/9/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Syrupy and over extracted without any obnoxious oak or malolactic flavors. More subdued pineapple and lychee fruit. Quite classy given the extraction and alcohol level (14.5 for a chard!) If the primary goal of chardonnay is to make you forget about red wine, this would have George Bush screaming "mission accomplished!" Bravo!

12/4/2014 - brian przyzycki wrote:

From my groups perspective, this was great. Previous reviews made me extra subjective, but their was just too much to enjoy here. Mixed berry flavors with impeccable balance. Blew the doors off the 12' caymus which we drank before this. Probably unfair since the caymus is a baby but this was great juice! Crowd favorite.

11/3/2014 - brian przyzycki wrote:

we drank a lot of great wine this weekend, but this bottle was my personal favorite. soft tart cherries with a nice forest floor. Smooth and silky with great balance. My buddy who is a novice wine drinker couldnt take his hands off the bottle. Served with braised short ribs. Would love to buy more.

10/26/2014 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Incredibly smooth violet and lavender notes wrapped in a long, long sighing finish. No meaty flavors; all bluefruits. Pure silk on the tongue and aging like a divorcee from the north shore. Kudos to John Donlan and the plastic surgeons of Illinois. "Doctor...make me look like I did in 2006!

9/17/2014 - brian przyzycki wrote:

This is my 5th bottle of this stuff and I feel compelled yet cautious about a review. I find this bottle a phenomenal expression of the lighter style of pinot that Oregon can produce. Lots of tart berry....almost Beaujolais like. Well packaged in a nicely smooth finish of saline, cranberry, and spice. I admit I am a huge cru-bu fan so my palate is subjective. Regardless, if you are looking for a great food friendly wine with complexity, check this out! Nothing to see here if you are looking for over the top extracted pinot. Great QPR!

7/27/2014 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Highest scoring cab I ever opened. Laser focused but not the best cab I ever drank. This was my "you don't drink points" moment. However, this wine was fairly priced and I am glad I have more. My expectations were just too high.

7/7/2014 - brian przyzycki wrote:

Am I the only one who found this wine tart? I thought it was Gamay. Popped and poured so I will revisit tomorrow. I like this winery but this is atypical. UPDATE....the tartness blew off the following day and my opinion has done a 180. Nice backbone of rasberry and spice. Decant this boy...its a must for now.