4/4/2024 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Opened nicely with no decant needed.

3/8/2024 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Pop and pour. Opened up over two hours. No reason to wait, but should hold for years.

12/31/2016 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Absolute delight. No decant, opened for one hour. No reason to wait--wish I had more!

2/14/2016 - pbredon wrote:

I double-decanted this for 8 hours, then decanted for another 2. It really started opening up an hour in. Pure fruit, absolute fantastic expression of Grenache. I've always viewed the grape as a second (or third) fiddle to Syrah and Mourvedre, but this made me stop and take note in a way I haven't before. I wish I had more... No reason to hurry if you have just one or two, but fun to try now if you have several (and I'm jealous!). And fair warning: this baby clocks in at over 16% alcohol, and you can't tell -- so be warned.

1/31/2016 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Had this last night with good friends at Playground. Really enjoyable wine, paired exceptionally well with the food. I didn't decant, and it didn't seem to need it. No reason to wait for me, I'll have the next one within a year.

1/8/2016 - pbredon wrote:

Decanted four hours. Nice, fruit forward wine. No reason to wait to drink, especially at such a great price point.

12/18/2015 - pbredon wrote:

I agree with earlier notes -- this is a great wine, but still could use 3-5 years. I decanted for 4 hours and it still was opening up throughout the evening. I think the score will creep higher over the next few years; glad I have two more bottles.

8/14/2015 - pbredon wrote:

Needed some time in the glass, but so great. Consistent with earlier notes from myself and others.

10/3/2014 - pbredon wrote:

So good for the price ($17.99 over a year ago). Open now or later.

7/27/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Needs several hours before it's ready (perhaps even longer). The previous notes are true here, this has great potential in a few years. Opened one now before the Bedrock Fall Release and glad we did. Won't open the next bottle for at least 15-18 months. This has a long way to go. 92+ (fully expect this to be 94-96 in several years)

7/26/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

I agree with both the IWC and WA ratings -- this is phenomenal stuff. I don't have enough experience with white wines to leave a detailed tasting note, but when I read both the reviews noted above, they described what I enjoyed -- a really quite wonderful bottle of chardonnay.

5/29/2014 - pbredon wrote:

At first, I thought this bottle was corked. It was really quite awful (for me at least) for the first two hours. I started to emerge after hour 3 in the decanter, but even then, it really needs some more time. Tons of texture, dark, full-bodied. I can see why Parker rated this 91-93. For me, I'm going to hold my next bottle for at least 12-36 months, and then give it a serious decant.

5/15/2014 - pbredon wrote:

I don't know if I believe WA and the 90 point rating, but this was very pleasant and quite nice for a Thursday evening. Had it at cellar temperature and it was better at that temperature than warmer as the evening went on. Like other notes, it is an easy-drinking party / mid-week wine, with a good price point.

5/15/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

I don't drink a lot of Rose's, but this was delicious. Really quite exceptional.

4/19/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but really excellent. Has the acidity to carry it through (I agree with previous notes) on a summer day. Wish I had more...

4/11/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Opened too soon -- delicious, but clearly room to improve. Definitely will go back and buy more from Halcon based on this bottle. Not typical for a Cali syrah, and fantastic stuff.

4/8/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

My wife described at as champagne-like without the bubbles. Not sure if that's anywhere near what other people think, but it was an interesting take on the wine. Really quite nice.

4/6/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Agree with earlier notes -- this is a delicious Syrah and an absolute steal. Was going to open my second bottle next year, but given the structure and the need for this to settle down, I might wait two years instead. Decanted this three hours, and was just settling down even then. Full in-your-face, and great juice.

3/28/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Still needs some time. Will try another bottle in 2015.

3/29/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Nothing spectacular here, but great with pizza. For the price (7.99), it's hard to beat.

3/27/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Excellent with food. An absolute steal for $7.99. Will likely go buy a few more--great Thursday night wine.

2/28/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Really quite excellent. Started this at cellar temp (55 degrees), and it was a little too warm (didn't have the crispness we were looking for). Slightly cooler, and it was excellent. Wish I had more. Agree with W.A. on the rating, slightly higher because I thought it was better than the '12 Pride Viognier, which I rated 91-92.

1/2/2014 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Better on the 2nd day. Really quite wonderful.

12/21/2013 - pbredon Likes this wine:

I read an earlier note that said this was classic big-house champagne. Seems about right. Nothing spectacular, but a solid effort nonetheless.

12/6/2013 - pbredon wrote:

Decanted for about two hours, and even then needed more time in the glass. No formal notes taken, but it was quite good. Carried far more intensity than the last Zinfandel I had (Bedrock Old Vine) and had more of that 'mountain fruit' -- really quite excellent. Wish this wasn't my only bottle, since the tannins on the end clearly needed some more time to break down in the bottle.

11/26/2013 - pbredon wrote:

Acidic and not what I remembered. Seemed flawed.

11/24/2013 - pbredon Likes this wine:

This wine was a thing of beauty. My first Bedrock purchase and my first Bedrock wine, I was blown away by this wine. I mean, let's be honest, it's fantastic. The notes below are far better at describing this wine, and I agree with all of them. When this was first opened, it was rough, hot, strong. After three hours decanted, it transformed into a beautiful wine. It was like a outside linebacker learning ballet. It's still got the brawn, but restrained and beautiful. Still needs to time to settle down, but this will easily get better with age. I'm sad I promised one of these bottles away to a friend. Only 4 left now, and I want them to last forever.

10/23/2013 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Delicious. A steal for this price. I love supporting small wineries that make incredible wine!

10/5/2013 - pbredon wrote:

This got lost when CT went down...

The 2012 Viognier has the usual Pride Mountain viognier nose: stone fruit and intense aromatics (though I don't know how some think there is starfruit on the nose here). The body of this wine, though, paled in comparison to 2011. I don't know the exact reason -- but the 2011 had was richer: had a "textured mouthfeel." The 2012 lacked that. Still a strong wine, but this either needs more time or it is slightly lower than the 2011.

(Note: I had the 2011 Viognier with some very good friends in June, and for context, we informally rated the 2011 at 91-92 points, slightly higher than WA's rating.)

9/28/2013 - pbredon wrote:

No formal notes. Drunk during a warm fall day. A touch too sweet for my palate. I remember the winemaker said that this Rosé had skin contact for almost a full day. As a result, there is a very dark color for a rose (almost like a pinot noir). This tasted better on a hot day in Napa over the summer when we purchased a bottle. In short: underwhelming.

9/13/2013 - pbredon wrote:

Paired with shrimp, bread, salad. Long legs, high residual sugar. My wife enjoyed this wine, but by the end it tasted like honey without the acid that you need to keep the wine from being sugary-sweet.

8/6/2013 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Tasted from my cellar over four hours. Was skeptical at the beginning -- seemed green, menthol, and very disappointing, but it opened up and flowered by hour 3 -- needs decanting to shine. Not as dark as a traditional Zinfandel, the color almost resembled a Pinot Noir (ruby-colored). The nose has hints of dark fruit. There isn't anything on the front of the palate, with some blackberries on the middle, with a nice finish that has structure, but not the bite of alcohol. This is surprising given the high alcohol content (15.8%), which doesn't really come through until the very end, and even then, the wine boasts a structured yet smooth finish. Still needs time in the cellar. Based on the price point, it's hard to believe they sources their grapes from the Benito Dusi vineyard; well worth the price given the quality of the grapes and wine.

7/11/2013 - pbredon Likes this wine:

Nose: While the oak can be overpowering, there are also hints of red currant, dark cherry, cassis.

Taste: nothing noteworthy on the front or the middle of the palate. Smooth texture as the wine moves from the front to the back with a short finish (about 15 seconds). Over the two hours we had the wine, hints of cherry and chocolate emerged, but struggled to be noticeable.

Overall: rated 86 points. Paired better with dinner than on its own. Good choice for the price point ($13-15) and as a casual, every-day dinner wine.

(Details: tasted non-blind from my cellar, not decanted, and paired with red meat pasta.)