4/19/2024 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Really nice at this point. A bit surprised that it is this enjoyable at this age.

2/10/2024 - Encinitas_Joe wrote:

Agree with others sentiments on this one right now. A good wine but far below other vintages of the same.

10/14/2023 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

This wine has really come into a great spot now. Will definitely hold up for years but this now has great balance.

8/5/2023 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Really enjoyed this bottle. Can’t recall any specifics as it was a couple of weeks back. However, the group of friends that enjoyed this one were taken back by the quality.

4/14/2023 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

First bottle after waiting patiently on this vintage. Beautifully balanced wine that is in a great spot right now. The group consensus was extremely positive with a fight for the last drop of this bottle. Extremely biased toward the work at Outpost and the Immigrant bottling but it’s difficult to find much better bottles than this.

12/4/2022 - Encinitas_Joe wrote:

Agree with other comments, this one needs much more time. A bit surprised that this one is not showing better by now.

3/20/2022 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

What a nice treat right now! This vintage has progressed really nicely and was a pleasant surprise. Previously consumed bottles were good but this seemed much more in balance than earlier experiences. This one was decanted for about two hours and was something to remember.

12/17/2021 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour and enjoyed over the next couple of hours. This wine has really developed and started to show some of its potential. A classic Cabernet Franc that has the potential to be one of the best Paradigm CFs. Really nice wine now that will continue to get better.

11/28/2021 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Unbelievable wine for the price! I could continue writing about flavors and tasting notes but if you’re wondering whether now is a good time to drink a bottle, the answer is yes.

11/1/2021 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Took a chance and opened a bottle years earlier than usual. Decanted for 2-3 hours and tasted along with several other great bottles. This was definitely a surprise 2nd choice of the group despite being significantly lower price that the overall favorite.
This bottle will continue to get better over the next 3+ years but was really nice. The tannins have backed off enough to allow the fruit to come through more clearly now. I’m looking forward to the next several years with this vintage.

11/1/2021 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

What a nice bottle at this point. Extremely long finish with great balance. All of the rough edges are now gone as it was also helped with a two hour decant. Unfortunately this was our last bottle.

10/7/2021 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Really drinking we’ll right now. Decanted for an hour and then consumed over the next 3 hours . Extremely well balanced now with beautiful fruit and just enough oak. These bottles are nowhere near the end of their peak drinking window but are really good right now.

9/26/2021 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Consistently underrated and a favorite around here. Really smooth at a young age. Looking forward to opening another of these soon.

1/23/2021 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Beautiful wine that will continue to get better! Decanted for two hours and then enjoyed for another two. Several tense moments trying to fairly divide the last drops of this remarkable wine.

10/29/2020 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Really progressed over the course of 2-3 hours. This bottling appears to be in a good place already but will get better with patience. Will not feel bad opening another very soon.

9/5/2020 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Very good wine, can’t wait to open the next bottle

8/21/2020 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Same notes as previous bottle. Continues to be the favorite amongst anything we have opened with it.

7/26/2020 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Has really developed now. A crowd favorite that disappeared way too fast.

5/9/2020 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Really surprised by the quality of this bottle. Crowd favorite that we will be stocking up on.

4/22/2020 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

What a great bottle! Decanted for 2 hours and then consumed over another hour. Perfectly integrated now and would have stood up to just about any bottle.

4/20/2020 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Classic Howell Mountain that is really good right now. This one created a fight for the last drops of the bottle.

1/6/2020 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Very surprised at how well this is drinking this early. Always good value but I’m really looking forward to the next bottle.

12/4/2019 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Really good vintage of an always solid wine. Ready to drink with almost no air. This is not a jammy zinfandel if that’s what is desired. The quality shines through and allows a varietal that is generally overdone to be enjoyed.

10/16/2019 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Really surprising how good this bottle was straight into the glass.

9/22/2019 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

This wine is in a great spot right now. One of my favorite vintages and getting better each year.

4/28/2019 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Hard to resist this bottling as it continues to impress. I know this is going to get even better but we have just consumed another bottle and feel zero remorse. Decanted for a couple of couple of hours and then consumed for another couple. Incredibly well balanced and a great effort that will never disappoint.

3/3/2019 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Identical notes to the last bottle after decanting for 2-3 hours. The crowd favorite again without a doubt. It will likely continue to get better but this is a great wine now.

1/14/2019 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

One of my favorite bottles of Pinot noir from Phelps to date. Wish I had a lot more of this one waiting in the cellar.

1/5/2019 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

This wine was a really pleasant surprise. One of the better Phelps Viogniers that I can recall.

11/24/2018 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Great freshness and fruit in this lighter Sauvignon Blanc. No oak on this one really allows a lot of nice fruit flavors to shine through. I’m curious to see the reaction of others but I was really impressed with this bottling even at the price point.

11/3/2018 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Lots of life left in this crowd favorite.

10/25/2018 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Unbelievable value at this price point. Impossible to believe that we have gone through 2.5 cases in the last two years. No excuses, just couldn’t resist. Myriad (Mike & Leah) are providing a market equalizer with this bottling.

Drinking really well right now but has room to develop further over the next few years. Only disappointment is that I didn’t buy another couple cases.

9/29/2018 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Really starting to come together now. Decanted for 2 hours and consumed over another hour and a half. Love the balance of this wine. Lots of untapped promise remains here so the next bottle won’t be opened for at least a year, or at least that’s the intention.

4/1/2018 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Decanted for 3 hours prior to enjoying with friends. Remarkably fragrant in the glass, drawing notice from the group. Tough to be surprised with the quality of anything that comes out of Outpost as we’ve yet to be disappointed. However, it was surprising how well integrated this wine is at a young age. Vibrant and powerful yet as balanced and smooth as a wine with much more age. Another great bottle from the team at Outpost!

12/31/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Still extremely young but had a remarkably different experience since the last bottle about 8 months ago. Decanted for about 3-4 hours this time before blind tasting with the group. Beautiful long finish with no overpowering oak. The mountain fruit really comes through. Will be very hard to avoid opening more of these now.

12/31/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour before enjoying. Really surprised at how well this is drinking this early. Love the work that Mike Smith continues to do.

12/24/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Great bottle that left everyone fighting for the last drop. Got better and better as it got more air. Have to believe this will be even better in 2-3 years.

10/4/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Beautiful bottle that really surprised the group. Remarkably smooth for a 2012 at this stage with classic cherry notes. Bought additional bottles after the experience. It may be that this one does not hold up or improve 10 years from now but it was great now.

9/11/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Beautiful and refreshing bottle. Really wish that we had purchased more of these.

6/28/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Beautiful bottle consumed in Castelnuevo Berardenga with dinner. Clean cherry notes along with traditional Chianti earthy style. Really smooth finish that was difficult to put down. Will be stashing a few bottles in the luggage on the way home.

6/27/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Decanted in the bottle for an hour and proceeded to enjoy over the course of three hours. Really enjoyable bottle for the price. I would recommend holding off for a year or two or decanting for several hours prior to drinking. Definitely got better with more time out in the air.

5/7/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Really impressive bottle that is coming into its own now. Give it an hour decant and let the fun begin.

5/1/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Outpost never disappoints but after a 1 hour decant I can't help but feel that we moved too fast on this one. Clearly not a disappointment by any stretch but I would be shocked if this is not 2-3 points better in a year or two.

5/1/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Another bottle and we were equally impressed. Dark color and beautiful style. Not your jammy Zinfandel if that is your taste but incredibly smooth and flavorful mountain fruit. Left us battling for the last drop of this one.

4/30/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

It's been almost a year since opening the last bottle but it's still one of our favorites. Beautiful nose, good acidity and just right for a warm, late afternoon at the beach.

4/2/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Beautifully crafted wine that is nowhere near its prime yet. Decanted for two hours. Complimented a filet really well but can't help but think this is going to be even better in a year.

3/19/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Another great bottle. The bouquet of this wine in the glass after a 2 hour decant is unbelievable. The flavors are almost sweet but well balanced with just enough oak. One of our favorites from a talented team.

3/16/2017 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Gorgeous wine right now after an hour decant. Continued to get better over the next 90 minutes. Should be even better in a year or two.

3/2/2017 - Encinitas_Joe wrote:

Could be early on this one but it's not as well integrated at this point when compared to other past years. The alcohol heat is very noticeable and detracts from the overall taste and feel.

12/18/2016 - Encinitas_Joe Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour prior to first tasting. Bottle is drinking beautifully right now. Great color in the glass. Clean, long finish with great balance of fruit and tannins. I have liked this bottle previously but really enjoyed it at this time. We have one bottle left that I'm really going to look forward to opening.