3/10/2024 - wythes Likes this wine:

Bought this wine from Rochioli on release. Kept it in my cellar the whole time and opened it today based on CT's suggested consume date. I think this wine has a year or two left to go. I liked it. Maybe it isn't as vibrant as 3-4 years ago, but still not bad.

3/8/2024 - wythes wrote:

Mai Mai ladies dinner, 3/8/24

1/23/2024 - wythes Likes this wine:

This wine really came alive after about an hour in the decanter. I snuck a glass when it was opened, and it was tight and tannic. But with some air, it was great.

I think it could go at least until 2027, if not a few years after that. This bottle was purchased at Kermit Lynch in Berkeley, CA (shameless plug) which does a great job of importing wines from lesser known regions. I don't know much about the Languedoc-Roussillon region, but if this wine is any indication...

1/6/2024 - wythes Likes this wine:

Bought this bottle from Spruce Restaurant in SF when they were selling wine out the front door during Covid. For the price, a solid effort from Donnhoff. Consensus amongst the dinner table was the same - a great bottle.

1/3/2024 - wythes Does not like this wine:

Wanted to give non-alcoholic wine a shot, and it was a pass. Tastes more like lemon juice than white wine. It may appeal to some, but not for me.

12/22/2023 - wythes Likes this wine:

Great wine. Loved it. Smooth. Will be buying more.

12/8/2023 - wythes wrote:

First time for me drinking Georgian wine. It turned out to be much different than what I was expecting. The amber color is interesting - I haven't really seen that before. The taste was, um, interesting. It's very acidic and has almost a kumquot taste. I'd be willing to try Georgian wines again, but next time I'd go into it with a different mindset.

10/20/2023 - wythes wrote:

Spectacular!

7/20/2023 - wythes wrote:

I keep looking for that elusive Côte-Rôtie that surprises. Unfortunately, this one wasn't it. I found the nose to be almost indistinguisable (no, I'm not Covid+), and the taste was flat and uneventful. Maybe an off bottle. Maybe not. Maybe it will come to life with some air.

7/18/2023 - wythes Likes this wine:

Rodgers Creek has always been my favorite Sojourn pinot, and this one didn't disappoint. I think CellarTracker has the "ready to drink" calculus wrong on this one. It's got at least another 2-3 years to go.

IMO this wine has great balance. A bit of acid and some subtle tannins. Great fruit profile too. The nose has a toasty Jolly Rancher thing going on with a little vegetable component. All in all, a good effort from Sojourn.

5/14/2023 - wythes Likes this wine:

I bought the ‘09 on release and kept it cozy in my 55 degree cellar all these years. Opened one last night and it still has lots of life. Some good acidity and fruit remain. A classic Napa cab, smooth and supple. I’d give this vintage at least 2-3 more years of life.

4/19/2023 - wythes wrote:

Mai Mai gave to Ching-Yi for her birthday dinner.

12/6/2022 - wythes wrote:

Not as great as past Pegau bottles. Maybe needs some additional air time before drinking.

11/15/2022 - wythes Likes this wine:

PnP'ed and ended up really liking it. Great bottle and potentially worth buying more. Smooth and supple with great balance. I only had one glass. Will see how it goes a day later.

9/1/2022 - wythes wrote:

Still drinkable but probably a year or two past it's prime. Not much fruit left in this bottle. The nose was really nice but the palate was a bit thin and lacking depth. The last time I had this bottle I remember it being sublime. Unfortunately this one wasn't at the same level.

8/28/2022 - wythes Likes this wine:

Great bottle of wine.

7/12/2022 - wythes Likes this wine:

As always, Sojourn rocks! Great bottle, although the expiration date is probably closer to 2025, not 2022.

7/9/2022 - wythes Likes this wine:

Not bad. Good nose. Relatively smooth on the palate. better than the first bottle I had about 2 years ago perhaps the additional years have been good for this wine.

5/4/2022 - wythes Likes this wine:

Mystery bottle that I found at my parents house. I can't find any information about this winery online, so assume it went out of business years ago. Or was bought by another winery. Regardless, I finally opened this bottle tonight half expecting it to be vinegar. Turns out it was still in really great shape. Nothing profound, but still has structure and some acidity. Not much fruit left. 13.1% alcohol listed on the bottle label.
The back label says the winery is/was in Creston, CA. near Paso Robles. Someone paid $19 for this bottle about 25 years ago...

3/10/2022 - wythes Likes this wine:

PnP and really enjoyed it. 12 years in and I think this wine is really hitting its stride.

3/8/2022 - wythes Likes this wine:

For the price, this is a great bottle. Plan to buy some more.

3/8/2022 - wythes wrote:

Almost a year since the last CT reviewer said anything about this wine, so I'll pick up the torch and say this wine is past it's prime. Deep golden color but not much of a nose and flat on the palate. The bottle lacked any fruit or structure. I've had plenty of Kistler Hyde, and I know how good this wine can be. In this instance, it wasn't that great.

2/18/2022 - wythes Likes this wine:

Great bottle of wine! Will buy some more.

2/9/2022 - wythes Likes this wine:

Loved it. It took about 45 minutes for this wine to really open up. After that, it was smooth sailing the rest of the night. I think this wine could go another 5-10 years but it's drinking really nice right now.

1/9/2022 - wythes wrote:

Removing per 1/9/22 inventory cleanup

1/7/2022 - wythes wrote:

First time trying this wine. Initially, the nose came across very high in alcohol - almost like rubbing alcohol. With some time in the glass, it opened up very nicely.

I bought this wine from Kermit Lynch as an alternative to Domaine de la Grange des Peres. I'd say it's a pretty good substitute and I would buy it again.

11/16/2021 - wythes wrote:

Day #1 and this wine was a tight and disjointed out of the bottle. Day #2 and this wine is sublime! Smooth and supple, easy drinking. I highly recommend giving this wine 1-2 hours of air if you really want to experience what it’s all about.

10/26/2021 - wythes Likes this wine:

I love Myriad for their cabernet wines. They are some of the very best in Napa. But where they hit a home run with their cabs, their Syrah wines aren't quite at the same level. I've had several bottles and while my expectations have been high, I've often times been slightly disappointed.

I agree with other reviewers - the wine has an olive and black fruit component on both the nose and the palate. And the finish is long. There's nothing wrong with this wine but when Myriad is making the cabs that they do, I would expect something a bit better here.

10/24/2021 - wythes Likes this wine:

Sojourn never disappoints. A great wine, even at this young age.

10/19/2021 - wythes wrote:

This wine came across very much like a really good California pinot noir. The first thing I noticed was the very light color. I could see my fingers through a "full pour" glass. The nose was perfumed, much like a Cali pinot. On the palate, it smacked of pinot noir. Each time I smelled and tasted the wine, I honestly thought I was drinking a Sojourn Sonoma Coast or a Joseph Phelps Freestone. Not what I expected from a CdP.

I've been drinking Vieux Telegraphe for years, and I don't recall the wine being like this previously. I really enjoyed the '15, but it came as a surprise compared to what I've had in the past.

9/10/2021 - wythes wrote:

really liked this wine. Good producer. Get more if possible.

8/3/2021 - wythes wrote:

Whoa. This bottle was a pleasant surprise. Lush flavors with great fruit and a tinge of acid. Really nice bottle of wine.

6/8/2021 - wythes Does not like this wine:

Unfortunately this wine probably should have been opened about 3 years ago. I'm thinking this wine should be drunk young. This bottle wasn't very good.

6/8/2021 - wythes wrote:

I think this needs a decant...

6/5/2021 - wythes wrote:

Gave to Corliss family for 8th grade backyard party.

6/4/2021 - wythes wrote:

If you're thinking about opening this wine today, don't. But if you do, give it AT LEAST a 3-4 hour decant. Otherwise, don't even look at this bottle until 2027. The wine is tight and a bit tannic, something I think would best corrected by being patient. I didn't find this wine to be especially rounded and it lacked polish. Especially disappointing given I paid about $70 USD at K&L Wine Merchants for this wine. Given my experience so far, it should have cost closer to $40. There's still some wine left in the bottle and if day 2 proves to be better, I'll post an update.

6/1/2021 - wythes Likes this wine:

24 years after the ‘97 vintage and this bottle was pretty darn good. Granted it was a magnum which preserved the wine longer than a 750ml bottle would. It had a great, classic Napa cab nose and flavor. Definitely had some musty age on it (which I like) but was otherwise a very enjoyable wine. Wish I had one more magnum to spare!

5/28/2021 - wythes wrote:

Very tannic. Don't open another for a few years.

5/5/2021 - wythes Likes this wine:

Good wine that's definitely showing its age. I would recommend drinking it now if you have some. Lots of funk on the nose and the palate - again, showing its age. Color is showing a bit of rust color.

4/1/2021 - wythes Likes this wine:

Yum! But if you have a bottle, I'd recommend drinking it soon. The tannins are just about gone and all that's left is smooth fruit, but sliding away from being a great wine.

3/31/2021 - wythes Does not like this wine:

Prune juice

3/31/2021 - wythes Does not like this wine:

Prune juice.

3/27/2021 - wythes Likes this wine:

This is a good bottle of wine. Very smooth and easy drinking. About 30 minutes after pulling the cork out, it became a great wine. I wouldn't say it was profound or life altering, but I would buy this wine again for the right price.

3/19/2021 - wythes wrote:

Three days after opening this bottle and it's better than when I opened it. I'd suggest a LONG decant before taking a sip (maybe not three days...). I initially didn't love this wine and expected more from Araujo but now that the wine has had some time to mellow out, it's great. I get some barnyard / aged funk to it which is really nice. Drink up!

3/9/2021 - wythes wrote:

Mineral and dry. Seems like it has lots of oak. Nice nose. Probably will try other wines before buying this wine again.

2/21/2021 - wythes Likes this wine:

Yum, but drink it soon.

2/4/2021 - wythes wrote:

Great bottle, easy drinking. Took a few minutes of airtime to open up, but when it did it was worth it. Would definitely buy from this producer again.

2/3/2021 - wythes wrote:

Not as good as I remember. This bottle was purchased "used" so it may have not been stored as well as it should have been. I found it to be excessively sweet, much more so than the last time I had this wine.

Day 2 and it's clear this bottle was flawed/corked. Dumped the rest and will hope for the best when I open my next bottle.

1/13/2021 - wythes Likes this wine:

I love CellarTracker but I find the recommended "drink by" dates typically are wrong. I opened this bottle thinking it was well past it's prime - CT says 2019 was the final year for this wine. Turns out this wine has a LONG way to go before I'd consider it on a downward slide. So, that being said...

I found this wine a bit dark and sweet. It's a pretty good wine but not what I have come to expect from Ghost Block. I will continue buying their wine but this one didn't bring anything profound. Maybe after a day of air it will improve.

Day 2: Much better! I recommend giving this wine lots of air before taking a sip. This is a really good Cali Cabernet.

1/11/2021 - wythes wrote:

Really liked this wine. Best description is 'balance' and 'harmony'. The wine is in a beautiful place right now and drinking very well. Smooth and supple with some aged 'funk' to the wine. A real winner.