12/21/2014 - jmarks Likes this wine:

Really delicious. I don't have that much experience with vintage port so was concerned after 20 years of only so-so storage conditions. No need to worry. It had great fruit still but then the great balance that comes with age. It had no signs of being over the hill. I drank this with people who were new to port and they were blown away. ("Fortified wine. Who knew?") Decanted for about an hour and a half before drinking.

8/18/2013 - jmarks wrote:

No notes - just very good. Popped and poured, but it did get better over the first hour.

1/5/2013 - jmarks Likes this wine:

That's more like it. I reviewed this wine about a year ago and it was average at best. This was more like it a full-bodied wine with a strong core of fruit. A pleasant surprise after the first bottle!

12/20/2012 - jmarks wrote:

Drank two bottles about a month apart with consistent notes. Wine never came together - tasted over several hours. Kept waiting for more, but tasted more of a bitter taste of grape skins without enough dark fruit to balance it. Hoping other vintages provide greater satisfaction.

2/12/2012 - jmarks wrote:

This wine was VERY good - not transcendent, but a nice bottle of wine. Nice core of fruit, well made, with mellow tannins. We just popped and poured - good right away.

12/18/2011 - jmarks wrote:

I might chalk up this wine's poor performance to bottle variation or storage, but my impressions echo too many of the other notes: the wine has a nice nose, with lots of fruit, but doesn't deliver at all in taste. Started off bitter and tanic, improved a little over a few hours but never enough. Tried the wine again 24 hours later and have now put half a bottle down the drain. Very disappointing.

12/15/2010 - jmarks wrote:

Disappointing, especially because of the Wine Spectator's review was so glowing (93 points; top 10 wine). To me, it was just an OK, rustic Italian wine. Not unpleasant, but nothing special.

12/11/2010 - jmarks wrote:

The reviews before this were spot on. Incredibly helpful. The wine (i) needed over an hour to open up; and (ii) never really amounted to anything exciting. Pleasant and good-textured, but little fruit. Drink with food.

6/6/2010 - jmarks wrote:

Wish I had more. Delicious!

4/19/2010 - jmarks wrote:

Nice, but I agree that it's not particularly special. You can taste the bit of age on this in a very good way -- I think it did well to be cellared. Would drink now. Pop and pour. No need to decant.

2/5/2010 - jmarks wrote:

Popped and poured; didn't need decanting. Drank over the course of 3 hours and evolved nicely. Really drinking well, with berry fruit and notes of meat. Rich mouthfeel, although tannins never quite soften. Almost a 90 plus, but the wine never quite puts it all together. For around $20, I highly recommend it.

1/1/2010 - jmarks wrote:

Popped and poured. First impressions included an assertive wet newspaper taste (something I find all too typical in French wines). Over the course of a few hours, the wine improved but never gave much in the way of fruit. Had my last glass six hours after opening. Wonderful texture, with a pleasant amount of tannins remaining and tastes of meat. My wife suggested a score of 91 because she said it was "interesting." No question that it had some stuffing, but I can't get passed the wet newspaper.

12/30/2009 - jmarks wrote:

Glad I didn't read the reviews before drinking. Really enjoyed this wine. Aged wonderfully, although it definitely lost a bit of fruit after a couple hours. So, pop and pour.

9/26/2009 - jmarks wrote:

Just what I want in a Bordeaux. Structured, with big tannins and acidity with a core of dark fruit and bramble. A little hot, and a little more racy than I'd like, but that may speak to just how fresh this wine still tastes 8 years after harvest. Probably getting even better over the next couple years, but not at all disappointing now. Enjoy!

4/24/2009 - jmarks wrote:

I could drink this all summer long. It doesn't have enough stuffing to get it toward 90, but is very pleasant, in balance and without anything offensive. An unbelievable value at well under $10.

3/19/2009 - jmarks wrote:

Good core of dark fruit, but I can't get over how hot this wine was. Alcohol was completely out of wack. In fact, the bottle claims 15% alcohol. I have more bottles and will try again, but I don't think this wine in this vintage works for me.

3/7/2009 - jmarks wrote:

Popped and poured with dinner celebrating 10th wedding anniversary. Just wonderful with exactly what you look for in a Napa Cab. Struck a balance between mouth-coating (something I like only in small doses) fruit, but leaving the palate refreshed and wanting more. Made the mistake of having tuna tartar as my appetizer (not a good match), but it was fantastic with my venison second course. My sympathies for the person who recently got a dud bottle. I've been there before with a wine others loved. All I can say is that this particular bottle on this particular night was superb.

2/25/2009 - jmarks wrote:

Completely agree with earlier posts. Drinkable, but disappointing from this producer/region, which is so good at value wines. Pleasant, fruit-forward, but thin. Can't complain too much at around $8, but would rather roll the dice on another wine before I'd buy this again.

1/18/2009 - jmarks wrote:

I agree with a recent note -- this wine was a bit unyielding for a couple hours, and was best at the end of the bottle. Decanted only for an hour after taking a taste from the bottle. I only wish I had decanted earlier in the day. No score, since my experience was a 90, but I think the wine could easily go higher if given more time to open up.

1/13/2009 - jmarks wrote:

Good value, and highly recommended and would love to have bought a case. Drank over 3 days and was just as good on day 3.

12/8/2008 - jmarks wrote:

Purchased at the winery, where I thought this wine was deliciious. I believe that this bottle was over the hill -- not flawed, just faded. Too much acid/tart taste, too little fruit. The wine came together a bit over the course of the evening, showing a bit more fruit, but never balanced out. Would love to compare to another bottle, but, sadly, this was my only one.

11/9/2008 - jmarks wrote:

Wow. 1999 Napa cabs are aging beautifully. Nice fruit with the bramble edge due to the Cab Franc. Just delicious.

11/1/2008 - jmarks wrote:

Decanted two hours and then drank over the course of another two hours to allow it to develop. Caught a bit of barnyard aromas initially, but this blew off. Very enjoyable, soft wine once it developed, but not special. Lots of black fruit taste and tastes of cedar.

7/31/2008 - jmarks wrote:

This wine definitely has character. Very refreshing, but not for everyone. Tastes of grapefruit pith dominate, which I'm guessing others might call gooseberry. Unfortunately, it also tastes a bit like it was falling apart, a bit past its prime. And then I remembered that I bought it half price . . . and that the wine store was smart to unload this wine before the end of this summer. Probably would have scored at least an 89 from me earlier in its life.

8/4/2008 - jmarks wrote:

I agree with the previous reviewers. Drank with a steak, and I couldn't have been happier at the price point (paid less than $20 on sale). Fruit-driven (but not a fruit bomb) with good structure. A bit hot at 14.5% alcohol. Highly recommended.

6/27/2008 - jmarks wrote:

Opened and drank immediately. First experience with Barbaresco and enjoyed very much. Unmistakably Italian. I'm a big Brunello fan and this wine echoed some Brunello qualities, but with less fruit and, overall, not as "big" a wine. The color surprises a bit -- a bit brown considering it's not that old. It's probably time to drink this one.

4/29/2008 - jmarks wrote:

Just wonderful. I've been down on Shiraz recently as they usually are too mouth-coating/syrup-like in a way that tires the pallat. This wine had balance that kept me coming back for more. Highly recommended!

1/25/2008 - jmarks wrote:

Very good "house wine," with lots of fruit; mouthcoating. In the style of an Australian Shiraz. Highly recommend it for daily drinking.

12/2/2007 - jmarks wrote:

Fruity, jammy, tasty -- but just a bit too cloying. Flavors are good, but this mouth-coating style is not my favorite. Reminds me of a U.S. petite sirah or a fruit bomb Australian shiraz.

9/16/2007 - jmarks wrote:

Agree with recent notes. Tasted straight from the bottle and then decanted. Evolved quite a bit. Very nice wine.

9/2/2007 - jmarks wrote:

Fun wine worth trying. Interestingly, this one got better on the second day. On the first day (the day we bought it), it seemed a bit too dry for its bubbles -- not "fun" enough for a sparkling red, which is probably why my wife an I finished only about half the bottle. We then stored the wine open in the fridge, until the next day. I poured myself a glass and expected to find no fizz left and to throw it out. But surprisingly, day two was better than day one. Still lively, with the fruit coming out more. Maybe I drank the wine too warm on day one? Not sure. In any event, this is a fun, inexpensive wine that's worth taking a chance on with pizza, burgers or maybe pre-dinner at a party. Definitely a conversation piece!

8/8/2007 - jmarks wrote:

If you like unoaked chardonnay, this wine is for you. Viognier can be way too heavy-handed, but this wine is just right for easy drinking. At this price you can't go wrong. Very pleasant surprise from Trader Joe's.

8/4/2007 - jmarks wrote:

Drank with grilled steak and asparagus, both topped with blue cheese butter. Starting with the bad, the wine was overwhelmed by a menthol taste that I find unpleasant and that I associate with French wines. There were good things underlying the menthol (some nice fruit, good mouth feel, nice balance of acidity to keep it refresshing), but can't overcome that menthol taste. Unfortunately, I'm a relative novice and thus am not sure if my real problem with this wine was a touch of bret -- the taste, more than the nose, spoke a bit of wet cardboard.

7/7/2007 - jmarks wrote:

Skipping rating this wine, but wanted to caution, in light of the very high praise of the other reviewers, that the bottle I drank was overpowering and thick -- lacking in any refreshing qualities. Maybe it was just the bottle I drank, but I don't think this wine is for everyone.

6/20/2007 - jmarks wrote:

This wine has smoothed out a bit since the last tasting note. Still has dusty tannins that are a minus for a wine of this caliber (unlike a $10 Garnacha, where I'd expect these types of tannins). I certainly would recommend trying a bottle for yourself if it's already in your cellar, but not one to go out and buy considering how many other fantastic 99s there are.

6/24/2007 - jmarks wrote:

Drank with family with baked ziti. Great nose showing lots of fruit. Soft tannins and subtle at first, developing just a bit in the glass to show more. A bit more finesse then I'm used to in California Cabs. May be because this wine is ready to go. Very enjoyable.

5/14/2007 - jmarks wrote:

Lacks balance, with too much alcohol coming through. Also, mouth-coating in a way that tires the palate; almost syrup-like. Second tasting, with the first being two years ago. I had held out hope that cellaring would settle this wine down a bit. With so much positive buzz surrounding this wine, I was disappointed.