2/14/2021 - alex neubert Likes this wine:

Exceptional.

5/8/2018 - alex neubert Likes this wine:

Bright, balanced, and crisp! A perfect summer wine. Very drinkable.

5/3/2018 - alex neubert wrote:

Tart fruit (cherry), vegal (musty dirt), acidic, and a hint of minerality on the opening but after some time it opened up enough to be drinkable; however, the pepper, spices and luscious ripe fruits that would have expressed their essence years ago are gone. Sadly, this once delicious shiraz viognier is past its prime.

11/26/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

11/26/09: Jay brought to Sally & Jim's for Thanksgiving. He liked it :)

10/13/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Honey mingled with "ripe" apples with cinammon spices and a luscious, oily, sweetness. More autumnal (think apples and spices) than I had anticipated. Would work very well as an apertiff or dessert wine.

9/17/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

God-awful. I'd drink kerosene before I'd drink this again.

7/14/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Immediate scents of apricots, oranges, peaches, mangos (fresh fruit) filled the air. All leading to a well balanced, fruit forward, potion. However, combined with the spicey sushi, there was a bad aftertaste. However, alone, it is exceptional.

6/24/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

(Day 1): Opened and let it breathe for about 20 minutes before dinner (rib-eye, med-rare, with roasted veggies). Poured deep dark red/purple. Minimal acidity. Expressions of tasty chocolate covered ripe red cherries on the nose and a hint of cool menthol. The second pour I thought "concentrated cherries and prunes minus the chocolate" and hotter than the first pour. The wine was open but not overly complex. A nondiscrenable combo of red/ black fruits on the palate and a short, albeit spicy, finish make this very acceptable for the price and a meal at home on a Wednesday night.

6/16/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Opened and poured with dinner after one a few minutes of fresh air. Soft and reflective grape/purple at the core and violet around the rim. It was slightly musty (wet socks), but after a few minutes this disipated and it became more of a mellow, rich bouquet of flowers, spices and vegetables (rhubarb) - not fruit forward - with the exception of maybe a hint of red raspberry every now and then, but only slightly. Rhubarb, pepper, fresh earth, and other wonderful flavors all rolled into one beautiful mouthful after another and it continually evolved. I wish I wasn't distracted by my better half and our meal and could have sat back and paid more attention to this beauty as it awoke from a long sleep. As it continued to open up, more raspberries/cherries became pronounced, but it remained perfectly balanced with an enjoyably long finish. Superb!

6/17/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Day 2: Revisited the 2nd half of the bottle, chilled. Pale with the slighest hint of silver/yellow. Lots of sweet, but not overripe, pineapple on the nose. Delicious. Nicely balanced. I didn't notice the acidity like I did 2 nights ago. Nice, sloooow, finish. Would recommend, especially for anyone looking for an elegant summer white to share with friends.

5/19/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

So pale it barely resembles anything more than water; however, one taste and its pure gold. Fresh pineapple and a hint of honey waft in the air but this well balanced Sauvignon Blanc is far from being fruity, sweet or syrupy. It's solid. It's crisp. And clean. On the palate, the fruit is slightly tart but welcoming and enjoyable, especially on a warm spring night, with light fare for dinner. A++ This wine turned a crappy day at work into an enjoyable spring evening at home.

5/13/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Tasty. I found this to be a very enjoyable Riesling. Not syrupy sweet but fresh ripe citrus fruit on the nose and palate with the right amount of acidity made it nicely balanced. A good value.

5/7/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

5/7/09: Dinner at Edibles. With fish, this was well balanced and fit the bill perfectly. Floral hints and pear on the nose. Nice crisp acidic finish.

5/6/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Enjoyed it more (it became smoother; maybe less sour?) after it opened up a bit. Not bad; just not sure I would buy it again.

4/23/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Slightly dry, somewhat oaky and but also slightly tart. Ripe citrus fruit flavors dance across the palate with zing but there is a certain richness to this wine. It's buttery. As much as I like a buttery Chard, I was really in the mood for something more crisp and mineraly. 87 pts.

2/18/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Opened and let it breathe for ~2 hours while I ran to the gym to see if a little air might make a difference from first tasting back in November 2008. Very hard to define what to make of the nose (not fruit-forward, not really anything except maybe sour fruit). On the palate, it was somewhat fizzy and again, I tasted sour fruit. I agree with my first note, it's not worth buying again no matter what price-point.

2/11/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Debated about opening 1 (of 6) so soon, but I have thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Night one with about 30-40 minutes of decanting, it was earthy, vegal and slightly fruity but all importantly well balanced. Delicate and more Viognier than Shiraz. Night two and its more fruit forward (rich ripe berries) and a hint of spice and moderately less earthy and vegal and more Shiraz than Viognier. Regardless, both nights earn this one an A+. Looking forward to bottles 2-6.

2/3/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

impressive

1/14/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Notes of black cherry, bluck currants. A bit hot and perhaps needs a bit of time to decant. Somewhat dry, merlot-like, on the finish.

1/9/2009 - alex neubert wrote:

Cherry and other red fruit coupled with indistinguishable earthy, spicy notes on the nose and palate. As previously noted, it had an abbreviated finish; however, still pleasant and enjoyable for the price point.

6/19/2008 - alex neubert wrote:

Chocolate, ripe berries and vanilla essence right off the bat. A fairly big nose but, expecting this, it was and it was all good and enjoyable. Decanted for about an hour to let off some of the heat. With BBQ chicken, it was a nice compliment. Day 2, it mellowed nicely and became a bit silkier but was still quite fruity. It's an Aussie Shiraz so I had certain expectations and they were met.

6/5/2008 - alex neubert wrote:

At our waiters recommendation, we really enjoyed this. It started out slighly tanic (but he said it would be) but it really opened up nicely during dinner but with a lot of swirling. The nose went from fresh rhubarb/strawberries and a wiff of earth to ripe berries and a hint of vanilla. A thoroughly enjoyable bottle but a bit overpriced at hotel prices - however, I'll look for it locally and make sure I've always got a few bottles on hand.

2/14/2008 - alex neubert wrote:

Enjoyable. Nice fruit nose. Not especially complex but very smooth on the palate. I'd definately buy it again.

11/6/2007 - alex neubert wrote:

I thought this wine expressed a lot of black/red berries (cherries, raspberries and plums) on the nose. I hardly noticed any tannins and occassionally I detected a bit of dirt/earth. Silky and smooth on the palate and I would say nicely balanced but fruity and not overly complex. The finish was shorter than a lot of what I tend to drink but it wasn't bad, just noticeable. All around, it was nice for the price.

10/31/2007 - alex neubert wrote:

Opened and poured. Deep dark garnet. Ripe, ready-to-eat, red fruit (cherries and strawberries) with a subtle hint of chocolate/cocoa present a very pleasant and welcoming bouquet. Sweet and oh so delicious. A nice everyday wine and at $7, lots of value. Like Las Rocas Granacha, I'm falling in love this wine.

10/30/2007 - alex neubert wrote:

10/29/07: Pale, golden yellow. Tart green apples, menthol and certain light floral notes on the nose. Zesty acidity, typical of an off-dry chenin blanc, that really danced around. Only slightly complex with a lingering, but burning (alcohol) finish. I wasn't overly impressed. Perhaps this aged a bit too long.

10/30/07: Day Two - it really mellowed out. The tart became silky sweety with a more rounded, balanced feel in the mouth.

5/31/2007 - alex neubert wrote:

First impressions were of tarty fruit, tarty pineapple and lots of apricots. Nice value.

10/24/2007 - alex neubert wrote:

Friendly, fruity nose with hints of cherries, strawberries and other red fruits. Nice balance and finish. Nothing too complex. Above-average, mellow and very drinkable on any given weeknight.

6/11/2007 - alex neubert wrote:

I allowed this bottle to breathe for a few hours. Gorgeous dark plum/purple. An impressive nose of berries, berries and more berries! Blackberries and jammy strawberries and a hint of pepper/spice occassionally caught my attention. Truly a grenache in character but so nicely balanced with a relatively smooth, long and pleasing finish. I found it very enjoyable on a summer evening with grilled sockeye salmon, and grilled zucchini and red bell pepper. A very nice wine for the price.

6/6/2007 - alex neubert wrote:

Very attractive gentle nose. Well balanced. Smooth and as delicious as liquid honey. Clean smooth and relatively long finish. Just delicious. Glad I allowed the '98 to age but disappointed that I don't have more.

6/1/2007 - alex neubert wrote:

Pale yellow, clean clear and somewhat silky. Subtle hints of lemon and not-quiet-ripe peach and an occassional apricot. Nicely balanced - not sweet but yet not dry. It didn't bring traffic to a halt but interesting enough that I'd try it again. I enjoyed it with good company, nice conversation and tuna tartar.