9/14/2020 - ratrop1 wrote:

Agree with Vinnut. Nice medium gold color. Unusually good combination of power and elegance. Generous but disciplined chardonnay flavors of melons and white fruit. As the label says, "a fullness of bouquet and flavor". Firm flinty finish goes nicely with the lush fruit. Exceptional balance between all the big flavors in this wine. Delicious.

4/1/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Much improved from our first bottle last year. Dark ruby color, medium body. Rich unctuous spicy cherry flavors. A classy wine drinking really well now, best after an hour or two and softens up a little too much after that. Very enjoyable, drink now.

3/6/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Dark crimson. A surprisingly big wine, young and still a little burly. Rich dark berries alcohol (14.4%) and tar. Nice balance of fruit acid and fine tannins give a good mix of easy pleasure, backbone and complexity. Should soften and come together with another year or two, but very enjoyable PNP right now.

2/15/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Inky dark purple/crimson, lighter at the edge. Brambly Cabernet nose of currants ripe plum and alcohol. Rich ripe red fruit and plum flavors, at first tastes a little over-ripe and slightly stewed. (This blew off after twenty minutes or so). Soft tannins become more pronounced with airing. Long finish. Gets better with time. Difficult to rate due to its flamboyant style, but seems to be a serious wine. Some will like it a lot and others will be underwhelmed. Personally, not my cup of tea.

1/30/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

This is drinking much better now than earlier reviews indicate. Pleasant perfumed nose. Dark purple ruby saturated color. Rich sweet berry and cassis fruit with no jamminess. Medium/full bodied. Nice balance of acidity and tannins give structure to the flavorful fruit. Best after an hour or so of airing. Delicious now, I doubt this will get better but it should hold for 2-3 years at least. One of the best wines at this (modest) price point I can remember.

1/19/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Still very young, better on day two (vacuum sealed). Light/medium ruby color. Some alcohol, minerality smoke and cherry in the nose. Medium body, sour cherry flavors with some underlying sweetness. Pleasant tannins (after a long rest) and a moderately long, slightly tart/tannic finish. Compulsively drinkable. Try again in a year or two, likely to improve. Had with Greek style smoked lamb and eggplant.

1/17/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

This once-brawny wine has matured into a very nice Roussilon. Dark ruby/purple with a hint of lightening at the rim. Medium body, smooth rich and pleasing dark berry flavors with a whiff of smoke. Noticeable but fine tannins. Perfect with smoked leg of lamb.

1/15/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Lovely, pleasure-giving wine. Saturated dark crimson/purple to the rim. Coy nose of dark red fruit, blueberry and a pleasant bit of funk. Medium full body, pure sweet rich flavors of cassis and plum. Still young, with some secondary flavors emerging. Big but elegant and balanced. Delicious now, may get even better. My rating may be stingy.

1/12/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Impressive wine. Dark garnet to the edge, no lightening yet. Nose of dark plum and ripe red fruits. Medium/full body. Rich delicious and pure dark fruit flavors. Not much secondary flavor yet. Nice underlying acidity, and more tannic grip than I expected from a Chateauneuf. There’s a lot to like here but it’s not a traditional CdP. First bottle from a case, with time this might become extraordinary but right now it’s just very good wine.

12/26/2018 - ratrop1 wrote:

Sweet, fruity but drinkable “grocery store “ merlot. Nice ruby color. Medium/light body; some red raspberry fruit. Seems to rely on acid and sugar for what structure it has. Mildly chalky finish. There are many better wines even at this modest price point.

12/24/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Elegant Burgundian style, well made and delicious in a restrained way. Light golden straw color. Clear white stone fruit/green apple flavors, with a little vanilla in the finish. Bracing acidity and minerality reminiscent of a good Chablis; long finish. Little secondary flavor as of yet. I thought this wine would be more developed by now. Try again in two years.

12/23/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Blackberry with some vanilla. Medium body, pleasant acidity, soft tannins. Nice wine, enjoyable now.

12/23/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Smooth, rich cherry and dark berry fruits. Developing some nice secondary flavors, best bottle yet. Drinking beautifully now, should hold for several more years.

12/17/2018 - ratrop1 wrote:

Very difficult wine to review due to its extreme fruit-rich, heavily extracted unbalanced style. One third each cab, Merlot and cab franc give a nice complexity. Very low acidity, (too?) soft but very rich and (excessively?) ripe on the palate. Moderately firm tannins give the wine what structure it has. Not my cup of tea and certainly not a “candidate for perfection “. But it’s a fruit bomb tour de force, complex and interesting ( if only to wonder what the winemaker was thinking!). Clearly better than some of the low/mid eighties reviews I’ve seen. 98+ RP. 91 ST. Better with time; decant two hours before trying. No idea how this will age. Unique.

12/14/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

First bottle after purchasing on release. This may never be the 96 WA promised, but it is at least a very good, big delicious Napa cab. Still dark crimson and youthful after eight years. Big rich dark fruit, nicely balanced, tannins firm but pleasant, softening. Pepper and tobacco. This wine will be best in three years or so and will last for years. Still young.

12/13/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

My partner's comment: "Mmm. Really rich, good." The first bottle we've tried since shortly after purchase. A big merlot. Dark crimson, no fading at the rim. Spice and some alcohol (14.8%) on the nose . Rich, slightly monolithic dark fruits on the palate, very long finish. Nice tannic grip. Delicious wine.

12/12/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Big rich full bodied wine but with exceptional balance and finesse. Still youthful, inky purple color, nice nose of pure cassis and french herbs, this has a long life ahead of it. The wine has thrown a moderately heavy sediment so should be decanted. Gorgeous now, it may even get better. If you can find a well stored bottle, buy it.

10/30/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Pretty garnet colored, medium bodied wine. Biodynamic certified grapes. Rich pure almost sweet dark fruit flavors, not jammy or overripe. Almost Burgundian, velvety, delicious and well balanced wine. Kudos!

6/29/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Serious, well made, powerful Cab/Merlot. Black/purple color. Nose of alcohol (blew off with time), dark fruit, and interesting whiffs of smoke, tar, tobacco, and forest floor. Full bodied, rich but dry complex delicious fruit. Moderately firm soft tannins and a long finish. It’s strength and balance make it a steal at $20. Reaches its peak after 2 1/2 hours; will improve for several years.

6/21/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Surprisingly delicious well made wine, crisp, elegantly flavorful and (especially) well balanced. Pale straw color, not much nose. Medium bodied, lemon zest and white fruits. Lovely wine. $8.70 at Costco is an amazing QPR.

6/18/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Pretty ruby/garnet color. Muted nose of forest floor/funk with red fruits. Palate of sour cherries tempered by underlying sweet fruit. Moderate fine grained tannins in the long finish. Bracing acidity dominates at present, but there's enough stuffing here to evolve into an interesting wine. Better with food (we had spaghetti ragu with beef and porcininis, delicious). Good now, will probably be better in 2-3 years.

6/18/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Pretty ruby/garnet color. Muted nose of forest floor/funk with dark fruits. Palate of sour cherries tempered by underlying sweet red fruit. Moderate fine grained tannins in the long finish. Bracing acidity dominates at present, but there's enough stuffing here to evolve into an interesting wine. Better with food (we had spaghetti ragu with beef and porcininis, delicious). Good now, will probably be better in 2-3 years.

6/15/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Delicious restaurant food wine. Aging nicely, rounding out. Good balance of acidity and richness, lemons and white fruit.

5/1/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Heavily extracted, dark red/black color, very fruit driven (almost too much) but balanced rather than overdone. Soft tannins, smooth finish; better with food. I noticed that this bottle disappeared pretty quickly. Nothing outstanding, but pretty good BBQ wine for the price.

4/29/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

We live in Oregon and stocked up on the excellent 2012 Pinots. First time tasting the Van Duzer, a pleasant surprise vis a vis its peers from this vintage mainly due to its lighter style and unusually fragrant bouquet. Good color and lovely cherry/raspberry flavors, good balance and long finish. Wish it had a bit of funk/secondary flavors to add interest, but overall lovely wine, drinking well now.

4/29/2018 - ratrop1 wrote:

Mustard review is a bit extreme, but I take his point. This will never be much more than a low price grocery store wine pretending to be better than it is. That said, it is black colored, with lots of (too) rich sweet fruit, moderate acids and soft tannins. Lacking in balance, but drinkable party/BBQ wine. Was looking for a house BBQ wine, this won't be it.

4/25/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Fruit-packed, almost over-the-top, this is nonetheless a serious well made wine batting far above its price point. Not my favorite style, but dense, well balanced, and a real crowd pleaser. Bought a few bottles to try, which quickly disappeared. (Usually the first bottle to run dry, always a good sign.) Bought another half case for BBQ season, amidst a growing sense that this is very well made and could be very good, even excellent, in a year or two. We’ll see.

4/18/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

First tasting since purchase at the (very beautiful) winery. Pretty dark ruby color. Restrained nose. Nice red berry flavors, with brambles and just a bit of funk emerging; balanced and pleasing wine. Surprisingly it was best right after opening, with time the acidity became a bit more pronounced. Overall a fine entry-level Willamette Valley pinot from a very good year. Enjoy now, not sure how it will last.

3/6/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Deeply colored, inky purple, garnet at the rim. Rich medium/full body, strong dark fruit/cassis flavors but a little lacking in complexity. Low acidity, a little sweet, butressed by fine tannins in the finish. Very tasty easy to like wine, good PQR, a great restaurant wine but not special. It may improve with age but drinks very well now.

3/5/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Nice mature restaurant wine, good strong red fruit and alcohol aroma. Full bodied and flavorful with richness and balance. Soft pleasant tannins. This was batting well above its price point.

3/2/2018 - ratrop1 wrote:

Bordeaux blend from Venezia. Still purple garnet to the rim. Round ripe sweet cassis and blackberry with just a touch of bitter green tannin in the background. Simple generous food wine. Drink up.

2/28/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Soft rich fruit forward field blend. Strong enjoyable well made wine. Fully mature.

2/27/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

I feared this would be over the hill but was pleased by how enjoyable it was. Beautiful rich golden color. Very little acid but rich flavors (white fruit and melon) gave a surprisingly nice mouthfeel. There is an elegant balance here; delicious. A hint of brown sugar in the finish suggests this should be drunk soon. (PS - PNP, the first glasses poured were best.)

2/23/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Very fine cognac (it should be, at the price!). Smooth, round flavors of caramel vanilla and a hint of burnt oak. What stands out is an excellent balance, this cognac blooms in the mouth and repays savoring well. No hard edges here.

2/20/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Restrained sour cherry nose, with a slight pleasant funk. Light/medium body, elegant balance of fruit and acid with a long finish. Could be classic in a few years if the fruit holds.

2/12/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Bought and drank most of a case as a crisp, pleasant summer wine. On a whim, cellared several bottles after reading that these can age well. And they do. Softer and richer, but still bright and spritzy, an attractive more interesting balance. Honeysuckle and melon flavors. Palate reminds of a good Rhône white.

1/31/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

From the excellent 2012 Oregon vintage, this wine is evolving nicely. Dark garnet. Fruit and mineral nose. Firm acidity is softening, revealing a nice core of sweet fruit leading to a long still slightly firm finish. Nice Willamette Valley pinot. January 2019 update (note:must let this breathe 1-2 hours; it becomes a different wine): still dark garnet, medium body, noticeable acidity, and nice sweet pure berry/cherry fruit. Starting to develop some pleasant secondary age flavors. If this were a Volnay you’d be delighted!

1/1/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Saturated inky purple color. Powerful nose of ripe dark berries and, especially, smoke. Rich, powerful full bodied ripe fruit flavors, again with an unusually strong taste of smoke. Smooth well integrated finish. Excellent balance with no rough edges, but almost too much of a good thing. Went well with a double cut grilled NY Strip.

12/25/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Smooth, Smokey, just a hint of oak. Very elegant and just enough bite. Perfect balance

11/8/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Very well made, likable basic Rioja. Medium body, tasty fruit, a little acidic and a little tannic on the finish. Went perfectly with roast Greek chicken, the acidities balancing each other out. May get a little better with time as it softens, but great with food now. Good PQR.

10/31/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Light ruby-orange (partridge eye?) color. A little barnyard aroma adds interest to the nose. Light body, pleasant acidity balances delicate sweet cherry fruit. Well made light luncheon wine; elegant.

10/30/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Big strong well made wine, but somewhat one dimensional. Five years in and still too early to tell if it will get more interesting or if this is as good as it gets. Saturated inky/purple. Ripe berry nose with a whiff of smoke. Rich full bodied ripe fruit flavors coat the tongue. Decent finish fades to a slight green-stem bitterness at the end. Not much secondary flavor development yet. More than decent with food, and plenty of stuffing for the long haul. Not sure where this is going though. Fine but unremarkable as is, I'm hoping it improves with time. Five more bottles in the cellar. 80% bordeaux varietals and 20% Syrah/Malbec.

10/23/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

This wine was good at release. Full flavored, well made, a tad burly and rustic, it has steadily improved with time. Our latest bottle was the best yet - impressively rich, complex and very well balanced. This is a new level of enjoyability for this wine, I never thought it would cellar so well.

10/21/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Lovely bottle (finally!). I've been disappointed by previous bottles. Dense, rich, delicious, in the direction of a good vintage port. Paired perfectly with roast short ribs of beef. Provencal nose and flavors - herbs, red fruit, and (as another reviewer noted) cough syrup. This is a powerful Bandol that has come into balance and is showing beautifully now.

10/11/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Beautiful dark ruby, brick at the rim. Dusty cherry nose. There is a nice cherry-pit bitterness along with lively ripe red fruit flavors. Medium+ body, and a tasty firm finish, good balance of fruit, acidity and tannin. This bottle seemed to be coming together nicely.

10/7/2017 - ratrop1 wrote:

Not a bad wine, but just not my cup of tea. Inky purple-garnet color. Mourvedre and carignan, a little over ripe/flabby. Ripe, rich, red fruits, acidic mid palate and soft tannins. All the parts are here, but I just didn't like the balance of this wine. Two bottles, consistent notes.

10/2/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Wow. This was the best of many Chiantis we've had over the past few years, including several Gran Seleziones. Beautiful saturated red-purple color. Powerful rich wine decanted three hours, and drunk with food (lamb and polenta). Fine nose of cherries and plums with earth and tar notes. Full flavored, rich, and dense flavors of red fruits, oak and earth. Long finish. Delicious now but built for the long haul. Beautiful wine.

10/2/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

A powerful, still-too-young Priorat. Deep, saturated color. Full bodied, rich red fruits, strong flavors but nicely balanced, long finish, no noticeable flaws. Good now after a long decant, but I expect it will be outstanding with a few years to soften and come together. Excellent PQR at $23/btl.

9/25/2017 - ratrop1 wrote:

Beautiful dark ruby. Moderate nose of cherries, alcohol and some evolved funk. Medium body, interesting sweet & sour cherry flavors, with forest floor lurking. Soft but firm tannins; very long finish from the acidity and fruit. Above all, well balanced - this wine is greater than the sum of its parts. Enjoyable on its own, better with food (braised lamb and polenta).

9/24/2017 - ratrop1 Likes this wine:

Saturated dark garnet color. Modest nose of cherries/blackberries and alcohol (14.9%). Medium/full bodied. A nice purity to the sweet ripe fairly rich blackberry fruit. Still oaky and alcoholic. Moderately firm tannins in the finish, starting to soften. Not much complexity but plenty of stuffing. Better with food (grilled lamb chops). Based on earlier reviews this seems to be improving with age; still young.