4/20/2024 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Nicely integrated and still quite primary. Blackberry, touches of tobacco, rubber, and maybe a little balsamic. Probably would have guessed a Bordeaux blend with Sangiovese on blind. Fully integrated tannins, but still structured. Really delicious. 92.

9/8/2022 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Last bottle. Not especially complex, but quite delicious. Tannins softened; has some time left but probably not going to improve.

4/6/2022 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Green, mineral. Frankly, I enjoy green, herbal wines, so this was right up my alley. However, understand that his might not be everyone's cup of tea.

4/6/2022 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Not at all over the hill. Fruit has subsided but still fully present. Secondary floral and herbal notes were at the fore, maybe a slight touch of ox. Crowd loved it. Drink now, but no huge urgency.

4/6/2022 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Perfect, archetypal Chinon. Will guard my second bottle.

4/6/2022 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Drank for valentines day. As usual, old JJ Christoffel did not disappoint. Floral; honied notes, not as strong on the petrol as the 02. Acid was a shade lighter than I expected, otherwise would have scored higher.

4/6/2022 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

This was one of the most enjoyable wines I've ever had; not a moment over the hill. A honey suckle, touch of oxidation. Truly awesome.

12/11/2021 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Other reviews are right on the nose. Excellent crisp Italian white in its own right. Especially strong at the price.

11/6/2021 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Past peak but not at all over the hill.
Medium ruby with some bricking.
Soft fruit and spice on the nose. A
Subdued cherry, asphalt, cedar and some balsamic on the taste.
Very enjoyable; Don’t wait.

10/11/2021 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Nicely balanced with pleasant left bank style fruit. Not particularly complex, but more expressive on the second day. Will hold for a while longer, but not sure it will improve from here.

9/11/2021 - Russfeit Does not like this wine:

I found the sappy fruit and strong oak notes to be decidedly unpleasant. I have a sentimental attachment to this winery, so found this especially disappointing.

There were folks at the table who didn’t mind the wine, so didn’t want to rate lower.

7/20/2021 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Sour cherry, tobacco, classic chianti "salinity". Fairly ripe and full bodied. Already showing a touch of maturity but should age nicely for a few more years. We enjoyed this a lot.

7/11/2021 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Good everyday Cab Franc. A little light on the green/bell pepper/earthy notes for me, but enjoyable and likely good for a crowd.

4/13/2021 - Russfeit Does not like this wine:

I tend to like Garagiste's private bottlings. This was not their best effort.

3/24/2021 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

The wine was one-note, but the best one-note wine I've had in a while. Sour cherry, strong bloody minerality. Very enjoyable, esp. for the price on Garagiste.

1/21/2021 - Russfeit Does not like this wine:

Unclear whether this was flawed, but it had limited structure or flavor, certainly not what I would expect from a relatively young rioja. Was very sad.

1/21/2021 - Russfeit wrote:

This needed a lot of time to open up, but after a couple of hours it was tasty Bordeaux, if not a bit basic. At the price, I was satisfied.

1/21/2021 - Russfeit wrote:

I had high hopes for this, as a fan of Waters and Cab Franc, but it was a little flabby on structure, and the quality of the fruit didn't make up the difference. It wasn't sweet, but it felt a bit heavy due to the looser structure/acidity.

11/9/2020 - Russfeit wrote:

This is a bigger wine than I expected, with ripe black and blue fruit that did not dissipate much over the evening. I felt that the primary notes substantially overwhelmed the wine, not what I was looking for.

My guests enjoyed the wine, so I don't want to be too harsh. I will leave my remaining bottle for a few years in hopes that the power of the fruit subsides.

10/26/2020 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Very tasty. Evenly extracted cherry with nice tobacco/mineral notes. Normal color w no bricking, but tasted a little older than it is. I don’t know if that has any bearing on longevity, but will probably open my others sooner rather than later.

10/16/2020 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Clean and balanced. Drank with an hour of air.

Moderate cherry cola and minerality; balance mouthfeel. Very enjoyable, would recommend, but nothing mindblowing.

5/1/2020 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Very young, but a beautiful wine. There’s much to be enjoyed now after an hour of air.

Upon opening, crushed cherry and blackberry with black olive finish. Well extracted, but not overdone. The olive finish blew off after an hour, leaving a great core of green cab franc fruit. Acid level was a little high, but so was the 2014 upon release.

Looking forward to try this one a few times over the next decade+.

10/18/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

I'm used to drinking old world cab franc, and this is quite a bit different. Fruit forward in a big way, but with great herbal complexity and structure. Kind of like a Napa Cab without the cassis but heavy on herbal/mint notes. Very enjoyable to drink. Wish I had more.

9/19/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Already showing considerable bricking. With several hours of slo-ox, it shows a cherries, earth, leather and a gamey character on the nose. On the taste, it's lighter bodied than expected -- showing older than it is. But nice dark cherries, with leather and chocolate notes. Very enjoyable, ready to drink.

5/2/2015 - Russfeit wrote:

Was good out of the bottle, pretty heavy on the fruit and enough structure to hold it together. But after 45 minutes it faded; might have been slightly tainted.

4/28/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

I may be a bit out of line with other commenters, but this was one of the best wines I've had all year. The tasting notes of others are on the mark -- Great red fruit with licorice and barnyard notes developing over a couple of hours. Tannins and acidity are present but not in any way oppressive. Fantastic complexity and balance from start to end, and the years should only add to the experience.

4/26/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

This is a bit of a fruit bomb, but is supported by a nice herbal spine that makes this a ton of fun to drink. Don't expect something too sophisticated, but worth the price of admission.

4/20/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Needs a couple of hours in the decanter, but has great notes of crushed earth and gravel, with a notable cherry core. Concentration is not quite where I would like it, but still very enjoyable.

4/20/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Was way too hot and jammy on the open, but with a couple of hours of decanting the profile smoothed out. Creamy texture, mild tannins, pleasant and complex purple and blue fruit.

3/2/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

I don't particularly love pinot, but this is an exception. Has both savory/saline notes of an old world/burgundy and the clean red fruit that I hope for from the new. The two elements are in perfect balance, bouncing offline another with leathery and herbal notes. Very enjoyable.

2/2/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Leather candy. Vibrant red fruit, mostly dark cherry, with rich leathery, earthen flavors. Chocolate, licorice and caramel notes work their way in as well, all combined with round, though mildly drying tannins. Will treasure my other bottle.

2/1/2015 - Russfeit wrote:

I agree with Lilja's tasting notes almost entirely, except that I think it deserves a higher score. After an hour in the decanter, was quite enjoyable, almost had a grenache/CdP profile to it with the cherries, earth, funk and mild licorice.

1/24/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Not especially complex but fully mature, with great red fruit, smoky notes, and a raisiny finish. Very much enjoyed, but will not likely mature any more. Drink now.

1/23/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Very interesting spice notes of anise, cinnamon and cumin on the open. The notes faded over time, and the body of wine is fairly thin. Nevertheless, it's enjoyable to drink and reasonably priced at $25.

1/17/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Nice balance of cherries and oak, and as others have noted, fairly young for 10 years. However, there was a tar/leather note that I normally associate with age, so I don't agree entirely.

1/16/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Much better than last time. The fruit is not quite as candied and there is a nice balancing earthiness that took longer to present in the last bottle. Still, probably not going to improve much more. Enjoy.

1/15/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Lots of baking spice and sandalwood, and good balance for a wine of this price. Thumbs up.

1/13/2015 - Russfeit wrote:

Had an unpleasant syrupy/jammy flavor on the open, and while it smoothed out over time, it never was quite as good as I remembered from my last bottle. Still enjoyable though.

1/9/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Opened up over a couple of hours. Red and black fruits with strong earthy notes, mushrooms and leather. Nose is a little funky. Really solid, especially for a kosher wine, and especially for the price.

1/3/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Very easy drinking but nicely complex cdp. Red and mild black fruit on the palette, with notes of licorice and earth and candied red fruit on the finish. Very enjoyable; paired with orange-glazed salmon and it killed. 92.

1/2/2015 - Russfeit wrote:

Interesting mineral and herbal notes, but I think the bottle was flawed, as it bricked after only a couple of minutes and declined further with additional time. The 2011, which I drank along side the 2010, was great, if young, so I expect it was just the bottle.

1/2/2015 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Still a baby, with powerful drying tannins. However, there's great complexity underneath, with cherries, rose petal, and wet rocks on the palette. Let it breathe for 3 hours or so (or let it sit in the cellar for a while) and you'll be rewarded.

12/30/2014 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Received as gift; decanted for 30 minutes, drank over 2 hours. Nose was thin but taste bore elegant dark cherry flavors and strong mineral and gravel notes. Firm but smooth tannins, medium-high acidity. Great balance, really great. Wish I had more.

12/22/2014 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

Great red fruit and enough structure to hold it together -- Agree with WineCPA on all counts. Great middle of the week wine.

12/17/2014 - Russfeit wrote:

I have had this wine in the past and absolutely loved it, which is why this bottle was a pretty serious disappointment. It had the nice fruit and eucalyptus notes that I enjoyed last time, but these flavors were overwhelmed by high acidity. I am going to leave my last bottle to sit for a while, in hopes that it will work itself out.

12/6/2014 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

On the open the nose was flat and the flavors were pretty disjointed, but after 45-60 minutes, the nose opened up with cherries, and the taste congealed with nice red fruit and minerality, still with sticky tannins and high acidity. After a couple of hours, it became a very enjoyable light/medium bodied but robustly flavored wine. Very much enjoyed -- an astounding value at this price.

12/1/2014 - Russfeit wrote:

I loved my last bottle of this, but this bottle had a grape-juice flavor that was not enjoyable. Hopefully an errant bottle.

12/1/2014 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

1-2 hour decant. As others have noted, this is not a fruit forward offering. Vanilla on the nose initially, which gave over to raisiny, earthy fruit after the decant. The taste was a smooth expression of earth, dirt, and tobacco, a subtle note of pencil eraser, with raisiny dark fruit notes on the long finish. Tannins were stiff but very smooth -- Very enjoyable now but has the meat to last for years.

Overall, this is a high quality offering that we all enjoyed, though I would have preferred a bit more fruit. Based on other reviews here, I have high hopes for the Liandra, as it bodes to be a fruitier, if less sophisticated, version of this.

11/26/2014 - Russfeit wrote:

Overall, I was disappointed by this bottle. As others have noted, the nose on this wine is wonderful, and the flavor profile right out of the bottle was rich with promise of red fruit and wild flowers. However, with time in the decanter, the richness of those flavors gave over to a thin, wispy tannins, and not much else, unfortunately. I don't think it was tainted, but given the quality of the producer, my hope is that the wine is in an off-period right now (as another bottle awaits).

11/26/2014 - Russfeit Likes this wine:

As other reviewers have noted, this wine is hot. However, I did not feel that it was too out of balance on the first day -- tar and red fruit beneath were sufficient make the wine enjoyable. However, those flavors deteriorated on the second day, and it was difficult to drink a lot of this at once, given the power. Good to split with a group. Food would likely help.