12/8/2012 - acchrist0 Likes this wine:

Fantastic with the NY strip I had at Chops in Atlanta

3/27/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Way too sweet for my taste. I'll let the wife take this stuff to bunko. Glad it was only $20.

3/27/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Popped, poured and enjoyed. A decanting woumay have imroved, but still tasty.

2/25/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Great value here. Well structured.

2/21/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Eh...nothing noteworthy here...pay $15 more for Aalto

2/21/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

This has to be one of my new favorite SB's. This drank more like a Chard than a SB, but still retained a hint of the grassy/minerality. Enjoyed this at home with Bon Appetite's recipe for the "Best Fried Chicken Ever"...what a ridiculous combo.

2/18/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Rockin' Zin as expected from Storybook. My favorite Zin's on the planet keep coming out of this Calistoga winery. Cap-like elegance and tannins posing as a Zin. I prefer the '06-'07 vintages, however. Check out their "Eastern Exposures" - I like it as much, if not more.

2/18/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Solid vintage of Zeitgeist, but I prefer the '07.

2/18/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

I love the ripeness and elegance of Zeitgeist wines and this vintage does not disappoint.

2/18/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Drank on Valentine's Day after finishing the Terra Valentine Yverdon Cab. Very earthy with rich dark fruit and promanent minerality. Wife loved this wine and I was a bit more in the very pleased camp. Depending on preference for this style of wine I'd rate between 88-92.

2/18/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Amazing value for us French chardonnay lovers

2/18/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

What a great value here. $16 for a nice light sangio.

2/18/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

A bit sweet and a lot of vanilla

2/18/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Nice value for a nice OR pinor

1/14/2012 - acchrist0 wrote:

Decent value - nice cali sangio

12/31/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Enjoyed at home with prime NY strips with maytag blue cheese, carm onions, garlic mushrooms. This was a bit hot, but the gorgeous overtones of spice and cinnamon really helped this wine shine. Very good juice, and felt that it was at its peak. Fruits and tannins were nicely integrated.

12/27/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Really enjoyed this cheap zin. I'm a huge fan and member of Storybook Vineyards, which is also located in Calistoga, so I decided to take a flyer on this $16 offering from WTSO. Overall, a robust flavorful wine typically offered by zins. If you're looking for the strong pepper and spice profile youu won't find it here. Not a weekend wine, but a solid wine for the price point that I will enjoy.

12/27/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Very smooth. The vanilla I picked up was a bit intense and almost overpowered the experience.

12/17/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Took with us to our favorite restaurant Valencia. Spectacular with their spaghettini - truly excellent tuscan wine.

11/19/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Time to drink any and all of these. It's incredibly rich and complex and this fruit forward wine has matured into a much more intriguing experience.

8/30/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Very silky...full bodied, long finish. Dark berries. Strong tannins, but well organized and not overpowering. Its drinking excellent right now - no need to wait another day - can't see how it will get any better.

7/13/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Simply great stuff.

5/15/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

disappointing

3/26/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

My rating for this wine is a bit high, but also based on potential given a few more years to age and develop. Drank at JCT Kitchen on my birthday. Evry time I have one of Storybook's zin's I'm shocked at how light and mellow they are.

3/26/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

I'm a very big fan of their recent Sangios and this does not disappoint. A fantastic value. Vanilla, Cranberry, Eatrhy, and pairs excellent with food.

3/26/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

I agree with other - very solid wine, but not quite ready and does not match up well against some of their other recent wines. Would clearly prefer the 2003 Chambolle-Musigny.

3/26/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Popped and poured, very earthy Willamette.

2/13/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

A very nice Cali sangio, which its somewhat rare to find them grown on the valley floor. Dry, low tannins, and cranberry flavors...very enjoyable.

2/13/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

One of my favorite chards - reminds me of some very nice Meursaults.

2/13/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Exoctic fruits very noticable - pineapple, melon, etc. A truly different wine than the Cali and French wines I'm use to.

2/13/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Outstanding wine - mountain fruit at its best. Tannic, earthy, bold.

2/13/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Flat and perhaps completely beyond its prime. Was able to enjoy with an acidic meal (veal piccata), but disappointed with the lack of character.

2/13/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Enjoyed with braised lamb shanks. Exceptional wine.

1/30/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

I can't get enough of this wine. Very structured and clearly well built for aging, but this is drinking so well young its hard to wait.

1/30/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Drank at Christmas - very balanced and dark wine. First time for everyone trying the Dusi and it was definitely a crowd pleaser.

1/30/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Drinking great - very smooth CA sangio

1/30/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Nice classic SB - fruit, slight tartness, and touch of minerality

1/30/2011 - acchrist0 wrote:

Surprised that this had mellowed so much. A very nice wine, but lacked the traditional spice and jam of other zins.

12/17/2010 - acchrist0 wrote:

Very nice and lots of different profiles. Mint and herb nose, earthy flavors, and long fruity finish. Quite interesting.

12/5/2010 - acchrist0 wrote:

Great tuscan-style wine. Ripe frutiness of Napa Cab with the earthiness of sangiovese.

12/5/2010 - acchrist0 wrote:

Outstanding. Wish I had another case. A pinot lover's wine.

11/24/2010 - acchrist0 wrote:

Nice Napa merlot. Very smooth wine that lacks a bit of tannin, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

11/20/2010 - acchrist0 wrote:

A bit early - hang onto this for a few years before cracking this.

11/20/2010 - acchrist0 wrote:

Last of my 2001 Silver Oaks and saved for a special occaison. This is an outstanding wine and at its peak IMO.

8/5/2007 - acchrist0 wrote:

We loved this wine - seriously, what's not to like about a deep intense wine whose cabernet brethren would unnecessarily cost 2X-3X as much. Anyone forking over $30-$50 for cabs probably needs their head examined. There are some very nice Zins and Petite Sirah under $20 out there and this is definitely one to try.

Decanted for a short period before consumption to observe the evolution over the hour or two it takes us to down a wine. This wine was striking to decant as its strong aroma and inky color were impressive. Not surprising, this wine tasted just how it looked - very deep, perfect touch of pepper, and solid long finish. The finish was less than revealing, but was a straight-forward lasting good-bye. Most prominant flavors included plum, currant and pepper, but detected a hints of rasberry, cherry and vanilla. The best attribute of this wine was the perfect integration of the pepper. Overtone, undertone, whatever it was it was subtle yet refined and definite.

This failed to develop further character after decanting, but felt this wine hit the mark anyway. I would recommend this wine as it was worth the price ($18) and plan to pick up another one next time I'm in the market.

8/4/2007 - acchrist0 wrote:

I used half this bottle for a red wine reduction sauce for our beef fillets, which stood up perfectly to a long cooking process (20 min) over medium heat. For anyone curious, add 2T of corn syrup and 2c of decent wine and reduce to about 3/4 cup for a great, easy steak sauce.

Very pleased with this bottle as the flavors were right up my alley (cherry and vanilla) and had a surprisingly decent finish that lasted well beyond what I expected. Unsure whether this wine was really able to separate itself between others of its ilk since it had the added benefit of complimenting the reduction sauce. Agreed with several other notes that were posted regarding this being a good, but not great value.

7/20/2007 - acchrist0 wrote:

Not a huge fan of this wine, but I have to admit its the secod time I've thrown a bottle into a mixed case. Overall, a little watery and not much of a finish, but its drinkable and has a nice berry/acid balance. As long as you don't set your expectations too high you can't be too disappointed with a $13 wine.

7/29/2007 - acchrist0 wrote:

This has become a change of pace red wine in our house this summer. We've enjoyed this wine chilled more than typically recommended for reds. Extremely drinkable with no overly pronounced flavors. Nice balance of earth, fruit and tannin - can overlook many flaws in this price range (such as lack of depth and short finish), but overall a decent value.

7/29/2007 - acchrist0 wrote:

Enjoyed with dinner and a movie. Very good value for $15, but a little hot (noticable alcohol). Rich fruits (likely currant and blackberry) and traces of earth (mineral). Short finish and lacked richness characteristic of many of the fine Zins.

7/20/2007 - acchrist0 wrote:

Rich berries and leather perfectly suited for pasta with a mushroom or cream sauce. Drank after dinner, but still quite enjoyable. Drink now.