1/4/2021 - MrTaz Likes this wine:

It’s bittersweet to drink the last bottle of a case bought more than a decade ago. My notes from my first bottle said “I look forward to drinking this over the next decade.” That’s what I did and it proved to be a great journey.

10/28/2020 - MrTaz Likes this wine:

Bought 20 years ago for $9. Got lost in my cellar. Opened tonight with trepidation. Cork broke. Filtered through coffee filter. Fresh, delicious, delightful. Not really a 92 point wine, but definitely a 92 point experience.

3/25/2016 - MrTaz Does not like this wine:

So disappointing. Tried this at importer's tasting in 2011 and loved it. When we finally drank it, it was all simple fruit, like grape juice. Nothing going on. Feels like bait-and-switch. A complex natural wine at the tasting turns into grape juice. Doesn't make sense.

12/13/2015 - MrTaz wrote:

First review must be a typo. This is a solid 87 - 88. Fuller than a 100% Sangiovese, it's rounded by the Merlot in the blend. Easy drinking crowd pleaser. Excellent QPR at $9.

8/12/2015 - MrTaz Does not like this wine:

Bought from Cinderella Wine - 24 wines in 24 hours special. Seemed like a good deal at $11. Arrived yesterday. Tried first bottle tonight. I'm so disappointed. Undrinkable. It tastes oxidized. Has anyone else had the same experience? I will contact Wine Library tomorrow.

8/12/2015 - MrTaz Likes this wine:

The last of three bottles. Wish I had more. We were given this one after "helping" with the '07 harvest. Drinking beautifully now.

2/14/2015 - MrTaz wrote:

Powerful nose. Fruity up front. Muddy mid palate. Tannins and heat on the finish. Best with food.

5/20/2013 - MrTaz wrote:

Diluted grape juice.

2/1/2013 - MrTaz wrote:

Consistently good everyday wine. Can't do better for $7.

11/2/2012 - MrTaz wrote:

Maybe the best QPR ever. Complex and refined. Drinking beautifully right now. Read gcarl's notes from Sept. I can't describe it better. Happy I have 4 more bottles. And thanks to Ian @Wine Lib for insisting I buy a case 3+ years ago.

1/17/2012 - MrTaz wrote:

Very nice option when you don't want to spend the $$$$ on a Brunello. Bright and smooth. Easy drinking.

5/22/2011 - MrTaz wrote:

More interesting and enjoyable than a $12 wine needs to be. The effervescence -- more than just a frizzante, slightly less than a Champagne -- delicious fruit, acid and a little funk make it great for both aperitif and with food.

7/31/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Still good after another 1 1/2 years. Best $5 wine ever.

7/18/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Top-notch NZ SB. All the classic characteristics are there in perfect balance, with nothing overpowering. A delight to drink.

7/2/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

A dependable solid performer. Excellent value.

4/11/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Fruity at first, but not over the top. Good mellow mid-palate and finsh. Overall pleasant Shiraz and a good value.

4/10/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Soft, smooth, slightly sweet. Perfect with spicy Chjinese food.

4/9/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Very good. Drank alongside a Cali cab and the difference was striking. The Cali was yummy chocolatey, but one-dimensional. This had many layers of fruit, tannin, cedar, funk, with a mouth-watering acidic finish. A little rough on the pop & pour, but smoothed out and balanced nicely over the course of dinner. Should hold up another year or two. Excellent QPR at $9.00.

3/24/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Day 1 too jammy for me, though the wife liked it a lot. Day 2 came together nicely. Decent QPR.

3/19/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Bland. Nothing to really describe. Why bother?

3/16/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Excellent QPR. Thank you Gary. I don't always agree with GV tasting notes, but he nailed it this time. Great balance from start to finish. I just tasted through a bunch of $30 - $60 Napa Cabs. This is as good or better. Popped and poured and then developed nicely over the course of dinner. Find it!

2/12/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

A bit rough around the edges. Might improve with time.

2/5/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Even better after a year in the cellar. Balanced, some leather, less jammy fruit up front. Definitely a very good value wine. Very good QPR.

1/30/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Drinking beautifully right now. Doesn't present much on the nose, but offers beautifully subtle, balanced fruit, spice and tannins. Silky mouth feel. Very smooth. Paired well with everything from fish to pasta. Would love to buy more.

1/4/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Sadly over the hill after schlepping back from Italy 10 years ago.

1/3/2010 - MrTaz wrote:

Good juice. Mellow at this point. Very good QPR.

12/13/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Good cab. Fruity, and not overly oaked. But paled in comparison to the Bordeaux that was also open on the table.

12/14/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Beautifully integrated. Smooth yet spicy, earthy, subtle.

12/13/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Delightful desert wine. Low alcohol, sweet but not cloying. Floral, peach and pear. Excellent QPR.

12/5/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Not much there. Boring. Past its prime or maybe it never had much to offer.

11/30/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Can't add much to previous posters. Not as horrible as Coupe says, but nothing I would want to buy again. I have another bottle that I think will be great for cooking.

11/22/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Beautiful balance. Great fruit and nice acidity. I was concerned that I'd held this too long, but it was still fresh and vibrant. Excellent QPR.

11/18/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Drank over three days. Day 1, somewaht tight and austere with solid tannins. Opened up after an hour in the glass, and progressively over dinner. Day 2, mellower, delicious. Day 3, really fleshed out, deep and layered. If this is an indication of how it will age, I look forward to opening more bottles over the next decade.

11/6/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Bought this as an inexpensive accompaniment to spicy food. In this case it was Ethiopian. Dinner partners brought a cabernet. The contrast was a stunning demonstration of the value of pairing the right wine with the food. Excellent QPR. This will be my go-to wine for spicy food.

11/2/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Thin, simple, but nothing off-putting. It easily beats anything else at the $4.00 I paid. But not really worth more.

10/7/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

I agree with other posters. This is a decent PN at a very good price. Beautiful nose. Light, yet with typical smoke, mild spice, good balance, medium finish. Very good QPR. I would choose this over many low end and even higher priced Cali PNs.

9/10/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

This was a gift that I did not expect to like much. But it exceeded my expectations. Not overly oaked. Floral nose. Crisp taste of apples and pears. Acid and cream on the finish. Quite nice.

8/5/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Peaches, melon and wet stone on the nose -- the minerality is quite strong at first. Tingly acidic high notes (Suz said it tasted carbonated, but it's not), with a weighty undercurrent of melon and some creaminess. Almost like tasting two different wines simultaneously; not bad, but not quite coming together in a unified whole. Put some aside to see if it's better integrated on day two.

7/31/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Clean and refreshing. Good acidity with hints of peach. Light with short finish.

7/18/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Delicious. Nice nose, which, unfortunately, was overpowered by the bad perfume of the woman sitting next to us. Full-bodied and creamy mouth feel, but not in the way that an over-oaked chardonnay is. It retained a clean, crisp, perfectly balanced quality. I was able to score 3 bottles and now want to get more.

7/15/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Medium color. Raspberries and heat on the nose. Mellow attack, spice develops through mid palate then very spicy and hot finish. Very rustic. Nice except for the hot finish. The heat is just too much.

7/12/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Similar notes to first bottle. However, this time I got more heat on the finish as well as a bit of sediment. Heat diminished over time, and wine became much better integrated. I'll try decanting the next bottle and see how that affects it.

6/22/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Still decent BBQ wine for price.

6/20/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Medium body, well balanced, good food wine.

6/18/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Very good QPR at $5. Red fruit with some meat on the nose. Tastes lighter than expected from the nose, more acid than expected. Slight pepper and short clean finish.

6/11/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

As previous notes have said, loads of earth and tobacco. Medium color. Abundant cherries on the nose, are still there on the palate, but play second-fiddle to the earth and tobacco. Nice acid on the finish. Very well balanced. Much more interesting than its $9 would indicate. Excellent QPR. Will buy more.

5/6/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Excellent QPR. Medium nose. Dark, almost opaque. Lots of great fruit on attack. Soft, sweet tannins. Very well balanced. It's $6 !!! Defintiely buying more.

5/23/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Very light with very little going on.

5/16/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

Light, crisp, fresh. Tight nose. Short acidic finish. Simple and pleasant.

5/13/2009 - MrTaz wrote:

How disappointing. For me, the 2005 was one of the top value wines around. This one just doesn't deliver. Seems like a watered-down version of the 05. Not worth the $5 price.