1/17/2024 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

Excellent! $83 at auction and worth it. Full of flavor without any distractions. I will seek out other vintages.

1/21/2024 - BerkeleyBoy Does not like this wine:

There’s some goodness there, but it’s behind an iron wall of acidic tannins. Needs time and maybe, just maybe, it will emerge.

12/9/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Pineapple nose, so fruity; very nice! Had it with Thai chicken with noodles and it was excellent. So glad that I found it in my cellar.

11/27/2023 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

Solid, but thin.

11/18/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

This was an excellent showing; it’s been in my cave for 5 years and got lost in my burgeoning, cramped, too small cellar; still a bit of heat, but it was all there.

10/29/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Still very nice. Had it with grilled rib eye, potatoes and broccoli Raab.

10/18/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Does not like this wine:

Past its prime. On its way to vinegar.

10/16/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Very good! Loretta was moody and needed a lift. Drinking good wine serves many purposes.

10/10/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Does not like this wine:

Bretted out. Distracted from everything else.

8/6/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Killer wine since 2020 when we last had it when it was Ho-him. Full bodied with lots of chocolate. Great pairing with beef stir-fry with bell peppers from America’s Test Kitchen, on of our favorite meals.

7/27/2023 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

Nothing special for $238 auction.

7/20/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Went quite well with a chicken pistachio curry.

7/13/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Excellent. Loretta and I drank the whole bottle. Not a big wine, but beautiful concentration.

6/16/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Very nice with our shared Porterhouse.

6/12/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

PnP - very thin at first with a bitterness noted at the sides of my tongue, but it soon opened up. Loretta has been disappointed with some of the older wines I’ve kept. Knowing how much I paid for them, she has not been impressed by the outcome on first sip, but both of us thoroughly enjoyed this bottle. This is how Burgundy should taste.

We had it with Lamb Kabab and Persian rice from a recipe in the New Food of Life. Lamb marinated in grated onions and lime juice for 8 hrs. and then grilled. Excellent.

I had given up hope on this bottle and it sat languishing for years in my cellar. Purchased on release at Kermit Lynch.

5/21/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Very nice; drank with a Thai fish stew; coconut milk, carrots, onions and, of course, fish sauce. Opened with a short decant. Even Loretta enjoyed it.

5/16/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

I like it. Loretta liked it.

5/15/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

A wonderful wine worth the $200 I paid at auction. Full of flavor with a bracing tannic finish.

5/8/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Does not like this wine:

Flat, over the hill, no fruit, cardboard.

4/6/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Still excellent after 20 years. We had it with a Flannery rack of lamb which I recommend. The wine was vibrant with plenty of acidity and fruit. PnP

3/29/2023 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

Oxidized - flat and bitter. Totally dead. $242 at K & L auction. Have another bottle.

3/20/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Wonderful! Perfect with a thick, grilled rib eye.

3/15/2023 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

A good claret. Not more than that and not worth $355. Way too extracted.

3/10/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Very good after a 1 hour decant and enjoyed it with beef leftovers. Not as good as the 2012 which had an added dimension.

3/2/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Does not like this wine:

Great flavors, but it's sweet; too sweet. Shows you how much I know about Vouvray's.

2/21/2023 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

One hour decant before a roast chicken dinner. Didn't give up much on opening; absolutely no aromas coming out of the bottle and on first taste, tanins and sour grass. After awhile, started to get some wafts of it being a bordeaux, but still nothing to be proud of on flavor. Not impressed.

2/4/2023 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Drinking exceptionally well at 10 years old. Even Loretta liked it and had a second glass as she usually disdains whites.

9/29/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Still going strong.

9/21/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Yes, cherries and strawberries. Better on the second day. Excellent!

9/12/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Excellent!

8/24/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable. It still has some tanins left, but it holds the fruit and complements the wine. It was a PnP with an hour slow decant and we enjoyed it with a grilled rib eye. Thanks to DJ for his long, fulfilled promise.

8/20/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

We picked up some bottles at the winery 5 or so years ago and we're just finishing the last one; every bottle has been excellent.

8/18/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Decanted 5 hours before dinner with J & J. A fantastic, grippy wine that has structure, fruit and still plenty of tannins to hold it for another 5-10 years. The meal was confit rack of lamb. Twelve hours dry brined, baked in olive oil for 2 hrs and then 2 days submerged in new olive oil. Recipe from "Slow Fires".

7/15/2022 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

Purchased for $120, K & L auction. Very smooth on the front and then peppery on the finish; very nice.
A decent cab, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy another bottle. Pretty label and bottle and I'm a sucker for those.

6/28/2022 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

Thin, slightly tannic. Wasn't impressed.

Update: Second day, it had changed completely. Full bodied, luscious and exhilarating. I changed my rating from 90 to 95.

6/23/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Very nice and smooth with concentrated flavors.

6/19/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Just OK.

6/19/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Tannic as hell, but not bad. Could have decanted longer. I'll wait awhile before opening my next bottle. Purchased from Wine Access.

6/11/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Does not like this wine:

Loretta and I had this with grilled rib eye, potatoes and veggies on a hot June night. I expected the wine to enhance the meal, but it bogged it down. Thick, syrupy, too much oak. Barely made 90 in my book and definitely not interesting.

5/29/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Served with vegetarian pasta and tomato sauce. Some barnyard when opened and then settled down. Some very nice flavors.

5/24/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Does not like this wine:

Past its prime or maybe it was corked to begin with. It had no life - dead.

5/10/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

From magnum with Loraine and Bob in Almanore. Still excellent! Enjoyed by all. Had with bison stuffed bell pepper (today’s was more flavorful than yesterday’s) with Italian hot pepper jelly and a killer green salad with grilled artichokes. Oh!

4/22/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Excellent with a couple of grilled Porterhouse steaks at J & J's.

4/22/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Does not like this wine:

Disappointing. The 2012 Pegau Chateauneuf that we had with it was the clear favorite. Not worth the $375 I paid along with 3 years of cellar space. Have one bottle left.

4/19/2022 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

The wine has come apart in a bad way; lost its semblance.

3/15/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Does not like this wine:

Not anything particularly interesting. Seems flat.

2/27/2022 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

I don't know where the accolades come from. Nothing notable.

2/25/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

Excellent. I'm happy to see that we can locally produce a good bottle of affordable Grenache here in California. Chocolate flavors came out on the second day. I will seek out more wines from this producer.

2/26/2022 - BerkeleyBoy wrote:

This has been in my cellar for 5 years and it was corked.

2/10/2022 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine:

With Loretta after a hard day's work installing a boiler in Castro Valley. Chez Panisse Covid take-out. One of our best meals; Ling cod, small potatoes, spinach and fennel. Cassata ice cream (OMG level). Memorable because of the food AND wine........and of course, my beautiful wife.