3/29/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Dark currant fruit on the nose. Ryan notes a little bit of a green edge to it. Particularly on the back of the palate I would add. Some sour cherry going through with it. Hmm... liked smelling it more than drinking it.

6/11/2023 - paintinginacave Likes this wine:

Drank over three days. Pale lemon in the glass. It wasn’t until day three that this really started to hit its stride - it was a little underwhelming and unbalanced in the days prior. What pleased most was a beautiful lemon curd and white flower character that coupled with a touch of sandalwood providing a hint of spice. Presents as richer and fuller in style without overstepping the mark.

7/1/2023 - scorbett wrote:

Nose: seabreeze, hint of vegetal and hint of apple way in the back, a little more orchard fruits up front, touch of swimming pool... some element of chamomile tea.

Palate: the greenness carries here as some herbaceousness, citrus, long finish.

I could confuse this with Carricante if served blind. It's okay with food, but otherwise kind of forgettable. Maybe will gain some complexity with age.

1/3/2021 - WineDoctors wrote:

Fishy tannins short finish. Soaring acid. Bottle format out of class for wine. Low tannins. Drink now.

1/10/2023 - devnoon wrote:

Like an extreme version of a young nebbiolo. Very dry and yappy tannins with bright red fruit acidity. Some interesting funk as others have noted. Wish I had with a better food pairing, not exactly sure what would be perfect for it. Interesting wine, won't be rushing back to it for sipping's sake, but nothing against it.

12/11/2022 - Adam V Likes this wine:

Appearance is pale purple. Can pretty much tell this is cool climate Pinot just by looking at it. On the nose is bright fresh red fruit - cherries and red plums. Some astringent greenness, subtle earth and spice. Palate is light, fresh, and lean. Slightly fruity with a bunch of savory undertones. Tannins are present but well-integrated and smooth. Nice acid backbone with a medium finish. Overall, leans rustic over elegant.

This is a really fun and delicious wine. For $30 this is a pretty solid value. Would love to do a side by side of this and a Pinot from Mendocino or Anderson Valley as I think there are a lot of similarities.

9/16/2022 - sWINEson wrote:

Enjoyable wine. Will drink again

12/2/2021 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

Very pure, with a core of fresh cherries and all sorts of plant matter things. It is perfumed with latent power. Balance is immaculate and acidity working with perfect tannins to provide posture. Its all here, requiring a long sleep to unravel.

4/2/2022 - BillBell73 Likes this wine:

Needs about 30 minutes of air and then the beauty unfolds. The nose is haunting and the palate is a little tight with medium tannins and smoky cherry fruit. Excellent now but probably better after a few more years in the cellar.

12/2/2021 - mclanew Likes this wine:

Slow ox 30 minutes. Blackberry and cherry with a wild streak on the nose. The palate is ripe blackberry, earth, smoke and spice. Medium to full bodied, high toned, classic but a little rustic. This has the 2010 elegance. As good as Maume gets.

1/9/2021 - Diane (LI) wrote:

Prime drinking now. Relaxed tannins with dark fruit and florals.

12/10/2020 - kuumies wrote:

Popped and poured at cellar temp, enjoyed from a large Burgundy bowl. There is abundant savory and bright, perfectly ripe red cherry fruit, surrounded by minerally and floral notes with what I find just the perfect amount of volatility. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but personally I tend to enjoy most the wines that possess this feature and have it fully under control. On the palate it has a medium body with great, lifting acidity and extremely appropriate, impeccably managed tannins that provide terrific grip. Overall the taste profile is savory and un-fruit forward despite there being no lack of fruit. Prominently featured are notes of minerals and forest floor, both which I quite enjoy. This has good amount of flesh but it does not carry much fat at all, being lean-ish and streamlined. Finishing with a delightful mouth-puckering sensation, this scores very high in terms of drinkability.

9/12/2020 - WineGold wrote:

Our first Matthiasson, recommended to me by multiple people based on the following criteria: Under $75 and more old school Napa than new school. That is, I am constantly on the hunt for more reasonably priced Cabernets that are not hugely extracted, oaked and in your face.

This is certainly an old school Cabernet. More rustic than extracted, more layered and interesting than huge. On the nose there is red and blue (but not black fruit) with cassis and cardamom. The palate brings medium-to-full bodied fruit, fine but more-than-enough tannic structure, and a nice integration between the two. Significant finish of longer than 30 seconds.

I think this is a serious value, and a new find in my search for reasonably priced Napa Cabernet that harken back to earlier Valley days.

5/22/2020 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine:

This is a very interesting wine. What separates it from the tons of commercially styled and mediocre rosés is that the grape variety is clearly identifiable. It also shows some sense of place. Notes of cherries, tobacco, even some graphite, it also shows some spiciness with some more air. Medium bodied, with very nice freshness of medium-high acidity and just a touch of tannin, this has a pretty serious structure for rosé. Good length too. I like this.

8/6/2020 - cstatile wrote:

I have 2 more. This definitely showed the warmer vintage with lots of fruit even 6 years in. I will wait till 10 years to crack another.

2/16/2020 - LWI wrote:

blind. Deep red and dark fruit, a lot of acid and tannin, brilliant fruit. Hold.

2/25/2020 - Schiffy Likes this wine:

Dark, black fruit, wet stones, lavender and licorice create an super complex Cab from Shafer. After an hour decant the wine becomes more plush, full bodied and chewy on the finish. Really nice and different on the palate.

9/2/2019 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine:

This is an unbelievable second wine. It's so savory and earthy and old school, but doesnt lack fruit. 2012 can be a bit forward and hedonistic but this certainly didnt go that route. It almost has the minerality and gravel to be a pessac or some other left bank. Blind you would be forgiven for saying corison or old forman. Some may say it's too green for them, but its right in my wheelhouse. Chapeau.

10/25/2019 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine:

My third (and final) bottle of this wine was certainly the best. I pulled it while watching the game, which was critical for my team. The game was touch-and-go when I delved into the cellar to pull out this decade-old wine. Almost immediately upon opening, the tides began to turn in favor of my team. Coincidence? Wonderful cherry fruit, fantastic acidity in near-perfect balance, and an earthy finish. It is always fabulous when the last wine of a lot is the best. Except when you realize that you have no more bottles before the start of the next game. thedrunkencyclist.com

10/9/2019 - ClaytonDave wrote:

Gave to friends.

8/24/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Savory and earthy. Light on the palate and pure.sweer tobacco on the palate.

3/8/2019 - chablis28 wrote:

Exactly, what I seek in bourgogne. This cuvee' has never been a behemoth. At least with my btls going back to 2008. Its deceptively pale in color as always. Possibly leading to the perception it might be a bit thin or lacking concentration. I may also be the benefactor of patience as this is my first of 3 received fall of 2017. Bourgogne is often characterized as "intended for early consumption" but, I find them to have plenty of shelf life from great producers like Chevillon. Yes, this is not in the same strata as Chevillon's 1ers but I find it consistently terroir driven and fascinating. An auto pilot buy for me so far, if the price remains sub $40.

PnP 90 minutes prior to dinner and found it immediately accessible and aromatic. Spicy earthy red berries on the nose + a little light funk. The palate fruit is a stony mix of rainier cherry & red raspberry wrapped in earth, spice & light sous-bois on a weightless, elegant and energetic frame. Loved it, and need to find more if possible? Alc 12.5%

11/20/2018 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine:

Funky for a second. 30 minutes later sublime. Dark red and black cherry, sublime purity to the fruit. Gorgeous soil perceptions intermixed with hints of cocoa with cinnamon dancing on the edges. I can only imagine the upperclassmen for Bachelet in 2016. Outstanding wine!!!

11/17/2018 - BillyT wrote:

Elegant, soft, beautiful fruit on the palate. Perfect Pinot for light fare and today I had with liver and onions which some would say is too rich for the wine but not so. It paired quite nicely. Balanced, integrated tannins good acidity. Sorry not more but at anniversary lunch.

12/9/2018 - dlduchon Likes this wine:

Sonoma coast fruit in an attempted Burgundian style. Nice balance and elegant and avoids some of the off putting Sonoma Coast distinctions that bother me in this regions’s Pinots.

2/26/2018 - wildmang666 wrote:

I decanted for 3 hours, and still just had no taste at all. Weird. I would say then that it needs much more time. Definitely closed. I do believe it will be good in time. I am adding to this review. I drank the other half of the bottle the next day, and it had opened up some, so I changed the rating to 91.

1/15/2017 - MC2 Wines wrote:

Winter in Wineland; 1/14/2017-1/20/2017 (Sonoma & Napa): Much more of a heavy Pinot-style. Get some darker red fruits and soy sauce. For the style it works well, but to me it felt too much like a Pinot trying to be a Cab or a Syrah.

9/20/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Copain In The Backyard On A Summer Evening (My House In The South OC): I drank one of these 3 months ago and found it to be a bit rough, barrel sample-like in tone. Last night, we drank another, probably to its detriment alongside the 2012. That single year of time, putting the vintage differences aside, showed how different that year has made to how they compare. My notes last night for the 2013 say "lacks definition", dark, opulent. It does have some of the apple and raspberry notes of the 2012 but it has yes to possess the expression of the potential that the 2012 is already showing. Given how much excitement I feel for the 2012, I am going to take a faith leap for the 2013 and buy several for the cellar and know that these will come around. The 2013 simply needs more time to let the parts meld and so I would say if you have them coming in the Fall 2015 shipment, open one and see what you think. I'd love to be challenged on my perception here, to see some other takes on the wine.

2/20/2016 - RyanJames wrote:

I generally love Littorai, but the QPR is difficult to rationalize anymore. To start: lots of acid and structure on day 1 with an influence that was definitely leaning towards Burgundy, but a fruit profile that suggested CA...although just barely. Not particularly aromatic, really closed overall, and I usually love this vineyard. I think a few things are going on here. 1) This needs time, and plenty of it to unwind as it was better on day 2. I'd say 3-5 years before even touching it again. 2) It's probably better with food. This is not your average Williams Selyem delicious sipper.

That all being said, there's a TON of great pinot noir coming out of California, and at this price point ($65-70/bottle) you're starting to veer into 1er cru Burgundy $, at which point I don't really see the point. It's not that it wasn't a good bottle of wine, I just think there are much better values out there and this should be singing for the $.

11/6/2015 - Motz wrote:

Modern, ripe, and sappy. The wine is unintegrated at present and balance is an issue. Time might help. 89-90.

11/25/2015 - jrsobeck wrote:

Nice nose and fruit, goes well with steak. However, I think this needs more cellaring as the tannins were still too harsh.

6/18/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Juicy and calming down and heading into the pocket.

4/7/2015 - bergkamp10 Does not like this wine:

I picked this up on clearance for $20 as like AV pinot's, so i wasn't expecting too much. That being said I was still disappointed. This was big, ripe and unwieldy, and after a glass my palate was tired. The profile was dominated by a ripe core of dark berry fruit with a sweet oak influence, and lack of acidity which threw the whole profile out of balance. Its not quite Belle Glos but is getting there. The bottle reeked of over ripe fruit and spoofilated wine making.