2/9/2013 - n8540 wrote:

Closed at first. Decanted and it was delicious after about 30 minutes.

1/22/2012 - n8540 wrote:

Loved it

10/26/2011 - n8540 wrote:

Pop and poured. Nose is of dark fruit, first 5 minutes it's drinking pretty tight. A bit acidic on the finish. Hopefully it opens up a little with some air. Overall, not bad, just nothing spectacular.

2/1/2011 - n8540 wrote:

Decent Shiraz for $16. Fruity with enough tannins to hold up.

2/1/2011 - n8540 wrote:

Good not great. It's tough to find decent zin these days, especially below $20. For $15 this one isn't bad.

2/1/2011 - n8540 wrote:

Yuck. Fake grape from nose to finish. I've never been a big fan of Charles smith wines, but this is just embarrassing.

12/10/2010 - n8540 wrote:

It's turned...

12/10/2010 - n8540 wrote:

Wow, this is crap.

11/30/2010 - n8540 wrote:

Good flavor. Still too young. Give it a year.

10/16/2010 - n8540 wrote:

Better than I expected after reading reviews. I thought it would be a great $10 bottle. Too bad it cost $15.

10/16/2010 - n8540 wrote:

Great with steak, so-so after dinner.

6/4/2010 - n8540 wrote:

Drank side-by-side with another Pinot Noir, the Siduri was very hazy which makes me wonder if something was going on in this batch (the bottle was stored properly and I see that other people commented on the haze). At first the nose was huge and fruity, and the taste similar with a medium/long finish. After about an hour, the wine completely closed up. If you drink this wine in the first hour, it tastes like 90 points (the haze doesn't bother me). After the first hour, this wine becomes an 80.

6/4/2010 - n8540 wrote:

Disappointing. Very tight and heavy. Went OK with food. Maybe I needed to decant it for 3-4 hours.

2/2/2010 - n8540 wrote:

Good, not great

11/28/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Extremely oaky. Fruit was overpowered by oakiness. Ok with food, but I won't buy this wine again.

11/6/2009 - n8540 wrote:

This wine is very dark. Nose is fruity, but not candied. Very rich and earthy. Finish is medium long, tastes like dark chocolate. Excellent wine!

11/6/2009 - n8540 wrote:

A nice smooth, easy drinking wine. My only real complaint is that there is almost no Zin character to this wine; no spice, no bold flavors.

9/29/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Really enjoyable wine. a bit fruity, but great for most pallettes.

8/21/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Impossible to rate this bottle of wine. This is exactly why any newer bottle of Sineann does not have corks. my bottle didn't have TCA, but the subtlety of the wine is overpowered with the flavor of cork.

7/22/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Good floral boquet, not sugary like many GW. A good well rounded wine.

7/22/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Not a horrible wine, but it was pretty watery and simple. Not worth $22.

6/25/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Decent for $7, nothing special.

6/17/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Meh.

6/17/2009 - n8540 wrote:

A nice reliable wine.

6/17/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Great wine for $17. Well balanced, not too heavy.

6/17/2009 - n8540 wrote:

I think this is about $100 per bottle and nearly impossible to find. This is a BIG new world cab that can stack up with a lot of hearty foods. Extremely long finish and very well balanced, this wine is worth $100 if any wine is.

4/15/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Drank along side 2004 Sineann Block 1 ($90) and 2005 Viader Dare Cab Sauv ($30). Over the course of the evening, each wine paired better or worse with different foods. Overall, the consensus was that the Savestrin, while a good wine, didn't stack up to the Sineann, and was only marginally better than the Dare. So, instead of buying 2 bottles of Salvestrin, go buy yourself 1 bottle of Block 1 and a bottle of Dare and you'll be happier.

4/22/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Fruity and earthy, good complexity. I'm really impressed at $8 per bottle!

3/24/2009 - n8540 wrote:

A great new world Pinot. Excellent nose, relatively high alcohol but it's in balance. Long finish. A great wine.

3/24/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Decanted and drank immediately over about 2 hours. Some bricking at the edges. Nice nose with some definate green pepper from the merlot. Good fruit flavor, some earthiness and soft tannins on the palette. Finish is medium-long and very well balanced. This wine is drinking beautifully right now.

3/24/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Pop & pour. Very "fake grapy" and over acidic. Maybe it was too young, I don't know. Improved over the next hour, but still not great. Not worth the $18 I paid, I wouldn't pay more than $7 next time..

3/15/2009 - n8540 wrote:

This wine was way out of balance. Tons of acidity; very little fruit. Mostly uninteresting nose. I found very little redeeming in this wine.

3/15/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Good fruit, nice complexity & balance. An overall well rounded wine.

3/15/2009 - n8540 wrote:

A little fruity and jammy. A fair amount of oak showing through. Tannins are also a little firm. A few more years may help the tannins balance, but I'm afraid the oak is here to stay.

3/13/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Wow. Crisp & refreshing, nice grassy nose with a hint of citrus. Very slight residual sugar, excellent balance.

3/13/2009 - n8540 wrote:

OK. Nothing special. Not worth $15.

3/13/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Good, not great. Tannins fairly firm. OK balance but not very good QPR in my opinion.

3/13/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Rated highly in the grocery. I disagree. OK, but not up to my standards for a $10 everyday type wine.

3/13/2009 - n8540 wrote:

meh...

3/4/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Pop and pour. Fruity and spicy nose. The flavor is good, if a little simple and somewhat light. A little earthy and fruity. This wine may not be a blockbuster, but it has fantastic QPR.

3/1/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Decanted and drank over 2 hours. I really enjoyed the nose, fruity and strong. Unfortunately the taste is off balance. There is some earthyness and leather. No fruit and almost no sweetness, all I get is acidity. Maybe past prime? Not bad to drink, just not extraordinary.

2/16/2009 - n8540 wrote:

disclaimer: i have a cold!!! spicy zin nose. a little hard on the mid pal but a nice fruity finish. good value.

2/7/2009 - n8540 wrote:

1oz pour from a wine bar. fake grape smell. ok after a few swigs.

1/17/2009 - n8540 wrote:

good nose. very smooth for a $9 shiraz. well woth the money for an everyday wine.

1/2/2009 - n8540 wrote:

Nice earthy wine, good complexity and balance.

12/19/2008 - n8540 wrote:

very grassy, almost woody. light and crisp, just not my favorite

12/11/2008 - n8540 wrote:

Drank in a restaurant. A decently balanced cab, but kind of oaky for my taste.

12/5/2008 - n8540 wrote:

meh

12/5/2008 - n8540 wrote:

A nice Pinot. Nothing special, very classic.

12/4/2008 - n8540 wrote:

POP AND POUR: It has a cheap wine nose, like sweet fake grapes ground up with stems and seeds. The taste is big and earthy and has a smokey (but subtle) "summer sausage" finish, certainly not a fruit bomb. A little firm on the tannins. A wierd wine; I do like the finish but the nose is not great.
30 MINUTES LATER: Nose has a little less stem, taste is slightly more fruit bomb.