4/2/2024 - waywardsailor wrote:

Wonderfully light. well balanced.

11/15/2023 - waywardsailor wrote:

Palate very light and short on finish, but enough complexity of earth on the nose to make this an enjoyable wine.

10/28/2023 - waywardsailor wrote:

A solid cab

6/7/2023 - waywardsailor wrote:

I had tried this wine at the Nantucket Food and Wine Festival and loved it. I would have rated it a 94 then. The nose had a lot of earth, smoke, some hints of dark fruit. And the palate was well balanced. So I ordered a case of it and it's somehow not the same. There was still some earth and complexity to the nose, but the finish was quite anemic. I'll try another bottle at another time, perhaps, letting it breathe for a while before trying it again.

6/8/2023 - waywardsailor wrote:

Lots of fruit on the nose, and the palate is well balanced. Not the typical oaky California cab. Very easily drinkable. Great QPR

2/25/2023 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

lots of fruit on the nose. Jammy on the palate but well balanced. A solid every day drinking wine.

1/25/2023 - waywardsailor wrote:

Beautiful nose of hints of tobacco, some dark fruits, and followed by floral notes. Palate was not a well balanced, but pleasant enough. Still with some tannins, grippy.

1/9/2023 - waywardsailor wrote:

I had bought this bottle years ago under the recommendation of a Somm, a wine I had never heard of before. I had completely forgotten about it until recently when I was looking for an inexpensive bottle to open up for guests. All I can say is wow. Very well balanced, solid wine. Great QPR. Wish I had more.

12/23/2022 - waywardsailor wrote:

A solid Pinot. Good QPC

12/12/2022 - waywardsailor wrote:

A bit of earth on the nose. Well balanced palate. An easy, drinking wine. Great QPR

12/2/2022 - waywardsailor wrote:

Beautiful, refined, elegant, well balanced.

11/20/2022 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

This was the extended barrel aged bottle. I had let it air out for about a couple of hours. Lots of dark fruits on the nose. Very juicy, smooth finish. So well balanced. Overall, a beautiful wine. Will continue to age well

10/24/2022 - waywardsailor wrote:

Beautiful elegant nose of dark berries, muted earth. Palate very smooth, a bit underwhelming. Decent wine but not at the price point.

8/27/2022 - waywardsailor wrote:

Not normally crazy for white wines, but this was refreshing, a touch of sweetness, and well balanced.

3/17/2022 - waywardsailor wrote:

Beautiful crisp earth on the nose, and well balanced palate

12/23/2021 - waywardsailor wrote:

Such wonderful nose of earth, leather. And the palate is so well balanced. Hard to believe what got this bottle for. Would happily pay 2-3x. Sad that this was my only bottle.

10/10/2021 - waywardsailor wrote:

Managed to find a bottle for a friend's 60th bday. It was from a wine collector who supposedly stored it properly. The bottle looked pristine, high shoulder. Had it shipped from the west coast to the east coast. Let it settle for a couple of days before opening it. Upon removal of the foil, I noticed that some of the wine had spilled out of the cork. A bit apprehensive about what the wine will taste like after seeing this. Cork broke apart using the corkscrew (I didn't have an Ah So with me), so I had to push the cork into the bottle and decant it. The nose was fortunately pleasant with hints of leather, earth. After letting it sit for an hour, we sampled the wine. There was still a little fruit left. Mellow. Well balanced. However, another hour later, some of the pleasantness dissipated, and now was left with a bit of funk on the nose and palate as well. Probably past its prime.

12/31/2020 - waywardsailor wrote:

Wonderful fragrant nose. Smooth palate. Overall an elegant, well balanced wine. Don't see this being a 100 pt wine as touted though. Perhaps come back in a few years.

4/17/2020 - waywardsailor wrote:

Wonderful interesting nose that's had a bit of funk to make it interesting followed by a well balanced palate that's not overly fruity. A very easy drinking wine. Paired beautifully with an arugula salad with parmigiano reggiano, olive oil, and aged balsamic vinegar. At this price, I need to get more!

3/29/2020 - waywardsailor wrote:

The first thing I noticed was the nose. Funky was the word that came to mind and was going to use it for this write up, but hesitated when I read the two previous reviewers using it, but it is what it is. But funky in a good way. It made this wine less boring than the usual run of the mill red wines I've been drinking since the sheltering took effect with the coronavirus epidemic. The palate was light and refreshing. A great every day drinking wine, esp at this price point.

2/7/2020 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Upon initial opening, the nose was powerful, but good. Once this blew off quickly, it was very refined and elegant. The palate belied the initial powerful nose and was very smooth and soft, and became well balanced. I would not decant this as the initial complexity of this wine fades quickly.

1/8/2020 - waywardsailor wrote:

Takes a while for the nose to open up. Not much depth though. May need more time

12/11/2019 - waywardsailor wrote:

Wonderful nose of fruits. Well balanced palate with very fine tannins. Drinking well now but still have years of life ahead of it.

11/12/2019 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Still some fruit on the nose. A bit of menthol. Palate very smooth, a bit faded. Short-lived. Nothing terribly exciting. Prob past it's peak.

7/4/2019 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Wonderfully fragrant, elegant nose that's well balanced with the refined finish.

4/12/2019 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Didn't think there would be much left but pleasantly surprised. Wonderful perfume of a nose. Well balanced with the palate. So smooth. Wish I had a little bit more.

3/24/2019 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Elegant. But enough funk to make it interesting. Well balanced. A bit of effervescence. Price makes it a great every day drinking wine. Need to get more.

3/8/2019 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

A little funk on the nose balanced by a palate of stone fruits. This wine is beginning to grow on me.

3/5/2019 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Takes a while to open up. Wonderful earthy nose. lots of dark fruit. Well balanced palate. Will try again in a few years.

1/2/2019 - waywardsailor wrote:

Needs time to open up. But once it does, the nose is wonderful, earthy, tobacco. Well balanced palate. Great everyday drinking wine.

12/20/2018 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Was at the Michelin starred restaurant Lutz in Berlin. Don’t know much about German wines. Asked to try their funkiest wine and this is what they brought. Took some time for it to open up but once it did, it was wonderful. Naturally fermented. No sulfur. Nose with ever so slight hint of funk. Enough to make it interesting. Very well balanced with the palate which was very smooth. Very drinkable. Great go to wine for daily drinking.

11/27/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

Elegant nose. Well balanced. Still a bit young but can't wait to try this in several years.

11/10/2018 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Just received my shipment yesterday. Got 6 bottles. Opened up one of them to get a baseline. Already so good. Well balanced. Refined. Not like your typical California Cab. Will wait a few more years to open up the next to see how it evolves.

10/8/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

Upon initial tasting, wasn't sure if it was oxided or not. I let it sit for a while thinking maybe it'll blow off, but it didn't. After reading some of the comments on cellartracker, this seems to be a common problem with this one. I have three more bottles. Will have to see if the others are the same way.

10/1/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

Overall a solid, good barolo. However, for the price I paid for it, I expected better. There are many others out there for less that provide greater enjoyment.

7/3/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

Love the nose on this one as I do all the Hentleys I've tried. But didn't feel it was very well balanced. The nose was a little muted.

7/3/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

I was able to compare the 2013 Beauty side by side with the 2014. Both are wonderful wines, but I think the 2014 won out just slightly with its much more floral, fragrant nose. Both were very well balanced. Smooth finish.

7/3/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

I compare the 2011 Beast with the 2013. Both excellent wines, but I prefer the 2013 since I felt it was better balanced wine. Complex, aromatic nose with a smooth, a bit fruit forward, long lasting finish. Can't wait to see what this will like in several years.

6/22/2018 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Berries on the nose. Hints of chocolate on the palate. Long finish. The tannins have softened. A solid well balanced wine. Very drinkable now. Have a couple of bottles left. Will come back in a few years.

additional note....
after letting it sit for an hour, the nose opens up with mushrooms and leather. like it much better. My rating of this wine just went up another point.

6/8/2018 - waywardsailor Likes this wine:

Wonderful nose. Tannins still grippy. Needs more time.

4/21/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

took an hour for the nose to open up. nice floral notes. a bit of ethanol. tannins grippy. not very well integrated yet. Still feels a bit young. perhaps several more years?

3/29/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

very closed wine. Not much on the nose to speak of and not much on the palate either. It's wasn't bad, but had higher expectations of this wine

3/28/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

If you like big bold California cabs (which is really not my style), then you'll love this one. Distinctive, powerful nose, well integrated with the softened tannins.

3/24/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

fragrant nose. well balanced palate. overall, just a beautiful wine. Can't beat the price point. Wish I had more.

3/18/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

Wonderful nose as you would expect from an aged Bordeaux. The palate was a bit disappointing though. A bit on the anemic side.

2/14/2018 - waywardsailor wrote:

Nose was closed at first. Took a little time to open up. Once it did, there were faint hints of an elegant, floral element to it. there wasn't much of a body, a bit tart. Gritty on the tongue.

12/29/2017 - waywardsailor wrote:

minimal nose. faint palate. Overall, a very light Bordeaux but enjoyable if in the mood for something not complex or heavy

12/29/2017 - waywardsailor wrote:

Lots of fruit, both on the nose and the palate. Short finish. Typical of a good California cab. not really my style, but should get better with age.

12/29/2017 - waywardsailor wrote:

Got this bottle as part of a packaged deal of California Cabs at a wine auction. Didn't think it was going to be any good, but surprisingly very enjoyable. Initially tried to Coravin it but the pressurized wine leaked around the cork. Uncorked it with some difficulty as the cork was fragile. Well balanced. Still has some life in it.

12/26/2017 - waywardsailor wrote:

Very fruit forward, with a well balanced palate. Normally, I don't like wines with this much big, bold fruit but this one works well. Can't beat the value.