2/12/2024 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Really coming into its drinking window right now. Balanced smooth tannins and intriguing nose of violets, red fruit and a hint of balsam. Balanced acidity makes it a good food and meditation wine.

1/28/2024 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Rudd wines tend to be very fruit-dense and angular when they are young. Now that this one has 13 or so years of age, it is a very well balanced wine with plenty of acidity and fine tannins. Black fruit still predominates with no obvious tertiary notes other than maybe some balsam developing yet. Very faint bricking at the edges of the glass and a nice long finish. This is still a bit away from its peak, but a very enjoyable and elegant wine today.

1/18/2024 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

This has been hiding in my cellar for a while. My experience with Petite Sirah-only wines is that they are super dense, gritty and teeth-coloring. This one was just over ten years old when I opened it, and the first night I felt like I was getting clubbed with a blackberry cudgel. A day's time and a little vacu-vin enabled rest in the bottle, and this turned into a very nice wine. Still have loads of blackberry and bramble, but some nice menthol and forest floor notes have appeared, and just the barest hint of iodine and meat. So yeah - drink'em if you got 'em. Tannins are smooth, acidity is low to medium and overall a very nice balanced wine. 15-20 second finish.

1/13/2024 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

I don't know if this was one of those magic bottles or something, but this was one of the finest bottles of wine I have had in some time. It still had some primary fruit with blackcurrant being the most prominent, but had loads of tertiary notes of leather, graphite and forest floor. The mouthfeel was like velvet with the tannins and acidity in perfect balance. Long sustained finish. Just gorgeous.

1/8/2024 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

This is way too young to give much credence to this rating, but overall this is a solid Napa cab that has nice dark fruit and some tannic backbone. I think 3-5 more years will soften out the tannins and this will be a really beautiful wine. Right now, it needs some air. But it is a good wine if that done.

1/4/2024 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Curious wine. Kind of linear and one dimensional right after opening. But after two hours of air and an overnight vacu-vining it blossomed into a very well balanced wine. Still on the dry side with the tannins, but still plenty of fruit. Worth the wait

11/30/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

My favorite Tuscan producer. Magic touch in my book - all of the wines in their portfolio are excellent. This one is a great wine - blackberry and brambles with medium acidity and smooth tannins. Medium to long finish. Yumm

11/25/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Red fruit profile with nice minerality. Nose has a bit of balsam in addition to the fruit. Tannins very much in background and acidity is medium.

11/22/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Very good, although I think I opened it too soon. Right after opening, it was good, but had that peculiar 'grapey' nose that seems to be prevalent in Rhone and Rhone-adjacent wines. With an hour of air, the iodine and mineral notes appeared, and this was a fantastic bottle of wine. Tannins were balanced, acidity was right in the groove to make this both a great food wine and a meditation wine. Should have waited another three years to open it though. Gives the Tempier Bandols a run for their money.

11/15/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Now that it has some years, it is getting the iodine and meaty notes that make its cousins from the Northern Rhone wines such a treat. This is not even close to being at its peak.

10/4/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Saw this on a restaurant menu - and in this town you don't often see 24 year old wines. Decided to try it. Solid bordeaux that is very subtle and settled down. Nothing amazing but well made with some small hints of graphite, cedar and forest floor on the nose and some very mature fruits on the palate. Finish was short to medium. Decent given its age

9/27/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

I had two bottles of this wine - it is a ‘value’ super tuscan and you know, what the hell. The first one I opened about 3 years ago at 7 years of age, and it was pretty blah. A bit thin and tannic, very little fruit evident and a little too much of the green pepper notes on the nose to be enjoyable.

Fast forward to my last bottle at 10 years of age, and it is a completely different wine. Still a little of the green pepper, but at a level that it is a feature instead of a flaw, but also some forest floor, and some resiny and piney notes. The nose was complex and interesting. Tannins were very tame and acidity was medium. Long lingering finish. I tasted it over three nights with a vacu-vin in between and it gets better every night. I’m beginning to think that with Italian wines it is very hard to give them too much air.

9/17/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

After reading the tasting notes, I thought I should open up my last bottle before it slides away into nothingness. I was surprised to find (possibly due to lucky bottle syndrome) that the wine was still fresh and had very little signs of senescence. The color was just beginning to brick and the nose still had a brambly dark fruit profile. I did not pick up any iodine notes which was always one of my key 'tells' for syrah-based northern rhones. Nonetheless, this was a very enjoyable bottle with smooth tannins and medium acidity. Not a Northern Rhone superstar like one of the fabled La-La's, but pretty solid.

8/1/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

This is a solid CDP that is maturing nicely. Great black fruits, fantastic nose with the elusive garrigue.

7/26/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

This is a weird one. I had it in my cellar, and figured I better drink it now. I opened it on a Sunday evening, and it was sort of flat and flinty with very little nose.

I sipped an ounce and then put a vacu-vin stopper in it so I could try it later. On Tuesday, I decided to taste it again, and when I pulled the stopper, I got no 'whoosh' and realized that it hadn't been sealed. I tasted it, and wow! It was a different wine. Mature dark fruit, graphite and cedar nose - very balanced acidity.

I drank a glass and then really sealed it up this time and then tried it again on Wednesday. Better still! Lesson here is that this wine really does act like a Bordeaux and needs plenty of time and air to reach its peak.

7/3/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Very solid chianti. It feels like this is more tuned to American tastes and is more full bodied and fruit forward than traditional somewhat more flinty and acidic Chiantis that need some time in the cellar. Nice black cherry and raspberry notes and a floral nose. This did not need to open up much and was ready to go. Quite a good QPR.

6/27/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Solid. Grand Cru? Maybe not. At this point has subdued red fruits, some intriguing barnyard notes and forest floor on the nose. This wine does not present a transcendent experience, but has some subtlety that may improve with air.

6/9/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Beautifully aged Gigondas. Bramble, garrigue, maybe a trace of menthol. Acidity and tannins perfectly balanced. Even better on day two after vacu-vining overnight. Wish this weren't my last bottle of this vintage.

5/26/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

This is in a very good place right now. Balanced in all respects. Brambly medium to dark fruits with the elusive garrigue that is always such a gift when you encounter it.

4/13/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

This was my first excursion into Loire cab franc wines, and it is quite delicious. Some bell pepper notes that linger for about 20 minutes, and then it settles down to nice graphite minerality and blackberry notes. Super smooth and elegant. Fine tannins. I have had a few California all-cab-franc bottles, and this is much more refined and not as much a beat-you-over-the-head-with-fruit experience.

4/10/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Alas, my last bottle. My assessment hasn't changed since the bottle I drank 6 years ago. Excellent CDP. Still has some primary fruit, but tannins have smoothed out and this is just smooth and elegant, with some leather notes on the nose starting to emerge. Good stuff.

4/10/2023 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

A crisp and refreshing red wine. Strawberry notes, some raspberry. Acidity makes this a fantastic food wine. I think this is a great substitute wine for food pairings which you might think first of using a pinot.

The sad fact is that decent pinot noirs that aren't over-the-top candy-flavored confections are hard to find for anything like a reasonable price. This wine is not that expensive and drinks like a California pinot costing about 2-3 times as much. It's not going to rock your world, but it has a very nice nose, good acidity and isn't offensively strawberry popsicle flavored.

I like to have wines like this and high altitude Spanish garnachas in my cellar for occasions when a dinner guest requests a pinot. I open one of these and say "I think you may like this"

11/29/2022 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

I have been saving this wine for a while. I first had it in 2015 at a nice restaurant. It was still young, but already had the iodine and meaty notes that can make a Northern Rhone so tasty, so I immediately searched out a few bottles to lay down in the cellar. With 7 more years of age, most of the fruit is in the background now, but has been more than compensated for by the mineral notes and those ineffable old wine flavors. Some menthol and cedar notes perhaps? Just a great bottle of wine.

9/6/2022 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Great value GSM blend. Fruit forward but not over extracted and cooked. Just enough tannic backbone and acidity to balance things out. Black fruit predominant. Blackberry, plum, hints of currants. You can serve this to Cali Cabernet drinkers and not hear any complaints.

8/13/2022 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

There must be a lot of bottle variation here. I think this is a very nicely balanced Napa cab . Solid back fruit profile with firm dusty tannins and some italianesque acidity. Blackberry over plum on the nose. I dunno. Looks like there’s some crap bottles floating around but what I opened wasn’t one.

8/11/2022 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

My first wine from this region. Very solid tannic backbone. Mineral, earth, herb and nice green pepper notes on the nose. Black fruits predominant overall. Reminds me of good Aglianico wines from Campania. Great value.

1/15/2022 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Wow - a beautiful bottle of wine. It seems about midway through the transition from primary fruit to tertiary notes like leather and meat. Tannins are smooth and integrated, acidity is in perfect place - this is just tasty stuff right now. Still has some years I would bet given the fruit that is still present.

12/18/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

First taste and you know its a grenache wine from a hot climate. Black and blue fruits with that distinct grenache ‘grapiness’. Still has a strong tannic backbone and medium acidity. Has a great slaty minerality. Great food wine and decent sipping wine. I would score it a little higher other than it seems just a little disjointed right now and the balance between the tannins and the acidity is a little off. But overall an interesting wine. Maybe some more years in the bottle and it will harmonize a little more. Great QPR.

Vacu-vinned overnight, and the wine really came together. Drinking this now, I would recommend a ½ to all day decant, or just wait another 5 years. Tannins receded and are perfectly balanced with the acidity. Starting to pick up some tertiary notes like graphite and charcoal and some meaty flavors. I think with some more age this will move up in the ratings.

12/9/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Bottle at restaurant. Old but in fantastic condition. Beautifully balanced acidity and tannins - old wine characteristics like mushrooms, forest floor. Still some fruit but pretty subdued. Nose had some balsamic notes perhaps - some meat notes but maybe because we were in a churrascario. If this wine has been cellared properly, it is a treat.

11/13/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Very smooth and elegant wine at the moment. Tannins have resolved and moved to the background. Acidity is noticeable right after opening, but with a little air the tanginess becomes integrated and harmonious with the wine. Finish is medium length and perhaps a little menthol note on the finish.

The Lail wines have never been full-throttle California cab-hammers, and now with 11 years of age, this wine can hold its own with some spendy Bordeaux wines.

I have a feeling that this wine is in an in-between place right now. The primary fruit notes typical of this wine when young are subdued and the tertiary notes have not yet presented themselves other than suggestive notes of graphite and perhaps a little iodine in the background.

I think this is already a refined and elegant wine, and with another 4 or 5 years of age, it will be sublime.

11/11/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Beautifully balanced wine. Blackberry, some cedar and rose petals on the nose. Black fruits on the palate that are still fresh and youthful. Acidity is medium, but just seamlessly balanced with the tannins. This isn’t some over-oaked and over-extracted Napa fruit festival. Elegant is the description I keep coming back to. Long finish. This wine is still a baby and should be amazing after 2024.

11/6/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Very solid aged southern Rhone wine. Has the aged slightly brown red color with its 10 years of age and a little bricking around the edges, but the fruit is still there. Tannic backbone is still present but has receded. Mid level acidity makes it food friendly. Nose has turned to tertiary notes with some juniper and hints of the ever-elusive garrigue. If you run across any of this that has been stored properly you are in for a treat. Fantastic QPR

10/20/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

This isn’t getting much love here for some reason. Perhaps it needed some time in the bottle. But I opened it last night and it was an excellent full-bodied sangiovese blend. Tannins resolved, nice raspberry and black cherry notes. Acidity is medium.

10/17/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Excellent red blend. Balanced tannins and moderate acidity. Abundant black fruit notes and a voluptuous nose

9/27/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Angular and disjointed when first opened. After 10 minutes of air started to settle down and after an hour it was singing. Classical and elegant barolo. My tasting notes are similar to those below - ethereal nose, some hint of smoke and charcoal.

8/6/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Very solid Umbrian blend. The small amount of sagrantino adds some tannic heft to to primarily sangiovese blend. Has enough acidity to make it food friendly but not over the top and can be served to friends wh declare the can’t stand acidic wines. Dark fruit and briars on the nose. Medium finish. Great QPR

6/25/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Drinking exceptionally well right now. Perfectly balanced tannins and acidity with raspberry notes and a subtle earthy layer that I love in older wines. Medium red in color with just a hint of the color change from aging.

6/17/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Very rich California cab just now beginning to develop some secondary notes. Pencil box, hint of cassis. Still has a strong tannic backbone and could use a minimum of an hour of air.

6/12/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Lush and decadent cab franc. Still has abundant fruit and strong tannic backbone. Acidity is right in the middle of the pack. No flab on this one. Long finish. Nose is black fruits with some green pepper (good green pepper, not the vegetal harshness that I think is a flaw in some wines)

6/4/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Macauley is a winemaker I am almost afraid to tell people about. Their wines are just excellent. This beauty has a great subtle tannic backbone at 9 years and a very rich black fruit profile. Cassis and pencil box notes on the nose. 20 second finish.

4/25/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Lush fruit forward Napa cab that still manages to be balanced. Tannins have receded and the acidity is medium. Expressive nose and no hotness on the palate despited clocking in at 15.3% ABV. Very well made and drinking well.

4/20/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Super solid super tuscan wine. Even with 9 years in the bottle, the tannins are present and need some air time to resolve. Acidity is very balanced. Nice dark berry notes on the nose and a medium long finish.

4/17/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Opened my second bottle of this and wow - it is a different wine. The massive plum note that I tasted earlier is gone and this is just one fine bottle of wine. Starting to develop some secondary notes I suppose and the primary fruit is receding. I must have caught that first bottle at just the wrong time.

Starting to pick up some menthol, tobacco and pencil box notes on the nose. Excellent.

3/17/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

A very enjoyable wine at this price point. Has enough acidity and brightness to make it an excellent food wine, and enough tannic structure to keep it from being a flabby fruit bomb that won't stand up as you finish the bottle after the meal.. The fruit is a mix of cherry, raspberry, and black cherry with a nice floral nose.

3/1/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

An excellent wine with a little air. Minerally. Laden with the elusive garrigue that marks many sublime southern rhones. Beautiful nose: raspberry and other dark red fruits. Wish I had more!

2/16/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

This is an FYI for everyone holding a bottle of this. I thought it would pair wonderfully with some lamb cooked on Saturday night. Uncorked it at noon, slow-oxed in the bottle until 4 and then into a wide decanter until 6.

But it was still a little tight and flinty.

Vacu-vined it and on Monday, tasted it again. Still not there. So re-vacu-vinned it.

Today - Tuesday it is singing. Just an amazing bottle of wine. Iodine, leather, typical Cornas yummy-ness. Beautiful nose, slightly floral still and totally balanced and beautiful.

Soooo - decant it for a long time or wait another five or ten years. But this is one seriously good bottle of wine.

2/2/2021 - clayh55 wrote:

Forgot I had this bottle. Think it may be over the hill now. Primary fruit is gone. Some floral notes on the nose. Tannins smooth. Low acidity. Nice, but not a show stopper

1/23/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Alas, this was my last bottle. It is in that transition phase from newer fruit-forward wine to an older secondary type of wine. My main impression was a core of black fruit, blackberry and some plum. Nose was just starting to get some of that pencil box note often seen in Bordeaux wines. Acidity and tannins extremely well balanced and fine. A very elegant wine that leans toward an old world style a little more than new world.

1/18/2021 - clayh55 wrote:

Abundant fruit. I get mostly sweet cherry and maybe red raspberry. A modest nose with maybe perhaps possibly a teeny bit of iodine. But overall, I think this wine lacks backbone. Tannins are gone if there ever were any, and the acidity is moderate. My gut tells me this wine won't age very well, but perhaps I should put my remaining bottle away for another ten years and prove myself wrong. This wine would taste great at a table with a loud bunch of friends, but in the time of covid, drinking it with a meal for two it is just underwhelming.

1/15/2021 - clayh55 Likes this wine:

Big, fruit forward. Tannins now softened up. Abundant black fruit, acidity is fairly low. Nose is dominated by the vanilla from the oak. Like the previous reviewer, my tastes have evolved to favor more old-world style wines that are perhaps less forgiving initially, but then gradually transform in the glass. This big boy hits you over the head with a Cab hammer right out of the bottle. It is exactly what you would expect from a well made Napa cab. Won't change your life however.