4/8/2024 - LCHammer Does not like this wine:

Appears I am the outlier on this one. It was decent initially, ok fruit on the front and mid palates with a little spice but had a short finish. No improvement on day 2 and the finish got somewhat sour. Could have been an off bottle. Worth the $13 I paid (but not much more). Maybe I'll try decanting the next bottle. I find it difficult to believe that this is from Pride Mountain.

3/31/2024 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Great zin. Lots of spice and non-jammy fruit. Went well with pasta, vodka sauce, and spicy sausage.

3/24/2024 - LCHammer Does not like this wine:

Guess I'm the outlier on this one. Lots of red fruit which fades mid palate and not much of a finish. Day 2 - Maybe one point better. Wine seemed to develop a little more structure. Day 3 - Started to fade. Given the stated occurrences of bottle to bottle variation in deNegoce wines, I've withheld rating for now. We'll see after a couple more bottles.
Most deNegoce wines I've tried are worth what I paid but not much more (but have not tried 385 or 401 yet).

2/15/2024 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Dark fruit, cocoa/mocha, and Asian spices mentioned on previous notes. Wonderful finish. One of the best QPR's around. Mellow tannins so drink within the next couple years.

2/13/2024 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Great drinker. Score may be biased low due to the big wines served prior.

2/13/2024 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Opened the bottle about 1 hr prior and it was ready to go. Great cab flavors and was loved by all at the SB party. Mellow tannins so it's not a long term keeper but great now and over the next few years.

2/1/2024 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

A blind guess is that this is a Paso GSM. Good fruit and some spice. The high alcohol didn't bother me at all, it was well concealed.

1/20/2024 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Ready to go right away (no decant). Mellowed tannins went great with steaks & lamb. Did get a little better as the night progressed so it still has life left. Unfortunately, it was my last one so I won't find out for sure.

1/15/2024 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Plum, baking spices, and beautiful tannins. Wonderful wine that went perfectly with prime rib. IMO drink now thru the next few years.

12/27/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Nice zin type fruit but a solid spice/pepper ending made it go surprisingly well with pasta/marinara/hot sausage. Very nice Primitivo.

12/27/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

92 on opening day and 93 on day 2. Tannins completely mellowed on day 2 to reveal the blackberries and baking spices that others describe as well as some nice mocha notes. Recommend drinking within a couple years.

12/13/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Another wonderful Aaron blend. Can't say about day 2 since it never lasts that long.

12/4/2023 - LCHammer wrote:

86 now but way too young for a petite syrah. Got better as time went on but bottle was gone in a couple hours. Wait 2-3 years or decant next bottles and should improve a couple points.

11/27/2023 - LCHammer wrote:

Day 1=86. No fruit and astringent.
Day 2=87. Much better - more fruit and a spice finish.
Day 3=88. Developed further. Spice and black fruit dominate.
I'll be holding my next bottle until 2027-2028.
You can do much better for the $$.

11/23/2023 - LCHammer wrote:

Agree with the soft tannin comment. 85 on Day 1 but improved to 86 on Days 2 & 3. Lack of deep fruit and seemed much better at the Mayo Food Pairing. Better stuff out there for the money.

11/21/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Funny wine. I liked it a lot but can't actually describe why. Possibly because it's cab franc based and I don't have much experience with that varietal. I know this review won't be much help to anyone but I wanted to put out there that it's a tasty, well made wine.

11/20/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Scottwhipp is right on. This is an excellent aged H Mtn wine. I recommend drinking soon as the tannins have REALLY softened. Not sure if it would last 5 more years but others disagree.

11/19/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

More towards the fruity style of syrah. Very enjoyable. Drink now.

10/30/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Good cab flavor profile although a bit thin. Finish was only ok. Very muted tannins so I suggest consuming now.
Good everyday drinker. Ok QPR, worth $30-$35 in my opinion.

Day 2 the wine actually got better. Didn't seem as thin and nice mocha notes came out. Up a point to 89.

10/16/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Wonderful cab. Has several years left. Great QPR.

9/18/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Always one of our favorite HS wines. Bold syrah profile gives it a great backbone and the grenache adds to the flavor profile.

9/8/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Solid syrah, better on Day 2.

9/6/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

I can see UP4WINE's comment about the alcohol on Day 1. However Day 2 was completely different. Wine had fruit, spice and a great finish. Great alone or with the jerk chicken thighs. Highly recommended and still has plenty of life left. I'll have to visit this producer on my next trip to Paso.

8/30/2023 - LCHammer Does not like this wine:

I like V Arroyo but this bottle was not that good.
Day 1 was sour/tart and not integrated at all (85 pts).
Day 2 was much better. More fruit, less tart, more full cab profile (88 pts). My expectation was further positive progress on Day 3.
Day 3 was a big step back. Over oxidized, raisiny flavors.
I don't think I'll be buying much more Arroyo cab. They seems too inconsistent and there are better options at this price point for my taste. I'll stick with his petite syrah and zin.

8/28/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

This is a wonderful wine and exceptional QPR. Very good on day 1 but a little short on the finish and tannins that were a bit tight. Day 2 was great. Fruit integrated and tannins smoothed out to form a great finish. I've paid a lot more and gotten a lot less. Highly recommended at the price point.

8/21/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Agree with previous poster. Nice light fruit. It also had just enough tannin to be ok with red pasta sauce. Good QPR.

7/30/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Every bottle gets better. 1 hr decant and it was ready to go. Great spice and dark berry profile. Smooth tannins. Drink now. IMO it is worth at least $50-60. Should have purchased more.

6/20/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Wonderful with short (2 Hr bottle decant) and even better on day 2. Don't know if it's the vineyard or the producer but I love this stuff.

5/25/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Much better than previous bottle. Surprisingly good cab flavors and tannins. Just as good on days 2 and 3. Completely changed my mind on this wine.

5/15/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

TALID called it well. A massive wine with earth, fruit, oak, and meaty notes. Decanted for 2 hours. Still has plenty of time left.

5/15/2023 - LCHammer wrote:

Very average cab. Decanted for 1 hr then corvained back into the bottle. Not bad but nothing noteworthy. Muted fruit and short finish. I've had better luck with other vintages of this wine. Being worse on day 2 and the very mellowed tannins suggest 2-3 more years tops.

5/7/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Needed about 2 hours, but surprisingly good. The Ps and Malbec were great additions. Lots of fruit (as stated in previous reviews). Finish was average to good. Enough tannin/acidity to go well with our sirloin tip roast. Not a long term cellar candidate. Worth the $38 I paid but would think twice at $50 or more.

5/5/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

No formal notes but a wonderful GSM blend. Even better on day 2. Ready to drink with a short decant but should hold for several more years.

4/24/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Excellent blend. No formal notes but not as massive as the other Aaron blends due to the high percentage of grenache. However it is very smooth and flavorful with a nice finish. Should age well for 5 years or so for the petite syrah to soften a bit.

4/19/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Way different (and better) than my last bottle in Dec. Put it thru an aerator and had more of a cab profile than the spiciness of the previous bottle. A great drinker but I hold to my opinion that it does not have long term aging potential. However I'll be happy to drink the rest of mine in the next 1-2 years. IMO this is a $40-$50 wine.

4/19/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Wife said not too jammy and went well with food.

4/17/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Good on PNP, better after an hour or so, fading on Day 2. No formal notes but I recall good plum type flavors and a little mocha.

4/13/2023 - LCHammer wrote:

Ok drinker the first day only. Good dark fruit and some spice. IMO, more Cali central coast rather than France.

4/9/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Great cab fruit profile with some mocha and just enough tannin left to hold it perfectly together. Nice long finish. 95 first day after a short decant. Maybe 93 or so on day 2 and still good (90 or so) on day 3. I'll drink the rest of mine in the next 3-4 years.

3/8/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Black pepper, spice, and enough (but not too much) jammy fruit. Great syrah flavor profile. Will buy again.

2/27/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Good but not as good as previous bottle. Tannins are smoothed out and I believe the wine has hit its' peak - so drink now.

2/14/2023 - LCHammer Does not like this wine:

Seemed way worse than my previous bottle. Not much fruit which didn't seem integrated with the tannins that remained. Got a bit better on day 2 but not much. You can find much better for the price.

1/18/2023 - LCHammer Does not like this wine:

About the same as my previous note. Very average and you can get much better for the price.

1/7/2023 - LCHammer Does not like this wine:

Tannic at first but ok after 2 hrs open and aeration. Not so good on day 2. Became disjointed and fruit faded. This was an oddball wine for my palate. I'll try another bottle in a couple years (but I don't have high hopes). Seems everybody else liked it more than me.

1/1/2023 - LCHammer wrote:

Agree with the dark cherry comments. They are not overpowering but leads the way through the cab sav palate. Also detected a bit of earthy notes and a little mocha. Great finish. No need for any extra air, ready to go now. Wish I had a few more.

1/1/2023 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Wonderful Cab Franc/Merlot blend. CF is higher % but IMO the merlot was the star by adding roundness and a great mouthfeel. Tannins mellowed and no decant required. Really a different and great change from Cab Sav and Cab Sav blends.

12/26/2022 - LCHammer Does not like this wine:

Muted nose but definite cab profile. Tight tannins. Seems like this one either need many years or was not to the taste of the guests. Try again in a year or 2.

12/26/2022 - LCHammer wrote:

Would not have blind guessed as a Napa cab, especially from the nose Seemed very spicy for a cab and the tannins were not intense. Not sure how this will age but a good drinker now

12/26/2022 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Massive but the fruit is showing well. Tannins are huge but will mellow with time to create a great wine. Give it at least 3 years hit its’ peak. 91 pts

12/26/2022 - LCHammer Likes this wine:

Gina's rating. Great, flavorful Paso GSM.