11/13/2023 - yhn wrote:

Clunky, awkward, imbalanced, harsh extraction. Very dark in character, charmless. Badly amateurish effort. This is way too dark to be just Mission, since that's a thin skinned grape. Mission is also quite tannic, so you want to avoid too much extraction and allow its tawny inclinations when fortified.

11/21/2014 - fournet wrote:

very closed and a bit past its prime

11/16/2018 - CarpeDiem! Does not like this wine:

Don’t waste your time, this wine is long gone.

1/20/2022 - ZekeBoston Does not like this wine:

I’d say this wine is flawed but it is the exact same experience I had with a bottle at a restaurant and it had the same issues. Someone earlier said it came across as a “dirty old wine” which I agree with. There are oxidative features that are hard to get past. RP points pointed this out and said it might haunt owners at a future date and gave it 95? With the dread ? LPB and JD gave it very high scores. Wonder if there are different bottles out there. Love right bank wines. Not this one. The 2000 was quite nice. Not sure what happened with some of these bottles.

11/26/2022 - thalver wrote:

CORKED! Little is more frustrating than coddling a bottle for 16 years only to find it tainted. What other items do we put up with such frequent failure with absolutely no ramifications for the maker of the product?

9/23/2022 - jocelyng wrote:

I won’t rate it. It is a very good Morgon. Strawberry pie, with baking spices and pepper. A lot of sour red fruits on the finish. The « problem » is that it is quite powerful. I prefer these kinds of wine lighter in general. So it is probably a 90+wine but I prefer a lighter style Cru of beaujolais to enjoy with a simple sandwich. If that makes any sense.

1/5/2022 - wetlandwino wrote:

This is an interesting desert wine, but not to my tasting. It is very botanical on the nose and palate, reminding me of root beer-flavored cough medicine when I was a kit. I tried pairing it with blue cheese (Gorgonzola), but it didn't help. I am still trying to find some food item that pairs well with it. Any ideas?

12/9/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:

95% Syrah with 5% Viognier. 50% whole cluster and just neutral wood. Love this stuff. Dried purple flowers/potpourri and ground black pepper aromatics, even a little bacon fat too. With no aeration this drinks super. Some plushness that is framed by blackberry, cherry and a bunch of tar, creosote and garrigue. Finishes with black licorice and a moderate kick of acidity. In contrast to the 2018, I suspect the 2019 will be attractive to a bigger audience. I like both vintages but the striking aromatics of the 2018 still haunt me. I wish Jackie and Paul Gordon the best, as they sold the vineyard and are going back to the UK. You guys made some of the best syrah in California and it will always hold a special place in the palates of many of the wine dorks, including me.

1/7/2022 - sohan.demel@gmail.com Does not like this wine:

This Pinot has complexity and high tannins. Wasn't my fave to drink by itself. It was more enjoyable and paired well with spicy Indian food. The tannins were negated by the Indian spice.

10/30/2021 - PIntag wrote:

13.5% abv. Recent auction purchase.
Interesting Napa Cab. There's a little bit of a roasted note that points to the hot vintage, but it's not too bad. Seems kind of tight and wound up still, even on the second evening (stoppered overnight). Acid was pretty high and stuck out a bit. Not the most attractive flavor profile but an interesting drink for the $22 I paid for it.

3/1/2007 - Yagil wrote:

undrinkable; yellow; bad smell

11/24/2019 - jaredoco wrote:

Bought at winery and travelled back to NY with us (via united airlines luggage). We intended to hold this for a while but the cork was leaking real bad. So we opened it, nervous it might be undrinkable. Turns out to be pretty tasty. The cork issue might’ve caused it to mature faster or something because it’s really savory & meaty but it’s still fruity too. There is the tiniest bit of that fizz on your tongue that you’d expect from a zero sulfur wine, so I guess it is kind of corked. Maybe we’ve been drinking too much natty wine lately but this was tasted like it was mostly fine. I want to find more bottles of it in NY cuz it’s an interesting wine, but nervous if this bottle was messed up by travel (none of the others we flew with were) or if this could be a trend with their wines.

1/25/2019 - KCC320 wrote:

Nose :mint, green pepper , ceder, tobacco
palate: nice acidity , a bit ripe on attack, tobacco, mint, smooth tannin, very matured !
Showing well how well of an aged Napa cab can be ! Only the bits of sweetness made it different from Bdx, but already a classic cab!

3/5/2020 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine:

Very good Tuesday night wine, but not life changing. Basic French Rhone blend (it says Syrah and old-vine Grenache)more approachable, very tame/lighter, but with some surprisingly good fruit complexity for the price. Highly recommend for the price point, not a stellar performer but at this price point you will have visions of being served this at a sidewalk cafe in France and just go...yessss. Every house wine should be this good.

6/24/2019 - acyso wrote:

Champagne, Riesling, and Bordeaux with Skippy (Chicago, IL): I didn't like this bottle anywhere as much as the bottle I had last year. The nose showed too much of the Cordier funk (which is far too close to TCA for my comfort), and the palate had a fairly dirty character as well. Lean and structured and a little meagre in the fruit department. I can understand the allure, but I'm impervious to this (lack of) charm.

4/15/2019 - VeniceCalif wrote:

Guess what: There are varying styles of Mission wines in CA. This one is from the lighter end of the spectrum. Decanted 1 hr. ahead. Very pale ruby with an orange edge, halfway between a Pinot Noir and a rosé. Nice but shy nose of cherry, white pepper, peach. Pleasant on the palate, with earthy and orange peel flavors leading. Quite light-bodied as befits the color, with easy acid balance. Finishes with light grip and low tannins. Only 2 barrels made.

9/29/2015 - tooch wrote:

Senndoff (Adrian's Apartment - Chicago, IL): Really liked the nose of this after it got some air. Had that classic, Lalande floral note along with some nice graphite and dark fruit tones. Smelled VERY Pauillac. Palate was edgy and firm. It was kinda a tough nut to crack, but I think that's somewhat typical for the vintage. While it won't have the fleshy character that some of the more generous vintages may have, this seemed to fit into the 1978, 1983, 2004 mold of stern, dark, unforgiving wines. May not work for some, but this was right in my wheelhouse for BDX.

5/10/2015 - jnewman77 wrote:

Classic cali style pinot with rich, ripe fruit, baking spices, and cola scents. The palate is forward and big, but reasonably balanced and overall pretty good. If ripe California pinot is your style this will be very enjoyable.

2/15/2013 - sbtoby wrote:

Still drinkable, but well past it's prime. Very musty and slightly mildewish. Seems like this was at one time a good wine.

1/13/2014 - yhn wrote:

No formal notes, but here's my impression: Well made, intense dark fruit, pretty extreme in whole cluster character and very complex. Very compelling and has the stuff to age. Initially tasted blind, at a winery, with Pinot Noir producers. No one thought this was a Pinot. Also, at this point, this wine shows zero vineyard character from what is a unique, and one of my favorite, Pinot Noir vineyards in California. Maybe, hopefully, time will change that. Duane Cronin, Frank Ashton and Ian Brand manged to make compelling PMR PNs. I would think the A-R guys, with their resources, would improve on that. Not sure they did, not sure how they could by using 100% whole cluster.

5/21/2008 - locovino wrote:

Stored in my cool temperature controlled cellar since release. Dark ruby color. Classic SC mountains Cabernet Sauvignon nose of pungent cassis, green olives and minerals. Well balanced in the mouth with some tannin and good acidity. Still moderately youthful with at least five more years of enjoyment ahead. Very nice Jimsomare.

11/9/2010 - Ekoostik wrote:

Probably was better 2 years ago as this seems to have lost its zip. Its not done by any means but I think I just like my Zin younger. A bit of raison and prune on the nosedecent cherry mid palate followed with some tartness and tannin on the finish. Fine for the $10 I paid but not worth anywhere near full tariff any longer.

12/29/2006 - psmith wrote:

Impromptu drinking (Columbus, OH): Labeled as "Ridge California Cabernet/Merlot Monte Bello" with a 85/15% Cab/Merlot blend with only 11 barrel total production. Seems like it may be an experimental wine. Color-wise showing very few signs of bricking or age. Classic, merlot influenced wine showing plum, menthol, and mushroom notes along with a distinct green streak. Grainy, tannic palate. Would never guess this is 30 years old, but hard to believe the fruit will last as long as the tannins. Enjoyable, and impressively robust, but not special.

11/18/2012 - Scharin wrote:

I think (if i recall correctly) this is a blend of Charbonno, Teraldego, Pinot Noir, and Tannat. Odd blend, but it really works. Nice nose with blackberries and dust. There's plenty of dark fruit, with some chalky earth, minerality, and light herbs. Moderate acidity with light tannins and just a bit of alcohol heat. This bottle was better on the second day, so clearly we didn't let it open enough.