4/19/2014 - spo Likes this wine:

Tight middle aged nebbiolo. Nice qualities and Barolos always seem like they need a few more years.

4/19/2014 - spo Does not like this wine:

Dead

4/19/2014 - spo Likes this wine:

Solid and reserved but I am not spending my $ on Bordeaux anymore.

3/20/2014 - spo Likes this wine:

Sandalwood, tar, chocolate, fig, blackberry. Nice wine for a low price but not really as good as a nice Valpolicello Ripasso or a proper Amarone. 60% merlot then corvina.

3/20/2014 - spo Likes this wine:

Deep cherry fruit, spices and pastry-like. Nice. Wish I tried this on release though. I think most pv is best young.

2/22/2014 - spo Likes this wine:

Strawberry, raspberry and a little grapey with some tar.

2/16/2014 - spo wrote:

What a disappointment. Last night it had appealing fruit but was harsh. Today it is just flat.

2/2/2014 - spo Likes this wine:

Sweet blackberry, orange a little woodsy and floral. Has that weird malbec flavor but really clean.

1/25/2014 - spo wrote:

A little bite at the end that detracts from the experience.

1/25/2014 - spo Likes this wine:

A little medicinal, with citrus peel, strawberry and gamy. Lean, noticeable tannin.

1/19/2014 - spo Likes this wine:

Pleasantly sweet, but not too sweet. In between old and new. I like this at less than $20.

1/11/2014 - spo Likes this wine:

Really ripe Paso fruit but with some rustic and gamy flavor.

12/30/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Interesting but on the austere side.

12/15/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

On opening this does have that Loire Cot/Cahors funk, bitter, sour bite. In about 30 minutes blackberry fruit and clove kick in. It all integrates well into a seemingly dry wine with a sweet finish. I like Washington malbec.

12/14/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Earthy, savory, fruit is in the background and pepper. Feels pretty structured but drinkable.

12/8/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Dry for a Ripasso. Rustic and gamy with fig, strawberry and spice.

12/6/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Plummy, savory, gamy, rustic, earthy, spicy and kind of funky. Enjoyable and reminds me of malbec from France.

11/29/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Had the forest and mushroom qualities with nice fruit. A little tight still but don't mind. For the money I spent on this it would have been smarter to get an 01 that might be a little more giving.

11/23/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Blackberry jam, vanilla and black pepper. Pleasantly sweet and not overboard.

11/10/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

This needs 30-60 minutes of air. Restrained. Blueberry, herbal or floral or something, cocoa and pepper. Has some tannin and little bitter but not in a bad way.

10/19/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Candied red fruit and cola.

10/19/2013 - spo Does not like this wine:

Musty with bell pepper. Some other positive attributes but the first two were so dominant.

10/12/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Real grapey, not bad like cheap pinot though. Stone/mineral and black pepper with an appealing acid. Great for a style I am not that keen on.

10/9/2013 - spo wrote:

Not getting much from this. Kind of astringent and sharp. My local wine shop loved this and so did Stephen Tanzer (he gave it 95 points).

10/7/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

This wine has well integrated and complex flavors. Elements of it remind me of cherry, leather, dust, balsamic, forest, cedar and chocolate. It is tannic, drinks well in spite of that but lacks the cohesion of a completely resolved wine.

10/5/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Plummy fruit that makes me think of young wine. Spicy with orange and a cherry finish. Prefer Reserva level Rioja but sometimes want to try something new.

8/11/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Raspberry, strawberry, a little jammy, with coconut and some mineral. Better without food but stands up to meat.

8/8/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Vanilla, caramel, spice and ripe Paso fruit. 90 maybe 91 pointer. I like this at about 35 but any higher is pushing it.

7/28/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Cherry, vanilla, mainly on the sweet side with a hint of smoke and leather. A little over the top but still likeable.

7/26/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Very un-nebbiolo-like. This has more in common with something like a lagrein or one of those wines from Alto Adige or Valle de Aosta made by some unknown grape. A great Italian red though. Tannin is felt on the lips but not on the palate and this is a little fuller and far less acidic than most nebbiolos I have tried. Earthy, powdery, red fruit, citrus, funky and rustic but clean, well made and accessible.

7/12/2013 - spo wrote:

Blackberry, vanilla and spice. A little rough. For my tempranillo fix I usually do Rioja and rarely get Ribera and this reminds me why. The Rioja are smoother, mellower and just show more. An 84 pointer.

7/10/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Really nice Cabernet. Good fruit with dry and savory character.

7/10/2013 - spo wrote:

I brought this to drink with a few wine lovers. It was ok but have had better experiences with Ripassos that were $15 - $25.

4/27/2013 - spo wrote:

Description on bottle mentioned peach, honey and apricot which is exactly what I was in the mood for but this just tasted like apple juice. Grabbed this in a pinch at Costco.

4/27/2013 - spo wrote:

Better at room temperature. Peach, flowers, pineapple etc. Full not too fat with some acid on the backend.

4/13/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Stemmy, earthy, with cocoa and coffee. Cherry and strawberry fruit that is sweet but balanced by savory and funky flavors . Feels structured but not inaccesible.

4/10/2013 - spo wrote:

Loved the flavor, definately what I am looking for in a cab or merlot. Cherry, mint, cedar, asphalt... tastes great.... no off flavors such as metal, wood or vegetables but too darn astringent to be accesible.

4/10/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, earth, cocoa and leather. Big tannins but they do not affect drinkability. Fruit is a little jammy but the wine is not over the top. Good acid.

I accidentally opened this instead of their syrah/grenache/mourvedre blend and had I not looked at the label again that is what I would think I was drinking.

4/4/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Papaya, lime and flowers. Liked last vintage quite a bit better.

3/30/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Strawberry, rhubarb and leather when first opened. Then cherry and cocoa and eventually a very primary fruit. Astringent tannins felt on lips but not unpleasant on the palate. Seemed to get acidic and pick up body while evolving. Had mostly bad luck with nebbiolo lately but this was nice.

2nd night = austere.

3/25/2013 - spo wrote:

Australian-esque fruit, a little syrupy, lavender, floral and some Gigondas type rustic quality. Quite different from just a few months ago and quite surprising.

3/21/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Jammy blueberry, coffee and a hint of fig and brown sugar. Opened this 2 days ago and enjoyed it the first evening as well when it as drier with cherry flavor and a little stemmy.

3/9/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Plum, black pepper and dusty with a little chocolate. Had an edge to it as if it were hinting at being vegetal or stemmy but was not real forward with either.

3/3/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Asphalt, flowers, chocolate and typical WA merlot fruit. Strong and powerful.

3/3/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Mineral, earth, lavendar, some coffee and fruit in the background. Reserved, possibly closed.

2/24/2013 - spo wrote:

Dark fruit, cocoa and on the drier side but has a sweet finish. Nice but one of those wines you need to take your time with between sips. Currently too tannic.

2/23/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

I opened this last night. Raspberry, cherry, coffee and asphalt with some earth/funk. Appealing but sharp. Today a stoney mineral and blackberry fruit, less flavor but more mellow and palatable. More acidic than I expected.

These guys do make a nice cabernet franc too.

2/18/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Raisin, spice, orange, cramel/maple and kind of robust and rustic. Better on 2nd day and nice to have on hand.

2/17/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Plum, cherry, bacon, earthy/dusty, funky and maybe slightly weedy but it works. On the reserved side, old school, good alternative to a Bordeaux.

2/14/2013 - spo Likes this wine:

Definately not green. Nice cab. Just had a 3 ounce pour and my last of the flight so don't really remember the details