6/7/2017 - JHeinie wrote:

Needs at least an hour to decant. Very nice, notes of plum and blackberry with a hint of green vegetable. The vegetal quality wains as it decants and the body fills out. Had a big round mouth feel but the body required the decanting time.

5/31/2017 - JHeinie wrote:

Pleasant but very thin in body. Cassis and red fruit on the nose. Tobacco and vanilla on a medium finish. Very oddly light body for a cab.

1/23/2017 - JHeinie wrote:

This could be wine for people who don't much like red wine. This is the definition of over-extracted. I generally like jammy over extracted wine and that is what this is... I find it, pleasant a but sweet and certainly has not subtly or nuanced. It needs a half hour to open for the tannins to balance out the fruit from front to back. If you PNP you may be disappointed. Decent QPR as well.

1/21/2017 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 60F, allowed to breathe for an hour but still felt tight

Nice aromas of red fruit and baking spices. Very nice complexity as flavors transition. Red fruits and Cherries on the palette. Nice tobacco and baking spices and a pleasant tartness. Also some green vegetables. Nice big mouthfeel. I think this wine needs a few more hours right now and a few more years to maximize potential.

1/13/2017 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hours
Smoky and spices on the nose.
Big, accessable, heavy extraction. Over the top jammy. Some dark fruits some tartness and maybe a hint of menthol and a nice long finish that has smoke, tannins, and vanilla. Nice complexity as the layers walk across your palette.

Highly recommended and a nice QPR at ~$45.

1/7/2017 - JHeinie wrote:

Tropical nose, slightly acidic. Citrus and tropical fruits on the palette. Tart, very oakey. Strong french oak finish.

Not a huge fan of the QPR here.

12/31/2016 - JHeinie Does not like this wine:

Way over oaked. Seems to be a consistent theme with these folks.

12/26/2016 - JHeinie wrote:

On the nose there is cherry and strawberry, red fruits. On the palette it is sweet, jammy, expresses heavy red fruits. Probably one of the easiest to drink Pinot Noir's out there but it tastes like someone 'scienced the shit out of it". Decent QPR for quaffing.

12/26/2016 - JHeinie Does not like this wine:

Served at 62F and decanted for 30m

Aroma was mostly vegetal with some dark fruits and on the palette was the same. Herbs and green vegetables dominated the palette. Highly concentrated with a long finish of oak and vanilla. Did not enjoy. Very poor QPR.

12/25/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Fruit forward wine with dark fruit, spices and very little oak/tannins. Medium finish with some lingering spices and slightly herbal characteristics. Excellent QPR and a great choice for folks trying to avoid heavy tannins.

12/25/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Very pleasant and excellent QPR. Lots of dark fruit, oak and vanilla. Some folks commented on it being over oaked. I didn't it find it unpleasant but could see where some drinkers would find it heavy on the oak. Nice long finish.

12/25/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Jammy, heavily extracted flavors. Some spices and heat on the back end. Nice, deep, red fruits and plum up front. Sweet, but not overly sweet. Needs at least an hour to breathe for peak enjoyment. Very good.

12/16/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 55F, decanted for 30m.

Deep purple with ruby edges. Some sediment which was likely due to the lighter filtration process used here.

On the nose there is some sweetness (alcohol), red fruits, and spices.

On the palette, it is rich and jammy. There is plum and blackberry and a fair amount of sweetness. The tannins are well balanced and leave a medium to long finish. There are some very slight and pleasant herbal characteristics on the mid palette. There is a fantastic mouthfeel here that you'd expect at the price point. The alcohol (at this point) seems to nudge forward a hair too much. Very well integrated and the combination of french and american oak gives it a bit more complexity that I enjoy but I'm finding difficult to describe.

I'm partial to Bell and very much enjoy this wine. Highly recommend and a solid QPR at ~$40.

12/7/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Nose of apricot and peach

On the palette it is tropical, bright, crisp. Very mild effervescence. It is somewhat sweet and has a medium length finish that transitions from sweet green apple to tart.

Overall, I like it but it is a bit sweeter than I anticipated.

12/6/2016 - JHeinie Does not like this wine:

A nose of rubber and a can of tennis balls.

On the palette there is a dose of the same profile as the nose. The mid palette and finish are red fruits and tannins with a lingering tartness and vanilla.

Overall a poor QPR but nice to see Virginia taking a swing at making nice wine. I would try again if in the area but would not seek this out.

12/2/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 61F. Aerated and poured straight away.

Visually a deep purple with ruby edges.

On the nose there's black cherry and jammy sweetness coming from the hint of alcohol.

On the palette it's very jammy, over ripe fruits and a nice sweetness balanced by a nice dose of tannins. The finish is vanilla / oak. Limited complexity and layers. Alcohol is a tad strong / out of balance. (But come on, it's $12)

This is a great QPR and crowd pleaser. This is a good bottle to bring to a dinner party where you don't know what people like. Easy to drink and relatively well balanced. Highly recommended at its price point.

These reviews putting this at a 90+ are nuts. People are rating the value, not the wine. This is a nice wine at 84 points and an exceptional value. This isn't better or on par than your bottle of dominus -but certainly an amazing value.

11/27/2016 - JHeinie Does not like this wine:

Served at 61F, aerated and poured straight away.

Dark purple with ruby edges and medium legs.

Nose was floral with red fruits and expressed some acidity

On the palette there were red fruits again, and a high dose of acidity and tannins. No layers and very little complexity. The finish was medium and expressed an over-tartness.

I would not purchase this wine again.

11/27/2016 - JHeinie wrote:

Served at 61F, Aerated and poured immediately.

/Bad Bottle/

Over the course of an hour, this wine had no nose, and nothing on the palette. It didn't express the typical off-flavors of a wine that has turned but clearly this had something going on with it. No fruit, no nose or taste besides a bit of alcohol and acidity. Did not rate as a result. Will have to try again sometime.

11/27/2016 - JHeinie wrote:

Served at 55F and poured straight away.

Visibly it was a very light straw, translucent at the edges. No legs.

On the nose it has notes of melon, and a hint of something tropical.

On the palette it is dry, pleasant with notes of melon again and a high degree of acidity. The finish is medium to long and expresses fruit and a slightly overpowering acidity. There is little to no complexity or layers.

Overall an okay wine. Would not purchase again.

11/26/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 61F, decanted for 30m.

Visually, it's a deep purple with Ruby edges and long legs.

On the nose there are concentrated black fruits and it expresses heavy oak with hints of spice and black pepper, at the tail.

On the palette, you get hit immediately by black fruits- it's jammy, intense. It has a very large, round mouth feel. There's a nice structure and it quickly transitions from fruit to oak. There's so much oak it reminds me of bourbon or bourbon barrel aged beers. It's nice, though. It still has layers and complexity to it but finishes for a long time with tart black fruits, black pepper and heavy doses of intense oak.

This was a unique Zinfandel experience. I highly recommend it but am quite sure it won't be for everyone and perhaps will not be for folks who prefer old world wines. This is fruit and oak to the extreme, it screams new world- in the best possible way.

11/23/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 60F, decanted for 30m.

Visually it's a dark purple with ruby edges.

On the nose it has black fruits, strawberry and cassis. It also has baking spices and a hint of oak on the nose. This is when you know you are in for a good experience.

Initially a punch of fruit, strawberry, jammy and opulent. There is a nice bite of acidity in the layers and a bit of spiciness after the baking spices and oak.

The finish is slightly tannic and tart, oakey and medium in length.

A great one that should be more interesting over the next 10 years.

11/23/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 55F and poured straight away, no aerating or decanting.

This is a classic example of using judicious amounts of oak to potentially cover flaws. It's a nice, easy to drink wine, with some mellow tropical fruits and heavy dose of oak and vanilla. Aside from the oak, the alcohol, acidity and sweetness are in a very nice balance. Not bad for $10 if you like heavily oaked Chardonnay. Good QPR.

11/20/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 61F not aerated or decanted.

The nose was bright strawberry and cherry.

The palette was pleasantly muted as compared to the George's Deboeuf (non villages). Fruity, creamy even and some nice small bit of tannic complexity on the finish. A hint of spice, perhaps anise and a few layers.

Very nice Beaujolais Nouveau for 2016.

11/20/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 61F, not decanted or aerated.

Visually a deep red with light ruby edges. Very short legs.

Aroma was most notably banana and bright fruits like raspberry and cherry.

On the palette you get the initial and typical Beaujolais Nouveau banana that many are fond of. You also get bright raspberry and cherry.

The finish is very fruity with hints of smoke.

Overall a nice, not complex, easy to drink BN. For those that like BN, this delivers well.

11/17/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Disclaimer: when drinking, I had a cold and couldn't draw as much from it as I normally can.

Temperature was 69F and the bottle was aerated, decanted and given 30m to breathe.

Color was a deep reddish to purple with light purple edges. The legs were long.

On the nose there were red fruits and a bit of sweetness / alcohol.

On the palette there was more red fruit, cherry in particular and a nice amount of sweetness. There was a bit of alcohol and acidity showing some tiny balance flaws IMO. Not much complexity but a pleasant roundness in the mouth.

It reveals French oak on the finish. Nice tannins and vanilla with moderate length. Nice QPR if you can find ~$17.

11/14/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 62F allowed to breathe for one hour.

Visually- deep red, with ruby edges. Medium legs.

On the nose there were black fruits, sour cherry and some hints of baking spice.

On the palette it presented with some nice tart cherry, vanilla and a bit of spice. The mouthfeel is medium, it has moderate complexity and isn't overly acidic even with the tartness.

The finish is relatively long with a lingering dose of carmel like tannins after the sour cherry.

This is an excellent QPR. Drinks mostly like a zin, but the mourvedre and other varietals take it in a slightly different, tart and enjoyable direction.

11/12/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 57F aerated and allowed to breathe for 15m.

Presented visually with a deep purple with lighter purple edges.

The nose was blackberry and black cherry with hints of chocolate.

On the palette it's slightly sweet and has a nice, medium tart finish. There's black fruits and raisin on the tongue and nice balance. A fair amount of acidity lingers on the finish mixed with chocolate.

Overall, very interesting Macedonian wine. There may be better values out there but I enjoyed it. It is similar to a zin.

11/12/2016 - JHeinie wrote:

Served at 61F and allowed to breathe for an hour.

A deep purple with garnet edges.

Nose was a jammy raspberry. Slight scent of alcohol and notes of oak.

On the palette it presents with the raspberry jam initially, then followed by a saltiness, oak and acidity. The mouthfeel is small to moderate. The finish is moderate to long of the fruit, saltiness perhaps some tobacco and there is a high amount of acidity.

It's a low complexity wine and a decent price point. If you are a fan of pure malbec it's not bad. There is no evolution in your mouth with this wine. The nose, taste and finish are all the same. Still, at the price point it wasn't a disappointment.

10/27/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served around 65F. Decanted and poured straight away. (Was at a restaurant) Peaked after one hour of breathing.

Color was a deep red with ruby edges.

The nose was hints of vanilla, cocoa and leather with black fruits.

On the palette, it presented high intensity, very well structured, balanced and complex. Layers of fruit, plum, tobacco, and leather present nicely and leave a long finish with a slight expression of pepper at the tail. Very tannic in the best way.

Highly recommended and would love to try again in 5+ years to experience the evolution.

11/11/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 62F, aerated and allowed to breathe for about 30m.

Presented with deep purple with ruby edges

Nose had elements of oak, cocoa and a slight twinge of alcohol. High intensity, concentrated plum, cherry and cassis. A bit of alcohol and a great deal of oak on the long finish.

Very nice wine if you are okay with the slight mis-balance of alcohol and the intense oak.

10/14/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

It's been interesting watching Catena's pricing slowly climb since Nicolas Catena won that blind tasting in France in 2000 against Premier Crus (first growth Bordeauxs) and Opus One among others. I suppose if I had a winery that won those sort of contests I'd raise prices, too.

Served at 55F, aerated and allowed to breathe for 30m. The color was a deep purple.

On the nose there was a nice bit of blackberry and a pleasant slightly herbal note.

On the palette there is the expected and typical malbec black fruit (black cherry and blackberry). Not a tremendous amount of layers or complexity in this one. You quickly notice a well rounded mouth feel that coats your mouth and as you swallow you get an appreciation for the balance.

The finish is floral and slightly peppery.

Overall a nice wine. If you can find it for under $15, this is a good QPR.

11/8/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 55F after aerating and served immediately.

Dark red. The nose has cherry and red fruit with hints of oak / tobacco.

On the palette theres a nice balance of fruit and tannins. This wine isn't terribly complex but for $8 there is no better mouth feel available. The balance of alcohol, acidity and tannins forms a roundness in your mouth that usually eludes wines that are double and triple the price. The finish is oak and vanilla with traces of plum.

If you like Cabernet, there currently is no better QPR than this wine, right now. Well done, Columbia Crest.

11/8/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Was served at 55F and aerated then served immediately.

A very light straw color. Aroma is citrusy, lemony, white peach, somewhat tropical. The nose reminds me of the white Caymus Conundrum due to the honeysuckle.

Pleasantly acidic and bright, with a nice, longer than expected floral and lavender finish. Notes of lemon and grapefruit mix with the lavender. Would highly recommend. Very nice QPR.

11/6/2016 - JHeinie Likes this wine:

Served at 55F, aerated and allowed to breathe for about 30m. As the bottle breathed for the next two hours it continued to improved.

The color was a deep purple red. Red fruits and a slight tobacco and menthol nose. Structured, complex, red fruits, tobacco and vanilla on the palette. Nice round mouth feel with a long finish. Very nice QPR. A very enjoyable wine.

11/6/2016 - JHeinie wrote:

Was cellared at around 55F. This one needs to open for a long while, after only aerating it was very acidic and astringent. Was very nice 20 hours later, muted, floral, soft and not acidic at all. There probably was an element of expecting the acidity on round two and perhaps feeling overly relieved not to find it. As a result, I edited this review and knocked it down a few points from my previous rating. Notes of red fruit, berries and tree bark. Would like to have tried it after a few hours of opening to find the peak.