4/29/2023 - RJurman Does not like this wine:

Last Bottle hyped bottle. $145 from winery. $39.99 on Last Bottle. Splash decanted last night. Muted nose. Not much coming through at this point. Mid was hollow and and finish almost nonexistent.
To me this is drinking like a $10 bottle at this point. I will not go near another one of these for at least a couple of years but I don't see this one ever coming together

2/22/2022 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Could not agree more with the previous comment. I have documented this wine (2004 Vintage) over the years and it is a different wine now. From what was once a fruit bomb, in a very special way, has matured into a beautifully structured wine. I had one a couple of years ago and it seemed as if it had peaked but not this one. It was incredible. I have followed this winery over the years and I still feel this is the absolute best they have ever produced. Celia knocked this vintage out of the park.
Rocca Family makes great wines, but this one is just special!

1/13/2022 - RJurman Does not like this wine:

Very disappointing. Had this twice now and I am glad both bottles are gone.
Has a fake grape flavor that is hard to describe. For my taste this is a really poor example of a Pinot from Cakebread

12/31/2021 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Wines like this make me smile. A $59 bottle drinking like a much more expensive one. Slightly oaky but in a good way. Just a classy Napa Cab but balanced. Full bodied, with structure at this young age and a nice finish. Organically grown. Don't overthink this one. Just buy it and enjoy. You won't be disappointed.

12/3/2021 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Found this in the back of a Eurocave that died on me. I didn't expect much after reading the reviews but this is honestly in a really good place. Fruit was bright and this bottle showed no signs of decline. I would drink them now just because it it was drinking so well.

11/15/2021 - RJurman Likes this wine:

I trashed this wine in 2017. I didn't even know I had another one but figured I would give it a shot. Much to my surprise this wine has actually matured and was very good. The fruit was bright, and it gained some structure and balance. Still too much oak but I liked it.

11/15/2021 - RJurman wrote:

Stored perfectly. Cork just crumbled anyway.
Wine had this really bad metallic taste on the back end. Undrinkable.

4/17/2021 - RJurman wrote:

Medium body with a nice nose. Not very complex and seemed to fall apart after a couple of hours. I think it is definitely fading a bit. For the price, not a bad Napa Cab but drink them soon.

4/11/2021 - RJurman Likes this wine:

To say this amarone hits hard is an understatement. I have two black eyes from the experience.
However, it is an experience worth the price of admission. Deep color, with classic amarone profile. Well integrated and balanced which hides the 17% alcohol. Perfectly suited for rich fatty meats.
Certainly not for the faint at heart. Loved it!

4/4/2021 - RJurman wrote:

Decanted 3 hours and the nose was showing promise. Deep color with notes of blackberry & currant. However this wine is a pass for me. Flabby, one dimensional wine going nowhere. I would have enjoyed it at a $40 price point but for $110 it is not worth it. How someone here can rate this 99 points is beyond me and I agree the Parker was clearly having a bad day on his rating. Try a Delille D2 or D3 for $39.99. You will enjoy it more as will your wallet.

4/2/2021 - RJurman wrote:

Have reviewed this back in 12, & 14 with very different notes. Now in 2021.
After now having loved the 2003, and had the 09, 10, & 11, which were too young to fairly rate, I am convinced this vintage is a dud.
After an 8 hour decant this one is just not going anywhere. What makes these wines so enjoyable are the layers of complexity. To be honest, it's not a bad wine but just not on par with their other offerings I have tried.

1/7/2021 - RJurman wrote:

Same opinion as Braised. Not really feeling this wine.

1/7/2021 - RJurman Likes this wine:

What AlexFrank said is spot on for me. Surprisingly good

11/16/2020 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Let sit in the glass for 30 minutes. This is a very good example of a lower price bordeaux that is drinking far better than it's price point. Not a wine to drink with a steak, but simply put, just a very nice, well made wine.

6/30/2020 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Forgot I had this. Pop and pour but probably could have used an hour decant. Deep color, with a nose of dark cherries. A bit too much oak and a little syrupy for my taste but drinking well at this point. Medium finish with a bit of heat. Not a bad cabernet but nothing memorable either. Pretty bottle though.

6/14/2020 - RJurman Likes this wine:

I'm sticking with my review from a few years back. This wine is just overrated. How Parker rated it 98 points has me scratching my head.
Decent nose, medium bodied average cali cab. Not worth the $80 paid.

5/10/2020 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Pretty nose of cherry coke, strawberry and burnt rubber. Enjoyed this but no better than one of the single vineyard efforts. Underwhelmed for the price. I will stick with Kite's Rest moving forward.

3/29/2020 - RJurman Likes this wine:

I expected an average wine and was pleasantly surprised. Too often you pay a lot and are underwhelmed. This is a very nice wine for $40. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

3/23/2019 - RJurman wrote:

Purchased from Last Bottle and the cork basically disintegrated.

1/27/2019 - RJurman wrote:

I last reviewed this wine back in 2015. Now, almost 4 years later, the wine has certainly grown up, added some body and depth, but as with most of the other Vine Cliff wines I have had, I continue to be disappointed. It now reminds me of a Spanish fruit bomb, similar to a Clio or Alto Moncayo. Now that's not a bad thing but those are $40-$50 wines.
For $150.00, back in 2009, this was a poor QPR.

10/9/2018 - RJurman wrote:

Hyped on Last Bottle and so I purchased a few and like many others here was pretty disappointed. This is a decent weekday pizza wine but nothing more. Not worth the $44, as there are better options. It's not a bad wine, but with all the hype I just expected much more. My stupidity i guess.

4/19/2018 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Pleasantly surprised with this wine. A classic example of a wine I expected little from, and one that left me impressed. I wish this happened more frequently.
Just a really nice cab and a great qpr.

1/7/2018 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Initially tasted this back in 2013 and was not at all impressed. Age has done this bottle a world of good. It's integrated now and not all over the place. A big red. Perhaps a bit on the oaky side as evidenced by the vanilla but drinking very nicely.

12/28/2017 - RJurman wrote:

Yet another over-hyped Last Bottle wine. Not a bad wine, but more of a Tuesday night pizza wine. I suppose for $39 I can't really complain but I expected more than a flabby, medium weight wine with little to no finish.

12/15/2017 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Nice deep color, with nose of cedar, black currant, and cola. Medium finish. Still I find myself wanting more from this. I have been a huge fan of Rocca Family wines for a very long time but there used to be something special about them. The wines are still very good but lacking the "wow" effect of the older vintages. Just my opinion.

12/1/2017 - RJurman wrote:

Completely underwhelmed by this bottle. Nice nose, and a decent drinking cabernet but not not worth $80. The fruit seems to be fading and this was stored in a perfect environment. This is a bit more like a $30 QPR in my opinion.
EDIT.. Turned out that I was starting to get a really bad cold and I may have rated this wine unfairly. My pallet was compromised so I will come back to this in a week.

9/22/2017 - RJurman wrote:

Not sure how Primality could say this was big, bold & dusty but perhaps it may have been two years ago.
Totally forgettable Tuesday night pizza wine. I am not saying it is bad, just that it is simple and one dimensional. For $21, it's not bad but it's not very good either. Nothing happening here.

7/18/2017 - RJurman wrote:

About an hour decant. I would rate this as a fairly one dimensional wine with little structure and practically no finish whatsoever. Still, my wife and I enjoyed it. At $44, it is a decent QPR but seriously oversold by Last Bottle. A somewhat enjoyable weekday wine. Thin and somewhat flabby.

6/11/2017 - RJurman Does not like this wine:

Disappointed. Pretty thin and average. Really not much going on here. Some cherry notes and a bit of tobacco but it never comes together. We finished the bottle with a NY strip steak but we were all underwhelmed.

3/22/2017 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Nice nose of black cherry and spices, medium ruby in color. A medium to full bodied Pinot. Very similar to my last rating on this. Nice drinker, and enjoyable but noting that really stands out as spectacular.

3/19/2017 - RJurman wrote:

I've been a fan of this wine in the past but this bottle was an over extracted mess. Sweet, and fairly one dimensional. Maybe the bottle was off but this was the worst Veraton I have ever had. It was drinkable, but not that enjoyable.

3/19/2017 - RJurman wrote:

Probably not fair to rate this wine so young. Fast decant and will not make this mistake again. Big wine and I too found the tannins a bit grippy. Nose was muted and this wine certainly needed more time than allotted to open up. Lay these down for a few years and I think you will be rewarded. Good now, but could be great in a few years.

2/16/2017 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Exactly what Yack Man said. I've been a Mike Smith fan for years and have a lot of Myriad in my cellar but mostly the higher end juice. This is no slouch and exceeded my expectations.

8/4/2016 - RJurman wrote:

Nothing really going on here at this state. Perhaps just too young but I'm just not feeling the love. Decanted for 3 hours. Medium bodied, nice color, but disjointed. Hold for a bit longer

7/2/2016 - RJurman Likes this wine:

I last rated this wine back in 2009, but what a difference several years has made. Bottle 9 of 12 purchased in 2006 and stored perfectly. 2 hour decant, and this wine is practically flawless. Nice barnyard nose as expected but it has evolved into so much more. Brick in color, meaty and big yet elegant. Musty, with layers of complexity. Drinking perfectly and still has the structure to last for many more years. I say why wait? Drink up and enjoy.

6/9/2016 - RJurman Likes this wine:

STUDLEYTREY review is spot on, and accurate. My review would be exactly the same for the most part.

3/27/2016 - RJurman Does not like this wine:

Stored properly but it's done. The nose was still quite nice but it ended there. It's just past it's prime and faded away. Cooking wine at best.

3/21/2016 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Raisins, plum, black cherries, and prunes. Do you like these fruits? If not, avoid this Amarone. If you like them, this is really very good. The 2007 was a bit more structured and silky but this is really good. Still too much alcohol though. Day one was good. Day 2 is much better as the alcohol has settled a bit. Not for anyone with a heart condition! Enjoy

2/18/2016 - RJurman wrote:

Jammy, fruit bomb with way too much alcohol. 16.5%? I can't tell if I actually like it, or if I am too trashed to know any better. And this after one glass. Took me 20 minutes to get the hard wax off the top. Now I'm just being nit picky. Just not for me but Aussie shiraz lovers may really like this

2/17/2016 - RJurman wrote:

I've been a huge Rocca Family fan over the years but this wine let me down. From such a great vintage, there is just nothing special here. Just a fairly average cabernet that is overpriced for this quality. Decanted 2 hours. Nice nose, medium to full bodied. Shallow and lacking complexity.

2/17/2016 - RJurman Likes this wine:

I had never tried this wine before but got a killer deal from Last Bottle after some write-up of 98 points. First off, this wine is not even close to 98 points but it was surprisingly good and a great QPR. Lots of oak and vanilla. A bit of tobacco. Short finish. I'm no expert but I would drink these over the next 5 years or so. Still, a nice wine and certainly worth the price.

12/10/2015 - RJurman wrote:

At $60, this would be a nice wine but at $150.00, it is very disappointing. Decanted a few hours to be fair. Full bodied cab, with nice color. Not nearly as complex as I would have hoped but the finish is decent. Over extracted. I keep wanting to say something more positive but I just can't. Pass for me at this price

11/13/2015 - RJurman wrote:

A bit oversold by Last Bottle but a decent effort from Caymus. Deep purple color with a nice medium weight. Leather, chocolate & very spicy. A bit over extracted for my taste. Also beware. Pour out the last ounce or two. This bottle had a massive amount of sediment.

11/3/2015 - RJurman Likes this wine:

I just love this stuff. Always consistent and delicious.

10/22/2015 - RJurman wrote:

Pop and pour and drank over a 4 hour period. Nose of stinky earth. Nice brick color on edges and I feel as if this wine has peaked. Medium bodied but not much structure . One dimensional. My wife loved it but I was not a fan and I do enjoy cab franc. Not a veggie to be found. Nice for the $19.99 paid but I won't drink my remaining bottles. I'm thinking holiday gifts.

10/17/2015 - RJurman wrote:

Totally agree with last review. I think this wine is on the decline. Initial blast of sweetness which quickly faded. That's a good thing but it quickly fell apart. Medium bodied with lots of vanilla. I would drink now and expect little at this point.

5/1/2015 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Elegant. In my opinion, near perfect at this stage. A quick table decant at a steak house and this did not disappoint. We were a party of 4, and fortunately for us, 2 were drinking beer. Their loss. Enjoyed over a 3 hour period and savored to the last sip. I will be buying a few of these

4/20/2015 - RJurman wrote:

Nice nose but I found this wine a bit thin. Enjoyable? Absolutely but it lacks structure and balance. I enjoyed it, but just expected more at this price point.

3/26/2015 - RJurman Likes this wine:

Perhaps a bit less complex than the past Staglin's I have had but drinking really well. It's very good!

3/22/2015 - RJurman Does not like this wine:

Not feeling this wine. Great color but that's where it ends for me. I love Spanish wines but this falls short on many levels. For $39, you can do much better. Just tried another bottle, and I like it even less. A 92 point score on this wine is outright nonsense.