4/20/2016 - rdelf Likes this wine:

Drank for my birthday. While young, its super tasty and the finish lasts forever.

1/5/2015 - rdelf wrote:

A super heavy hammer, not worth the price. Opened a 3L bottle with Family for Turkey dinner... it was fun for that, I'm glad I opened it.

4/19/2014 - rdelf Likes this wine:

Very well structured, tannic but smooth.

3/15/2014 - rdelf Likes this wine:

Tart and structured with the full on big mouthfeel that comes with Chateauneufs. Cherries and plums, with a wonderful structure. Looking forward to the other 2 over the next 10 years.

12/25/2013 - rdelf wrote:

It's good. It's not great, and the QPR stinks. The jet helicopter vintage was nothing more than a gimmick to sell a thin, wet seasons fruit. It managed to open up over the course of a couple hours, and certainly had the smoothness you would expect.

4/7/2013 - rdelf wrote:

Popped two of these and was pretty disappointed with the qpr. The wine is good, but it's nothing exceptional. I'm willing to let the remaining 6 sleep for a decade.

2/9/2013 - rdelf Likes this wine:

Deep and Delicious Napa cab, Fruit forward, good solid structure, and a long finish.

12/24/2012 - rdelf Likes this wine:

This wine is one of the more incredible wines I've ever tasted. It jumps out of the glass at you, then spends the next three minutes creating flavors ranging from blackberries to leather. Wonderfully smooth. I want more.

12/24/2012 - rdelf wrote:

Will only improve with time, wonderfully complex napa cab.

4/25/2012 - rdelf wrote:

Great wine, right near the end of it's drinking timeline. If you have some of this - drink it... it wasn't as good as the first one I had 6 months ago.

11/11/2011 - rdelf wrote:

This was wine of the night at a WS95+ bring your own bottle evening with a bunch of muckety mucks... there were spectacular bottles there and this whooped ass. It's drinking perfectly right now, no questions asked. If you own some, drink it - time is of the essence, wait 5 years and you'll be cooking with it.

12/14/2011 - rdelf wrote:

Pop and pour. Berry nose, hot in the middle, vanilla and spice on the end - very smooth. Likely drank too young as evidenced by the slightly watery (read alcohol) middle that needs a little more time to integrate and bring more flavors out. They are in there.

11/13/2011 - rdelf wrote:

Excellent california cab.

11/5/2011 - rdelf wrote:

Decanted for an hour drank with some excellent NY Steaks. At first the nose was overpowered with alcohol, but then relaxed into dried fruits and cherries. On the palate the wine is silky smooth and coats your entire mouth with jammy goodness... which continues on for 5 minutes. I'm not going to touch the other two for 10 years, the structure is there.

10/5/2011 - rdelf wrote:

This is a good Syrah - a little rough around the edges - has some cough syrup qualities and burns a bit. Not exceptionally well rounded but pretty tasty overall.

7/6/2011 - rdelf wrote:

This wine needs to rest for 2+ hours in the decanter before its true colors appear. Amazing wine.

5/22/2011 - rdelf wrote:

meh.

3/26/2011 - rdelf wrote:

This is such an interesting wine, hard to figure it out. Overall, it's nice to drink and decanting pays off. For the price - tasty.

1/15/2011 - rdelf wrote:

Needed a little time to open up, delicious.

10/10/2010 - rdelf wrote:

If you're somewhere where they serve this, drink beer. This is not an acceptable wine and should not be called as such. I also don't buy the argument about the price... by the same token I COULD drink my mouthwash, but I don't.

10/24/2010 - rdelf wrote:

Decanted and drank with short ribs and turnip purée. Cherries and floral notes followed with tannic complexity that goes on forever

9/5/2010 - rdelf wrote:

Bought on a visit to the winery, drank that night with friends. Strawberrys, jam, coupled with a delicious earthyness, smooth silkiness in the finish that goes on forever. Super special Chateuanuef.

6/11/2010 - rdelf wrote:

This wine is sour, it tastes like kids sweet and sour candy - i would not recommend this wine to anyone, it's nasty. I almost want to take it back to the store - booooooo

5/14/2010 - rdelf wrote:

Brought to a restaurant for dinner. Didn't have enough time to decant it. Suspect there's something wonderful in here that needs another 5 on the rack. It's good now, but leave yourself at least an hour in the decanter.

4/17/2010 - rdelf wrote:

Tannic and watery, booo on this.

2/14/2010 - rdelf wrote:

Not sure about this - tannic, reductive, acidic with some fruit on a watery finish - not sure I'm excited about the other two bottles in the cellar.

2/3/2010 - rdelf wrote:

Tasty california chard. Not the best QPR.

1/24/2010 - rdelf wrote:

minerals and berrys on the nose. Light garnet, great acidity, complex long finish. Overall a very satisfying barbaresco

11/28/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Underwhelming. Returned the first bottle to the store (corked). 2nd Bottle was ok, complexity was not there, seemed pretty flat. Plenty of 25 dollar cabs that beat the pants off this.

10/4/2009 - rdelf wrote:

toasty nose with fruit, solid body, smotth ending.

9/29/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Sadly the bottle was oxidized. Tasted like martinellis :(

7/4/2009 - rdelf wrote:

As always, delicious, crisp and floral. Smooth and lovely with sandwiches in the summer.

6/25/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Nose is subtle at first, opens up with crushed rock and dry berry. In the mouth there is complexity with blueberry and tannin. With as much tannin, it finishes smooth - the balance is nice.

1/1/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Drank on new years. Was good.. but it was late. I need a breathalyzer on my wine cellar.

5/12/2009 - rdelf wrote:

The reason for the rating.... great for summer, great for food. Tastes like the beach - flowers, dry, light, eat a crab... do it now!

6/23/2009 - rdelf wrote:

This is a terrible representation of the area and varietal. Sulfur smell, wimpy mouth feel, and a burning finish. I would suggest you avoid this.

6/23/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Heavy tannin that didn't let up until the very end. Rock and Dry Cherry at the End.

6/19/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Oaky, buttery, with good melon and long smooth finish.

6/21/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Tried for the third time. Could very well just being drinking this too early, but even so... it's not my favorite. It's very light on the nose, you can smell dusty berries and a bit of oak, but overall kinda whimpy. The wine is light in the mouth and doesn't have very much depth, though the finish is long. Like I said, not my favorite Patz ever.

6/21/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Interesting nose, fruit and earth and a touch of something funky. Jammy upfront with more complexity then you would imagine, pencil in the finish and long through the mouth.. velvety.

5/14/2009 - rdelf wrote:

A little too much oak in my Pinot.

5/8/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Opens up with a delicious fruit nose then coupled with a tobaccoey earth and clove. Totally enjoyable all the way through. Complexity in the middle keeps it interesting.

4/20/2009 - rdelf wrote:

The wine opened up with smells of yeast and light minerals. On the palate there is a good amount of citrus with a buttery finish that does not overpower. Overall, this wine is light and delicious - one of the better Patz chards I've ever had - yum.

4/10/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Lots of graphite and acidity but well rounded with fruit. There is a darkness to the wine that makes it complex. Needs to breathe for a minimum of 30 mins.

3/12/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Begins with heavy oak and opens to a complex and surprisingly light array of citrus, flowers, and tannin.

2/19/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Frech styled, minerals upfront with a long finish of sponge toffee and citrus notes. One of my favorite P&H Chardonnay's yet.

2/12/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Deep and dark, wonderful nose, hints of candy with lots of fruit. Balanced by wonderful acidity. Will age well for a couple more years - too bad this was my last bottle.

2/7/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Great viognier, the sweetness balances the acid and makes for a wonderfully complex work.

2/11/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Deep garnet in color, the nose has chocolate and a hint of rose for sharpness - it finishes with berries and beeswax The taste opens slowly - tanic acid prepares for a rich toffee finish with notes of pencil lead that leads to an exceptionally smooth finish of black cherries. This bottle could use some aging to mellow the body. Nonetheless delicious as it stands.

1/28/2009 - rdelf wrote:

Absolutely delicious, dry cherry and caramel bouquet - lots of jam mixed with some leather with a lingering finish.