11/7/2015 - Bushwood wrote:

Had with dinner, slight plum/prune notes upon opening had me a bit concerned but faded as the back end pepper and spice took over. The fruit turned leaner and red with more time open, and there was a just the right amount of grip on the finish.

1/8/2009 - Bushwood wrote:

Only difference from my last bottle as the acid didn't seem to have quite the zip, a little oxidized feel.

1/1/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Good fairly straight forward Shiraz. Started to lean out with extended air. Good balance.

12/28/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

This bottle was much better than the 04 Rancho Ontiveros I had earlier in the month. On the nose it showed dark red fruits, funk and clove. The wine was nicely balanced with the acid integrated on a medium finish.

1/1/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Not my favorite but the people I brought it for liked it. Big and sweet fruit dominate the wine which is full bodied. There was a spice component that showed on the finish that I did like but still too much wine for me.

1/5/2009 - Bushwood wrote:

Drank better than I expected. Lemon cream and nice crispy acid. Fell off after extended air but still was a nice drink and qpr.

1/13/2009 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Nice red and blue fruits with spice. Leans out after air time with the acidity taking over.

1/14/2009 - Bushwood wrote:

After 45 min decant and 15 of that in the fridge to cool the temp. I was still disappointed at the alcohol on the finish. The nose was full of strawberry, pepper, and flowers. Light to slightly medium bodied mouthfeel that showed clean fruit. Extended airtime helped with the finish. Hold.

1/8/2009 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes but I liked this better than the 04 Rosella's over the holidays. Red fruit and spice the acid comes into balance with air. Drinking quite well now, I have one left which I'll hold for another year or so.

12/24/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

This was taken to a Holiday party so I got one of the first glasses and nursed it for 45 min. Dark muted purple in color, earthy almost like potting soil with black pepper on the nose. Has aged well with dark red and blue fruits, finishes with leathery somewhat rustic tannins.

12/26/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

An excellent bottle, showing a deep rich gold color with a nice nose of lemon cream and spice. Fairly viscous but the acidity balances it out. Great lemon citrus flavors with minerals and oak, just a wonderfully balanced bottle of Chardonnay.

12/25/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

I have to think this bottle was flawed in some way. The nose showed dark berry fruit and clove, but in the mouth there was nothing. Flat and grapey. Possibly heat damaged, but it didn't show stewed or prune notes?

12/25/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Funk and spice with bright cherry on the nose. Good mouthfeel trending to the leaner side. Fruit carried the wine upfront but finished a bit out of balance with heat dominating the finish. More air time might have helped. Served over 1.5 hour period.

11/27/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Consumed on Turkey Day with 05 Sandler Sonoma Coast and 04 Alesia Sonoma Coast. I really enjoyed this but it finished last of the 3 with the other guests. An unbeatable value that has just the right mix of fruit and spice and excellent mouthfeel. If price factors in your scoring this is easily in the 90's.

11/27/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Consumed on Turkey Day with 05 McHenry Santa Cruz and 04 Alesia Sonoma Coast. Best nose of the bunch probably second favorite overall. Showed a nice mix of fruit and earth/mushroom, very balanced.

11/27/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Consumed on Turkey Day with 05 McHenry Santa Cruz and 05 Sandler Sonoma Coast. This wine was the consensus winner. A bit heavier than expected with a nice mix of blue and red fruit.

12/5/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes, better than my last bottle in June. No heat on this bottle. No hurry to drink, showing well. Big blueberry fruit with firm tannins still present. Great QPR.

11/12/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

As others have stated this wine has heavy sediment and needs time in the decanter to try and integrate the tart acid, unfortunately this never happened for me. Acid was dominate throughout the wine even after a few hours in the decanter. My previous bottle was a much better experience, I'm concerned that more time will only exacerbate the problem.

10/30/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. My experience is similar to others, sweet red and blue fruit with citrus and spice. A very nice drink. No reason to hold.

9/10/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes, but this was an excellent Syrah that is showing beautifully right now.

9/10/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Decanted for an hour, porty nose as others suggest but doesn't carry through the palate. Red fruits, leather, and spice. Nice QPR. I have one more which I'll drink within the next year.

8/2/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Love the texture and balance of this wine. Stone fruit with hints of rose water and minerality. Long acidic finish.

8/1/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Showing well with forest floor, dried cherry notes, and spice. Good amount of tannins. Excellent food wine that will stand up to heartier fare. Great wine for the price.

7/21/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Not my favorite Trocken producer but a solid wine nonetheless. Racy acidity that tingles the tongue, underlying stone fruit with a touch of grass that is quickly washed away by the acid. Mouthfeel is full bodied but finishes clean. Obviously this needs time to unfold.

7/9/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Watery rim with some bricking. First impression is mostly Grenache with candied fruit aromas, brown sugar and some chalk. Red and blue fruits on the palate that are backed by chalky minerality and smoother tannins. And here comes the Syrah, after it has been open an hour or so black fruits emerge backed by iron. Not overly complex but the finish has really come together and is showing fairly long and focused for a wine at this price. A pretty impressive QPR. Drink if you gott'em.

7/8/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Old world in style, a Burgundy lovers Chateauneuf. The wine gained in complexity during the meal. Nice finish but nothing too long. A nice showing for 12 years from the vintage.

7/7/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

This is much better than my last bottle, which had raisin and prune notes throughout the nose and palate. The wine's nose shows dark cherry fruit with hints of brown sugar. In the mouth it is balanced with round black cherry and touches of tea. Nothing too complex but a very good QPR, I see no reason to hold.

7/4/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. The last wine of the evening on July 4th and it needed to be. A very unctuous wine that was like drinking blueberry syrup. There was no sign of heat from the 16.3% alcohol but it was evident in the weight of the wine. Another fun wine that worked well at its place in the line-up.

7/4/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Syrah-lite. Drank out of Mag on the 4th with smoked ribs. Best showing of this wine for me but still not worth the tariff on the magnum. A fun wine that didn't show any of the heat that was present in previous bottles.

6/29/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Upon opening the nose shows brett with some red fruit underneath. The palate is fairly simple, red fruit flavors with a good dose of brett that is backed by spritzy acidity. Not flawed but rater simple.

6/25/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Opened and poured a small taste; then into the decanter. Nose is muted, but Chardonnay aromas are evident with a touch of wet stones. In the mouth it begins focused, but expands quickly to show pineapple, lemon curd, and tropical notes that are followed by minerality and mouth coating toasty oak. The acid is balanced and the finish is medium. The oak is there however not overwhelming. A very expansive wine in the earlier stages that becomes more focused. It is a pleasure to drink. With more airtime the minerality has come more to the forefront, but it is still rich and creamy.

6/18/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

No formal notes. Needed time to open up or possibly warm up. It had pure Chardonnay fruit backed by mineral notes. Well built, nice mid-palate, the finish was long and lingering. I should comment on the alcohol since it is 16.6%, I didn't perceive any until the wine warmed to a temperature out of the normal serving range.

6/14/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

The nose shows blueberries, cherry and some alcohol is present on the back end. The palate is medium weight which reveals blue fruit that is backed by pepper, bittersweet chocolate and some heat. Tannins are noticeable but balanced. The heat was a little distracting but an overall enjoyable experience.

6/9/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

I think this wine is firmly in the drinking window. The first glass showed a fairly rich, youthful, mouthfeel however, it started to lean out quickly with the acid and tannins dominating the finish. Good upfront flavors of blackberry, anise, with hints of spice and roasted meats. Paired very well with spiced rubbed pork tenderloin on the grill. This wine needs food to showoff its true potential.

5/27/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

The bottle I had is not on its last legs. Slight dulling at the rim but nothing significant. The nose shows dark cherry, menthol, with hints of tobacco and barnyard. The weight is still fairly heavy but not as big and concentrated as earlier bottles (to be expected with aging). The flavors in the mouth mirrors that of the nose, with a touch of olive and bitter chocolate on the finish. Medium to long finish with no perception of heat. This has performed very well in the QPR category. I do find it interesting about cork failure mentioned previously, mine had a good run up to the middle of the cork but held off there. I would suggest checking in on the wine if you have multiple bottles left.

My only caveat is that I don't drink much Ausie wine and usually prefer leaner, cool climate Syrah. This was an experimental purchase to see how this developed and for 15-16 bucks, it did quite well.

5/19/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Upon opening, color is starting to dull with a slight watery rim. On the nose dried cherries and a hint of herbs and soy. After 3 hours in the decanter it is a bit more muted on the nose showing round cherry. In the mouth a mix of cranberry and tart cherry, with a slight bit of damp earth. Very typical of my impressions of Sonoma Coast Pinot. Lean and fairly straightforward with nice acid but the finish is a bit short. Overall an enjoyable experience that paired well with cedar plank salmon.

5/19/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Tried to pair this with crusted pork tenderloin with pomegranate sauce, didn't work. Tight upon opening and showed a touch of heat, after an hour or so it gained weight and moved to a Russian River profile. Heavier mouth feel with cola and macerated strawberries. Good wine but not what I was expecting from Sonoma Coast.

4/29/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Color was dark yellow with a nose of petrol and a hint of botrytis. Nice weight, not too heavy. The sugar was noticeable on the first glass but after that it seemed to meld into the wine (don't know if this is common with air or that I became used to it). The fruit flavors weren't overly complex but the minearlity stood out and acid structure on the finish was amazingingly fresh for an 18 year old wine. Excellent wine for under $20 before shipping. My first wine from Garagiste and it did not disappoint.

3/4/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Still fairly purple in color but starting to show red around the rim. Nice round nose of dried herbs and meat, small amount of iron in the background. Raspberry and dried cherry come through on the palate with nice structure throughout. Had with steak which worked well with the wines acidity. Wine continued to open up throughout the evening with the acid integrating with more air. It should continue to drink well for a few more years. I wasn't expecting much from this wine but it performed very well. 13.7% alcohol.

1/30/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Wonderful mix of round red fruit and spice on the nose with brickish color and heavy sediment. The palate was medium to light bodied with round cherry and a bit of orange peel that gave way to some nice clove and spice. It seems to be fully integrated at this point, my only detractor is the finish is short but I might be getting picky for a 7 year from vintage under $30 California Pinot.

1/22/2008 - Bushwood wrote:

Man do these get better with some age. Round nose of red fruit, very similar to Grenache. Red fruit and spice on the palate with no heat. Finish was integrated and smooth. Great juice for the price.

12/28/2007 - Bushwood wrote:

Somewhat disappointing. We had this Christmas Eve at Shiro in Pasadena, CA. The restaurant is known for its fried whole catfish with ginger. The nose was faint and the fruit was subtle, not very distinctive. The acid followed suit with not really enough umph to pick up the finish. Should have had it sooner.

12/28/2007 - Bushwood wrote:

Old and tired. Sentimental wine, the first time I purchased a full case on a visit to the winery. I split the case on futures with my then girlfriend now wife. Glad to see we've outlasted the bottle.

4/19/2007 - Bushwood wrote:

This wine was pretty disjointed and made it difficult to asses, probably should have decanted it. The varietals seemed to stick out so the Syrah overpowered at first, then the Grenache came out, but it never really came together. I have one more bottle and I will hold a bit longer. Consumed with basil lamb sausage on the grill.

4/15/2007 - Bushwood wrote:

Not my cup of tea, out of balance and a bit hot. Half the bottle drank like a Syrah and the other half showed brown sugar and red fruit. Obviously held on too long, I can't see this getting any better.

4/17/2007 - Bushwood wrote:

This wine is still dark purple with a slightly muted nose. Decanted for an hour it showed blue and black fruit with a small amount of pepper and a nice streak of minerality on the finish. The fruit had diminished more than I had expected, paired well with pork tenderloin. Good QPR Syrah. Hard to say about drinking window, if you have multiple bottles I would drink one soon.

4/14/2007 - Bushwood wrote:

Consumed on Easter with pulled pork. Still showing heavy fruit with a fair amount of alcohol on the finish. Don't know if it will ever come into balance.

4/4/2007 - Bushwood wrote:

A very solid wine for the price. Holding on well for a 6 year old Chardonnay. Lots of pear on the palate with a slight hint of nuttiness, otherwise clean with nice acidity that has integrated with age.

3/12/2007 - Bushwood wrote:

Light in color with garrigue, red fruits and some earth. Nice length on the finish and resolved tannins. Very nice QPR.

3/7/2007 - Bushwood wrote:

D