3/14/2023 - Erik R. wrote:

Professional reviewer's drinking windows wildly optimistic. This is raisons and prune jucie.

11/2/2022 - Erik R. wrote:

loved it. deep color, sherried nutty tones, sweet floral fruit, apricot, juicy acidity balances the tannins, which are totally in check. One of the best skin contact wines in the world.

7/9/2022 - Erik R. wrote:

Dried leaves and fresh cherry aromas. Cherry, cranberry, subtle coffee, Forrest, very soft texture with resolves tannins and length.

5/25/2017 - Erik R. wrote:

Sweet nose of dried leaves, boysenberry, christmas spice, dusty trail, and a little bit of bourbon-y american oak and maybe some beef broth. Nice tense flavors, blackberry, black cherries, pepper, forest umami, raison and orange peel. plenty of juicy acidity. medium plus body, medium minus tannins. Long finish, with perfumed roses, black cherries and strawberries, along with darker fruit and wood shavings. grippy. I think this is entering maturity nicely, with some concentration and some earthy, lite woodsy dried fruit, savory, but still really bright. Lovely zin without the bombast of most cali zins, but by no means a new school light bodied zin either.

4/8/2022 - Erik R. wrote:

Bowl of dark room temperature berries on the nose, w/ tobacco leaves. Concentrated juicy elderberry, boysenberry, dried leaves that ebb and flow nicely. a great geyserville, tannins becoming resolved, still plenty of grip and acidity to match the concentrated dark fruit.Seems to have dropped some oak and sweetness, drinking tremendously. Fruit heavy, bracing acidity and well balanced. Terrific.

1/22/2022 - Erik R. wrote:

Brutally corked.

1/8/2022 - Erik R. wrote:

Pretty good! citrus blossoms, honeysuckle aromas. Lime, tropical fruit. solar, full, oily texture, with lime finish. Californian rhone.

12/15/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

Put me in the pleasantly surprised camp. Lovely tobacco, dried rose, sweet spice, maybe some black tea. dominated by a sweet cherry fruit, sweet onion jam, perhaps just a touch stewed, roses, violets, really nice balance all and all. firm, juicy, mostly resolved tannins. Loved this restrained beaut.

10/23/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

Lovely umami nose with mushroom, Parmesan, violets and tar. lots of rich, flashy dark cherry fruit and fine tannins.

9/12/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

This was awesome. White pepper and red fruit on the nose. So pure and full of energy.

7/7/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

Honestly, a little disappointing. mature color. wet clay and spiced plum nose. Everything is there, juicy acidity, red fruit, structure, tannins (still) but un-amplified and thin. bummer.

4/18/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

Red fruited aromas with cedar cigar box. Nice scuba texture, still a ton of tannins, which might outlive the fruit. A little sick on a peppery finish.

4/14/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

This guy is a zero zero wizard. Fresh pure stone cold Syrah. with subtle alpine herbs.

4/14/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

The best Rochioli Ive had. Less plodding, light and bright. Really excellent.

4/1/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

Brasil nuts and white flower aroma. Honey, a bit heavy, med. low acidity, with a nice finish.

3/24/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

A tale of two nights. On the first,tomato, pile of wet leaves. opened up to sweet prunes and dusty fruit. Rich, but also more tomato vine w/ an angular finish.

Night two: it came together much more elegantly, with vegatal notes going to the background behind some lacey delicate fruit.

3/18/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

maybe its the fact that this made it into the cellar for 16 months or so, but this is the best La Clarine Syrah I've had. Just a tiny bit of mouse, but structured kalamata, prune, and savory. Juicy, crunchy, but dark and serious. A hit.

3/2/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

Orange pink. Light musk and pink grapefruit pith & green olive pit. Pink grapefruit, pink lemonade, wild strawberry, firm-ish acidity, med. body--lots of nerve, very refreshing, just a little bitterness to balance the early spring fruit. Love it.

1/31/2021 - Erik R. wrote:

I didn't find this cooked or pruned as others did. Ripe? Yes. Predominate aroma of tobacco, with ripe sweet fruit and mushroom. Ripe dark, sour, and candied cherries, confected w/ wet tobacco. gritty, smarties candy, sour acid finish. Not super elegant, but interesting nonetheless. faded after a couple of hours, so I'd say drink up.

10/29/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

dark fruit, sawdust, balsamic. earthy, black licorice, in a nice, mature place.

9/29/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Came off as muted. A nice soil aroma. but a little lean. Lacked some acidity too. I don't see it getting better.

9/19/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Fresh and dried cherry notes. Cranberry, cherry, mountain herbs, very little spritz, firm acidity and plus tannins clip the finish. Sort of caught in the middle of a glou glou and something with more structure, which is a bit confusing. Still very fresh tasting and nervy.

8/27/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Layered aromas of black olives, frosting, roasting herbed leg of lamb, and higher-toned fruit. Rich in a subtly powerful way, with wild blackberries, a California chaparral/tingly mid-palate, just a ripping old school California syrah.

9/15/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Huge fruit and matching tart acidity. Blackberry, plum, chalk, cocoa. Plenty of fruit left on the palate. Blueberry, blackberry, coffee a little bit of olive tapenade. A piercing tartness keeps it fresh. Very fine tannins, prodigious length. I wouldn't necessarily say Northern Rhone, but the nerve at the center of this wine is quite nice. Did fall apart after a couple of hours, but that's no big knock in this wine.

8/21/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Crushed red raspberries, but not much of interest.

7/29/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Some nice creamy lemon curd and citrus, but to my taste, the oak is outlasting the minerals here.

6/14/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Corked

5/30/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Shut down at first, but a few hours of air opened up to clay, dark fruit, bitter chocolate, oregano. medium bodied, fresh acidity, medium plus tannins, an oak-free bandol, some phenolic/resiny notes on the bitter finish. A more finessed version of mourvedre, even in its tannic youth. My guess is that this will be a long ager.

5/22/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Light red or rose, either way. intoxicating sweet spice, italian amaro, and candied red fruit nose. light, peppery, sour cherries. for an "early drinker" quite a lot going on.

5/2/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

This might be my favorite MS wine. lemon, white flowers, low alc, easy drinking.

5/2/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

loved this. Juicy, feral, with some nice fresh herbs overlying the fruit.

4/5/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

tannic at first, smoothed out after a couple of hours in the decanter. Smoked meat (pepperoni) nose. Ash, creosote, minerally, chalky mouthfeel. Dark fruited, tannic, a little bitter on the finish. Very nice.

4/1/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Room temp. Slightly effervescent at first. Sour cherry strong herbal almost briny notes. Medium acidity, low tannins, sharp, and sour. Wild aussie hippie juice. Good times.

3/26/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Musky dark fruited seawater. chiseled acidity.

3/26/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Agree with Elycon's note. Cinnamon, nutmeg, apples. Rich and fun.

3/23/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

tobacco, dark cherry/raspberry fruit roll up, light VA. Lighter bodied, tart dark fruit, mineral crunch, with some tannic bite on the finish. Really good.

3/18/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

earthy dark fruit, dried leaves, stone. grippy texture, blackberry, forest, maybe a little corn chip on the finish. Nice stuff

3/15/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

gold color. apples and flowers and bread, nutmeg and pith, nice finish with some oxidised notes.

3/7/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Such a clever wine. Zin flavors without the flab. Slight cut grass on the nose, then bright bright sunshine red fruit, bursting crunchy zinberry. Invigorating. Clean and juicy. Like a new world Souhaut. I like Bedrock and Geyserville as much of the next guy, but surprised there aren't more carbo zins out there riding on Broc's coattails.

3/7/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Golden color. mature aromas of carmel, baked peach, and pineapple, but just short of honeyed over the hill scents. Broad palate with nectarine, golden apple peel and lime zest, with some nice acidity left. Notable that it lacks minerality. Rich, balanced, mature. Drink up.

3/6/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

So well put together. Bricking ruby. Black tea, plum and rose-centered potpourri on an amped up nose. Later, tobacco appears. Soft broad palate, with rich cherry fruit, some sage. Long sweet finish. Friendly tannins, this seems in a real good place, but will hold my last bottle for a few.

3/6/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

primary aromas of cranberry, grape, and bubblegum, with hints of sage. light, crunchy, primary, although it could be a bit more acidic and juicy, as the finish is clipped and a little bitter. Still a fun, good wine.

3/5/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

leather, green pepper, dusty cocoa powder, maybe a hint of brett that blew off. A nice lean cab franc.

1/15/2020 - Erik R. wrote:

Found this one for $4.99 in the closeout bin. The cork disintegrated on contact. Color of a light golden whiskey. But still alive. Some nutty, oxidised notes/baked golden apples. Sweet, nutty, with plenty of acidity left.baked fruit, yellow raisins. Pleasing, if fading on a tart fruit finish.

12/24/2019 - Erik R. wrote:

in great shape. singing.

12/7/2019 - Erik R. wrote:

ruby w/ bricking. mushroom, cherry. lacy texture, cedar, tangy cherry, orange. fully mature with a classy balance and nice tangy finish.

12/6/2019 - Erik R. wrote:

Pretty golden yellow. oak, banana, tangerine, very rich smelling. +alc, some acidity, well short of crisp, some lemon, but more butterscotch, tangerine, pear--its heavy fruited and well oaked. A little bitter on the lengthy finish.

10/18/2019 - Erik R. Likes this wine:

This wine is firing. Greenish straw. Golden apple, tarragon, floral, maybe some Calvastrano olive and a bunch of slate rock. Med- alc med+ acidity. Medium body, lemon curd , fuzzy, chalky. Both round and tart. Super fun.

10/6/2019 - Erik R. wrote:

racy and fun pet nat. Carbonic cherry and raspberry, tart, minerally and plus acidity, with a hint of corn chips on the finish. Very enjoyable.

9/30/2019 - Erik R. wrote:

Light green. Key lime and saffron nose. Lime custard, juicy, beeswax, a bit closed.