4/26/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, this one really lit us up... big and brawny but smooth as a baby's bottom. Huge Syrah flavors that reminded us of Grenache. Never tasted a Syrah this smooth and no bite at all. Bravo!

4/22/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what a treat! The Petite Syrah is not a grape we know so it was sort of new to us, and we loved it. Not as stiff as a Cab or Syrah, but not as soft as a Grenache or Merlot, kind of right in the middle. Full-flavored and very smooth, a pleasure with linguine in white clam sauce... a 4-star home dinner :)

4/21/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We agree with everybody else, a decent Cab at a very good price. A good quaff for the money.

4/20/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We are big Martinelli fans and this one is an example of why... big and full, but super smooth, fully ripe and a pleasure to drink. A wine for real Zin lovers :)

4/19/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Yes, 94 like everybody else... a LOVELY Pinot full of flavor and smooth as silk. Perfectly ripe and a delight with sole.

4/18/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what an SB! Yes, pricey... but worth it. Among the best SBs I've ever had, back to the 2005 Rochioli. Buy some.

4/15/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Surprisingly good for a 40-year-old second tier winery. Fruit has faded but isn't gone, still tastes like a Cab. As expected, brick color and a bit of tartness creeping in, yet not bad for a senior citizen.

4/13/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Hard to call a 92 disappointing but we have had better vintages of this wine.. Yes, it was big and full, distinct plum taste, but not as big or complex as previous years. Oh well, we are rabid Martinelli fans, are willing to overlook an occasional slip.

4/12/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

This is our house slurp, a big mouthful of fruit and the best screw-top in the business. Better yet, it's on sale locally at $16.99 -- you could be charged with larceny at that price! Bravo!

4/11/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Can't give the wine itself more than 90, but we enjoyed it more than that... maybe it's the memories of one of the great California pioneers. Amazing that it's 50 years old and still an enjoyable wine. A treat to drink and remember with 1974 Phelps Martha's Vineyard and Mondavi Reserve, two 100-point wines.

4/10/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

On the ropes but not out yet... quite brown and flavors have faded, but still enough there to enjoy. A grand old gal still providing pleasure after 50 years!

4/9/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what a nice surprise! It wasn't this good in its heyday... a beautiful example of a mature CA Cab... but 40 years old? I never suspected it would be this good. What fun :)

4/7/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what a beauty! Huge but smooth, a hint of sweetness. Wasn't this good in its prime... wish we had more :(

4/5/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Last bottle, best bottle... 45 minutes in decanter and it blossomed. Big and full but soft, a lovely mature Margaux. A treat to drink.

4/3/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Serviceable but forgettable... kind of routine, won't win any awards. Not a buyer.

4/1/2024 - seijaro wrote:

I'd be reluctant to put my name on this label. Not much here, just red and way overpriced. Never again.

3/30/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A lovely Gewurtz, apricots in the nose and the taste. Sweet but not overly, great fun to drink with Quiche.

3/29/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Want some red alcohol and only have 20 bucks to spend? Here ya go!

3/29/2024 - seijaro wrote:

I guess we're just not Beaujolais drinkers, it left us cold. Kind of thin and a bit austere.

3/27/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Another nondescript blend trading on the parent name. If you are tempted to buy it, walk down to the other end of the shelf and look for either Conundrum or Educated Guess red blends, both are better at half the price.

3/26/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Trading on the Duckhorn reputation, not worth $40 by a long shot. Rather a nondescript red that has a bit of a tang to it. For a red blend we MUCH prefer Conundrum or Educated Guess at half the price. Certainly won't buy more.

3/24/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Not much there, it tastes like Cabernet but that's about all.

3/23/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Not much here... a nondescript Cab that should have been better. Oh well.

3/22/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A lovely Pinot, more Burgundian than the CA fruit bombs we usually drink (and love). Pure, clean Pinot tastes, we got the cherry DENISONTB here suggested. Not cheap but a fair price for this lovely wine, will buy a few more.

3/21/2024 - seijaro wrote:

We drank a lot of Molly back in the day, especially Blue Eyed Boy and Carnival of Love. When the couple who owned it divorced, he left and the wines fell off a cliff for us so we quit buying it. I bought this today out of curiosity, was sorry I did.

3/20/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Pretty nice but faded... soft flavors with no overt character, just a mild pleasant red.

3/19/2024 - seijaro wrote:

What a beauty! So big, yet smooth and well knit. I could drink this one every day.

3/17/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what a surprise! A 39-year-old cellar orphan, a low-end Cab when bought, and still excellent, as good as it ever was in its day. Nice nose, good color, too. Another testament to perfect storage.
Some may wonder how I have so many oldies left undrunk... it happens several ways: one is you drink 8 or 9 bottles of a case and kind of get tired of it, so put the last two or three on a bottom shelf. Another is that it's just not as good as you thought when you bought it. A third is that it's really good and you save a couple to have with company, then forget about them. A fourth is that you get other stuff you like a lot more, so every time you browse for dinner you pass it up in favor of the new ones. The result is I probably have 20 or more orphans left down there that I bring up now and then not expecting much, am surprised when they are good like this one.

3/15/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

My 2019 tasting note was right on the money... It's the Chateauneuf recipe done New World style: much bigger and fuller than a French CDP, yet smooth as silk. What a treat!

3/10/2024 - seijaro wrote:

What a waste of money! We didn't get much taste even when it finally opened after two hours. Big, but tasted like a generic red. At least I can lay my curiosity about Carmenere to rest, as I did with Malbec. On that basis, I guess it was worth it. We will stay home with CA wines at reasonable prices.

3/10/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Another bottle but not nearly as successful as our last one. We expected another killer and were a bit disappointed. Still great fun to drink as we are Grenache fans. One bottle left, we'll see where it stands between our 92 and 96 scores.

3/10/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Pleasant after some air time, but flavors remained subdued. Kind of pricey at $30, we can drink better for less.

3/3/2024 - seijaro wrote:

My brother recommended this wine 4 or 5 years ago and we enjoyed it as a cheap Pinot slurp (especially chilled!). I saw it last month while shopping and was curious if it was still a bargain... NOT... we poured it out.

2/27/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A year was not enough, it needs at least two more to develop and soften. It's big and a mouthful of Pinot flavors, should be super eventually, but not yet.

2/26/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Tasted pretty good for an undefined blend, easy to drink. Best after an hour in decanter, began to fade and get tart at 90 minutes. Decent value if you don't expect much, but not a buyer.

2/24/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We really enjoyed this one, it's a grape we rarely have and so is not very familiar to us. It was full and juicy, with a novel flavor that went really well with pasta aglio y olio.

2/23/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

What a lovely wine! Mouth-filling flavor but smooth as silk. The Grenache was singing :)

2/22/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Wasn't our favorite... it seemed thin and had an astringency in the finish that was unattractive. We like Pinot to be soft and lush, this wasn't.

2/21/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A nice Pinot quaff at a fair price... easy drinking, nice Pinot flavors.

2/20/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A big sturdy Pinot that needs a couple of years to gentle out a bit. Some Pinots are soft and friendly, this one is firm and a little sharp. Quite delicious but will be better with some time to get softer.

2/20/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Either it needed more time when we rated it last year or there is bottle variation. We really liked this bottle and I think it will replace the NZ Babich that has been our House SB for five years (at least for a while). Typical of the CA vs NZ treatment, there's very little citrus in this one, lots of melon. Quite delicious, a crowd-pleaser.

2/21 Another bottle, SO enjoyable! It's officially on the House White list, will go back for a case tomorrow :)

2/19/2024 - seijaro wrote:

We agree it's a nice wine for the price... pleasant palette of CA Chard flavors all in balance. A good buy.

2/18/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We liked this one despite a punky nose that crept in after 30 minutes. Flavors were pure CA Sauvignon with very little citrus. A nice lunch wine but a bit overpriced compared to some nicer ones in the mid-teens. For example, we like their $15 Decoy SB better and will add that one to the House White list.

2/18/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Second in a flight of three with 2016 Cos D'Estournel and 2014 Quilceda Creek. Around the table 93, 95, 95, 95. It's hard for a Syrah to hang in there with the top Cabs but this one did. Gave it a two hour double decant, but even so it showed a marked improvement from the initial 93, 93, 93, 94 after 45 minutres.

2/18/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

2 1/2 hour double decant, third place in a flight of three: 94,94,95,95. A lovely Bordeaux that is ripe and delicious. Competitors were 2014 Quilceda Creek, the winner with one 95 and three 97s, second was Booker ONES Syrah with a 93 and three 95s. After an hour, the Cos slipped a point with two tasters, while both the others improved a point with everybody. Nevertheless, a treat to drink this dependably good Bordeaux.

2/18/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

The wire-to-wire winner in a flight of three with 2016 Cos D'Estornel 94,94,95,95, 2016 Booker Ones Syrah 93,95,95,95. Scores around the table: 95, 97, 97, 97. A delicious Cab that held on all day while the others faded a bit. A full-throated Cab bursting with flavor. To catch up with the others, I poured it back and forth between two pitchers three times for aeration.

2/18/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We've been drinking Alban Grenache since the 2005 that blew us away at a restaurant in Delray Beach and introduced us to Grenache. The '17 carries on a long string of superb winesfrom Booker and will not disappoint. Serve it to company and brag a little :)

2/17/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Not sure if this is the same wine, there is no mention of "Logan" anywhere, just Syrah/Grenache. Since it's the only Samsara so described, however, I'm guessing. This one was pleasant but not worth near the $40 cost. The Syrah completely overran the Grenache, imparting a slightly "stiff" flavor... not bad but not the lushness I was expecting.

2/17/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Same score but maybe a tick more enjoyable than yesterday's $35 Russian River bottling, The Cutrer. A bit sweeter in the finish. Great price and a screw cap, might make the House White list :)

2/16/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A lovely Chard, but needs 30 minutes to open and show it's stuff. When it does, you get crisp Chard flavors perfectly in balance. Liked it a lot, especially the screw cap, but not the price.