10/20/2014 - TheOtherPoster Likes this wine:

Our second bottle, almost exactly six years to the day from the first. I wrote of the first bottle that it was so closed that it was like "drinking a wall."

No more.

Superb, à point... see all of the other rave reviews of last year.

Well worth the wait.

11/2/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Everyone's described this wine up and down. If you have a good bottle, it's drinking beautifully... enjoy with pleasure. And to think I paid $36 for it in 2002.... them was the days....

10/30/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Rockford '98 Basket Press Shiraz rocks on... beautiful aged shiraz with typical nose, abundant fruit and Rockford's typical en pointe balance so often lacking in Ozzie shiraz. Terrific.

10/15/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This wine is drinking quite well now from our cellar. Nose of cherry and earth, follows through with complex red fruit along with a nice medium weight palate. It is structured and balanced very well. Couldn't decide on an 89 or 90... is it outstanding? I think it's just under outstanding and should be an 89, but with point inflation being what it is, an 89 gives the wrong impression. Anyone for 89.95?

9/21/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Well, this must be the best appellation wine we've had in a long time. I agree with all the other very positive notes.

9/17/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Interesting to see the different notes on this wine... the descriptions are rather remarkably scattered, and it's hard to get a sense of the wine's basic qualities by reading the notes.... At any rate, from our cellar this was an outstanding chardonnay. Nose of honey, citrus, green apple, white flowers... excellent weight on the palate... we found that it had fine balance between fruit and mineral foundation, acid balance on point... long finish... we found this completely satisfying.

9/14/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This is at its peak (from our cellar). Huge California pinot, in-your-face, but still tastes like pinot rather than,say, syrah.... lots of fun, well balanced even with its high alcohol... aw hell, what's not to like? If'n you want subtlety, go elsewhere... :)

9/5/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This is a big wine, that's for sure. It was over-the-top right out of the bottle: the nose smelled blue, red and black, and on the palate, along with dense fruit there was pronounced coffee flavors and a cough syrup, medicinal note on the back end. I think it just needs time or plenty of air. Lots of stuff there... given Ojai's track record, it probably will. Rating deferred.

9/1/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Comes across as more unbalanced than previous bottles... showing heat of the vintage. Drink now.

9/1/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Gives the impression of a well-resolved wine. Would have given higher score but for a vague impression of ash on the palate. This reflects how harshness of some previous bottles has receded with time. Drink now.

8/14/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

In a beautiful stage at the moment... wonderful nose of fruit, garrigue, leather, earth... fine medium weight palate that is perfectly balanced... waves of fruit with secondary characteristics and nuances... just wonderful. Enjoy now and into the medium term future.

8/12/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Beginning premox. Most of my Fevres of all types, from 2000 - 2004 vintages, eventually showed premox. I'll never buy another.

7/10/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This was an outstanding bottle of wine. Cork pulled, a taste taken, and the bottle sat open for an hour. Wonderful nose of leather, dark cherries, earth and spice. The palate was medium bodied, beautifully balanced, soft / partially resolved tannins, and delivered on the promise of the nose. More than decent finish. No reason to hold, at least from our cellar, although it may well improve a bit more over the following couple of years.

6/12/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

From a 375; this wine was still young and unevolved. I can appreciate other TNs describing some lack of complexity. From our cellar, revisit in ten years. But the underlying material is exceptional! No point score for now....

4/3/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Still doing beautifully... drink with pleasure. Half hour decant to wake it up and you're good to go.

2/17/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Doing well from our cellar. Age has done nice things for this wine, giving it complexity in the nose and palate while still remaining recognizably a Pride cab. Drink now with pleasure.

2/14/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

First bretty one for us. Seems to have been a run of these lately....

2/13/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

All I can say is that the Roc de Cambes was doing beautifully from our cellar. A few oz removed and the rest left to sit in the bottle for about half an hour. Wonderful nose of red fruit, earth, "dark minerals". Good medium weight, wonderful dark red fruit flavors, earth, and secondary flavors. Tannins almost resolved but not intrusive at all. Wonderful balance with flavors, tannins and acidity 'a pointe'. This is at its peak and will delight you if well stored. I'm not sure what to make of some of the less enthusiastic reviews, but we found lots of vibrant life left in the '00 Roc de Cambes.

12/29/2011 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

See my TN of March 2010. Again, I'm amazed at the turnaround on this wine. It had about 45 minutes of air and was ready to go, same nose and flavor profile. Excellent! And I paid $35 when I bought it in 2001. Those were the days...

10/8/2011 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Terrific bottle of CdP drinking at peak. Typical nose with secondary elements on the palate and clean, fresh fruit as well; structure in balance. Slightly short finish keeps it down two or three points. Drink with pleasure!

9/23/2011 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

A lovely bottle of wine. Nose of dark red fruit, 'mellow garrigue' (if that makes any sense), hint of wet earth. Palate follows through with resolved tannins leaving terrific overall balance, good medium weight, along with fruit and and secondary flavors. This was sublime.

7/15/2011 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This wine is in prime time from our cellar and drinking superbly. Dark red fruit, earth, leather and herbs on the nose and palate, all in exquisite balance. Truly satisfying.

6/24/2011 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This wine is at its peak from our cellar. Nose of blackberry, forest floor and earth, balanced palate with resolved tannins and unobtrusive acidity, palate of dark fruit and spice. Excellent. Drink with pleasure.

4/22/2011 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This was $10 on futures, and is now performing far, far above the price point. The nose is unmistakably Bordeaux, with complex aromas of cassis, dark red fruit, leather, tobacco, and earth. Tannins are essentially resolved and the wine is wonderfully balanced. The palate gives generous fruit with secondary characteristics. Drink now with substantial pleasure!

2/20/2011 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Superb with a 2 hour decant... enjoy!

12/1/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This superb CdR is drinking at peak from our cellar. Not sure what to think about other recent reports indicating it may be somewhat shut down. Excellent balance between fruit, structure and acid, a fine finish... CdRs like this soften the pain of the price rises in CdPs that I used to buy regularly and no longer purchase, because this wine was completely satisfying.

11/5/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Astounding for the price point. A heady nose of green apple and brioche, balanced and full on the palate, with citrus, apple, and nut overtones. Very fine touch of oak adds to the mixture in a very California but very pleasing way. Excellent finish. I wish we'd bought cases of this.

10/18/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This bottle was more open and giving than the first from last June. Showing some of its green apple character, with oak and acidity for balance. I think it will be better next spring and summer, however, and I'll bet it will merit an outstanding score then. Glad to have more.

10/1/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This is an extraordinary chardonnay. Palate of lemon curd, green apple, a hint of nut / brioche, well-balanced with mineral and acidity elements married beautifully with a hint of oak. A big mid-palate mouthfeel and an extended finish... super. Bravo!!

8/26/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Our good luck with this keeps on rollin'. No spritzy bottles from two different sources. This was pretty good as a pop 'n' pour, but an hour of air also helped. Now and for a few years. Great QPR, as long as those bad bottles don't show up....

8/16/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This is coming along nicely since the first bottle in November 2009. The nose is still reticent but shows some green apple, nut oil and white flower. The palate is a bit more open, with some nice density in the mid palate and a decent enough finish. A bit more time, I think, will do some nice things for this wine.

8/11/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Agree that this is at peak... drink now. This was our last one, so for once we have perfect timing. :) Deep gold, apple, pineapple, nut vapors... very, very nice.

3/21/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Here's a wine that did a complete turnaround over many years. Soon after bottling it was hard as nails, bitter, and rather ungiving... nothing like RP's and ST's TNs. A bottle last October showed promise. This one fulfilled it. Given an hour's air and an hour in the bottle, this wine was a beautiful example of classic CdP. Muddy dark red color, with a nose of dark red fruit, smoke, garrigue and spice. In the mouth it is beautifully balanced with resolved tannins, and tastes of dark red fruit, earth and spice. Outstanding.

3/18/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Never had a domestic pinot with brett, but here it is... unmistakable. On the brett scale it was mild to moderate, but enough to make it undrinkable for me.

3/8/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Just entering prime time. A wonderful pinot in the best of the California Big Style. Muddy red color, with a soaring nose of dark cherries, spice, earth, a touch of forest. In the mouth the palate is big and balanced, with sweet dark red pinot fruit, a mineral element and a darker earth element underneath. Only detraction is a touch of chalkyness or ever-so-mild bitterness at the back of the palate. Very nice finish. Goodbye KB, you've been replaced as the big Cali pinot member of TheOtherPoster's wine family.

3/6/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This wine has improved significantly over the years. Initially (2005) quite dominated by structure and gave very little. I was frankly concerned about it since Roc de Cambes has, in my experience, tended to be easy to drink over much of its life. But tonight it was popped 'n' poured, and did beautifully... no decant needed. Nice dark red color, nose of dark red fruits, kirsch, tar, and earth. Very nicely balanced on the palate, nothing sticking out, fairly seamless, actually. Good mid-weight wine with sweet fruit surrounded by supporting complex flavors of herbs and earth. More than decent finish. As far as I'm concerned, no reason to hold. Well done!

3/4/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Flat 'n' dead. FUF: -6

2/28/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Very very good in the KB sort of way. Be forewarned: whoa Nelly, there's a lot of EtOH in this wine!

2/23/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Well, this wine's evolution followed classic story structure: start out young and great, fall to terrible depths, and then rise again, renewed, older, wiser, more elegant. Tonight the wine was wonderful right out of the bottle. Clear red with some lightening around the rim. Nose was of red fruit, pine, spice, and minerals... pinot, but not from California. On the palate the wine is nicely balanced: tannins resolved, and a bit more acid than some California wines, but a great balance that is very food friendly. Sweet red fruit, earth, darker notes. A very nice finish. This wine cost $14 when I bought a case in 2002. That was a long time ago, and we drank most of it when it was not very good. Well, at least the last bottle demonstrated what time can do.

2/21/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Agree with other CT's... this is drinking superbly right now. Nice dark red, with a wonderful, soaring nose of dried red fruit, raspberry, garrigue, minerals and earth. Terrific in the mouth with a medium-full palate and very good balance. Maybe a touch toward the hot side, but not enough to limit our enjoyment of the wine. Palate was of sweet fruit, earth, and something else on the dark taste spectrum. Great finish. No need to wait. And hey, if you don't like them, send a case to this place!

2/19/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This was an incredible bottle of wine. Given a quick double decant just before serving to poke it and wake it up. The nose is green apple liqueur... does that make sense? It was just wonderful. The palate is absolutely outstanding; as Tanzer would say, it is 'palate staining'. Fantastic balance, tremendous weight, in a class by itself. The palate showed green apple fruit, minerals, citrus and what Jen thought was 'white chocolate' lurking in the background. Can you tell we loved it? Great, great stuff.

2/17/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

It's been fascinating following this wine's development over the years. From being tightly closed in 2002, to showing signs of its future potential in 2004, the wine opened up beautifully in 2008 and is even better tonight. Dark, slightly cloudy red color, the nose gives dark red fruits, garrigue, dark flowers (if that makes any sense... maybe sweeter garrigue?) and earth. The medium-light mouth weight present seamless balance of acid and structure, and the palate gives sweet fruit and pleasant earthy undertones. Very nice finish. This is why we age C9P! No need to hold.

2/13/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Man this is good! Lucky you if you bought it...

2/13/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

This has evolved over the past one an one-half years since the previous bottle. Still dark red, and now with both a rim of lightening at the edges and less translucence than before... an aged wine. The nose was wonderful and complex, again presenting us with something quite different from our usual California pinot. Less fruit in the nose than before, lots of earth, some spice that makes it smell more like burgundy than bordeaux, a mineral quality, and some red fruit in the background. In the mouth it is of medium, or medium-light weight, very nicely balanced with good acidity and only a bit of tannic structure left, which gives it an almost rustic quality, and dark red fruit as well. As before, the fruit is only one of the several components making up the wine. The finish was a good 20 seconds, making it very satisfying. Time to drink the rest.

1/28/2010 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

The QPR real deal of the year so far, and probably until the end of the year as well. If you had this chardonnay in a blind tasting, I absolutely guarantee that you would guess its retail price was between $20 - $30, and maybe more. Nice yellow-gold color. Nose is muted, with green apple, white flowers, brioche, honey. The palate is where this wine sings. Green apple, but not sweet like apple juice (as opposed to the also very good '07 Kendall Jackson Vintner's reserve), along with some oak and vanilla, but not overdone, and a mineral quality as well. Only by knowing this is an inexpensive chard can I say that the mineral quality is perhaps more metallic than ideal, but it is a minor issue. The finish is unbelievable for the price point: a good 20 seconds at least. It's the finish that would tell you this is a chard in the $30 range. And it was less than $10 at LA Wine Co! Astonishing. BTW, not affiliated with winery or store, just forever trolling for great wine at $15 and under.

12/31/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Oodles and oodles of California vinous pleasure at its best. Went beautifully with wood-roasted tri-tip w/ fixin's. Happy New Year indeed! Drink now with pleasure, no need to wait. We have one left from the case and it will disappear before the winter is gone.

11/20/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Last bottle. Somewhat advanced but drinkable. A shame. Not one good bottle of this from our cellar. NR

11/17/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

I'm with everyone else. With at least half an hour of air this was wonderful. Classic CdP.

11/16/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Just starting to go bad but kind of drinkable. At this point, after three f*ed up bottles in a row, it was good enough. One left, I'll open it within the week. Yeeeeshhh!

11/16/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote:

Oh man, the third in a row, same thing. Moist cork, nothing/yuck taste.