6/7/2015 - DanB wrote:

Clearly CA cab but not an in your face jammy type. At 9 years the tannins are present but integrated. Decent acidity but still somewhat soft. Fruit seems muddied - overall a fairly simple wine - I have a few more and am hoping that it's going through a "dumb" phase.

3/17/2012 - DanB wrote:

Very clean wine. Cherry liquor exploded out of the glass. Very polished and great value. A

3/18/2012 - DanB wrote:

Clean and clear. No sediment. Some brown bricking. Raspberry, cherry and spice on the nose along with a slight burn. 15.4%. Taste followed the nose but with more heat on the finish. Likely would have been better earlier with more fruit. Not too bad but I'd drink them up soon. B

10/16/2010 - DanB wrote:

CLassic s.rhone.No bricking but clear on the edges Very enjoyable. pepper, spice and brambley fruit with some nice lavender on the nose that carries on to the palate. Mature, don't see this getting better but should last for years.Wish I could pay $25 for good CDP now!

9/3/2010 - DanB wrote:

Drank w/lasagne. Still fresh & dark but some secondary flavors coming out. Nose of leather and dark sour cherries echoed in the palate. Very good food friendly wine - wish I had more - should hold for many years. A

1/1/2010 - DanB wrote:

Drank w/ sauerkraut & pork on New Year's day. No formal note and from memory - great nose petro, stone fruit, pineapple - follows on the palate - viscous dense but w/enough acid to carry. Still developing I would expect and should be drinking well for many years.

11/4/2009 - DanB wrote:

slight spritz, complex nose - strange palate. not sure about this - will try again in afew months

7/13/2009 - DanB wrote:

Light straw colored, very clean wine. Nose of citrus, mostly lime - palate is similar with notes of pear and pineapple- no apparent oak. Nice and clean refreshing wine. It has a roundness that suggest that malo was complete. Great food wine - not your normal buttery fat CA chard. Pleasure to drink. B+/A-

5/2/2009 - DanB wrote:

dark garnet, clear at edge - nose of menthol, dark fruit, nicely balanced showing no heat. Palate - dark fruit, tar, flowers, a touch of sweetness, a little too much oak yet, but again, in balance. Nice finish. Enjoyed this wine B+/A-

3/2/2009 - DanB wrote:

Very dark, somewhat opaque. Dark fruit, plum dark berries on nose with some earth, tobacco(?) too. Slightly muddled on palate with some liveliness that is almost spritzy. Good acid and structure. Fine effort but not fantastic.

2/27/2009 - DanB wrote:

Kept for two days - hot, muted, over the hill

2/22/2009 - DanB wrote:

Opened on Sat. VA- muted fruit -Hot. Not good at all. First wine in a week since recovering from the flu- maybe my taste buds are off. Recorked and opened again today. Smells like a pool of fingernail polish then a mess of nasty hot fruit. Taste is the same but heat is even worse. I've had better cheap vodka. In fact it tastes like I imagine cheap crappy stewed fruit floavored vodka would. Perhaps the worse wine I've ever had. I've owned this bottle since release. Makes me scared for all my Turleys over 3-4years old.

10/18/2008 - DanB wrote:

Surprisingly good. Nice balance - nuanced wine with silky texture. Complex nose and palate followed. Some green eventually came out but not overpowering. Have only one more!A

6/16/2008 - DanB wrote:

Slight bricking, some cloudiness, seems perfectly mature. Nose: bowl of cherries w/ some rose. On the palate, the same with some minerals & earth. Long finish w/ full, smooth intergrated tannins. wish I had more.

3/11/2008 - DanB wrote:

First bottle bought for cellaring. Filled still into neck, no signs of bricking, even second day. Good structure - tannins are fine and good acid. Not much fruit or real depth. Second day little more fruit. Never will be a great wine but it is enjoyable and has lots of life left - good food wine

3/10/2008 - DanB wrote:

Deep purple - looks big. Not much there - even after several hours. Somewhat disappointing will not buy again

3/10/2008 - DanB wrote:

Not bad for the money. Nothing stands out - no major flaws - varietally correct

3/10/2008 - DanB wrote:

Somewhat dissapointing - nice acid & structure, but not much fruit. No bacon and no pepper either. Maybe buy mor on sale? Perhaps not B-

6/16/2007 - DanB wrote:

Not terrible but will not buy again

4/8/2007 - DanB wrote:

Opened and poured with Easter ham. Very lovely floral nose. Nice cut and acidity to carry fruit. Very young and primary. Great price. Worth buying again

4/8/2007 - DanB wrote:

With Easter dinner. Big full color, nose and palate. Drinking well now and had many years left. Wish I had more and would buy again.

4/10/2007 - DanB wrote:

This bottle was a gift to my non drinking parents 20 years ago and has been in their basement ever since. They gave it to me several years ago and it has stored well since then. I do not have much experience with aged champagne and was not expecting much considering the poor storage. But with the folks in town for a visit and a couple friend of ours (fellow wine geeks) came for dinner - time to pull the cork.

Foil was black inside and beginning to degrade. The cork did not exactly leap out of the bottle, only a slight fizz sounded when extracted. I was bracing for the worst - was this completely dead? Poured a glass- beautiful full color, almost amber but very clear. Still had plenty of bubbles, though they were not extremely active or long-lived. Plenty of mousse and toast. Beautiful balance and depth. This still had life left in it. Wonderful wine and a wonderful way to drink it. My Dad even had a glass. Everbody loved it - best champagne I've ever had. A++++

3/24/2007 - DanB wrote:

Nice fruity bottle of vino - some nice structure here for the money. I'd buy again

1/7/2007 - DanB wrote:

Bought 2 of these. One's juice is a stain on my cellar floor after a tragic, early & fatal accident. This one was brought to a party where I only got a sip. Very petite. Big, bold .. lots of fruit. It went fast so everyone must have liked it.

1/7/2007 - DanB wrote:

Very young - showing no aging whatsoever. Very correct wine. Well made and no suprises. Wasn't closed down but it is not a very exciting bottle. Maybe it will show better in a few years. B-

1/7/2007 - DanB wrote:

Drank with friends eating chocolate fondue. We all enjoyed this. Mature brown tints, almost tawny. It also drank similar to a 20-30 year tawny without the butterscotch. Worth the tariff. Must find more Banyuls. Solid B

1/7/2007 - DanB wrote:

Very dark wine showed some promise and I love the price, however, wine did not show much on the nose or palate. Not a bad wine but will not buy again. Too many others, especially from Spain, to buy in this price point. C

12/8/2006 - DanB wrote:

Lots going on with bottle. Fruit, oak, & bramble. Very rustic with, maybe a touch too much VA. Calmed down second day. Would last for years. Buy more if priced right. This area will take over CDP's at current prices ---B

11/13/2006 - DanB wrote:

Drank last night with some aged big boys - thought it held it's own. Still very young w/ lots of unresolved (but not unpleasant tannins). Very primary in color - lots of fruit and cedar as well - integrated with great structure. Will not open the other for at least 5 years but not a waste to drink it now if you have them. Will buy more if the price is right.

11/7/2006 - DanB wrote:

Claret style zin - brought out at end of evening. Thin & acidic - not much fruit. Didn't have any noticeable flaws except maybe excessive VA. Didn't get better over course of several days. No one liked this bottle. Very disappointing - D

9/22/2006 - DanB wrote:

Nice toast, citrus & light yeast. Fine wine if you can buy right. B

9/22/2006 - DanB wrote:

Splash decanted2-3 hours prior to drinking. Had with New Z rack of lamb -Beautiful silky mouth feel, full bodied (for a pinot) nicely balanced wine. No sense of alcohol. Nice fruit, black and red, with good tannins and enough acid to lift across the palate. SWMBO commented " worth what we paid" Solid A

9/20/2006 - DanB wrote:

Modern style. Not a lot going on with this bottle, fine wine but not very exciting or unique. Will wait for a few years to open the others.

9/20/2006 - DanB wrote:

Still had some fruit and was a very nice suprise. Moderate bricking, fully mature - likely well past prime but a fun older bottle of vino.

8/22/2006 - DanB wrote:

Med bodied, slightly cloudy, raspberry & oak nose. Raspberry & some herbs on palate. Good oak not overwhelming. Still - somewhat disjointed Not bad B

8/19/2006 - DanB wrote:

Drank with friends at the lake w/beef & chicken kabobs. Very dark wine - very extracted. Nice deep black fruits. Good mouth feel. Very nice wine. Not a great QPR B-

8/5/2006 - DanB wrote:

Clear consistent color - acid carried the bright red fruit across the palate. Will hold rest for a minimum of 2 years. Decanted for 1 hour. A

8/14/2006 - DanB wrote:

Popped & poured for last nights dinner. Nice notes of pear & pineapple on the nose & palate. Some minerality. Very crisp * precise wine. I wonder what percent, if any, went through malo? Oak contact must have been minimal too. Nice wine, especially for the price. A-

8/12/2006 - DanB wrote:

Beautiful bright color..very clear. Nice notes of strawberry on the nose and palate. Nice acid carries the fruit well. Very nice summer time wine. Will buy more. B+++

7/4/2006 - DanB wrote:

Poured immediately after opening in the middle of a 12 bottle binge. Not the best for this wine to strut its stuff. Many commented on the rustic/funky nature of the wine. I thought it got better after a few minutes in the glass. Still somewhat disjointed. I think this will get better with time and is in an awkward stage. Next time we will treat it with more respect.

6/11/2006 - DanB wrote:

Nice "old school" pinot. Light in color..beautiful nose right out of the block..coffee & red fruit, nice acidity, silky mouth feel. Quickly gained some weight & a slight vegetal nose arrived along with a pleasant ?!! vegetal note on the palate. We enjoyed this solid wine with a nice mustard salmon. B+

12/21/2005 - DanB wrote:

Drank w/ friends @ Xmas party. Nice funk, though dissipated, stayed throughout. Some thought it corked but wasn't. Proved it when tried w/corked bottle opened later. Nice cherry on palate- light to med body. Not a great wine but went w/ steaks well and fun to open older large format. B-

12/11/2005 - DanB wrote:

Drank last night @ friends house w/ many other wines, including WS Olivet and P. Green Pinots. Had fresh Alaskan King salmon. Wine was still very young but had nice fruit and complexity. Everyone enjoyed it. Was not a WOW wine but went very well w/food. Wish I had more. B+

12/1/2005 - DanB wrote:

Bright cherry color, cherry follows through to the nose & palate. I found this a nice and enjoyable wine, though not as profound as some others. Second day it did flesh out more and became more rounded with better mouth feel. Solid wine. Typical Garys' B

11/28/2005 - DanB wrote:

Odd wine. Upon opening, it is very rich full bodied and tannic. It has plenty of fruit and structure, acid level seems fine. But all three bottles turn to vinegar overnight or with in hours. Very odd. B- initially - undrinkable later.

11/19/2005 - DanB wrote:

Somewhat cluody, almost seemed like a barrel sample. Mint, vanilla & berries. Was still developing. Will wait a year for the next. B/B-

11/19/2005 - DanB wrote:

Very nice and balanced wine. Been a while since we consumed this. Will let rest & mature for a year or more, should have long life ahead.

11/6/2005 - DanB wrote:

Beautiful OR pinot. Drinking very well now. Balanced, some oak, pinot fruit w/ nice acid balance. Wish I had more B+

11/3/2005 - DanB wrote:

Drank last night @ restaurant w/ friends. Deep & dark. Lots of butter on the nose. Gave way to more traditional pinot nose. Not as complex as other KB's. Lots of fruit, medium finish. Fine wine, but not the finest KB. B

11/2/2005 - DanB wrote:

Lots of funk to start, blows off quickly. Deep & dark. Beautiful waves of dark fruit. Gains complexity. Great complex mid palate medium finish. Dark fruits w/ hints of vanilla & coconut. The best Roar yet, wish I had more. Great w/ food and after by itself. These will age better than some say. Much better than my last bottle, I will let the rest of my Roars rest longer than before. Solid A