3/16/2024 - Hollowine wrote:

Delightful wine that develops complexity in the glass if given time, or would benefit from a decant for a couple hours. Bright fruits, smooth tannins, can easily age. I have three more, will try again in 2028.

2/16/2024 - Hollowine wrote:

Really nice, super fruit forward with strong cherry notes on opening resolving to more of the red fruit/earthy notes with air. No need to decant, great as pop-n-pour, evolves in the glass over the hour or two of dinner. Paired really well with Duck breasts.

2/3/2024 - Hollowine wrote:

Well on the mature side of the curve, mostly a lot of brioche, almond, baked apple notes. still some bubbles but they pass quickly. Drink up if you have them IMO.

1/27/2024 - Hollowine wrote:

Pop n Pour. Nice VT, but seems to be showing its age. Consumed 2/3 of bottle with Pork Chops & Gnochi, paired well and smooth drinking. Last 1/3 bottle was getting a bit edgy and starting to fall off 2 hours later.

12/22/2023 - Hollowine wrote:

Paired with Fried Chicken. Drinking beautifully, strong bead, bright flavors, good length on the palate. One left in the cellar, kinda inclined to let it rest a bit longer, this didn't show any signs of being in decline.

7/13/2023 - Hollowine wrote:

From 375ml, 2nd of 4 purchased at auction. Palate is good at initial pour, but falls of fast with 30-60 min of air. I'm thinking these are toward end of drinking window. Did notice that my last 1/2 glass oddly seemed a bit better at the 3 hour mark, but I'll try to drink my final two in short term.

5/21/2023 - Hollowine wrote:

From 375... Decent pop-n-pour, wanted to get a feel for this wine as have four from recent auction lot purchase. Not overly complex, and falls of fast after 90 min, didn't finish the last glass. Recommend drinking these in the near term.

2/26/2023 - Hollowine wrote:

This bottle won the "pick me" contest for a reasonably priced Burgundy that I wouldn't feel guilty drinking with a chicken dish that just seemed to want Burgundy paired with it. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this wine.

I am somewhat new to chasing the Burgundy dream, but this hit on all of the cylinders that I'm starting to love. Very lithe on the nose with some floral, strawberry, maybe a hint of forest notes. The palate is nicely balanced with no real gaps, moderate and juicy finish. Honestly, for as much as 1er and Grand Cru can demand, this is likely a hidden gem from a QPR standpoint. While I don't have the experience to know how much better my other two bottles can get with age, I'm going to leave this note as a reminder to try to stay hands off on them for another 5 years or so.

12/24/2022 - Hollowine wrote:

Great bottle of Syrah. In a great spot right now, just beautiful Central Coast Syrah with a solid fruit and well resolved tannins. Doesn’t appear in decline but not sure I’d see upside of long term aging, will try another in a couple years.

11/9/2022 - Hollowine wrote:

Fantastic juice. Best of three bottles purchased, served with maybe the best fried chicken I've ever had in the company of many fine Champagne's.

A bit oxidized, but really in a great spot. Great depth and a memorable finish. If I weren't worried about bottle variation I'd source a couple more. Drink Now.

11/6/2022 - Hollowine wrote:

Truly lovely and a tremendous treat to try this since the last time ~10 years ago. A unicorn of a wine (Never Released), about an hour into the dinner I sniffed my glass and was just mesmerized at the beautiful nose of fresh raspberry compote with wonderfully mellow "Cayuse funk" notes singing harmony. Given there was '97 Chave in the glass next to it I loved comparing the two all through a many hour dinner and in any given moment the two competed for my WOTN. I really hope I get another chance or two to enjoy this bottle in the future.

11/2/2022 - Hollowine wrote:

Really drinking beautifully right now. Paired with Paella.

While the Cayuse funk was present on the nose, the years have been kind to this GOK and it wasn't overly reductive or too barnyard-y. Fruit was just lovely with fully integrated tannins. Just damn fine juice and a beautiful match with Paella. I can't see a lot of upside to holding these, but I don't think it will fall off very quick, likely a gradual decline.

5/6/2022 - Hollowine wrote:

Let it rest in the stems for an hour while we drank Champagne with the appetizer course.

Drinking very nicely, still the ever present oak treatment showing up on the palate as a vanilla-sweetness but the tannins have mellowed nicely and the alcohol wasn't overly forward. Definitely in a great drinking window right now, probably will hold there for many years.

3/27/2022 - Hollowine wrote:

Waited too long, dumped down drain

10/23/2021 - Hollowine wrote:

Absolutely stunning. Paired with Cheese course for dessert, everything you can want from an aged Sauternes.

8/29/2021 - Hollowine wrote:

Nasty. Something seriously off with this bottle, VA was off the charts. :-(

8/16/2021 - Hollowine wrote:

A lovely, well crafted Cornas, my first time with this producer and was not disappointed. Even 150ml left in the bottle and due to business travel left it corked on the counter for 10 days, decided to give it a try and it still had great structure and fruit. Solid producer, solid vintage.

8/13/2021 - Hollowine wrote:

Absolutely gorgeous, so happy I held this. The last few TN's in CT are spot on, especially 6/23/21.

Expressive nose with a bit of Brett, followed by a lot of cigar box, black fruits, etc. Palate fills out and blossoms with a bit of air in the glass, bright cherry, vegetal notes, tobacco. Truly enjoyable, at or past peak I'd guess, highly recommend popping those corks.

5/1/2021 - Hollowine wrote:

I Coravin'd off a couple glasses last night and found this wine needed about an hour in the glass to lose some of the angular edges and smooth out. It was really nice and just what I had been seeking when grabbing an aged WA Cabernet from the cellar tonight. I had about 3 oz in my stem when I went to bed...

9 hrs later 6:30am)...enjoying watching a Director's re-cut of the 2014 Rock Hall of Fame induction of George Harrison that has been re-released to better showcase the Guitar solo Prince performed (FYI, absolutely stunning re-cut!!!)...and as I took a sip of the wine this morning, I feel the same way on the re-do of my tasting.

Beautiful. Tannins are present but fine and dusty. The black and red fruits coat the tongue and leave no gap between front and back palate, hints of cedar and menthol emerge on the finish that lasts 20+ seconds. Absolutely gorgeous juice. If you have one, put it in the decanter for in the morning before dinner...it is that good with extra air.

2/7/2021 - Hollowine wrote:

In a lovely spot right now. Highly encourage opening one if you have them. Past few TN do it justice.

1/29/2021 - Hollowine wrote:

Absolutely fantastic juice. Wasn't sure what to expect, have sat on these since I visited the winery in 2007, have been burned by more than one Aussie that turned into jammy prune goop. Not this wine...

Beautiful palate, improves with 15-30 min of air.

12/24/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

I can't do any better than the Sotto325 note on 7/12. Spot on. Though I guess I really loved this wine, the finish lasted for minutes and I enjoyed it over a couple months with the Coravin. A wine that simply makes me happy, everything I want in an aged Auslese.

10/7/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Really stunning juice, I loved it. I would say it is at peak or possibly on the decline side of the curve, but should hold fine a couple more years. Rarely do I find myself contemplating each and every sip from a bottle, but over two nights I was nursing this sip by sip and enjoying every moment.

9/27/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Wasn't prepared to like this, prior bottle earlier this year was a bit "off" but this bottle was flat out gorgeous, especially with 24 hours of Slow-o. On day 2 the nose just blossoms into beautiful florals, think Grange but not quite on that mark. Lovely, soft palate of red and black fruits. Really wish I'd let the whole bottle sit open a day.

7/19/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Needs an hour of aggressive aeration if doing a pop and pour. I drank about 1/2 the bottle on night one, and it has everything you would expect from The Rocks and Trey, just felt I had to let it sit in the glass for at least 30 min to ease the "bottle tension."

That said, I left the bottle in the cellar with the cork out for a tasting I had setup with neighbors on Day 2, so nearly 24 hours slow O for 1/2 bottle. This was perfect and highly recommend a 24hr Slow O if you are thinking of drinking one. Much of the reductive Funk calmed down on the nose and palate, and this evolved into a lovely wine to use to introduce two newbies to what The Rocks is about.

On the nose: Dark fruits, barnyard, blood, wet stone. Palate: boysenberry, tar, iron, salinity. Round and full mouth-feel and no gaps in the finish.

7/19/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Bought three of these based on many of my CT friends (many of whom have tasting notes here) raving about the wine when young. Just going to say I don't get this wine. I would start to suspect some bad bottles, but another friend has had similar experiences, so really not sure where to go with this one. I could blame it on RP and scores, but I think I'm just going to chalk this one off to the vintage in CdP and that this particular wine isn't a long-lived example.

Tried this again last night side by side with the 1998 (which btw is absolutely stunning right now). I knew this wasn't showing great from a Coravin tap a few weeks ago, so I pulled the cork for slow-O an hour before a gathering with a few friends. At an hour the fruit had gained weight, but at the 90 min mark the fruit started to fall off again and just leave a thin, tannic finish. One of those experiences where I just want to admit defeat and pour the bottle down the drain.

Happy a lot of you are having better experiences. I have one bottle left and may just experiment with this by slow-O over the course of several hours.

7/16/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Enjoyed over 3 occasions this week with Coravin.

I commented to some friends tonight that it was both good and bad I didn't check CT before I pulled this bottle from the cellar and started drinking with the Coravin. Good in that I consumed a rather "special" bottle that had I looked at the price might not have attacked mid-week. Bad in that I agree with the drinking window...like a lot of Bob's wines this special release of "The Godfather" is definitely young and if you are going to consume one I'd recommend at least an hour decant, if not closer to 2-3 hours.

Lots of Red Mountain character in this wine, once you give it enough air it will fill your palate with no noticeable gaps. Definitely worth aging further, I'm going to go long on my remaining bottles. Delicious juice.

7/10/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Used Coravin to drink over about two weeks, consistent experiences all three glasses.

We all know how the over-aged Aussie Shiraz can get very prune/alcohol on the nose and palate, so I was a bit put off by the nose on my wine. I quickly resolved that it wasn't over the hill but had a bit of VA on the nose. It was really mild but noticeable, so I left the glass to air for 60-90 min each time, with a bit of swirling occasionally. In all cases the VA blew off and revealed a lovely nose with equal palate.

Not sure I want to use the word "explosive" as has been used in other notes, but it was certainly pronounce and full, no noticeable gaps. I'd peg this on the downhill slope, but I thought the wine was lovely once I got past the flaws on open.

7/4/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

The Praxis tasting note on 2/29 is spot on. Thoroughly enjoyed.

6/29/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

CT Virtual Tasting. While not as wow as the bottle in 2011, this was still outstanding and a pleasure to drink. I'd mark it on the downward side of the maturity curve, but expect that bottles that are not affected by some of the heavy Brett or bottle variation should give good drinking experience. I'd give it 15-30 min to breathe to really bring out the bright fruit, and watch out for heavy sediment.

6/14/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Smoking good right now. Needs about 20-30 min of air in the glass or a decanter to really open up. Didn't feel the heat was that out of line, the fruit and mellow tannins seemed perfectly in line for the age of this wine. Definitely in a good drinking window right now.

6/8/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Delicious. First of these I've opened and just in a beautiful drinking spot right now. Tar, Raspberry, cocoa with a finish with no noticeable gaps or flaws. Highly recommend opening one, giving it 45-60 min in the decanter, and enjoying every drop.

6/7/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Loved this. Sweetness and acidity in balance, such easy drinking with no obvious flaws. Could easily go another 10 years

6/6/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Definitely not over the hill, this was delicious. Great fruit, good finish, just delightful drinking. Wouldn't see much upside to sitting on these further, I vote to drink up while they are in a good window.

5/30/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Delightful aged Barbaresco. I'd say drink up if you have them.

5/26/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

fantastic juice. Really showing well at this age, but no reason to keep holding them.

5/11/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

So delicious and just a youngster. Spatlese happy place.

4/29/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Gonna side with the minority on this bottle, which was the first 2002 I've had.

I think this is closed and tight right now, which I feel I was able to validated by saving 1/2 bottle for days 2&3 with just a stopper to cap the fizz. Got markedly more bright on the next nights, clearly needed some air and glad it wasn't an "off" bottle. The 1996 is my favorite wine ever and I've been lucky to have it many times, so comparing the '02 to the '96 I felt it was years behind in readiness. I'm hoping my other bottles will age at the same pace, if so this is probably a 50 year wine at least.

Delicious, just wouldn't put this in the top levels just yet. 87 night 1, 93 night two.

4/13/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Wine Gopher is spot on. This was absolutely gorgeous, not a hint other then the development of secondary flavors that this was a 15yo wine. Beautiful juice.

4/2/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Absolutely stunning. Seriously. Amazing juice, my last of three bottles and wish I had more. I would not hesitate to blind this against Champagne at 3x or 4x the price.

3/30/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Really nice bottle of wine. Bright fruit, light on the palate with a consistent finish. Really lovely with a solid QPR.

3/30/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Nose was tight as nails on first pour, got more expressive with some air. Thinking that this is in its peak drinking window and should likely hold for a bit but I wouldn't sit on them forever.

3/18/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

CV-19 Drink em if ya got em: really loving the 2010 GOK, in a beautiful spot right now. Lush palate of red and black fruits that seems to carry very well into the finish, where a hint of tar clings to the back palate for a nice long finish. Really good juice.

1/13/2020 - Hollowine wrote:

Really enjoyable, showing much better than I anticipated. Bit of cassis and menthol on the nose, palate has great mid and back palate feel with lots of red fruit, tobacco, etc. Honestly grabbed it as just a fill-in bottle for a mediocre Bordeaux and this far exceeded expectations.

7/1/2019 - Hollowine wrote:

Way past prime. Pretty much cooking wine at this point.

2/23/2019 - Hollowine wrote:

Over the hill.

5/28/2018 - Hollowine wrote:

Briefly interesting then falls off a cliff

5/28/2018 - Hollowine wrote:

Long gone and nasty

5/28/2018 - Hollowine wrote:

Long gone and nasty.

5/13/2018 - Hollowine wrote:

Just another insanely great showing for this wine. In a great place, drink up or send them to me!