7/4/2010 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Just a beautiful bottle of wine. Elegant, refined, smooth tannins, dark, opaque color, and a wonderful nose. Shared with friends so a fairly small serving, but such a joy.

6/18/2009 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Not very impressed. The finesse of a gorilla. The alcohol was apparent.....really apparent. Finish was rather short. I'd hoped for better. This was my only bottle. Good.

5/21/2009 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decent "red" wine. Not much meat to it, sort of bland. Drinkable, but pretty bland overall. No price on this one (gift) but lots of better Zins out there than this.

3/7/2009 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Drank with friends at dinner party. No formal notes taken. Rich and floral SB that is always one of my favorites.

12/27/2008 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted the wine for about an hour before having with steak. It is a very full bodied wine, shows dark fruit, some oak and a bit of coffee flavor. Moderate finish.

12/23/2008 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Nice, smooth Chianti with a wonderful nose, hints of chocoloate, vanilla and cheery. Modest finish, but the wine was very pleasant and very reasonably priced. Served with Lasagna. Very nice match.

12/23/2008 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Deep purple color. Firm tannins, dark fruit, coffee and generally well balanced. Nice mouthfeel. Drank over a few days and the wine held well. Good wine and an excellent value.

6/22/2008 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Quickly decanted and enjoyed with dinner. Nice notes of chocolate and dark fruit. Pleasant, smooth wine well balanced. Finish is a bit shortened, but ok. Very nice wine for the price. Held back some for tomorrow to see how it does.

5/12/2008 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted for about 2 hours prior to trying. Nice wine, a bit more old worldish than Californian.Still holding some tannins but very pleasant overall with notes of tobacco, earth and dark fruits. I've got another bottle sitting in the cellar which I think I'll let go another year or two and see how this evolves given a bit more time in the bottle.

1/21/2008 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted for two hours before trying. Nice red fruits, touch of vanilla. Wine was very balanced and the alcohol was well integrated into this wine. This one was a crowd pleaser.

1/21/2008 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted this one for a few hours. It seems to be in an awkward stage, out of balance, fruits and tannins did not mix at all. I've always enjoyed this wine and will allow this one to sit awhile before we try again.

1/21/2008 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

We decanted the wine for a short while before drinking from the cellar. Beautiful, clear garnet color. Dark cheeries. Nicely structured wine that was very balanced. Tannins were well integrated and the mouthfeel on this was lush. Nice finish. This wine has lots of life in it and it will very interesing to see it develop over the next several years.

1/8/2008 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted for about 1 hour before drinking. Drank over the next day or two.
Pretty, deep dark ruby colored. Notes of pipe tobacco, cherries, with a nice smoothness overall. Good finish. Nice wine that I have had a number of times throughout various vintages. It is always a nice wine.

11/12/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted for about 2 hours. Damp earthy, mushroom notes. Lush mouthfeel with a nice finish. The wine has time left in my opinion, but this was, alas, my last bottle.

7/5/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Clear, deep golden color. Rich in the mouth with buttered popcorn, bit of citrus around the edges. Nice finish. Drink now or over the next year or so.

6/20/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Good, crisp clean wine with citurs fruits and a hint of grass. As usual, one of the better SBs around imho.

6/20/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Wine seems rather flat, not bad, just earthy taste with virtually no fruit or robust life in it. Color is deep with only the slightest evidence of bricking at the edge. If you got 'em, drink 'em; downhill slide.

5/12/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted and served in generic red wine glasses. Rich, dark purple color. Barnyardy nose (pleasantly though), black fruits, firm tannins with medium body. Very nice wine at this early stage. Saved one glass (a difficult task indeed) for a taste after 24 hours. It improved through the evening so it should be far better today. The wine needs time, though a very pleasant drink right now. A bargain at this price.

5/10/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Crisp, citrus, fresh very drinkable wine with food or by itself. Good value.

5/9/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Nice wine. No critical tasting although this wine had a bit more of an edge to it versus the other fews bottles that I have had. It may have been me more than the wine. Still a very pleasant drinker at a great price, especially for a dessert wine.

5/9/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Very nice QPR wine with lots of fruit (raisin, blackberry, etc.) and some oak. Not terribly complex, and a moderate finish. Good wine for under $12.

5/9/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Not bad, but certainly not up to the 2005 or even the 2004. Rather flat, and a bit flabby., Nothing really stands out on this one. Just a real basic, social drinking wine for your non-wino friends.

5/9/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Crisp, clean, touch of oak, pears and tropical fruits. Very nice in the mouth with a decent finish. A really nice value for the money.

4/9/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Served a bit cooler than I like my Chardonnays and only drank a portion of the bottle before dinner. Pleasant wien. Clear, golden color. Fairly oaky, vanilla, butterscotch. Good wine. I'll revisit this evening and let warm up a bit.

4/9/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Typical Biale Zin. Big, robust flavor. Pretty color, clear throughout. Loads of cherries, hint of oakiness without being overwhelming. Tannins were fairly well integrtated. Nice overall balance. Really nice mouthfeel. Good finish. Another Biale winner. Wish I had more.

4/9/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Nice wine, past its prime imho. Limited fruit, but still pleasant. No visible bricking. Smooth enough. Drink away.

4/7/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Medium dark color with raisins, brown sugar and figs. Very good value for the money. Hard to argue with this as an outstanding QPR.

3/31/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted for about an hour and served in generic Cabernet glasses. Rich dark color, gave up very little fruit. Fairly firm tannins. Some oakiness and a very strong flavor of dark chocolate. The wine was very nice and really should have been allowed another year or two to see where it would have been.

3/30/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Sweet, rather out-of-balanced showing dark color and medium finish. An everyday kind of wine, moderately priced, but not anything to write home about either.

3/19/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Drank my second bottle. Wine was not decanted but was allowed to move more towards room temperature. Big dark fruits, full in the mouth. Very pleasant and certainly unlike any Grenache that I've had. Good finish. Really a nice wine for the price.

3/14/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Not a bad bottle of wine, but nothing to write home about. Pretty basic Cali Cab. Nice enough fruit on the nose, nice mouthfeel. This si the first of 6 of the bottles I bought that weren't flawed, or downright corked.

3/10/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Served directly from the cellar. Quick notes as this was several bottles into the evening. Fairly firm tannins and this one needs time in the bottle to see how it evolves over time.

3/10/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted for approximately 2 hours and served in Speigelau Grand Palais wine glasses. Dark, dark color. znose of black fruits, currants, tinge of toasty oak. Nice lengthy finish. One of the three that I have in the cellar. I'll revisit several years down the road.

3/5/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

I tried this at a local store following a recommendation from one of the sales guys. Two glasses later I bought a case. Went home and opened this bottle.
Rich dark color with plenty of dark fruits. Not your typical Spanish wine, but I loved it.
A very easy drinker.

3/3/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Very nice SB. Rather unique in that it wasn't grassy or over-the-top as some of the New Zealand offerings. Really a very pleasant, nice drinking wine with citrusy fruits, a nice mouthfeel and good finish. We didn't drink this one critically, but just enjoyed it on its own watching movies. Heaviest SB bottle ever. Crazy.

1/28/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Not bad, but a bit disappointing. Seemed to be a bit over the top on oak and butter and different than prior bottles. Given the price, not recommended.

1/17/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Very quick, rough notes. Served directly from cellar. Dark inky purple. Big fruit with a very lush mouthfeel. Nicely balanced. Good finish.

1/15/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Poured directly from the bottle into generic wine glasses. Ruby colored. Cherries and earth. Not muh in my opinion. This bottle seemed pretty thin. There also seems to be a fair amount of bottle variation on this wine. Not bad for the price and a good QPR overall.

1/15/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Decanted for an hour and drank over two days. Served in generic wine glasses. Pretty ruby color. Nose of cherry with a bit of barnyard undertones. Day 2 seemed to be better, although that may have been more me than the wine. A nice drink. I say drink away if you have 'em.

1/13/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Served directly from bottle in generic wine glasses. Wine was allowed to warm from cellar temp for approximately 1 hour.

Extremely dark, inky color. Black fruit, Captain Crunch cereal (or some type of toasted, cinnamon kids cereal :)), bit of ask and a whiff of mocha at the end. Smooth, nicely balanced. Nice, long finish. If I had more I'd drink them, but they can hang for awhile yet I believe.

1/2/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Citrusy, clean and crisp. Bit of pear/apple as wel. Pleasant drinker.

1/1/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Pale gold color. Pears, apricots. Fairly lush little wine that gave a bit of a flinty tone on the tongue at the very end. Not a bad wine, but probably not in the que to load up any more.

1/1/2007 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Light golden color. Citrus fruits, tiniest bit of tropical fruit, crisp, clean with rather abrupt finish. Nice wine, but didn't seem as good as some of the other bottles I've had of this wne.

12/29/2006 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

This bottle seemed a bit more herbal in nature than last. Drank over two evenings and it really didn't evolve to anything different. Not bad, just different. This wine still has lots of backbone for such an inexpensive sipper.

12/29/2006 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Straw colored crsip little wine with lemon and tropical fruits. Very pleasant.

12/27/2006 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

No notes. Just a nice drinker. Perhaps a bit over priced for the wine, but good none the less.

12/20/2006 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Served directly from the bottle and drank over two evenings. The initial blast was bordering on an Aussie styled wine, HUGE fruit, blueberries, cherries, etc. Calmed down and settled into a nice, smooth wine. This wine does vary bottle to bottle quite a bit in overall taste and style it seems. This was good though.

12/18/2006 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Lightly oaked, clean and crisp. Served at dinner with friends, not trying to critique the wine too much.

12/13/2006 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Red fruits, pepper with earthy tones. Medium bodied wine with a moderate finish. Very nice wine for the price.

12/4/2006 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote:

Served direvctly from bottle with no decanting. Blueberry, earthy, meaty upon first impressions. This moved to licorice, pepper and a bit of spice throughout the evening. Nice finish. Pretty dark purple color. Great QPR wine.