6/16/2018 - jts_brown wrote:

Wow this wine was singing. Just Woow!!!!
Drank from magnum

5/22/2018 - jts_brown Likes this wine:

honeydew and apple with mineral notes. Very Pleasant oily mouthfeel with medium acidity. Minimal oak yet the wine has a presence. Really like it!

5/18/2018 - jts_brown Likes this wine:

Soft and smooth mouthfeel. Cherry and a touch of cinnamon. Very tasty and I’d say it’s holding up but no reason to hold on longer

5/16/2018 - jts_brown wrote:

medium bodied and good sliky mouth feel. Plenty of youthful ripe berry left in it. Not overpowering... balanced. Thoroughly enjoyed by all four drinking it.

9/6/2015 - jts_brown Likes this wine:

Rich cherry and dark chocolate. Every sip was complete joy

6/12/2014 - jts_brown wrote:

Tight bubbles and good acidity. Good times. Consistent performer. Good value

6/12/2014 - jts_brown wrote:

still holding up well. I was surprised because I did a poor job on storage

6/6/2014 - jts_brown Likes this wine:

Bright nose of candied cherries. Really silky. A beauty!

5/4/2014 - jts_brown wrote:

i'm sticking with my score and notes are consistent. good stuff

5/2/2014 - jts_brown wrote:

Bright notes of cherries and some vanilla. very nice mouthfeel. good acidity and tannins as well. Really good value at the club memebr discount rate.

5/1/2014 - jts_brown Likes this wine:

floral nose. rich viscosity and tasty. very pleasant. Drinking well now but wouldn't hold it for much longer

4/29/2014 - jts_brown wrote:

a really pretty pinot. Light colored but still plenty of tannin/crisp acidity. Not over the hill at all. Strawberries for days. Really good finish. Well done!

2/27/2014 - jts_brown Likes this wine:

Brought this to dinner in SF and shared with 3 couples at Incanto with the Leg of Beast. It aging gracefully. The nose was singing, Very silky mouthfeel and medium/full bodied. Chocolate covered cherry, blackberry with some vanilla notes. It is truly a wine that is appropriate for special occasions or will make any dinner a special occasion.

4/27/2014 - jts_brown wrote:

I can't score this wine. It had a little bottle funk that blew off a little bit but it didn't show like a first bottle I had of it a couple years ago.

4/26/2014 - jts_brown Likes this wine:

very nice minerality and sweetness. the mouthfeel was round and a little syrupy. I think it has aged very well.

1/18/2013 - jts_brown Likes this wine:

This wine was lovely and rich. Dark chocolate and cherries. Smooth and velvety. Delicious! I can't recall a better bottle of wine that I've ever had.

7/16/2012 - jts_brown wrote:

How does it feel to be on your own... With no direction home. A complete unknown. Like a rolling stone.

7/16/2012 - jts_brown wrote:

Very good presence and announces itself with authority. I'd like see a little more subtlety and silky texture. Overall it's good

5/10/2012 - jts_brown wrote:

I was kind of disappointed. Fair amount of acidity but the fruit wasn't very vibrant.

5/4/2012 - jts_brown wrote:

plenty of life in this wine. Smooth and full of red fruits.

4/28/2012 - jts_brown wrote:

This was so disappointing.both my wife agreed it was not enjoyable in the least. We've had great experiences with amarones in the past so that wasn't the issue.

4/22/2012 - jts_brown wrote:

Popped and poured while taking in the sunset. Beautiful cherry with wonderful restraint and balance

3/3/2012 - jts_brown wrote:

redonkulous wine. Like lying in a cabernet bed with a dark chocolate covered cherry comforter to keep you warm. But between you and that comforter is a velvety vanilla sheer 1000 count sheet. so smooth. holy crap, me likey.

8/20/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

quick decant and funneled back into the bottle. I could tell right away that it was ready to go. It brought all the things you'd you'd hope for from a CA cab. Dark fruit, well integrated oak, smooth mouth feel. Very good stuff. Not quite to the mind blowing level but really tasty. I think it could be fine for 5-10 years depending on your preference but I will drink mine sooner.

6/12/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

maybe the most impressive example of an aged zin that I have ever had. As this was popped and poured in the glass, aromas of cherries and baking spice. very balanced. Not hot or outrageously plummy/pruney like I find some turleys. I think it's time to drink it.

5/2/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

Don't touch for at least 3 years. Learn from my repeated mistake

4/30/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

Very expressive dark fruit. This threw off a lot of sediment. I'd like to slip this in a blind tasting of $50+ cabs to see if it holds its own. I think it could.

4/26/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

Smoky nose. Light color and a little delicate but good.

4/16/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

The lush furit and acidity made this a crowd pleaser. Great stuff.

4/15/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

decent mineral and citrus but not as clean or crisp as I'l like. Maybe a little too long in the tooth.

4/14/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

Shows sour cherries and a little floral qualities and some licorice. A little hollow in the middle but it's growing on me

4/1/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

Enjoyable throughout. Melville delivers rich cherry pie and strawberry fruit with a nice dollop of potpourri and hint of mineral.

3/3/2011 - jts_brown wrote:

Not much to say here. It was either very closed or lacked any fruit character.

11/12/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

Wow did we love this wine. Scrumptous black cherry, dark chocolate and vanilla. This was just so tasty. what is not to like... damn!

9/3/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

Silky with lots of bright fruit and a little bit of vanilla. Very tasty CA cab.

8/14/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

Rich and creamy. We also noticed the cloudiness in the wine. Excellent.

7/23/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

Expressive nose of raspberries and cherry with a very pretty floral thing going on. Very good level of acidity. Every year, every varietal, every bottle, Melville delivers an excellent wine at a great price. There seems to be someone dumping this wine as I was able to pick it up at a discount.

7/22/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

My wife and M.I.L drank this one so I'm basing this off their opinion. My wife said it was really good. The mother-in-law said "it was no Insignia"... What are you gonna do?

7/21/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

I'm entering this a few weeks after the fact as I catch up on inventory so specific notes are hard to remember. I thought the wine was good.... not fantastic. Maybe I'll lay the rest down a little longer. We had a '97 Pickberry a year ago and I was really impressed by how well it showed.

7/20/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

Very enjoyable. I think I catch a faint bit of earth/tobacco but this is fruit driven and pleasant mouthfeel. Melville is as reliable producer of value priced wines as I can think of in CA. I've been able to buy this wine a few times at $12-13/btl in auction and what's not to like about that.

8/8/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

Very rich pinot. this is definitely more bold and fruit-laden than the russian river or sonoma coast WS offerings. Is it more enjoyable... probably but I find them all very good

7/10/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

very similar notes to the last bottle. I had scored this bottle one point lower than the last bottle but very consistent.

7/5/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

Bold dark fruit. Lacks a little polish but very good

6/13/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

this was the perfect complement to bbq ribs, a beautiful sunset and the close of a great weekend. strawberry fruit mixed well with crisp acidity. well done

6/11/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

fo-shizzle. beauty

5/8/2010 - jts_brown Likes this wine:

Yum.

5/3/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

very fruit forward, some licorice. very nice wine

4/27/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

poker night bevvy. it was hanging on by a thread. the large format was a hit!

4/26/2010 - jts_brown wrote:

this may have been corked. the smell reminded me of my grandma's house. not a good thing

12/31/2009 - jts_brown wrote:

i neglected to take formal notes. This was a special wine that impressed everyone