4/23/2024 - jaylew1 wrote:

Probably more like 91.5, but on a night where the Knicks had a great comeback win, let's give Amare the benefit of the doubt. Not sure how heavily involved in the production of this wine the former NBA star is, but it received a very nice reception at our seder last night. Not a terribly weighty or tannic wine, but also nothing terribly out of place. Pretty good at the price point, especially given how commonly Kosher wines get marked-up around Passover.

12/18/2023 - jaylew1 wrote:

This has really come around since the last one a few months ago. The 2018, the River, was open for business right out of the gate, but this guy really held back until very recently. Looking forward to seeing what the next few months bring.

12/7/2022 - jaylew1 wrote:

Interesting to see all the quality variation in the recent tasting notes. I was struck by how perfectly clean and preserved the cork was and how the wine is still impenetrably dark in appearance and extremely youthful. Just a tiny touch of heat or I would rate it higher.

11/8/2022 - jaylew1 wrote:

How many times have you purchased a wine based on an email from a retailer that just sounded too good to be true....and was? Definitely red-fruited with somewhat muted wood and a nice cocoa roundness to it. Definitely worth the price.

10/31/2022 - jaylew1 wrote:

2014 is kind of a forgotten vintage in Cali. On the heels of the epic 2012/2013 double and right in front of the fabulous 2015/2016 combo, it is easy for 2014 to get lost. This is a fabulous wine, entering its drinking window. Black and blue fruits, somewhat reticent on the nose. Find your favorite cheeseburger and have at it!

7/25/2022 - jaylew1 wrote:

First ever from magnum. Incredibly youthful. Miles to go. Starting to develop some secondary notes. Really improved over two hours open. The worst of the IDS wines is pretty, pretty good.

4/17/2022 - jaylew1 wrote:

It is totally fine. I am just so tired of these NDA wines and the over-hyping.

12/29/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

A very good syrah at this price point. Not unctious in the SQN or Andremily way at all, but not too brambly and meaty either. Kind of in-between the pure Rhone style and the extracted California style. I like this almost as much as the not produced enough Hudson syrahs.

12/6/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

The poster who mentioned how hit or miss these NDA wines can be was spot on. This one is a real hit. Wow. Blind it would hold it's own against 3 -4x the cost. Black and blue fruits. Fairly round. Delightful.

10/31/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

Maybe the buy of the year. A restrained style, more grey than yellow or golden in taste. Accessible. Fun. Great stuff.

10/13/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

Still needs a decant, even at age 9. Had this at the same time as a 2018 Vice Versa. On pop and pour one would not have necessarily thought the wines were 6 years apart in age, but over an hour or so, the VHR really opened up gaining some floral notes on the notes, menthol and dark black and red fruits. Beautiful.

4/19/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

Better and better and better. Ridiculous value and why can't I find this anywhere? Black and red fruits, definitely with that savory quality we often find in syrah. Tannins still pretty strong. Yum.

4/16/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

My first Negoce. Very pleasant surprise. A grey stoney chardonnay, truly in my favorite style. Not for the buttery crowd (not that there's anything wrong with that). Well done!

4/9/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

Total guess on the score. This wine needs time. If you have these, let them rest.

2/24/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

Terrific value. Really interesting wine. There's a reason they have been mixing these grapes together around the world for a while!

2/6/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

We have a few of these, thank goodness. Black and blue fruits still prominent, I think 2 years from now, like 2 years ago, will be better.

1/27/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

So sorry to be drinking our last one. Great stuff. For the price? Nuts.

1/3/2021 - jaylew1 wrote:

At the price point, an absolute home run. Still super duper young, but lacking the cloying sweetness and vanilla flavors so likely to be prevalent in this neighborhood. Not sure how m any years it would improve.

11/8/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

I have loved these people, this site and their wines for decades. There is no better value in cabernet-based wine. Period.

This is a typically jammy, big Cali Cab. Tastes like so many 100-150 dollar editions. I know this wine isn't for everybody, but if you like this style, you can save a LOT of money!

8/7/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

VERY early days. This is going to be a big boy. The first of these wines to have Round Pond fruit. Feels like we will end up somewhere between the 2013 Aces and 2016 4th St as we evolve. Good fun!

5/9/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Just had a Smith Haut Lafite blanc recently and the contrast is pretty telling. This is more unctous and golden and creamy. Would love to see a touch more minerality as opposed to the waxiness, but still very very enjoyable.

5/8/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

It's all there, but felt WAY too soon.

5/6/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Typical black-fruited Lewelling. Remarkably youthful and wound up. I would say we are still a year or two away from the opening of the window here.

4/18/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Winner of wine of the lockdown. So far.

4/4/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

These older Araujos are just the absolute best. I HATE green notes, but I love the eucalyptus here. Mid-weight. Just terrific. Elegant.

4/3/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Been quite a ride for this wine. Now in a mature state with lots going on. Just starting to lighten up in weight and develop some of that barnyard. MIght be confused for French...

3/20/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

This is exactly what it is supposed to be. If you don't like this style, you know what I mean. If you do like this style, you know what I mean.

3/19/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

In the age of COVID-19 a welcome respite. Good stuff!

3/13/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Still pretty oaky and vanilla - dominated. Score is for the future . This is going to be absurdly good in a couple of years. The XI estates are basically impenetrable for at least 5-6 years after harvest so the window is just opening. y

3/13/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Terrific value. Light in color. definitely crisp vs. round grey vs. golden in flavor. Lovely. Not for the buttery lover.

3/3/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Funny that it is called "round" pond, because the wine feels very round to me. Maybe that is the power of suggestion. No hard edges here. Blue and purple fruits. Not a beast.

3/2/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

One of the better 11s we have had for sure. A tinge of green out of the gate that blew off almost instantly. Could even have been my imagination! Just had my second bottle. Not my imagination. This is truly a vintage that should have gone down the drain all over CA.

3/1/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

There is zero conversation about this Melka wine. I tried one because of a Super Bowl-related promotion where I also bought some Casa Piena. This is terrific. Maybe a tiny touch too much vanilla, but i think that will wear off as we move on down the road. Black and blue fruits. Lovely viscosity. Definitely more than I was expecting.

2/7/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Maybe my first 100 ever.

2/6/2020 - jaylew1 Likes this wine:

Still incredibly youthful. Very dark. Black fruit and peppery. Medium weight. Love it!

2/3/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

A terrific value. Purple fruit. Still wound pretty tight.

1/27/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Have not been able to restrain myself for this long with most of these SQNs. Wow. Worth waiting! Amazing to see the evolution. Too bad I have no more!

1/16/2020 - jaylew1 wrote:

Probably the least appealing Lewelling I have had and have had every vintage from 2005 to the latest, but still a pretty good effort in the relatively challenging 2011 vintage. I didn't buy most of my usual suspects in 2011 but I had confidence that the Wight family would come through. Lacking the green note that is so common in this vintage, this is pretty typical Cali Cab with just a little punch missing.

12/17/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

Still very young. JUST starting to open up. Finally a little translucent. What a contrast to the 2017 Pax we had yesterday which was pretty hard to understand. Pretty standard syrah flavors of meats, red fruits, leather. Elegant. A great value in the 60-ish dollar range...

12/17/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

This is a very unusual wine. I can't think of anything else that I have had from this part of the world that serves as an analogy. The initial nose was gorgeous and the initial taste on the palate was horrible. It was literally grape juice. Simple, sweet. Something good does happen though with a bit of air. I would say I was enjoying it after about an hour or so of exposure. But I would not seek this wine out again.

12/2/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

Need to go a little off the path on this one. A LOVELY wine, just strarting to soften up a bit. But WHY does it cost so much? The 2010 (about the equal of this one) released at 350 and auctions at 250. This released at 500 bucks? At some point these folks are going to have to get back down to earth. 2015 Canon auctions in the mid-200s. Probably one of the best wines of the last 15 years for Bordeaux varietal fans. As I said - a LOVELY wine, but something has to change in the business model of this producer.

12/2/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

I need to start off by saying I can't stand the packaging. Pretentious big bottles. The numbering of the bottles. The wax. Can I say big bottles again? Annoying in the racks to no end. But.... this is one heck of a wine. Give it a year or two before you have one if you have a few, but this has all of the earmarks of what should be a beautiful wine. Very tight. Black and blue fruits. Not a bomb. Can't wait for the next one. In a year.

11/16/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

Approaching maturity, but I don't think it's there. This is a totally different style of California Cab from most of those that charge similar freight. Very dark in the glass. Opens up on the nose beautifully over several hours. I would guess at least 5-10 years to go.

11/10/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

Early Days. Best I have had at this point. Likely ends up legendary.

10/20/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

Unlike the last public taster in July our bottle is open for business and all about chocolate and cassis and luxury. What a triumph this will be in a few years. As good a red as I have had in 6 months, but probably best, though to wait a couple of years for the next one.

6/25/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

Early days. Black, black, black fruits. Extracted for sure but not to the extent of an SQN Grenache. Sort of in between CDP and SQN. I would wait a year or two if you can stand it. But nice long finish, reasonably light on its feet these days.

5/2/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

Another example of what I call the California Flatline. This wine could have been 3 or 5 or 7 years old. Blind I would absolutely have never ever guessed 18 years old! Dark, dense, chocolate. Purple fruits. Like a well-made Napa cab a year after release. I just don't understand how these wines can show so little evolution over such a long time.

4/18/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

Really outstanding. I am going to do a blind tasting of several of these 2016 Hudson Syrahs. They are all terrific but so different from each other. I guess that winemaker actually matters. :)

Black fruit. Medium body - some of these tend to be a bit more viscous. A bit restrained. Going to be a fantastic wine in another year or two.

3/20/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

A lovely grenache, but I detect a shade of heat. Just the smallest bit of imbalance.

3/2/2019 - jaylew1 wrote:

I have to agree with the May of 2018 tasting note. Coming out of its shell, but still plenty of room to run. Accessible now - the next 10 years should be a lot of fun for this one.