1/9/2012 - prafferty wrote:

Drank our last bottle of this beauty for my wife's birthday. Clear and bright aromatically with some earthy aromas mixed with clove and raspberry. On the palate, there's some cherry, light cola and a little bit of a medicinal quality that prevented this from scoring higher but still a really good wine. I think 2012 will be the year I finish the last of my 2003 SVDs, I think they are just past the peak but still drinking well.

12/2/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Has a nose full of raspberry fruit, flowers, meaty funk and asphalt but on the palate, the tannins were a little overpowering and rugged and clamped down the finish a little bit. I'd say give it another 2 years or so. Only reason I cracked one open is to help me make a decision on further purchasing .

8/11/2006 - prafferty wrote:

My first 04 RR from Kosta Browne. Relatively restrained aromatically at this stage, at least in comparison to the 2003. Bright red fruits, a hint of something like menthol and maybe a little bit of heat as it warms up from cellar temperature. In the mouth, this really shines. Fantastic mouthfeel with great presence of fruit and liveliness leading into a mouthwatering finish. I'll be sitting on the rest of my stash for a while but these are always a treat to try young.

8/5/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Excellent finish to the evening with a Blueberry pie brought down from the Norske Nook of Osseo, WI. Myrat rarely disappoints me, I imagine it may not have the acidity and balance for aging but a delightful dessert wine young. Either way these puppies don't stand a chance of lasting long enough to find out. An "Aussie bomb" of a Sauternes.

8/5/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Not nearly as good as a bottle consumed last year. Charcoal, notes of roasted meats and light red fruits. I thought this was pretty good but not as good as I remembered, too narrowly constructed in the midpalate. It may have unduly suffered next to the 03 Saxum Broken Stones.

8/5/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Delicious as always and a great starter with smoked meats from Joe's. Lemon and yellow fruits, with nuts and minerality, such a consistent peformer. This seems to be showing less and less of the smoky oak notes of its (comparative) youth by the month. Might need to pick up more.

8/5/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Really nice right out of the gate with black cherries, roses, wet earth and just the slightest hint of bretty funk. Unfortunately, we drained this bottle quickly and didn't get to see it develop as I've seen it do before. This is probably my 4th or 5th go-round with this wine and it continues to get incrementally better...probably has the potential to go for another 5 years easily but I doubt I know anyone who will hold it that long.

8/5/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Excellent depth, great core of smoky blackberry fruit and minerals. Terrific mouthfeel, tons of life on the palate, not even a touch of heaviness. Outstanding stuff and made the 03 Pride Syrah look simple.

5/3/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Drank over two days, with very little change...a core of sweet raspberries with hints of milk chocolate. Enjoyable and a great every day wine.

5/3/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Just a nose and mouthful of pure apricot puree with an overlaying hint of toffee. Initially, my score was held down to due to a lack of acidity but as I finished the bottle (it had now been open for 2 hours), the acidity started to come to the fore and assert itself. Nice stuff, raising from 91 to 93...

4/28/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Delightful summer wine, full of stony minerality, lively, racy acidity with a lime accent. This wine also has quite a lot of body, good mouthfeel and a nice finish. Normally, I don't care for this grape but this is really nice.

4/27/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Normally, I don't bother noting color but this wine is CLOUDY light red, actually interesting and notable. The wine constantly evolves aromatically with damp earth, pine needle, raspberries and toasted herbs. Smooth-light bodied texture with good persistence and a solid finish which should flesh out over time.

Good stuff and it will only get better.

3/26/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Much better than the original bottle, this bore little resemblance to the bigger/high-end 100% Shiraz wines from the Barossa. This tastes ike i has more than just 30% Cabernet. This wine had excellent structure (increasing as the night wore on) and was roaring out of the gate with black currant, drippings from grilled meat and milk chocolate. Evolved wonderfully over 4 hours and likely will go 10 years with ease. However, there's no way mine last that long.

3/20/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Hadn't had this in a few months so decided to crack into the first of my stash. No decant, just let it sit in the glass for 30 minutes before starting to drink. Consumed over 4 hours. Tighter than I remember the 2003 at this stage, much more restrained aromatically, hints of violet, black currant and, a first for me in Australia, a minerality that is best described as graphite. In the mouth, it cuts into the tongue with an intense yet absurdly focused and pure (I hate this word but it really fits here...) beam of raspberry. Right down the center of the tongue. Over time, the fruit becomes more smoky but still extremely focused. Not quite where the 03 was at a similar stage but seems to be holding a lot in reserve. 94+.

3/21/2006 - prafferty wrote:

1st glass, Birthday dinner at Schwa, the rest consumed at home a couple hours later. My first Cuvee Alyce, remarkably similar to the Cahill Lane Chardonnay from the same vintage but with more complexity and nuance. Roasted nuts, brown butter, lemon, hints of herbs (pretty sure tarragon) in the nose. Pure pleasure on the palate, oily with tons of minerality and a wealth of tropical fruits that seem somewhat restrained at the moment. Super stuff, will let my remaining bottles rest, maybe one bottle a year starting in 2008.

3/21/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Birthday wine at Schwa. Decanted 45 minutes, beautiful as ever, bright cherry nose, touch of cranberry and a hint of pine. Nicely structured in the mouth, moderately long finish. Nowhere to go but up if I can keep my hands off.

2/25/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Probably drinking this way too early, not nearly as much sweetness as expected. Notes of green apple, something close to cake icing, some lime wafting around. Seemed a little low-acid but it may assert itself more with age as I felt the acids more in my stomach post-consumption than in my palate.

1/24/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Drank to celebrate Lella's business school application progress. Decanted 1 hour, probably the best zinfandel beating Radio Coteau, Hartford, Neal and others, though I've never had an Outpost or a Turley (other than Juveniles).

Started off closed in the nose but eventually opened up to reveal dust, fresh flowers and cherry liqueur. In the mouth, it was all black currants and minerality with a creamy, silky mouthfeel. As good as this was, it'll be even better this time next year as it opens further. Great stuff.

1/23/2006 - prafferty wrote:

Shrimp shell, butter, tropical fruits in the nose, lots of minerality on the palate, this is a delicious chardonnay (though slightly off the pace when compared to the 01 and 02) that comes even more to life with food.

1/10/2006 - prafferty wrote:

A big bold Aussie that has enough tannin and acidity to keep it from being a jam bomb. Also, some nice complexity of aroma and flavor (cherries, milk chocolate, a hint of tar on the nose) and a moderately long finish. Nice stuff.

1/2/2006 - prafferty wrote:

93+. Not decanted. Seems to have a lot in reserve, not quite showing the nuance and complexity of other Glaetzer wines (the Mitolo Reiver for example) but is a nice mouthful of wine with good structure, and not at all a jam monster.

I'm giving my 5 remaining bottles another year of cellar time.

12/21/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Delicious restrained example of chardonnay. Full of minerality and lemon zest and a long but mouthwatering finish. This stuff is terrific.

10/14/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Stunning Riesling, I imagine this needs time but it was already freakin' phenomenal. Great purity in the nose, some petrol already starting to form, so much more evolved than when consumed on a trip to Thailand 18 months ago.

I would love to get more but wine searcher comes up empty.

9/10/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Was fantastic in a Mimosa on the morning of the ND-Michigan game...GO IRISH!

9/25/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Much more giving than previously, this wine is starting to open nicely. Excellent value.

9/26/2005 - prafferty wrote:

First 03 CdP. Ripe, grenache fruit with healthy tannins. This is a real mouthful of wine. The thing that struck me is the amazing persistence, the wine lingers for ages on the finish. Became more closed and tannic after being open a couple hours. Needs at least 3 years probably but has a chance to be special.

9/7/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Well-made, but not to my liking. Very intense flavors of wet soil, brett, and kirsch. Showing quite a bit of alcohol, this is not a mellow wine. I can see those whose tastes run along the lines of Australian wines liking this more.

8/3/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Absolutely delicious. I was expecting nothing better than a good QPR and was totally blown away. Big, penetrating nose of blackberries, smoke, a hint of meatiness, and some menthol, in the mouth very balanced, not at all jammy with gripping tannins that shorten the finish just a touch. There was a hint of fumy alcohol in the nose that I could see some using as an excuse to mark this wine down but it was not obtrusive, it served to accentuate some of the other fine characteristics of the wine and, all things considered at 15.4% stated alcohol, it was not much of a flaw.

Terrific wine and I think it will improve another point or two in the bottle over the next 5+ years.

7/26/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Reticent nose of minerals with slight hints of banana and peach. In the mouth, this wine has explosive minerality and finishes very clean and refreshing. An excellent value at 8.49 per, glad this was only the 1st of my case, looking forward to enjoying this through the summer and into the fall.

7/13/2005 - prafferty wrote:

87+: This wine was tight, kind of surprising for a 12 dollar bottle of wine. Lots of stuffing, probably could use 6-12 months in the cellar or a vigorous decant. Unfortunately, we popped and poured.

7/8/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Friday Barbecue (Contrarian, Pride, Stonehorse and Myrat) (Up on the roof): Big, huge Aussie Shiraz. Nose was deep black fruits, tar and a hint of vanilla that seems to be getting fainter as this wine ages and integrates. Absolutely tongue-staining in the mouth, not particularly tannic though the fruit was so huge and lush, we may not have noticed. Long, long finish. It would be great if this wine would take on some more complexity but I'm not holding out and my bottles probably won't last long enough. It's delicious now when one is in the mood.

7/8/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Friday Barbecue (Contrarian, Pride, Stonehorse and Myrat) (Up on the roof): Picked up a lone bottle of this from a friend since I didn't order any from the winery this year. Big, big Pride Merlot nose. Could pick this from a mile away. In the mouth, however, this seemed not as full and fat as the 2002 or as structured as the 2001. Was ever so slightly thin (not really thin, but for Pride, it seemed thin). Just didn't grab me as much as previous vintages of this wine and I think it's slightly off the pace of its older siblings.

7/8/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Friday Barbecue (Contrarian, Pride, Stonehorse and Myrat) (Up on the roof): Really nice, dominated a little bit by a "woody" component at first but as it opened up and cooled from cellar temperature, the tropical fruits began to overwhelm in waves. Excellent finish that goes on and on. I am forever on the lookout for this wine when I can pick it up on the cheap.

7/8/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Friday Barbecue (Contrarian, Pride, Stonehorse and Myrat) (Up on the roof): This wine just arrived locally and we decided to pull the cork on it. Really exotic nose, bananas, swimming pool and what could only be described as "the beach". In the mouth, nice, slightly long finish, not as full-bodied as I thought it might be. A hint of minerality popped up in the finish after a while. Consumed over 2 hours. Will buy again and lay away for a while to see how this develops.

7/2/2005 - prafferty wrote:

First bottle was an overwhelming licorice bomb, this one was much more integrated with dark fruits, a hint of oak and some nice spice. That being said, I think there are better Spanish values out there.

7/5/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Very nice bottle of wine, under screwcap, nice minerality, just a hint of sweetness. Decent finish, very good value.

6/22/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Very fresh nose of swimming pool, turning to green apple and a little bit of kiwi. In the mouth, more apple notes and a little bit of lime with a slightly sweet finish. Good, but the last two bottles of this I've consumed have been below previous showings.

6/17/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Solid bottle, liked this a lot less than the 1997. The terrific thing about this bottling traditionally is the way it ages and ever-so-slightly mellows. Unfortunately, I dont' think it'll be the same wine going forward now that it's being bottled under synthetic. It's still in your face with big bold fruit but I just worry that the new closure will render the wine dead and buried before the oak is fully absorbed and it calms down into the kind of wine that the '97 Old Vines is at the moment.

6/18/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Can't seem to keep my hands off these and give them the cellar time (or even decanting) that they probably deserve. The Prum wines consistently give me the impression that there's always more lurking underneath as I get just hints of all the fruit and complexity hidden within. On this night, I got hints of key lime pie, powdered sugar, lemon and chalk in the nose with a nice sharp and focused mouthfeel. The wine was not as sweet on the palate as I remember, perhaps an indicator that it's beginning a new phase in its development.

6/12/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Solid well-made cabernet with at least another 3-5 years of life ahead of it. Had a great cassis nose with hints of underbrush. On the palate, was a little tight and tannic but certainly on the way to resolving its structure.

6/20/2005 - prafferty wrote:

A nice showing for this wine, probably hadn't re-visited in a year. Decanting definitely helps to blow off some serious sulphurish stink. After double-decanting, this wine had a nice tarry nose full of fruit and blackberry liqueur. Almost tasted closed down on the palate but could just be heading over the hill, considering the price point...still showed nice depth and mouthfeel.

6/20/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Decanted for one hour, then poured back into the bottle, this showed much more open than the 1995 I consumed a few months back. Lovely liqueur like nose with a background of earth, tar, it showed nice persistence and depth on the palate. Showed much better than the 1996 Cantenac Brown that it was paired against.

6/9/2005 - prafferty wrote:

For some reason, this wine doesn't seem to do it for me like some of the other LWC wines (esp. Cargasacchi and Garys'). There's nothing wrong, it's got nice structure, decent length, and some nice florals and earth intermixed with red fruits. Just doesn't excite me like the others.

6/9/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Star of the night for me. Wonderful bright fruit, all dark cherries, a little bit of earthiness, excellent concentration, a long finish, this is only going to get better with a few more years. Can't wait for the single-vineyard offering, especially Koplen and Kanzler...

6/9/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Pinot and Veal (Scott's Place): This really grew on me over the course of the evening, I suspect it may not have received the attention it deserved. Definitely the most light-bodied of the wines (up against Kosta Browne RRV, Loring Rosella's, etc.) on offer, it won me over with its captivating nose (full of soil, raspberries) and loooong finish. Just a delight to drink and I think it'll get better. Shouldn't have passed on this when I had the chance...

6/9/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Pinot and Veal (Scott's Place): Can't get a read on this wine. Last time I had it, I thought it had a bunch of residual sugar and tasted too sweet. This time, I think the bottle was off as I got very little off of the nose and the mouth. Some light fruit, very little persistence. It could be that it suffered in comparison with the other Beaujolais and the CA Pinots but I'd put my money on very slight cork taint.

6/6/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Golden color, huge lush nose with oranges, overripe peaches, every kind of tropical fruit you could imagine and a hint of lime. In the mouth, not as sweet as I expected with good acidity and a hint of caramel to go with more tropical fruits. Finish petered out sooner that I would've liked and it wasn't as interesting or complex as the aromatics.

6/3/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Consumed before "The Features" at DoubleDoor with Faith and the Ohface. Last bottle of this, previous bottle must have been off as this was showing tons of life, bright raspberry fruit and some nice smokiness.

5/28/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Corked. Typically a great 92 point off-dry wine. Bummer.

5/26/2005 - prafferty wrote:

Day 1: This wine tastes more like a Burgundy-styled Cotes-Du-Rhone than Chateauneuf-Du-Pape. Light cherry flavors, aroms have a hint of clove and wet earth. Not particularly long in the finish and the wine seems to lack a bit of heft. Saving a little over half of the bottle for tomorrow. Preliminary: 86