9/10/2011 - TimBoDo wrote:

Drink up, friends. To me, this is on the decline. Getting a little bit of nail pollish remover and pretty strong bret on the nose but there is still a little fruit fighting through. A little acidic in the mouth with dark fruits but a little light. Cork in good shape and only the slightest of bricking. I have several vintages of Reignac and have found more inconsistency than any other chateau we have collected so, who knows, maybe we got a funky bottle tonight.

10/10/2010 - TimBoDo wrote:

For some reason, did not enjoy this as much but still think it is good value. Acidity seemed a bit out of control and when combined with the fact that it's a bit boring (other than the acidity), it didn't really hit the spot this time.

9/17/2010 - TimBoDo wrote:

Very good value and happy to have more. A lot of fruit... that's the style and I like that sometimes but often find it a bit boring after the first few sips. Otherwise, good ballance and likely a new-world crown pleaser.

9/15/2010 - TimBoDo wrote:

Really nice and a good value. It seems to be on the old world side of things with fruit a little more subtle which I am a fan of. Looking forward to the next one.

12/24/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

I've had enough of this to suspect this last experience was the result of bottle variation or something but this bottle showed its age more than others we've had and would absolutely indicate the beginning of the end if taken alone. Will need to have another bottle soon as point of reference. May be time to drink up.

10/16/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Simple juicy fruit bomb that is really quite sweet... and a very nice value.

10/15/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Perhaps this is not my type of wine. It did not offend me in any way but it really had almost nothing to offer. The color gives it the points to be almost 80 - very pretty. Nothing on the nose... no crisp acidity and almost no taste at all. I'm not sure what this would be good with. I think that a great Rose is very tough to make... I'm sorry this did not get there for me.

10/11/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Very nice - solid QPR and would be a very nice Pizza wine.

9/20/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Very nice... a good choice with Spaghetti. I think this is a fair value and a perfect wine with a red sauce dish. Next to nothing on the nose. Nice acidity.

9/6/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

A very smooth wine right now in my opinion. No detailed notes as we were outside around a fire but this is really nice and well integrated at this point.

9/8/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Interesting - quite light in color, brick red, quite clear. Fragarant nose of wet leaf and maraschino cherry with a hint of moldy cheese. Blackberry fruit. A bit of sweet acidity on the finish. Very pleasant companion to roasted chicken.

9/1/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Tremendous value. Say what you will about the big P - I'm a fan and it's because of wines like this. Interesting, easy to drink, well ballanced and well under $10US. Crazy value. Perhaps the best party wine you could hope for. If you were hosting a party, this would satisfy all but the most snobby red wine drinkers.

8/29/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

This wine is growing on me - this was my 2nd bottle and at first I was disapointed by the lack of fruit and harsh tannis. By day two, it was much more approachable and what came to mind is how good this would be on a cold winter night with a simple beef stew. This is not a crowd pleaser to be sure but I think it has appeal as a rustic wine.

8/30/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Agree that this is probbaly just young but now there is not much to it - a little grapey and a little too much alcohol for me. But, I expect there is more to this and it is certainly a very fine value. Will hold other bottles for a year + or decant for a couple hours.

8/25/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Because of its pedigree, I've pretty much always popped and poured this wine despite its age. Sort of by accident this sat open for about four hours tonight... wow, where did this wine come from? With some air, this really developed nicely.

8/23/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

I liked this much more than in the past, perhaps the window is opening on timing but it is still young and my enjoyment really came on day 2. Smoke dominates the nose with a bit of tobacco, slight chocolate and hint of leather. Dark fruits on the palate but not as interesting as the nose. I look forward to watching this mature.

8/24/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

This bottle may have been heat damaged but not at all severely - obvious wine stains under the capsule and on top of the cork with a bit of dried wine on the side. Not spoiled, however. This is a mouth coating big wine - but simple. Fantastic value for Napa.

8/17/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

This is an amazingly interesting wine at this price point - I wish I had bought multiple cases of this. The only problem with this wine is that it would spoil us a daily drinker in this price range. Put this up against a $20 to$50 Bordeaux, it will hold its own.

8/22/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Way too young to be drinking now but this is going to be a good example of how good the vintage is once it mellows a bit and I suspect the score will go up. Seems like the structure and finish are there to make this great.

7/12/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Much better than its reputation (at that time) or its vintage although the nose is better than the taste. Such a very nice wine still with strong tannins but less fullness in the mouth.

6/24/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Light color, tends toward greenish. no nose at all. this is a very light chardonnay. Fine for the price.

6/20/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

On par with previous notes... the nose makes a promise that the wine can't deliver on in the fruit department. Still, a very nice wine. Maybe a little more alcohol this time.

5/31/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Dark red - nice color. Nose of some sulfur and wet pine log with plum - opened to more dark fruit with time, enjoyable nose. Dark fruit tastes that, in this bottle, seemed tough to enjoy with some harsh tannins - especially on the mid into the finish. Throwing some punches at this stage that make it a little tough - hope to see it settle down again. From half bottle.

5/19/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Popped and poured... not ideal. Grape juice on the nose at first gives way to bit of earthiness that I find with low end Bordeaux Sup but with more fruit. Color is really a very dark pink... or at least a pinkish purple. Quite tannic but not offensive. Frankly, better than anything else I've had at the price point so passes the QPR test. (screw top)

5/8/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

This bottle was not as good as the last but I suspect that it might have been a little corked.

5/4/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Quite acidic and more fruit than I remembered.

4/27/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

This is an outstanding wine. Some gasoline, new tire smells on the nose at first which evolved to orange juice - so awesome. Solid citrus fruit and wet stone tastes that evolved to a bit of green apple. Solid fruit but very dry, nice acidity, and strong finish. We loved it. Too new to Riesling to offer a score.

4/22/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

No score because we are new to Riesling and don't have basis for comparison. Not a lot on the nose - maybe some spicy citrus... orange peel? Nice acidity up front - really jumps out which is nice because it balances the sweetness well. It is pretty sweet but not at ally syrupy. Nice finish. This is very good, even if it is a little too sweet for us. Popped and poured probably too cold. Will try again with some air and look forward to pairing with a salmon or something like that this summer.

4/19/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Dark color - very rich looking cab. Nose of dark fruits and the oak. Nice mouthfeel - sweet dark fruits - not a "fruit bomb" this time but more fruit that I am used to. Fairly acidic, the fruit had an almost puckering effect on the finish which was quite lengthly. Full and complete - no question it is very new world in style. Quite a lot of sediment in this bottle.

4/17/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Really nice - nose of strawberry and some vanilla and a little wet cave at first and over a few hours turned into more vegatal - mushroom with some rusty/forest floor action. Ruby red. Quite dry with understated fruit, easy tanins - slightly lacking in the middle and shortish finish but a very enjoyable wine.

4/12/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Strawberry and sawdust. Decanted about an hour and that seemed just right. Tasted just after cork pull and it was "dusty" but with a little air it opened up well. The fruit is still there and is delicately carried by mild tannins. Considerable bricking throughout at this point but still dark. I love old Bordeaux.

4/12/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Served with lamb for Easter dinner. This wine has disapointed us the last couple of times. I suspect that it still requires a couple hours of decanting or more but, to us, comes off with a pretty nose, one dimensional on the palate and spicey flavor that is not becomming. First bottle was so awesome so we still have hope for the rest of the case but not a great showing today.

4/7/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Oh the joy - had planned to wait another year before hitting this case again but could not wait. Still young - just fantastic.

4/8/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Interesting on the nose - smelled like nutri-grain raspberry breakfast bar. A little fake. Not really our cup of tea tonight. Maybe just an off night based on the rest of the reviews. Had high hopes but not the great QPR that I had expected.

1/27/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Still very young where tannis are too prominent but oh so lucious on the nose and with such promise. Hold another year at least.

1/24/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Difficult to score because we don't drink a lot of PS. Extremely dark color, black purple. Nose of cherry cola, blackberry, and some smoke - very interesting. On the palate, less interesting but entirely mouth filling and huge. Some hollowness in the mid, very strong tannins. An interesting wine that may not be my first choice with dinner again but will drink stand-alone next time.

1/20/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

A very good value - really nice on day two.

1/19/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Nice color - richer and darker purple than you would expect for a Bordeaux in this price range. On the nose, pine forest floor dominates but a little fruit there as well. Decent texture and richness but a bit hollow - very dry and really not a lot of fruit on the palate, hint of licorice. A food wine to be sure.

1/11/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

This is very good. Tobacco and oak on the nose for sure. Very nice dark fruit. It seemed to flatten out after having been opened for about two hours however. To me, it seems like this is drinking well now. The tannins were well integrated here - will try next bottle without much decanting to see how it goes.

1/10/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

Our last bottle must have just been off because we liked this quite a bit this time. It's a very interesting wine. The nose had a sort of cheese pizza meets sweet potato thing with some chocolate, to use GaryV-esque descriptors. Smooth and fairly complete in the mouth with a decent finish. Very good.

1/6/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

On the nose there is something a little green, but not in a bad way. On the palate there is the iron and mineral that others have mentioned. A very nice QPR and a great wine with food. Certainly not a modern new-world fruit bomb so if that's your thing, this is not for you. Very good classic claret.

12/31/2008 - TimBoDo wrote:

This is still a very lovely wine. The cork was very fragile and fragmented significantly upon extraction. We had nice fruit on the nose but it was subtle for sure. I was amazed at how much fruit was still there when tasting. The tannins are totally integrated so that you can still "taste" them but there is not a hint of harshness and the finish is plenty long and fruity. This is holding up well and was an absolute treat to experience.

1/4/2009 - TimBoDo wrote:

This is very good, but not excellent. The fruit seems a little too extracted... almost a little fake tasting - maybe that is just the CA style and I've been drinking too much Bordeaux. This was our second bottle and I remember enjoying the first much more but didn't capture any tasting notes. I hope future bottles bring more pleasure.

12/19/2008 - TimBoDo wrote:

This is our white QPR of the year. This is an interesting, great tasting wine with a lovely finish.

11/28/2008 - TimBoDo wrote:

This is nice, great fruit showing and we had opened a day before drinking (recorked and refrigerated) so the tannins were mellow enough to really enjoy. Representative of the vintage.

11/27/2008 - TimBoDo wrote:

Nice fruit but showing more age that would have expected in terms of fading fruit, especially for this vintage. Nice, but not great. Some might say that this has a great reflection of the terrior. Perhaps, but still seemed a bit too restrained.

11/27/2008 - TimBoDo wrote:

This was good, as an experience, but we did not enjoy this wine. The fruit was all gone, just a musty green left on the nose and the tannins in the mouth made me think that too much stem in fermentation gave it some strong tannins that outlived the fruit. We have another bottle and hope for a better experience.

12/13/2008 - TimBoDo wrote:

The cork was toast - completely fell apart during open but the wine had survived. While trying to fish the cork crumbs out, there was a strong barnyard nose with some red fruit and vanilla underneath. Beautiful wine, well aged - the fruit survived the tannins nicely.

12/7/2008 - TimBoDo wrote:

Booming Right Bank blockbuster from '00. Tons of fruit, classy, we were not overwhelmed by tannins at this point. long sweet finish.

12/6/2008 - TimBoDo wrote:

No score because pairing may have put it off but we did not love this as much as our first time. Still young, no bricking, typical left bank flavors of subtle dark fruit, vegetables, dusty minerals with a bit of forrest floor. Nose very muted at this point. Bottle was not flawed and we popped and poured so might be my fault but not outstanding tonight.