4/13/2024 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Singing.

3/31/2024 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

So this wine has impressive weight and fruit but it is not singing to me, the Petite Verdot and Cab are adding important elements but they make it plodding, not nimble. Whereas my wife, the cab freak, would rate this 93.

3/17/2024 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Great QPR.

2/27/2024 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Had an odd malo nose but tasted fine, just not up to usual snuff.

1/21/2024 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Remarkable amount of pepper for only 1/3 syrah....

1/1/2024 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Restrained for a Paso Cab, Napa-like without a Napa flavor profile.

12/30/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Huge fruit and wood, awkwardly unsubtle. Hoping the other bottles settle down a bit.

12/17/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Yummy alert! Light on its feet and exuberant bright red fruit. Mild and vanishing tannins. Long finish.

10/28/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Big and juicy, nice acid.

10/8/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

89

10/8/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Little CO2.

10/1/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Initially, had some CO2 bite going on which really prevented its proper shine. A couple shakes later and the wine was just expansive on the palate and sublime.

9/30/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Heavy tannins, still young, needs a couple years.

6/1/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Vibrant fruit and nice body.

4/9/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

corked, dumped. : (

4/9/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

90

3/11/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Though good, my guess is that it would be a lot better without the Petite Verdot.

3/9/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Huge. Might even mellow a bit more and better in another year or two.

3/5/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Underwhelming QPR

2/26/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Drank like a champ!

2/22/2023 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Careful, this wine disappears from the glass! Really popping right now. Monster bright red fruit, mild complimentary tannins, seems peak.

12/22/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Sung.

12/3/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Really terrific. Has the mourvedre beef without the meaty flavors.

11/17/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

A blend for cab drinkers. Healthy tannins. Quaffable.

11/4/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Popped and poured sans food hours after delivery due to insurmountable excitement. What is head scratching are these prior reviews. At this price point, a terrific bargain, drinks like an $80-100 bottle. I bought this b/c I am a Howell Mountain fan. But generally, I am not a Napa Cab guy, I prefer Syrah and Paso GSMs, big fruit. Point is, this is not that, and it was still amazing. Quite the contrary in fact. A nice nose, not huge, but just enough. And the palate? Does not have that Napa Cab signature flavor as someone pointed out. That made it better for me, those wines can be monolithic and lack complexity for that very reason. This wine is smooth with robust but restrained fruit and fine tannins - I would also agree with the prior author who pointed out they grew - but never anything more than balanced and complimentary in the end. Hard to find fault with this wine actually and with this QPR...hence the rare stratospheric score from me.

7/24/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Good fruit, heavy wood.

7/5/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Nimble bright fruit, good QPR.

6/25/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Dense and tannic, as expected at this point.

6/11/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Drank terrifically, but still too young despite the window on this site. Better in a couple years, firm tannins.

6/11/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Stunningly bright fruit and acid with a great mouthfeel, weight, and grippy tannins, will continue to age well but a smashing drink now.

6/5/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Points per wifey. I liked it a lot too, but am punting entirely given this rating is per memory from yesterday.

6/3/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Equal parts fruit and tannins, both in massive quantities still, so a lot of life left in this one. They feel divorced as opposed to integrated, and the fruit teases the bomb continuum.

5/27/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Going to have to go with yummy on this one.

5/20/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Wait a year or at least decant.

5/13/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Fantastic but still too young, couple more years will serve it right.

5/4/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Quite drinkable now, but it is a bit boisterous upon introduction and another year or two to settle down would probably serve it well. Ripe, plump, and bright fruit, not too heavy, mild and integrated tannins.

4/15/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Simply surreal tonight. I think part of the contents slipped away when we were not looking.

3/20/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

PnP sans food. Not a huge nose (are those actually graham cracker notes in there? perhaps warm caramel with sugar snap peas?). But wow, does the palate seduce upon intro. Lush rounded fruit couched in the remnants of tannins. Seems pretty peak about now. Good acid, weight, mouthfeel, and it just lingers forever on the tongue in the midpalate. Dark fruit.

2/22/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

The wine is clearly too young but I am unfortunately also not too optimistic about its potential. It is quite light, pinot color, and though it has ample tannins the fruit is already meager. Worse, the primary elements in the nose reek of moss and the palate is dominated by a lot of green vegetal angles which are anathema to me. Fingers crossed that time can sort this out, but not likely. Too bad, the write up was pure poetry and it is at the top end of the DN price point. Surprising, frankly as I have generally found them to be terrific values.

2/1/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Ample but smooth tannins, finish goes a bit empty.

1/18/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Nice weight and fruit, inky, integrated and fine tannins, but a lot of them, even better in another year or two.

1/5/2022 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Killing it about now. Punching far above its weight class. 15.8% but not hot. Bundles of fruit and wood perfectly couched in friendly tannins, a party in your mouth.

12/31/2021 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Great bright fruit, quite light.

10/25/2021 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Thought it was early to open this and it was, but a decant and a long dinner salvaged it. Huge wood. And wine, as usual.

10/9/2021 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Decanted for an hour, drank like a champ.

9/25/2021 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Sublime.

8/27/2021 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Drinking well now. Typical Grenache nose, light red fruit, not dark or heavy. Palate is nicely weighted for a Grenache.

8/22/2021 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Drinking quite well now. Based on the flavor profile, going to guess there was some whole cluster going on.

8/14/2021 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Did not show so well in last nights tasting. Distinct saddle leather angles that need not necessarily be a bad thing, but against a competitive Paso field it fell short.

8/14/2021 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Lighter and explosive fruit, textbook Grenache.