10/8/2014 - cmerlot Likes this wine:

Dinner at 801 Chophouse. Kansas City. Decanted 15 minutes and a bottle brought with me from San Jose. Hints of dark fruit on the nose along w some cedar notes. Upon taste it was very smooth and elegant. Mild Fruit up front with secondary flavored mirroring earth tones. Cedar and tobacco. Had it not been for the 94 Joseph Phelps Insignia I had last week to serve as a bench mark, I would have rated it a 95. But I will stick firm at 93 which is very respectable. I saw the previous notes from the Toronto group and conclude that they had a bad bottle. And probably at no fault to the winery. The only thing missing were a touch of acidic/tannic notes that I was searching for. Probably an indication of age. Great wine!

5/30/2013 - cmerlot wrote:

Very smooth and silky in texture. Dark fruit but had a short finish. Not sure if this will get better with age but it did improve through out the night as it got more air. An excellent bottle to share.

4/8/2012 - cmerlot wrote:

I was a bit disappointed. It is very very light. Very little minerals and fruit. There are certain foods I eat with SBlanc. I count on the acidity to cut through the foods. This wine had nothing. I am a fan of this winery and the characteristics of their other wines. That being said, I will try it again in 6 months and 1 year.

2/24/2011 - cmerlot wrote:

Consumed at Oliveto"s in Oakland. An excellent bottle when the temperature rose to jut slightly chilled. Honeysuckle, pear fruit notes. Had a long finish. I bit on the fruitty side but a nice balance. I would serve this with a seafood dish or enjoy during an outdoor summer lunch.

9/16/2009 - cmerlot wrote:

This wine had a strange aroma at first. Like my uncles house in the 70's. What exactly is that? Stale bread. But the fruit was there. Took 40 minutes and opened up. The funk blew off and the bottle was quite nice. If I had another I would drink it soon. But MUST decant for 45 to an hour.

5/15/2009 - cmerlot wrote:

A really good bottle to enjoy on a hot summer day. Golden in color. An oaky nose with citrus hints. A lot of sugar on the palate. Lots of ripe fruit, Smooth. I gave it a high rating cause I think sometimes your surroundings influence the way I enjoy wines. I wouldnr drink with a seafood sinner but would pair well with a spinach n prawn salad at lunch time.

5/15/2009 - cmerlot wrote:

Just goes to show how important proper storage is. I read some of the earlier postings....I LOVED this wine! It had a tawny appearance and a clear outer hue. Nose was the classic aged Bordeau. Wood, cedar, earth. Hints of fruit. But after 30 minutes decanted it drank like liquid silk. Fruity but not over bearing. My bottle could have been stored another 2 years but I dont think it would have been any better.

5/15/2009 - cmerlot wrote:

Decanted 30 minutes. Nice fruity nose, lotts a cherry. Still a fruit bomb on the nose but drank well. Still tannic but not acdic. I have 9 more but will wait a full year before I try again. Stil the perfect wine to serve if you want to impress a group of non experienced wine drinkers.

2/26/2009 - cmerlot wrote:

OK for a weekday at home. Clearly a Syrah blend with Cab? had a soft sour tomato finish but it wasnt cooked.

2/26/2009 - cmerlot wrote:

Decanted for 20 minutes. I remember when I purchased at the winery a few years ago. It was tight and tannic. Fast forward 3 years....The perfect bottle. The nose had hints of chocolate and a little espresso and dark fruit. It glides across your tongue and into the stomach and then it hits you! What a wonderful taste. Chocolate and dark fruit and a bit of balancing minerals. The flavor remained in my mouth foe a good 20 seconds. Paired at Mortons with a burger. Yes a burger. Perfect.

2/20/2009 - cmerlot wrote:

Needed to decant for an hour for the funk to blow off. Had a classic aged nose where I detected hints of leather or cedar. Drank well. Soft hints of sour/sweet strawberry.

1/17/2009 - cmerlot wrote:

Drank holiday season 2008. Compared with a 94 Grand Puy Lacoste. This wine exploded with fruit that produced a great nose. The finish lasted about 25 seconds. After about 40 minutes in the decanter it started to fade and most of us rated the French Bordeaux above the BV. But an hour later I decided to try the BV and something changed for the better. Wine of the night!

1/17/2009 - cmerlot wrote:

Pretty good. A liittle light on the nose but the palate was still fruity but not long lasting. Drank w a 97 Beaux Freres and a 97 Domain Serene Evestad This was better than the Beaux but not as good as Serene.

12/31/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Decanted 1.5 hours on Xmas 2008. What a gem! I was amazed at how dark this wine was. It had classic Pinot aroma. Nice cherry and vanilla nose as well as that wonderful earthy nose that inhibites aged wines. On the palat it was a Burgundian finish. Not a fruit bomb but a classical balance of fruit and minerals and a finish that lingered with a touch of a leather/tobacco finish. Before this we drank a 98 Flowers Pisoni. Both were outstanding.

12/31/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Decanted 20 mins. Very classic nose. Cherry and earth. Silky smooth with dark berry and vanilla flavors. Glidede across the palat and lingered. After about 45 minuted the flavors started to flatten out but then picked up again after an hour. A great bottle.

12/20/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Decanted 30 minutes. At first. not much of a nose at all. Very little fruit and didnt have that classic age Bordeaux nose. More minerals and not much fruit on the palate. Then about 15 minutes later it exploded with fruit. Dark berries and hints of tobacco and cedar. Turned out to be a very good bottle. decant at least 1 hour and if you have more than one, I suggest you lay it down and enjoy in a couple of years

12/20/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Still a good bottle. Much as if it were from the Rhone Region. The nose had dark fruit with tobacco and leather.Very smooth on the palat. Tannin are broken down and you ar left with a smooth finish with fruit and tobacco tastes. Decanted 30 minutes.

12/14/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Very good nose. hints of vanilla on the nose and pleanty of citrus fruit. The taste was soft and had hints of cedar and honey. Very good but i will wait another year to open another bottle.

12/11/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

A great bottle. Not tannic but still heavy fruit. But not a fruit bomb. Taste lingers.

12/11/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Decanted 20 mins. Very smooth and a good balance of minerals and fruit

12/10/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Very well balanced! Not the type of Pinot for those thst demsnd a lot of fruit. This wine is much better. Burgundian style. minerals and fruit and a finish that lingers. Decanted 30 minutes.

12/4/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

I like this wine! Had a nice nose with cedar, tobacco and dark fruit. decanted but took a good 35 mins to open up. Once it did it was a nice Bordeaux. Paired with a cheese plate.

11/15/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

What a treat! Decanted 30 mins. Dark fruit on the nose with a touch of anise and cedar. Very smooth on the palat. Pleanty of dark fruit and tobacco flavors lingered for about30 seconds. This was a treat! Had it with Kobe Blue cheese cheeseburger at a local Steakhouse called Spencers. I will try to get more!

11/9/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Color was darker than expected. Wasn't the typical light colored 11 year old Pinot. Decanted 30 mins and still had a little fruit and no tannins. Still drank well. Wouldn't hold onto it much longer.

10/25/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

A GREAT bottle. Decanted 30 mins. Got darker as the night went on. Cherry and dark fruit on the nose. That classic french age nose as well. Earthy, tobacco. Great taste. No bite. Smooth as silk with a lasting finish. Almost no taste of alchohol. A great bottle. Not the kind you would bring to a wine dinner where everyone is trying to impress the group. But if its a Friday night and you are having dinner for two...you wont be disappointed.

10/19/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Decanted 30 mins.great aged nose. some barn but mostly a soured cherrie which cleared up nicely. Very smooth. If I had another bottle I would drink it within the year.

10/19/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

An Excellent bottle. Decanted for 30 minutes. A fabulous nose. Cherry, blackberries with that patented "aged" nose. It Glides across the palat, no tannis. I think it will continue to drink well for another 4 years!

10/13/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Has aged well. dark in color. Nose had medium hints of fruit. Cherries and dark berries. Not a fruit bomb. A good contrast from the typical Santa Rita Pinot that many of us drink in California. This shows the potential of Oregons ability to create Burgundian style wines.

10/13/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Tawny color when decanted. Darkened in 30 minutes. Very smooth, no tanins and mild fruit. Provided quite a contrast from the Aida Zin at the table. Was more refined. If you are looking for a zin that isnt a fruit bomb this is perfect.

10/13/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

This wine taste better a year ago. decanted for 30 mins and was a bit green.I will wait another year before i taste again

10/7/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Drank this side by side a Beringer Private reserve from 1996 and it kicked ass! It was s good. The nose had pleanty of cherry . The taste was silky smooth with minerals, earth and a long lasting fruit finish that lingered.

9/5/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Decanted 30 minutes, excellent! fruit forward and long finish. I have to get my hands on more!

9/5/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Decant for 20 mines. Very smooth, dark fruit but a short finish. Went great with a med rare burger.

9/1/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Lots of tiny bubbles!

8/30/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

Not your typical fruit bomb. Decanted for 20 minutes but should have decanted for 1 hour. Very well balanced. At first the nose was green and didnt have many Pinot characteristics. But as time elapsed, cherry and honey started to develop. The taste was burgundian. A lot going on. Tannins, minerals and bringing up the rear was the fruit. But again, wih time the fruit developed and turned out to be an excellent bottle.

8/30/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

I purchased 3 bottles from WineBid.com and the description was 'excellent condition'. All 3 bottles look like apple cider. Oxidised. Decanted for 2 hours with no success.

8/30/2008 - cmerlot wrote:

To my surprise and pleasure, the smell was youthful. Pleanty of fruit on the nose. The taste was more expressive of a 13 yr old wine. Well balanced with fruit but still a little tannic. I can tell this will still age for a few more years and actually get better. Decant for 30 minutes if possible.