11/28/2012 - boogiejon Likes this wine:

Deep burgundy color. Smokey strawberry and raspberry, cola, and vanilla nose. Flavors of blueberry, ripe grape, and bell pepper. Moderate acidity and medium lengthed finish. Enjoyable RRV pinot.

11/28/2012 - boogiejon wrote:

Dark brick red color. Cherry and earthy manure on the nose. Flavors of cranberry, tart cherry, and leather. Finishes flat without fruit or tannic structure. Very drying. Could be improved with the right food (ie Italian). At $10 hard to recommend.

11/28/2012 - boogiejon Does not like this wine:

Given to try from Whole Foods manager due to slow sales. Brick red color. Rasberry and rose petal on the nose. Flavors of herbs, leather, and dark fruit. Medium bodied. Finish is moderate with hints of tobacco. Drying tannins. Would expect more fruit given the grenache content (60%). Wine tastes flat. Would not recommend.

2/13/2009 - boogiejon wrote:

Wierdest pinot EVER...tasted like low tide and metal. Huh?

2/13/2009 - boogiejon wrote:

NYE 08...so much bubbly.

1/9/2009 - boogiejon wrote:

Don't have a great memory about this pinot, but I've had it twice now and its epic. I LOVE this juice from a coastal vineyard in Cambria, CA.

1/9/2009 - boogiejon wrote:

Decent quaffer; much better than the '04 which I thought waas garbage; earthy and restrained; not overoaked; at $8 a bottle I'd consider drinking it again.

1/9/2009 - boogiejon wrote:

Dark tarry color; spicy nose of dark fruits and smoke; boysenberry and maple on the palate; really good juice from LAIRD!

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Killer white Rhone blend from my favorite winery in Paso. This was the standout of the last tasting I had there, and I was excited to finally drink it again. Heavy on roussane, which I believe was oaked, this wine was full bodied, creamy, and full of citrus and slate. Long finish, which lead to me wanting more more more.

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Medium to full bodied cab with subtle oak, leather, and red fruit flavors. I shared this wine with my family for a Christmas eve pasta dinner. Always one of my favorite go-to cabs from Napa, and I can actually afford it every so often. Great juice.

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Almost similar to Cakebread in style. Nice balance of oak and citrus, with a great deal of minerality. This wine was made by Dan Goldfield as some sort of side project it seems. Very distinct, and very good, Chablis-like chard.

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Excellent, fruity, medium bodied, Rhone blend. I wish I still had access to more of this stuff.

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

This wine was ridiculously tight and acidic immediately after popping the cork, but opened up quite a bit after about 1 hour in the bottle. YOU SHOULD DECANT THIS WINE FOR 2 HOURS BEFORE DRINKING! Otherwise, a pretty standard Rioja.

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

I purchased this from the winery after tasting a dozen of their wines. If I remember correctly, some of the vines used for this are over 100 years old! This is intensely dark in color and body, with an amazing hint of maple syrup on the finish. I want more.

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Killer stuff given to me as a gift from the family who makes it. I would highly reccomend this to anyone who likes a smooth, fruit-forward style California cab.

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Easily, one of the best cheap red wines out there. A blend of two obscure Italian varietals, this wine is velvety, almost reminiscent of merlot, with dark fruit flavors and a nice hint of dark chocolate. Great with pasta too.

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Excellent. Exactly what malbec should taste like, and affordable to boot. I need more of this stuff!

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

At $8, this stuff rules. Oaky, buttery, quality chard, practically for free. The Grand Estates line from Columbia Crest has got to be one of the best values out there.

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

I can't really remember the details of this wine, but I do remember really liking it, especially given its lowly pedigree. This was a gift, but I would certainly purchase this if I came across it again...

12/30/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

I have liked this wine in the past, but this time it was just OK. I decanted it which didn't seem to help. Wine was thin, and almost kool-aidy, which I'm not down with. A decent quaffer at $8.99 from Trader Joe's, but nothing to write home about.

12/13/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

This cork on this bottle had a section of seepage, and it smelled a bit funky, so I was bumming on yet another "corked" bottle, but the wine seemed honestly unaffected, thankfully. This was a delicious syrah, with very dark, tarry color, and a nose of blueberry, smoke, and leather. The flavors were similar, with a very strong chocolate note. This wine was very viscous and velvety smooth. It was much better than I remembered when I first purchased it. Too bad it was my last one...it will be missed.

12/6/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

It was nearly as good as everyone else says it is...

12/6/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Very well done cab with about 5% syrah. An extremely fruit forward style. High sugar and high alcohol. A close friend was partly responsible for making this Lake Co. cab, and I'm stoked he shared it with me.

12/6/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Well, I'll have to describe my previous experiences with this wine, since the bottle from my cellar was corked...uggh! Typically, this is a smokey, jammy, smooth syrah, and it has always been one of my favorites.

11/25/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

So sad to see the last one of these go. This is just an amazingly rich Oregon pinot noir from one of the most "heritage" of vineyard sites in the Willamette Valley. I had the opportunity to try this wine twice, and it was great both times. Very dark color, with an earthy, vanilla combo on the nose; the flavor attack is intense with blueberries and cream and the slightest bit of pepper on the finish. You can definately taste some heat as well. This wine is impressive, and I'm thankful for having tried it.

11/25/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

This stuff was unbelievably good for the price (and it was a great gift)...I can't wait to get some more.

10/27/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Black inky blackness, the cork made for a good stamp; this wine is dark as night, unbelievable...
-Jon

You know you're going to taste tanins when you smell this wine, it's black and almost intimidating. looked like chocolate syrup as it came out of the bottle. it's huge legs are just a metaphor for how gurthy this wine is. it's flavors are just as deep as it looks with dark berries and chocolate tones, but the main thing is that they are all under the tanic base of this huge shiraZZZZZ. the finish never ends, and as it opened up it got better and better, i feel that it got smoother, but it felt balanced throughout. the biggest criticisms are probably how tanic it is, and it's also very hot (14.5); it also might be a little early to open this bottle, but seems to be aging perfectly, and will be a great bottle to open when you're ready for a meal in a bottle. sit back with a bar of dark chocolate and enjoy the best that oatly and mondavi have to offer from down under.
-Tony

10/25/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Color of cranberry; translucent; Nose of SMOKE, bacon, manure, mushroom initially, leading to vanilla, rasberry, dried cranberry, and pine after being open for a half an hour or so; obviously this is a CHAOTIC wine, pretty complex, but not fully integrated (this is a blend of at least 10 vineyards); A fair bit of tart and tannic overtones initially, leading to flavors of cranberry, subtle strawberry, and pepper; this wine has some nice minerality on the finish, which intensifies over a few minutes; this wine is overly complex but very good, esecially with food.

10/21/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Not as good as the '05...will try again in a year or two.

10/21/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Light straw color; brilliant and clear; nose of dried mango, canteloupe, and loads of minerality; flavors of yellow and green apples, lemon, and citrus fruits; medium acidity, with subtle oaky notes; decent, drawn out finish; paired nicely with an herb salad; slightly pricey, but we would most definitely purchace again.

10/17/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Not bad, but not my favorite...needs more time in my opinion.

10/15/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Pretty dark yellow color for an '05; nose of papaya, banana, and toasted marshmallow; on the palate, heavy oak influrnce and quite buttery as well; very nice acidity with lingering tropical finish and just a slight citrus edge; very sweet and rich; seems to be a typical hardcore Cali chard, but right up my alley; an inexpensive white that I'd definitely drink again.

10/15/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Dark red color; brilliant sheen; nose is full of alcohol (even though its only 13.9%), also strawberry cream notes; flavors of cherries and even cranberries, plus some leather and aged Italian cheese; developed some nice velvety mouthfeel with 30 minutes of decanting; somewhat astringent sour finish; an average pinot from Bien Nacido; maybe I should have left it longer...on the other hand, it paired excellently with cioppino and chipotle pepper chicken sausage; could have used a little more extraction and possibly more time on the vine.

10/8/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

cloudy, opaque, and lively appearance; garnet to ruby color; lean body with just a tad bit of acidity up front; supple sweetness and silky consistency; delicate intensity and refined complexity; just enough tannin for a layered structure; a very agreeable central coast pinot with notes of basil, strawberry, blueberry, and clove; finishes with nice toasty vanilla and just a hint of mushroom; would most definitely purchase and drink again.

10/7/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

It was fine, and that's all I have to say. For $10, not bad swill...

10/8/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Unfortuately, I don't remember much about this wine, as can sometimes happen when alcohol is involved; I do remember that I most definitely liked it, and thought it a pleasant representative of RRV pinot noir.

10/5/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Was one of the standouts in our Burgundy tasting and one of two 2003 premier cru's tried. It was an elegant low-ish alcohol pinot noir; light red to dark orange color; on the nose almost an oyster shell quality, possibly the limestone shining through; very mild, reserved, red fruit flavors, with moderate earthiness; decent finish; California pinots offer such greater value at this price point, that I would probably not purchase again.

10/7/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Had tasted this once in Folsom, CA and appreciated its light, pinot-like nature; this is a medium bodied, spicy syrah; moderately dark red color; cola and baking spices on the nose; a lot of red fruit and red licorice flavors, with some tanginess; overall a pretty good wine, but not exactly my style.

10/5/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

This was a great syrah, right up my alley; rich, dense, dark fruit from beginning to end; very dark purply tar color; beautiful blueberry, boisenberry, and milk chocolate notes; a full-bodied wine with high viscosity; long, long finish; an exceptional value from a very well known grower; bravo!

10/5/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Nice yellow color, borderline honey; nice melon and vanilla on the nose; very stong flavors from oak, and very rich; fruit flavors of mango with a hint of citrus; acidity balanced the near oak-bomb; a very decent finish ending in strong mineral flavors; would probably drink again @ $15.

9/26/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Dark, brooding red color; very rich nose of chocolate covered strawberries; extremely velvety mouthfeel; full bodied pinot; rich, almost syrupy dark fruit flavors, and a distinct vanilla edge; shared with family and everyone LOVED it; one of the biggest and best oregon pinots i've tried.

10/3/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Very light cab; little to no tannin at all; very reminisent of kool aid; somewhat drinkable oakbomb, yet unsatisfying; what more could you expect for a $10 vineyard designated, rutherford cab?

10/3/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

Very light style; not much fruit coming through, though I wouldn't call it dry; some hints of strawberry and baking spice upon tasting, but finish was nothing to write home about; overall, a bit dissapointing, but I realize this is just a Santa Barbara blend; probably would not purchase again.

10/3/2008 - boogiejon wrote:

tropical nose; darkish dull yellow color; pretty oaky, with some nice citrus flavors coming through; good acidity and decent finish; about as much as i could expect for this wine, but not really my style.