2/24/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Decanted 30 minutes before serving. Medium-deep garnet color. Lovely on the nose: aged leather, dried fruit, a hint of floral perfume, and some masculine old office wood. Medium body, medium acid, with fine grained tannins. Surprisingly vibrant blackberries and black currant on the palate with a nice savory mid-palate. Very sweet fruit. Lacking a bit of complexity on the palate that I'd expect given the age and vintage, but certainly enjoyable.

2/16/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent yellow color. Very pleasant baked goods aromas: vanilla, lemon bar. Medium-light body, medium-plus acid. Initally a bit thin on the palate with tart lemon and some flinty undertones. With air this picked up rich apples and a nice saltiness on the finish. Very good at this price point.

2/7/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Medium-deep ruby color. Effusive fruit notes on the nose, with strawberries along with something darker, maybe plums. Medium-plus body, medium-to-medium-low acid, silky tannins. Sweet fruit on the palate: blueberries/blackberries. For my taste, this had an ideal ripeness level. Excellent. Perfect match with a Flannery's steak.

2/11/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Decanted 4 hours before serving. Medium-deep garnet color. Cherries and roses on the nose. Medium-plus body, medium-plus grippy tannins, medium acid. Lovely dried cherries with mushrooms, leather, and good mid-palate depth offering a bit of savoriness. Incredibly elegant, and with structure to continue to age.

11/15/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Initial coravin pour was thin, bitter, and medicinal. Two months later with a short decant -- Cherry and fall spice on the nose, with medium-light body, medium acid, light tannins, and a lovely juicy palate featuring sappy red cherries.

2/2/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent gold. Medium body, Medium low acid. Floral perfume and peaches on the nose. Very rich mouthfeel with apple cider notes on the palate, with a sweetness level reminiscent of a spätlese. This was very tasty, but could have used a bit more depth and some additional acid to balance the sweetness. Started to fall apart on day 2.

1/31/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent yellow-to-gold color. Delightful apples and a hint of white chocolate on the nose. Medium-to-medium-light body, medium acid. Apples and sour lemon on the palate, perhaps a bit of bitterness on the finish. Fine for its price point.

1/29/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Decanted 30 minutes before serving. Deep ruby color. Medium-plus body, medium-to-medium plus acid, powdery tannins. Strong strawberry and other syrupy fruits on the nose. More dried red fruit on the palate, especially some dried cherry, with some wonderful tea notes mid-palate to provide balance. Acid level here really ties everything together. This is aging wonderfully.

1/25/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent straw color, with tropical fruits on the nose. Medium body, medium-to-medium low acid. Fruit cocktail, peach syrup, and some grassiness on the finish. Very tasty, but I have had more complexity from other vintages.

1/20/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent gold color. Cinnamon apple sauce on the nose. Medium body, medium acid. Lots of apples on the palate. Initially a bit bitter, but improved with time in the glass. Rich baked apples and nice salinity on the finish, perhaps salted caramel. Well balanced, the acid holds everything together.

1/10/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Translucent garnet, almost tawny colored. Dried cherries and some earthy funk on the nose. With time in the glass, the funk blew off yielding more of a cherry hard candy aroma with a hint of old leather in the background reminiscent of an old office. Medium-to-medium-light body, medium-plus acid. Very tangy red fruit with some orange rind or perhaps blood orange on the finish. Elegant.

1/6/2024 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Decanted three hours before serving. Deep ruby color. Very effervescent on the nose with dark fruit (almost like a fruit syrup) and chocolate notes prominent. Full body, medium-to-medium-plus tannins, medium acid. Lots of ripe fruit on the palate; cassis, blackberry, a hint of blueberry, with some interesting sandalwood and cedar notes on the finish. This was very tasty, but at times the fruit seemed to overpower everything else. I think this will be better with a couple more years to calm down.

12/31/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Decanted one hour before serving. Medium-deep ruby color. Deep blue fruits and a somewhat floral nose. Medium-light body, medium-to-medium-plus acid. A bit thin at first with a metallic note on the back. This improved with time in the glass offering some cherry fruit, menthol, and a subtle soy sauce note. Fine, but was expecting better given the vintage and producer. My wife thought this was excellent.

11/30/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent gold color. A bit muted on the nose at first really only offering a bit of yeast, but some cinnamon applesauce notes arose with time. Rich lemon, key lime, and some great balancing sea salt. Very good depth. Hard to justify the price tag, but highly enjoyable.

11/22/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep ruby color. Rich sweet fruit on the nose; blue/black fruit along with a hint of tobacco. Sweet thick black fruit on the palate along with some black tea. Perhaps a hint of heat on the finish but otherwise excellent.

11/16/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep ruby color. Distinctive hot cocoa aromas along with red fruit. Medium body, medium acid, medium grippy tannins. Still very primary on the palate with juicy raspberries, ripe blackberries, and a hint of black currant. With time the fruit became redder. Delicious and perfect with veal parm.

11/10/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Consumed over 2 days. Day 1: Decanted 2 hours before serving. Suprisingly (for nebbiolo) dark ruby color. Reserved on the nose offering only a hint of new leather and cherry liquour. Medium body, high acid, medium-plus fine grained tannins. Thin and acidic on the palate, underripe cherries and blood orange with a chalky finish. Difficult to enjoy. Saved 1/4 of bottle capped overnight with a RePour, and then decanted a further 7 hours. Pleasant bouquet with yellow cake being most distinctive. Fruit picked up body and ripreness, now offering sour cherries and a very nice savory undertone. Score average over two nights... last glass was a 91+. If opening again, I would decant 12 hours.

10/27/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent yellow. Apricots, white flowers, and honey on the nose. Medium-to-medium-light body, medium-plus acid. Dried apricots on the palate, with some savory grassy notes underlying. Of the three vintages I have now tried, this is certainly my favorite.

10/25/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep purple color. Fully body, medium acid, medium fine-grained tannins. Some smoky aromas on the nose, and perhaps some cocoa. Full body, medium acid, medium fine-grained tannins. Fruit forward, and rich, with very dark fruits on the palate, but falling well short of any overripe character. My wife picked up some heat on the finish, but I thought it was fine. Overall, a great value, as good as some modern Napa cabs at 5x the price.

10/15/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Translucent ruby. Fresh cherries and hint of rose petal ont he nose. Medium body, medium-to-medium plus acid, medium tannins. Red fruit with nice tanning frame and nots of tar on the palate. Tightly wound. After 10 days under repour this opened up nicely with some lovely cherry cordial on the palate. Definitely hold for a few more years.

10/1/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Very deep ruby color. Medium body, medium-to-medium-plus acid, with silky medium tannins. New leather and hint of cigar on the nose. Deep red cherry, raspberry, and green herbs on the palate. With more air the fruit became darker -- rick blackberries and black currant. Bit of a rustic finish. Enjoyable with a grilled ribeye.

9/23/2023 - timothynbond wrote:

Deep ruby-garnet color with some bricking on the rim. Blackberry, rich cranberry sauce, and some typical old leather mature claret aromas. Medium-light-to-medium body, medium acid, fine grained tannins. Bit thin on the palate, with a savory soy sauce which dominated the background cherry cordial. Austere.

9/21/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent yellow color. Butterscotch and honeyed stone fruit on the nose. Medium body, medium acid. Cinnamon applesauce, pear juice, with a pleasing richness on the palate. Good balance. Outstanding for its price.

9/13/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Translucent gold color. Medium-to-medium-light body, medium-to-medium-low acid. Green apples, brown sugar, and caramel on the nose. Small, fine bubbles with white chocolate, very ripe apples, and a hint of lemon on the palate. Some oxidized notes. Better with air.

9/6/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Translucent yellow color. Soft cork. Light body, medium-low acid. Reserved on the nose with just a hint of petrol and pineapple upside down cake. Palate offered browned sugar, honeyed pears, and a sweetness level that could have been dessert. Tasty.

8/30/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Bit of a hazy yellow color. Medium body, medium-plus acid. Ripe melon on the nose, joined by more melon on the palate, along with some pronounced oak (though not distracting) and a bit of a chalky finish. Very good for its level.

8/26/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep purple color. Jammy ripe berries and some strong smoky tobacco on the nose. Full body with medium-plus tannins and medium acid. Sweet blue/black fruit on the palate along with tea, tomato, and bitter cocoa. Tasty, though this pushes the envelope a bit.

7/26/2023 - timothynbond wrote:

Hazy gold color. Rich aromatics with toast and butter, a hint of matchstick in the background. Medium-body, medium-low acid. Butter and chalk dominant the palate. My wife really enjoyed this; I would like to revisit in a couple years to see if the oak better integrates.

7/25/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent straw color. Spicy tropical fruit on the nose, like fruit mixed with tajin, and petrol. Medium-light body, medium-plus acid. Grapefruit and lemon soda on the palate. Delicious and a great value.

7/23/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep inky purple color. Very fragrant nose of cedar, baked blackberries, and vanilla. Full body, medium-to-medium-low acid, and mouthcoating medium-plus tannins. Dark berries, cedar, and milk chocolate on the palate. Really pushes the ripeness scale but somehow manages to stay in balance. A crowd pleaser, but with good depth.

7/13/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep ruby color. Cocoa powder and a hint of barnyard on the nose. Medium-plus body, medium plus acid, and mouthcoating medium-to-medium-plus tannins. Dark ripe fruit, cedar, blackberries, dark raspberries. Rich. Very enjoyable.

7/6/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent yellow. Pineapple juice on the nose. Medium-light body, medium-plus acid. Preserved lemon, lemon drop on the palate with mouthwatering acidity. Great balance with richness on the front before the acid and mineral finish hits. Really outstanding villages. Definite improvement from the bottle I had 2 years ago.

7/2/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep ruby color. Bit reserved on the nose, with some coaxing yielding sweet dark berries and vanilla. Medium body, medium-plus acid, medium tannins. Black cherry, dark raspberry and tobacco on the palate. Youthful, but still accessible; would definitely hold for the future.

6/19/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent amber color. Orange peel on the nose, rather Grand Marnier like. Medium-plus body, medium-low acid. Orange marmalade, orange peel, and brown sugar on the palate. Thick, luscious, delicious.

6/10/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep purple color. Aromas of blackberry pie, sandalwood, and a hint of tobacco. Full body with medium acid and medium tannins. Rich ripe blackberry and black cherry fruit on the palate, along with cedar and hint of cocoa. Perceptible oak. Very tasty, though definitely pushing the envelope.

6/8/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Medium intensity ruby color. Very masucline woodsy aromas on the nose and maybe some buttered popcorn. Medium body, medium-to-medium-plus tannins, medium-low acid. Cherry, sasparilla, and black tea on the palate. Very nice and food friendly.

6/3/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Decanted two hours before serving. Deep ruby color. Blackberry pie, creme de cassis, and a hint of tobacco on the nose. Luscious black currant and milk chocolate on the palate with a lengthy finish. Beautiful Napa fruit without being overripe. Very very good.

6/2/2023 - timothynbond Does not like this wine:

Transparent gold color. Apple juice on the nose. Off-dry with apple cider and a hint of cinnamon on the palate. Syrupy with lingering bitter notes. Probably past its best.

5/30/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Decanted 1 hour before serving. Deep purple color. Lots of fungal notes which overshadowed a bit the tobacco and dark ripe fruit on the nose. Medium-to-medium-plus body, Medium acid, and medium-plus fine grained tannins. Thick blackberry on the palate coming just short of jammy along with some dark cocoa. Lacking a bit in depth, but enjoyable.

5/24/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Decanted five hours before serving. Deep garnet color. Dried cherries and mint on the nose. Medium-plus body, medium-to-medium-plus acid, plus tannins. Dried dark cherries on the palate along with some coffee notes. Still tastes very young. Enjoyable but lacking depth at this point.

5/21/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent straw color. Strong matchstick aromas on the nose along with peaches. Medium-light body, medium-plus acid. Key lime, lemon the palate balanced with great sea salt minerality. Lovely acidity. Certainly one of the best chardonnays I have had from Oregon. Excellent.

5/19/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Transparent gold color. Vanilla, coconut, pina colada, and brown sugar on the nose. Medium body, medium-plus acid. Bitter orange peel, orange marmalade, and brown sugar on the plate, with excellent acidity that made it a great pairing with a fatty duck. Great depth, good acid, outstanding.

5/17/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep ruby color. Spicy red and blue fruit on the nose. Medium-plus body, medium acid, medium-low tannins. Thick blue/red fruit on the palate: raspberries, blueberries, cranberry sauce; joined by tobacco and a hint of cedar on the finish. Would be excellent with a grilled ribeye.

5/4/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep purple color. Very pretty nose, with ripe dark fruit, vanilla, and cigar aromas. Full body, medium-plus tannins, medium acid. Dark fruit coffee and chocolate on the palate, with the bitter notes starting to dominate with time in the glass. Just fine. My wife immediately asked if this was from a wildfire vintage in Napa, though I did personally did not detect that.

4/24/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Rich black fruit, especially blackberry muffin on the nose. Medium-plus body, medium-plus acid, grippy tannins. Sweet blackberry notes on the palate with some coffee picked up mid-palate, and some good balancing acidity. Really nice value.

4/16/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Cherry on the nose with a hint of tobacco. Medium body, medium-to-medium-light tannins, medium acid. Wild cherry on the palate with some interesting savory undernotes. A bit of syrupiness on the finish. Very nice for a mid-week pairing with lasagna.

4/13/2023 - timothynbond wrote:

Transparent yellow color. Cinnamon apple sauce on the nose. Medium-to-medium-light body, medium-plus acid. Lemon sherbet and green apples on the front, but hollow in the mid-palate. Disappointing given the reputation of the producer.

4/10/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep ruby to garnet color. Cigar and dried cherries on the nose. Medium body, medium-plus grippy tannins, medium-to-medium-low acid. Dried cherries and licorice on the palate, picking up some earthy, fungal flavors and iron mid-palate that overwhelmed the fruit through the finish. Fairly average aged Bordeaux.

3/14/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Deep garnet color. Strawberry cake and cola on the nose. Full body, medium-plus acidy, medium-plus grippy tannins. Cherry syrup, sweet cola, and tar on the palate. Lacking depth at this stage, but I expect it will pick up with more time.

3/7/2023 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Pale yellow color. Medium-light body, plus acid. White flowers on the nose with lemons and green apples on the palate. Wonderful acidity made this a great pairing with some katsu pork.