1/14/2024 - jmcmchi wrote:

On opening, distinctly chemical nose, which wore off in ten minutes

On palate, feels like a wannabe Macon, with piercing acidity

A bit overpriced at Garagiste $14

12/9/2023 - flatlandfarmer Does not like this wine:

Guys… this isn’t good. Come on now…

12/5/2023 - XK Does not like this wine:

Very muted. Alcohol stings in the nose. Some leathery aroma. Some kind of fruit hard candy. 4h decant did not help. On the contrary, it seemed more concentrated right out of the bottle.

Very high acidity, not integrated well. Medium tannins. Apart from that? Minor tertiary flavours.

I bought this wine cheap and it is teaching me a lesson. I did a lot better in the past with that kind of money.


Day 2, which equals a 26h decant: flat on the nose, softer on the palate, but still no meaningful flavours. Length: short.

50h after decanting: this would be an okay Rosso di Montalcino now. Still, nowhere near the BdM I tasted so far.

1/27/2020 - Ara Kafafian wrote:

Blind, I couldn’t get past the green olive and corked notes of this wine. Another tragic moment once bottle was revealed. I will most likely never come across another bottle in my life.

7/1/2021 - redz wrote:

Thank you "1961vintage" for your reviews, which I based my auction purchase on. I agree, nice rich elegant pinot noir. Still deep garnet, no sign of fade. 4 more bottles...

4/28/2022 - dream wrote:

Corked!

3/11/2022 - dmitchell4 wrote:

Past it peak.

3/5/2022 - GJVines Likes this wine:

Drank after about an hour in the decanter. A bit vegetal for my tastes, with lots of green pepper on the palate. Seemed overly extracted, but even with all that it was not terrible.

5/12/2021 - kevrob822 Does not like this wine:

I didn’t care for this at all. It was fairly flat & out of balance. Not up to WTSO‘s normal spectacular standards. Horrible QPR.

2/6/2018 - NapaInBaltimore Likes this wine:

Most amazing Zin blend, dry farmed on Spring Mountain

1/31/2021 - vino777 wrote:

Wanted to l ike this one but very disappointed. Decent fruit but not much balance. Very overpriced and much better quality out there at this price point (and less)

7/23/2019 - 1961Vintage Does not like this wine:

Simply not knocking my socks off as a $40 cab should. Seems too disjointed and lacking. Love to hear from anyone who thinks differently. I loved AJ Foyt as a driver, just don't appreciate his efforts nearly as much in the vineyard.

6/11/2020 - Mds319 Likes this wine:

First time trying Stony Hill. Definitely a bright, acidic, dryer Chardonnay. Lots of citrus flavors mixed in with some floral notes and Granny Smith apple. No oak influence so lighter mouthfeel. Also lots of minerality. Good but not sure I would buy again.

2/22/2014 - FjordogFjell wrote:

Rufsete lukt, kork? åpna to flasker omtrent lik. 2 t i karaffel gjestene (L&B) er gått. Veldig eik fortsatt, reduktiv, som dekker over det som kan være god frukt. 1 dag i flaske: Bedre i dag. Eik og rufs er redusert. Søt tung frukt. La ligge 5 år +

2/20/2019 - TallMikeWine Likes this wine:

There was a vintage, characterized by some in the wine writing community as being a "bad year". But if course people working in that community need things about which to concoct stories. The stories of 2011 being a "bad year" have been greatly exaggerated. Know this.

Beautiful wine. Dark, rich, ripe fruit. Loads of spice, and a fi dish for days. And this is good to go now, or hold for a other 5! The Smith brothers know a thing or two. They will not let you down.

1/28/2019 - gmal wrote:

Just opened a bottle that was the definition of “corked”. Smelled and tasted like moldy newspaper and graphite. Purchased last month in San Diego from an established wine store and restaurant, anyone else recently buy a bottle that had this issue?

1/25/2019 - mikeaukenbals wrote:

Probably stored poorly at retailer

11/30/2018 - Dale Rattles Likes this wine:

Bought 4 bottles on WTSO for $27 each. Was expecting one or maybe two to be drinkable, but with 3 down these have been remarkably consistent. Of course, shows a bit of bricking on the edges, but the legs remain nice and this drinks quite well, and like a proper “library” wine. I double-decanted and removed the sediment which heightened the experience. I’m glad I tried this one, I’ve made poor WTSO choices in the past....

9/1/2018 - LandoMT Likes this wine:

Reallllly good.

2/26/2017 - Chateau du Fey 1994 wrote:

I didn't get what many others experienced from this wine. I found it to be over the hill, lacking fruit and complexity.

2/3/2017 - jayjoyce Likes this wine:

Beautiful, dark smooth flavorful

5/30/2015 - theduck Likes this wine:

Lovely wine, big structure that is also showing its age, a little softer than I remember. Big dark chocolate covered cherries, a bit hot but resolved quickly to a lovely soft lingering finish. If you have any of this left, it's time to drink up. -t

3/25/2016 - Davetroup Likes this wine:

Even better the second night (used wine preserver but might not have needed it.). I really like this wine. There was an initial "this is weird" reaction to the fizz, as my previous review demonstrates, but after I got past that, I could drink this stuff all day long. Not that I would, mind you. Unfortunately, life's responsibilities won't allow me to be in "enjoying wine" mode all day long. But it's a nice goal! Haha

Glad I have five more bottles to enjoy and wish I'd bought a whole case.

10/4/2015 - emf Likes this wine:

Very good wine, no sign of age, bright, great aromas of fruit with tastes of bright red fruit and soft tannins that linger on the palate.

5/22/2015 - mflesh Likes this wine:

Probably the nicest medium-to-full bodied Texas red wine I've had to date. Aged for FORTY ONE MONTHS in New American Oak (wow!...?). This wine poured a dark red with hints of violet. Served pop and pour slightly below room temp. The nose out of the glass is anise, strawberry and mint. On the palate, this one has zero acid, and levels of RS that are very much in check. The palate of this one is quite different from the nose. Mint, black cherry and terroir show right up front. Cocoa sits in the middle, mixing well with both the terroir notes that become more expressive, and the black cherry notes that become more subdued. Finish is oak and ripe red berry without being overly tannic. I definitely believe this one could hold 1-2 more years, but beyond that I'm not sure.

3/7/2015 - cuffthis wrote:

This was a completely different wine than the one I tasted on 3/3/15. It was not the least bit expressive. It barely had any fruit. Talk about bottle variation!

Purchased recently for $20US, this bottle was a 180 degree difference from the first bottle I tasted. I was concerned with this wine based on the reviews of others. My bottles appear to be freshly labelled and the cork certainly wasn't 14 years old. It looked brand new. Hmmm.

Imported by Holiday Beverage Inc., Clarkston, MI.

1/16/2015 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine:

For $20 bucks got two words for you...OUT STANDING!

2/11/2015 - Boatdrinker Does not like this wine:

This is the first time I've done this, but this wine is bullshit. I ordered 4 from WTSO last year (or so), and they were good. This is my first of the next batch - the best way I can describe it is it tastes like fake wine, bullshit in a glass. Camus Conundrum Red thinks this is weak.

10/11/2014 - mad_dog2020 wrote:

Opened my first bottle last night. Starts out with a rich rasberry taste then comes the lingering pepper with tobacco flavors. Great with a chorizo and goat cheese flatbread. At this price I wish I purchased several cases.

7/24/2013 - 1961Vintage wrote:

Feels like its getting tired. Not past peak but not rising anymore. Dried fruits evident. Less on the finish. Decant for at least an hour. Would shorten drinking window..

3/5/2014 - tooch wrote:

Keplinger Tasting (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): Very young and a total brute. I liked this more than the 2007 since there was at least more going on than just the alcohol's heat. Still, not my style of wine at all...amped up flavors with zero elegance.

2/27/2014 - sqn19 wrote:

Last bottle of this - better than my experience in January - not austere and unappealing like the last bottle, there is jammy fruit here - but it's not integrated at all, drinkable but disjointed. Something went wrong here. And based on CT notes, there's clearly significant bottle variation. Disappointing based on previous experience.

2/20/2014 - wtianseter wrote:

Perhaps a bad bottle or it's in a "dumb" phase. The wine was tight and never opened up with time-in-bottle or air. The wine has a lot of fruit, but this bottle seemed closed and out of balance compared to past bottles. You could see hints of a very nice wine but nothing developed. On day 3 in open bottle - it was the best but only that one glass left and it had the misfortune that I followed it with a killer Brunello that blew it out of the water.

1/25/2014 - 1961Vintage Does not like this wine:

Just a mess. Nice fruit but a lot of alcohol and little structure...dissapointing

12/22/2013 - dcwino wrote:

Lazy Sunday group Holiday dinner (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Bummer! Slightly corked. Exceptional concentration and intense sweet fruits. A great wine based on my past experiences.

4/25/2013 - drdecanto wrote:

Unbalanced oak bomb. Plus there is some bitterness. Just getting started with WTSO and this doesn't bolster confidence in their offerings.

After tasting another bottle, I have removed my prior score of 83 as I think it unfairly drags the overall scores on this down. he 2nd bottle that I had was in the 90 range.

11/13/2012 - Granddw Likes this wine:

Won 3rd place in a Cabernet Sauvignon tasting against 14 other cabs 90 rating or higher.

9/29/2012 - 1961Vintage wrote:

Another great bottle. And for the price, perhaps pound for pound one of the best ever.