4/1/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Very good with a huge amount of fruit and leather. Red cherry, berry and plenty of structure. Lots of flavor and my only knock would be that it wasn't the most complex wine out there.

4/1/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Outstanding! Plenty of flavor with an elegance that reminds me of a balanced Burgundy. Lots of red fruit, balsamic and dried herb. It definitely got better with a decant. 93-94

3/26/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

As before, but this seemed more developed and has actually developed positively.

3/23/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Simple and ready to go, with tons of grape soda, dark fruit and a slight floral note. Decent for the $20 I paid 12 years ago, but nothing special. I will say that it did get better with air and was significantly better a few days later. Lacking in structure, acidity and tannin.

3/23/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Absolutely fantastic! Plenty of red an dark fruit, berry pie, cherry and enough oak and acidity to make this a well balanced drink.

3/23/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Bought on release and has been stored properly since. C: Still deep and dark with some bricking. N: Faint leather and dark berry with a slightly oxidized nose. P: More of the same with a moderate berry note and some oxidation. Not enough acidity to lift the dullness of the fruit. F: Medium and quite average. IMO, this is OTH and should be consumed now. I had the '10 version from this producer the next night and it simply blew the doors off of this.

3/17/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Excellent example for the money. PLenty of fruit, but with a restrained cool climate note. Violets, purple fruit and blackberry. Paired very well with our grilled kebabs.

3/17/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

As before. Plenty of yeasty bread and yellow fruit. Very, very good and a steal for the money.

3/17/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Drinking well with a silkiness that comes with aging these. Dried fruit, earth and some red fruit. Great balance and an outstanding deal.

3/17/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Informal notes, but what a solid wine. Plenty of earth and dried herb, but a healthy and balanced dose of fruit. This was followed by a refreshing lift of acid on the finish. This was a really great deal and I wish I had more. Piared with souvlaki and various Mediterranean foods.

2/25/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Solid bottle of wine. I opened this to cook with and was surprised on how well it drank. Not the in your face grapefruit of a NZ SB, it was almost Riesling like with freshness and a hint of sweetness. Lime, fresh flower and yellow fruits abound. A hint of green apple as well. Definitely enjoyed this.

2/25/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Informal notes. N: Typical damp earth, dried herb and cherry with a dash of dark fruit. P: More of the same with a medium body and resolved tannin. F: Not the most complex bottle ever, but easy drinking and interesting enough to keep your attention. This drinking well now and seemed to be at peak for my tastes. A solid 91-92

2/18/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Darn nice wine. Strawberry, cream and hay with a fresh pear and green apple note. This bottle went really fast at the dinner party.

2/18/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Second bottle from Garagiste and this really isn't good. Thin and acidic with minimal fruit. Cork seemed to be in great shape, but the wine simply isn't good in any way.

2/18/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

What a delicious and refreshing bottle. Plenty of lemon and hay with a dose of yeast and fresh bread.

2/18/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

A bot confected on the palate, but decent overall.

2/18/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

as before and fresher than ever. My only knock would be the sharper texture of bubbles.

2/13/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Informal notes, but I thought this was "good". Beautiful cork that was in great shape. N: Big juicy fruit and berry pie. P: More juicy fruit and not as much depth as I was hoping for. More big berry, dark fruit and tannin. Medium + body. F: Medium and a bit heavy with more dark fruit. A solid wine for the price from Garagiste, but not a grand slam.

2/7/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Delicious bottle. Big fruit and body, with enough acidity and tannin to keep it from being too heavy. The alcohol seemed fairly well hidden to me. This bottle went well with chicken parm and was as good the next day. In hindsight, I would let this rest a while longer, but it was a fun wine either way.

2/7/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

This is exactly why I bought this bottle. I wanted to see how well a 24 year old wine would hold up, especially since it's not the most expensive bottle out there. Beautiful cork that had a slight bit of creep, but was perfectly intact. N: Dark fruit, dried herbs and fennel seed. P: Dark , dry fruit, herbs, medium body and tannin still intact. Surprisingly, this held up well over an hour and seemed far fresher than the bottle indicated. Minimal secondary notes, but very nicely done. F: Medium with decent complexity and a tannic life after all these years. I would think this has plenty of life left. 91+

1/29/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Best on Day 2, this was decent but a bit oaky.

1/29/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Fantastic bottle that we shared with the NC wine group. Fresh and plenty of life.

1/29/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

What a surprise! This was such a wonderful bottle that seemed to be at peak. N: Big fruit, but a mix of red and dark fruit with a pronounced blueberry pie note. P: More decadent blueberry pie with icing and spice. F: Long and one of the most balanced wines I've ever had. The big fruit had the perfect amount of acidic lift with velvety tannin. This was ready to drink right on the pnp, but didn't lose a step after being opened a couple hours. Absolutely wonderful and has plenty of life left.

1/12/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Dried olive, tannin and violet. Maybe a hint of dried herb as well. Seemed a bit simple from what I remember this being in the past. 87-89

1/12/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Great for the money. Red fruit and dried herb that went well with pizza.

1/12/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Plenty of dried herb and dark fruit. Medium bodied with a bit of a tannic background. I think this needs more time, but it was still a nice bottle.

1/12/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

This was still drinking well, despite being an older bottle. Plenty of Napa fruit and spice with a long finish. I really miss this winery.

1/12/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Really nice bottle of wine. Reed and dark fruit, spice and some tannin. Medium bodied with a medium finish.

1/12/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

This was an awesome bottle after some air. Plenty of secondary flavors, but they really blossomed after being opened for a while. Dark fruit, leather, oak. I had this in the fridge for two days and it actually seemed to get better

1/12/2024 - RDHudak wrote:

Very average and a bit thin. Minimal complexity, but nothing offensive either.

12/15/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

As before. Just spend the money and get a better bottle

11/27/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

A nice bottle with tons of dark berry cobbler and dried herb. Developed well with a much needed decant. Full bodied with medium complexity and finish. The main knock is the 15% alcohol, which really reared its head. It blew off somewhat with air, but suffered from it. 91+

11/23/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

This may have been an off night, but unlike most Sandler wines, this came across hot and disjointed.

11/12/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Spicy and full of dark fruit, earth and spice. This has aged very well and got better with air. Paired very well with blackened redfish.

11/12/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

This is was makes this type of wine great. So food friendly and an incredible value

11/12/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Fantastic wine that will probably get better with age. Loads of dark fruit and bramble.

10/26/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Dark as ever with no signs of age. N: Ripe dark fruit and a whiff of glycerin. P: A load of dark fruit and sugar, with a mouth filling texture, but minimal complexity. F: A bit sweet and fruity with medium lenghth. Decent, but not for the money. I tasted this blind and guessed under $20.

10/16/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

As usual, darn good wine. Surprisingly light in color and maybe the lightest I've seen in a Sandler. N: Again, lighter in nose than usual. Elegant cranberry, strawberry, rose petal and a light herb profile. P: Same as the nose, with great balance and acidity. Minimal tannin, but very balanced. F: Medium with a soft elegance that seemed quite different than the bigger styles that I've enjoyed from this house. Went well by itself or with the herb roasted chicken that we shared. 91+

9/29/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Decent grocery store chardonnay. For the price of $12, this is solid, but nothing I'd seek out. 85-87

9/27/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Showing lots or tertiary notes on the palate. Plenty of dark fruit, earth and a hint of oxidation. Medium finish. I really enjoyed this, but I don't see it lasting a lot longer. Definitely showed its ABV, and I'm usually not sensitive to that.

9/24/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

For the money, not a bad bottle. No notes of extract or cheapness, just a simple and subtle bottle Typical cranberry, red cherry and earth. Short-medium finish with light body. 86-87

9/17/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Decent wine with red fruit and medium+ acidity. Short-medium finish. 90-91

9/16/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

The cork was just barely holding together on the pnp, with a very small part breaking off in the bottle. Also not in the best shape after inspection. C: Dark and very deep, showing no signs of age. N: Some port character with plenty of dark fruit. Definitely showing her age here. P: Big, dark fruit with a slight oxidized note. Tannins are completely resolved. F: Medium with minimal acidity and tannin. While this held up during the course of our dinner, I would drink these sooner than later. Also, my bottles have been perfectly stored since purchase in the cooler part of my cellar.

9/10/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Simple and seemingly young at first, this showed absolutely no signs of age with the pnp. Dark color and deeply fruity nose with no tertiary notes. After being opened for an hour, the spice and complexity started to emerge. Still showed no signs of development, but was enjoyable.

9/10/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Not bad, but I'm not a big fan of grenache heavy CdP. Definite grenache notes with medium body and finish. Minimal complexity and at 16% abv (!!!) this was a bit heavy.

9/4/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Basic dark fruit and really nothing more. Minimal complexity and a funky note throughout.

9/4/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Dark color with no indication of age. N: Cheap dark fruit with an artificial note. P: More artificial dark fruit and glycerin. 82-84

8/29/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Definitely enjoyed this one. Creamy pear, oak and white fruit. Medium + body and finish. Very well balanced and a great surprise.

8/29/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Dry, with notes of bitter strawberry and hay. Bitter finish with minimal complexity and fruit. That said, I'm not a huge fan of rose', but I still thought it lacked in overall quality. 85-87

8/26/2023 - RDHudak wrote:

Boring and unimpressive. Some earth, red fruit and bramble. Medium body and finish. Not bad, but certainly mediocre CdP.