5/20/2024 - Asull2k wrote:

Decanted portion with stir and it opened around 1-2 hours. Vacuvin’d the rest, and PnP on day 2 and 3. Opened after 1 hr. Very deep ruby and medium purple color.
👃🏻 black cherry, blackberry
👅 black cherry, black pepper, hint of licorice, and earth, 30-33 sec finish
Reminded me of Gianfranco Es. Dense, cabernet-like zinfandel blend, high 15.2% ABV. Nice pairing with grilled chicken and pasta.

5/9/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion and it opened after an hour on day 1. Vacuvin’d the rest and PnP portions on day 2 and 4, each time opened much quicker. Medium straw to medium yellow color.
👃🏻 initial banana dissipated after decant, then grapefruit rind and a little honeysuckle
👅 strong acidity with a little white pepper, grapefruit, hint of lemon and pear with 30-35 sec finish
Not my preferred style of chenin blanc but nicely made. I tend to gravitate towards very slightly less dry styles with more complexity but this reminded me of a high octane Anjou.

5/8/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Double decanted 375 mL bottle 1 hr prior to serving, and it opened after another hour. Medium to deep ruby color.
👃🏻 linen, truffle, cherry, leather
👅 red cassis, cranberry, earth, fresh leather with 35-37 sec finish
Surprising how fresh and acidic this was, I am sure it could age far longer although was drinking quite nicely. Well balanced like all of Peschon’s wines. Finish a little shorter than some other vintages I have tried, but minimally so.

4/30/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted with stir and took over an hour to open on day 1. Vacuvin’d the rest, similar on day 2 and 3 although took about 30 min after decanting on day 3. Medium to dark ruby color with hint of garnet on the rim.
👃🏻 cranberry, mild violets, earth, saline
👅 cranberry, white pepper, waves of saline, with 35-40 sec finish
So hard to rate a wine that is so unlike other pinot noirs I have tasted. The saline is very prominent, along with a core of firm acidity. I suspect this will evolve very nicely in complexity with aging.

4/21/2024 - Asull2k Does not like this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir and it didn’t really open after a couple hours. Vacuvin’d the rest and similar on day 2. Double decanted for 12 hrs on day 3 and it changed but not for the better. Deep purple and ruby rim color.
👃🏻 bramble, tar, a little blackberry
👅 tart indistinguishable dark berry, soil, 30-35 sec finish. Very acidic.
Basically tastes like a worse version of a Beta cabernet that is nowhere close to maturity, which is in line with the 13.5% ABV. I can see how it might be more palatable with a LOT more age and tertiary notes but right now needs food not to pair with it but to hide the misery.

4/17/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Double decanted 375 mL bottle about an hour prior to serving, and it opened within 30 min. Deep ruby color.
👃🏻 blackberry, plum, pencil shavings, hint of vanilla
👅 dense plum, black cherry, blackberry, leather, mineral with 35 sec finish
The balance of this wine is its forte, as it has a prominent graphite component that balances out the plum and berry. Not crazy about the QPR but it is nicely made.

4/16/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted portion with stir and it opened within an hour. Vacuvin’d the rest, and similar results on day 2. Very deep ruby and garnet color.
👃🏻 black cherry, blackberry, raisin
👅 black cherry, plum, licorice, vanilla, black pepper with 30-35 sec finish
Hard to rate this one, as it identifies much more as an extracted cabernet sauvignon than primitivo. 16.5% ABV! Pairs like a cabernet as well. On one hand, I feel like it loses its identity as a primitivo. On the other, I can see how any oaky cabernet lover would enjoy this wine. QPR is mediocre, and equivalent or worse than the inflated Napa prices at this time.

4/13/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

PnP with aerator and opened within 10 min. Deep ruby medium purple color.
👃🏻 slight BO, vanilla, soil
👅 black cherry, blackberry, mild black pepper, with 35 sec finish
Well made wine, aging nicely. Likely to improve with some more tertiary notes and age, but in a great place right now.

4/12/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir and it opened after an hour. Vacuvin’d the rest and similar result day 2. PnP day 3 and was pretty much open immediately. Deep straw to medium yellow color.
👃🏻 banana on day 1 but gone by day 3, honeysuckle, peach, apricot, lemon peel
👅 apricot, grapefruit rind, hint of white pepper with 35-40 sec finish
Very very similar to my favorite chenin blancs once opened, to the point where I am sure I would miss on blind tasting. Nice QPR but a tad more $$$ than chenin. Great pairing with seafood and probably most pastas. Very nice.

4/10/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Double decanted about 1 hr before serving, which is needed since this fully clogged the strainer with massive black sediment. Medium tawny garnet bricked color. 75% cork seepage.
👃🏻 barnyard funk, mushroom, cherry, hint of menthol (very Bordeaux-like)
👅 bright red cherry, leather, smooth with 40 sec finish
Fascinating to see how old style Napa wines age so similarly to aged Bordeaux. Delicious piece of history and paired well with bolognese pasta.

4/9/2024 - Asull2k Does not like this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir but remained highly unbalanced even after 2 hrs on day 1. Vacuvin’d the rest and PnP on day 2 and 3 with better results especially on day 3 when the alcoholic hotness isn’t as obvious. Deep purple ruby color.
👃🏻 blackberry, vanilla, tiny bit of graphite, licorice on day 1 but absent later on
👅 black cherry, vanilla, chocolate, runs hot. Excess licorice on day 1 evened out by day 3, with 30-35 sec finish
This is the very style of overextracted, manipulated wine that drives me nuts in Napa. Yes similar in style to Caymus/Austin Hope but there are similar less manipulated offerings from Paso in the sub-$30 range for those who like this style. Limited food pairings for this style and not enough complexity/too alcoholic to drink without food.

4/2/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted due to cork crumbling but it opened immediately. Deep ruby color
👃🏻 truffles, rose petals, dried raspberries reminiscent of aged Bordeaux without barnyard funk
👅 rose petals, dried raspberry, black cherry, seamless integration with tannins and beautiful 40 sec finish. Perhaps not as dense as 2013 but fills out when pairing with food. This paired very well with French onion chicken. Amazing QPR, and a testament to truly masterful winemaking

4/1/2024 - Asull2k wrote:

Decanted a portion on day 1, Vacuvin’d the rest. Opened within 10 min. Same on day 2, and PnP pn day 3.. no point in doing much aerating on these “natural” type wines imo. Deep garnet and tawny color, dense and cloudy.
👃🏻 tiny bit of funk, bramble, yeast and minimal cherry
👅 white pepper, yeast, blood orange, orange peel with 30-35 sec finish
Much closer to a dense rose than a typical grenache, and should pair with food like a rose. Not my preference in style but the nice acidity lets it pair well

3/26/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted portion with stir and it opened within an hour. Vacuvin’d the rest and PnP on day 2 and 3, with similar results. Deep ruby and purple color.
👃🏻 blackberry and bramble
👅 blackberry, black cherry, licorice, and earth with touch of vanilla and 30-35 sec finish
Pairs well with pizza and meat pasta and likely steak. Well made but without a sense of terroir

3/24/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir and it opened over 2 hrs or so. Vacuvin’d the rest and it opened in about an hour after decanting on day 2 and 10 min on day 4. Pale to medium ruby color.
👃🏻 cherry, floral tones, orange, earth on day 1 but by day 4 evolved clearly into truffles and cherry liquor
👅 black cherry, mushroom, with 35 sec finish
Intriguing “Burgundy” pinot that I would undoubtedly miss in a blind tasting. Really nice to pair with pasta or meat. Will be interesting to see how this ages.

3/24/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir and it opened fairly quickly. Vacuvin’d the rest and PnP’d portions on day 2 and 3, which opened in about 15 min. Deep, almost neon, copper color.
👃🏻 hint of watermelon, floral notes, herbs, mineral
👅 well balanced acidity with watermelon, orange peel, some strawberry with 30-35 sec finish
Really like this rose, one of the best Provencal roses I have tried

3/12/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion for 5 min and it opened over the next 30 min or so. Vacuvin’d the rest and PnP the next couple days. I preferred the PnP, which opened fairly quickly day 2 and 3. Pale ruby pink color.
👃🏻 floral and citrus notes, with some melon rind at the tail
👅 tart cranberry, unripened strawberry, watermelon, yeast on the back end with about 30-32 sec finish
Definitely drinks more like a light red than a rose. The acidity allows it to pair well with just about anything, from Italian pasta to pork noodle bowl

3/9/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir and it opened after an hour. Vacuvin’d the rest. Same results on day 4. Tried PnP on day 3 but it didn’t really open well after 1-2 hrs (give this air). Rose petal, lilac, raspberry on the nose. Black cherry, raspberry, hint of dark chocolate and vanilla, with 30-35 sec finish. Nice pairing with sausage pasta and likely great with steak as well. Plush style of cabernet.

3/5/2024 - Asull2k wrote:

Initially decanted a portion with stir and it opened after about an hour. Vacuvin’d the rest and PnP’d on day 2 and 3, both of which opened within 30 min or so. Was best on day 2. Deep ruby and pale purple color. Bramble, cherry on the nose on day 1, but by day 3 mostly yeast and a little blackberry on the nose. Detected what I thought was a lot of VA on day 1, but on day 2 and 3 that was gone and replaced by mostly yeast and some cherry on the palate with 30 sec finish. Not sure what to make of this, which was very different from any other gamay I have tasted.

3/2/2024 - Asull2k wrote:

Decanted a portion with stir and it opened within 30 min. Vacuvin’d the rest and similar results on day 2 and 3. Deep ruby and purple color. Light rose, leather, and a hint of black cherry on the nose. Dusty cherry, leather, earth on the palate with 30-35 sec finish. Strong mouth puckering acidity and moderate amount of sediment. Pairs decently with tomato-based pasta sauce, pizza, etc.. My first dolcetto.

2/29/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted by good friend for 12 hrs prior to serving. Deep dense maroon and ruby color. Herbal notes (spearmint and tomato?), cherry, old leather on the nose. Black cherry, herbal tones, earth, and leather on the palate with 35 sec finish. Strong acidity that begs for food pairing, which definitely enhanced both food (short rib pasta) and wine. Still felt young but beautifully made and a nice birthday treat.

2/27/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

PnP. Medium yellow gold color. Lemon, peach on the nose. Nectarine, lemon, honeysuckle on the palate with a 30-33 sec finish. A little too much on the sweet side at this time, and preferred the 2019 previously. Still a great QPR.

2/22/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted with stir for 5 min then back in bottle for 4 hrs prior to serving, and it was well opened although smoothened out and changed in character over an hour. Deep dense maroon and dark ruby color. Black cherry, violets, brambles, leather, and earth on the nose. Concordant great initial complexity on the palate and just beautifully balanced, with nearly 55 sec finish. Subtly complex yet powerful at the same time. One of the few wines I have seen that I think is better by itself, without food, although perhaps the chimichurri sauce on steak was to blame. Over an hour the complexity was lost as it became smoother with some hints of vanilla. For this old Napa/Peschon style of wine it is nearly a perfect representation. 97.5 but rounding up since it still has more potential to age.

2/21/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

PnP in an Italian restaurant. Medium to deep ruby color. Black cherry, cranberry, and violets on the nose. Black cherry, plum, leather, and hint of vanilla on the palate with 35-40 sec finish. My first Nero and was quite pleasantly surprised. I would have guessed primitivo/Italian cab blend. Excellent food pairing wine and superb QPR retail.

2/17/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir for 5 min and it opened quickly, within 10 min. Vacuvin’d the rest and tried without decant on day 2 and 3 with same results. Deep ruby color. Earth, tobacco, and herbal blackberry on the nose. Blackberry, dark cherry, graphite, and then dark chocolate on the palate with 30-35 sec finish. Pretty consistent with my impression of the 2008. One of the best QPR I have seen on secondary market.

2/11/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Double decanted with stir 2 hrs prior and it was open. Deep purple and ruby color. Earth, tobacco, vanilla, a little menthol, black cherry on the nose. Black cherry, blueberry, dried cranberry, light pepper, tobacco, dark chocolate on the palate with 35 sec finish. Paired with pizza but really should be paired with steak.

2/8/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

PnP a portion and Vacuvin’d the rest, and it opened quite fast on all days. Medium to deep amber color. Dried apricot and a little orange peel on the nose. Orange rind, yeast, melon, with decent acidity on the palate and 30-35 sec finish. Pairs well with most foods including chicken pasta, Tuscan chicken, even Thai food.

2/8/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted with stir and back into bottle 30 min before serving, and it opened quickly. Deep deep ruby color. Earth, tobacco, and herbal blackberry on the nose. Blackberry, dark cherry, graphite, and then plum and dark chocolate on the palate with 30-35 sec finish. Surprising how fresh and youthful this seemed, very similar to a young Mount Veeder cabernet with a rounder plum and chocolate finish. Great pairing with Italian food.

2/4/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir on day 1 and it seemed overly powerful/concentrated even after 2 hrs but paired nicely with BBQ. Vacuvin’d the rest and on day 2 a portion balanced out an hour after decanting with stir. On day 3, it smoothened out 3 hrs after decanting without stir. Deep purple color. Old leather, olives, a little earth and hint of dark berries on the nose. Black cherry, a little pepper, and black olive on the palate with about 35 sec finish. Reminded me of a Cote-Rotie but much more densely concentrated (again, better on day 3), and I suspect with aging will end up similar and a few points higher. What a nice showing from my first Alban!

2/1/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion on day 1 and it opened within an hour. Vacuvin’d the rest and similar results on day 2. On day 3 did not decant and liked it the most. Medium ruby purple color. Cherry cordial and some raspberry on the nose. Cherry, red cassis, pepper on the midpalate, and 35-40 sec finish. OK without food (maybe 92-93 pts) but really shines with food and can likely pair with just about anything, including blackened chicken pasta, breaded sand dabs, or Mexican. Really nice balance.

1/22/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Double decanted 1 hr prior. Dense maroon and ruby color. Light cedar, tiny amount of BO, linen, and hint of raspberry on nose. Watermelon, cherry, hint of pepper, cedar, raspberry on the palate with lengthy 45-50 sec finish. Extremely smooth, and a great representation of aged classic Napa, although I suspect it is past its peak.

1/22/2024 - Asull2k wrote:

Decanted a portion with stir and it improved over 2 hrs. Vacuvin’d the rest. Similar results on day 3 and seemed to open more over an hour after decant. Medium straw/pale gold color. A little lemon rind, light grass on the nose. Grapefruit rind, lemon zest, pear, touch of grass, light pepper on the palate with 30-35 sec finish. Not happy with QPR on this one right now, and I question what will happen with more age.. Better paired with food

1/17/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Double decanted 10 hrs prior. Dense, deep ruby magenta color. Light cedar, graphite, blackberry, vanilla on the nose. Cherry, blackberry, earth, and vanilla on the palate with 30-35 sec finish. A little hot for my taste at this time but not too overdone. Definitely young and primary.

1/15/2024 - Asull2k wrote:

Decanted a portion and it improved over an hour. Vacuvin’d the rest and was better each successive day. Gooseberry and cat pee on the nose. Grapefruit rind, a little green apple, grass on the palate. Initially too bitter but a bit more balanced with air. Decent food pairing wine although the grass seemed atypical for this region.

1/14/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir on day 1 and didn’t open much for an hour, Vacuvin'd the rest and decanted on day 2 and took about 1.5-2 hrs to open and stabilize. Deep deep ruby and a little purple color. Blackberry and earth on the nose. Blackberry, earth, fresh leather, tobacco, and some evergreen herbal notes on the palate with 30-32 sec finish. I think this would be better with a LOT more aging (10+ yrs?) which is my preference for cab franc to neutralize the herbal notes and smoothen out.

1/10/2024 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Double decanted 1-2 hrs prior to serving. Medium to deep ruby color. Cedar, blackberry, a little funk on the nose. Plushy blackberry, black cherry, a touch of dark chocolate on the palate with 30-35 sec finish. Nice relative QPR and great for food pairing although can stand well on its own.

12/31/2023 - Asull2k wrote:

Pnp at restaurant. Medium ruby color. A little cedar and raspberry on the nose. Red currant, cherry on the palate with a short 30 sec finish. Not the most complex but not bad. Fairly easy to pair with food.

12/27/2023 - Asull2k Does not like this wine:

PnP. Pale ruby, deep pink color. Strawberry, cranberry on the nose. Basic and simple fruitiness, concordant with the nose, on the palate with short 25ish sec finish but much better with food. In this case, sausage pasta brought out much darker earthier notes.

12/25/2023 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

PnP. Deep copper color. Minimal nose with a little strawberry. Tart blood orange, cranberry, raspberry on the palate which was flavorful but light and effervescent and <30 sec. A little sweeter than I would like but this is tempered when served chilled, and pretty much a perfect and fun apertif or dessert pairing.

12/23/2023 - Asull2k wrote:

Decanted a portion with stir and still didn’t like it after 2 hrs. Vacuvin’d the rest, similar on day 2. Pnp on day 3 and served a little cooler and thought the balance was much better and not so austere. Pale to medium gold color. Honeysuckle, light apricot, and melon rind on the nose. Grapefruit rind, melon, hint of apricot on the palate, with about 30-35 sec finish. Surprisingly, did not seem to pair well with lobster or clam but worked better with roasted chicken. Really wished for more acidity in this one, perhaps it is beyond its peak. Was not happy with QPR.

12/12/2023 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir and it opened over 1-2 hrs. Vacuvin’d the rest. Took about an hour to fully open on day 3 after decanting with stir. Medium to deep ruby color. Cherry cordial, red cassis, slightly floral nose. Cherry, red cassis, a little black pepper, plum, dried cranberry on the palate with 30-33 sec finish. Drying tannins on the midpalate. Much better pairing with food, worked great with sausage pasta, decent with pork medallions and sweet onion demiglaze. I still think it is closer to a ripe California zinfandel and Beaujolais than other primitivo but still learning…

12/8/2023 - Asull2k wrote:

Decanted a portion with stir and it opened in about 30 min. Vacuvin’d the rest. On day 2 did the same and took maybe 5-10 min to open. No decant on day 3 and took about an hour to open. Dark dense ruby color. Lots of red cassis, some cherry on the nose. Black cherry, hint of black pepper, red cassis, and about 30-33 sec finish. Definitely works much better with food, particularly marinara based pasta and meat pizza.

11/30/2023 - Asull2k wrote:

Double decanted with stir about 13 hrs prior. Medium ruby color. Red cassis, plum, earth, herbal notes on the nose. Red cassis, hint of plum, cedar, minerally tobacco on the palate with about 30 sec finish. Very Left Bank at the start and midpalate but quite acidic and almost carbonated spice on the finish, possibly VA? Hopefully a lot more aging will smoothen out that finish. This really wants to identify as a Left Bank wine.

11/25/2023 - Asull2k wrote:

PnP, there’s no point decanting these since they open within 5 min. Medium to deep purple color. Blueberry, raspberry on the nose. Mulberry, heavy vanilla, plum, blueberry on the palate with 35 sec finish. Smooth as always. Terrible QPR but it is OK for what it is, a heavily extracted Parkerized manipulated wine, although better than some other Caymus wines I have had in the past. Would be great for 1/4 or 1/5 price. Nice pairing with Korean BBQ, the sweetness complemented the beef well.

11/24/2023 - Asull2k wrote:

PnP and it opened over 2 hrs or so. Medium ruby color. Raspberry, dried cranberry, strawberry on the nose. Cherry, cranberry, vanilla, and mild pepper on the palate with 35-40 sec finish. I thought this resembled more of a gamay than pinot noir and probably would have guessed as such if it was blind tasted. Decent pairing with Thanksgiving meal. Would be decent QPR at 1/2 price but not at this level IMO.

11/23/2023 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

PnP. Deep ruby color and lots of sediment. Mushroom, forest floor, dried cranberry on the nose. Surprising amount of freshness on the palate with red cassis, dark cherry, pomegranate, a little pepper with 40 sec finish. The cork was in great shape unlike the last bottle, which might explain why the Thorevilos fruit was more fresh and prominent. You can tell that the acid core is holding up remarkably well over time. Very nice aged classic style Napa cabernet, maybe not the most complex but still delicious.

11/20/2023 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted with stir and it opened up after about an hour. Vacuvin’d the rest, did same on day 2 and took about 30 min, and then maybe 10 min day 3. Medium yellow and deep straw color. Lemon zest, grapefruit rind, white flowers, and hint of wax on the nose. Grapefruit, peppercorn, a little lemon on the palate with 30-35 sec finish. This is a white wine for Chablis lovers, and most likely I would have guessed Chablis if tasted blindly. I do prefer Pouilly-Fume stylistically for sauvignon blanc more but this is well done and interesting. Great pairing with grilled chicken, definitely loves food.

11/16/2023 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir and it took about 1-2 hrs to open on day 1. Vacuvin’d the rest and did same on day 2 and 3 with similar results although opened a little faster. Pale to medium ruby color. Light floral notes, red cassis, dried cranberry on the nose. Light black pepper, overripe raspberry, Marachino cherry, earth, watermelon and cherry Jolly Rancher finish, which was about 35 sec. Better to pair with food.

11/12/2023 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Decanted a portion with stir and it took about 1-2 hrs to open. Vacuvin’d the rest and similar results on day 2. Deep yellow-medium gold color. Gooseberry and hint if honey on the nose. Gooseberry, lemon and grapefruit acidity, almost condrieu-like oiliness with about 35 sec finish. Initially had a lot of bitterness on the finish that was tempered by more air. I suspect this would benefit from a lot more age, as I have noticed that a little sweetness replaces the bitter aftertaste when chenin blanc ages. Needs to pair with food.

11/1/2023 - Asull2k Likes this wine:

Double decanted 12 hours prior to serving and it opened within an hour into dinner, without much change afterward. Deep ruby and purple color. Menthol, raspberry, herbal blackberry on the nose. Pomegranate, black cherry, blackberry, black tea on the palate with a lengthy 35-40 sec finish. It did have some elegant pinot noir-like features that reminded me of.. MacDonald. The freshness and purity of fruit was remarkable. Although primary at this stage, it was clear that this is high quality juice and I detected no smoke taint despite being 2020. I’d say 94.5 but certain to improve with age.