7/15/2021 - stevenjstein wrote:

Ok, but a bit disappointing for Diamond Creek. Still has a decent amount of fruit, but just primary fruit notes, without much in the way of secondary flavors.

10/28/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Still plenty of fruit left and had a nice savory, leather, sort of note as well.

8/14/2020 - stevenjstein wrote:

Corked

7/10/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Lush fruit, but still has elegance and complexity. Should have plenty of time left.

7/10/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

A lean, high-acid style Chard.

7/2/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Aging very nicely. Still has plenty of red fruit, but also showing some earth and spice notes.

7/2/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

The previous bottle was totally oxidized, but this one seems to have held up pretty well. Still had a decent amount of dark fruit, with great acidity.

7/2/2020 - stevenjstein wrote:

This bottle was vinegar. I could have used it for salad dressing.

6/27/2020 - stevenjstein wrote:

Plenty of fruit left and starting to show some savory leather notes. Should have several good years left.

6/20/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

This bottle had much more fruit left than the previous one.

6/5/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Seems to have plenty of life left. Somewhat ripe fruit, but decent structure to back it up. Not getting a lot of secondary notes, but it could develop further.

5/30/2020 - stevenjstein Does not like this wine:

Second bottle was possibly even worse than the first. Basically undrinkable.

5/30/2020 - stevenjstein Does not like this wine:

Same experience as some others have had recently with this vintage. On first taste with a Coravin it was just all tart acidity, with no fruit. I thought it might have been oxidized, but just to make sure I popped the cork, poured some more and gave it a good swirl. However it actually seemed get a bit better after some air, so maybe that wasn't the problem. The second day though it was even worse, so I ended up dumping it. Incidentally, the cork did seem a bit on the soft and spongey side, so that may have been a contributing factor. I have one more bottle, so I'll see if that one is similar.

5/28/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Still going strong

5/25/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Wow! This really came into its own since the last time I tried it. Still has a nice acid, tannin backbone giving it structure. The fruit is supple and complex. Seems like it still has several good years left.

5/25/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Holding up pretty well. At least at this point, it's more of a high-acid, lighter body style of Zin, rather than a big, jammy style.

5/20/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Starting to fade just a bit, but still seems to have time left. Leaning a bit more toward dark and savory notes, rather than bright fruit flavors. Good complexity and structure.

5/20/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Holding up very well. Somewhat of a riper style of Cab, with plenty of bright red fruit, but seems balanced and structured enough to have several years left.

4/2/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Soft red/blue fruit. Very approachable for a Cab this young. Not especially complex at this point, but it's well balanced and I think it will age well and get more interesting over time. Seems in type for a Washington Cab. It definitely doesn't have that overripe, high alcohol, character that seems to cause a lot of California Cabs to fall off a cliff after a few years.

3/28/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Red fruit, good acidity. A bit on the thin side for a Brunello.

3/26/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Still has plenty of life left and showing some secondary flavors now.

3/22/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Plenty of fruit left, but also elegant and complex. Soft red fruit, with earth and spice notes.

3/7/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Starting to fade, but still drinking pretty well.

2/17/2020 - stevenjstein Does not like this wine:

Maybe slightly better than the previous bottles. In this case, I just popped the cork and pouredj, with no Coravin or aeration. I think that helped the fruit show a bit better and not be quite as overwhelmed by the oak and alcohol. Still not a fan overall.

2/10/2020 - stevenjstein wrote:

Heat damaged

2/10/2020 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Elegant. Nice red berry fruit, but not overly jammy. Well-balanced, with enough structure to suggest it has some time left.

1/26/2020 - stevenjstein wrote:

Same as previous bottle

1/20/2020 - stevenjstein wrote:

Corked

1/12/2020 - stevenjstein wrote:

Cooked. Heat damaged, I think

1/12/2020 - stevenjstein wrote:

Cooked. I think I accidentally exposed this to too much heat.

1/12/2020 - stevenjstein Does not like this wine:

This was way over-oaked. A bit hot and lots of oak tannins, but not much in the way of structure. Definitely not subtle and really not much in the way of varietal characteristics, as everything was overwhelmed by the oak. It seems like they tried to compensate for a fairly cool vintage by overdoing the new oak in an attempt to make the wine seem more rich and approachable. Needless to say, I don't think that worked. At least it's no longer working at this point.

1/6/2020 - stevenjstein wrote:

Corked

12/31/2019 - stevenjstein wrote:

Fairly big, bright fruit, soft, with good balance and acidity.

12/11/2019 - stevenjstein wrote:

This bottle seemed a bit past its prime.

7/6/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

A bit of stewed fruit on the nose when first opened, but that blew off with some air. Ripe red/black fruit, but enough structure that it's still holding up well. Probably still has at least a couple of good years left, but I wouldn't let it wait too much longer.

6/30/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Still holding up fairly well, but probably doesn't have much time left

5/1/2019 - stevenjstein wrote:

Had two bottles, both stored the same way. The first one was pretty much undrinkable. Just sour red fruit and some harsh flavors on the back end. Not sure if was oxidation, reduction, or what. Either way, there was definitely bottle variation because the second bottle was pretty good. Still probably past its prime, but some nice, subtle, dark fruit, with some structure remaining.

4/20/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

I wouldn't really classify it as dry. It seemed to have a fair bit of residual sugar, more like a German Kabinet or even a Spatlese, but it was still quite good overall with a decent acid backbone.

4/18/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Definitely modern in style, but still with a decent acid backbone..

3/17/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Well balanced. Bright strawberry fruit, with a bit of spice and earth. Decent acid backbone. Seems to be a good representation of the Central Otago style. I wouldn't call it Burgundian, but it's maybe a bit lighter than a typical California Pinot, yet perhaps with more fruit than a typical Oregon Pinot.

3/14/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Still has plenty of fruit, red cherry, with some spice a a bit of earth. Seems to have time left.

3/10/2019 - stevenjstein wrote:

Cork was fine, but wine was oxidized. Not sure if it was just bottle variation or storage, or if it's just reached the end of the line.

3/10/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

This really needed some air to show its best. On first taste, just seemed closed, with somewhat harsh, green notes. With some aeration, much more of the fruit came out, along with some subtle floral notes. Seems like it has some time left and should get more complex as it ages a bit more.

3/3/2019 - stevenjstein wrote:

Probably a case of volatile acidity. Intense, stinky, red fruit on the nose, but just bitter flavors on the palate.

3/3/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Has lost maybe just a bit of its fruit, but overall notes amazingly similar to previous bottle drank almost 7 years ago. Still has plenty of life left.

3/1/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Plenty of juicy red fruit. Seems to have plenty of time left.

1/27/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Complex. Soft red fruit, with earthy, smoky, and herbal notes. Drinking great now, but has the structure to last several more years.

1/27/2019 - stevenjstein Likes this wine:

Well-balanced. Good fruit, but not overripe, with a decent acid backbone. Still holding up well and probably has a least a few good years left.

12/31/2018 - stevenjstein wrote:

Nicely balanced. Soft red/black fruit, with some herbs, pencil lead, and leather

12/31/2018 - stevenjstein wrote:

Still holding up pretty well