3/31/2024 - kmerriman wrote:

Drinking beautifully. 1 hour decant. Great pairing with picadillo.

12/2/2023 - kmerriman wrote:

Big, distinctive PN. Possibly the most sediment I've ever encountered in a PN.

10/17/2023 - kmerriman wrote:

corked

6/25/2022 - kmerriman wrote:

Delightful! Drinking great now.

2/5/2022 - kmerriman wrote:

A beautiful bottle! And an excellent pairing with bouillabaisse. I wish we had more. Mature.

6/1/2021 - kmerriman wrote:

nose really opened up after 30 minutes of decant.

12/27/2020 - kmerriman Likes this wine:

Dirt, dark red fruits, rich mouth feel. A 10 minute decant was enough I thought. Excellent paired with pasta with a red, meat sauce.

10/27/2020 - kmerriman wrote:

Drank beautifully after a quick (15 minute) decant.

5/4/2020 - kmerriman wrote:

Tart red fruit, a hint of rose, and a cola-type note on the nose. Smooth mouthfeel. Somewhat short finish.

11/13/2019 - kmerriman Likes this wine:

Delightful. Resolved tannins, vibrant tart cherries, and smooth....

10/12/2019 - kmerriman wrote:

Corked. The cork was short and very soft. Seemed like a real "cheapo" cork. Don't know if that correlates to the TCA or not??

7/9/2019 - kmerriman Likes this wine:

Paired nicely with grilled striped bass.

5/25/2019 - kmerriman wrote:

A great burger wine after 30 minute decant.

5/25/2019 - kmerriman Likes this wine:

A lighter pinot that paired well with salmon. Not overly fruity. Perhaps stone fruit like plum?

4/27/2019 - kmerriman Likes this wine:

This wine was in top form! Paired nicely with both a lamb shank and filet mignon au poivre at Chez Marie in Boca

10/26/2018 - kmerriman wrote:

This was excellent!

11/22/2017 - kmerriman wrote:

Wonderful, subtle, mature & delicious. Purchased 10 years ago and stored properly since. Perfect level of maderisation for my palette. Light on its feet. The chardonnay seemed to predominate. I wish I had a case left.
Best champagne I've had in months!

1/24/2016 - kmerriman wrote:

Drinking beautifully with many years remaining. No red bricking at edges, better after hour+ decanting, etc. Smoke, pepper, black fruit hints. fyi Chapoutier recommends pairing this with duck breast with a sechuan pepper sauce.

9/26/2014 - kmerriman wrote:

I rarely drink Malbecs, so this was a very pleasant surprise. It paired well with a Lamb entree. Dark fruits, a deep purple color, & nicely integrated tannins. Decanted just 10 minutes before drinking. An excellent bottle!

9/17/2014 - kmerriman wrote:

A great example of CA chard.. Paired well with the grilled notes of our simply prepared grilled swordfish. I've owned this since release and it was showing well. Near or at it's peak I suspect.

6/26/2014 - kmerriman Likes this wine:

2 bottles that both showed beautifully. Enjoyed with Larry, Jeannie and Glen. Indice of 2 seemed high at this age. Paired well with a Bouillabaisse.

11/14/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Interesting but "challenging" wine. I didn't have the VA problems others experienced, but the wine throws so much sediment you have to really work to drink this! Good nose but cloudy no matter how many unbleached filters were used. And the back label could have been written by the "soup nazi!"

9/6/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Much better than anticipated. A CdP but with loads of sweet fruit and little garrigue. A touch syrupy with a rich mouth feel.Delicious! I'll search for more.

7/14/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Some barn yard and raisin notes on the nose. Brown edges. Lush mouth feel. Dark fruit, slightly cooked note with long finish. Balanced tanins. Much better than I expected. But, contrary to some others, I don't think it's getting any better.

6/22/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Perfect with oysters on the back deck for lunch. Dry, straight-forward, saline note.

6/4/2013 - kmerriman Likes this wine:

After a decant and immediate pour, a delightful but (perhaps) straight forward wine. 2 nights later after vacuum vin in the cellar it was dramatically improved! Bright red fruits on the nose, wonderful lush mouth feel. Quite a surprise! Conclusion - give it some time.

5/1/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Beautiful and much better than I expected for a nebbiolo d'alba. Decanted 15 minutes beforehand.

4/2/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Pineapple, honey and citrus on the nose. Drier on the palate than the bouquet might indicate. Great balance and a long finish.

3/24/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Drinking beautifully, and paired fairly well with a stir-fried steak with pineapple and cashews. Was slightly too sweet for the dish, but not as sweet as many ZH VT's. Perhaps an indice of 3?

3/24/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Very oxidized - not really drinkable.

3/19/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Very aggressive secondary fermentation on one bottle. The second was was fine and had the same provenance.

3/3/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Deep golden color. Honeyed. A little petrol and perhaps honey suckle. Not over the hill, but not going to improve either IMHO. From the "pre-indice" period. But I would guess a 2.5 out of 5 on the sweetness scale that ZH now uses. Paired beautifully with a stir fry tofu & bok choy with ginger over rice.

2/11/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

In it's drinking prime. Drank without a decant. Dark red fruits on the nose. Substantial mouth feel. Longish finish resolves nicely. The last of my 6 bottles ........ too bad. (drinking window in CT is not accurate IMHO>

1/5/2013 - kmerriman wrote:

Drinking at the "top of it's game." Well-balanced re. fruit, acidity, minerality. Paired well with a hearty chicken soup, but could match even better with heartier fare.

10/14/2012 - kmerriman wrote:

A beautiful bottle. Decanted 1 hour. Forest floor, raspberry and black fruit on the nose. It has plenty of life ahead. "Balanced and beautiful."

9/17/2012 - kmerriman wrote:

I've "suffered" this wine twice in the last 10 days. Both times (& in different settings) the wine was angular, hot and simplistic. And both times the same rubbery, wax-like capsule. I've learned 2 things: 1) you can drive a corkscrew directly through the fake wax, and 2) the first bottle couldn't be explained away as a bad bottle ... they were both disappointing.

7/16/2012 - kmerriman wrote:

Indice 3. Perfect of dry riesling. Spot on balance with tons of complexity. Petrol. Apple. Lush mouth feel but not in the least bit cloying. Drinking beautifully now. Wish I had a case of this.

4/15/2012 - kmerriman wrote:

Golden hued. Petrol, honey, and hint of apple on the nose. Moderately full mouth feel. Excellent acidity. Long, lingering finish. Beautiful wine!

4/12/2012 - kmerriman wrote:

Sancerre can be too austere & "stinky" for me. (I own almost no SB) With that in mind; this was great as an aperitif, and I'm sure would be a versatile and able food wine. Well balanced with a somewhat extracted or wood-influenced mouth feel, and excellent but not over bearing acidity. No rough edges. Flinty finish. Will buy more.

3/11/2012 - kmerriman wrote:

Decanted 1 1/2 hours. Delightful with short ribs. Smooth mouth feel with medium body, wonderful fruit, and excellent acidity. A fully mature, serious wine. Yummy!

2/20/2012 - kmerriman wrote:

"Going, going, gone." And it was properly stored since 2002.

12/26/2011 - kmerriman wrote:

Infanticide despite the 3 hour decant. Nice, slightly thin mouth feel. Very subtle aromatics .Good finish but little fruit. Nothing wrong, but also nothing to write home about. Drank it opposite a 2000 Right Bank with a similar price point. Merlot won, but neither excelled. And standing rib roast didn't add to the experience.

11/6/2011 - kmerriman wrote:

This drank beautifully. I was only able to decant for about 10 minutes. Yet it was open and nuanced from the start. Not sure if it has further improvement ahead, but based on this bottle I wouldn't hesitate to drink now.

9/28/2011 - kmerriman wrote:

We've enjoyed 6 of these between 2008 and now. Lucky us! Surprisingly often with ZH you think the wine is at it's peak .... And then it will turn out there's still more upside. That's what happened with this vintage. If you have more, I wouldn't be in a rush if the provenance is good. Probably our last bottle was the best of the 6.

7/1/2011 - kmerriman wrote:

Indice 5. It wanted more spice than our mediteranean-spiced pork chops provided.

6/26/2011 - kmerriman wrote:

More subdued than I expect from Gigondas. A dark, dull color. Perhaps past its prime?

4/23/2011 - kmerriman wrote:

Best aussie with some bottle age that I've had in recent months. Dark fruits and a tart sweetness with soft tannins. Medium finish. Drank without decant as it seemed not to need it. (Plus I was in a hurry). Perhaps more complexity with more bottle age is only thing more I could hope for.

4/10/2011 - kmerriman wrote:

1 hour decant seemed about right. Rich black fruits on the nose. Blackberries to blackberry jam. Soft tannins. Lengthy, smooth with a graceful finish. Not a "tower of power" wine. And probably just about to its peak. But I'd guess another 5+ years left before it fades??

4/3/2011 - kmerriman wrote:

2 hour decant; which I think it wanted. Excellent CA red fruit with good acidity. Perhaps not as complex as I hoped, but thoroughly enjoyable.

3/13/2011 - kmerriman wrote:

A delicious and distinctive, mature champagne. Not maderised, but seemed fully mature. Excellent (of course) with stone crab claws. Elegant, soft and round.