11/8/2023 - sayward wrote:

Did a 30min decant and put back in bottle and brought to a restaurant. A ton of sediment in the bottle, so might be smart to have a filter on hand. Very dark in color. Nose is amazing. In a really good window at the moment.

7/12/2023 - sayward Likes this wine:

Really nice bottle age at the moment. Decanted for 3 hours and was still going strong. Tasted blind and some thought it was CA cab, so the higher alc did not tip anyone off. A really great wine.

1/19/2023 - sayward wrote:

Drinking amazing at the moment. Very fruit forward and was a great contrast to the French wines that we were drinking. This should have several years of good drinking ahead of us.

1/19/2023 - sayward wrote:

Decanted for 1 hour and put back in bottle and brought to a restaurant. Should have decanted for 2-3 hours. I think that it would have shown better. 91.

11/16/2022 - sayward wrote:

Still going strong. Drank with sushi. Still had some nice fruit. Drink up.

4/28/2022 - sayward Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hours and was very funky until hour 3. Kept trying to approach it but it was giving me tons of barnyard and funky smelling horse. This all blew off in the third hour. Have some patience with this. It is a special wine. The drinking window extends to 2030 IMHO.

4/6/2022 - sayward Likes this wine:

No decant. Was a little worried that this wine might be over the hill, but it was fantastic. Drinking great. Not sure that I would hold much longer so plan on drinking this summer.

12/9/2021 - sayward Likes this wine:

Decanted for 1 hour and it was ready to go. Despite the age it is showing nice fruit on the nose. In a pretty good place. I would guess that it has another 5 years ahead of it that would constitute a good drinking window. Now is as good a time as any in case you forget...

5/7/2021 - sayward wrote:

Likely past its prime.

2/6/2021 - sayward Likes this wine:

Still drinking awesome. Tons of nut on the nose. Nice finish.

4/26/2020 - sayward Likes this wine:

Drinking great at the moment. Fruit is still very much present and it is in a fantastic spot with a little age on it. Drink up.

4/12/2020 - sayward wrote:

Fruit was absent.

4/3/2020 - sayward wrote:

Great Grenache. In a great window.

3/7/2020 - sayward wrote:

Smooth and a bit faded around the edges. I would say that it was somewhat past it’s prime. I would guess that it was drinking a lot better and with more fruit closer to its release date.

2/28/2020 - sayward Likes this wine:

I was worried that this might be past its prime, but it drank very well for an older wine. I would buy more.

2/28/2020 - sayward wrote:

Better than the last bottle. These wines always need more cellar age in order to fully appreciate.

2/2/2020 - sayward Likes this wine:

Decant for 45 mins. Seems to do the trick. Wine was solid for 2 hour drinking window. Nose of red fruit and muted wood.

1/1/2020 - sayward wrote:

No decant. A nice wine that is still very enjoyable. Seemed to be doing well 1 hour after opening. I love drinking older Bordeaux.

1/1/2020 - sayward wrote:

Had some Pinot noir aspect to it. Vibrant fruit that was elegant. Very enjoyable, but lacked a real punch that tells you it is special.

1/1/2020 - sayward wrote:

Doing well. Thought this might be doing worse than it is. So it was a positive surprise that this wine is still drinking well and fruit is apparent. Wood muted. Drink up before it starts to lose it.

1/1/2020 - sayward wrote:

In a nice place but seemingly on the back end of its life cycle. Drink up.

1/1/2020 - sayward wrote:

A really nice wine. I am a big fan and wish that I owned more. Black fruit in the nose. Wet dark in color. Finish was smooth and well tempered considering bottle age. A great time to consume this wine in my opinion.

1/1/2020 - sayward wrote:

Rather disappointing. Nothing about this wine suggested that it was Sauvignon Blanc. Why am I usually disappointed by Napa Sauvignon Blanc? And they are usually overpriced. Sigh...

1/1/2020 - sayward wrote:

Wine was good and cork was about to expire. Drink up. Nice Italian cab accents.

1/1/2020 - sayward wrote:

I really enjoyed this wine. Color is nice and nose is vibrant with fruit and a touch of wood. This wine is in a good place. Buy if you see anywhere for $15 or less

1/1/2020 - sayward wrote:

Perfectly fine but nothing really special. Any fruit that was there is seemingly fading fast.

12/21/2019 - sayward wrote:

Wood is way mellowed and there is some cab on the nose. Red fruit. A bit of sugar on the finish but nothing that is offensive. Dark as night in color Really nice wine and if you have been able to keep your hands off of this then I would check in on it.

11/17/2019 - sayward Likes this wine:

This wine has entered its drinking window. I have found that most of Herman’s wines take 5 years of cellaring to get to a good spot. The fruit is mellowed a little but the wood and alc are also in a much better place. Enjoy until 2025

10/27/2019 - sayward wrote:

The best quality of this wine was the mouth feel. Very round and easy to drink. Nose was more muted than I would have expected in my opinion. The color is nice. I really like this type of CA white.

8/31/2019 - sayward wrote:

This wine is in a really great spot at the moment. Decant for 1.5 hours. Dark fruit on the nose. Wood is fading to the background. The fruit to wood ratio after 9 years is what makes this wine special.

7/19/2019 - sayward wrote:

Disappointing. Was expecting something more interesting. Nose was weak and lacking fruit. Muted. Past its prime?

7/5/2019 - sayward Likes this wine:

No decant and now just ready to drink. Alc 16.1% was not noticeable.

5/26/2019 - sayward Likes this wine:

Best bottle of the two I had. Really enjoyed this wine. Was round in profile, but offered many interesting scents on nose. Finish was prob the one weakness. Drink up.

5/26/2019 - sayward wrote:

Drank after Alban Patrina and it was not a great comparison. Very French in style, but fruit was less pronounced and wood was more forward. A good wine for the right price.

5/26/2019 - sayward wrote:

Awesome wine. Best of the night. Def could use some more time in bottle.

5/26/2019 - sayward Likes this wine:

Super tight upon opening. Decanted for 2-3 hours and it began to hum. Ripe black fruit on the nose. Clean finish with a good balance of tanins.

3/4/2019 - sayward wrote:

Plenty of fruit on the finish. Nose took a while to open up. Pop and pour. Great wine for $10 at auction

3/4/2019 - sayward wrote:

A lot of stewed strawberries on the finish. Nose was a bit muted. Goes in the category of terrible label but good/decent wine.

3/4/2019 - sayward wrote:

Good as expected. Love the price point of this

3/4/2019 - sayward wrote:

Was a lot better than the previous bottle. Drank at Paci. Was a good pairing with food.

2/19/2019 - sayward wrote:

pop and pour. Nice color and fruit on the nose. Grenache evident. finish had some strength, but certainly not overbearing. I am guessing that the wood used to have a bit more of a presence.

2/10/2019 - sayward wrote:

A bit thin but typical of this region. Not much fruit.

2/10/2019 - sayward wrote:

Nothing special. Drink up.

1/25/2019 - sayward wrote:

Deep gold color - very appealing to the eye. Muted wood on the finish. Some carmelized fruit. I rather enjoyed it.

1/25/2019 - sayward Likes this wine:

Still showing lots of fruit. Did a splash decant and did not show signs of fading after 1-2 hours. A really nice wine.

12/29/2018 - sayward wrote:

Same as previous note. Really drinking well.

11/16/2018 - sayward wrote:

November Noreaster

11/16/2018 - sayward Likes this wine:

Interesting

11/16/2018 - sayward wrote:

Drank election night at Bonda. Was good.

10/7/2018 - sayward wrote:

Took longer than expected to open up. Once it did, most of the bottle was gone. Will decant next time. Still feels like this is near end of life.