8/1/2018 - mlunt wrote:

Had after a Littorai Les Larmes and this was more structured and darker fruited by comparison--more dark cherry and more structure. Still had a plush mouthfeel and was well balanced, but tannins were present on the finish, making me think this bottle could still go a while. Enjoyable.

6/16/2018 - mlunt wrote:

Interesting bottle...tasty and not something I've run across often. Out of the fridge I got a lot of lemon and acid, very enjoyable. As it warmed up, more apple and an almost cider-y note.

6/13/2018 - mlunt wrote:

A darker version of Gargantua than the Oregon bottling. Distinct dark fruit and olive on the palate, with smooth tannins as the wine opens up the glass. Similar across Day 1 and Day 2 (corked and put in fridge overnight).

11/15/2017 - mlunt wrote:

Opened at cellar temp and got a nose full of olive and distinct briny notes on the palate, mixed in with red fruit. Very enjoyable and as it warmed up, more red fruits came to the fore. Plenty of time left to go on this.

8/27/2017 - mlunt wrote:

On opening, very tight and primary--fruit is present midpalate but overwhelmed by tannins and acid on the finish. Decanted for 1.5 hrs and everything integrated beautifully. Nose is reticent but palate has blackberries and black currant, nicely balanced out by acid. A little Rutherford dust on the finish. Once opened up, incredibly smooth, polished, and plush. Very enjoyable but can still go for a while.

8/21/2016 - mlunt wrote:

Definitely a more modern, darker pinot. Nose doesn't give me much but the palate is plush, with sweeter dark fruits dominating. Very hedonistic--well made and certainly enjoyable but decidedly not restrained. Would have also liked to see more acidity to balance out the sweet fruit. That said, certainly a proper and well-made bottle, just a bit more fruit-forward in style. Holding together well at 8 yrs old but don't think that this is a long-term ager.

5/30/2016 - mlunt wrote:

Second bottle of Patricia Green that I've had and have been impressed with both. Very nice right out of the bottle with a cloudy, darker garnet color for a Pinot. Nose is a bit closed off but the bottle was still coming up from cellar temp. First sips have nice red cherry and an interesting (and enjoyable) savoriness to them--something almost meaty or saline. Haven't run across that in a Pinot before. As the wine opens up in the glass, we get more dark cherry and a little pepper, all balanced nicely with good acidity. Wish I had bought more and will do so if the opportunity presents itself.

5/30/2016 - mlunt wrote:

Definitely rewards a decant, as others have noted. Right out of the bottle, significant acidity that overwhelms most other characteristics on the palate, though I get some melon as well. After sitting for 6 hours, everything has come far more into balance; the acidity, while still present, has mellowed, and I get more melon and green apple. Enjoyable but didn't knock my socks off.

3/14/2016 - mlunt wrote:

Nicely integrated Merlot showing good concentration of soft darker fruits and some secondary characteristics of leather and a little bit of dirt. In a good place right now, with no real signs of falling off anytime soon. Good stuff.

3/12/2016 - mlunt wrote:

A little muted right out of the bottle, with 10 min or so it opens up nicely with red fruit. Light on the palate and definitely still young. Enjoyable.

2/26/2016 - mlunt wrote:

Nice bottle, doesn't seem to be showing much age at all with dark colors in the glass and no recognizable bricking on the edges (though I didn't look too hard for it). Dark cherry, a little cola, and a little earth on the palate with nice acidity to balance things out. Needs a few minutes out the bottle to get settled but opened after 20 minutes or so in the glass. Overall, a very nice example of a richer, darker version of CA pinot, though certainly balanced with nice acidity.

12/26/2014 - mlunt wrote:

Still so young--very sleek, very polished. Needed about 30 min out of the bottle for tannins to subside and then you get a very classic, light, napa cab. Dark fruits for days with a little mint/herbaciousness mixed in. Great bottle, will hold on to my other one for another few years as I think there's plenty of time left for this.

12/26/2014 - mlunt wrote:

Interesting bottle--opened it, had a glass and thought it was dead. Lots of earth, mushroom, not a ton of fruit. Opened up after a half hour but was still pretty light on any sort of fruit...would advise drinking sooner rather than later.

EDIT: opened a second bottle a day later and it's pretty clear the first one was flawed. Second time around there were plenty of bright fruits, cherry, mixed in with some earthiness and mushrooms. Very enjoyable wine and plenty of life left.

4/20/2014 - mlunt wrote:

First glass from memory: darker fruit than I was expecting and very mellow structure, acidity is present but not dominant in the overall profile of the wine. Second day is lots of red fruit (thinking sour cherry) and a really nice lasting acidity on the finish. No noticeable tannins. Quite enjoyable but don't think this is built for too much aging.

3/2/2014 - mlunt wrote:

13 years old and still plenty of acid and tannin...developing a nice plush mouthfeel until the very finish, which lets you know what sort of tannins you're dealing with (lots). Needed 30 min in the glass to open up. Fruit is fading but still very enjoyable.

9/2/2013 - mlunt wrote:

Tasted this with a Vallin syrah--this is more fruit forward, darker in the glass, though still with a nice vein of acidity on the finish. The Vallin runs laps around it, though, in my opinion. Just not as focused and light on its feet.

9/2/2013 - mlunt wrote:

Pleasantly surprised by this as I picked it on a whim. Close to dry with very little residual sugar and very nice acidity. Great summer drinker for hot evenings outside.

3/2/2013 - mlunt wrote:

Light red, cloudy color with no dark core that you normally see in most CA pinots. Tart red berries on the palate, think cranberries and sour cherries. Very nice, delicate wine.

2/27/2013 - mlunt wrote:

Great bottle of wine--classical Montelena with nice fruit balanced out by solid tannins (which are now mellowing a little) and good acidity. Drank over the course of 2 hrs and was great to see how the wine developed and smoothed out the rough edges over the time the bottle was open. Plenty of time left on this--will leave my other bottle for a while.

12/21/2012 - mlunt wrote:

Has all the characteristics of a PS--big, but still very tight at this stage. Right out of the bottle I got a lot of tannin and oak, not much else. Fruit is very muted.

After a 2 hr decant, things open up and smooth out a little bit. Dark fruits are more apparent and the tannins aren't as aggressive. The wine still needs time and I will lay down my other bottle for a few more years, just concerned that there isn't enough fruit to make it that long.

12/4/2012 - mlunt wrote:

Really nice bottle, has come together nicely in the last few years since I opened my first one. Really light on its feet for a primarily cab blend. Tannins are integrated at this point and the wine really sings after about 30 minutes in the glass. Sad I don't have more.

12/4/2012 - mlunt Likes this wine:

Don't know much about bubbles, so take this with a grain of salt, but really enjoyed this bottle. Nice mousse, good minerality. Compared to the bottle I tasted about 7 months ago, this was more approachable and integrated. Would be a great food wine.

8/2/2012 - mlunt wrote:

Opened up nicely as the night went on, not made to age too much. Very enjoyable and would absolutely buy again.

5/30/2012 - mlunt wrote:

Not my cup of tea this time around. Maybe it's gone into a dumb phase, but there just wasn't much life to this bottle. The fruit was big, tasted sort of stewey to me, not bright and fresh. As a caveat, I've been more into a "high-acidity, lower fruit" type of wine recently and this would appear to be the exact opposite, so maybe it's just my personal preference turning me off.

5/24/2012 - mlunt wrote:

Oh baby. This wine was great after a 1 hr decant. A little shut down at first, opened up into a really, really nice bottle. Lots of fruit, lots of tannin, lots of structure. Smoothed out into something velvety after 60 minutes and was the wine of the night for me (up against a Turley 2000 PS, decanted at the same time).

5/23/2012 - mlunt wrote:

Awesome little bottle at this point--light fruit, raspberries, sour cherries. Lots of acidity, good with food. The nose is definitely funky, but don't be put off. After an hour, the fruit dies out on the palate and is replaced by more earth tones and mushrooms.

3/24/2012 - mlunt wrote:

Great pinot. Thought it was going to be heavy based on the dark color, but there was a ton of acidity to balance out the fruit in the bottle. Left it open for 3 days and finished it up over time--it didn't lose any body and was still a joy to drink.

2/24/2012 - mlunt wrote:

A big, aggressive wine. I suppose I should have known as much given that it's a zin, but I was hoping it had calmed down a bit 6 yrs after bottling. Opened and got a quick sip, very wound up and tannic, with a distinct bitter finish. The fruit was there, but overwhelmed by tannins.

2.5 hrs in with grilled ribeyes, everything started coming together. More fruit and still a lot of structure, but definitely enjoyable. I haven't had a lot of zins recently, so no real benchmark to compare to.

5 hrs after decanting and there's still structure left. This bottle can go for a while longer. Sad I don't have another to see how it fleshes out another 5 yrs down the road.

12/22/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Not quite sure what to make of this--was worried that these bottles were over the hill based on other notes. However, there's still plenty left and this is a very enjoyable wine. It's still pretty tight when you pop and pour, all tannins and acid, with some typical cab fruit available on the finish. Once the wine had some time to breathe (~30 min), everything came together nicely. Definitely not your typical Cali cab, much more restrained and more balanced to my palate. I'll let my other bottle go for a bit.

11/28/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Solid bottle, opened on Thanksgiving, so notes are from memory and relatively vague. Surprisingly fruit-forward, nicely made with enough structure to carry the fruit. Dark in the glass and held up nicely over two days. Still has enough body to go for a while.

11/14/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Very nice--opened at a blind tasting and guesses were all over the place, with consensus coming in as a Pinotage. Definitely still seems young, but identifiably Italian (helps if you don't have to guess about origin). Still some stiff tannins, but the wine is approachable. Not overly fruity, but quite pleasant. Good with food.

7/31/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Awesome, awesome Aussie cab. Definitely new world in style with a ton of fruit, but nicely accessible at this point. I drank it over the course of 3 hours and enjoyed each sip. Very dark still, lots of fruit and some definite tannin, but a very, very enjoyable bottle. Sad that I don't have any more.

6/27/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Very nice bottle. Lots of sweet fruit initially, followed by some pretty serious acidity and tannins. Things came together as the wine sat in a decanter for a few hours and I think that this guy still has a few years to come together.

5/28/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Very nice--a mellow cab, light for White Cottage. Opened up with time--very enjoyable. Wish I had more. Whoops.

5/15/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Still a solid bottle of PS--big and powerful. Lots of fruit and the bottle has held together nicely despite not being stored properly over the last year (whoops). Takes a little while to open up (still probably about an hour), but has held up nicely for a few days after being vacuum-sealed in the interim. Great purchase.

3/26/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Big, modern pinot. Alcohol and fruit are all out there and not shy about it either. Needs about 45 minutes to round into form.

2/12/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Popped open a magnum and tried a glass--I was surprised how thin this wine was. It seemed pretty elegant and refined, but just without a lot of body. No real Rutherford dust...definitely not what I expected. A nice, classy wine for sure, but perhaps past its peak.

1/31/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Not bad, a nice light grenache, but nothing memorable either. Not dumb right now, but not exactly fruit-forward either.

1/23/2011 - mlunt wrote:

Consistent with prior notes. Still awesome.

11/21/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Tart and acidic on the first day, tons of cassis and licorice on the second.

11/21/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Awesome bottle. I opened one two years ago and it was intense and disjointed, still very primary. This time, went for a double decant over 2 hrs. Everything blended together very nicely--some fruit, some tannins, and some mineral all coming together. Enough body to still go for a while and I'm happy that I have a few more bottles to go through.

11/6/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Great bottle. Needed a good 4 hr double decant. Before decant, the bottle was very primary, big Howell mtn fruit overwhelmed by tannins on the finish. After decanting, a great, smooth wine.

10/17/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Nice, smooth, fruit forward bottle. Still has some tannins so this can go for a little while. Went well with a hanger steak.

10/17/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Follow up to my previous note: I left about half the bottle vacu-vin'ed for 3 days and planned on cooking with what was left. I took a sip out of curiosity and was quite surprised with the change. The fruit in the bottle had become much more apparent, and the acidity had mellowed a little bit. It was a really, really nice glass of wine. Perhaps some decanting is in order with future bottles.

10/14/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Very nice bottle, old world with lots of acidity and earth on the palate. Fruit isn't too apparent right off the bat, but this was a nice change from the CA pinots I've been drinking. I didn't have a chance to pair this with any food, but I imagine it'd go well with plenty of things; a roast chicken would be good. Overall, a nice bottle, and I'm happy that I have a few more to go through.

9/26/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Same experience as before; nice wine, not as big as I would expect from a Napa Cab. Also not as much fruit as I would expect from a mountain appellation.

9/23/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Consistent with prior bottle, this is a great wine. Smooth, enjoyable, accessible fruit with some menthol as well. Sad that this is my last bottle.

9/19/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Popped and poured this--mistake. Initial impression was that this was a huge wine, all over the place, with tons of heat from the alcohol. Vacuumed the remaining 3/4 of the bottle overnight and tried again 24 hrs later. The second time around, the wine had really come together and was really, really nice. While it was still huge, the fruit worked nicely all the way through and the heat from night 1 had noticeably declined. Happy I have 1 more bottle, but will definitely decant the second time around.

9/13/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Very nice, popped and had a glass the first night, didn't pay much attention to it. Vacu-Vin'ed overnight and was pleasantly surprised that it held up well overnight. Definitely not fruit forward on day 2, a little heat and some herbaciousness, but still very enjoyable. I'd imagine that I won't let the second bottle I have rest too long. If the fruit goes away further, you're not left with much.

8/23/2010 - mlunt wrote:

Very nice right now, some barnyard on the nose, blew off an opened up nicely with lots of cherry through the mid palate. Sweet tannins on the finish. Definitely a well-built wine, coming together nicely. I will hold on to my second bottle a little longer to see how it changes with time; I think there could still be some time for this to mellow further.