6/27/2012 - rmm wrote:

Totally serviceable everyday wine. Nothing impressive, but decent.

6/27/2012 - rmm wrote:

Second rough bottle from the batch. seemed like it was held a little too long. 1/3 has been good so far with really smooth tannins. The two defective bottles had turned.

3/26/2012 - rmm wrote:

Drinks better than i would have expected. Delightful acidity paired with a fruit profile that's hard to put my finger on. I'd say a combo of berry and cherry, but definitely red fruit either way. Light on the tannins, and a generally really good drinker after given time to open up a bit. Not rushing this wine will be rewarded

3/20/2012 - rmm wrote:

Awful. All raisin.

3/10/2012 - rmm wrote:

First bottle very unimpressive. Overwhelming flavor of raisin. No acidity as a balance. If other bottles are this bad it will be a struggle to finish

1/31/2012 - rmm wrote:

Adequate. Needs a lot of time to breathe and open up. Best with food b/c of strong red fruit flavor profile

1/17/2012 - rmm wrote:

High QPR table wine. Comes out fruit forward (berry) but has enough acidity to make it work. Moderately oaked

11/7/2011 - rmm wrote:

Iron Horse making wonderful bubbles like they always do. Old world style rose excellent in every way. Still prefer the "Make Up" cuvee a bit more, but would never refuse this.

11/3/2011 - rmm wrote:

Too fruit forward, lacks acid balance. Feels flabby because of the lack of balance. Too sweet. Reasonable, but i wouldn't want to eat it without food. Adequate as a second bottle for people you don't want to impresses

11/3/2011 - rmm wrote:

Best pinot I've had from Torii Mor and one of the best American pinots I've ever had. Amazing balance of fruit and earthiness that surpasses many quality Burgundiy wines I've had. Velvety mouthfeel with just enough acidity to keep the palate clean, but not dry it out.

9/28/2011 - rmm wrote:

Quite surprised with how good this is. Pepper nose, dark fruit finish. Excellent balance. Subtle and developed already. Was planning on it as a daily drinker, but thinking about putting it down now. Highly recommended.

9/28/2011 - rmm wrote:

Totally acceptable, but wholly indistinct. Lacks refinement and any varietal characteristics that could push it to the next level

9/27/2011 - rmm wrote:

One of the most perfect Bordeaux blends to come out of CA that I've ever had. Surpasses Iron Horse's BDX-3. Will age tremendously, but very difficult to not drink right now. Balanced red fruit with good acidity. No alcohol heat. Tannins are already pretty soft, can't wait to see how this will drink in a few years.

8/31/2011 - rmm wrote:

Very tasty blend, even though sometimes the cabernet overwhelms the tempranillo. Dark fruit (black currant, etc) with a great mouthfeel. Leans towards the fruit forward/hot side - probably best with food rather than on its own, but still retains complexity w/ a very layered flavor

8/29/2011 - rmm wrote:

Very high qpr. Might lighter bodied than most American tempranillo. Lighter on the oak as well. Red fruit forward with a very strong acidity behind it. A little too much acidity, but not bad enough to make it undrinkable. Going to think about keeping these around as a daily drinker

8/12/2011 - rmm wrote:

Tastes like a luden's cough drop - heavy fake cherry flavor. A little syrupy and lacks any kind of acidity to try and balance. Terrible example of the varietal and of wine in general. Embarrassment to wine making. Wine for people who hate wine

8/10/2011 - rmm wrote:

Love this rose. Strawberry with a bright acidity to clear out any light sweetness it might have, and this great minerality in the back. Wish I could drink this every day in the summer.

7/27/2011 - rmm wrote:

Wonderful balance of fruit to earthiness. You get the bright fruit of most CA pinots, but there's plenty of musk and earth to keep it grounded. Though it might benefit from a bit more time in the bottle, it's drinking really well right now, and i have a hard time picturing it really getting that much better.

Does need a few minutes after opening to decant and cool off a bit, first sip felt a bit hot, a lot hotter than it ended up being after giving it some time.

Highly recommended, felt more like OR pinot than CA pinot

7/26/2011 - rmm wrote:

Definitely drinking a little bit young right now. Will be much better with some time in the bottle. Still has good fruit right now. Fresh mildly unripe cherry with some berry. Good oak balance. Feels like it's made for food more than drinking alone. Has the body and acidity to stand up well

7/20/2011 - rmm wrote:

Perfectly adequate, but lacks mouthfeel. Really thin, and that cuts a bit of the fruit. Everything feels a bit muted and toned down. Doesn't have any of the negative qualities that cab francs sometimes have though - none of the heavy earthy tones or muskiness. Also doesn't have those flavors that make cab franc really sing with the bright cherries and acidity.

Totally fine, especially at this price point, but nothing to write home about either.

7/14/2011 - rmm wrote:

Light and crisp like all of the Iron Horse chards. Imminently drinkable, but I have to admit, I can't describe the whites well enough to compare this to their other whites. All of them are good if you don't like heavily oaked. Best chards I've had out of Cali

7/1/2011 - rmm wrote:

Second bottle preferable to the first. Fruit forward but in resonable balance. Not too hot. Big fruit, not much oak. Good for being CA style big syrah

6/28/2011 - rmm wrote:

Starting to enter an early drinking window. Will wait on the next until 2013 or so I suspect. Mouthfeel is good. Balanced fruit, but tannins need a lot of time to develop and relax. Don't drink it yet

6/17/2011 - rmm wrote:

Great daily drinker just like the previous vintage. It's a good CA style wine with big fruit balanced with acidity. Best with food, but good enough to stand up on its own. $7.25 a bottle from the winery makes it a total steal. Cherry/berry at the start with a smooth finish. Let it decant for a bit if the alc is too much.

6/14/2011 - rmm wrote:

Very eh. I think it'll be relegated to sangria duty. Too much sweetness on the finish - all that RS is totally killing the wine. Lacking in floral or citrusy notes to help break that down some, so it ends up being flabby. Fine for having something light to drink, but never breaks past the adequate phase like the previous vintage did. Fingers crossed that it's either the particular bottle tasted or that it was shocked.

6/9/2011 - rmm wrote:

Strong example of CA-style syrah that manages to not get overly sweet and maintains a reasonable balance. Berry-forward, but stays far enough away from sweet that it doesn't get annoying. Good tannin/acid balance. Drink it now - it may get more in balance with age, but it really didn't seem to me that it would gain much character in that time period. Excellent summer bbq wine - sure to be a crowd pleaser

5/25/2011 - rmm wrote:

Bright fruit in balance with a great acidity. Ranges in that dark cherry/cherry fruit flavor. Doesn't have the earthniess/leather that some people really dislike in cab franc. Really really excellent. Hope to get more

5/18/2011 - rmm wrote:

Drinking better than the 08 is IMO - very similar, just more balanced with less alcohol heat

5/18/2011 - rmm wrote:

Excellent, easy drinking Italian style blend. Really enjoyed with food - IMO a little too hot and acidic to drink on its own. Bright red, leans more toward fruit then oak, even for being a Tuscan style blend. Lacks some of the earthy quality, but not in a bad way, just don't come to it looking for anything other great fruit with lots of acidity.

5/10/2011 - rmm wrote:

Beginning to feel like I overpaid at $9 a bottle. This has taken the crown from TLC as the worst wine I've had from wine.woot. Blah. Flat, herbaceous, and hot. Decanting for several hours doesn't help open it up, just makes it even flatter.

5/5/2011 - rmm wrote:

Really strange compared to the 07, which is much stronger. Heavy and hot for a pinot, which improved a little over time, but not as much as you'd expect. Heavy dark fruit, with raisin or something else very sweet on the finish. Was able to struggle through to the end, but I'm not looking forward to having more bottles. Moderately acceptable at the price point it's at, but I'd suggest avoiding.

4/6/2011 - rmm wrote:

Second bottle had the same, if not worse problems, than the first. Meh

4/5/2011 - rmm wrote:

Used in cooking for a sauce - great replacement for chardonnay - I dislike the oak from chardonays, and unoaked chards are too expensive/good for cooking. Brings more flavor to cooing than a sauvingnon blanc or similar white wine. Rounded out the sauce with tree fruit and melon flavor as opposed to citrus

4/4/2011 - rmm wrote:

Not a huge chard person, but love the minerality in this vs their standard estate chard. Great refreshing white wine!

4/2/2011 - rmm wrote:

Hitting a really good not right now. Crisp and refreshing with pear and solid acidity. Would go really well with some sweet citrus (think pineapple). Occasionally hits this mildly yeasty note, but not in an unpleasant way

4/1/2011 - rmm wrote:

Might be shocked or too young, or whatever excuse, but last night's bottle tasted horribly herbaceous with a strong current of raw green pepper running through it. Tasted even cheaper than paid for on woot, and might be the first bottle from there in a while that I've actually been disappointed with.

3/2/2011 - rmm wrote:

A little hotter than I was expected considering it's Corison, but still a delight to drink. After breathing for a while it has the typical Corison elegance. Less fruit forward than typical CA syrah, more elegant.

2/22/2011 - rmm wrote:

Wow! Not what I expected. First pour was a litle disappointing, but it was because I treated it like a rose, rather than a pinot. Serving temperature should be a little lower than room temperature, or as chilled as a normal pinot would be. Enjoyed even more than their still pinot because of the bubbles. Really enjoyed how full bodied and fruit forward it is, with the whimsy of a sparkling wine. Hopefully will be able to get more of this at a reasonable price.

1/24/2011 - rmm wrote:

Ridiculous QPR. Exactly what I like from great table/everyday wine. Fruit-forward but well-balanced. Just flabby enough to handle drinking with food, but it's good by itself as well. Got it twice from the winery for half off for an outstanding QPR.

1/5/2011 - rmm wrote:

Feel like this is somewhat flat - just one note. Tannic w/ decent acidity. No real feature of it that sticks out in my mind. Has your standard dark red fruit, earthy/leather flavors. Mouthfeel is a little thin for a cab. Decent QPR, but leaves me a little "blah," especially compared to other Kent Rasmussen wines.

12/22/2010 - rmm wrote:

Highest QPR of any wine that I've had recently. Fruit forward and a little hot, but not totally out of balance. Great everyday drinker, highly recommended

10/20/2010 - rmm wrote:

Very good for being so fruit forward. Didn't get any alc heat or added acidity like expected. Fruit forward berries, but not offensively so

10/1/2010 - rmm wrote:

Picked this up as part of their case for $60 deal and I've enjoyed it so far. Quality sipper - frankly makes me want to do crushpad's kit. Fruit isn't as vibrant as I'd like it, but I wasn't expecting anything mind blowing. Well worth it

9/15/2010 - rmm wrote:

While not really a tasting note, getting things like this is why I love the Iron Horse wine club - I would never have a chance to taste this otherwise.

Standard very well made Iron Horse brut bubbles. Crisp, refreshing, and elegant.

8/26/2010 - rmm wrote:

Good - much more of a "CA style" than I was expecting, but not in a way that was bad. More fruit-forward than the traditional sangiovese that I'm used to, lacks the "earthiness." Still in reasonable balance of fruit and acidity. No alcohol heat like I was expecting with this amount of fruit. A solid choice for American sangiovese

8/25/2010 - rmm wrote:

Perfectly fine at this price point. Not especially good, not especially bad. Highly concentrated "grape" favor makes me wonder about it though (think concord, not wine grapes)

8/17/2010 - rmm wrote:

Less fruit and more earthy than the previous single vineyard. Still quite excellent

8/12/2010 - rmm wrote:

Solid and good for what it is. Very drinkable, but the fruit is a bit muddled. Might be shocked from delivery still. Basic red table wine/sipper. Well made, but nothing special.

8/10/2010 - rmm wrote:

Completely fantastic - not quite on the level of their reserve but I really like these single vineyard ones for their distint characters. More fruit forward than the regular pinot, little less musky, but very tasty old-world style pinot. Probably the best vintage I've had from them. Must buy

8/4/2010 - rmm wrote:

Best Cab Franc I've had since Iron Horse stopped making theirs. Heavy cherry flavor, with enough acidity to cut the alcohol in the wine. More fruit-forward than most, but in a way that really suits it. Doesn't have that woody/herby flavor a lot of them have. Very enjoyable experience.