11/13/2023 - krhaugh Likes this wine:

Decanted >2 hours. Big and bold Syrah grapes with hints of smoked meat, stone & minerality. A little funk as the vineyard is on the Rocks District border but not as funky as a Cayuse or Rotie Syrah. Delicious juice. This is a young wine but no hints of green in it. I could drink this all day or hold for years.

1/6/2023 - Musinus wrote:

Initially, the wine offered up rich and seductive scents of red berries, black cherries, plums, and mocha. The mouthfeel: creamy, fruity, and alcoholic. After several hours, however, this seemingly promising creation was overwhelmed by alcohol and unrelenting bitterness. The fruit seemed to have retreated into submission, leaving behind a very muted wine whose structure was lacking. Is this merely a passing phase? Hard to say, but I’m not sticking around to find out.

1/2/2023 - dlcass Does not like this wine:

This bottle was corked. I won't score.

2/12/2022 - Jimaronson wrote:

Medium weight Syrah which in a blind tasting would pass for a Pinot. Beautifully contructed and balanced from start through finish. The wine was slow oxed for 30 minutes and then decanted for an hour. Feminine style with blue and red fruits. A little spice to keep it interesting. The wine is in its prime drinking window

1/29/2022 - jeagle wrote:

Decanted for several hours the first night, but all this bottle offered was wood on the palate. Night two revealed fruit attempting to nudge all the oak aside with some semblance of success later in the evening. No sense of the varietal. Hopefully this will turn into something better.

5/7/2021 - timcan Likes this wine:

Opaque in color, concentrated and tannic. Promising but needs a couple of years in the bottle to better integrate. Will try again after 2023.

5/13/2020 - jeagle wrote:

I obviously liked this wine more than most. A three hour decant and it never varied over the following three hours. So plush with terroir over fruit: smoked meat and licorice with no noticeable wood. Structure is obvious but not intrusive. My rating is probably a bit high, but then I did really look forward to repeatedly pouring more into my glass, so yeah.

5/10/2020 - amiller68003@gmail.com Likes this wine:

Nice round dark fruit with mild tannins. A bit short on structure. Nonetheless, too bad it’s our last bottle.

5/3/2020 - mojotojo Likes this wine:

This wine was a freaking revelation. I popped it on a whim and wasn’t expecting too much. I had read some reviews of the 2009 Collab Series IV and it didn’t seem like it had that much potential. Oh wow! Was I wrong. This wine is beautiful - lush, vibrant bursting from the glass, it is all you could ask for in a wine. It is predominantly merlot (61%) with 23% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petite Verdot and Cab Franc. It’s an inky purple, still very lively. On the nose, its a gorgeous bouquet of blue fruit, leather, mocha, spice and distinctive minerality. In the mouth, it is expansive with delicious notes of candied cherrys, blueberry, lead pencil and vanilla. With the tell-tale cocoa flavor filling out the finish. Tannins are lush, soft, sweet and well-integrated. The finish goes on for nearly a minute. This is one delicious wine and it was one of the most pleasurable wines in recent memory. A real delight!

12/24/2019 - Motz wrote:

Massively extracted fruit and three, or four, oak forests. It features berries and coconut, with berry and coconut accents, followed by a 'flood' of berries and coconuts. In sum, it sets a new standard for over-the-top and in-your-face! Not quite abominable, but not too far off either. Yuck!

10/9/2019 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:

Hmm, seems my CT inventory is off, insofar as this was definitely in my Eurocave but not in CT. Anywho...

PnP, this was showing very well on initial pour at slightly warmer than cellar temperature. As time wore on and temperature increased to room temp, it fell out of balance, with tannins becoming somewhat harsh, overpowering the still strong fruit. Still, at ten years in, this is drinking well, if you keep the temp under control.

8/5/2019 - oenophilemoose wrote:

This bottle was purchased from an online action website. This was not the first instance of receiving a flawed bottle from this vendor but rather a common occurrence. Having learned the hard way, I now only purchase wine directly from the vintner or reputable retailer. Caveat Emptor.

8/15/2014 - dpolivy Likes this wine:

Super elegant, silky, and balanced. Dense, dark fruit, a bit of chocolate, and some nice savory notes from the syrah. This is drinking really well right now!

9/15/2013 - caeleric Does not like this wine:

MASSIVE disappointment. decanted 4 hours, consumed over 5 hours. dusty, grippy, dry, and unyielding. graphite, fall leaves, dried herbs, and very little fruit. a touch of black cherry came through every now and then. I'm hoping I just popped this too early, but at this price point this was a real snooze fest. if scoring 81-83. it better get better or I'll be dropping off the list. there's a lot better juice out there for a lot less money.