10/14/2023 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking very well. Out of the bottle and with some air… very good juice.

7/12/2023 - Justin B wrote:

Not ready…

6/3/2023 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Wonderful wine and amazing deep Syrah flavors. Still a baby though. I say this because a few minutes after pop and pour, it really was expressive and enjoyable. Then it went through an ackward phase… more stewy and less fragrant. Then it comes back around. So I think it needs more time in the bottle to settle down or integrate… or just needs some patience to drink at the right moment for now.

5/26/2023 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Much better on day 2. Needs a solid decant and/or years to rest. So tasty though once it comes out of its shell!

3/9/2023 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking very well right now.

2/26/2023 - Justin B wrote:

Nice Riesling. Too low on ABV (at 7.5%) for me, as it tastes a bit like really nice juice… but my wife loved it, so all good.

2/5/2023 - Justin B wrote:

Tastes like juice. My wife liked it, but it wasn’t for me.

1/27/2023 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Great nose and smooth finish. Drink now.

10/21/2022 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking very well. Drink now.

2/26/2022 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Fantastic wine!

2/3/2022 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking wonderfully. Recommended to enjoy now or within a few years.

2/19/2021 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Really great stuff, with a ton of potential. For now, give it a few hours at least to open up and the smooth ripe flavors will come out from hiding. For me, it was best on day 3 after I put the cork back in after having a glass each night. I get the sense that secondary flavors will show more and the finish will lengthen with more age.

2/26/2021 - Justin B wrote:

Amazing and yet very young... took some time to open up. Delicious flavor. Was best on day 2 & 3. Will definitely soften and evolve over time.

11/22/2020 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Got better with age, and in a great place now. Very nice GMS blend.

7/31/2020 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully. Great nose, secondary ruby flavors coming out, and nice finish. Still plenty of fruit left too.

7/25/2020 - Justin B Likes this wine:

From a 1.5L, decanted for 3+ hours... drank beautifully.

7/4/2020 - Justin B Likes this wine:

A really nice QPR rose... would definitely get it again. Nothing fancy, but for under $20 it is really dry rose.

6/19/2020 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking very well now. Good nose, thin mid-palatte, but very nice finish.

6/17/2020 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Fantastic cab. Especially so given the great QPR.

5/30/2020 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking well now, just give it some time. For me it drank best on day 2.

5/16/2020 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Great QPR rose.

2/15/2020 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking well, aged nicely. Drink now.

12/20/2019 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Dark fruit, bold, and a lot of great things going on. Tasted great right out of the bottle... then got a bit awkward in time... then much much better after a few hours of air. Feels not ready yet, and would definitely benefit from a few years of patience. I couldn’t resist trying one since I have a few of these... but the rest will have to wait.

3/9/2019 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Needed a lot of air to come out. Hold.

3/9/2019 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking wonderfully, with minimal air.

3/2/2018 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking very well... tons of flavor and open for business. Was a bit too bold for my taste on its own... but with a steak, was amazing.

12/25/2016 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Fantastic pinot... great nose and a long finish. Probably way too young, but was definitely a special wine that both wine experts and everyone in the family can enjoy.

12/10/2016 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Really nice wine... was closed at first, but with a lot of air turned out really well.

9/2/2016 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Day one was just OK, was great on day two though... so air and time is your friend on this one.

2/12/2016 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Give it lots of air... and you'll get a great nose from a really nice Oakville cab. Not evolved (too young) yet to really shine on the finish, but has good potential over the next 5-10 years.

12/29/2015 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Needs more time, or a good decant.

12/18/2015 - Justin B Likes this wine:

A great wine. Best for me on the 3rd day (corked and refrig'ed between days). Give this one lots of air... the last sip will be the best sip.

10/16/2015 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Great nose and a lot of complexity here. Still probably still too young though.

7/25/2015 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Decanted for several hours and could have used another half day of air. Best wine of the night with lots of dark berries, spice and lavender - even though it was still tannic and not fully opened up. 94 today, with lots of potential. Hold.

4/16/2015 - Justin B wrote:

In a really good spot now, given a good decant. Nice red fruit, dark raspberry, mild spices... nicely balanced new world grenache. Definitely recommended.

4/2/2015 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking fantastic now. Gave it about 30-60 minutes of air.

2/20/2015 - Justin B wrote:

Very complex wine, a somewhat "serious" Syrah that has lots of dark berries and white pepper. It does need a significant decant to come out, at least 2 hours in a decanter or overnight if you just pop the cork. I'd bet that the best days for this wine are in 5+ years though.

2/15/2015 - Justin B wrote:

Lots of potential, yet still quite young. 92+

2/12/2015 - Justin B wrote:

Love the taste of Cote-a-Cote. This wine is in the very early days though... need a couple of years to further integrate and smooth out. For now I give it a 93, with 94-97 potential in 2-5 years for me.

2/7/2015 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Drinking fantastic now. Years ago it was much more tannic and less fragrant... but now within an hour it really opens up nicely. We greatly enjoyed this one with ribeye for dinner!

1/22/2015 - Justin B Likes this wine:

A thinking man's (or woman's) wine that evolves after many hours/days of being open. I had one glass on day one which was nice, but the nose hadn't come out much and this isn't an opulent taster either. So I figured the wine needed more time, so I corked it up and put it in the refrig for four days. Back to room temperature on the fourth day, the wine had a fantastic nose - very elegant. One of those kinds of wines where you actually spend time just enjoying the smell in the glass. Still probably not enough fruit for me on the taste (I'm no AFWE), but I appreciate the quality here.

1/1/2015 - Justin B wrote:

Needed a good decant, but ended up really nice. Shows the goodness and balance of 2012. A bit of a short finish, but I think it is because the wine is so young and has a lot of potential. Glad I have 3 more of these!

12/24/2014 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Great now with some air, lots of potential too. 93+

12/28/2014 - Justin B wrote:

Much improved since 6 months ago, the wine is integrating very nicely. Drinks well now with a 3+ hour decant, but will surely reward patience. Shows the cooler vintage characteristics of Syrah, which are probably more interesting to wine geeks. Well made wine regardless.

10/10/2014 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Give it a lot of air or give it some time. Really nice wine though. A bit more full-bodied than your typical Pinot, and thankfully TRB does a nice job with balancing it all out.

10/4/2014 - Justin B Likes this wine:

A great full-bodied new world Syrah. It is quite hedonistic, but does so in a balanced way... lots of dark fruit, oak and pepper. This is the anti-AFWE wine from California ;)

9/27/2014 - Justin B Likes this wine:

A bit more full bodied than I remember Heart Stone being, but none the less very enjoyable yet still tannic... dominated by Syrah at the moment. Blackberry and spice. The more air this wine had over dinner (after a small decant) the better the wine got. So decant for a few hours if you must drink now, or better yet just wait a few years on this one.

7/4/2014 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Better after a few hours of air, still got a ton of life to it. Great nose and lovely taste. Not a weak wine!

6/7/2014 - Justin B wrote:

Upon pop'n'pour into the decanter, I poured off a bit to give it a first taste and wow, it was tasting fantastic... one of the best Saxum's I've had. Unfortunately, every hour or so it got worse and worse and turned into a syrupy mess without any strength when we did the tasting after ~4 hours in the decanter (everyone rating this their least favorite of the night, when normally Saxum is the most favored).

So I think this wine is finicky and/or too young. I'd recommend drinking right from pop'n'pour (no decant) or waiting 2+ years based on my experience. No rating for today, it was just too all over the map.

6/9/2014 - Justin B Likes this wine:

Tasting fantastic now... a great example of grenache from California.