5/4/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Sage, smoked meat, cherry, and a bit of bell pepper on the nose. Palate is mostly cherry and smoke, with an herbal finish. Decent QPR.

5/4/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Mahogany in the glass with a touch of bricking at the rim. Aromas of cigar box, purple flowers, cherry, clove, light leather notes, balsamic, and tomato leaf. Palate carries over, bringing in some black pepper. Finish goes on for about a minute. Tannins are present, but not overriding. I think I prefer the 2008 so far, but this is a really nice bottle with many years of great drinking ahead. Was great PnP, drank over several hours decanted. If I opened another bottle tomorrow I'd probably decant for at least 2 hours. Last glass was the best.

5/4/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours deep gold. Grilled pineapple, beeswax, citronella, and turned earth on the nose. Palate brings in some Meyer lemon rind, razor sharp acidity, and fairly robust body. Great now, but no hurry.

5/4/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Nose has butterscotch, toffee, fig, dates, brown sugar, and cherry. Palate matches up pretty well, with a bit of plum/prune. Excellent QPR.

4/27/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Very generic, but recognizable as Cab. It's not oak juice, and it's dirt cheap. I'm divided on TJ's "Coastal" wines. They aren't great, but they're usually reasonably representative of the grape, and they're almost always pretty pleasant bottles.

4/27/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours pretty even mahogany with a clear rim. Aromas of cherry, raspberry, espresso, cedar, and loose tobacco. Palate is the same, but a little flabby and dilute. Probably won't improve with age. That said, I don't think you'll find a better Brunello in this price range, but there are better Rossos. In fact, La Gerla Birba punches well above its weight, at a similar price, and is better than most Brunellos at twice the price.

4/20/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours pale gold, with tight bead. Nose has pear, sour dough, lemon custard, and green apple. Palate is the same. Excellent QPR.

4/20/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours yellow-gold. Beeswax, honeysuckle, jasmine, nectarine, acacia, and some cidery apple notes on the nose. Palate carries over, with nice body, and a touch of sweetness. I'd say between off-dry and semi-sweet.

4/20/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Clear, darker side of garnet in the glass. Loamy pinot funk, clove, allspice, nutmeg, and cherry hard candy on the nose. First pour also had a waft of alcohol, but that blew off by the second glass. Same on the palate, but markedly dampened by the alcohol, which throws the balance off. This probably would've benefitted from a bit more concentration of fruit. It's not a bad wine at all, but seems like an obvious and easily avoidable flaw.

4/13/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

PnP - Ruby core with a touch of rust at the rim. Brambly blackberry, raspberry, licorice, and espresso on the nose. Palate adds black pepper and allspice. An hour decant gives up some nice pipe tobacco notes. Well balanced, and consistently good QPR.

4/13/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

PnP - Clear purple-garnet in the glass. Aromas of powdery grape skin, (almost Syrah-like) blackberry, cherry, violet, dried rose petal, and sage. Palate carries over. Light and airy, virtually no tannins, with electric acidity. Nothing brooding or heavy. Not particularly like any Zin or Primitivo I've ever had before, but quite good. If not for the color, I would probably guess this was a Barbera blend, impossible to place.

4/13/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Consistent with last year. It's good QPR for what it is, but I usually use it in Sangria.

4/6/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Deep purple core, going red-clear at the rim. Smells mostly like Cabernet Sauvignon - Black cherry, clove, light aromas of leather, and a hint of herbs. Palate is a completely different beast - black tea, bay leaf, bell pepper, sage, and a touch of dried cherry. Chewy, mouth-coating tannins, and an herbal, somewhat bitter finish. I like it now, but I can easily see how it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Contrary to previous reviews, I'm pretty sure this will improve for at least a decade.

4/6/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours like polished bronze. Nectarine, tangerine, lemon zest, melon, chalk, and a touch of funk on the nose. Palate carries over. Zesty and robust.

4/6/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Lemon, lime, grapefruit, a bit yeasty. Very generic. Jump to the $15 range and you can find fantastic Cava. I'll use this in mimosas or sangria.

3/30/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Purple core, with just a hint of bricking at the rim. Powdery plum, blackberry, soubois, crushed violets, and anise on the nose. Palate is still surprisingly dense, but follows the nose, with marked acidity. Long (30+ seconds) finish, with a lingering tartness. Very good now, but if I had another bottle I'd hold it for 5+ years.

3/30/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Light ruby core with a clear orange-tinged rim. Heavy aromas of saddle leather, barnyard, asphalt, and tobacco, underscored by brambly blackberry, nutmeg, and cigar box, and some underlying, more delicate floral notes. Palate carries over, with black pepper and licorice accents. Beautiful balance, with the acidity and fruit to last, but this is peak drinking to my palate.

3/30/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Blackberry jam, cocoa, licorice, and some dark floral notes. Bitter, herbal finish. I don't hate it, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to what the winemaker was going for here. This is too jammy for Old World fans, and too herbal for New World fans.

3/23/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours mahogany with a rusty rim. Lot going on with the nose - humidor, cigar box, pipe tobacco, potpourri, dried anise, dill, vanilla, mocha, and dried cherry. Palate carries over, adding some black pepper and Indian spices. Slightly thin in the middle, but still very good.

3/23/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Purple core, going to garnet, with a clear rim. You can definitely smell the merlot - lots of powdery blueberry/plum - with cherry, dusty gravel, and cigar box. If I smelled this blind, I would guess some sort of non-Napa, Cali BDX blend. Palate, though still fruit forward, is immediately recognizable as Spanish - tart cherry, cigar box, cumin, coriander, some chocolate. A bit on the tart side, but good, this should easily go for 10+ years.

3/23/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Green apple, lemon zest, a whiff of yeast. Cidery. A bit on the sweet side. At $7, I don't feel ripped off, I just think I'd rather buy a $15 Cava or Costco's Champagne for $20. If your budget is under $10, this is reasonable.

3/17/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pretty much the same as last year's. Maybe slightly less acidity, but you still get the apple, lemon zest, a touch of oyster shell, and salinity. Not bad, and works great for Sangria.

3/16/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

PnP - already has a fantastic nose - lots of dark fruit, brooding floral notes, licorice, and a solid oak backbone.

2 hours decant, and this was amazing QPR. Palate resolves cherry, plum, violet, rose, licorice, pencil shavings, and nutmeg. Up there with Costco's Rioja and Sauvignon Blanc, which I think are their best wines.

3/13/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Ruby core with a clear rim. Lots of mushroom, saddle leather, loam, soft cherry, and forest floor. Same on the palate, with a bit of cranberry and nutmeg finish. VS 2014 Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir - I VERY SLIGHTLY preferred the RR. The age probably made the difference. Both were very good, but the edges on the RR were smoothed off nicely, resulting in a better wine.

3/13/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours deep, clear ruby with slight bricking at the rim. Strawberry hard candy, cedar, rose petal and some other floral notes, some light baking spice, and a bit of forest floor on the nose. Palate ramps up the fruit, but not overly so, vibrant strawberry, cherry, and nutmeg. Crisp acidity keeps this feeling fresh, but there's still a sense of maturity there. If I had another one, I'd save it for 5ish years. VS 2018 Domaine Chevillon-Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits - Both of these wines are very good, but New World wins here, with the maturity probably making the difference.

3/13/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Very odd, overriding minty, sage note. Otherwise pretty standard, okayish GSM. Very herbal, dark fruit, some dark floral notes, a bit of minerality. I don't hate it, but that initial herbal hit is a bit off-putting.

3/9/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour - Deep purple with a clear rim. A brooding cherry pie in a glass. Cherry preserves, vanilla, allspice, nutmeg, and a touch of licorice on the nose. Same on the palate. Solid Napa Cab - fruit forward, and strong oak backbone.

3/9/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours brick-garnet with a clear, rusty rim. PnP - very muted, with just earthy underbrush and some tart cherry. An hour in the decanter gives up cigar box, sage, leather, soubois, tobacco leaf, tart cherry, and some nutmeg. Peak drinking.

3/9/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

PnP - Red/purple berry medley, powdery tannins, and a touch of earthiness. This almost seems like it might get a bit better with air. I'm half tempted to cork it until tomorrow, but in my experience exactly zero of TJ's wines have stood up to a single day once opened.

3/2/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Yellow-gold in color. Lemon curd, vanilla custard, yellow delicious apple, and some light floral notes on the nose. Same on the palate with a touch of nuttiness. Nicely mellow, but not showing much in the way of age.

3/2/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours just the purple side of burgundy. Strawberry, wet granite, soft floral notes, and cola on the nose. Palate adds hard candy, with a bit of lingering spice on a medium-length finish. Well balanced, but seems like a short-term drinker.

3/2/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Primitivo done appassimento seems a no-brainer. Definitely more New World, this tastes like a jammy Zin-Amarone lovechild, but still has some balancing bitter coffee, and herbal notes. Excellent QPR!

2/28/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Tough market. Excellent QPR, but just okay. Decent entry-point to Burgundian style.

2/28/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

First pour was pretty underwhelming - very nice tobacco aroma right out of the bottle, but hard stop at cherry and oak. After a two hour decant this livened up, with rose, baking spice, ripe fruit, and a solid oak backbone. I could see maybe a 90 with 5+ years. Good QPR, but do you really want this taking up cellar space?

2/25/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Toffee, butterscotch, a bit of chocolate, with underlying fig and date notes. Nothing special, but great QPR at $8.

2/24/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Decanted and back into the bottle 4 hours before. Pours deep purple. Fantastic nose of cherry, plum, cinnamon, nutmeg, pencil shavings, dark floral notes, and pipe tobacco. Palate adds cocoa, and earthy accents to the fruit. Long decant softened the tannins nicely, but this is built to age. Would love to revisit in 10-15-20 years.

2/24/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Dark, coppery core with a clear orange rim. Aromas of saddle leather, barnyard, dusty library, mushroom, with wisps of cherry, and just a hint of VA. Palate adds some orange peel, and faint graphite. Nice bottle. Pleasantly surprised.

2/24/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

I don't hate it. No sense of varietal, and a bit over-oaked, but still drinkable. It has some semblance of balance. I'd call this "Bad wine done well." Looking for a $5 wine? Buy this.

2/17/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours deep, clear garnet. Initially some sulfur, but blew off quickly to reveal dark cherry, strawberry, warm oak, pinot funk, forest floor, and a bit of baking spice. Palate is the same, with ample acid, and springy tannins. Good balance. A little brooding at the moment, but give this 5 years and I think it will unwind nicely.

2/17/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

PnP - Blackberry, licorice, black pepper, and a touch of brown sugar. Simple, but tasty. Good QPR.

2/10/2024 - seeyouintee wrote:

Bottle and cork seemed intact. Obvious oxidation, immediately when the cork came out. Muted nose, flat palate. Still get the nice blackberry, licorice, black pepper, and some tobacco that you'd expect, but sheer and thin, with a slight vinegar note. Definitely a flawed bottle.

2/10/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours pale gold. Lots of orchard fruit, some seashell, and delicate floral notes on the nose. Palate carries over, with some orange peel, and a nice weight you don't usually get from Chenin Blanc, a bit more robust. Drank with spicy vegetable hotpot, fantastic pairing!

2/10/2024 - seeyouintee Does not like this wine:

Pretty nondescript fruit with overbearing oak. This is around my "I'm not gonna pour it out, but it's not very good" rating.

2/3/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Clear burgundy in color. Nose was a bit reticent at first, but after an hour opened up with Pinot funk, cherry, strawberry, mushroom, and chalk. Palate adds wet gravel, some underbrush, and a pleasant salinity. Love this, especially for an "off year."

2/3/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Could smell this as soon as the cork came out, great nose! Pours inky purple with a decent amount of bricking at the rim. Cigar box, mocha, dried rose petals, forest floor, still vibrant cherry, baking spices, and dry gravel. Palate carries over, with beautifully integrated oak and silky tannins. Peak drinking.

2/3/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Peach, almond, and a touch of oyster shell. Off-dry, medium-low acidity. I use this for Sangria sometimes. It's not bad at all, but Costco's Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio are all far better in my opinion. So unless you're specifically looking for a Prosecco, I'd always go with one of those.

1/25/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Mostly dark fruit. Very new world. Not much in the way of earth or spice notes you might expect from Puglia, but it's not bad for $6.

1/25/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Pours pale straw with tight bubbles. Beautiful nose on this, with white floral notes, red delicious apple, brioche, vanilla cream, and just a hint of spicy oak. Palate brings in lemon zest, custard, and nicely balanced acidity. This is in a good place.

1/25/2024 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Decanted and back into the bottle for 4 hours. Dark magenta, not showing much in signs of age. Pencil shavings show up first on the nose, with soubois, dark cherry, rustic oak, dusty gravel, and tobacco leaf. Palate is both fruity and herbal, with a nice merlot roundness. Feels like this will peak early. I like it now, but probably best in 2-3 years.

12/25/2023 - seeyouintee Likes this wine:

Strawberry, raspberry, and a bit of funk. Simple, but pleasant Pinot Noir, good QPR.