11/23/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Superb

10/9/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Quite nice for the $s

10/9/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Really nice QPR and quite enjoyable for a young Bord.

11/8/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Decent, but not as enjoyable as first bottle.

4/9/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Very nice. Would be great at a lower price point.

8/27/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Infanticide. Shoulda bought more.

10/9/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Worst showing yet for this wine. Disjointed, alcoholic, monolithic and just sort of a mess. Huge sappy, liquer elements were not pleasant. Begining to wonder if this wine is just going through a typical QC evolution or if there is an issue with this vintage and wide bottle variation. Hoping it is the former and the wine will settle into its upside potential.

10/10/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Pleasant, balanced and shows nice upside potential for near-term aging.

9/20/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Opened in honor of Mark to celebrate my new career ITB. I was amazed how well this wine has held together. Mark kept telling me to drink up early, but The Window showed more balance, elegance and complexity than on any other showing. Made for a sweet night of reflection.

9/20/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Stunning.

10/10/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Popped and poured 48 hours after shipment arrived to see how the wine is fairing since tasting at release party in April. Drinking the best of any of the Red Wines I've had from QC. Leaps and bounds better than the '04 opened the previous night, which was monolithic, disjointed, hot and the worst of the bottles we've had. The '05 had more lift and elegance (for QC) than previous vintages. There is a balance to this wine that is nice to see from the producer.

8/1/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Big and brooding, yet balanced and not overly heavy. The alcohol was well-integrated, surprisingly. A well made wine, just not my favorite Carlisle.

8/1/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Consumed at Carly's cooking school culmination dinner. No notes, but beautiful wine.

5/3/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Opened wine with trepidation based on so many comments about sitting on QC for 10+ years and the raging debates of QC lovers and haters. Would a highly rated QC live up to the hype with only mid-level maturity? Far exceeded expectations. Stunning wine. Everyone at table (mostly non-snobs) commented on the elegance and balance of the wine. Surprising considering the alcohol level (which showed up on opening, but integrated nicely w/ 2+ hours decanting.) and reputation of QC. Furthermore, this wine paired beautifully with dinner and did not come across as heavy bruiser of an 'event wine' better consumed on its own.

5/3/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Surprisingly light on its feet and open for a Leo this young. I expected a more tight and restrained wine. Good purity of fruit and complexity with loads of upside potential.

12/18/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Didn't see anything in this young 'un. Will sit on others for 2-4 years to see how they come around.

4/1/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Not a great showing tonight, but there was a hint that the wine will come around in a few years to meet potential.

4/14/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Stunning in its youth. All the great Barolo characteristics of rose petals, tar and earth, but with a new world element of fruit purity. High alcohol is a concern (14%); no heat on the finish, but hope that this wine doesn't fall aprt over the long haul. Definite upside potential to reach the WS 94 level and surprise WA & IWC reviewers.

3/19/2008 - Rob A wrote:

More prominent alcohol than expected, but opened up beautifully over the course of 3 hours. Question as to whether the heat will integrate over time or will continue to dominate.

2/14/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Deep, rich black fruits, overt oak, but not totally off-putting, all-in-all very pleasureable

12/24/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Beautiful!

2/2/2008 - Rob A wrote:

16th anniversary dinner @ Canlis. Just drinking beautifully and one of our favorite Cab Francs. A fun and pleasureable wine more than a fine wine, which is just fine with us! Made us regret not ordering off the mailer, but the tariff is getting too steep. May have to reconsider.

2/1/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Opened for 16th wedding anniversary paired with stunning meatloaf and yukon gold potatoes in lemon/bacon vinaigrette. Just a wonderful 10 year old Cali Cab. Previous bottles had not developed as nicely. Tanins finely integrated and that sweet purity of fruit that can be so elusive in aged New World Cabs. This bottle was in better shape than expected with maybe only a mm of seepage on the cork, no funk and secondary notes were beautiful. Makes you wish there was a case of these in the cellar!

1/21/2008 - Rob A wrote:

Not as good a showing as 1st bottle right after release. Has shut down quite a bit. Opened up appx. 2 hours into the evening and showed more promise of things to come. Definitely not as much of the decadent, chocolatey notes. Throwing huge amounts of fine grained sediment and showed an element of falling apart a bit!? 2nd night did not improve the wine; more raisiny/pruney elements.

12/24/2007 - Rob A wrote:

This has held up nicely for a 'lesser' Kistler Pinot. Five years has given the wine a chance to balance out and show that holding Kistler pinots is not a mistake.

12/28/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Unctuous, fruity, and hedonistic. Classic Pride oak notes in balance with a big Merlot full of ripe fruit. Not Sideways at all.

12/29/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Not a great showing for this wine. Thin, acidic with metallic notes showing.

12/24/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Tracking behind the 04 right now, but opened up nicely and will come around with time to offer a lot of pleasure.

12/8/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Not a great showing tonight, but it wasn't the wine's fault. Popped and poured after a '97 Cali Cab turned out corked. Should've decanted for and hour or three.

12/14/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Didn't make any note, just enjoyed.

11/28/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Disappointing

11/17/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Pretty bad. All wood, fruit barely came through a couple hours in. Possibly in a severely awkward phase, but don't see bottle 2 improving. Check back in 5 years just for interest.

11/1/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Blueberry pie . . . in a good way. QC violets and bold fruits coming through. Much more balanced out the gate than the 03.

11/4/2007 - Rob A wrote:

DeLille did not pour any D2 at the release event today because they were sold out, so we popped one when we got home to assess the need for additional purchases when it hits the retail stores this week. I always like it when Won says "You need to buy more of this wine!" Winemaker notes of " . . . black rasberries, plums, and deep black cherries" pretty much hits it. Even so, the wine has a rough tannin element and is slightly tight and disjointed today, but will smooth out and move into the 91-93 range over the next 2-3 years.

9/3/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Love this Zin and so did G.O. & San. Just plain hedonistic slurping.

9/1/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Star of the evening! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Beautiful fruit purity with elegance and balance.

9/1/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Much more integrated now and drinking better than expected.

10/4/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Not living up to the Garagiste hype. Thin, empty, overly dusty.

7/18/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Better than expected based on previous vintages swinging big wood. Good, classic Cali Chard w/ generous oak, but less obvious than predicted. Acidity on the decline, a bit flabby and cloying. Definitely not a summer Chard.

7/13/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Definitely hitting the upper end of RMP's rating right now. This wine has come a long way from the last bottle opened in Nov. More round and full w/ less of the tart, candied elements noted before.Beautiful nose w/ typical CA Pinot Noir aromas. Dark cherry and black fruits on the palate w/ a surprising caramel element that has not been as apparent in other Kistler pinots. Continued to evolve over 2+ hours and really began to hit its stride at the bottom of the decanteur. Would've popped another if one was in close proximity. It's that good. This wine exemplifies why we continue to buy Kistler and made for a truly memorable evening.

6/11/2007 - Rob A wrote:

This bottle was just drinking wonderfully tonight (w/ Copper River Sockeye and asparagus w/ shallots and garlic). Classic Sonoma Pinot Noir. Reminded us why we started buying La Neb to begin with!Faded towards the end of the evening, so not geared towards the long haul.

5/21/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Consumed over two nights. Started out very disappointing with concern that Laube might be right on this controversial Montelena. All tannin and heat (not uncharacteristic of a young Mont), but none of the fruit described by RMP Tanzer or any of the many favorable reviews posted on CT. No rich, chocolate covered berries here. Decanted 1.5 hours and drank over the next 3 with little change and some faint TCA (but that might be subliminal, right). Day 2; initially even more concerned with off odors and possible TCA. After another hour in the glass the wine began to come togetherand showed a tiny bit of upside potential. Hope I'm wrong and this bottle, or I, was having an off night. This wine needs another ten years, but concerned about holding remaining bottles that long if TCA is in question.

5/18/2007 - Rob A wrote:

A disappointment. Missing all the fun, creaminess, blood orange, strawberry and balance that 05 was. Overwhelming heat, fruit was shy and was all in all pretty close to a white zin.

5/21/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Consumed over two nights. Day 1: Disjointed, sour cherry, menthol, high alcohol brought heat on the nose and palate, red fruits dominate, but not over the tannins and heat, disappointing relative to 04. Day 2:The wine has rounded out a bit and come together nicely. Surprised how the fruit has come to the front along with classic KB Pinot profile and tannins and heat have receded more than expected. It will be interesting to see if the evolution continues along a positive path or the impressions from day 1 win out over the long haul. Needs two+ years before next bottle gets opened.

4/15/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Although not living up to the WA hype at this young stage, Won loved this wine.

3/15/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Did not show well on this night. Oak was abundant.

4/21/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Past its prime.

4/21/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Served w/ porchetta, marscapone mashers & asparagus. Classic Barolo aromas and flavors and this vintage did not disappoint. Started out very tight and austere, but then opened beautifully and really hit its stride w/ about 1.5 hrs of air.

4/20/2007 - Rob A wrote:

This has come together nicely. A pleasant wine and more elegant than expected.Red fruits dominate, a bit tart. Secondary flavors starting to show.

3/17/2007 - Rob A wrote:

Not holding up well at this point. Wood has moved to forefront and fruit has dropped considerably. Does not appear to be capable of living up to RP's review.