1/31/2014 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Well made wine but pretty straight forward. Medium finish.

11/11/2013 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Was expecting a bomb but got a perfectly balanced zin.

6/15/2013 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

hot, monolithic and completely uninteresting. Bummer.

1/1/2013 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Very mature flavors. A touch past it's prime. Drink now.

1/1/2013 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Nice potential. Hold.

12/18/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Bought a case of this on our honeymoon in '08. This is our last bottle and it is shockingly spectacular. This blows away any Zin that I've ever had. Beautiful clean dark fruit, almost Spring Mountain-ish with vivid black pepper. Perfectly balanced. Enough acid to keep the wine fresh and enough tannin to tempt you to hold on another year....DON'T!!! It's perfect. I repeat, this is the best Zin that I've ever had and from a very unexpected producer.

10/20/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

This wine tasted 10-12 years old but wasn't tired at all. Big time barnyard on the nose. Palate had a bit of white pepper, some dark fruit, tar and some serous animal fur. Dinged for a bit of a clipped finish. Nice wine and serious deal at $17.

9/21/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

This is a delicious wine that is a little too ripe for me. It's a bit hot but there are the classic brambly zin flavors. Nice structure. Nice long finish.

5/18/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

All I could taste was oak.

5/16/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Again, these are not your typical Napa cabs. Nice spice, green and earthiness with some ripe fruit. A little thin and the finish is a bit short. Might be shutdown or maybe not decanted long enough.

5/14/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

massive wine. Added a little bit of earthiness since last time.

4/15/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

I'm really enjoying this bottle. Pure Zin fruit but with some mint and clove spice. Nice long finish and nicely balanced. Solid QPR.

3/26/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Great balance and an unbelievable mouth-feel. Loved it.

3/9/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Great wine. Nice green steak with a beam of red fruit. Not your typical Napa. Long finish.

3/9/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Great mouthfeel. Nice complexity.

3/9/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Wow was this disappointing. Tons of heat. One trick pony. Raspberry and alcohol.

3/5/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Did nothing for me on the first couple of days. On the 4th day, the spice and fruit picked up. Nice finish and acidity.

11/5/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

I wasn't expecting much but this wine aged very well. Mature cali cab flavors with a nice streak of bright red fruit. Impressed.

2/4/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Very perfumed nose. Lotta chocolate and blue fruit. Big acidity which was nice.

11/4/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

A little bit young but a ton of potential.

2/4/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Awesome wine. Nice earthy nose. Great acidity and mouth feel. Fairly complex on the palate. As good as any QPR out there.

1/8/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Good wine that is really nicely layered. Just lacks a bit of complexity.

1/6/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Drank along side an Alban Reva and there was no comparison. The complete lack of any complexity was puzzling for such an expensive wine. The nose was rather muted. On the palate there was nothing but vanilla oak and the most candied chocolate raspberry fruit core that I've ever tasted in a wine. Almost like a shot that is on the menu at TGIFs. The finish wasn't anything to right home about either. Had it with a steak and was a terrible match as this wine needs to be consumed without food or over ice cream.

1/6/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

I was ready to hate this wine but it didn't happen. While the wine is way over the top the earthy/stinky nose made it interesting right off the bat. On the palate there was kalamata olive cracked pepper, leather, dark fruit and chocolate that was persistent throughout. The only thing that I thought was disappointing was that the finish was a bit short. Otherwise, this wine was well made and pretty balanced for such a massive wine.

12/25/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Vodka?

12/22/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Lime, mineral and pepper. Very well balanced and a long finish. Great wine.

12/11/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Hot mess

12/1/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Fairly simple but tasty and balanced.

11/30/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Fairly ripe and nicely balanced. Not very complex but enjoyable.

11/26/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Nicely balanced but simple.

10/2/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Needs time for oak to blend. A little bit short on the finish.

10/2/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Nice minerality, graphite, pencil and red fruits. A touch of sweetness on the finish. Great balance.

9/16/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

The heat is really distracting.

9/1/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Right now, this wine is all about potential. Nice red fruits and very balanced. Finish was a bit clipped but still a very nice wine.

9/16/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Very stinky nose. On the palate it was one dimensional and hot.

9/16/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Awkaward wine. The nose was muted. Tasted like a fall savory soup. Sage, savory, a lot of breakfast sausage flavors but wit a creaminess that didn't play well together.

9/16/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Nice wine but nothing special. I think there is way more value out there for the price. Bedrock Sonoma comes to mind.

8/25/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Big, weighty, complex wine.

7/25/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Dark purple. Herbaly, red fruit and nice concentration. Hot finish.

7/24/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Weighty and a bit flabby. Overblown to me. Lacking crispness. Nice fruit though. Probably an 89 for the pedigree.

7/23/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Nice complexity. Great finish.

6/5/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Hollow mid palate.

7/5/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Nice tart flavors but way too short on the finish.

6/29/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Closed and bitter on days 1-3. On day 4, beautiful floral nose. Plalate has clean dark fruit, tar, kalamata olive and spice. Great complexity, structure and balance. Should be killer with age.

6/18/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

There is no doubt that this is a complex wine. However, how appealing are these flavors? Strong nose of rye, salty mineral, smoke, dark fruit and heat. On the palate, the wine has a salty minerality that attacks you up front and lingers througout into a bitter finish. Way too hot.

6/12/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Great complexity and fruit. A little short on the finish.

6/12/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Thrown off by the lack of balance. Bitter and hot finish.

6/6/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

The first thing that jumped out to me was the color because it was the darkest cab that I've ever seen. The nose was a bit muted. The palate had some tangy flavors, almost like hot sauce tangy. Some oak, licorice and earthiness. I'd wait a couple more years for the fruit to show.

6/5/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Very jammy. Some menthol and pepper.

6/4/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote:

Good wine. Short finish.