5/18/2022 - reddart Likes this wine:

Crème brûlée vanilla and a hint of leather on the nose. Brick burgundy in color. A bit, punchy wowing flavor of wood/leather/a touch of cigar with a touch of subdued aged red fruit (and is that butterscotch?), medium body and finish. The sum is greater than my attempt to describe. Singing right now, could still go a little longer in the cellar.

10/7/2020 - reddart Likes this wine:

PNP: Tar, a little leather and phenolic mushroom field on the nose. A flavor of slight black and red fruits, a little creosote, mocha, and tar, very well blended and non one flavor dominates. Medium bodied but unctuous, with a long complex smoky finish. A lot of tertiary flavors I wouldn’t expect from a 7 year old wine, but I have not had many Malbecs of this age.

3/7/2020 - reddart Likes this wine:

Sour cherry and cherry cola. Still has structure but is at, or slightly past peak. Drink em if you have em. Just wonderful.

2/26/2017 - reddart Likes this wine:

Can't really give a rating, but it was cellared properly, with good ullage for its age, and the cork was in great condition. Brick red in color. Aroma of cedar, leather and raspberries. Medium light body, and still had a little stuffing in it. Cherries and sherry. Past it's prime, but very enjoyable to drink, not plonked at all.

1/22/2017 - reddart Likes this wine:

A cheap Bordeaux from a good year. Aged very nice. So cheap, it is probably not even CellarTracker fodder, but definitely worth more now than the purchase price.

8/30/2016 - reddart Does not like this wine:

Well beyond the prime for this bottom tier Bordeaux...fake cork and all. Barely drinkable.

7/1/2016 - reddart wrote:

Great qpr, in a very nice place right now. Wish I had kept more. Drink them if you have them.

7/1/2016 - reddart Likes this wine:

Delicious!

12/25/2014 - reddart Likes this wine:

Very nice, reminds me of a bigger 2009. Back on track, as I did not care fore the 2011 at all.

10/7/2014 - reddart wrote:

At PNP, the oak monster was in full attack (and I tend to like oak). The next day, and over the next few days of slow ox, the oak integrated well. Full bodied, aroma of fruits and a little earth, and a decent med+ finish with smooth tannins. Drinking well now, just be aware of the oak at first.

8/28/2014 - reddart wrote:

Very nice. Id decant or wait a couple more years. Was best the 3rd day.

5/21/2014 - reddart Likes this wine:

Nose of dark berries, this has nice structure and not fruit bomby, flavors of plum, some dark berries, a little grapefruit and paprika on the top of the tongue. It could go a while longer, at least a year or 2.

5/10/2014 - reddart wrote:

Almost a year and a half since the last bottle, and this is opening up wonderfully. Similar to my last review, but fuller and richer, with leather in the nose. A good time to drink if you have them.

4/23/2014 - reddart wrote:

Very nice 4 days after opening, time will reward this one I think.

4/22/2014 - reddart wrote:

Musty mushroom and raisiny on the nose, predominant taste of leather, a little tobacco, hint of raisins/dry cherry and bell pepper.

Nice med+ body for a 13.4%, and still reasonable tannins, med finish. Over its prime for sure, but not shot at all. Not overly raisiny like some older wines can be, color was still burgundy, not brown. Definitely a good cork and storage history for this bottle, uliage only 1/2" and the cork was stained to about 1/4 through.

3/2/2014 - reddart Likes this wine:

After breathing a little while in the glass, has aroma of red and dark berries and cherries, a tiny bit of rustic earth, with the same + a little sour cherry in flavor, with a med-full body, reasonable amount of tannins and a med+finish. Cali cab lovers would like this full style of Merlot I would think. Drinking good now, though it lacks the structure to age it for a much longer period.

2/24/2014 - reddart wrote:

Drinking really good right now. Was WOTN for sure.

2/14/2014 - reddart Likes this wine:

Wonderful, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and cherries. Great fruit and smooth fine tannins, long finish. Has the "delicious" factor. Drink now for the fruit.

1/5/2014 - reddart wrote:

Very drinkable at the price.

1/5/2014 - reddart wrote:

This is at a great point IMO, it is really singing now. PNP, the rich fruit opens up after a while in the glass, and has raspberry galore in the mouth. Should go a while longer, but I'd say drink 'em if you have 'em.

12/19/2013 - reddart wrote:

This vintage is a 180 on the 2009 (which had some structure and seemed Lodi-ish to me), it is luscious and fruit-bomby. very drinkable and much enjoyed, but would probably not benefit from aging compared to the 2009, as the fruit and body overtake the tannins.

10/12/2013 - reddart wrote:

At PNP, I feel this wine is at a "dumb period", missing the wonderful fruit of a year ago and flat. After getting some air time, it is really quite wonderful and full. I'd say very classic Napa cab like, as you will get at this price point. I'd say hold on to this a few years to see if it wakes up, or at least decant for best results.

9/9/2013 - reddart wrote:

Drinking good now. PNP, wonderful aroma. Sour cherries, full body, good finish.A bit tannin deficient so not a long ager. Didn't seem to improve with airtime in the glass.

8/8/2013 - reddart wrote:

Not sure if the first bottle 2 months ago had bottle shock or was a slightly bum bottle, but this one is drinking very nice at PNP. Tastes bigger, and has a nice med+ finish without decanting. Extra point for that. I'm glad I have a couple more to hold on to for a bit.

7/4/2013 - reddart wrote:

Aroma: toasted American oak. Taste: toasted American oak. Smoky. Over the top oak for me. Good with some smoky BBQ, but a bit much on its own. There is big fruit and nice sour cherry in there, but it is overwhelmed by the oak.
Edit: OK, after letting it breathe for a while, the strong oakyness mellowed to a nice complex leather note. So, revised my score and recommend decanting for a little while. Enjoyed it quite a lot after only 30 minutes of air.

6/8/2013 - reddart wrote:

Light, black fruits and berries...like blackberry wine.

6/8/2013 - reddart wrote:

Good aroma of aged cherry. Still good structure, medium bodied and a cherry finish. Glad this, my last bottle, wasn't corked like the previous bottle.

6/3/2013 - reddart wrote:

First impression on PNP: Aroma is wonderful, what you would want in a Napa meritage of this age. A bit austere, and full bodied, but had a very short finish!. After letting the wine breath for about an hour, it really opened up. Very well balanced with a little tobacco, cassis, dark cherry. I'm glad I got a few more because these could go a bit longer. Just remember to decant first!

5/26/2013 - reddart wrote:

Drink them if you have them. Very nice budget Bordeaux.

5/19/2013 - reddart wrote:

Good wine, reasonably balanced for a Lodi OVZ. Others I'd rater have at this price.

5/19/2013 - reddart wrote:

A little better than my first bottle. Had a funky burnt rubbery undertone that went away after allowing it to breathe a bit. Glad it is my last bottle.

5/19/2013 - reddart wrote:

Corked. Too bad, as prior bottles were very good. The plastic wrap trick helped a little, I could drink it with that, others could not.

4/28/2013 - reddart wrote:

Preferred this over the 2009 Biker. This had more structure and finish, but some preferred the Biker.

4/28/2013 - reddart wrote:

Nice, big, and fat. Smooth

4/14/2013 - reddart Likes this wine:

Aroma of red berries and some strawberry notes. Nice, assertive but not overpowering acid, good drinking and dry. Can enjoy with or without food.

4/8/2013 - reddart wrote:

Some veggies in the nose, and red berry. Medium bodied

3/31/2013 - reddart wrote:

Hint of strawberries and cherries on the nose. a little earth. Kind of a typical Sonoma cab. A little bitterness at first that was off-putting, but improved as the wine breathed for a while.

3/29/2013 - reddart wrote:

I liked this a lot. Berries on the nose, nice smooth and full bodied with a nice finish. About perfect age for this one.

3/11/2013 - reddart wrote:

Not much nose, but that opened up after 30 minutes of breathing. some berries on the nose. Very dry, some sour red fruit. Nice with food.

2/16/2013 - reddart wrote:

Great QPR. Will have to buy more.

2/3/2013 - reddart wrote:

Still drinking very good.

1/12/2013 - reddart wrote:

Good drinking, nice tertiary aroma notes emerging, but I wouldn't let it age much longer

1/6/2013 - reddart wrote:

Pleasant enough, with decent acidity and red fruits, and oak. good for the price

12/30/2012 - reddart wrote:

Very nice, drink up.

12/26/2012 - reddart wrote:

Nice aroma of red fruits. Taste is fruit forward, red berries and a little sour cherry. Light body, not much structure and a short finish, but pleasant enough of a bottle. I probably wouldn't buy again at it's price point, but I wouldn't refuse a glass if offered one either.

12/23/2012 - reddart wrote:

Blueberries and spice. Gripping tannins. Could use some cellar time.

12/23/2012 - reddart wrote:

Getting nice now.

12/23/2012 - reddart wrote:

PNP. Nice subtle earth, cherry, and a little blueberry on the nose. Taste of cherries, a little dark fruit, leather, and some dusty tannins. Medium bodied, dry, and a little tight with nice tannins. Could use a little air or age. Very nice for the price. Wish I had more.

12/2/2012 - reddart wrote:

Pleasant earthy nose of berry and alcohol. Taste of light berries, a bit vegetal flavor, and light body, but very good for the price.

11/30/2012 - reddart wrote:

Still very good for the price...