January 15, 2017 - I had expectations that weren't entirely realized, but this wasn't bad. The fruit was soft out of the bottle with a heavy Paso stew of rich plums and earth and clipped finish. Rounded out in a little with time to show it's Paso Mourvèdre backbone. Day 2 this thing is a little flabby but really showing its plummy, spicy, baked pie Mourvèdre core. The earthiness on the back palate isn't blending with the fruit forwardness, and maybe it could use more time to resolve the course finish.
September 24, 2013 - Satiny, new-oak, MSG blend. Intoxicating, seductive nose of mixed dark fruits (black cherry, blackberry) grilled meat, vanilla and cocoa, with mourvedre dominating the blend. Plush mouth, echoing those aromas, with a finish of depth and amplitude and the addition of tempranillo seems to extend the finish with fine grain tannin and spice. While it lacks the herbal-garrigue notes of the southern Rhone, it's a showy beauty, really impressive now.
May 31, 2013 - drank w Brown's
October 18, 2012 - Excellent wine from Mark Adams. Dark berries, backbone with some meatiness and lots of other flavors i can't quite put my fingers on.
August 31, 2012 - This was pretty much pop and pour. The wine is a deep, dark, ruby to purple color. This has an outstanding and expressive nose full of blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, licorice, cherries, underbrush, dark chocolate, and some nice earthiness. The wine is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and nice acidity. There is nice fruit and spice up front on the palate with layers of additional fruit and savory notes adding tons of depth. There is a very nice, long, lingering finish full of fruit, spice, and earthy notes. This is still very young and will reward additional cellar time.
June 10, 2012 - Agree with most current reviews but think this is way to young now so drinks like 86-87 point wine. In 2 years it will be 91-92 point wine. We tasted over about 6 hours and it was much improved as time went by.
May 31, 2012 - Decanted for an hour. A nice, deep, dark ruby color. Blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, scorched earth, licorice, dried herbs, cherries, and some underbrush on the very inviting nose. Medium to full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and nice acidity. Big, rich, and bold on the palate with big fruit and layers of savory elements. Long finish with just a bit of oak and a slight stemmy note in the background. Very tasty now, but this deserves some cellar time for the oak and stems to better integrate.
March 11, 2012 - Very similar to prior TN's. Show strong with Bar-B-que chicken and Ribs. Mouvedre blend is a great pairing with this food, and the dark purple fruit notes
February 19, 2012 - Deep ruby to purple color. Blackberries, scorched earth, underbrush, cherries, licorice, dried herbs, and flowers. Fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and nice acidity. Nice sweet fruit and solid savory notes coat the palate. Long finish with just a bit of excess oak peeking through. Delicious now, but additional cellar time will be rewarded, if you can keep your hands off. A nice wine at a great price if you like the Villa Creek/Saxum style of big, bold, ripe wines.
February 11, 2012 - Dark purple like midnight. Strong mouvedre nose of purple paint upon first pour. Opened beautifully over about an hour, then the dried dark berry, baking spices and cinnamon came on. Some smoked, gamey meat, and mocha coffee trailing on the back-end. Another brilliant Rhone ranger, and apparently had Justin Smith (from Saxum) as a consulting wine=maker on this bottling. Nice....