September 21, 2020 - Hearty red. Better after it opened a bit. Cork failed. Had to dig it out. Definitely time to finish this vintage off.
September 20, 2016 - Definitely a poor QPR wine.
Consistent with my prior notes, fruit remained red and astrid...even becoming more red with age. Heat has become more pronounced as the fruit is dropping off. This definitely reminds me of why I quit the Michel Schlumberger wine club years ago.
April 14, 2015 - Drinking well here and showing some graceful maturity since my last tasting. I'm bumping the score a point probabky because of my proclivity for the developed forest floor and wet earth that is coming through especially late palette through finish. I don't think age helps this wine as it is balanced except for the first five seconds in the mouth...there is a heat that come whether acid or alcohol (or both) but it sits down quickly. I think more age brings that heat later in the body as the fruit won't be there to balance the wine.
February 22, 2015 - The nose. Stunning. After a 2 hour decant, it's fabulous. The fruit on the nose is the gateway to the enjoyment of this wine. At this point in this wine's life, you gotta get it in the glass & let it grow. Same fruits on nose intensify on the palate. Lots of blueberry, all the fruit enters the palate & sits there for a while. Tannins show themselves at end, still plenty of time left on this vintage!
August 26, 2014 - This wine is drinking better and better; it's still a little backward as a pop and pour but after decanting for an hour and swirling the nose started to develop nicely with big fruit and pepper amid other spicy notes. The body still seems tight and slightly astringent but the finish rounds out a bit more and lingers with fruit. No real oak coming through, this is a leaner cabernet blend with some malbec for spice and merlot for softness. The dry creek comes through with some earth in the early body.
May 10, 2014 - began slightly leaden but opened significantly after decanting. Great fruit, still plenty of structure.
February 11, 2014 - Day 1: 89; vacuum seal; Day 2: 90
November 6, 2013 - Even now this wine needs an hour or two to open up, although I didn't decant. While it is a Sonoma cab, the wine is inky and dark, but few lees or particulants left behind. The fruit is big and lingering like blackberries when you crush the little seeds in your teeth and suck on them, so is the finish on this wine. Much better than I thought it would be, until I looked at the price. Will drink for another decade but not improve much past the next 3-5 years.
September 3, 2011 - A royal tannin bomb! This was opened way too soon. This probably needs 5-6 years before its approachable but has big time potential.
November 19, 2010 - still a bit young, will wait a while before drinking the next bottle