March 16, 2023 - With Claire, Ian, Heather, Nate and Kim.
May 8, 2021 - Nothing special about this wine or memorable. Decent Dessert wine.
April 15, 2021 - Clear bright amber. Great nose, caramel, cooked apple, lemon curd, and baked pineapple. Nice rich flavours, spice, caramel dried apricot and lemon. Long rich balanced finish.
December 5, 2019 - First taste was incredibly heavy on a butterscotch flavor, but paired with blue cheese this took on a much more nuanced and enjoyable flavor profile with candied orange peel and honey flavors peeking through.
April 4, 2018 - Notes of bergamot orange, nuts and brandy. Has a relatively full mouthfeel tarnished a by a bit too much alcohol heat. Not overly sweet. A wee drip of water eases the heat and brings focus to the orange on the palate. A pleasant and rather interesting wine.
December 28, 2016 - I dont typically enjoy dessert wine, however this is an exception! I first tasted this at the tasting room in napa and wanted to bring home a case. The husband thought maybe 2 would be good. We opened it after a meal the other day and it did not disappoint! taste of brandy or a nice smooth aged spirit with some sweetness.
July 4, 2016 - So, so---could possibly be past-peak.
March 20, 2015 - I'm a fan of dessert wines - and this is no exception, definitely heavy on the brandy notes, but there is also a surplus of orange/bergamot in this, agree with traces raisin as well. What keeps this from making top marks is the bevy of alcohol which seems to overwhelm any nuance this wine could have, and unfortunately even after some time in the glass, its still predominate. I have thought about tinkering with adding a few drops of water to this (a la scotch) to see if that evens it out, but I can't bring myself to do it.
Overall, based on the cost, this is still a great value, and definitely a good drink. I doubt it will enhance much with age - I save it for my non-snobby friends who like sweetness dripping off their palates.
February 20, 2015 - Still super tasty.
September 13, 2014 - Tasted at Merryvale vinyards in Napa. Cool winery, large barrel room!
Brandy fortified dessert wine. Very good.