September 14, 2019 - Lively and brawny, not showing much age yet. Needs considerable air to bring out the aromas and layered palate. Long decant or hold.
March 4, 2018 - Nose is fairly bold with cherry, dried meat, pencil shavings, and eucalyptus aromas. With a few hours of air, this remains slightly tannic but polished overall with more wild cherry and plummy flavors. Would be a perfect pair for a braised veal shank!
October 18, 2016 - Audozed for about 6 hours with the cork back in. Red cherries and an abundance of earth- more forest floor than tar, with some tomato leaf, plum skin, and anise. Tannins are still very powerful with a woody astringency that will need time to soften before the acidity can recovery. Style & Quality: B (85). $26 from WTSO is a decent value, but the 05 and 09 deliver more IMO. Value: B+ (86). Overall Eval: B (85).
May 21, 2015 - Richly fruited on the nose with prominent eucalyptus, poured through aerating pourer and find this quite tannic with bold sour cherry and balsamic.
March 16, 2013 - Disappointing. Too young, we think. Still tight and tannic, with flavors not very well developed, falling off at end. We are hoping that the WS is correct in its judgement that this wine (which it rated a 92) will be best from 2014-2027. We'll try it again late next year.
December 25, 2012 - A bit disappointed. Too much green / twiggy-ness for my palate. This is a perfect example of why "Newman" should be banned from wine reviews. I think something is wrong with that guy - his description of this wine makes me think he has dementia. It's just not that good. I have 2 more of these and will likely lay them down as a science experiment but I am certainly not running to drink more
December 22, 2012 - more like a zin than a cabernet... jammy fruit, all upfront. A bit hot and no complexity in the finish. Probably good with bbq and that's about it.
December 19, 2012 - Finally a non corked bottle of this wine. Spice, rose petals, raspberries and dust. Medium to long finish and quite approachable now.
December 1, 2012 - Corked
December 1, 2012 - slightly corked