May 28, 2008 - Sweet dark fruit on the nose, lots of toasty oak. Medium body, not a complex wine but not too simple either. Solid and approachable. Good balance.
November 3, 2007 - Drank with Dev while watching a movie. Pretty good, but my least favorite offering by Ato Z thus far. Terriffic nose but found it a bit over-oaked and the finish was a bit unbalanced. Other users gave a 15% Syrah percentage; I would have guessed much higher. Not bad and probably would have shown better with food, but probably not really worth trying again when there is so much else out there at this price range.
June 9, 2007 - Battle of the Blends: Reds and Whites (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had black currant and plum, mixed with chocolate, nutmeg, and a touch of oak. The palate had raspberry and spice, along with oak and plum. The finish was good.
May 24, 2007 - Drank with Steve, Amy and grandfolks to accompany a lamb roast. Gentle, oaky, with a full, long lasting flavor that paired well with the meal. Everyone's favorite... wish I had a few more bottles.
January 7, 2007 - Yums! Bought two on a whim at Whole Foods, then drank one at the Kahn family dinner. Lives up to its label as dark and complex. Hard to pin down what went into it, but I'll guess a lot of mourvedre and cab franc. Very thick, long finish, on par with a $20 Bordeaux.
November 6, 2006 - Nice bottle of wine for the money ($12.00)
Nice spicey nose with dark fruit forward taste that transitions into a spicey peppery dark complex fruit finish.
August 10, 2006 - Not bad. Slightly smokey. Had some cherry, but mostly black fruit and tobacco, etc... Actually, mdstenner's notes are right on. Mine was left in the trunk, so it was technically a little cooked, but it didn't show in the wine. Given that, I'd rate it 83 pts.
December 2, 2005 - Light, fruity and balanced, this makes an excellent food wine with fish and chicken.
November 22, 2005 - Three options with this wine. 1 Decant well, for at least two hours. 2. Open, and leave the wine in the fridge with the stelvin turned back tight for 2-3 days and then drink. 3. Cellar for 2-3 years. Why? Read on. 33% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 15% Syrah, 1% Grenache and 1% Malbec. Day 1: Purple, with garnet hints. A satisfying, aromatic nose from the Cab France with cedar, pepper and some black fruits (plum, blackberry). A little thin on the palate but the wine is screw-capped so it can't be taint, just under-ripe fruit? A light to medium-bodied wine that fails to flesh out with time in the glass. Flavors of blackberry, dark cherry and plum and a fleshy finish. Will revisit tomorrow with hopes of a better result. Low 80s range. Day 2: Complex and interesting but still lacking a full palate. The nose is even better - blackberry, cassis, black currant, tobacco, coffee - rich and smoky. Spicy in the mouth with a green pepper streak, red currants and white pepper also in evidence. Good acidity. Shows better with food. Mid 80s points score. Day 3: Fully evolved now. A great nose of tobacco, strawberry, plum and some menthol. Medium-bodied in the mouth (nothing like the thin wine of the last 2 nights) with rich fruits (mostly strawberry). No tartness, just elegant and delicious. All in all, quite a turnaround.