April 4, 2019 - Cork broke although wine had been on side for many years. Nice bouquet upon opening. Spicy, oaky, firm,tannic and rich. Nice dark plum. No legs, on decline upon initial tasting. Separation of spiciness, cinnamon, clove. In mouth, slightly bitter.
July 3, 2015 - Opened up nicely! Last bottle big berries on the nose little tobacco on the end cellared at 55 degrees
December 5, 2014 - Awesome. Great fruit and tannins. Wish I had another bottle or two
December 3, 2014 - Big nose showing off oak with coffee-like hints, but, also something “sweet” smelling—maybe, mint. Lots of very ripe currant fruit on the tip of the tongue. The wine, however, also has a smooth texture, though, which is, actually, quite pleasant. Some serious tannin mid- to back-palate does a good job of mitigating the initial fruitiness. Not the longest finish. I am going to enjoy the rest of this bottle of wine. I think, though, that it had the potential to last quite a few more years.
November 27, 2014 - She's a beauty. Drinking perfectly, but still has some time. The color is dark but shows the slightest hint of bricking. The fruit is ripe, primarily dark plums, boysenberry and blueberry. The tannins are very soft, but the wine is well-structured. Despite clocking at 14.3%, this isn't hot at all. A little dust and graphite pencil shavings. Really, truly delicious. Had this with the Thanksgiving turkey and loved the pairing.
October 1, 2014 - Perfect, but probably getting towards end of drinking window.
October 28, 2013 - Medium in color with an inviting fruit filled nose with a touch of earth and slight funk. I'd drink these now as I think it's starting to show it's age and is very light with little to no tannins remaining. A nice effort that went well with a nice steak and roasted veggies.
June 9, 2012 - decanted; med+ garnet (still showing strongly); med developing, olive, mushroom, cassis, chocolate, plum, dill, crushed flowers, earth, some heat; dry, med+ acid, med+ tannin, med+ body/alcohol, med+ intensity, med finish, some blue cheese funk over the fruit, red plum, tannins lively and smooth; very good- alcohol a touch out of balance but overall had nice complexity
January 28, 2012 - We’ve got a vertical of this wine from 2003-2008 and it would seem that the ’03 is at or near the middle of its drinking window so, in the interest of research…
Let stand up for a day then breathed in the bottle for several hours.
Rich ruby red in the glass with lots of long red legs. Nice fruit notes on the nose, with everything in balance. Very smooth and well integrated flavors and a nice long finish with the fruit and tannins rolling out for many seconds. Just the barest touch of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. The last sip really lingers on the palate!
Very nice balance of rich fruits wrapped in soft tannins - the wine is drinking beautifully now!
On the second day, the wine is still drinking well with perhaps a bit more integration so I think the wine has aged well and is ready to consume and should drink well for the next few years.
Drink or hold; 90-91
October 2, 2011 - Lost a bit of its brightness, but smooth and pleasant to drink with soft tannins