May 29, 2017 - Wow! Tuscan blend of colorino and merlot. Perfectly aged.
October 31, 2016 - Stand this bottle up for a least a few hours before decanting. Loaded with sediment. Decanted for 4 hours before drinking with veal with a sage sauce. A bit of bricking around the edge of the glass. Nice earthy leathery taste on the pallete. This is probably as good as it will get so drink now. Fruit is starting to subside. Nice wine.
October 10, 2014 - San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 10/10/2014 (Solare Restaurant, Liberty Station, Point Loma, San Diego CA): 60:40 colorino & merlot. Cloudy dark garnet color with heavy sediment in the glass. I did not observe how the bottle was handled before serving. Lovely bouquet of fresh red cherries, plums, cloves, nutmeg, leather. Excellent balance, medium-full body, pleasantly tannic.
October 4, 2014 - very nice dark berries and sandalwood initially, and ripe blackberries after that. But then it fades very rapidly and becomes sort of hollow.
August 2, 2014 - I opened the wine not knowing what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. This wine showed good character for a blend and for something over 10 years old. This wine was smooth, with plumb tones and a forward taste. I wish I had more of this vintage.
January 2, 2014 - Since this was received as a gift recently I don't know how it may have been stored, but this bottle seemed to be past its peak. An initial taste immediately after opening seemed promising, but without decanting, once poured, it quickly lost structure, tannin, acidity. Mushrooms on the nose, limited finish but a dark, dense color and good texture.
December 12, 2013 - First bottle since 2010 and it is fabulous. Incredible minerals, tar, gravel, sweet black cherry and what perfume! Still tannic but at peak. Popped and poured and opening up each glass. Way exceeded my expectations.
December 26, 2011 - Decanted 2 hrs. A nose full of mushrooms followed by the 'supple tannins' you would expect from the merlot. Excellent with grilled wagyu beef.
February 21, 2011 - Powerful, but with barnyard nose. Lots of good tannins, good attack, but a little short in the middle. Dark fruits with some tar.
July 25, 2010 - Large scaled wine with plums, coffee, green herbs, and graphite. With air, this became more refined and drank like a Bordeaux. Mixed reviews due to the green notes, but I thought it added complexity. Still very young.