March 13, 2022 - This has matured noticeably since the last time I had it around 3 1/2 years ago. Color is a near rose with slight browning. There’s a soft sour cherry core to the nose but it’s buffetted by almond skin, herbal tea, and mulling spice. The overall impression is similar to a 20+ year-old Burgundy (to be sure, one that is good condition). Tart on the palate. Lovely. Drink em if you got em.
December 8, 2021 - Pale garnet. Medium nose of strawberries and rhubarb. On the palate dry high acidity low tannin, low alcohol, light body, pronounced intensity notes of strawberries and cranberries but with nice mineralogy to balance it. Long finish. Really interesting and enjoyable wine as long as you know what you’re getting. Very good to outstanding.
October 31, 2020 - Nice, bright red wine. Enjoyed with halibut and gnocchis
July 22, 2020 - Strawberries and plenty of herbal notes. Enjoyable.
July 6, 2020 - Opened and poured and served with a slight cellar chill (55F).
Orange color, closer to a sherry than a red wine.
Nose offers dried orange peel, strawberry and pomegranate.
Pomegranate on the palate with a tartness to the wine that makes it inviting rather than bitter.
Fresh and lively with good bright red berry fruit, that orange peel note for character, and good acidity.
I have to ignore the appearance and color of the wine as I was expecting an oxidized wine. This was not.
Quite enjoyable.
Lost a little freshness as it warned up so I suggest serving with that a slight chill.
June 4, 2020 - Small but delicious pour at a tasting (from magnum) - this showed great complexity on the nose, and shocking depth on the palate, especially since the color is just a dark and slightly orange version of rose! Orange peel, red berry, cinnamon spice, old wood, dried herbs - it's all in there. The palate is lively, fresh and echoes the berries and spice, with a finishing zip of the orange zest. Lovely stuff for a warm summer night.
April 15, 2020 - Great nose of strawberry, cranberry and cherry blossoms with black tea, sage, bay leaf, thyme and a hint of cola. Not so great in the mouth dried strawberry, under-ripe raspberry, pulpy blood orange and hibiscus, with weak Iced tea, sage, balsa and hints of cinnamon and jalapeno but all watery and washed out. Light bodied with OK acid and almost no tannin.
I get that this is a light style grape and A-R make subtle wines but you can be only so subtle. OK wine but bad value, ready to go.
April 11, 2020 - Not as compelling tonight.
December 27, 2019 - Always love this wine. Went splendidly with our Christmas ham.
December 20, 2019 - Savory. Saline. 2015 Hawk's View pinot and this wine could be swapped in a blind tasting with no one the wiser.