November 6, 2012 - Purchased from good stock, and this was incredibly disappointing. Brought to a wine dinner and it mostly went unconsumed, over the hill, dirty, tired. Pass.
April 6, 2007 - Excellent wine! See public tasting note.
April 6, 2007 - I have to say I know nothing about this wine other than I bought it from Hi-Times Cellars in Santa Ana, Ca. They must have recommended it.
At first I thought this wine was gone. It gave off a kind of musty odor upon uncorking, but I was wrong. The wine is a medium red color with just a hint of brick around its edges. Once I got past the musty odor, I could smell briary fruit and leather. The first sip was kind of biting, but then the wine smooths out. This wine has got a backbone for how delicate it feels. Very integrated with red fruit and spice up front with a little tobacco on the long finish. I think this is a wine that pinot, bordeaux and rhone wine lovers would all enjoy.
June 17, 2006 - Excellent as usual. What a beautiful wine!
June 10, 2006 - As usual, very elegant and delightful.
May 16, 2006 - 14% abv. Beautiful wine as usual, but a hint of Grenache-y strawberries & heat on the finish which I did not see in this last summer. I may be serving it a bit too warm. Then with food, it smoothed out. Hint of cream on the nose, then the palate: mixed berries galore in a subtle way - raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and a hint of cassis, plus brambly underbrush and some tannin. This is effortlessly lovely.
August 13, 2002 - Unfiltered. Ruby red, overpowering oak on the nose, with a slight hint of cherry. A little hot in the mouth, but still had a smoothness to it. Lots of oak; tannins aren't quite integrated yet. Gorgeous legs. After a couple hours it really mellowed out, and was more approachable, more fruit on the nose, longer on the finish. Definitely needs a few years in the cellar to improve.