January 6, 2024 - Impressions are very much the same as last time ie brambles, bitter fruit, a bit of white pepper still. The dried herbs is now bordering on vegetal - don't leave this open for hours and hours or that reductive taste gets more pronounced. Up front; not long.
March 25, 2023 - Deep red colour. Raspberry, cranberry and black pepper on nose. Similar flavours along with a bit of sweet musk. Nice acid bite with a great balance and a rounded mouthfeel. Drinking very well with plenty of life left.
March 21, 2023 - Delicacy and concentration all at once. No heat. Nose of herbs, raspberries and orange peel. Just so much going on. Finishes with fine tannins. No rush here.
November 9, 2022 - Solid Zin, big yet elegant. Nothing out of place but nothing particularly interesting or compelling, at least compared to other O+F wines.
August 15, 2022 - Deep and dark - what you'd expect for a 7 year old Zinfandel. There is a lot going on immediately on the nose - primary notes of brambles and very dark fruit (think bitter rather than sweet), then on the palate, white pepper, that cinnamon that is signature zinfandel, secondary notes of gravel and dried herbs. Low on sweetness and acidity. It's bold but rustic. You need to walk into this one knowing what to expect to enjoy it.
January 7, 2022 - Decanted and breathed for 15 minutes. Medium clear red colour. Fresh on the nose with hints of strawberry - quite tight nose. Flavours of strawberry, cranberry and a touch of vanilla. Rounded out after 30 minutes. Soft and smooth - very enjoyable.
December 24, 2021 - Red cherry and hint of vanilla. Quite restrained though.
December 20, 2021 - I PnPed right out of the wine vault. So, it was a tad chill for the first few sips. The initial tip of the tongue taste was salinity. That seemed a bit unusual. The wine had to pass back, a bit, before I detected some red fruit. Then there was some earth or clay. I was really surprised and these different sensations and quite surprised that a Californi Zin did not have a strong fruity opening. As the wine warmed after a few minutes, the salinity diminished and the fruit emerged a bit more. Howeve, again the fruit was still quite subtle. Then, under the rear palate i found some spiciness suggesting clove. A very complex wine.
November 17, 2021 - The remainder of a corovin'd bottle from April 2020. Similar impression. For old vines this is remarkably delicate and does not show the power or concentration that I expected, but it may be that expectations have got in the way of enjoying a wine made in an extremely refined style that may well prove to be very special in time.
June 25, 2021 - Really enjoyed