November 29, 2022 - Further to my Note of Sept 9, '22: this is #9. Decanted with normal sediment for its age. Medium ruby with amber edge; mature red berry fruit, hint of caramel after an hour; mature red fruits, dried fruit notes, good mouthfeel; good persistence. Overall consistent notes and delicious.
September 9, 2022 - Further to my Note of July 17, '14: this is #6-7 from the case. I missed this wine's quality eight years ago when I had tasted very little Burgundy; I've had 3-4 bottles since then, esp recently. Solid cork. Decanted with normal sediment for its age. Medium ruby; fragrant red fruit nose, some red cherry, hint of oak that follow on the palate, good mouthfeel; some persistence. Burgundian and delicious. Glad to have a few more. Stored horizontally in a cool, dark basement since purchase. Quality, price, age: Notable+. (In '14, I pretended that I could rate wines on the popular 100-pt scale that would others would understand, but I've since realized the folly of that. Since then, I've adopted a four-category scale (with +/-)--poor to outstanding--with descriptors reflecting my opinion of the wine as I've experienced it.)
July 15, 2022 - Savory sweet meat smell of aged Pinot to it. And sweet fruit character to the mid. Long finish.
July 17, 2014 - Purchased a case on deep discount from a central IL retailer 3.5 years ago for 17/b (apparently WSearcher displayed range 40-52/b). Medium ruby with bit of amber edge, remnants of fruit on the nose, pleasant body but fruit fading, good mouthfeel, modest finish. Bit of sediment, decanting not required. This is the fifth bottle from the case: it's never been better than tasty, nothing special, and now fading a bit. Etched bottle belies modest contents.
October 16, 2013 - Light and fruity. Good with pork steak. Cherries and cinnamon. Slight after taste
August 10, 2012 - Very pale, red color. The nose is straightforward and pure with cherries and spice. In the mouth, this has understated but pure red fruits and vibrant acidity. The light-bodied mouthfeel gives this a delicate personna with plenty of fruit. The finish is average in length but is packed with red fruits. Overall, this was enjoyable for being pure and expressive without feeling manipulated.
July 10, 2012 - We are learning our lesson about holding our wine too long. When we purchased this wine in May 2009 at the winery,we were anticipating a great Russian River Pinot, only improving with age. Once opened, the color had disapated to a that pale brown/red color that you do not want to see. Too be fair, the taste still showed those cherry/leather notes that impressed us when first purchased. Good wine, but could have been great 18 mos ago.
April 5, 2012 - drank with calvin
September 12, 2011 - nose of strawerry and cherry. good concentration. nice wine
May 3, 2011 - Decanted for an hour, then had with pork roast dinner. Had a bit of a funk to it, maybe Forrest floor. Cherry, cola, and maybe leather. + Acidity, to the point where it might be too much to enjoy without food. Finish was a bit on the sour/bitter side. Definitely more Burgundian in style than RRV. Was not bad, but definitely not something that fits my flavor profile. I would not buy this again.