April 18, 2014 - A very good wine, where the bouquet is strong and the taste is deep. Not over the top yet, but must drink now.
Easy drinkable, and interesting to try a pure Mourvedre wine. Definetely try again!
March 4, 2014 - This is quite a good value; there aren't many sub-$20 cali wines that will remain drinkable at 7 years on, but this is at its peak IMHO. Still viscous on the first day, it has a sweet bouquet of cherry, leather and jonquil. The palate and finish have plenty of black fruit with lots of savoriness coming thru. By day 2 it was a bit thin and hot as it lost some structure, but still nice.
January 28, 2013 - Wine Education Service - California (LSE): Opaque.
Slightly sweet nose, subtle.
Fruity sweetness, soft and velvety, chocolate, complex, good length.
November 10, 2012 - Decanted for 1 hour. Did not feel it over-aged at all but ready to drink now. Oak has disapeared. Dark fruit with herbal and pepper touch. A bit of sweetness at the end. Very smooth, pleasant to drink. Good QPR !
April 16, 2012 - PnP. Clear, deep dark purple. Pleasand nose and taste. Med body, good fruit and balance. Very nice. Nothing off.
August 24, 2011 - Showing a lot of ripe dark fruit right now. Oak is pretty big too. Oh so easy to drink!
August 14, 2011 - Day 2 note: this wine opened up beautifully and impressed dinner guests with its intense fruit (mostly cherry, some plum) and herbal profile. Paired pretty well with a bright light tomato sauce on rich pasta and a complex herb-spice-avocado-tomato salad. As seems with mourvedre (mostly, always?), a day vacu-vin'd in the fridge really opens the wine up which then presents a balanced, complex, and deep fruit and herb delight. I would buy again except this vintage might be done at this point. Excellent QPR at USD 13.
August 11, 2011 - Test at 68 deg F. Pop and pour. Rich thick almost chewy heavy mourvedre with nice aromas. Maybe overoaked. Not sure if it has the tannin and acid to evolve next few years, I would say drink now. Aroma of persistent gentle and dusty cooling sweet spice, mocha-chocolate, some herb (bay leaf?) and forest floor/mint, a nice mix. In the mouth attacks super-rich, almost syrupy and off-dry, with neither sweet nor sour dark fruit (cherry comes to mind) and a pulse of chocolate, oak, and notable heat. Finish falls off quickly then lingers with a bittersweet nutty lingering taste. 15% abv. California Mourvedre. Dryish to off-dry. Body medium-heavy, Acid medium, Tannin medium or lower. Good QPR at USD 13.
July 22, 2011 - Very good. Smooth, nice long aftertaste
July 5, 2011 - Very interesting and good bottle of wine. Dark, earthy, dusty, spicy, but fruity and quite acidic as well. Some oak, but very well integrated. Slightly bitter, but medium nice finish with some tannins. At this price, very much recommended!