Reminding me of an elevated version of the 2015 Tor Hyde Chardonnay, the Torchiana had a nice pop of minerality and salinity to frame the yellow citrus, lemon, white peach, and some oaky vanillin…
A fat and stylized California Chardonnay, with buttered popcorn, vanilla oak, and lemon curd notes rushing over the palate. A bit of a bruiser with its butter-bomb, cheesy sex kitten personality,…
Yellow citrus, light lemon oil, and some minerality all come together fairly nicely in this Chardonnay. Went down easy and was a good start to the afternoon tasting. Nothing too vivacious or overtly…
As with the majority of Tor's high end Cabernets, the East Meets West was a very well done wine. However, I'm not sure it was ultimately the best use of the vineyards necessarily, as two great…
Though the Black Magic was undeniably an incredible wine (essentially a "Reserve" offering of the BTK Cabernet), I much preferred the BTK over the Black Magic. For certain, the Black Magic was…
Surprisingly, this was served after the 2014 BTK Cabernet. Even though I was still experiencing the finish from the BTK, I was able to hitch a ride right on to the Cimarossa flavor train and…
Hands down the best wine of the fifteen Tor wines sampled during the tasting event. Even more captivating than the Black Magic (the "Reserve" BTK). Unbelievable intensity and depth, kicking out…
The 2014 Tor Melanson ratcheted up the intensity and was the first wine of the afternoon where everyone looked at each other and collectively began nodding their heads with that notion of, "Now we're…
This was a little more wild and brambly when compared to the softer and rounder Herb Lamb tasted just before it. Higher-toned red and black fruit-driven at the moment, the Tierra Roja will likely…
A new offering from Tor using the Herb Lamb Vineyard to source a single vineyard designation Cabernet Sauvignon. A beautifully centered wine, with some nice darker fruits peeking out of it. Showed…
The heavy addition of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (both 43%, with the Cabernet Sauvignon only accounting for the remaining 14%) with this Oakville blend initially came off a bit angular and…
This was smartly the first Cabernet (+Cab blends) of the lineup. Medium bodied, and showing a little like a second-rate Cabernet at this stage, this wine struggled to come out of its shell and…
Like the Grenache, this Syrah came off a bit thin mid-palate. Undeniably young, and a step up from the Grenache for sure, this Syrah was in serious need of sleep time. Not astringent or tannic; just…
I know Tor loves his Rhone varietals, but I always seem to struggle with his versions of these wines, especially the Grenache. I've been trying these wines for the last 6 years or so, and quite…
Unfortunately a very confusing wine for me. Threw off a lot of sediment and was extremely bitter. The prominent bite clamped down on any discernible flavors, making for a totally muted and flavorless…
Unbelievable showing this time around. Similar to my specific tasting notes six months ago in terms of specific flavors, except that the black licorice and asphalt notes circled even more superbly…
PnP and this wine was coiled-up and bit all over the place. Wild red and black berry notes, bramble, ollalaberry, blackberry, chalk, and river rock. At no point was it astringent or tannic, just…
It has been a year since I last had this wine. The punchline here is HOLD for another year or two at least. Upon PnP, this wine felt both restrained and clumsy, with tight red and purple berry,…
A nice and smooth bottle of wine, with notes of lightly whipped lemon curd, pear, and some minerality on the back end. Much less complexity than I had anticipated, and a lot less energy and verve as…
PnP with very tight notes of unripe blackberry, black licorice, and stone. Into the decanter it went for 2-3 hours. Much improvement, but the best didn't come until the final sips in the…
PnP with steely notes of lemon rind, pineapple, pear, and a wet slate-like minerality. With some air, the vanillin oak influence began to pleasantly show itself. This is a little more…
Up front dark red and blue fruit flavor profile. Nuances of licorice and cocoa dust follow. The pure fruit power typical of many 2012 Cabernets dominates. Understandably primary, with some restrained…
