Pnp with a nose of ripe berry fruit, vanilla, and alcohol. On the palate, a chalky grip (not unpleasant) initially surrounded flavors of sweet blackberry, thick, reduced blueberry sauce (like the…
A fun wine, pairing nicely with some rich, cheesy appetizers. Notes of blood orange, cranberry-apple crisp, dried apricot, flint, and talc. The finish was exceptionally dry and a little distracting,…
Similar to my previous CT notes on this wine, except that it really took quite a while before it opened up into anything worth gaining any interest. On initial PnP, it came across flat and muted,…
Brought over by a friend and decanted over the course of two hours. One of the best domestic Merlots I've ever had (and I typically do not care for most stand-alone Merlots). Beautiful, deep texture…
Specific tasting notes were the same as my previous CT notes on this wine last week. Filled out even more magnificantly with some time in the decanter. After about two hours, it was singing with…
PnP was initially similar to my notes last week on this wine. I then allowed it to breathe at cellar temperature for an hour in a wide-bottomed decanter. This certainly brought out more of a deeper…
PnP with notes of lemon curd, honey, vanilla, brioche, toasted marshmallow, yellow pear, and a hint of wet rock. There was an initial faint metallic tinge on the finish, but that quickly dissipated…
Consumed with friends (otherwise I had planned on waiting until later in 2016 before reassessing this wine). Definitely glad I opened this bottle, as it has improved quite a bit. Similar to my prior…
With all due respect to Venge's homage to his dog "Scout," this wine was unfortunately disjointed and confusing. Flabby plum flavors dominate, with additional notes of muddled raspberry and…
Similar to my prior CT note (but obviously I couldn't wait until 2017 as I had previously recommended). This time around, I gave the 2008 Rudd an extra point (from 95 to 96), as it certainly…
As noted by the Millennials, this Syrah starts off with a push that coaxes you into thinking it is going to go the distance, but then falls off almost immediately mid-palate. Initial notes of purple…
A lot going on here, with in-your-face flavors of black and blue berries, black raspberry, blackberry, black licorice, dark cacao, white chocolate, chocolate covered blueberry, cassis, asphalt/tar,…
A pleasantly surprising example of a Napa Merlot. Notes of plump blackberry, raspberry, plum, chocolate, and baking spices. Beautifully crafted with more complexity than I often find in this varietal.
An absolutely phenomenal example of Mike Officer's ability to extract the very best PS juice from the coveted Palisades site. Deep, inky black and purple fruits, with specific notes of ripe…
