Reviews

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard

Brought by a friend. Luckily this was not as "hot" as some of the Rosella's and SLH Pinots I've had in the past. This KB came off very young and in need of about 12-18 months in bottle to hopefully…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

No pop sound or apparent release of pressure on PnP. Crystallized cork bottom. Some sediment. Immediate funk smell. Taste was overly Port-like and reduced. Stewed prune and fertilizer.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

PnP with a tight and youthful display of red and purple fruits, black cherry liqueur, wet granite, and alcohol. A total of three hours in the decanter opened it up...ever so slightly. But still, it…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Winter's Demise

A finessed and elegant style with signature notes that are seemingly driven from the 2011 vintage. Not surprisingly, this wine is less fruit driven than Wren Hops of other vintages. However, as a…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Le Nouveau Western Star Vineyard

Similar to my notes almost a year ago. PnP was fairly tight, taking almost 3 hours before it opened up. A very interesting wine with all sorts of red and purple berry fruit notes. The dust component…

Denner The Ditch Digger

Extremely accessible given its youth, especislly for a GSM. No hard edges or astringency to distract from the core fruit. This was much more purple fruit driven than the L'Aventure Cote a Cote I had…

L'Aventure Estate Cuvée

About what I expected from the Estate Cuvée, with more broad shoulders than the Cote a Cote, but with a little less focus at this point in its infancy. The young Syrah components are most evident,…

L'Aventure Côte-à-Côte Estate

This and the Estate Cuvée were the top wines in the lineup, with the Cote a Cote probably inching ahead with the best concentration and mid-palate overall. The sweet tannins were in perfect balance…

L'Aventure Cuvée "Les Demoiselles"

Not surprisingly, the youthful Mourvèdre component dominated over everything else. The mid and back end were especially bitter and immediately clamped down on any other identifiable flavors. It was…

L'Aventure Optimus

Super young and wrapped up, with primary notes of black raspberry, tart blackberry, brush, herbs, and some pumice. Mid-palate was thin and linear, but likely has the potential to broaden its profile…

Booker Vineyard Fulldraw

Purple Syrah-based fruit with a clipped and simple finish. As a GSM (or actually a SGM), the depth is almost completely absent. Not a lot of energy. Round and bitter at the same time, which was odd.…

Booker Vineyard Oublie

Weak, thin, and linear. Some pepper and herb notes surrounding would-be fruit flavors of bitter cherry and dried plum (to the point of saddle leather). An odd wine. Almost no depth or concentration.…

Booker Vineyard Pinot Noir RLF

A lot of black cherry fruit and some earth initially pumping out of this wine. The attack seemed as though it would easily sail on through the finish...but it didn't. Fell flat and quickly faded as…

Linne Calodo Sticks and Stones

Some plum, black cherry, and faint kirsch. A little bitter and sour on the back end. This came off as pretty young and a little tight (not surprisingly), but also seemed to lack depth and complexity.…

Linne Calodo Problem Child

Fruity, jammy, and a bit disjointed. Unfortunately this seemed to encompass all the things that I find troublesome about Zinfandel. This had a muddled grapey profile about it coupled with a bitter…

Linne Calodo Perfectionist

Like the Contrarian, this was served too warm. Nose was instant barnyard and fertilizer. Everyone in our party caught a whiff of some version of manure and/or funk. Our hostess explained it away as…

Denner Mother of Exiles

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. As a BDX blend, this was completely too round and soft to classify as a Cabernet driven blend. Plum, black cherry, and some funky chocolate notes. When…

Denner The Dirt Worshipper

Pepper and flowers sum up this wine. Also a little stemmy (100% whole cluster), but not nearly as abrasive and woody as the 2014 Denner Syrah. It, along with the fruit, was masked by the seemingly…

Denner Syrah

Stems, stems, and more stems. The 60% whole cluster on this wine was currently displaying in a way that was so distracting, I could barely get a sense of the purple berry fruit hiding in the…

Saunter Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Eagle Summit Vineyard

Similar to my notes from a year+ ago. This took about 30 minutes in the decanter at 54 degrees before it opened up nicely. A good wine with some nice concentration and depth. Pretty round and soft in…

L'Aventure Estate Cuvée

I always have to ask myself if I should assess this as a Syrah or a Cabernet/BDX. The Syrah component definitely stood out over any other flavor profile. Round and rich blackberry and vanilla…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Really drinking nicely after a couple of hours in the decanter. This could use another year or two in bottle to start reaching its full potential. After a couple of hours, the…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Architects & Saboteurs

Same as all of my other previous notes on this wine. I'm certainly a fan. Up there with the best Wren Hops I've had. Up there with one of the best Pinots I've ever had. Big and giving, with an…

Turley Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard

Same as last year. Surprisingly resolved with smooth and approachable tannins, seemingly low acid and alcohol, and a notable concentration of flavors that holds interest throughout consumption.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Grand Daddy Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A year and a half since I last had this wine. Still a youngster, with some powerful alcohol circling around the purple and red berry fruit on initial PnP. Two hours in the decanter did it well. Some…