Ron from VA

9.3

Opened at 17yrs from Harvest….very IMPRESSIVE… wonderful concentration of flavors from this five varietal blend. solid structure remained and actually held up against sturdy protein. (Bison ribeye)… the concentration was so dense that it was chewy!! — a month ago

Ron from VA

9.0

Breaux for the win! Sourced from Hillsboro each year, this has that classic “West side of the ShortHills” Merlot character. While being a bit linear and simple, this basement-made hobby wine is well done by Mr. Hanna :) — 4 years ago

Ron from VA

9.2

Dave Collins just plain owns S/B...from his days at Breaux, he crafts a powerful, world class single varietal that says NZ move over. Not to miss in sunny, stable vintages, this is a solid 92pt white Bordeaux! Body ✔️ Acid✔️✔️ Profile ☑️.....indeed, impressive! — 4 years ago

Ron from VA

9.0

Maybe a smidge past far in the cellar, yet the fruit and structure was uniquely Hillsboro/Virginia and functional for the varietal. Held up fine to our proteins of that meal. Solid effort for a 14 yr build :) — 3 months ago

Ron from VA

9.2

Beyond expectations! Varietal correctness, full & expressive mouthfeel, and a long finish, ripe tannin finish…easily go 5-8 more years! Well done. At 10.5yrs old, Dave Collins crushed this extraction :) — 4 years ago

Patrick Fishman

10

Sooooo bold & yummy — 4 years ago

with Dana

Ron from VA

9.1

This is classic Breaux style/substance! It is largely the terroir and a good bit Dave Collins touch. This heavily extracted, ripe & rich offer is a dark choco-cherry lovers delight. Generous acidity remains after 10yrs of rest. Tannins are smoothing yet they have the grit to clean up most proteins at this point. This merlot could go another 5-7 years within its glory-window. The profile is a bit top heavy so it needs a power plate to really find balance. It is not a stretch to say this would be a close cousin to a California-rich Zinfandel… Perhaps a big plate of brisket and beans would be a good match! — 5 years ago

Ron from VA

9.0

My first Burntshirt bottle! I opted to open the Meritage first to see what their overall fruit profile could produce when blended for optimal experience… Quite impressed and can honestly say that it would be amongst the top 3–5 producers in the state… The soil insight are capable of ripening especially in this optimal vintage. All five Bordeaux varietals used and leads to a Monticello or Breaux-style blend. Rich, with plenty of heft, this build is enough but it’s in no way special or distinct. It reflects competency in farming and in winemaking, but lacks a real pizazz or layers of nuance. It’s just nice ;) the 90 score reflects overcoming the obstacles of latitude and possible excess rains. It’s really good by NC standards, which is a victory that they should be proud of. We put this against burgers and baked beans and we were satisfied, that’s a lot to ask of a cab sauv driven blend ;) — 2 years ago

Jill Barclay

8.9

A very earthy red! Deep red, lots of tobacco, dried herbs, wet moss. A good recommendation that I would revisit. — 4 years ago

Dennis Kellison

9.0

Just drank it in 2020...cedar on the nose, nice tannins, heavy berry — 5 years ago

with Karen