Mark Farrell

9.9

Second time having this wine. Dark ruby with a nose of blackberries, cassis, violets, and lavender. Also picking up notes of anise and vanilla this time. Perfectly balanced, everyone is playing well together on this wine. The acidity, tannin, and fruit are in perfect harmony across the long, powerful finish. Had to pair this with a nice steak. Did a steak tasting along with this wine. Cast iron seared Snake River Farms(SRF) ribeye medallion, SRF sirloin, and a local grocery store NY strip. I would have expected the ribeye to be the winner, but the sirloin was the favorite for all of us. All that being said the wine paired perfectly. Also had a glass of this wine with my wife’s pot roast the day before and it was divine. Hearty beef is a perfect pairing for this powerful wine. — a year ago

Aimalohi Gray

9.4

Aged in cast iron, aged in French oak.
At via locusta in Philly — 3 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.1

Nose has carmel dipped strawberry, dried lemon zest, under-ripe lychee, grilled pear slice, slightly oxidized yellow apple slice and dry crushed rock.

Palate has honey drizzle over lemon slice, neutral oak, dried pineapple, pineapple core with light acidity and medium finish. A very nice wine for 2018, hitting this much too young. At $48 this is good, if you can land for under $40 it would be a way better value.

Cork pulled for a 5H slow oxidation.

Great pairing tonight with 'Georgian Chicken'; (local) chicken thighs with dry rub, seared in cast iron, then simmered/baked in a walnut/cilantro/jalapeno/tomato paste sauce, finished with pomegranate seeds & pomegranate vinegar drizzle. — 3 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.2

This was a real surprise. Pale gold in the glass, quince paste, tangerine, floral, a touch nutty, but with real acidic verve—not even remotely tired or flabby. Not quite on the level of Gonon Oliviers but really fantastic. Maybe I should rethink my biases re: rhone whites. Excellent with cast iron chicken with olives and artichokes — 3 years ago

Wine-O-Mite!!

9.7

F-ing killer wine. This will improve, but it is already just awesome by me. Everything I love about Cali zin (chili peppers song? No?), with a supporting cast of petit verdot and friends lending a supple, lovely balance that just sings for me. Not to be dramatic, but I am not sure I have had a better wine at this price point in my life. — 3 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.5

Nose has ripe plum, mashed blackberries, dark chocolate powder, strawberry jam on leather, molasses, molasses cookies, wet soil, nutmeg and vanilla bean.

Palate has blackberry compote, black cherry reduction, partially dried plum, wet baking spice, wet+dry leather, dark chocolate shavings, (light) oak/vanilla influence remains. Extended finish, really starting to pick up incredibly at 3-4H in the decanter.

Paired with Allen Bros. ribcap (USDA Prime version) tonight, unfortunately our grill has a 4ft. snow drift in front presently so the best I can muster was a super hot cast iron pan from the oven, then onto stove with lots of butter and in 7m total we had beef to die for...Which I had some competition for dining this evening.

This bottle was a very generous gift from my West Coast brother @David T from earlier in the year. My work travel schedule was hectic and never found a good time to settle in on a weekend with the wine or pairing, until now. (I've lost track of the amount of COVID tests I've done in the past 5M, but all have been negative 🙏 to date.) A fabulous gift to enjoy now that I'm hopefully relaxing for the next 2w...
Happy Holidays to everyone.🎄 — 3 years ago

Andrew Holod

National Sales Grapes of Spain

9.0

The blood of the land. Or rose made by bleeding tanks destined for red wine production?
Intense pink w a distinct blueish cast. All cucurbit w melon and cucumber, rose hips and plenty of red fruit aromas. The texture here is the outstanding partner it is penetrating, cutting rich foods, but also has a generous, viscous, silky feeling. — 3 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.1

N: Black currants, plums, a bit shy.
We slo-oxed for 90 min.After 11/2 hours , much more generous. Black/Red fruits. Sappy.
P: lots of tar, nicotine, black cherry.
Really well integrated tannins w ample acidity. Perfect w a cast iron Ribeye.
Thanks @ Fassselections.com — 3 years ago

AJ Trommello

9.1

The fruit is very much the supporting cast on both the nose and palate. Beautifully nutty, savory, mineral-driven. Some lees and a little oak character adds further to the complexity. The fruit tends towards citrus and apple. Beautiful medium weight mouthfeel. Really fresh still for a 2016. — 3 years ago

Matt

9.4

Came out reduced and required ample aeration to open up. Ripe brambly berries, baked plums, hot stones, crushed rock, singed cast iron, fresh tar, cured meat, dried flowers, cinnamon, star anise, sweet brett. Classy and suave, there’s considerable energy and elegance in its texture. Burgundian if you will. Just the right amount of “dirty” adding layers and depth to a beautiful wine. — 4 years ago