Mark Flesher

9.4

Floral bouquet and very young raspberry and black cherry immediately hit you after pouring this one into the glass. Immediately you know that you have committed infanticide. As you are contemplating what to do, you are Sinister hand pours a glass of this for you to get a nice with this one on a more personal level. Boysenberry, black fruit, a little bit gamey. Yet, a little bit youthful and floral. What the hell is going on here!? The Sinister hand forces this one to your mouth, to enjoy an immense pallet of black cherry, wild berry pie. The middle of this one dries to a dehydrated red fruit character. Finishes long, with the perfect pairing being leftover Halloween candy from your 4 year old who already forgot she went trick-or-treating this year. So good on so many levels, and this one is still insanely tannic. I give it another 10 or 15 years easily. I would say this is the most immense wine in the Calais lineup other than the Gravitas. Still drank insanely well. — 4 days ago

Liam James

9.2

Wow! Fab for the money. £12 tastes like £30. Almost like a classy reserve Rioja; Smooth, very well balanced, juicy & fruity with great acidity and structure. Mouth watering with cherry, leather and tobacco on the nose. Best PV I’ve had in a fair while... — 7 days ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

While this producer has nice fruit, a refined craft, they have an issue with alcohol burn in this bottling. While it’s 14.5% ABV, it’s showing hotter. You get an alcohol burn across your palate and in the back of the throat. They don’t mask or process their alcohol as well as a number of other even less revered producers. For the trained palate, alcohol burn will always be a critical flaw in wine.

It’s also still just approaching teenage years, even after roughly 13 years in bottle.

The nose reveals, alcohol vapors, ripe; dark currants, blackberries, baked black plum, dark cherries, black raspberries & boysenberries. Dark chocolate, loads of big baking spices; vanilla, clove, nutmeg. Anise, some dry herbaceous, saline, dry crushed rocks, underbrush, plenty of new oak, black tea, hints of black olive, band aid with old lavender and dark withering flowers.

The body is full with big, round, tarry, sticky tannins. The structure, tension, length and balance are still developing but, good. This wine still needs another 6-8 years and perhaps plus in bottle. Ripe; dark currants, blackberries, baked black plum, dark cherries, black raspberries, boysenberries & creamy raspberries. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, mocha powder, loads of big baking spices; vanilla, clove, nutmeg. Anise, dark medium spice, malt, some dry herbaceous, saline, dry crushed rocks, underbrush, plenty of new oak, leathery, underbrush, black tea, hints of black olive, band aid (brett) with old lavender and dark withering flowers. The acidity is ok but certainly needed to be better. Part of the reason the alcohol shows as hot as it does. The finish is still big, rich, a touch astringent, powdery/dusty, balanced and last minutes. However, leaves my palate feeling incomplete.

Time will improve this wine but, believe the alcohol burn remains. I’ve had many less revered producers, for less money that delivered more pleasure.

Photos of, hilltop view of their vineyards, cellar with wood & stainless vats, dining/tasting room and the winery building. — 6 days ago

Michael Herzog

9.0

Great when you pour it in your glass for the first few minutes and then it just falls apart. Was really nice at one point in the past I am sure. The beginning was great. — 13 days ago

with Philip and Tim

Jason Oliver

9.3

Very enjoyable. Mike killed it across the board for 2016. What a great vintage. — 5 days ago

Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher Bum

9.3

Initial score was 98-100 so I was holding out waiting for the final from Wine Advocate which ended up 96+,
Not ready for prime time yet,
Quite a bit of heat & very tight.
Try again tomorrow, back to the cooler for the night.
One those ones you open & from the fist sip you know you should of waited 10 years. — 14 days ago

Lisa Coney

9.0

Drank with salmon one night and mushroom, pepperoni, and olive pizza the next. Went well with both. — 7 days ago

Mark Flesher

9.7

Somehow I cannot imagine this is at all correct.... that I have only 3 left of 9 bottles. But yes 96-97 is the rating here NOW. The most full throttle, darkest and robust expression of Cab Franc that I have ever had. Nose of plum, black licorice, lavender. Enters with purple and black fruit. Sweeter youthful side. Rich. Inky and mouth coating. Middle gains an herbal character. Finish is a combo of purple fruit, black pepper, but still has a significant roasty tannin to it which will take a decade to integrate completely. I bought 9 bottles so that I would actually have a few past 2020. I guess that's likely c'est la vie! Continues to change, if ever so slightly, each time. — 19 days ago

todd herron DPM

9.8

OPAQUE 2014 petit verdot Colina D’Oro Vineyard, San Antonio Winery. The color of coarse is midnight black with a purple reflection on the walls of the glass. The bouquet is CHOCOLATE!!!!!!! OMG... The initial palate has loads of dark fruit and berries, raspberries, and fig. The mid-palate brings on the chocolate and vanilla and graphite. Then comes the long finish with smoke and oak to a dry dry finish!!!!! Still one of my all time favorites from California!!! — 24 days ago

Jeff Orlowski

9.1

Oak and cedar on nose. Full bodied, dry, some tannins. Loaded with dark skinned fruits. — 7 days ago

with Michael and Joe