Stephen Redenbaugh

9.5

My, my! I buy this wine every year… this just might be the best I’ve tasted. Dark, midnight inky purple. Whiff of new wood with ripe juicy blackberry… viscous, oily, weighted mouth-feel. Sweet, balanced, mouthwatering with an intensity that brings a huge idiotic grin to my face that has lingered long after the wine was gone. Way, way too young… but one of the huge reasons I adore American Zinfandel is that you can drink it anytime. Marvelous bargain! — 2 years ago

Marc Ouellette

9.4

A velvet rich plum color flanked with various aromas of rose, lavender and cherry. On the palate - intense fruit, black pepper, clove and tart black cherry. Smooth yet slightly bold, medium tannins and a sinful bite at the end! O’Lillo!! — 3 years ago

Jen Thierer

9.3

Luke’s favorite from prairie fire. Sweet red. Reminds me of Grandma’s spaghetti wine. — 5 years ago

Michal Rosenn

9.3

🤤 cherries, earth, funky deliciousness — 2 years ago

Marc Ouellette

9.4

Fit for a King! A majestic bouquet of noir cherries, sweet plum, cinnamon, anise and French lavender. Velvety tannins along with a medium complexity and a smooth texture allures a sinful bite at the end. The Portuguese outdid themselves on this one!!! — 3 years ago

susan Totten

9.3

Really good taste not real sweat. — 3 years ago

Sam Agami

9.0

Dark purple majesty at a bargain price. Leather, licorice, and dark fruit abounds! — 6 years ago

Adriana Fabbro

9.3

There are sinful, delicious things that we rarely make time for (in our health conscious, earth conscious, super productive busy lives) like T-Bone steaks and 15% ABV Priorat. And while restraint and abstinence are good practices 95% of the year, at least 5% indulgence is necessary for good living, and the final days of a birthday week are fine times for gluttony.

The appropriately named “stairway to heaven/the gods” opens with intense, hypnotic aromas of anise/licorice, garrigue, wet slate, camp fire, beef blood, incense, mushroom, cedar, red currant, black currant; black cherry, strawberry jam, spiced red plum, and more slate (who says 15% abv wines don’t express terroir?!?!? )

My only complaint is that the palate isn’t nearly as captivating, deep and varied as the nose. Don’t get me wrong, it’s got a lot going on, it just lacks the mid palate weight and length I was hoping for after such a promising first impression. — 2 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.2

Young, fruit-first, medium weight, friendly zin. Lively, smiley-face wine with raspberry, blackberry, black cherry, boysenberry melange with a touch of smoky oaky savory lusciousness…the rustic grin of good Sonoma zin is hard to ignore…long vivid dinner companion with Sunday Best Braised Harvest Stew on a cool Fall Sunday… — 3 years ago

Martin Bergo

9.2

Produced since 2000, this Tuscan Gaja-initiative promis-es and delivers a tasty return on my investment of 30 bucks. Mostly merlot and syrah and a-tenth of sangiovese - the grapes are fermented and macerated separately and then put in semi-new barrels for a year and then another in bottle. The nose is extremely floral (almost like Gaja’s more northen wines) and it is only after several whifs that the minerals, mintyness, and red and blue berries come through. Nice and round mouthfeel with smooth tannins and great acidity and fruitiness leaves a satisfying grin on my face. Ready now but will likely evolve, so I’ll revisit in a few years. — 6 years ago