11/28/2013 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Thin bitter nose weak body, some tart cherries and acrid tannins. Everybody else liked it so maybe its just me. Disappointing but I'd be willing to try it one more time.

11/8/2013 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Tanzer got this one right on the head. Big juicy wine, long legs with dark druits and a hint of spice on the nose. Chewy tannins with bold dark cherries and blackberries on the palate with a medium finish. Plenty of depth, not much complexity, rather young, but for the price who cares. Pop and pour or keep for later. Amazing QPR for $12.

10/26/2013 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Pale, golden color. Crisp apple and melon and star fruit on the nose. Vibrant, fresh melon and kiwi and grapefruit with a slightly tart finish. At $10 unbelievable value. Will be buying this wine again and again.

10/21/2013 - Rednorthstar Does not like this wine:

This was my second, and last bottle. Not much of a nose - mostly a thin wave of alcohol heat coming through. Some elegant, old world bitter cherries on the palate. Not much tannic structure, with a thin mouthfeel. Tasted the way I remembered my last bottle, despite an additional several years of age. I can see some people like this wine, but not for me.

9/3/2013 - Rednorthstar wrote:

A pleasant wine, but very one-dimensional. Dark fruit on the nose, dark fruit on the palate. No tannic structure to speak of, but a nice soft mouthfeel. Probably past its prime, drink now.

7/7/2013 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Crisp nose, with tangerine and a kiss of melon. The wine in the palate is somewhat more muted, with tasty but one dimensional flavors of citrus and pear. Good summer bbq white wine for the price, but not great.

6/28/2013 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Very light, almost transparent color. Very light, almost non-existent legs. Blackberries, black currant, and chalk on a somewhat blunt nose. Stewed fruit dominant on the palate with a short raspberry finish. An adequate table wine at $10.

6/7/2013 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Deep, inky purple, lovely looking wine. The bouquet on the nose is somewhat lacking with only some straw and grass and a distant hint of dark fruit. Fortunately what it lacks in smell it makes up in taste. Not much nuance but plenty of fruit-forward personality with well balanced tannins. Dark cherry with hints of plum and cola with a lush berry-pie-filling finish that lasts a good 30 seconds on the back palate. Terrific QPR. Drink now or hold.

2/28/2011 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Stunning, velverty, complex. tart apple on the nose, light citrus on the palate.

1/29/2011 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Hot on the nose, with some faint licorice and eucalyptus notes, light legs, and watery viscosity were not promising. But alas, they belied the gem underneath. A very palatable pinot with an elegant mouthfeel. Light red fruit all around, with bright bing cherries in the back palate, plum notes in the front, and a long, supple finish. Perfect with pasta or chicken. This one's ready to drink.

1/10/2011 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Drinkable, but I wouldn't buy again. Way too tight initially, though the bouquet of dark fruit, anise, and eucalyptus promised more. I let it decant for several days and now it is too sweet on the nose and the palate, though it is still drinkable with some nice, bold, round fruit flavors. Nothing special, but good enough for pizza or burgers.

1/2/2011 - Rednorthstar wrote:

I wish I had more of this fantastic wine. Intense fruit, round mouthfeel, slightly spicy, drinking perfectly right now. Best Zin I think I've ever had.

1/2/2011 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Heady bouquet for a Pinot, but well matched by the vibrant dark fruit on the palate. I would be happy to buy this again.

11/29/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

I suspect this wine was too young when I drank it. Very good, but not quite as good or complex as the 2006. Bright red fruit flavors dominated the palate, and it was a bit too sugary for my taste. Some cellar time will do wonders for this port.

11/18/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Dark inky purple, lots of dark bruit and brambly notes on the nose. The soft dark fruit and bramble notes continue onto the palate. Too hot and one-dimensional for my taste. For the price it's an acceptable table wine, but there are better choices out there for less money.

11/8/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Very nice. Aerator recommended. Fruit forward and spicy, lots of dark fruit flavors coming through with chewy tannins on the finish. A little too much heat, it probably needs some more time in the cellar.

11/6/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

There seem to be lot of inconsistencies with this wine. I've heard of lot of wonderful things about it, especially for the price, but both bottles I've had have been poor. This wine looks the part, a delicious inky purple. But I really didn't get much flavor aside from a basic red fruit on the palate and the tannins weren't chewy, just a generic bitter flavor. I won't buy this wine again.

10/27/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Incredible. Slightly sweet, bright red fruit. Very light for a port, but very smooth, round mouthfeel. A little bit of spice on the a lingering, complex finish. I hope to enjoy this again. The best port I've ever had, and one of the best wines period. One of those wines you can't even pick apart the flavor, everything just melds together in perfection.

10/2/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Excellent. The only wine I recommend from Imagery vineyard is their port, but oh how I do recommend it. Even at infancy, it has lots of complex flavors and a round, satisfying mouthfeel.

7/14/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

This wine is/was available exlusively through the PALCB. Thanks for making a bottle of crappy wine exclusively for us Steven Kent!

7/11/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Day 1: Medium to full bodied wine. Bright red on the look, bright red fruit on the nose, bright red fruit on the palate. Very much what you see is what you get with this one. Big alcohol content too, and there is enough heat to let you know it is there, but not enough to be cloying. Round mouthfeel, lingering spicy finish, typical of this region's shiraz. One-dimensional? Yes, but still very enjoyable.

Day 2: The nose suggested the wine had turned bad, but the palate said it was okay. Substantially sweeter than day one, and I would not let this go to a day 3. Certainly not as good as the first day though, and I'd recommend drinking as soon as it is opened. No decanting needed for this wine.

Overall it is far from perfect, but it is a fun, simple, tasty wine, and the QPR is off the charts.

5/25/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Very odd wine. Extremely hot on the nose, almost overpowering alcohol, even when put through the aerator. I drank half the bottle and put it away. There was some bright black fruit flavor coming through, but it was overwhelmed by that burning alcohol (15%). I came back to it two days later and it has mellowed out. Very soft with very little tannic activity, despite being a bold wine. The nose is more accessible and the same black fruit is accompanied by a twinge of lemongrass. Dark ruby red in color, the taste is now full of cherry and plum, and absolutely delicious. My cellartacker compatriots are spot on about this one - give it some time to breath and it will reward you.

4/27/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Wonderful. Velvety mouthfeel, lots of red cherry on the nose and the palate. Bought for $20, I would be happy to stock this.

4/24/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Pleasant. Nice red fruit, a little spice on the nose.

3/28/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Bland, unimpressive.

3/3/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Not exciting or complex, but very soft and accessible and quite delicious nonetheless. Some tobacco on the nose, basic black fruit on the palate. Concha y Toro with their Casillero del Diablo line has a knack for making an inexpensive wine set a benchmark for its class. It's like the Honda Civic of wines. It isn't fancy, it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but its always reliable and it's good and you know what to expect. A hard wine to fault. Fabulous QPR at $11.

3/1/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

The weakest of Buena Vista's usually excellent range of white wines.

2/24/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

I used a venturi to aerate this wine, which greatly improved the taste, ridding it of a that fake sweetness that is often associated with cheap wine. Nose: Very hot, slightly sour, lots of cassis. Taste: Firm tannins and some pleasant black cherries with a smooth finish. The experience on the whole is pretty one dimensional. Not especially charming, but not bad either. BUT for BBQs, pizza, and informal parties, this wine fits the bill well. And at $7.99 for a 1.5L (I hesitate to call it a magnum) it's good bang for the buck, even though I bought it for cooking.

Edit: Pop and drink it. The next day this stuff was undrinkable. Great for parties though.

2/22/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

My new QPR I think. Ripe black fruit and tobacco leaf on the nose, very concentrated black fruit and a little bit of liquorice on a palate that isn't quite as full as the nose but is still delicious with a finish that lasts a good 40 seconds.

2/19/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Drank through venturi. A lush, hot nose with lots of red fruit, some current and herbal aromas going on as well. Smooth and elegant on the palate but not especially complex, though the red current theme continues. Short finish, but very nice and easy to enjoy. At $15 this wine was well bought. At double the price you can find better.

2/18/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Drinkable, but barely. It's an upgrade from box wine, but that's like calling probation with community service an upgrade from doing 10 years in the slammer. Thinner that Don Rickle's hairline on the nose and more watery than a day at Sea World on the palate. Some mild fruit action going on, but what little is there is about as exciting as watching a reality show filmed at a nursing home. At $6 bucks a bottle I'd say spend the extra $4 and buy something truly decent.

2/18/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Pleasant wine for the price, very straighforward and fine for novices. Not much depth or complexity but the QPR is decent. There are better wines at this pricepoint, but I wouldn't try to dissuade anybody from picking up a bottle.

2/14/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Honeydew, honeysickle, pear, and tart apple on the nose. Lots of apple and pear on the palate, slightly oily but very pleasing. Picked up on sale for $10. Amazing QPR. Would buy again without hesitation.

2/10/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Very decent bottle of wine. Ripe fruits, round, full mouthfeel, rather soft and straightforward but very accessible. Perfect to serve to novices and great QPR.

1/26/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

This wine holds the dubious distinction as the only wine I've ever drunk that got worse as I drank it. Lush nose with lots of plum and black fruit. And its best left for sniffing. The texture is akin to sandpaper and the taste is thin offering no complexity a just a light, harsh burnt cherry taste. Whoever rated this a 91 at Total Wine must have just graduated from Franzia.

1/16/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

Very smooth with a medium mouthfeel, though lacking in complexity. It has a rather hard nose with notes of cassis and red cherry. The dominant red cherry theme continues the palate with a slightly chalky finish. Very good value for the money however. I would buy again with no reservations.

1/4/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote:

A simply stunning wine. Light notes of red and black berries on the bouquet underlie an elegant yet rich mouthful. Very round body, sublime hints of cassis and black cherries in a wine that tastes less like a big juicy California cabernet and more like an aged bourdeaux. Drink now or hold for a few years.