4/27/2014 - MondovinoCA Likes this wine:

Amazingly young - decanted for 1hr, drank over next 2hrs. Very nice fruit, and typical spice/herb characteristics. Would be great to see how its doing in another 10yrs.

4/27/2014 - MondovinoCA Likes this wine:

Still very Primal, no indication that its hitting maturity any time soon. Big huge fruit, elegant tannin, and just the right amount of acidity make this very enjoyable, as a wine in primary stage.

4/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

In perfect shape, don't its at an ideal time to drink - no hard edges, has shed the majority of they heavy fruit and shows superb notes of tobacco, spices and currant. Acid and tannin completely in tune, right at that perfect stage between primary and secondary.

4/23/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

In its prime, secondary and terciary notes coming through. Probably another 6-8yrs ahead, but no further upside to holding, mature now.

4/23/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Still very young, tons of Garrigue and bright red fruits - leather and earth all combined for a medium-to-full bodied CDP. Decanted for 1hr, could have used another 4-5 most likely. Great with the BBQ

4/23/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Delicious - wonderful nose typical to Sonoma Coast Pinots, bright acidity. Lovely

4/23/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

In excellent shape - crisp acidity, notes of petrol and lychee come through on the nose. Body is medium, definitely not dry but not over the top, all in balance. Wish I had more!

4/23/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Crisp and clean, with nice balance of briney characters and citrus, topped with well integrated oak. Nice wine, still quite young

2/13/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Young. Dense core of dark fruits, quite tannic and for Oregon Pinot, full bodied. Needs some time to shed some of the fruit, and for the oak to integrate a bit more. Nonetheless, a super Oregon Pinot.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Nice mature Barolo - leather, spice and dried fruit. Good, not great, drink now and over the next few years, I think.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Shut down - hopefully in a few years it will open back up

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Bloody meat, earth and dried currants. Wish I had some braised short ribs or leg of lamb with this one. Would have been a perfect pairing. Medium bodied and elegant in terms of tannin and acidity, probably not going to get much better than it is today.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Young - very primal with fruit dominating. Licorice and garrigue notes make this quite enjoyable now. Could use a few years of cellaring though - betting it will be even better in another 5+.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

not a bad wine, hitting the typical awkward CA phase before it becomes mature. Fruit and Oak really prominent now, a certain ripeness is really forward right now.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Had this wine several times in the past few months - really starting to show nicely. Oak has settled in and the more typical, traditional Barolo notes are showing through nicely. Savory notes are well featured, some floral character and oak/fruit starting to sync up finally.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Really hitting stride - secondary notes of truffle, earth and spice are rounded out with dried currants/cassis notes. Great acidity to balance the soft and round tannins. wish I had more than just a few bottles!

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Lovely wine - typical character for a Northern Rhone with lanolin/wax mouthfeel, dried apricots and peaches - rounded out with a touch of earth and minerality.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Agree with others - citrus and oak dominate this wine currently. Have had some bottles a few years older that were much more interesting. This should take on the oxidized character of a Gravonia in a few year, don't know if it will be as interesting but going to hold a few and see what happens.

12/14/2013 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Had this in a blind tasting, placed 3rd in the group overall from 8 people. Really delicious, compared to the ratings the big publications gave(or did not give) this is really coming together wonderfully. Cassis, Cherry, earth and spice all meld uniformly to create a really balanced wine. 6+hrs decanting time, last of 10 wines tasted blind.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Bubbles on this bottle were almost expired. Still on the pallet was tasty, much more progressed in life than I had anticipated

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Very nice for an 04 in its price range. Mellow Acidity to match the tannin, cherry notes and damp cellar earth aromatics.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Solid wine, starting to show some secondary notes which I think is the best time for Pessac wines. Tobacco, cherry and gravel.

1/27/2014 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Agree with the notes below, still quite young. Heavy new oak at first approach, decanted for 2+ hrs and it settled down and integrated well. Aromatics 2nd day was fantastic, Gravel, tar, coffee, with nice savory notes of bacon fat. Fruit was also present, well integrated, cassis seemed to dominate from the fruit perspective.

1/19/2014 - MondovinoCA Likes this wine:

Amazing, don't know how people could rate this wine so low. Coravin used for a glass, to compare to the 2004 Asterisk we had opened. Clearly bigger, more tannic and concentrated. Not in the way people express in terms of Napa Valley big Cabernet - its not all fruit and oak that slaps you around, has a whole lot more going on. A wine that I think will be the complete package for me in 15+ years, thankfully I didn't pop the cork. Typical "Rutherford Dust" quality on the nose, cinnamon and deep cassis, hints of leather/tobacco in the mouth and on nose. Finish is enormous, but as one would think, its not fully showing off yet.

1/18/2014 - MondovinoCA Likes this wine:

Very young - decanted for 4hrs, still tight and wound up. Typical Rutherford profile though, very fine tannin. Total elegance, touch of menthol on the nose, rich cassis and well integrated oak. Don't touch for another 5 years, needs time to really show.

1/7/2014 - MondovinoCA Likes this wine:

Not nearly as progressed as the other notes stated. Still very structured with tannin and fruit both prominent. With time, eucalyptus comes out. Has plenty of life left.

12/28/2013 - MondovinoCA Likes this wine:

Very Traditional Barolo - similar to some of the late 90's Aldo Conterno's Lots of leather and earth, typical fruit for Barolo, no flashy oak. Still not yet at its prime, getting close though.

11/30/2010 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Bigger and more earthy than the grenache. More black pepper and tannin, powerful for a mid bodied wine.

12/10/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Nice wine, better second day. Tightly wound up cassis and notes of oak and earth.

11/29/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Tar, ashpalt, blackberries/cranberries. Outstanding wine, great acidity and balanced structure to go another decade at least. My favorite of all the Tensley wines!

12/12/2010 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Classic herbacious nose, great acidity, light on the pallet. As the wine opened up in the glass the bing cherries come out along with the earthiness, though not as earthy as a true burgundy.

9/7/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Stunning wine! Decanted for 2hrs. Nose of charcoal and tobacco, intermixed with currants and spice. Pallet was rich and full bodied with the precise balance of fruit, acid and tannin.

1/20/2012 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Another Stunning bottle! Perfect balance, hard to think this is the second wine. More progressed than its parent but very well put together.

9/7/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Performing much better than in the past - great petrol nose with apricots and botrytis spice, great balance between sugars and acid.

6/30/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Dumb stage, not very interesting. Still has good acid, fruit not showing very well.

5/6/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Lots of toasty oak, firm tannin, ripe fruit. Earth and Spice fill the glass, great combination of earth, spice and fruit. Very young.

11/29/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Tar, earth and rustic fruit. Nice wine, hold for another 3-4 years.

11/29/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Nice wine - still heavy on the oak and acidity. A few more years in the cellar should help.

6/30/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

One of the greatest chardonnays I've ever tasted! Nose full of lemon zest and white peaches intermixed with pears and suttle oak. Great acidity and in perfect harmony!

1/13/2012 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Still VERY young. 2nd day and week later the wine was fantastic

1/14/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Really barnyard to start, blew off after 15-20 minutes. Good wine.

1/20/2012 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Still VERY young. Don't open for another 5-10 years.

6/30/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Outstanding Pinot- still very young though, needs a few more years cellaring. Starts off with a dense nose of currants and forest floor, in the mouth outstanding acidity and powerful tannin for a pinot. Great fruit concentration and a long finish. Deca

12/2/2012 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Phenominal - incredible precision, with the combination of oak, acid and fruit in almost perfect sync. Still very young though, another 3-5yrs of cellaring

11/13/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Not showing well first day, decanted for 1hr. High in acid, body very lean. Second day showing much better, nose was more alive with tobacco and spice, a few more years of aging needed.

3/22/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Rich and heavy. Great balance of earth and fruit, with a good amount of oak. Quite tannic at first but with an hour of decanting smooth and elegant.

1/20/2012 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Extremely beautiful bottle - floral notes on the nose with great waxy, nutty pallet. Great acidity on the finish to make this a complete CDP blanc.

10/6/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Started out smelling like Australian Shiraz! 1.5hrs in a decanter and the wine started to come around...Still too young though. Fennel, garrigue, new oak, great acid--full bodied with immense power. Second day the wine was showing a bit awkward, acidit

10/6/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Super powerful, still very young. Decanted for 1hr and drank over next 2hrs. Fennel, licorice, earth and spice. Lots of great dark fruits but still too young to be consuming. Cellar 5 more years and drink 10-15yrs afterward

3/7/2011 - MondovinoCA wrote:

Outstanding wine. Tremendous concentration, very heavy for a CDP. Currants/cassis with toasty oak, long finish and rich tannin.