9/24/2023 - wmccone54 wrote:

Even at twelve years, this still requires a 45-minute decant; lots of dressed up gloppy oak and alcohol, which needs some air to settle down. Displays a medium garnet color, and a full body. Opens with black cherry, wild strawberry, rose petal, red licorice, pine forest, and wood spice. Chewy tannin is still notable with medium acidity. Finishes big. Enjoyed with stacked cheese ravioli and pork bolognese sauce. Drink with decanting, or hold through 2030.

3/29/2023 - OhioNerd Likes this wine:

Cork looked almost new (a little surprising given it being a 2013). Nose a little muted and simple: mostly red fruit. An hour after opening red fruit dominates on palate with disjointed tannins - not quite harsh, but not well integrated yet. Moderately long finish. A few more years may help some but likely won’t ever be very complex.

Wine complemented a mesquite grilled tri-tip steak quite nicely. Bumped it up a point.

After 3 hrs the floral tones started to appear on the nose and the tannins settled down. I’ll give it another point.

6/29/2023 - Not647f wrote:

Truth is that I drank one bottle, thoroughly enjoyed it, but made no note, then bought another. Which I drank last night with beef and broccoli and again thoroughly enjoyed. This is on the richer side of CF, but still very fresh tasting. Boysenberries, black cherry, not a lot of tannin. No real vegetal notes, which some don't like in their CF but I find refreshing in small quantities. Time to buy more and store for the fall/winter holidays.

8/7/2022 - df1988 Likes this wine:

Double decanted, had a glass immediately, very intense oak as to be expected. Second glass half an hour later was much more open. Cherries and leather, very nice. After 3 hours back in the open bottle with beef ragù and tagliatelle it was absolutely delicious. At £30 this is great QPR.

6/18/2022 - tward wrote:

First of two bottles and bracing myself. Per Olivier B.'s advice via Garagiste, I poured into a decanter a few hours before dinner. I was prepared for spritz and funk and ready to shake, shake, shake. I opened it and heard nothing. I smelled the cork and it was fine. I sipped and spat a few times and nothing was off, in fact it was good if a bit primary, slightly candied, red fruits, lively, and ripe. I'd have guessed Grenache more than Syrah. Stay tuned for updates...

Well, this drank beautifully. This bottle was clearly not impacted by secondary fermentation or other flaws. It drank great from the decanter the first night and then the remainder, stored in a couple of small bottles with very little air space drank well the second night. Gained depth. Showed plummy dark fruits, olive, garrigue. A great showing. A very nice wine.

14.5% abv

4/26/2020 - Not647f wrote:

After organizing my cellar and doing an inventory, I learned I had one more of these than I thought I did. So it's like a free bottle, right? I've neglected to make notes on some of these, so this is a synechdoche of all those: This is surprisingly good. Surprising because I would not have thought that the Central Coast, even in a fairly cool part of it, would be ideal for nebbiolo. I'd bet the farm on that, but I would be wrong. This one vineyard produces Nebbiolo that checks the boxes (the taster who said he wouldn't guess must have had a cold that day), with tar and roses aromas, flavors of cherries and violets, and the powerful acidity and tannin, with silken weight and light color, that scream Nebbiolo. Giornata's is also good, but I am holding back on those a bit. I also usually don't love this winery's products, but I think the fact that Pax might have come at it with no pre-conceived notion probably meant he was more hands off-- a good thing with this quality of material.

12/10/2021 - Not647f wrote:

I opened this when my wife was away because I thought the last one was on the verge of being flawed, and she didn't need to suffer through it if it was. So it still has noticeable volatile acidity, almost prickly, and it's not the greatest thing, but the acidity does cut through whatever you are eating with it. I finished the bottle eventually, and it didn't go downhill (it did not sit overnight, I stretched it out between cooking for me and my neighbor, eating, going out, coming back, etc) and it's interesting, which is worth something on its own. But it sits on that hipster natural wine fulcrum where I would not complain if it was served at a party, would drink more than one glass, but probably would not buy again.

5/11/2021 - Not647f wrote:

So what's with the spritzy thing? We noticed it, too. And it was not pleasant. After it settled down, it wasn't bad, but I detected a pretty big dose of VA. I didn't really notice any of this when I opened the first one, which makes me wonder if there is some kind of spoilage yeast in it and it's going bad. Overall, this was already a bit disappointing for the price and not living up to the hype from Garagiste.

1/28/2022 - Not647f wrote:

Went to the basement to grab a bottle of BdM, and was reaching for something else, but somehow got this and didn't notice until I got upstairs. Then I was just too lazy to go back down, and it's 11 years old, so why not? Again with chicken, but a straight forward home rotisserie, and a nice pasta side. This is good to go, but it could lay on its side longer. All the notes below are still relevant, but the wine is a bit more integrated with a year's time.

6/8/2020 - millennialwinegeek Likes this wine:

On the night I drank this, I was drunk enough at the point when I opened it that I don’t even remember if it was white or red. This is why you should put in tasting notes ASAP after drinking, like the next day. But hey, it’s a good producer, so it probably tasted good!

millennialwinegeek.com

11/1/2021 - WineJ2019 Likes this wine:

Got this from WTSO for $30. A solid value but probably not a repeat buy for me. I enjoyed the wine; it is a proper BdM with the characteristics you’d expect. Just not the wow factor.

6/20/2016 - Not647f wrote:

Of course no one will see this. Maybe the winery? It was quite good. I opened it with some pimiento de padron peppers and continued right through a dinner with a tomato based sauce and it was fine with each. A bit higher in acid than a lot of tempranillo, probably didn't spend a ton of time on oak. Nice change from California's usual varieties, and well made for the price. I'd give more of their wines a try if I saw them.

9/13/2021 - WetRock wrote:

This drank in sharp contrast to the '97. This showed whiffs of forward fruit. Its there and then its gone sort of thing. Like maybe this was a good deal better ten years ago. A more forwardly fruited, yet still structure wine. Its not dead but definitely on the down slope. It doesn't have the same sort of classic build so it's a bit harder to enjoy its maturity. You are left trying to pay attention to the fading primary notes. But for $15 from Grocery Outlet that's not terrible. I've had worse and paid more chasing oldies from WineBid.

5/8/2021 - Not647f wrote:

These bottles were consumed months apart, but with some of the same drinking partners. So this is the note for both: First time was in March, I believe, and the wine was a little richer and nuttier than what you would expect from white Rioja--the small amount of sherry was the key, I am sure. Clean, saline finish. Second time was after a sparkling wine, and the richness and nuttiness was less apparent to me. Could also have been the pairing with more strongly flavored food, and probably more salt in the food. Clean, light--it never tasted heavy--and more savory than fruity, but not as rich and complex. I would happily split a case at the price I was offered recently.

4/22/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Bookclub--Wines Tasted Blind: Poured blind. Grown at 2,500 feet, grown organically. This was my WOTN last night. There is just the right amount of everything here, with the beautiful white pepper aromatics being the star of the bottle. Of note, this also has 4% Viognier added. It's been a long time since a bottle of red wine has aromatically wowed me like this one did last night, and it's a joy. Purple fruit, balanced with some tang. This is just beautiful, distinctive syrah. I wish I not only had some leftover from last night to taste and savor again, but. some more bottles of this for the cellar. I guess I will need to wait and buy the 2019.

6/27/2020 - Not647f wrote:

Bought this because if it was halfway decent, it's like getting a Barbaresco at a Langhe Nebbiolo price, so the risk is small. Opened it with a variety of homemade pizzas because I didn't want to wait and set expectations too high. (Barbaresco/Barolo are not pizza wines, sorry. Unless you drink Cheval Blanc with fast food.) The aroma upon opening was room filling as good Nebbiolo is, and the palate did not disappoint esp given the price. Smells of dried roses, little camphor, rosemary, clove; palate of spice, pale cherry, savory herb notes. Next day, went and bought three more bottles. Need to put at least one of these aside but really enjoyable now. Store was nearly out of the wine. Cork suggests it might be negociant wine.

1/6/2021 - youvebeenhearnedLLC Likes this wine:

Wish I’d purchased more than 6 bottles. Fantastic Sangiovese, particularly at this price point. Lot of tart strawberry, bitter cherry, lingering finish. Drinks well on its own.

1/4/2021 - wtianseter wrote:

A nice wine with a fruity front of Sangiovese Grosso. but that is it as far as it resembles a Brunello to me. It was not highly integrated , the fruit was not layered and the finish was not smooth and elegant. The finish was very dry, somewhat gripping, and very long.

1/12/2017 - Not647f wrote:

I seem to be the only one on CT with this wine, so let this blow through the site like a lonely tumbleweed. Western references aside, this has a rustic feel to it once it opens. At first it seemed pretty flat, dumb also, but with air this became a pretty serious PS. And if no one reads this note, all the better: Gives me a chance to go lock down more at the discounter. Chocolate, tannins for days, did I mention unsweetened chocolate? Also some really dark cherries and leather. Surprisingly serious stuff.

10/13/2019 - Not647f wrote:

Again, end of the night, this time with macarons. This is a really nice dessert, as well as a dessert wine. Ripe, unctuous, not overly heavy, same flavor profile as before. Now to slow my consumption. (That shipment of 1998 Raymond-Lafon ought to be on the way soon.)

8/8/2017 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

I don't think this wine is on anyone's radar, it wasn't on mine, but wow, tasting it, no doubt it should be. Traditional ~ 20 days on the skins (in oak, not INOX), with malo in barrel, too. After, no less than 30 months in Slavonian oak. Really nice extraction here, good weight, with an early approachability, and good structural context, too. Herbs, cherries, tobacco, truffle, soil, some strawberry. Lots going on here, with most aromas following to the med>medium+ palate; avg+ persistence, balance, and overall character. Tannins should resolve in another 3-4 years, though the wine (for my palate) is already quite approachable. Thru 2037. circa 14,0% abv. (resolved). Great value, hidden gem. Excited to try their other (4) Barolo wines. recommended+

https://www.ItalianWine.blog

6/23/2017 - Not647f wrote:

Still very tart, and not as round as I remembered. I don't think is going to decline anytime soon, but I also don't see a lot of complexity in the offing. I could be completely wrong about that, but there you go. I've somehow nearly wiped out a case of this, between drinking and sharing, so it's time to look for new vintages or some other Sangio. Few CCRs are as reliable for the money as this one.

1/28/2017 - Not647f wrote:

With the Triple Date crew, this time we made a meal at home of short rib and dried porcini lasagne. My nose has been off for months, but this kickstarted it shortly after decanting. Really a great wine, but there is just a bit of smoothness that might indicate use of oak, or this just matured pretty quickly for nebbiolo. I think warmer vintages, cleaner winemaking, and better farming are making Barolo more accessible at an earlier time, and we are talking ten years old. Lots of roses in the aroma, only a little balancing savory smells, still has a lot of fruit, darker cherries than the usual. Color was pretty deep, although while pouring it was translucent. Decanted for a few hours, not days, and it went down very well and very quickly. Only the '04 Romirasco left from the K&L sale.

11/29/2016 - Not647f wrote:

We're were having a pretty strongly flavored Carribean chicken dish, something that needed a wine with spice, fruit, acid... well, this fit the bill. It even has a bit of tannin, probably from the Mourvedre. Sorry to see this go, but it was strong rose for a winter night. They will have more next year, I hope.

8/4/2016 - rickspicks wrote:

Very different from a wine consumed only a month ago. While it was still lush, rich and ripe with the same deep flavors of cassis, dark cherry, blueberry and cocoa, it also had plenty of structure and not a hint of syrup or heaviness. It also possessed an interesting complexity that was missing in the prior bottle. I should apologize for my prior comment about Parker's score. I don't think this bottle quite rated a 94, but I thought is was a solid 92.

9/4/2016 - wineotim wrote:

Too tart and tangy. Drank over the course of two days. As soon as I popped the cork and tasted it I was looking for something else to open. Not my style but I still scored it rather high for its aroma and visual appeal. I was suckered by Parker again. Generally... most of the '12 California wines disappoint me.

9/4/2016 - Not647f wrote:

Wow, this was good. Not like 80 to 84 points. Like outstanding. Took it to restaurant that serves "eastern Mediterranean" fare. Thought the aromatics of Nebbiolo and the age would pair well with the well spiced food. Not wrong. Based on notes of others, had the restaurant open and decant when we arrived, rather than trying to bring it in decanted, sometimes forbidden. Nose was young and still carried noticeable fruit, but underneath lurked violets, roses, some rosemary, a little sassafras. Palate was medium weight, this is not austere and is even a little bigger than some could be--maybe the use of barrique in the first year, an unusual practice Fontanafredda engaged in--but it's Barolo all the way. What makes this fun is that Paiagallo is too small for a vineyard bottling from someone as big as Fontanfredda now, only Cannonica does it (it was all Gianni held until recently), so there are few wines to compare with. This is Barolo di Barolo, right in the heart of the region, right on the main road, and it's classic. Still young, but I didn't think it got better with air, so no reason to wait, it's probably as good as it will ever be.

1/1/2016 - JBL19 Does not like this wine:

Really average with no surprise or extra taste.

2/10/2015 - Not647f wrote:

Drank this a while ago and just posting my notes now. Although one could detect aspects of different grapes, pinot, viognier, and sangiovese predominantly, the wine was a bit flat and simple. There was pinot and viognier in the nose, esp, with strong florality, and crunchy acids from sangio on the palate. The finish was short, and the different grapes seemed to cancel each other out, lending to a simple, grapey taste. I've bought this wine in each of the last few vintages, as I think it's an interesting experiment in "kitchen sink" wine. Since he doesn't bottle all these varieties separately, he's not just using leftovers but purchasing grapes for the blend. But this one fell short of the others. We'll see what happens with XXIV.

5/31/2015 - Double D wrote:

A full bodied and slightly sweet RRV pinot, enjoyable but maybe a bit over ripe or over extracted.

12/22/2014 - Not647f wrote:

Nice but not spectacular. I suspect some of the '07s esp in this price range will be a little sweet and simple. this did improve with air, rounding out the cherry notes with dust, leather, etc. But this seems to lack the acid, tannin and general underpinnings to reward long aging. Which is not so bad since I only bought the two. Already turning a little brown.

1/23/2015 - Not647f wrote:

This is really the kind of Grenache that does not mask its origin. Fruit, low tannins, a little heat, lots more fruit, and swillable as all get out. It's got the wet carpet funk I love in grenache, esp Gigondas. It's got a pretty good wallop of alcohol. And it's hard to know how long the finish is, although it seemed quite long, because you can help chasing one sip (glug) with another. Grenache is the labrador retriever of wine, CdP and its pretenses be damned, ready to jump up on you and bowl you over. Trying to turn it into a fussy show dog seems beside the point. Not to say it can't be on your table with great food, but really at peak when you want joy, not a thought experiment.

7/27/2014 - tomherer Likes this wine:

Notes consistent with 6/1/14. Finishing off the bottle on night two; held on just fine, but didn't really improve. Have been comparing the 05 and the 06 lately -- the result is that the 05 is far superior, and an outstanding wine on balance, but honestly? Both are godawful boring.

Hate to pull a Miles here, but can't think of any Merlots -- varietal wines of course, not blends -- lately that haven't been somewhat soft, homogenous, and predictable, regardless of quality. Going to drink up what I have and likely forgo additional purchases for a while. As far as mystery and sexiness go, feeling like Merlot is to Syrah/Pinot/etc. like Toronto is to Montreal. Toronto is world-class and all, but...

Will update this note if I ever get a taste of Petrus.

1/4/2014 - wormfarmer Likes this wine:

Medium acidity, medium palate weight, some minerality. Unexceptional but perfectly fine.

6/18/2014 - Not647f wrote:

A solid wine, with big fruit flavors. If you like new-model cabs, you'll like it. Lots of pie fruits, oak sweetness (without too much vanilla), but after that, it's reasonable simple. I think it went as far as it can go. Funny thing is, for such a cutting edge kind of guy, Rimmerman sells a ton of this kind of wine that won't push anyone out of his or her comfort zone. Ah, marketing.

1/8/2013 - Not647f wrote:

This wine changed and developed over time, with the fruit taking a small step back and the tannins and some meaty secondary notes pushing through. The leafiness of the franc has persisted, though, making for a nice balance. There's a sad story associated with this estate's demise and their quite enjoyable low production wines will slowly disappear from memory and the marketplace. A shame as this was a very nice example of a restrained Bordeaux blend with distinct California roots.

2/21/2014 - Not647f wrote:

This will make decent vinegar, as it is halfway there. I left it on the counter after opening just to give it a chance, but it didn't improve a bit. If someone says it's because I don't understand Burgundy, then I think Burgundy is the abusive boyfriend of the wine world. But more likely, this is just bad wine. Shame on K&L.

11/1/2013 - Mr Squiggles Likes this wine:

Selected by a friend who knows what is popular more than what is good, the choice was greeted with some scepticism. This was rapidly dispelled however, upon consumption, to widespread acclaim around the table.

This does, in spades, what an entry-level bottle of wine should. It gets your attention. It says ‘Wow!’ and makes you stop, pick up the bottle, look at the label. It’s the delicious sense of discovery. Also delicious is the bountiful perfumed bouquet of wildflowers, the warm palate, some from the alcohol, some from the flavoursome redcurrants and cocoa. It starts strong and finishes well.

As another commentator said, we should all be buying more of this. And furthermore, at £12.50/bottle, it makes want to see what the more expensive Martinet blends are capable of.

11/8/2013 - Not647f wrote:

I understand, this is supposed to be a bargain wine, not a great wine, but K&L hyped this with the "mystery provenance" akin to one of Garagiste's mystery wines. When will I learn not to fall for this, especially with Pinot? This was the thin, sour Burgundy of Safeway's shelves, something to turn you away from the grape. I didn't find a gorgeous nose, but I did get the acidity--too much acidity. I'm pretty disappointed in myself but also K&L, whose recommendations have occasionally seemed puzzling, but never as deceptive as this felt. But they sold out of it, so I'm not the only one who listened to their siren song. I'd rate this no better than average, but I'll revisit another bottle later and see if bottle variation or time causes me to reconsider. Meantime, I will take as much of my business elsewhere as I can.

6/20/2013 - Robert Pavlovich Likes this wine:

Really liked the nose on this, plenty of Bordeaux and soil influence which is always a plus in modern napa. Earthy and ripe cab fruit on the palate mixed with mild spice, pencil shavings, and judicious use of oak. Finishes medium. QPR stud for Napa Cab. Looking forward to having many more over the years, 90+ points.

7/9/2013 - Not647f wrote:

I concur, it was okay. Better than the '07. Perrin is usually okay, unless you go way up the range, then it's better than okay. But worth the freight?

1/4/2013 - Not647f wrote:

I love dolcetto, and I am glad to see that it is finally getting its due. (I'm writing this a week after drinking this and NYT just ranked this its number two dolcetto.) I really love this and Chionetti. I was introduced to Anna Maria Abbona's wine when I was traveling in Italy last year, and was thrilled to find them available here. The previous notes miss something: This wine was still too young. It's a beautiful wine, rich with silky tannins, not too pronounced, much more balanced acidity than barbera or sangiovese. Abbona specializes in dolcetto, although she makes a very little bit of Nebbiolo, and her touch shows. Not the powerful beast of Barolo, but something you can open up when you need comfort and elegance combined. The bitterness is muted, but present, or it wouldn't be the paradoxically named dolcetto.