4/27/2024 - ewsds wrote:

Light in color, but not in flavor, this wine offers savory red and blue fruits, with a very satisfying high-toned finish. Middle weight in body, but more flavor and punch than the color or body would imply. Very nice.

4/20/2024 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Clean red and blue fruits, especially black cherry. Nicely balanced with good acidity and modest tannins. Nice finish. Overall, a very nice wine, in a big California style package.

4/14/2024 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Richer red fruits of pomegranate, raspberry and cherry supported by a balanced structure of fine pillowy tannins and good acidity. This needs some time to settle down and reach its potential. 93+ now, but with good upside from here. Needs 1-2 years and a good decant to show its potential. Impressive.

3/10/2024 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Excellent effort from Rivers-Marie. Rich darker fruits supported by an balanced structure and extended finish. Outstanding.

3/10/2024 - ewsds Likes this wine:

It's a touch young right now, but with and hour or more of air, this is fantastic. Bright and racy blue fruits with substantial but balanced structure. Leaves with a satisfying and extended finish. Probably best in a year or two. Excellent.

2/24/2024 - ewsds Likes this wine:

After a 1-2 hour decant, this is a structured, but delicious effort. It shows mostly blue fruits, a balanced but stout structure and a really nice extended finish. Need at least another year to show its true potential, but there is upside from here. Give it a good decant if opening in 2024. 92+

2/2/2024 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Still needs a bit of time, but with a brief decant, this is showing red and mostly blue fruits, nice balance with a solid supporting structure. Has an extended finish and a good amount of complexity. Quite nice.

1/21/2024 - ewsds wrote:

Big brooding darker fruit Pinot with a balanced structure and a nice finish. Decibel is a good moniker, as this wine is atypically "big" for a NZ Pinot.

1/1/2024 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Some red fruits, but mostly blue/purple fruits with a nice balanced supporting structure. A bit of earth and spice, with a touch of nutmeg or mace on the palate. Excellent complexity and finish. This is a winner from Rivers-Marie. Drink now with a brief decant or hold for further development.

12/30/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

This offers intense fruit-forward blue and purple fruits with a solid but balanced structure. Long finish. Needs time and/or a good decant to fully enjoy, as it's pretty primary right now, but lots of upside potential. Best in 2025+

12/26/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Opened last bottle (a magnum) for Christmas, and it did not disappoint. It's in a great place right now, and not at all over the hill. Good color, with no sign of it oxidize on the rim (the cork was in perfect condition). Excellent dark fruit profile with an extended finish. Fantastic. Surprisingly better than the 2005 at a similar age.

12/23/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

After a good decant in the glass, this is a red fruit dominant wine with savory fruits, a nicely balanced structure and an excellent finish. Drink now with a brief decant or hold for potential further upside.

12/23/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Savory red and blue fruits, black tea and pomegranate. This is supported by a balanced structure of good acidity and very fine tannins with a really nice and lengthy finish. This an outstanding wine with upside potential. 94+ Drink now with a brief decant or 2025 - 2027+.

12/8/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Interesting blend of California and Oregon Chardonnay. Well made, but lacking what I hope for in an Chardonnay (brightness, crisp fruit, etc.). Seems more CA in style, but since this is from an OR winery, I expected more of that style. Massively overpriced and a horrible from a QPR standpoint. Mildly enjoyable as a sipping wine, but I would not repurchase more, at even 1/4 the price. Exceptionally disappointing.

12/3/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Nice, if a bit rough on day one; outstanding on day 2 (stored at cellar temp overnight). Savory red fruits, balanced structure and a really nice finish. Bravo Eyrie. Should be great with a good decant after opening.

10/17/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Complex saline red fruits with enough supporting structure to show its potential age-ability. Earthy, complex, and nuanced palate. Continued improvement with more time in the glass. Likely better in two plus years. Bravo Eyrie.

10/17/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

My favorite of the Eyrie Pinot lineup that I was able to try at their tasting room recently. The Outcrop Vineyard Pinot has an ethereal combination full flavored but very nuanced complexity. Not an "in your face" wine, but more like a metaphorical ballet dancer on your palate. One of my favorite Oregon Pinots of the past few years. Drinkable now with a brief decant, but will likely continue to improve over the next couple/few years. Upside potential. Delicious.

7/8/2023 - ewsds wrote:

Second flawed bottle in a row. Undrinkable.

6/28/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Saline blue fruits, good balanced structure and an extended finish. Early in it's drinking window now. Needs a bit of cellar time and/or a good decant to fully express itself. Quite nice.

4/29/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

For a "basic" estate wine, this is delicious. Savory red and blue fruits, good balance and a nice lengthy finish. Bravo.

3/11/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Savory and saline blue fruits with a black tea element that's really nice. Nice structure and well balanced, with a really nice savory finish. Nice now with a an hour plus decant. likely better in a year or so. Delicious.

3/10/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Saline blue-ish fruits, stout structure, nice finish. Needs time. Still highly structured after a couple of hours in the glass. Give it a year or two. Upside potential.

2/5/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Bright red fruits, with good acidity and a nice finish. Could use a bit more time to round out the slightly rough edges. Very good now though, and most likely better in a year or so.

2/4/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Crunchy red fruits, especially cherry, strawberry, rhubarb. Very well balanced with good acidity supporting the fruit. Nice finish. Delicious now with a brief decant, but this has legs for further development, assuming proper storage. Very nice.

2/3/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Plush and intense blue fruits, with excellent balance and an ethereal and complex finish. Delicious!

2/3/2023 - ewsds Does not like this wine:

Very disappointing effort. My remaining bottles will be used for cooking, not for sipping, Not enjoyable at all. Boo to Garagiste for selling this as a "mystery" wine.

1/23/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Black cherry and blue fruit forward. Excellent supporting structure (69% whole cluster fermentation) that carries the prodigious fruits to a very nice finish. Has upward potential from here.

1/15/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Deeply flavored stone fruits, ripe, but not over the top. Oak is apparent, but in good balance with the fruit. Impressive finish. Excellent.

1/4/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Delicious entry-level "Rocks" wine from Cayuse/No Girls. Brambly darker fruits, good supporting structure and a nice finish. In its drinking window now. Very nice.

1/4/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Medium bodies blue fruits, a light touch of funk, and medium structure (light tannins, good acidity). Drinking well now, and has a nice finish.

1/4/2023 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Still seems quite young. Big blue fruits supported by substantial structure, and a lengthy finish. Needs time or a good decant. Has upward potential, but needs time.

12/24/2022 - ewsds wrote:

Corked, unfortunately. I hope my remaining bottles aren't.

10/22/2022 - ewsds wrote:

My favorite Chateau, and I would love to rate this higher, but the astringency and unyielding tannins prevent me from being more upbeat on this wine. Deep dark fruits with excellent underlying fruits, but the unyielding structure (after a few of hours of decanting) is off-putting.

10/16/2022 - ewsds wrote:

Seemingly at the tail end of it's drinking window, despite being stored in a 55 degree cellar since acquiring it directly from the winery. Fading fruit, with virtually no structure left that it's not a wine I want to drink at only four years of age. So disappointing that I can't even describe how disappointed I am. Formerly one of my favorite wineries.

10/16/2022 - ewsds wrote:

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with the nearly every review that rates this wine at 94++ points. This is too big for a Pinot, and seems more like a Pinot version of a high-end Napa Cabernet than a varietally true Pinot Noir. At 15.2% abv and over-the-top ripeness, to me it's closer to cough syrup than a Pinot I want to drink and savor. Poured it for several friends who are more Oregon Pinot drinkers, and only one of them seemed to enjoy it. Still well made, but just not for me. Too much of what is normally a good thing.

10/10/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Crunchy red and blue fruits with excellent structure and balance. Very complex, lengthy finish, and it seems to have a long life ahead of it. Extremely well made and a special wine. No rush to drink this, assuming cellar temp storage.

6/5/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Savory earthy and darker fruit profile, supported by good structure and a nice finish. Not quite as exceptional as the Conifer offering, but quite excellent too. Zena Crown is producing some of the best Oregon Pinot around.

6/5/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Slightly saline and savory red and blue fruits. Excellent balance, with noticeable (in a good way) new oak. Has a fantastic finish and an ethereal quality that's hard to describe. Exceptional Oregon Pinot noir.

6/3/2022 - ewsds wrote:

Opened up my 2nd of 3 bottles of this wine, and this was flawed like the first bottle and most of the other 2018 Anderson Valley Pinots (Alicia) I've had from Rhys. Both bottles poured down the drain, along with several of the 2018 Alicia from the same vintage and AVA. Disappointing is a gross understatement.

5/31/2022 - ewsds wrote:

Flawed, like several other bottles of Pinot from Rhys, especially from the Anderson Valley (Alicia and Bearwallow in 2018). Flawed rate was over 50% of a case of half bottles of 2018 Alicia Anderson Valley Pinot and this isn't a whole lot better. Extremely disappointing, and pricy wine. This should have never been released.

5/24/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Best of the DuMol 2017 Pinots in my opinion. Punchy blue fruits with slightly spicy element, nice balance and a great finish. Has an excellent structure and the stuffing to go another year or two, but to my liking right now, with a bit of air. Bravo DuMol.

5/24/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Rich and savory blue fruits with a slight touch of funk, and a very nice finish. Drinking great now. Does not have sufficient structure to me to be a long-term holder from here, in my opinion.

5/21/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

A nice mix of savory red and blue fruits with a touch of earth and mushroom. Seems almost like a slightly-ripe Oregon Pinot, in a good way. drinking well and nicely in its youth, but has the stuffing to last for 2-3 years from here.

5/21/2022 - ewsds wrote:

Savory and slightly spicy red fruits, with a touch of funk, in a good way. Cranberries, raspberries, and cherries. Good balance and structure, and an excellent finish. Really well done.

4/30/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Savory red and blue fruits predominate, with secondary flavors of earth and mushrooms starting to come in. Good balance, but the structure is fading a bit compared to last year. Probably time to drink up and enjoy. Tasty, and a long finish.

4/1/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Blue fruits, fading, but still adequate structure, excellent finish. Drinking great now; drink up.

4/1/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Tangy red red fruits of cranberry, strawberry and cherries. Very well balanced and a nice lift with acidity. Excellent finish. Very nice.

3/17/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

A bit rough at first, but with a bit of air, this opens up nicely and offers crunchy red and blue fruits, and a really nice finish. Upside potential here.

3/13/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Wow. Intense blue and darker slightly spicy fruits, excellent balance and a fantastic finish. Drinking well now with a brief decant, but possibly better in a year or two.

2/27/2022 - ewsds Likes this wine:

Savory and saline blue fruits, excellent structure and balance, and an exceptional finish. This is a barrel selection from the Roserock vineyard and it shows its "reserve" status quite well. Drinking well now with a brief decant or hold for further development.