5/3/2024 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

The nose on this was intoxicating as was the palate despite this being a big powerful & dense wine. Will be awesome to see what this is in 10 years! Loved it.

4/5/2024 - gbbwino wrote:

Opened my last ‘13 tonight after a disappointing showing of my 2nd of 3 last week. ‘13’s are shot. Ordered direct from winery & cellared since so no provenance issues. ‘14 much better! But, also on the down slide so drink up.

4/5/2024 - gbbwino wrote:

Last of my 3 bottles & 2nd in the past week. Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Past it’s prime & in a downside. Not very enjoyable, very disjointed & flabby. My 3/30 bottle was not good. Tonight was better but still not Aubert quality. Opened a ‘14 to follow this & it was measurably better. Wonder if ‘13 was just not a long lived vintage. Still thankful for the opportunity.

2/10/2024 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. PNP & that’s not what this needs. Had a glass & saved the rest for day 2 & this did the trick. The ‘08 is darker & more brooding than the ‘07 which we had 1st. Very tight & astringent day 1. Day 2 it blossomed.

2/10/2024 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Did not decant & struggled with this for the 1st hour or so, but after the 2nd hour, this was phenomenal! 1 more to go. Impressive this aged well for 17 years.

1/1/2024 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Absolutely glorious fully mature wine that was full of life, well balanced, perfectly integrated with an exotic & intoxicating nose & palate.

11/24/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Hmmm…not sure what to make of this. Massive, massive wine. Decanted for 30 minutes. A bit stewed & disjointed with heat. Big fruit on the nose & palate despite 16 years of age. Wish there was more balance. Could not follow for more than 30 minutes so hope it improved.

11/24/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Disappointing upon PNP. After an hour in the bottle with a slow O, this really started to open up & blossom. Very different experience compared to the last bottle we had in Mar ‘23 which was open right out of the gate. This one was very harsh upon opening. Prickly tannins, disjointed & alcoholic. Turned into a beauty on the nose & palate!

11/23/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Very well made. Big fruit but smooth. Vanilla notes. Nice effort for the price point.

11/23/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Very lean. Not much on the nose. Palate had no depth or complexity. Sort of blah.

8/27/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

This was an awesome bottle of Chablis! Palate was as good as last bottle, got better with air & when it warmed up. The nose was much more spiced, which I loved Wish I had more.

8/27/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Just go see TOMLEE’s note…spot on!!

8/6/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Uneventful

8/6/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Hmmm…very lean & linear upon PNP. The nose doesn’t give off much. Clean red tart fruit on the palate initially Got better with time & much better on day 2, but not a compelling wine.

8/6/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Thankful to have had the opportunity to visit this producer in 2013. Fell in love with this wine & purchased a case. I love this wine! Still has life left but so good right now. Only have 1 bottle left sadly.

5/19/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Well made. Similar experience. Very primary with little complexity.

5/19/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. I love Le Cadeau Pinots & this is no exception except it is probably 2-3 years past its prime. Very primary with big fruit with vanillas notes. Great nose & palate. Didn’t score higher as it seemed to have mellowed with age, but still fresh & balanced. Wish I had more!

5/7/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Last of 6, purchased direct from winery & cellared since Had a bottle back in Jan 2023 with similar results. PNP & consumed 1/2, saving the other 1/2 for tomorrow hoping it improves. Heavy handed, heavy somewhat disjointed wine. Having had the 2010 & 2011 in the last few weeks, the 209 is less my style. Had the 2012 2 nights ago & that seemed similar to 2009. For some, this will be a wow experience but I am finding that the warmer vintages don’t age well (for my taste) past 10 years. The 2010 & 2011 were intoxicating.

4/28/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Last of 6 direct from winery & cellared since. PNP & consumed over 1.5 hours. This is still a stunning wine per my Mar 2022 note. More evolved in the sense that the tannins are pure silk. Nose & palate are no different than a year ago. Opened my last ‘07 2 nights ago & that wine pales in comparison…dark, brooding, heavy, meaty….fruit is almost gone. ‘08 wins hands down but I’m not sure it will improve…in a great spot so drink up.

4/25/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

WOW….after having subpar experiences with my last bottles of the ‘09 & ‘11, I popped a ‘16, which was an awesome experience giving me hope. Worried that I’m sitting on these too long, I popped my last of 6 of the ‘10 expecting a similar ‘09 & ‘11 experience. Boy was I wrong & damn it that this is my last one! Purchased direct from the winery & cellared since. PNP & this is singing right out of the gate….powerful dark red fruit, floral spice notes on the nose…sexy & intoxicating. But, the palate absolutely explodes…incredible balance, freshness, silky fine grained tannin with similar deep bright yet dark red fruit, spice, herbs. The front, mid & finish is all there. This is seamless & completely compelling! It has the tannin to age more but this was so stunning, id drink it now.

4/23/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

So, after a lackluster experience with the ‘09 & ‘11 Pigs, which seemed past their prime; I felt compelled to open the younger ‘16. Purchased direct from winery & cellared since, the ‘16 was redemption. PNP. Dark ruby red color. So much going on here, both on the nose & palate. Savory, spicy, dark fruit on the nose. Less floral on the nose, than the ‘09 & ‘11. The palate has a similar savory characteristic...the front, mid & finish is deep & long. Great, refined & fine tannin structure. Great overall experience, but I struggle finding a true right bank Bordeaux comparison.

4/23/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Last of 6 bottles & a day after the ‘09 Pig, which I found past its prime, somewhat disjointed & reductive. The ‘11 upon PNP had significant barnyard, savory, Cayuse funk notes on the nose, which blew off with time, leaving a savory, floral nose. Interestingly, the palate seemed hot & disjointed with black & red fruit, despite ‘11 being an off vintage. But, there was nice acidity, which helped balance it out. Not sure what to make of these wines 10+ years old. Think I need to drink them sooner. Drink now.

4/20/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Last of 3 bottles. PNP’d & monitored over 90 minutes. No Cayuse funk on the nose. Ruby red with slight bricking around the edges. Dark, briary, brooding black fruit on nose & palate. Somewhat overbearing. Not enough acidity to make this a balance wine, the 09 vintage I think. Some spice, floral, asphalt, smoke notes. Touch of Cayuse saline which helps. Note, my Cayuse sweet spot has always been the Syrahs & have the Bordeaux blends have always been 2nd fiddle.

4/8/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Brought to Becks in Augusta for dinner tonight. PNP & consumes over 2-5 hours. Not sure what to make of this. Not a lot on th nose or palate. Soft, velvety tannns. Good fruit but not much else. Somewhat disappointing unfortunately.

3/26/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Big delishious fruit bomb but very one dimensional. The lack of secondary character on the nose & palate is unfortunate. 2nd bottle with same result. Wonder if this will ever develop & improve.

3/25/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Sadly, I am down to my last bottle of this wine. A very Burgundian profile which I love & am amazed that OR can produce such a wonderful Chardonnay. PNP & once it warms up to room temp with a little air, it is just amazing. I will need to buy more. It is in a very good place now

3/24/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

PNP. The nose on this is intoxicating! Needs airtime to open up. Very balanced, seamless & elegant.

2/26/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Dense dark fruit with well integrated tannin & oak. Not heavy, just dense fruit but smooth & balanced. Excellent wine & in a good place with an hour decant.

2/26/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Tasted after the 2009 Sette Ponti Oreno & the 2012 Antica Terre Botanica Pinot Noir & before the 2009 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. Not sure what to make of this experience. The wine had little on the nose & the palate was flat, very one dimensional.

2/25/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. PNP at client dinner. This is a stellar wine! Balanced & smooth as silk. Black cherry, floral, spice nose & palate. Don’t get a lot of secondary characteristics, but this is a fantastic wine! Not sure it rivals Burgundy especially given its current release price of $150 for 2021. Seems like a $ grab unfortunately. But I guess if I were Maggie, I’d ask for it too!

2/25/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Pop & pour for client dinner. I love Aubert Chardonnay & this did not disappoint. My least favorite of the single vineyards, but this had great tropical fruit & great balance. Love the spice notes!

2/25/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

I love Fevre Chablis & this delivers. Love the hints of spice & wood on the nose. Well balanced fruit, mix of saline semi tropical fruit. The limestone soil shines through with sea shell, saline, steely profile. This Chablis shines.

2/25/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

I don’t have deep knowledge of Champagne so take this note with that in mind. Maybe this is past its prime, but there is not much fruit left. Balanced, sweet & very pleasant. A lot of toasty brioche. Very few bubbles left.

2/25/2023 - gbbwino Likes this wine:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Decanted for an hour. This is a dense, powerful & stunning wine! The nose & palate are equally amazing. Dark black, floral pure fruit. Tannins are soft & sweet. Lower acidity but still balanced. Still 5-10 years left. Still very primary, very California. None-the-less, this is a serious wine with an intoxicating nose.

2/15/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

PNP....one dimensional, unfortunately. Still no nose. No soul. Pains me.

2/14/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

My 5th out of 6 direct from the winery. Cellared since & decanted upon opening. Unfortunately there was a smokey reductive component that overwhelmed this bottle. Hope my last is like my prior bottles!

2/4/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

PNP. This wine needs more time in the bottle, but it is very good now. Dense dark fruit profile with wonderful secondary characteristics. Decant for 1-2 hours minimum now. Have 1 more & will wait at least 5 more years.

2/4/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

IMO, the hot vintage in CdP in ‘07 produced many alcoholic, stewed, pruned, raisiny, heavy, unbalanced & disjointed wines. This is one of those wines unfortunately. Decanted for an hour & conumed over 2. Didn’t early get better with time so I’m inclined to think this wine will not improve with more age.

2/3/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

PNP. Very nice wine out of the gate. Touch of heat on the finish but the fruit is clean & pretty, not stewed like many 07s I’ve had. Great secondary notes with good front & mid palate. Finish is a little hot & astringent. Has life left. Last bottle unfortunately

1/27/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. 1st of 6 & won’t open any more for 5+ years. This wine is a dark, brooding, beast. Not a very enjoyable wine right now. Tannic, disjointed, alcoholic with no acidic balance. The nose is somewhat pleasant...dark fruit, floral, incense profile. Disappointing at this point unfortunately.

1/11/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Last of 3 750s. In a good place...solid fruit & secondary characteristics. Dense black fruit, very well balanced. Smooth sweet tannins, fully integrated & mature. Life left so glad I have a mag remaining. MSD is not Gevrey, but it is an elegant lady, one I’m happy to be with any day of the week.

1/11/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Decanted 1 hour. This is what I love most about Cayuse Syrahs. The nose! Intoxicating.

1/10/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

This is what I love about IGT Italian wines. Visited Castellare in 2002 & fell in love with ISDSN! This wine is full bodied, leaning towards the heavier black fruit profile, but there is nice acidity that gives balance. The nose was very floral & intoxicating. Decanted 60 minutes & in a good place.

1/10/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

1st of 3, this is everything I love about Chablis. Steely, mineral, citrus fruit. Not a huge nose, but the palate has body & balance. Lovely wine & still has life left

1/10/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Interesting bottle tonight....purchased direct from winery, cellared since & last of 3 bottles. Tasted after a 2012 Christian Moreau Les Clos Chablis, which was in my sweet spot. Don’t get me wrong, I love Aubert Chardonnay, but this was was either an off bottle or it was past its prime. It didn’t have the usual body, mid palate & finish. Very lean, not much on the nose & seemed one dimensional. Solid, clean fruit & well made but not what I remember from the prior 2 bottles.

1/8/2023 - gbbwino wrote:

Ordered direct from winery & cellared since. PNP, no decant. A beast upon opening. Black, smokey, heavy fruit upon opening. Beautiful & captivating nose....smoke, spice, floral, dark fruit. As the wine evolved, it became more of a saline/iodine profile, but the dark fruit was still present. Tannins very sweet & smooth. Wine can age for 5+.

12/31/2022 - gbbwino wrote:

Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Decanted upon opening & consumed over 2 hours. Tannins are silky smooth & fully integrated. Dense, dark, sweet fruit with some spice but surprised at how primary this still is with little secondary characteristic developmen, which makes the wine somewhat one dimensional. Still very well made with great fruit.

12/26/2022 - gbbwino wrote:

Ordered direct from winery & cellared since. PNP, no decant. Would recommend at least 60 minute decant. The nose on this was completely captivating despite no decant & no funk on the nose. Great mid weight body with great soft-ish tannin at this point in its development. Great wine that needs some more time.

12/26/2022 - gbbwino wrote:

Strange experience. Very vegetal & off putting upon opening. Almost flawed. Let glass sit in glass for 60 minutes & it was a different wine. Left remaining bottle vacuvined. Next day. Still vegetal. Fruit was very primary but green notes were off putting. Confusing experience

12/26/2022 - gbbwino wrote:

Ordered direct from winery & cellared since. Decanted for 60 minutes. Fully mature but not over the hill. No funk which surprised me. Tannins are soft & fully resolved. Red fruit with spice, earth & typical Cayuse salinity. I’m not a huge fan of Cayuse’s Bordeaux blends as they aren’t Bordeaux & aren’t California Cabs. But, these are enjoyable & different.