5/20/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Young and not really ready, but will be terrific. Will buy some and lay it down for 3-4 years, it will be excellent.

5/19/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Not much here, quite forgettable.

5/18/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

An excellent Zinfandel blend... the Zin dominates, of course, but the other ingredients each add their share to make a sweeter, smoother wine. Just lovely and perfect with onion and pepper pizza. Bravo.

5/17/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, THAT's a Grenache! What a treat and it's still young, will get even better. My wife was "98 and flirting with 99" :) A giant.

5/16/2024 - seijaro Does not like this wine:

What a strange wine! Nice Pinot for 15 minutes, then fell off a cliff, almost no flavor. We poured it out So odd!

5/14/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A nice nondescript Pinot, top of the price range for one like this but just OK. Nothing to write home about, just pleasant and not a buyer.

5/13/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A pleasant Chard at a reasonable price. If it had a screw top I'd buy it.

5/13/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

ROAR rarely disappoints... an excellent Pinot with all the right stuff. Fully ready, drink it.

5/11/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Big and powerful in-your-face CA Chard. It was our #1 House White for a couple of years until we just got a little tired of it. I bought this one out of curiosity, but I think we have moved on to a bit less overt Chards.

5/10/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We really liked this old favorite... a very big one, liquid plums in a glass. We need strong flavors and this delivers.

5/10/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Didn't enjoy it as much as Duckhorn... quite a big wine, but the flavors just didn't ring my bell so not a buyer.

5/9/2024 - seijaro wrote:

A serviceable cheap Cab, not bad for under $20... serve at a BBQ with burgers and hot sauce.

5/8/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We liked it as a chunky Zin at a fair price. OK, it's not Martinelli but it ain't $90 either. Good value.

5/8/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Too dry for our tastes, we like them more lush. Hard for us to compare this with the big CA Chards we usually drink. OTOH, I tried it because it's the favorite white of one of our wine-savvy friends. That's wine :)

5/7/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A nice Merlot is hard to find these days, it's so out of favor. This one is good, if overpriced... it's the best one we have found in years.

5/4/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A lovely Napa Cab that has the right stuff... LOVE the one liter bottling!

5/3/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We liked it but it was stingy even after 90 minutes in decanter. Also had a bit of a hard edge, not Grenache-lush like others we have had. We have another bottle, I will give it the Parker 3-hour double decant and if that doesn't do it, will write off this producer in favor of others. We like CDP.

4/30/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A lovely Syrah fully mature. Gave it 90 minutes in decanter and it was right on point. If you have some, drink it.

4/27/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Still trailed Bevan Wildfoote in a side-by-side lunch of deli sandwiches... four drinkers 93,93,94,94. A lovely Bordeaux that probably could use more time. Gave it a 3-hour double decant, but it was still a bit closed, tasted like it was holding back. A treat nevertheless!

4/27/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Scored a TKO against 2010 Lynch-Bages (93,93,94,94) for lunch: 97,98,98,98. A GIANT wine bursting with flavor, what a treat to drink! We love Bevan wines and Wildfoote may be our favorite, even better than the Tenches. Thank you, Russel!

4/26/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, this one really lit us up... big and brawny but smooth as a baby's bottom. Huge Syrah flavors that reminded us of Grenache. Never tasted a Syrah this smooth and no bite at all. Bravo!

4/22/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what a treat! The Petite Syrah is not a grape we know so it was sort of new to us, and we loved it. Not as stiff as a Cab or Syrah, but not as soft as a Grenache or Merlot, kind of right in the middle. Full-flavored and very smooth, a pleasure with linguine in white clam sauce... a 4-star home dinner :)

4/21/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We agree with everybody else, a decent Cab at a very good price. A good quaff for the money.

4/20/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

We are big Martinelli fans and this one is an example of why... big and full, but super smooth, fully ripe and a pleasure to drink. A wine for real Zin lovers :)

4/19/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Yes, 94 like everybody else... a LOVELY Pinot full of flavor and smooth as silk. Perfectly ripe and a delight with sole.

4/18/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what an SB! Yes, pricey... but worth it. Among the best SBs I've ever had, back to the 2005 Rochioli. Buy some.

4/15/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Surprisingly good for a 40-year-old second tier winery. Fruit has faded but isn't gone, still tastes like a Cab. As expected, brick color and a bit of tartness creeping in, yet not bad for a senior citizen.

4/13/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Hard to call a 92 disappointing but we have had better vintages of this wine.. Yes, it was big and full, distinct plum taste, but not as big or complex as previous years. Oh well, we are rabid Martinelli fans, are willing to overlook an occasional slip.

4/12/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

This is our house slurp, a big mouthful of fruit and the best screw-top in the business. Better yet, it's on sale locally at $16.99 -- you could be charged with larceny at that price! Bravo!

4/11/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Can't give the wine itself more than 90, but we enjoyed it more than that... maybe it's the memories of one of the great California pioneers. Amazing that it's 50 years old and still an enjoyable wine. A treat to drink and remember with 1974 Phelps Martha's Vineyard and Mondavi Reserve, two 100-point wines.

4/10/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

On the ropes but not out yet... quite brown and flavors have faded, but still enough there to enjoy. A grand old gal still providing pleasure after 50 years!

4/9/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what a nice surprise! It wasn't this good in its heyday... a beautiful example of a mature CA Cab... but 40 years old? I never suspected it would be this good. What fun :)

4/7/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what a beauty! Huge but smooth, a hint of sweetness. Wasn't this good in its prime... wish we had more :(

4/5/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Last bottle, best bottle... 45 minutes in decanter and it blossomed. Big and full but soft, a lovely mature Margaux. A treat to drink.

4/3/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Serviceable but forgettable... kind of routine, won't win any awards. Not a buyer.

4/1/2024 - seijaro wrote:

I'd be reluctant to put my name on this label. Not much here, just red and way overpriced. Never again.

3/30/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A lovely Gewurtz, apricots in the nose and the taste. Sweet but not overly, great fun to drink with Quiche.

3/29/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Want some red alcohol and only have 20 bucks to spend? Here ya go!

3/29/2024 - seijaro wrote:

I guess we're just not Beaujolais drinkers, it left us cold. Kind of thin and a bit austere.

3/27/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Another nondescript blend trading on the parent name. If you are tempted to buy it, walk down to the other end of the shelf and look for either Conundrum or Educated Guess red blends, both are better at half the price.

5/14 Another bottle, 89 with 90 minutes in decanter.

3/26/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Trading on the Duckhorn reputation, not worth $40 by a long shot. Rather a nondescript red that has a bit of a tang to it. For a red blend we MUCH prefer Conundrum or Educated Guess at half the price. Certainly won't buy more.

3/24/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Not much there, it tastes like Cabernet but that's about all.

3/23/2024 - seijaro wrote:

Not much here... a nondescript Cab that should have been better. Oh well.

3/22/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A lovely Pinot, more Burgundian than the CA fruit bombs we usually drink (and love). Pure, clean Pinot tastes, we got the cherry DENISONTB here suggested. Not cheap but a fair price for this lovely wine, will buy a few more.

3/21/2024 - seijaro wrote:

We drank a lot of Molly back in the day, especially Blue Eyed Boy and Carnival of Love. When the couple who owned it divorced, he left and the wines fell off a cliff for us so we quit buying it. I bought this today out of curiosity, was sorry I did.

3/20/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Pretty nice but faded... soft flavors with no overt character, just a mild pleasant red.

3/19/2024 - seijaro wrote:

What a beauty! So big, yet smooth and well knit. I could drink this one every day.

5/11/24 Clearly an off-bottle... austere, very little flavor despite 90 minutes in decanter. Too bad.

3/17/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

Wow, what a surprise! A 39-year-old cellar orphan, a low-end Cab when bought, and still excellent, as good as it ever was in its day. Nice nose, good color, too. Another testament to perfect storage.
Some may wonder how I have so many oldies left undrunk... it happens several ways: one is you drink 8 or 9 bottles of a case and kind of get tired of it, so put the last two or three on a bottom shelf. Another is that it's just not as good as you thought when you bought it. A third is that it's really good and you save a couple to have with company, then forget about them. A fourth is that you get other stuff you like a lot more, so every time you browse for dinner you pass it up in favor of the new ones. The result is I probably have 20 or more orphans left down there that I bring up now and then not expecting much, am surprised when they are good like this one.

3/15/2024 - seijaro Likes this wine:

My 2019 tasting note was right on the money... It's the Chateauneuf recipe done New World style: much bigger and fuller than a French CDP, yet smooth as silk. What a treat!

3/10/2024 - seijaro wrote:

What a waste of money! We didn't get much taste even when it finally opened after two hours. Big, but tasted like a generic red. At least I can lay my curiosity about Carmenere to rest, as I did with Malbec. On that basis, I guess it was worth it. We will stay home with CA wines at reasonable prices.