3/11/2024 - PDXWineO wrote:

No official not but this was fantastic. It’s in a perfect spot so don’t feel guilty opening one.

3/3/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

No official notes but this wine was in a perfect spot. No reason to hold unless you want more tertiary flavors.

3/2/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

No Official note but this wine was fantastic!

3/1/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

The 2014 McGah is in a perfect drinking window. The tannins were dusty and balanced perfectly with the fruit. I wish I had more.

2/24/2024 - PDXWineO wrote:

What an incredible Rosso. Popped and did a short decant sharing with a large group. These wines feel quite Burgundian with a great balance of fruit and tannins. The 16 was ready to drink shortly after I decanted but did improve over time.

2/18/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

This wine was in a perfect spot. Fruit and tertiary notes balanced perfectly. I wish I had more of these.

2/18/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

The Thomas bottle variation was very present in this one and I will not be giving it a rating. This 15 was much lighter than the other 15s I've opened. I couldn't tell if there was a flaw but it was much different than previous 2015s.

2/18/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

No Official notes but this was a big wine. It did not have as much fruit as I hoped for but the typical Cayuse funk was very present.

2/16/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Opened this at the end of the night as a pop and pour. It was very good but for the next bottle I will definitely decant.

2/16/2024 - PDXWineO wrote:

This bottle was dead. Not sure if it just didn't have any life left or if there was a flaw. It wasn't corked and didn't taste like heat damage.

2/16/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

At 12 years old this VHR is in the perfect drinking window. The fruit and tannins are perfectly balanced and some tertiary flavors are starting to show. I don't see this bottle getting better but it should stay in this drinking window for quite some time.

2/2/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

I see a few "drink now" comments and I disagree. Maybe there is some bottle variation but after opening this last night I do not feel this wine needs to be consumed sooner than later. We let the wine develop in the glass and over a couple hours it really opened up with fruit, casis, olive and a great blend of tannin and acid. Like I said before, I don't feel this is in a need to drink now state and should hold well in its current state for a few years.

2/2/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

No official notes but at the $50 I paid for this it's tough to beat!

2/2/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Very good wine. Super extracted with an overwhelming flavor of chocolate. It was worth the $185 I paid for it but not worth what Mike and Leah are charging now.

1/27/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Took to an Italian restaurant and the 16 was ready to go without the need of any decant. Fruit and tannins are fully integrated and the wine is incredibly smooth. I was actually surprised by how the tannins were so soft, maybe the vintage? Based on how this bottle didn’t need much air to be ready I’m not sure how well it will age. I have some older Red Caps and will be checking in on those soon.

1/21/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

I have always liked the CVR and this 2017 was exceptionally good. Tannins and fruit are very well balanced and the 14.8% doesn't really show itself. I was quite impressed how this bottle has aged.

1/18/2024 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Better than the last one I opened in August 2021. Filled out a bit and seems more structured. Might be coming out of hibernation which means I will hold my last bottle for at least a year.

12/25/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

This was good for a bad vintage but not the typical full bodied with amazing texture Bevan Cabernet. We decanted for 5 hours and then drank over 2 more. The Tench stayed good throughout the evening without an issue of falling apart. I have a couple other of Bevans 17s and will drink these before I dive into the 16s and 15s I have.

12/17/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

No Official notes. Tasted in a blind and it came in second to a Fairchild.

12/3/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Very much a fruit forward wine but not over the top. The tannins and heat have calmed down quite a bit since I last tried this wine creating a great balance. I feel like this wine is in a perfect drinking window.

12/1/2023 - PDXWineO wrote:

No official notes but in terms of a quality price ratio this is tough to beat!

11/19/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

This is a much lower rating than what I expected before trying the To Kalon. The one thing I will give Realm on this bottle is that it was not a fruit bomb. It was integrated well with fruit and tannins but something was missing for me. It felt thin and it was not the complex wine I was hoping for. There was no wow effect and I certainly do not feel it's worth the $380-$450 on secondary market. I don't know if this bottle will improve or not but I'm in no rush to pop another one. Fingers crossed it improves over time.

11/18/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Incredible bottle of Barolo. The style on the Villero is more Burgundian with an elegance that I have not had in a Barolo. I started the decant at 930AM and it wasn't until about 9PM when the bottle showed it's full potential. It started off very light with great acid and tension and as it opened up the fruit showed up and created a perfect balance and texture. If you're going to drink one of these now, make sure to give it a massive decant.

11/17/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

This bottle is in a perfect drinking window. Fruit and acid has completely balanced with a great texture on the palate. I wish I had more of these.

11/13/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

No official notes but this is a very good champagne that I feel hits above its weight class.

11/13/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

A good amount of oak with baking spices taking over the palate. Reminded me more of a Cali pinot than Oregon.

10/20/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Incredible! Fruit and tanning perfectly balanced and the tertiary flavors are really kicking in at this point with mushroom and forest floor. I wish I had more of these. If you want more tertiary notes, hold, if you want more fruit, drink now as it is transitioning away from the fruit.

10/20/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Big Fruit but at 13.5 it's not overpowering. These will hold for a long time so no rush to drink now.

10/8/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

This was a pop and pour but we did decant while consuming over about 2 hours. This bottle was incredible. The integration of fruit and tertiary flavors was perfect along with a great texture. I only have 1 left and will hold off on opening for a few years. The 13s finally showed up!

10/6/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

At 13 years this wine has held up very well. Still has some bright red fruit but is moving quite a bit more into the tertiary flavors. No need to hold these for much longer as I don't think it will be any better than it is now.

10/6/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

A very fruit forward wine but not overdone. This is a crowd pleaser for people who don't love tannin bombs but appreciate good fruit. Decanted and drank over 4 hours. Started off with dark fruit without much complexity but by the last taste it really opened up into some tertiary flavors and slightly more tannins. I will hold my next bottle for a few years.

9/30/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Decanted for about an hour before our first glass. This is a very fruit forward driven wine but not overwhelming. At four hours the wine was in it's best spot as the fruit settled down allowing some tertiary flavors to show up.

9/29/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Good bottle but lacked the complexity I was looking for and have got out of his 21s.

8/7/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

The 2011 Thomas is in a perfect drinking window. The tertiary notes are starting to come in but the cherry and strawberry fruits are still very present along with a gorgeous perfume. This should hold for another few years in its current state.

8/5/2023 - PDXWineO wrote:

At 10 years old this QC is in a great window. 2 hour decant was all it needed to reveal a perfect balance of tannin and black fruits. I have 1 left and will not be in a rush to pop it as the 13s should be able to stay in this window for years.

7/9/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Still one of the best QPRs in Napa Valley. Incredibly balanced with fruit and tannins. Can drink now or hold.

7/8/2023 - PDXWineO wrote:

Second time trying the Sage Ridge and I was disappointed. It did not have the fruit I typically expect from Bevan wines and had a weird aftertaste that I'm still trying to figure out. The wine also felt disjointed, maybe because it's too young? I have a few more and am going to consider selling them.

5/19/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Very light and elegant. This is the second bottle I've opened since November 2022 and I am still amazed at how light pinot is. I tried a 2011 not long ago and it was much more powerful. Maybe this is just in a dumb phase or this was the style John was going for. So far it's my least favorite Thomas Vintage.

5/19/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Decanted for about 45m but it needed much more. This 2010 has a long life ahead as it was drinking young last night. No official notes but I will be holding my last bottle for a while.

5/7/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Popped and poured at Carina Lounge. Was pretty tight at first but opened up as the night went on. Typical Bevan with Great texture, power and flavors.

5/5/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Incredible bottle after 12 years. Immediate notes of white pepper, cherry with great acidity. This bottle will continue to improve which means I'm holding my last bottle.

4/30/2023 - PDXWineO wrote:

For a 40 year old wine the Dunn was great. Still some fruit left but not much. Tertiary flavors are quite present including stewed fruit, tobacco and some black licorice. The tannins were still very present which was nice. After about 2 hours of being open the wine started to fade. Overall, a great old Napa Cabernet.

4/27/2023 - PDXWineO wrote:

No official notes but we all loved this wine. Lots of life left in this wine as it had plenty of energy at 13 years old.

4/14/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

At 12 years this bottle is drinking amazing. I did a pop and pour initially to check in on it's quality and was blown away by the massive tannins. Over the next hour the fruit showed up and balanced out the tannins. Such a great bottle, wish I had more.

4/9/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

It's always fun to pop an old Washington Cabernet, especially a Leonetti. The cork crumbled on me and the first nose of the wine made me think it might be corked. After about 15 minutes of sitting in the bottle it opened up and was alive. The fruit is still present but has mostly faded away. We left it in the bottle and at hour 2 the wine basically fell apart. I don't think there's a need to hold these much longer so drink up.

4/9/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Decanted for 5 hours and we were lucky we let it sit for that long because this thing was wound up until hour 5. The tannins were huge and then integrated with the dark fruits as the night went on. The 13s are still very tight which means I won't pop my next 2013 Cardinale for a couple more years.

4/8/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Popped and let sit in the bottle for about an hour and it was ready to drink. Had quite a bit more smoke and meaty flavors than I expected but this was the first time I've had a Heart Stone. No need to wait on these but I think it will stay in this tasting window for a couple years.

4/1/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

No official notes. Just an incredible bottle in a perfect drinking window right now. I wish I had more of these.

4/1/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

Popped and put in a decanter and let sit for about an hour. Wish we would have had more time because it didn't open up until hour 3. Out of the gate the oak was quite powerful with the flavor of green pepper right in your face. I have one more and will let it sit for a few years.

3/25/2023 - PDXWineO Likes this wine:

3 hour decant and this bottle was perfect. I've read the 2019s are approachable but wow, this one definitely was. The Quivet LPV is as hedonistic as one can get in Napa Valley. The tannins were gritty and in perfect harmony with the fruit. Based on how well it drank now I question its longevity but right now its just fantastic.