Dusty dark fruit in the aroma at first, then vanilla. Opens up to be rich and buttery, with a touch of char on the fruit, like burnt sugar. Over all well balanced with moderate tannins and respectable structure. A bit-read more-
With neighbors like Opus One and Rubicon, this was bound to be a keeper. Nose of cedar, anise, tobacco, and fresh leather. Flavors of blueberries, cassis, and chocolate with soft, well-integrated tannins. Velvety finish. Nice now, but will be even-read more-
If you live near a Costco you know where this is going. “Kirkland” is Costco’s proprietary brand for everything from soup to nuts (and I mean that literally). They market a “Kirkland Signature Wine Collection” whereby they slap their own-read more-
The ’09 is not yet released, but is an absolute stunner. Tasted at a lunch with several of Olivier’s wines, so used the ’07 (an exceptional year in many regions of Italy) as a comparison benchmark. The ’07 was made-read more-
Definite luscious cabernet in the nose, dusty earthy and some minty eucalyptus in both nose and flavor. Smooth mouthfeel. Lighter on end-palate and in finish. Firm structure and moderate, well-integrated tannins. I would recommend aerating and/or decanting before drinking—which I-read more-
A well-made wine that shows both component grapes off very favorably. Intriguing nose of cedar, blackcurrant, thyme, and allspice. Blossoms open on the palate (after about 15 minutes to breathe, perhaps longer) with gobs of ripe fruit ferrying cranberry and-read more-
A young five year old that only starts to show its stride after four hours of air, this offers plenty of promise for 2016 to 2020, and enjoyment now with a decanter and planning ahead. At first it was tight,-read more-
The Kathryn Kennedy Winery website candidly lists some of their wines as "past prime." Luckily, the 1997 offered by my new wine friend Danny had been cellared well, so it fit the promised drink/hold category. And I would put the-read more-