Matt Trader

9.7

Now, THIS is a Shiraz! (Get it? A little Dundee for ya)
Outstanding wine from an incredible vintner in Barossa - truly dedicated to only producing the best of what their vineyards can offer, or nothing at all. Their wines pay true homage to Rhône, with every bit of the sparky personality of Australia. This is a co-fermented Shiraz/Viognier blend, that pours tar like into the glass. The aromatics jettison out of the bowl - black tea, smoked blackberry jam, jasmine, applewood smoked beef belly, luxardo cherry juice, duck fat, lavender, and sandalwood on an incredibly complex nose. The pallet is dense, chewy and silky at the same time, with tight knit structure - exhibiting notes of sweet cherries, smokey flint, vanilla, black plum, fresh rosemary, and a finish that lingers for minutes. Truly an expression of Syrah, but to give it respect for the name Australia has given it.. one of the best Shiraz I've had. Thanks to Matt, the VP of wine sales from Torbreck for this super last minute event! — 7 years ago

Shawn R

10

Textbook perfect. No edge to be found. Applewood, graphite and plum sauce spark the nose. Tannins are so plush and supple. Amazing concentration and balance. Berries and cherries build the backbone, on the front of the palate reveals this plum reduction, vanilla flower while brewing a spent cigar on the backside. Mid palate I get this sweet flavor, not overwhelming, of red currant and ripe fruit. Finish comes in fine style and is a head turner of violets and cassis. Stunner of a wine. — 8 years ago

Seth Potter

9.2

Smoked meats on the nose. Dark cherries on the palate. Paired with Kelly Briglio's "The Standard" burger. 6oz grass fed beef wrapped in smoked applewood bacon with Piquillo peppers & chipotle Chile ketchup, roast garlic & grainy mustard aioli, local tomato, shaved onion mixed greens on an artisan burger roll. — 9 years ago

with Tina, Saul and 1 other

David Kline

9.5

2014 has come to fruition!! Brown sugar beaches awash in maple nut, peach stone, amarula fruit and cinnamon bread aromas knitted tightly with golden malt thread. Perfect texturally, velvety brown sugar, cedar, sweet tobacco, vanilla bean, chocolate milk, vanilla extract on applewood. The full spectrum! — 9 years ago

with Courtney

Peter N

8.9

1984-not perfectly kept, but captivating nonetheless. Aromas of charred applewood, maple and cigar box. Light and lean with minimal tannin and a slight suggestion of fruit. Longish. — 10 years ago

with Kimberly

Bjørn Rostad

9.1

Excellent whiskey. Paired with 5 strips of smoked applewood bacon. — 10 years ago

with Cate

Yianni Stone

9.5

Black olive, old cedar, wooded blackberry patch, sugarcane, applewood roasted pork. #americanclassic — 11 years ago

with Haley and Roo

Jennifer Fagerty Pinto

9.0

Zehner liked this one — 11 years ago

Sean Lynch

9.6

Oregon Pinot. Applewood smoked bacon. I can die now. — 11 years ago

Bill Carroll

10

Opened 2+ hours in a decanter. Sweet leather, tobacco. Cherry skin, ripe black cherry, rustic orange peel. Brown and orange secondary colors mesh perfectly with the settled red center. Great age. Medium bodied. Lovely elegance. Applewood smoked bacon. Acidity has relaxed over time. Drinking really well. — 8 years ago

with Randall

Shawn R

9.4

@David L what an awesome bottle, thanks for gifting this to us. Hour decant and hang on. Blended so well, the Cab Franc is not overwhelming. On the nose it reminiscent of a Bordeaux tarry and applewood. So pretty. Hefty and grippy on the front of the palate with the tannins showing no sign of bottle age, yet the acidity balances it out well. Fig, blackberry pie and dates fill the mouth. Finish is soft and refined-I get a note of chalk and iron. Thanks again @David L ! — 8 years ago

David Kline

9.1

Slight funk to the burnt rubber, that turns lemongrass and crab apple aromatically. A fresh, split applewood ensues with a hint of whiskey-caramel. Palate wise paw paw and soursop give way to sour green apple and candied lemon peel, a molasses moment that turns smoked honey but returns to a lemon oil. Great for a reasonably priced wine! — 9 years ago

with Courtney

Nicole Marie

9.0

One of my Favs — 9 years ago

Adam Jesberger

9.7

Modern style. Ripe fruit, lots of dark chocolate and lush black plum. Great acid and length with complex applewood like oakiness. So good. — 9 years ago

with Jenelle

Adam Jesberger

9.7

For the price point, this wine rocks the house. This is absolutely just beyond delicious for 30$. Id buy cases of this if they were available, but they're not, for a reason. Jammy brambly fruit, blueberries, elderberry and raspberry preserves with nutmeg, pepper, caraway seed and a cedar almost applewood like finish. I am blown away truly. — 10 years ago

Tiffany Dearborn

9.3

Smooth and delicious. Perfect pairing with fresh baked Bear Cafe bread and grass fed filet mignon with Stilton blue cheese, mashed potatoes, and roasted Brussel sprouts with applewood smoked bacon. -2012 vintage ...celebrating our 13th anniversary! — 10 years ago

Gerry Baker

9.1

Dark berries, pie crust, smoked applewood, fresh violet and clay — 10 years ago

Susanne Judith

10

Crisp and sweet — 11 years ago

TheOrganicsLife

9.7

Very crisp and fresh — 11 years ago

Eric Hiatt

9.8

23 yr old bowmore. Cognac leather tones in the light. Bouquet of fireplace, forest floor and applewood. Gorgeous toffee in the introduction yields to sapid iodine and sea smoke. — 12 years ago

Shawn R

9.4

Extremely under the radar PN produced by @Michael Zardo. So expressive and fine tuned. Slight game and earthy notes on the nose. So old world. Love it. Rush of acidity on the front of the palate followed by an expressive black cherry element. The finish, light, yet focused brings a drying mouth applewood flare. — 8 years ago

Anthony Auger

9.4

Fresh butter and applewood on the nose. Tastes like strawberry lemonade. Finish is like clementine juice. Great sparkling to for our first boat ride of the year! — 8 years ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.3

Cedar, applewood, iron, smoke, tannin, black currant, black cherry, ripe, but not sweet. Absolutely killer for $20 on blowout. — 8 years ago

Nicole Marie

10

My ultimate fav! — 9 years ago

Rick Z

9.1

Drinking very nicely on a beautiful evening around the fire pit with chicken and pears with butter, honey and Blue cheese, smoked on the green egg with a little Applewood! Bordeaux through and through with some berries still coming through, and very well balanced. Yummy. — 9 years ago

with Jeff, Mike and 3 others

David Kline

9.3

Violets, blue and blackberry, pepper, baked strawberry, applewood, warm black earth, apple pie and mincemeat spice, magnolia and pungent tropical flowers flourish on a broken pencil finish. Tannins articulate a natural, amorphous refinement, surfacing in unpredictable quadrants. Like fog rising from a dense pine forest, unpredictably. — 10 years ago

with Courtney

Matt Duncan

9.2

Dark cherry, alfalfa, applewood. Round but short progression. — 10 years ago

Jenelle Griles

9.0

Not usually a Red Wine drinker but this is so good! Not dry or bitter but not sweet either! Purchased from a wine trail visit during the fall; I WILL be ordering more😉 — 10 years ago

David Kline

9.0

CDP meets merlot. Buttered roll with herbal peppermint breath. Smoke and applewood, vanilla on the grill atop toasty peanut butter and melted butter. Definitely a very different Merlot! Grippy smoky almost stemmy green tannins, with a burnt edge. Almost St Joseph-esque. Really big fruit tannins emerge, but the smoke
and the oak don't stop! Smoky the Boer! — 11 years ago

with Courtney

Marsha Wright

9.7

Yummy. Smooth and Creamy. Mmmm. From Belvedere French Part 1 Pairing. Served with Salad Lyonnaise (poached egg, applewood bacon and mustard dressing) with our dinner (3-8) Chicken Tikka (Food and Wine cookbook) — 11 years ago