Pam Hoadley

9.9

Love this easy drinking wine. Once it opens up, you can drink it right down! Only $21 at Indian Land liquor store. — 4 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.3

No new-ish notes tonight, except that at ~2 years since our prior bottle, the alcohol heat has considerably subsided, also chocolate+fig+cigar box now in the nose. Decanted 3h.
Paired to Allen Bros. tenderloin tails, grilled to a beautiful 130°F (55°C), smashed new potatoes from our garden and local, mid-season sweet corn (it's the best time of the year to enjoy corn).

I now suggest this wine (2013) can hold, in proper storage, until 2028-33 until a very good drinking window.

Prior notes:
45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Franc & 5% Petit Verdot

Color is deep plum, like totally opaque, but a beautiful semi-translucent blackberry color at the edge of the glass.

Nose is liquor of cassis, some noticable heat from the alcohol (14.5%), plum juice, light oak.
Palate is very smooth, dusty plum, blackberry, blueberry skin, mocha, coffee bean; tannins are still grippy, finish is about 45s.

Generally a very nice bottle, we bought this in March '18, just getting to it tonight finally. Very impressed by this effort, light years ahead of the entry level Balbo wines. We only ever came across this once, $35 was a solid buy, and hands down my favorite Balbo wine to date. — 5 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.1

Needs a 15 minute decant. A bit simple on open. Then a hint of bitterness rounds out the delicious soft plummy fruit. Some spice. Great Tuesday night wine. It has the joyous fruit you want but good balance and some geekiness.

Some lilac liquor as this opens.

Ana amazing bottle of wine for the price

Ok. Maybe it needs 45 minutes. I can’t decide if this is a truly great wine that is a tad flawed or a unique wine that is just different t. Either way to even be having this conversation about $20ish wine is crazy. These guys are masterful winemakers.

Bought from fass selections — 6 years ago

David D

9.1

Lots of leather and tannins. Dried flowers, prune, cranberry, mineral and nicely saline. From Glass Half Full (Ptown liquor store on Commercial St.) — 6 years ago

Dawn E.

9.2

This is a gorgeous wine...violet in color with medium body and tannins. Blueberries..cherry liquor..chocolate..cedar..smoke...blackpepper..clove and vanilla! I let this decant for an hour..I am not sure but I think this is my first Merlot...What's not to like!! — 7 years ago

Nancy Luxon

8.9

Yum! Nice notes of dark fruit and spice. Buy again. Good everyday. Liquor Boy. — 8 years ago

K. Syrah

9.0

2010. 9.0-9.1. Good for older Bordeaux fix, but lacks fruit to be great. Glycerin, minerals, some pencil lead come through at expense of muted blue and black fruits and moderate, integrated tannins. Little/no acid or tartness to round it all out. Certainly interesting but unlikely to gain what it needs over time. $74 at Liquor Outlet. — 4 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Ripe cherry, strawberry, kirsch liquor, dried herbs, lavender & violets. — 5 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.4

Old Nebbiolo will make you cry. Either because it’s no good or because it’s so amazing it’s life changing. Fortunately tonight is category two. This has the texture of very good burgundy. Sweet sweet cherry fruit. A hint of spice. Nicely dense. Nose has cherry flowers and pine. Has at least another ten years ahead of it.

As this opens more dense cherry liquor. Crazy palate coat. Just a cherry Nuke bomb. Internal aromatics are sweet rose juice. Some rose on the nose.

Bought from fass selections. — 6 years ago

Personal Fowl

9.2

An excellent dinner at the Clove Club in London- finished off with a dessert that explodes with 2 parts Fernet Branca and 1 part Briottet Liquor de Menthe. Wow. — 6 years ago

Sam Agami

10

Wow, old school perfection! California wine from a forgotten age. Pure Italian-American greatness. Reminds me of the wine my childhood landlord would make from the vines that grew behind our house just upstate from NYC. Dark fruits abundant, soft acidity and tanins, nice touch of oak, without obscuring the graps as so many California wineries are obsessed with doing for some reason these days. Found this at a random liquor store on a road trip, will seek it out now. Even better than the Cribari Chianti or Coppola Rosso, which were my previous favorite in this genre, the wonderfully underappreciated "backyard" wine... — 6 years ago

KDouglas

9.0

Smooth, clean. Gets you messed up.... — 7 years ago

David D

9.1

Medium bodied, light acidity, mellow tannins, leather, currants, cherry, raspberry. From Provincetown liquor store. — 7 years ago

Naomi P.R.

9.5

Bought a bottle after tasting at D'Vines (as usual). Lovely, balanced, yummy, casual. Ripe raspberry, a touch of clove. Will certainly repurchase and enjoy this, summer or winter. Screw cap — lasts beautifully in the fridge for 3+ days. — 4 years ago

Emma Gill

9.3

O'Brien's
Light, refreshing — 5 years ago

Mike Viscosi

9.7

Great recommendation from a guy at Lisa’s liquor barn! — 6 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.3

Nose has blackberry liquor, mellow toasty oak, blueberry mash and light, ripe black cherry.

Palate has over-ripe blackberry, fresh black cherry, charred oak sawdust, dark chocolate powder, light anise and blueberry-black currant juice.

Tannins are mostly non-existent, perfect spot. WS had this pegged at a 2013-2018 drinking window, would have liked to try this a year ago, but we generally don't touch Zinfandel with less than 6-8+ years of bottle age, need mellowing time. Anyone holding this bottle, could do so easily until 2020-21. What a focused, sexy wine... — 6 years ago

Gregory Fulchiero

9.3

Buttered pecan, walnut liquor, raisin and mushroom. Sweeter and with less bite than other styles of sercial. A delight — 6 years ago

Allie Wiley

9.7

Velvet fruity with a buttery vanilla finish is the best way to describe this. Too bad it’s a limited batched. I’m going to buy the rest from my local liquor store. — 7 years ago

David D

9.0

On the lighter side of medium bodied. Lots of juicy acid, bright cherries, cranberry, light tea, dried violets. From Provincetown liquor store. — 7 years ago