Lori K

9.3

Well balanced, tons of fruit, low acid, buttery, very pleasant with cheese and crackers — 5 years ago

Simon Gilligan

9.6

Beautiful black/red fruit mix. Medium to full bodied with an amazing chocolate that cycles through in waves. Lightly spiced/herbs, each taste brings something different forward. The tannin is gorgeous - fine but well-defined. Great density across the lot but still light, fresh and balanced. Would love to have tried this over a few nights - but it was gone in a couple of hours. — 6 years ago

Kim Sharpton

9.0

Fundraiser dinner with Jack & Barrie — 7 years ago

Samantha Winters

9.0

Juicy. Full nose. Licorice — 7 years ago

Richard Pfirman

9.4

One of the best Merlots I have tried. Really enjoyed this wine. — 7 years ago

Beth@bfoleyconsulting.com

9.2

Interesting innovative wine maker. Organic cycles of stars sun etc. sassy blend Medium to fill body. Low tans smooth lasting finish Blend of Syrah Grenache and cab franc Chez Moi in Chicago. — 8 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.0

The winemaker calls this wine “blueberry motor oil that will stain your soul.” He also advises that you not spill any on your shirt.
A Central Coast appellation, the Cycles Gladiator Petite Sirah hits 14.8% abv and sells for a pretty incredible $11. The wine spent 15 months in oak, half new American and half neutral.
This is a dark wine, very dark, non-porous dark. There is no light getting through this indigo pour at all. Loads of blueberry smells jump right out, followed by abundant oak spices. A little smoky and savory angle sneaks through at the edge of the glass. The wine is very easy to drink, with fine tannins and beautiful dark-fruit flavor laced with that oak effect.
— 9 years ago

David Kline

8.9

Malty, raisin and treacle nose. Spritzy, cola and dark toast, coffee and burnt brownie flavors. Big ABV, but not hot and heavy. — 10 years ago

with Courtney

Adam Kincaid

9.1

Sho-nuf I like my chateauneuf! Wild, floral, but muscular and strong.

Usually, I try to pay attention during wine tastings, but honestly a lot of the time I am just imagining how well I would do in American Gladiators. Especially the early 90s version. (When I was a young and impressionable kid.)

I thought Malibu was an idiot and I knew I could take him out in the jousting competition, though I was certain Nitro would bash my head in with a pipe pretty quickly. Diamond... she scared me. The intense lipstick reminded me of some horrible creature of the night in search of blood. I preferred Lace. In fact, I really preferred Lace. (The first version: Marisa Pare. Not the later Lace played by Natalie Lennox Merritt.) I imagine the reason I have a penchant for wild tangled hair now is because of my infatuation with American Gladiator Lace when I was 4-7 years old. When I was younger, I would often imagine battling with Lace. As the events got more intense she would throw herself on top of me in frustration and we'd roll down the gladiator pyramid, making out in a heap of sexual energy and wild animalistic thrusting.

But I digress.

This wine smells like Lace. — 5 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.3

Been a fan of this cuvee since it's inception. To me, this is about as close as Aussie riesling gets to its German counterpart. Neither a good or bad thing, but I love that link between two countries I adore in this wine. That said, this was one of the best Aussie rieslings I've had all year.

German inspired methods on Western Australian fruit. From Frankland Estate's website:

All riesling grapes are harvested as cool as possible and pressed immediately, slow press cycles allow for soft and long extraction. Blocks and picks are kept separate and some juice from most blocks is fermented in barrel format for interest and comparison purposes. Picking decisions are made on ripeness and fruitfulness, with the main aim of working with natural balance yet intentionally look for greater ripeness with this wine and as a result greater degree of phenolic influence and texture. Juice is sent to tank to settle overnight (without enzyme or any additions). A cloudy juice is run to a combination of 1000ltr and 500ltr barrels. Fermentation is spontaneous and temperature controlled to some degree but temperature range is generally higher than tank fermentations. Post fermentation barrels are topped and left un-sulphured through to spring time quite often if residual sugars are high fermentation will be left to start again in spring as juice warms. Sulphur will be introduced when a decision is made on the vitality/fruitfulness of the wine and residual sugar is seen to be in balanced with the wine. Wine was left in barrel for 10 months (January).

The resulting wine is textural, spicy, and generous. Doesn't quite have the extract of German rieslings, but there's length, balance, and most importantly, it's uniquely its own wine. I feel that the provenance of the fruit shines through all that winemaking - that crunchy fruit-first with more green apple/citrus than stone fruits, steeliness, and light whiff of smoke/petrol. It's also remarkably clean for a barrel-treated wine (say compared to Koehler-Ruprecht or JB Becker). Enough with the rant because the takeaway is that it's delicious! — 6 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Really complex nose that cycles through all manner of fruit: pear, mango (says my daughter Emma), orange oil, peach, banana. Even a whiff of mint leaves. Deep stony minerality underlying it all. Rich, warm and pure in the mouth. No great length or complexity on the palate, but loads of character and fun. — 8 years ago

Lori K

9.5

Great nose with strong black pepper and currants. The taste is smooth, rich blend with lots of plum. Great sweeter finish with vanilla aftertaste. Tasted against cycles gladiator, and liked this one slightly better, — 8 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.1

The wine shows a medium straw color in the glass and smells really beautiful. The nose displays ripe nectarines and a hint of lemon wearing a shawl of oak spice. The wood definitely makes itself known, but it is a pleasant presence. Flavors are juicy and ripe, too, with that oak touch adding a bit of heft without getting carried away. It has me wanting a piece of broiled fish or some roasted potatoes to go with it. — 9 years ago

tim heyman

9.1

very good understated cycles between lemon then grass then tarragon with citric aftertaste costco special offer to snap up — 5 years ago

Seth Pelletier

9.1

Baked blueberry pie with spice. — 6 years ago

Lori K

9.2

Great cherry chocolate flavor. Low acid, very drinkable — 7 years ago

Kim Tobin

9.2

This could be my favorite rose! I agree, it’s mild, “ grass like” then some sweetness but still on the dry side! — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.8

2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣

🗞 Y2K 🐜 🤣, Blockbuster not buy Netflix 🤣, Concord 😢, PS2 🕹, DotCom 💥📉
🎵 Oops! I Did It Again, Stan, Who let the 🐶 out
🎥 X-Men, Cast Away, Erin Brockovich, Gladiator
🗣 I have nipples Greg, could you milk me?
🌍 6.09B

Pink Pinot Porn 💗

The steamy finessed intricate pink bubbles tease you as they dance around the glass hypnotising you to take a sip of the deep clear amber, shining copper & salmon love juice. The nose seduces with a powerful floral cherry red berry smokey soil leafy peachy brioche mist. Helplessly your palette succumbs to a smooth rich strawberry peach & red berry biscuity mousse caress that teases you to take another as the kiss lingers on and on. I thought the 96 pink DP was hot but this is X-rated! Drank in a Zalto Burgundy glass & decanted.

Divine! 😍 — 7 years ago

Andrew Young

9.5

Brilliant wine; jammy; sweet; lots of body and good mouth feel; perfect with BBQ ribs and brisket. — 8 years ago

Michael Horkay

9.2

The 89 is fully integrated and the training wheels are off. This is a monster of a wine that should drink well for at least 4 more election cycles. Bright berry notes with coffee and clove. A touch of ash as well. — 10 years ago