Sean Thomas

8.9

Stored a few bottles, but had to pop one of the current release. Deep ruby in color. Dark fruits and spice on the nose. Not as tannin heavy as I expected. BlackBerry, clove, baking spices on the palate. Super black jam on the finish. Recently drank the 12 vintage, needs a couple years to mature for complexity. — 8 years ago

Mike Bennett

9.2

Heavy vanilla smell and taste. Better after letting it breathe — 8 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.5

Deep ruby red. A little savory on the nose with tons of red and black cherries as well as a little baking spices. Heavy mountain tannins (8/10) and full bodied. Great layers on the palate with bramble berries, black cherries, and a bit woody. Balanced acidity and intense structure. Nice texture with a bit of gravel in the long finish. Drink till 2042. — 9 years ago

with India

Kellie Northcutt

10

Love the richness, heavy on the berry flavor. — 9 years ago

James Cherrick

9.6

A special treat. Dry & heavy. Loved it. — 9 years ago

Eric

9.5

Intense dark fruit. Dense and heavy- a couple of years will do this some good. If you like needing a spoon to drink your wine than this is for you. — 10 years ago

Michaiah Alford

8.9

$9.99 at Kroger; easy to drink and not too heavy. Went well with our spaghetti! — 10 years ago

Sean Ballington

9.2

Heavy chalk nose. Integrated and balanced
— 10 years ago

David MacMillan

8.9

Not quite sure what to make of this wine after 3 attempts (which probably means I should put it down for a while)......all chocolate, all the time .....begins very juicy, becomes quite heavy after an hour or so.... I can see why this would be a winery that would get people into wine......fun to drink at the end of the night....but reasonably straightforward. — 10 years ago

Matthew Davis

8.9

Really strong, concentrated, sweet, fruit explosion, heavy alcohol. — 11 years ago

with Navin and Rivka

Matt

9.2

I dig these wines. I feel like they capture the power and ripeness one expects from a valley floor site but without feeling heavy or over extracted. There’s a sense of place, a finesse that runs through it. Fresh, perfectly ripe black fruit, almost hinting at red, shines. Spice driven, in the savory sense. Somewhat exotic. There’s a very pleasant “green” note that operates at just enough threshold to keep you guessing without being overt or obvious, it comes across as, again, savory. For the vintage the tannins seem rather subdued, persistent but very fine, textural. Been fortunate to try a couple wines from this estate with age and they are always beautiful. — 8 years ago

Clive McNish

9.1

Very smooth Zinfandel, high alcohol but no burn and very smooth tannins. Colour is purple and rich and smells of jam, toffee and spice. Great taste and heavy fruit combined with vanilla, winter spices and menthol. Really nice wine, well worth trying. — 8 years ago

Benjamin Lehrhoff

9.0

Real good. Not to heavy but lots of flavor. — 9 years ago

Rick Baumgarten

9.0

Dark and opaque. Earthy nose. Unusually heavy and thick for a Pinot, particularly a Cali Pinot. Give this at least two hours in decanter. — 9 years ago

with Lauren

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Tasted this alongside the Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon from Mount Veeder. Both incredible wines but this one just had a bit more of a punch to it. Dark ruby purplish red. Insanely tight to start on the nose with some raspberries. Developed some earthy tones like truffles and mushrooms with a few hours in the glass. Not as fruity as the Mt. Brave and pretty tight with some austere mountain berries. Heavy tannins (8/10) and full bodied. Definitely needs some time to fully balance out. Long and dry finish. Very impressive and everything coats the glass. Drink from 2017 till 2036. — 9 years ago

with Sean and India

Marlon Hodges

9.3

Marlon had this 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Ripe juicy peach, apricots, dry pineapple, mixed nuts, a toffee quality but not heavy (toffee light), syrupy honey. Seriously long finish. There are a lot of really nice Sauternes out there but there is only one king. — 10 years ago

Geoff Troup

Sales Eder Brothers, Cellar Fine Wines

9.2

Great cab. Not too heavy but great layers of flavor. Don't decant! This guy is ready to go right out of the bottle. — 10 years ago

Niki Phillips

10

Hello deliciousness! New favorite wine, don't let the heavy bottle fool you into thinking there's more wine than expected in the bottle though! — 11 years ago

with Lisa

Brandon Woo

9.6

Oak heavy-ish nose but not over oak ish. Oaky heavy ish tongue but not overly oak ish. Gentle tongue and medium finish. — 13 years ago

David Burke

8.9

Full bodied but not heavy. — 8 years ago

Freddy Cicerchia

9.3

The wine is so balanced and elegant. Wonderful tangy blackberry and black fruit - very focused without being over extracted and heavy. Just a delight!🍷 — 8 years ago

Dario Tolone

9.3

a child. smoth and heavy. will be a big one... — 8 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Tasted side by side with the 2013 Lineage. Tough battle but bottle age has definitely helped this bottling. Mix of deep garnet and ruby red. Straight from opening there were lots of savory elements mixed in with red and black berries. Some floral notes too like roses. As it opened up over the two hour period there was petroleum, dark cocoa and cinnamon. Over the evening, additional notes of dark ripe fruits and even more spices, even slightly savory ones. So balanced for how young this is. Started out with heavy tannins (8/10) but mellowed and rounded out to a solid moderate tannins (6.5/10) over the two and a half hour decant. Rounded medium plus body that will develop further with time. Started off with some darker cherries and light greenery with a bit of leather. Even a bit of spices. Great acidity giving this strong backbone and a semi-dry long finish. This will be singing given another five years and drink will over the next twelve. Tons of potential and very surprised by this caliber of wine coming out of Livermore Valley. Great job Steven! — 9 years ago

with Sean and India

Aaron Imholt

9.0

A delicious, complex and full fruit wine with a heavy body and a long finish. Everyone loved it but were all surprised it was a Pinot. Each to a person thought it a Merlot. — 10 years ago

Karen Tate

9.3

Nice fruit with a hint of spice (not hot). Yummy. Not too heavy. — 10 years ago

Aron Caruso

9.2

Really enjoyed this. Heavy vanilla and oak. Reminded me of circus peanuts in a good way. I love this f*in wine. Wish it wasn't $40/bottle. — 10 years ago

Mark Royer

9.1

A bit heavy on the oak but full and rich — 10 years ago

M

9.2

Cinnamon, currant, licorice, and leather on the nose. Tart black cherry flavor with a little smoke. Smooth, heavy body, long finish. — 11 years ago

with Diane and Jesse

Ben Harris

8.9

Big heavy red. Need some red meat with this guy. — 11 years ago

with Nelson