Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2023 pours a ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with an explosion of smoked blackberry pie, purple flowers, bacon fat, olive, black pepper, and subtle warm spices. On the palate the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose however, the wine finishes much more elegant than the nose would suggest. The bouquet might lead one to think this is possibly over the top. However, on the palate, it was far more elegant. Another vintage, another stunning Gonon. Drink now through 2043. — 9 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Mostly Zinfandel with less than 20% of other red varieties blended in. Dark ruby color. Intense aromatics of black currant/berry, black raspberry and plums. Same ripe fruits on the palate with additional flavors of black olive, basil, black pepper and baking spices. Long and lingering finish. Lively tannins and zesty acidity. Bold and powerful but not over the top. Good choice, Keith S! — 2 years ago

Mark Eastom

9.0

Love this wine and producer. Boysenberry, crushed rocks, fennel, pepper and great acid. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured from my cellar. The cork was absolutely perfect. The 2005 pours a rather turbid, deep garnet at nearly 17 years old. There's quite a bit of fine sediment that clings to the edge of the glass with each swirl. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, this was initially a bit grumpy but within minutes, it relaxed and started to show some real charm. A fully developed wine, this is becoming a bit of a Leather Daddy, full of leather (obviously), bruised and desiccated red, black and blue fruits, Christmas spice fruit cake, coffee, damp earth, and candied nuts. On the palate, the fruit remains quite stunning and confirms the mix of bruised and desiccated fruit with a sort of sherried character. Loads of salmiakki (salted licorice), spiced nuts, pepper, coffee and, you guessed it, leather. The wine was dry, technically, but almost gives the sensation of some RS with all of the over-ripe fruits and the texture was almost sappy, in some ways. However, while this was absolutely rich and well-endowed, it was not cloying. Tannins have fully integrated (though still present) and the acid was like a girdle keeping everything held together. This remains a rather large personality even if it's showing its age. Definitely in a lovely spot...but how much longer will that last? If this wasn't my last bottle, I would probably be drinking these over the next five years unless you want the full Leather Daddy experience...which is okay if that's your thing. — 5 years ago

Mark Eastom

8.9

Drinking way above CDR. Pepper, spice, ash, earth, boysenberry, chalk, anise, dried herbs, ripe plum and a great soft finish. Worked great with the ribeye. — 7 years ago

Paul J

9.3

Steve G's Retirement Celebration!! — 9 years ago

with Steve

Keith Herrick

9.3

Great wine! Screams Loire cab franc, but on another level. Made the mistake of not giving it time to breath, as the first sip was overly green with bell pepper and paprika. By the end of the glass the green had become largely integrated with the fruit. The transparency of these wines is unmatched in the grape. — 10 years ago

Kapyrick Wine

9.5

V13. Very good today, great tomorrow! Very nice cedar bouquet, deep blackberry and plum fruit with a spicy and very slight green pepper finish . Wine is really good today , but there is a slight "newness" that will eventually round out. Enjoyable dinner wine. — 11 years ago

John Harding

9.5

Vanilla and spice nose. Well rounded berry flavor with hints of spice. Long satisfying finish. Great wine. Had it in Austin for New Years. — 12 years ago

with Jenny

Ron Siegel

9.4

Perfumed nose that is floral & silky showing dark fruits, smoked meat, olive, pepper, licorice, graphite & violets — 9 months ago

Matt Waring

8.9

Really nice Crozes with those pepper and bacon notes you expect but plush black fruit forward too. Quite tight — I got the real experience at 2.5 hours open. — 9 months ago

Rhonely Boy

9.1

Very yummy red fruit with pepper & garrigue.

Enjoyed pre-Pageant of the Masters. — 3 years ago

David D

9.1

Pelaverga, always a favorite. Smooth and silky, pretty velvety tannins, good minerals, brambles, dried violets, plum, black pepper, light tobacco and leather. From Flatiron Wines. 02/19/22 — 5 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.3

Big blackberry and plum juice nose, beautiful pastry notes of berry tart, smoke, sweetness and funk. Grape juice and granite. A touch of black pepper spice and amazing mineral density. Burly but clean and satisfying. Some bitterness on the finish that should resolve with time, otherwise drinking really nicely. — 5 years ago

David D

9.1

Medium bodied, nice chilled. Delicious. Unexpectedly smooth when opened and not as much bite as other Pelaverga, maybe because it’s young? Cranberry, black pepper, black tea, blackberry, black licorice. Light tannins, good acids. From Flatiron Wines. — 8 years ago

Patti Gamboni

8.9

Pepper, grippy, lightly perfumed on the palate, good acid, light fruit. — 10 years ago

Neal Ferry

9.0

Extremely well done — 11 years ago

Jimmy Hayes

Estate Director Mayacamas Vineyard

9.3

Showing great. Love the wines, love the people. Properly animal and Syrah-correct. Blackberry, pepper, meat. Delicious. — 11 years ago

Michael Hixon

9.7

Stellar..... 2011. Powerful but balanced with the right amount of pepper and funk. — 12 years ago

Kathleen Bradley

10

Full bodied and no tannin or after taste — 12 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

From magnum. Popped and poured into red Solo cups; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2008 pours a deep ruby purple color with a near opaque core; medium plus viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and tart, red and black fruits: mixed brambles, black cherry, black pepper, leather, dry earth and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is medium plus. Still pretty fresh and considering this is one of the more long-lived examples of Zinfandel I can think of, there is almost no end in sight. Drink now through 2043. — 10 months ago

Lyn Farmer

9.8

Exceptional wine - deep ruby color with a huge bouquet of violet, plum, black pepper, black cherry, licorice, vanilla, clove, prune and dried rose petal. Velvet tannins, the alcohol is well balanced with the fruit and full-bodied texture. Still in its infancy but already delicious, this wine has a stunning future — 2 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Tasted blind. Deep tawny color. Heavy nose with lots of drama going on. Notes of old wet cedar desk, red fruits, pepper, mocha, dark moist earth and some spice. Great structure. Has a perfect balance of fruit that strongly remains in the picture with structure and acidity. Silky, coats the mouth. Might have been the WOTN until the next bottle was poured. — 4 years ago

Manny Abascal

9.4

Floral, black pepper, paired with ribeye with peppercorn. The pairing was a 10. At home on NYE. Hoping 2022 will be safer and more social than 2021. HNY to all my Delectable friends. — 5 years ago

Andrea Watt

9.2

Smoke, pepper, chocolate, and oak over blackberry and fig. Starting to bleed the deep dark red color from the edges. Rich and smooth. Paired perfectly with my filet. — 6 years ago

Rose Martin

9.2

Pepper, nice balance, long finish, dry herbs — 8 years ago

with William

Andrew Willingham

9.0

dark red with white rim variation. Smoky black pepper on the nose, sauvage/animal. Palette sees lots of dirty funky animal/cured meat. Almost bitter finish. — 10 years ago

Caleb Pietrafesa

9.4

Cherry, black currant, vanilla, earth, hints of oak and bell pepper. On the palate, cherry, ripe berries and balanced oak. Medium body. Medium, balanced tannins. Stays on the palate. — 11 years ago

Erik McLaughlin

Vice President Seven Hills Winery

9.3

2011 vintage. Very Grenache driven this vintage with broad texture underpinned with white pepper, herb, leather. Red fruited strawberry and red plum with rawhide and earth. — 11 years ago

Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe

9.3

In a fantastic spot. Dark red berries, game and black pepper. Wonderful acidity. — 12 years ago