Lewis Chester

9.2

2003 vintage. Pale golden hue. Quite reductive on the nose - coffee bean, baked bread, citrus fruits. Smokey and toasty. Developing aromas. On the palate, medium plus acidity - quite round, plush and ripe, more developed than was expecting. Good complexity and some depth here. Medium body and alcohol. Good length. Not a blockbuster vintage by any means. But it is a very good effort. Arguably more enjoyable than the '04 at this stage of development, but suspect it won't age as well. Drink now until 2024+. — 9 years ago

Eric L.

9.0

Very nice Merlot. Plush texture with red fruits and cocoa powder. — 10 years ago

Kyle Groombridge

9.0

Very true to the style - chocolate covered raisins and a soft smoky mesquite on the nose. Ripe fruit but not overripe on the palate with cooked black plum and a touch of singed raspberry. Balancing acidity, more plush as it opens up. Nice bottle. — 10 years ago

Paul Schmidt

9.7

In a perfect place right now. Plush berries, charcoal, cassis and an ashy minerality. So luscious and amazing. Probably has 10-20 more years, but why wait?? — 9 years ago

with Ashley

Jake Neustadt

9.6

2007 One of the best zin-blends I've ever had when I was drinking it out of a coffee mug outside. And it was even better once I got it into a glass.
Plush — 10 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.3

2000 vintage. Deep ruby, edging to deep garnet around the rim, very bright. Plush on the nose. The black cassis notes from the Cab and the violets from the Cab Franc are very noticeable. The wine is developing with huge sweet spice, vanilla, smoke and leather. There's a bovril, meaty note here that's very attractive. On the palate, medium acidity, high tannin - grippy, but not coarse; well integrated. Alcohol is 13% and unobtrusive. Good concentration. Fruit is riper on palate than in the mouth, and a distinctive dark chocolate and cinnamon note. The finish is long and attractive. Hard to imagine this wine drinking any better from here. — 10 years ago

Amanda Yallop

9.2

Outstanding example from a difficult vintage, black spices, earth, plush brambles, fennel, clove, fine tannin and crunchy acidity — 9 years ago

Jörgen Lindström Carlvik

Owner, Brix Wine Consultants

9.3

Great purity of fruit with still tight tannins dominating the finish. Clever oak and lush fruit create a plush mouthfeel. Promising finish. Young. — 9 years ago

Andrea Mullineux

9.9

Plush because of bottle age, but the textural expression of Merlot still had so much tension. A treat of note! — 10 years ago

Joel Wachbrit

9.4

Lovely. Plush and very resolved. Like drinking velvet. — 11 years ago