Elizabeth Rice

9.1

Watching vultures fly above and ostriches run around eating a portobello burger. Stunning experience! — 6 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.3

Aged perfectly. Roses, portobello mushrooms, dusty raspberry, moss, leather. Aromatic. French oak, musty cellar. Wet tobacco. One of Melka's first wines. Gorgeous. — 7 years ago

Kristie Tacey

9.2

Cherry cola, fresh thyme, portobello, tar, cherry — 7 years ago

David Kline

9.2

Black olive tread left burnt across blackberry tarmac. A spotting of shiitake and portobello with plum and strawberry reductions garnished with eucalyptus and parsley effusion. Black olive, charcoal, black cherry, black currant, graphite, teakwood, oolong, black pepper, dried violet and sage make this a winner. Initially pointed and closed. This is Day 3 tasting, and beefy and bright dichotomies abound. #aranth #syrah #italianwines #italian #veneto #LaCalonica #cortona #earthy #earthynotes — 8 years ago

with Courtney

Jonas Johansson

9.3

This lovely bottle is going down with roasted pork, polenta with portobello mushrooms. Great pairing. — 8 years ago

Steve Haro

9.4

Cotton candy and gym and pot on the nose. Wow. Big. Tannins are huge but well rounded. Tea and tar, menthol and eucalyptus, mocha and boysenberry. The finish is velvety with hints of portobello mushroom and wet earth. — 8 years ago

Alishia Odom

8.9

Alishia had this 9 years ago

Scott Cowan

8.9

Cherry jam nose. The heat wafts up with the vanilla scented jam too, and remains in nice, not over-powering, ways through first sip - mid-palate - finish such that I think the stated 14.1% alcohol under-states the actual case. I’m drinking this 2017 vintage Feb 12-13 2019 and it tastes good now with promise of tasting very good, with some potential complexity in a few years. Just now, this wine packs a punch well above it’s weight class: $18 at Berkeley Bowl. It’s far below the quality of top Paso cabs but it’s far below their sticker prices too... so, hey, why not enjoy this as a more than serviceable table wine for hearty and even some spicy fare now, cellar several bottles to taste 1-5(+ ?) later as a cheap investment that could pay off huge? One can always pull out the Justin Isosceles Reserve and Tablas Creek bad boys for special Paso-wine occasions. I do miss a longer finish ... but tiny hints of licorice, shiitake+hedgehog and maybe also portobello mushrooms, and slightly larger suggestions of smoke plus some leather lead me to believe The Fableist is working on some delicious stories to tell in coming years — and will then, perhaps, linger longer on the finish. Yeah, I do think the yummy plummy jam will give way to more flavors in time — and if this hunch/hope/faith proves true, Ill increase the rating a fair amount over 9.0 for some tip-top QPR. — 6 years ago

Sharon B

9.2

Delicious blend of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot. Went well with my Italian stuffed portobello mushrooms. — 7 years ago

Megan Little

10

From Andy Fisher's wine class, with balsamic portobello mushrooms and garlic pesto smashed potatoes — 8 years ago

with Kyle

KimB

9.2

Smooth. Dark fruits and earth. Excellent with hearty portobello mushrooms pasta dish. — 8 years ago

Alain S

9.2

Earthy with some subtle spice. Great with steak, stuffed portobello mushrooms and sautéed broccolini. — 9 years ago

Jerry Jones

9.2

Enjoyed with grilled portobello mushrooms and steaks — 9 years ago

Ryan Bee

9.1

I’m not a Pinot lover but this one tasted elegant. Had a great pairing with a portobello mushroom salad. Highly recommend this wine. — 6 years ago

Devin Bostick

8.9

Raspberry, chalk, portobello smell, tastes minerally, JAL sort of leaves a tannin quick that sits, light and goes quickly leaving its essence, mushroom - cremini taste, creamy body with chalk and mineral — 7 years ago

Bret Patterson

9.4

Textbook Cabernet with great structure. Savory notes of portobello, smoke, and bacon lead with lingering fruit notes of black currant. — 7 years ago

Steve Haro

9.5

Hints of menthol and eucalyptus on the nose. Loads of anise and black tea flavors with portobello and grilled game. Fruit flavors taking a back seat to earth but wow, does it have life. Forrest floor and tobacco on the finish. — 7 years ago

Austin Hohnke

9.0

Drinking youthfully. Big fruit wth resolved tannin and low (but not flabby) acid. Pipe tobacco and an earthy almost portobello quality on the finish. — 8 years ago

Eric Vrtis

9.2

what?! i'm not sure how to approach this but i love it. leather and cured maple bacon lead wood smoke, cherry brandy, dried red berries, tamari portobello, rose water, oolong kombucha. Willamette pinot with some bottle age. — 8 years ago

Daron Watson

9.4

9.6 with these food pairings:
Portobello, porcini, ricotta & Parmigiano ravioli w/sage butter sauce
Turkey burger w/sautéed shallots, sharp cheddar & Cajun mayo — 9 years ago