Nice aroma. Cherry syrup and toasted nuts. Pretty lush and ripe. Floral.
Had the 2014. Rusty red. Smells like fancy soap and red berry fruits. Bit of sagebrush. Dramatic flavors. Old medicinal tonics and cherry pits. Tar, very dark chocolate, tobacco/tomato leaves and cedar wood. This is a unique, full flavored, tasty red. I’d never guess Merlot, but it sure is a fun wine to sip & ponder. — 9 years ago
Left bank style with some serious sagebrush and rosemary notes. Real powerhouse with new world concentration and old world nuance. Love this wine. — 9 years ago
Such an amazing chardonnay! Medium straw color; wild aromas of sagebrush, dried citrus peel and stones, persistent and true, decidedly distinctive; medium bodied, tight and well built on the palate, lengthy and lasting; dry, excellent acidity, great balance; wild and crazy flavors beyond what most folks are used to, brazenly stoney, with a bitter citrus peel in the flavors; long finish, tightly would and impactful in the aftetaste. (Best Served: 2014-2020) One of the world's greatest Chardonnays! [Sourcing: Beechworth] [Winemaking Highlights: 100% barrel fermented (approximately 30% new French oak), 100% malolactic fermentation]; aged 22 months] #chardonnay #australia #giaconda #whitewine — 11 years ago
At first a very mineral/smokey wine with a lot of savory meaty notes up front, a little reductive. Slowly became to evolve into a more fruit centric wine with lots of black raspberry, cherry and pomegranate tones. Still that underpinning of forest, meat, sagebrush, and spices. This Etna aligns more with PN than Neb. Soft and silky tannins, perfumed, bright acid. — 9 years ago
Fantastic #riojawine still kicking. What really gets me about the old Monte Real are the sensations of ash and sagebrush and almost tarragon. Very herbal and at the same time smoky nose on this wine. — 9 years ago
Customers rejected this wine this evening, claiming it was "done", past its prime, and not fruit-forward enough. I decanted it to see if it would change their mind, to no avail. To me, it had a complex but reserved nose, seemed a bit wound up, and had a metallic finish. Two hours later, it was singing another song altogether, was rich, round, and graceful, with solid but velvety texture. The fruit became an unusual and unique perfume, like dried figs, vanilla, and sagebrush. The acidity was gleaming. It was a shame that a wine this pretty was so misunderstood. — 10 years ago
Just as bombastic as Browne ever is. Sultry, meaty & savory with a touch of sagebrush and a good dose of tannin toying around with a playful acidity. Bouncy like Pisoni's curls. — 10 years ago
Christmas dinner wine! — 11 years ago

Sold!! Way better than his previous Temps, Leroy has mastered Spanish varietals. No hints of sweaty socks, which in my book is good. Dark plum action with a tinge of sagebrush overtones and slight nuance of French oak. $36 / 92pts — 12 years ago
Outstanding complexity and depth with rich aromas of blackberry preserves, chocolate, black pepper, asphalt, and roasted meats. Subtler notes of toasted coconut, coffee, sagebrush, and eucalyptus. — 9 years ago
Wow. Absolutely terrific offering from Brewer-Clifton. At 11 years, this has an incredible nose of spiced rhubarb, dried strawberries, and a sagebrush undertone that adds terrific complexity. Has the classic spice one picks up from the Melville Verna's pinot, but is much more subdued and integrated into the wine, adding to its complexity. Wonderfully balanced, this wine probably has several more years of life left but is drinking beautifully right now. Probably the best Brewer-Clifton I've had. — 9 years ago


This blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Grenache grapes feels to me more like Grenache than Cab. Aging took ten months in oak barrels and the 13% abv alcohol number is very restrained.
Dark and brooding are the aromas here, with blackberry and cassis trying their best to smother the notes of black pepper and earth. Oak spice is there, but not burdensome. The palate of this inky wine shows blackberry and plum, with the earthy, mineral-driven flavors coming on a bit stronger than on the nose. There is a rustic, dusty sagebrush feel to it, and the acidity is the only thing that’s bright about this wine. Tannic structure is good. — 10 years ago
Campfire, sagebrush & wild berries in a glass. — 10 years ago
Light, fruity and less dry. Yet has a lot of spice from the sagebrush. Grandview Tudor Vyd sourced. — 12 years ago
Orofino and Merlot just always seems to be magic. Even an old second line bottle is fine. — 12 years ago
John Howard
Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries
Black cherry, BBQ'd meat, sagebrush, heavy tannins, charred morel habitat. Awesome secondary notes. Delicious. — 9 years ago