David Shaw

9.3

Purple to garnet red, moderate pigment extraction, very good clarity. Leather, wood and blackberry notes in nose. Blackberry, cherry flavors with length, raspberry on finish. Good balance, acid a tad above the ethanol but nicely so, some unresolved fine-grained seed tannins on initial pour with moderate skin astringency. I’m liking this one after 30 minutes, and wishing I’d bought more. 425 cases made. A solid version for WA state cab fans — 4 years ago

Justin Gilman CSW, CSS

9.0

Revisited one of my old favorites. This #zinfandel is very dark in the glass with deep purple hues. The body is heavy and compact with a somewhat fresh and cassis like. Tasting a savory component as the seed. Mildly tannic, moderate acid. #wine — 5 years ago

with Sindy

Emily Kresie-Harrington

9.0

2018 vintage. Good example of oaked Sauv Blanc blend (even says "elevé en fûts de chêne" on the label). 70-20-10 SB, Sémillon, Muscadelle. Lemon meringue, dill, a little coconut, banana peel, sunflower seed, dandelion. Oak is definitely overt, but well-integrated. — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Purple-red, dense, moderately to highly extracted pigment. Raspberry and black currant aromas. Raspberry, cherry flavors with blueberry and menthol on finish, slightly tight in initial pour, light to moderate skin astringency. Toasty smoky barrel aromas and flavors emerge after 30 minutes. A slightly bitter, slightly tart cherry-berry finish and aftertaste also emerge as the wine resolves. Umami shows up after 90 minutes. I appreciate the intention behind the winemaking here; this is not your typical Oregon Pinot, but instead a level beyond. This wine might need additional aging, which surprises me somewhat, but based on how the tasting plays out over the first 90 minutes from opening, it has high skin contact, moderate seed contact, and is probably age worthy given its vinification or processing, the high tannins and high pigment extraction. In essence, I opened this bottle too early. The winemaking style is unusual compared to most Oregon Pinot Noirs. Give this one another two or three years before opening. This could be a really special wine in terms of structure and balance. Unfortunately, this was my only bottle from this vintage... — 6 years ago

John Willison

9.2

Lemon seed, lemon oil, almond, decent minerality and acidity. Always good. — 7 years ago

David Shaw

9.1

Dense purple, moderately extracted pigment. Raspberry, blackberry, strawberry jam, green and black olive notes in nose. Raspberry, blackberry and tart cherry flavors, green olive, cool mint and dusty herbal notes, a touch of tar, bright acidity, light rounded seed tannins in finish initially. A lot of yummy flavors here, a greatest hits collection of traditional Cali red wines. Lovely complexity here — 7 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Three weeks later and I’m craving another taste of this... See my previous notes but this time: moderately extracted ruby red. Some black currant in nose initially. Strawberry and raspberry jam flavors, some seed bitterness and tannin chewiness, otherwise well balanced. Slightly oily, cherry and citrus peel aftertaste emerges after 30 minutes, black pepper on nose and in aftertaste after 45. Light to moderate skin astringency after an hour — 7 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Royal Slope Grenache, 152 cases made. Excellent clarity, garnet red, light to moderate pigment extraction. Tangerine and wood aromas, cherry flavor with cherry cough drop, wood and tangerine finish. Good acidity and balance, flavorful, though there’s a solid seed tannin backbone on the finish. Consider aging this one or decanting a few hours. A serious take on this varietal, worth seeking out. — 4 years ago

David Shaw

9.1

Garnet red, excellent clarity, medium pigment extraction. Red fruit aromas, strawberry, a hint of butter on nose. Cherry berry flavors with a hint of mint on finish. Light seed tannins too. Fresh, light, wonderful, well balanced. — 5 years ago

Severn G

9.4

Nose has ripe blackberry, fresh black cherry, cherry jam, mashed cherries, toasted anise seed, sweet smokey cedar, cherry liqueur. Rich and beautiful.

Palate has bright black cherry, old milk chocolate, cherry jam reduction, ripe fig, dried fig, black currant jam, moist garden soil, licorice and grape Jolly Rancher candy. Rich palate with mild tannins and long finish. This wine is in an outstanding spot with years ahead of it still, enjoy 2024-26, in proper storage. Decanted 6H.

Paired with pulled pork sandwiches, a Superbowl Sunday tradition for us. A local pork shoulder (Mill River Farm, New Marlborough, MA), dry spice rubbed and rested for 24H, then 10H in the slow cooker; it's just falling apart...so beautiful, our kitchen smells amazing! Garnished with our garden bread & butter pickles, homemade barbeque sauce, pickled red onion and a dash of cilantro, all a worthy combination. — 5 years ago

David Shaw

9.1

Fairly dense red, moderately extracted pigment. Black cherry, black currant, mint and butter aromas. Fairly ripe flavors of cherry, blackberry, black currant in mouth, rounded mouthfeel, slightly tart blackberry and cranberry on finish with seed bitterness and mild skin astringency. Lactic aftertaste. After an hour, white pepper and then, 90 minutes later, cocoa emerges in the finish and aftertaste. After two hours, barrel smoke emerges. Great fruit, nothing too fancy on the winemaking end (perhaps deceptively so) but exactly what I’d want from a Lodi Italian varietal like Barbera, especially if you can decant an hour or two and wait for that white pepper and cocoa to emerge. — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.1

Second tasting. Dense purple red, moderately extracted pigment. Weedy black currant notes in nose. In mouth black currant, butterscotch, mint and later cherry flavors emerges. Seed tannins in finish need time to aerate. Cherry cough syrup aftertaste. 148 cases made. Nice wine, well made, great varietal and local character. — 7 years ago

Conrad Green

9.3

Very complete and plummy. Spearmint and a fennel seed and white pepper palate. Fresh still. Very good. — 7 years ago

with BOT and Paul

David Shaw

9.2

Dense purple, highly extracted pigment. Herb, black currant and cherry notes in nose initially. Cherry flavor with great length with an undertone of Ribena black currant, light seed tannin, moderate skin tannin astringency. Aftertaste of sage and weedy greens, pleasant. Needs some time to open. After 30 minutes, fruit flavors galore. Tannins chewier, so keep decanting. After 60 minutes, tannins have calmed down somewhat so drinkable. After two hours, tannins have softened and cola undertone has emerged. Nice flavors, structure, balance and acidity, bright and lively. Wishing this wasn’t my last bottle of this vintage... — 7 years ago

MaJ CappS

8.9

Smells of lovely cacao..

Cacao, hints of tabac, blueberry seed,! Bits of barnyard. A good Wine of hefty weight, yet certainly reminds me of a SoCal Syrah, with huge extraction.
A winters warmer, nonetheless.
— 4 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Purple, moderately extracted pigment. Blueberry and cherry on nose, same in mouth. Rounded mouthfeel and texture, soft, fruity, lower alcohol than many Cali Pinots, slight tactile note on finish, slight seed bitterness in aftertaste. Blueberry flavor has real length. 3472 cases made. Another winner, I keep getting the new vintages and enjoying them — 5 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Great label if you must shelter in place (reminds me of my grad school days). Anyway... New vintage, 110 cases made, what’s it like? Moderately extracted pigment, purple-red. Raspberry and blackberry aromas, if you can get past the initial barnyard. Blackberry and tart black plum flavors, medium weight seed tannins, late skin astringency on finish, graphite, umami and tart Black Beauty plum aftertaste. Needs time to open, at least 30 minutes. Pretty good acidity like all their wines. After 24 hours, barnyard aroma is gone, while raspberry and blackberry flavors predominate followed by plum and graphite-umami finish. — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Pale white with a pale golden refraction. Floral, perfumed notes in nose. Litchi with slight grapefruit flavor, moderate skin astringency with mild seed tannin bitterness. Good body, acidity, rounded mouthfeel. Chrysanthemum with some green tea aftertaste. Lovely stuff, reminds me of the subtle flavor profiles I experienced living in Guangdong Province (Cantonese cuisine) — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Bought at winery. Purple-red, light to moderately extracted pigment, very good clarity. Black currant, leather and spearmint notes in nose. Blackberry and cola-ish flavors with menthol-spearmint on finish. Light seed and skin tannins, corresponding bitterness and astringency. Cool climate flavor with great depth of flavors. Yummy-licious almost captures it. Paired exceedingly well with a baseball playoff game on TV and a wild mushroom pizza from a well-known Seattle pizzeria. — 7 years ago

Severn G

9.0

Vinho Verde, rosé, $9; it's an easy category to conquer. This settles out a little bit at a couple years past current vintage. Cold cherry skin and grape seed on the nose. Under-ripe strawberry and light orange rind on the palate. Mild acidity is great for a warm summer afternoon. — 7 years ago