What de Négoce wine are you drinking tonight?

[David Buck]

Popped open my first bottle of the short offering on N.78 Cabernet. It's drinking really nicely right now and will probably age very well too. Really well integrated and balanced with the fruit and wood. Plenty of dark fruit/cassis, a little vanilla, flinty earthiness and not overly dry on the finish. Well balanced and delicious.

Good to hear on this one. Thanks Kevin....This was one of Cams top ones in his writings so I jumped back in the old days....I am still holding out and waiting on most of the high end offerings giving them time..

Oh my, you guys are going to love this. This is one of the best Cabernet's I've seen all year, replete with gorgeous, perfectly-integrated floral, fruit, and earth aromas atop phenomenal structure and super-sexy wood.

[Kevin Patrick]

Opened 3 de Negoce wines tonight.

OG 70 Blend B -- 30 min slow-ox. Enjoyable wine. Easy drinker. Fragrant nose, straight-forward cherries aroma. Simple on the palate. No complaints. Crowd pleaser but not much more heft beyond what you'd expect from the price-point. Drank alongside a $30 Kutch Sonoma County and the consensus was the Kutch was superior but within the price differential. People were pleased with the de Negoce at the price-point.

OG 50 -- Pop-n-pour. Nice easy drinker. Smooth and enjoyable. Nothing negative nor memorable. Worth what you paid (probably $10 more) but would not be confused with a high-end, elite Walla Walla Cab.

OG 66 -- Splash decanted based on Cellartracker notes calling for more time in the bottle. Definitely agree it needs more time in the bottle but the wine was superior to OG 50 -- fuller body, greater complexity on mouthfeel and structure, a nice wine that needs patience. Much closer to a high-end Napa Cab than OG 50 but value proposition is substantially similar -- nice wine, worth what I paid, and given time could drink at 2x the price but not much higher.

Overall I was pleased with how each of the de Negoce wines drank with only high expectations from stellar marketing holding back a more enthusiastic endorsement.

[Guest]

Bottle of 82 last night

5 hour decant. I thought it was great - probably the best of any of the De Negoce wines that I have opened thus far.

[Jay $$ Winton]

91 opened

I've opened three bottles of it since I received it. I love this wine, but it is still fluctuating. Definitely going to reserve at least 3-4 for longer aging, but I bought these as cellar defenders so I'm going to drink most of them as such.

Tonight I opened #75, which has also served us very well. Not nearly as hot as I expected at 15.8%. Getting 123, 102, and 135 tomorrow so these may go on the backburner for a while.

I liked 91 on night one but very primary. I would expect fluctuation considering the 5 grape blend but the hope is that it will all meld successfully over time. No wine last night so we'll see tonight.

[Chris C a r y]

No. 140 Rocks of Milton Freewater Syrah. Pop and pour from the curb drop by UPS which happened to be ambient temp 55F. Pretty generic red wine, but smooth on opening. As it warmed and opened expressed violet, blackberry, Syrah!, and eventually some of the earthy, tar, and slight funk notes that define the Rocks. Those had hidden themselves again by last (half) glass, but still pleasant easy drinker. Consumed with ravioli and meatballs in red sauce and then after dinner ~2 hours total. Too early to score, but has good potential. Excellent QPR.

My first dN wine, arrived yesterday I had to open one. I would expect with more bottle rest and 1+ hour decant this will show better. I'll try it again in a month along side another Rocks Syrah maybe. I have some various years i paid in the $35-40 range, so this is still half price or less. I opened to evaluate whether it warranted another case purchase, and I'm on the edge with that, but probably not with a billion (slight exaggeration) other syrah bottles in hand or in pipeline.

The main thing for me on this, does it express Rocks, the answer is yes, and I'd expect that to become more apparent with later bottles, but I doubt it will ever be a big feety (my wifes term) stunner that makes you go "wow". In a way that is a good thing since my wife will drink it, but makes me decide not to get more since i have access to lots and lots of Syrah at lower cost. I wonder if this is a young block in a Rocks syrah, or just a very clean wine making style that didn't emphasize Rocks character, no reductive notes for example.

Bottom line, well made wine, Excellent QPR and glad I stuck my toe into the de Negoce pool.

[Nick Ellis]

Popped a No. 75 Syrah off the truck this afternoon. As expected, very tightly wound and the 15.8% alcohol is noticeable. Totally unfair to judge without at least a few weeks of rest.

I mixed in a generous dollop of No. 98 Viognier (also from Walla Walla) just for sheets and giggles, and damn if it didn’t improve the Syrah. It smoothed off the hard edges, and there was even a little band-aid in there. I’m not saying it tasted like Cote Rotie, but if you have both, why not try it out?

[Michael Martin]

N.93 Zin fresh off the truck. Not bad, not a profound Zin either. Nice bramble, ripe raspberry and pepper. Clearly bottle shocked with an astringency and some heat on the finish.
I say hold for 90 days ish, then open all summer long at a BBQ or party. 87 pts. Easily worth $9.

[Chr!s G|@rn3r]

Just popped a 123 that arrived today...2017 Merlot supposedly from Bennett Lane. Big red fruit, sweet, super smooth, some detectable alcohol that might blow off. open now and enjoy with or without food.

[M@ttM00re]

Popped a 123 and a 135 tonight, fresh off the truck.

123: “hot” alcohol. Went away after a triple trip through the aerator. Awesome wine. Fruit, chocolate, oak in the background (“deft use of...”?). Wifey tried a sip, and remarked: “why would anyone ever drink Trader Joe’s wine?”. Indeed. Why? Opened up and continued to improve after an hour. May or may not have performed a quick “Aussie shake”. Happy to have a case. Saved half the bottle to try tomorrow.

135: PnP: tastes like somewhat generic red wine, especially after sipping 123. Fruit forward. Acidity taking the copilot seat. Tannins and oak in last place. After 20-30 mins open, and a double aeration, it started to open up nicely. It morphed into a delicious, easy drinking, fruit forward mildly acidic refreshingly delicious red. Not overly sweet. Not overly oaky or tannic. Excellent food wine. I did pour the 123 to go with dinner (prime sirloin, sous vide @131), but I happily used 135 for the sauce! When it came time for a glass after dinner, I found myself reaching for 135. Not that it was “better” than 123, but rather that 135 may meet my regular demands a little more often than 123. That shouldn’t come as a big surprise though, as I prefer Loires and Bojos to Cali cabs.

Overall: happy with both wines, and I look forward to getting my rocks Syrah next week.

[Michael Martin]

Based on today’s experience, the N.93 is likely my last OG purchase. My previous six OG purchases have never been “bad”, but they are similar to other wines I‘ve had at similar price points to what I paid that I can buy as singles. It’s up to you to decide how many $9-$20 wines you really need in your cellar.

[ekwartler]

Popped a 123 and a 135 tonight, fresh off the truck.

123: “hot” alcohol. Went away after a triple trip through the aerator. Awesome wine. Fruit, chocolate, oak in the background (“deft use of...”?). Wifey tried a sip, and remarked: “why would anyone ever drink Trader Joe’s wine?”. Indeed. Why? Opened up and continued to improve after an hour. May or may not have performed a quick “Aussie shake”. Happy to have a case. Saved half the bottle to try tomorrow.

135: PnP: tastes like somewhat generic red wine, especially after sipping 123. Fruit forward. Acidity taking the copilot seat. Tannins and oak in last place. After 20-30 mins open, and a double aeration, it started to open up nicely. It morphed into a delicious, easy drinking, fruit forward mildly acidic refreshingly delicious red. Not overly sweet. Not overly oaky or tannic. Excellent food wine. I did pour the 123 to go with dinner (prime sirloin, sous vide @131), but I happily used 135 for the sauce! When it came time for a glass after dinner, I found myself reaching for 135. Not that it was “better” than 123, but rather that 135 may meet my regular demands a little more often than 123. That shouldn’t come as a big surprise though, as I prefer Loires and Bojos to Cali cabs.

Overall: happy with both wines, and I look forward to getting my rocks Syrah next week.

Tried the same two, also straight off the truck, though I gave both a 90 minute decant. I felt it did a disservice to the 135. Tried that first, then the 123 went and said "Hold my beer." Extremely happy to have a case of both, and especially on 123 the QPR is insanely high. I'm still waiting to be let down by a DN wine.

[ChrisWolff]

Popped a No. 75 Syrah off the truck this afternoon. As expected, very tightly wound and the 15.8% alcohol is noticeable. Totally unfair to judge without at least a few weeks of rest.

I mixed in a generous dollop of No. 98 Viognier (also from Walla Walla) just for sheets and giggles, and damn if it didn’t improve the Syrah. It smoothed off the hard edges, and there was even a little band-aid in there. I’m not saying it tasted like Cote Rotie, but if you have both, why not try it out?

I opened a 75 right off the truck last night too and it was, understandably not great. Just tried some with lunch and am very happy to see it open up the fruit come through much more today

[larry schaffer]

Was gifted a couple of bottles of No. 135 - the Mendocino Carignane - and I popped one after letting it rest for a couple of days after receiving it. Upon pop and pour, quite qiet nose - not much at all. I know it isn't 'corked' because of the type of closure it had. Slight dark fruit and touch of balsamic, but not necessarily in a bad way. In the mouth, pretty much the same - not a 'bad' wine but nothing remarkable about it - and did not scream 'carignane' to me or others who tried it.

Put the cork back in and tried it again on day 2 and day 3 - dark plum aromas, medium bodied, plum fruit with decent acid and medium light tannins. Again, not bad but not 'remarkable'.

If I remember correctly, this was in oak for a little short of 22 months and it's a 2017 - so the question is where it went from there. I don't believe these were shiners because they have a denegoce stopper in them - unless they removed the 'blank' stopper and replaced with their? Or was this just in a tank or smaller holding vessels until bottling?

I have a few more bottles so will revisit, but just not much there there on this one to me. YMMV mais oui.

Cheers

[Timothy B a l l a r d]

Opened OG N.86 Thursday evening with a friend. Did same routine as OG N.123 2 weeks earlier. Drank small portion and let bottle rest overnight for Friday consumption.
Color is noticably darker than 123. Tasted very shocky, fruit muted, oaky- big sulphite nose burn upon first whiff. This has good potential. Very young. OG N.123 is in a much more drinkable state than this Walla Walla Merlot. Still much prefer OG N.123 and agree with Matthew T- I'd buy another case in a heartbeat. Best QPR I've found of any the DN wines was 123.

[Eric White]

I know it isn't 'corked' because of the type of closure it had.

Larry, sorry if I missed a discussion around this, but can you explain? Why would cork taint not be a consideration here?

[larry schaffer]

I know it isn't 'corked' because of the type of closure it had.

Larry, sorry if I missed a discussion around this, but can you explain? Why would cork taint not be a consideration here?

Unless the entire lot is tainted, an individual bottle under a non-cork closure would not be 'corked'. As I said, it was just 'quiet'.

Yes, it's possible for a bottle to be 'corked' for reasons other than TCA from natural corks but it's incredibly rare.

Cheers!

[Kevin B]

Got 123 yesterday, and given the great reviews its been getting, just had to try it. Opened for an hour, did not decant, but ran through an aerator. Some alcohol, but not overwhelming. Fruit and oak, and something I can't identify. Maybe the chocolate mentioned above, but a dark, bitter sweet one. Seems to be opening up a lot with air and warming to room temp, ~ 68 tonight. Getting more complex with dark sweet cherry and plum. This is a pretty amazing wine, and while can't describe it well, I'm a bit surprised that I can pick out the various notes in it. Makes the last Merlot I had, that cost a bit more, seem like a one note song.

I think I have opened 5 or 6 of the 13 DN wines I've received. While they are really different wines, the reds I have enjoyed the most are this one, and N.61 Dry Creek Zin.

[Eric White]

Thanks for the clarification Larry!

Tonight I'm revisiting No. 57, the 16.2% St. Helena Monster, and again it currently tastes of very expensive French Oak, but with all the stuffing behind it. I think I'll be sitting on the rest for short-term cellaring, maybe 2 years to revisit, and a 5-7 year window? We'll see.

[Rohit B]

• 2018 de Négoce OG N.82 Meritage - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (2/27/2021)
  10 hour decant. No rating for the moment, but this is VERY promising. Needs a year to come together, but has the stuffing to go the distance in the cellar.
  
  Nose is extremely tight; I’m maybe getting cassis but I also pick up an almond note. Rich red and dark fruits dance on the palate, the acidity is present and elevates the fruit, while a hint of oak supports the structure. The tannins dominate the finish with flavors of plum, cassis, and oak.
  
  I think this has the potential to be a CT93+ wine. Put this away and forget about it for 5 years if you can help yourself (I clearly could not). Cam and DN did well here.

Posted from CellarTracker

I initially rationed the bottle into 4oz glass bottles filled to the top. Poured one into the glass tonight.

This is going to be really good. There's a lot of room to grow, but if you can handle the tannins right now, this is really good. I should've picked up another case during the Black Friday free shipping sale.

[MatthewT]

• 2018 de Négoce OG N.82 Meritage - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (2/27/2021)
  10 hour decant. No rating for the moment, but this is VERY promising. Needs a year to come together, but has the stuffing to go the distance in the cellar.
  
  Nose is extremely tight; I’m maybe getting cassis but I also pick up an almond note. Rich red and dark fruits dance on the palate, the acidity is present and elevates the fruit, while a hint of oak supports the structure. The tannins dominate the finish with flavors of plum, cassis, and oak.
  
  I think this has the potential to be a CT93+ wine. Put this away and forget about it for 5 years if you can help yourself (I clearly could not). Cam and DN did well here.

Posted from CellarTracker

I initially rationed the bottle into 4oz glass bottles filled to the top. Poured one into the glass tonight.

This is going to be really good. There's a lot of room to grow, but if you can handle the tannins right now, this is really good. I should've picked up another case during the Black Friday free shipping sale.

I might be wrong, but #50 was available then - not 82. I bought another case of 50. Same producer.

[Timothy B a l l a r d]

Matthew- Sister winery. details, details. But yes OG N.82 sold out within hours of release. OG N.50 was in the Black Friday sale with free shipping as I recalled. Cheers. Tim

[Eric White]

Matthew- Sister winery. details, details. But yes OG N.82 sold out within hours of release. OG N.50 was in the Black Friday sale with free shipping as I recalled. Cheers. Tim

I have 50 as Leonetti, and 82 as Figgins, which fits quite well. Anecdotally, a friend bought N.82 as well and was really impressed. I've not tried it yet.

[tpetty]

82 is the only one that I purchased 2 cases of initially, and glad I did. had a bottle a few days ago - really good. Likely to only get better.

[Jeff O]

Against my better judgment I opened a #50 (Walla Walla Cab), knowing it was probably way too early for my taste but somewhat comforted by the fact that more is now available in the Bottle Shop "just in case". Mistake! Even after a looooong decant it was mostly just a heavy dose of tannins. I sensed that something special might be lurking underneath but it's currently in a deep slumber and wants to stay that way for awhile. Sleeping Beauty will just have to wait for now.

[rsmithjr]

Got 123 yesterday, and given the great reviews its been getting, just had to try it. Opened for an hour, did not decant, but ran through an aerator. Some alcohol, but not overwhelming. Fruit and oak, and something I can't identify. Maybe the chocolate mentioned above, but a dark, bitter sweet one. Seems to be opening up a lot with air and warming to room temp, ~ 68 tonight. Getting more complex with dark sweet cherry and plum. This is a pretty amazing wine, and while can't describe it well, I'm a bit surprised that I can pick out the various notes in it. Makes the last Merlot I had, that cost a bit more, seem like a one note song.

I think I have opened 5 or 6 of the 13 DN wines I've received. While they are really different wines, the reds I have enjoyed the most are this one, and N.61 Dry Creek Zin.

Kevin: Typically I have found when I open a wine that just got off the truck the flavors are more indistinct as you described. About 10 days and the #123 will start coming together as its a 2017. Merlots can have a dark chocolate note.

[Eric White]

No. 93 tonight, Mendocino SVD Zin - decanted for a few hours, really nice. I totally get the tobacco leaf Cam used in the descriptor, but I also get more brambly fruit, some black tea, and significant spice notes. Really nice zin, approachable now imo.

[Eric White]

Decided it was finally time for me to check in on the much panned No. 37, Viognier. Maybe this is past bottle shock, but I find this to be perfectly fine. It's not thrilling, but it does have a pretty, flashy nose with tropical fruit, melon, and flint. Viscous and rich on the palate, I would go with "pretty good" (I dunno, high 80s score?)

[K Kl@dder]

#120 - while very young, early returns are this is worth every penny. I’d buy this one again

[Timothy B a l l a r d]

OG N.01: Finally 1st bottle. This is quite nice, I'd been glad to pay retail for this from originating winery. Dusty nose- wonderful actually. Tannins are mouth coating and hide some fruit at this point. Drinkable, but 2-3 years this will be in a very good place. Literally swapped 3 bottles of this for OG N.123 tonight with a friend who never purchased DN before OG N.07 (Walt '17 SRH Pinot). We both agreed it was equitable. 123 is more drinkable now with a longer finish. Half a bottle to try with wife tomorrow with pan seared Filet Mignon and Remy Martin finish sauce. Cheers.

[Kevin N]

#120 - while very young, early returns are this is worth every penny. I’d buy this one again

Opened one of these tonight too. Tight out of the bottle. Given an hour of air was really, really good. Will only get better with a few more months/years in the bottle. Glad to have bought this one.

[Jay $$ Winton]

Against my better judgment I opened a #50 (Walla Walla Cab), knowing it was probably way too early for my taste but somewhat comforted by the fact that more is now available in the Bottle Shop "just in case". Mistake! Even after a looooong decant it was mostly just a heavy dose of tannins. I sensed that something special might be lurking underneath but it's currently in a deep slumber and wants to stay that way for awhile. Sleeping Beauty will just have to wait for now.

that's definitely one I won't be drinking again anytime soon but I tasted real potential.

[Henry Ip]

#120 - while very young, early returns are this is worth every penny. I’d buy this one again

Opened one of these tonight too. Tight out of the bottle. Given an hour of air was really, really good. Will only get better with a few more months/years in the bottle. Glad to have bought this one.

Gonna give this 120 Moon Mountain Cab a try tonight and finish it through the weekend.

[K Kl@dder]

#120 - while very young, early returns are this is worth every penny. I’d buy this one again

Opened one of these tonight too. Tight out of the bottle. Given an hour of air was really, really good. Will only get better with a few more months/years in the bottle. Glad to have bought this one.

Gonna give this 120 Moon Mountain Cab a try tonight and finish it through the weekend.

I've got about a half bottle left from last night, looking forward to finishing it tonight

[Chris Echeck]

Cracked a #6 tonight to check up on it. Great fruit and firm tannin with a 2 hr decant. Insane qpr at the 13ish price. Solid low 90’s wine. Easy 50ish Napa wine at retail. Still reminds me of a Round Pond Rutherford style wine as far as a comparison. I’d pick up more of these if they were still on the site

[Glenn L e v i n e]

I uncorked #135, the Mendo Carignane, Friday night for a glass last evening. I think it’s varietally correct and has an actual finish. Not heavily fruited at all. I enjoyed the glass I had and look forward to another tonight with a food truck burger as I’m working.

[larry schaffer]

I uncorked #135, the Mendo Carignane, Friday night for a glass last evening. I think it’s varietally correct and has an actual finish. Not heavily fruited at all. I enjoyed the glass I had and look forward to another tonight with a food truck burger as I’m working.

Keep us posted. I have another come of bottles of this, gifted to me by another Berserker, which I will revisit in the coming months.

Cheers.

[Glenn L e v i n e]

I’ll follow this bottle a couple of more nights.

[K Kl@dder]

Opened one of these tonight too. Tight out of the bottle. Given an hour of air was really, really good. Will only get better with a few more months/years in the bottle. Glad to have bought this one.

Gonna give this 120 Moon Mountain Cab a try tonight and finish it through the weekend.

I've got about a half bottle left from last night, looking forward to finishing it tonight

So, finally got back to this on Sunday night. Opened it Thursday night, it has been sitting on the counter half full with the cork in it since then. And it’s rocking! Really impressed that’s it’s doing so good after 4 days. I forget what I paid, but well worth it!

[Glenn L e v i n e]

While not oxidized that I could tell on night 3 the Carignane was noticeably more bitter.

[Cameron Hughes]

Against my better judgment I opened a #50 (Walla Walla Cab), knowing it was probably way too early for my taste but somewhat comforted by the fact that more is now available in the Bottle Shop "just in case". Mistake! Even after a looooong decant it was mostly just a heavy dose of tannins. I sensed that something special might be lurking underneath but it's currently in a deep slumber and wants to stay that way for awhile. Sleeping Beauty will just have to wait for now.

Yeah, best to let these sleep. I've been buying and bottling this wine for many years and they take a year or more to come around. Given the vintage (high quality, lots of extract), these will take as long if not longer to crack open. Probably not until next Fall...by the way, no other wine I bottle takes as long as this wine routinely does to open up.

CH

[Cameron Hughes]

Decided it was finally time for me to check in on the much panned No. 37, Viognier. Maybe this is past bottle shock, but I find this to be perfectly fine. It's not thrilling, but it does have a pretty, flashy nose with tropical fruit, melon, and flint. Viscous and rich on the palate, I would go with "pretty good" (I dunno, high 80s score?)

Hi Eric - so, here's the scoop on these mountain whites (37 Viognier and 36 Chardonnay)...I checked in with my winemaker after noticing in may last tasting how tight the viognier and chardy still were. Turns out we bottled these under a Nomacork Reserva 100 (which looks like a Reserva 300)...this closure is produced in a nitrogen bath so it has NO oxygen in it whatsoever and is designed for 25-year aging reds and crisp whites like SB or any other white you would bottle under screwcap - all the other Nomacorks are produced in a normal environment and have various levels of oxygen in them by design and that O2 is eventually transferred to the wine after bottling.

In retrospect, this was a mistake for early drinkability insofar as it is retarding the evolution of the wine in the bottle right now. Given the wine was aged in barrel, we probably should have gone with the Reserva 300. The good news is these WILL crack open and its quite likely they'll be a bit more complex because of it...when? Given the trajectory we've seen so far, its probably going to be summertime before this cracks open. The good news is its going to be fresh for many years to come

For reference and to see the difference in OTR's...
Here's the Reserva 100 oxygen transmission rates (OTR)
0.3 mg of O2 After 3 Months
0.4 mg of O2 After 6 Months
0.7 mg of O2 After 12 Months
0.6 mg of O2 per Year, After first Year

Again, in restrospect, we should have used the Nomacorks Reserva 300 or 500 for this wine:
1.6 mg of O2 After 3 Months
2.1 mg of O2 After 6 Months
2.8 mg of O2 After 12 Months
1.1 mg of O2 per Year, After first Year

Cameron

[Michael Martin]

While not oxidized that I could tell on night 3 the Carignane was noticeably more bitter.

I’ve had two bottles of the Carignane. The first bottle was very nice and right inline with Old Vine Carignane that I have had from Bedrock or Princess and Peasant. The second bottle was very tight and came across as way too young having nothing of the fruit and spice of the first bottle. I have decided these will sit for awhile.

[Eric White]

Interesting Cam, thanks for the followup! I'll hold off until summer for the remaining, heck - I generally consider Viognier a summer sipper anyhow!

[Glenn L e v i n e]

So after 75H uncorked the Mendo Carignane showed best: smooth, bitterness vanished, perhaps less distinctive but fuller with a better mouthfeel.

[John O']

Finished a 17 Cab last night. Simple and enjoyable. Popped a 27 Cab. It's on a much higher level, as the comparable prices Cam spoke of indicate.

[Rohit B]

Anyone opened N138?

[Timothy B a l l a r d]

Not going to touch a 138 for months. Bottled end of january. I would wait until past the 4th of July, maybe until this fall. However, you own it. Just seen many purchasers have "taster's regret" after plowing through 5-6 bottles in 3 months only to find out wines were bottle shocked and not yielding what they saw in Cameron's notes. Cheers. Tim

[MikeY]

Drank another bottle of N.48 last night. Have enjoyed them all but it is evolving beautifully. My first bottle a couple months ago really opened up after about 2 hours of decant, whereas las nights was beautiful right after popping the cork. Very pleased with this one.

Also had another bottle of 73 and continue to really like that as a sipper or accompaniment to food. Not too buttery or oaky but definitely Chardonnay - great way to relax after unboxing, cataloguing and putting away the 10 other cases of dN wine that arrived that afternoon!

Had the 73 Chardonnay this weekend for the first time. Satisfyingly good. Light, clear, well-balanced. Slight touch of oak but mostly fruit. Short finish the only fault. Very nice QPR and puts you in a great mood. Surprisingly nice sipper. Worked well with maple bacon pizza.

[Kevin Patrick]

First genuinely poor showing for a de Negoce wine for me last night.

OG 70C:

Popped cork 30 minutes before sampling. Medium weight in the glass, nice plum hues in appearance. Bright floral aromas display a pleasant nose. Thin and airy on the palate with quite primary notes of under-ripe fruits. Not enjoyable -- one person poured out their glass. That said, there was enough going on in the glass to warrant a return sampling after letting the wine air out a bit. One hour later the wine remained light and airy but settled into a more palatable offering -- smooth texture, still primary but pleasant red cherries and blueberries on the palate with a thin finish. This would rank as a low-end daily drinker given some time but not a wine I've overly optimistic about in the future. Thus far I rank this clearly last of the OG70 bottles. 70A and 70B were at least comparable in quality while 70C was a decided step down. 70D yet to be sampled. Would not want to pay $20 for this wine.

[Cameron Hughes]

N.93 Zin fresh off the truck. Not bad, not a profound Zin either. Nice bramble, ripe raspberry and pepper. Clearly bottle shocked with an astringency and some heat on the finish.
I say hold for 90 days ish, then open all summer long at a BBQ or party. 87 pts. Easily worth $9.

Hey Michael - yes, still coming out of shock (bottled late January). Its got a bit more structure than your average zin so will take a bit longer to come around. As you said, give it another 90 days before going back to the well. Cheers! CH