Had been holding this for Bebbly for a few months. We drank it with New Year dinner with pan-seared scallops. This wine is very, very lovely--complicated wine with every bubbly flavor you can imagine: peach, pear, apple cobbler, cinnamon, toast, honey, butter. Gorgeous light golden color, subtle bubbles, beautiful just to look at. Even better to drink.

Yesterday bought two bottles at Spec's (17.09 tax). Drank one last night with bacon shrimp appetizer. Lovely wine. Fresh red berry nose (strawberries quite notable) mirrored on the palate with a little pepper, cinnamon, and well-integrated wood. Medium to medium light body with good acid and balanced tannins. Overall, a very well balanced and extremely elegant wine. Not fat or muscular, but instead graceful and subtle. A "feminine wine," that doesn't scream or screech, but sings softly and beautifully for anyone listening. Aussie Shiraz lovers might not get it. A steal for around $17. I want to buy a case and see how it develops for the next year or two. WE just scored this a 93 as "the best PN at this price point. Easily." that could be correct.(1/18/2009)

Actually, the one I have is an 01, but wine.com doesn't list that one. Will hold it for 5 years, then drink.

Have a single bottle of this 04, which I might drink in 09. (12/06)

Bebbly's bottle, which I'm holding for her.

Bought two bottles in Nov 08. Haven't opened one yet, but maybe I should do so soon to see if it's any good so I can decide if I should get more. Should probably keep this for at least 7 years.(12/06)

Two bottles on the way (11.05 from WL w/FS). I'll probably drink soon. I don't think I've noticed having drank a Shiraz from Clare Valley before. (01/03/2009) Drank a bottle last night with chicken lasagna. It was the night's third or fourth bottle between four or five of us, so my palate was pretty numb. Seemed like a big fat Aussie shiraz, at least pretty good, and maybe even better than pretty good, but with very prominent alcohol, and beyond that I can't recollect much. Next bottle I'll pay better attention. (1/19/2009) Took a second bottle to Lucio's for dinner last night. Bebbly liked it a lot. I thought it was pretty boring. Big fat Aussie shiraz, with too much alcohol. Decanted and drank over the course of almost two hours. Not much development with air. Alcohol blew off some, and the fruit got a little more jammy or pruney, but there wasn't that much there--just typical dark berries and a little vanilla, maybe a little spice. (1/22/2009)

Bebbly's bottle I'm holding for her. I think it's an 01 (actually it's a 1993!) but might be from some other vintage.

Two bottles soon to arrive. Will drink one bottle in 2009, and save on for a few years.

Have a single bottle of this, which I guess I should drink soon. (12/06)

Bought two or three bottles for 15.99 at World Market the other day. Most retailers are now out of the 06. (12/18/2008)WM now has cases and cases of these this weekend for 13.99, so I bought several more and now have 3 or 4. Haven't tried any yet. (12/23/2008) Finally got around to opening a bottle; drank with roasted chicken breast. Very nice. Green apple the most prominent on the nose, also lots of white fruits, with buttery caramelly/creme brule on the nose and the palate. Nice work with the oak. I hope I have more than a couple bottles left. Should go to WM to see if they still have this around for $10 (2/4/09)

One of my everyday drinkers. Have been through a couple of half cases and a few stray bottles. Two remain. (12/06/08)

Have drank about six or eight of these bottles of grapefruit juice, plus another half dozen of the 07s. Still have a couple of the 07 here somewhere. (12/06/08)

Bought three bottles a few weeks ago to serve as an everyday drinker. Have drank just one bottle, so just getting to know the wine. (12/06)Opened second bottle yesterday to drink a glass at lunch with cold cuts and cheese. Worked very well. (12/17/2008)

Found 4 btls of the 06 and 2 of the 05 for about 7.50/btl. Haven't tried any of them yet. (12/06) Had a bottle of the 05 the other night. Didn't pay too close attention, but it seemed better than the 06. (2/2/09)

Found 4 btls of the 06 and 2 of the 05 for about 7.50/btl. Haven't tried any of them yet. (12/06) Drank a bottle of this the other night. I noticed a chemically odor, which abated somewhat after some airing, but remained noticeable and wasn't pleasant to me. (12/18/2008)

Have only one bottle, which I guess I might drink soon. (12/06/2008) Opened this last night as a backup or understudy to a La Mondotte 1999 in case the bordeaux had aged poorly. The Mondotte was okay, but everything you'd hope for in a cru bordeaux. This bottle was fine, too, but not fair to drink them both on the same night. Again, what you'd reliably expect from this price Umbria wine. Well-balanced, not terribly demanding, flavorful, but not very complicated. Very pleasant wine. 12/17/2008)

Went through couple of cases of this fantastic everyday wine. Actually have one bottle of the 03 remaining, but it belongs to a friend. The 05 and 06 aren't as good, but are still a good value. This was some good stuff. There at the end, was buying every bottle I could find. Just when it seemed it was all gone, we'd spot a bottle on a back shelf at Walmart in Geezerville. But now it is all gone . . . boo hoo. For $8 a bottle, it sure was nice!(12/06)

Still have a bottle left over from the 2008 New Year. Hmmm. Wonder if it has improved with age? (12/06) Opened this on New Years. It was a left over from last year and was pretty much pooped out!. Not much bubbles, but the taste was okay. Good thing we had Bebbly's '93 J. Schram as "backup."

Drank oceans of the 120 over the ages. (12/06)

Drank oceans of the 120 over the ages. (12/06)

Arriving soon. 12/18/2008 Drank a bottle at a party Saturday night with some gumbo. Thick, lush, plummy, worked well. These arrived and I took a bottle to a party last night, where I drank a couple of glasses with a bowl of Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (not hot spicey gumbo, but the real hearty thing where the flavor is in the roux). The wine paired well. Full, lush, dark fruit with noticeable, but well balanced smokey oak. (12/21/2008) Finally drank that second bottle the other night with pork chops and mashed potatoes. It was good, but not as good as I remember the first bottle being. Perhaps it was the food pairing. Still good though, and I'll buy more if it is ever under $8.50 per bottle again. (1/12/2009)

9.71 Two bottles arriving soon. (12/18/2008) Opened one of these to drink with a jambalaya made with spicey medium hot sausage. Paired well. These Spanish monastrells seem to go well with mildly spicey savory cajun foods. Definitely needs decanting for at least an hour, maybe longer, or time in the glass to blow off some of the alcohol, and definitely a wine that is better with food. Not fat enough to satisfy most by itself. The initial nose is obscured by the 14.5 alcohol, but beneath the alcohol there is a pleasant and balanced mix of blue and red fruits, with no particular element dominant. Oak is there, but again not dominant. Interestingly, as this wine opens up, I get am unexpected and pleasing hint of celery, almost like the smell of celery in a stuffing. Medium bodied mouthfeel with smooth, fine tannins that are perceptible without swishing. I have one good swig left in my glass, which I will leave for a while to let the alcohol blow off more, and then will taste again. I'm really enjoying this wine, especially at this price!!! Should buy a few more if Sandra will let me. (1/15/2009)

During the last year, I have drank a few bottles of this very serviceable Molise Sanjo.

Two bottles of this around the house. Got at World Market for 13.29 plus tax.

Two bottles in the wine fridge. Haven't tasted yet.

Two bottles