Someone posted a TN on this a while back, but a search turned up nothing. That review panned this wine pretty badly, and I was hoping to contradict that, figuring maybe it was a bad bottle. Sadly, I cannot.

Color is a medium red, with a very little, but surprising bricking at the edge. Nose: zinfandel with earthy (dirty) overtones and anise that in this context lends itself to a cough syrup impression. On the palate it is jammy, with some redeeming spice components, but over it falls flat, being generally hollow and one dimensional, and failing to deliver anything of particular interest. The dirty impression follows though on the palate, leading to a short finish. $18?? Certainly an expression of the downside of belonging to wine clubs.

A lot of that fruit doesn't come from where most people think it does. It's not old vine, it's not head pruned. Much of it comes from vineyards in the San Miguel area.

They have a lot of irons in the fire and this trying to be everything to everybody goal is a tough one to attain.

I think it would be shocking to know that a great deal of their grapes don't come from their estate vineyard.

And seldom do they credit their growers with that fact, except in the case of the Halter Vineyard (formerly MacGillivray Vineyard) designation.

They produce probably upwards 45,000 cases per year. They have 77+/- acres in vines. At four tons per acre, 60 cases per ton, that is under 20,000 cases of wine from the available fruit... Interesting...

To be at the top of the game, you choose one, two or three things and focus to become very good at it. I believe they are at over 10 varietals now with a staff that would generally be found at a much smaller and focussed winery.

The wines they make that are good are very good, I just think they need to take baby steps or no steps at all beyond their core specialty.

Just some random thoughts...