Ted

8.9

Blackberries, black olives with a slight amount of smokiness. — a month ago

with Jeni

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

A nice wine!! A blend of mostly Tinta del País/Tempranillo (from old vineyards), with a splash of Garnacha and other grapes, including whites. Medium Ruby with aromas of ripe fresh fruits, herb and complex spice. On the palate flavors of cherry and blackberry with vanilla oak and cacao. Good balance, fine elegant tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit and earthy character. Very nice! — 2 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Sixteen grape Veneto blend including twelve red grapes (Corvina, Corvinone, Rhondinella, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Teroldago, Croatina, Oseleta, Sangiovese and Mazzamino) and four white grapes (Garganega, Trebbiano, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay). Dark ruby color with garnet highlights. Aromas of red and black berry fruit with hints of purple flowers and leather. The palate is more cooked black fruit focused (plum, blackberry, black currant) with touches of baking spices, chocolate and vanilla. Nice smoky and mineral notes on the very long finish. For all that’s going on in this wine, it is quite harmonious, fresh tasting and pleasant. Excellent balance and integration. Dense and rich but not over the top. So good! — 4 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Grapes from small Paso Robles AVAs blocks, aged in 75% new oak for 18 mos. Dark Ruby, aromas of sweet ripe black fruits, smoky tobacco and pepper spices. On the palate flavors of black cherry and blackberry with herb, cacao, espresso and vanilla oak, after it opened up. Fine tannins, long finish ending with fruit, cacao, vanilla and earthy herbs. Good now! — 5 days ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

A penfold’s classic, 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Shiraz, an amazing combo that provides the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the richness of Shiraz. A great example of the striking balance of fruit and oak, this version of Bin 389 highlights the approachable mid-palate Penfolds is known for decades. Grapes are sourced from 5 different regions, on the nose, it is rich with deep tones of mahogany and cigar leaves. Mellow spices are quite integrated with a dusty and textured mouthfeel thanks to the amount of cocoa powder, tannins are firm but impactful. Smooth and delicate after 90 mins of breathing. Tasted at immediate uncorked and after 1.5 hours and the difference was noticeable!
— 16 days ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

All of the grapes from the vineyards owned by the Latour family are vinified and aged in the cuverie of Château Corton Grancey in Aloxe-Corton. The winery was the first purpose-built cuverie in France and remains the oldest still-functioning. Medium pale lemon color with aromas of stone fruits with a slight nutty floral character. On the palate flavors of peach and melon with lemon citrus and savory notes. Medium+ finish, lively acidity, ending with fruit, toasty oak and minerality. Nice! — 7 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Just love this wine! Nice blend of grapes from the Bierzo Valley, biodynamic. Deep Ruby with loads of Berry fruits aromas adding some sweet floral spice and flinty notes. On the palate flavors of cherry, raspberry, and strawberry with a juicy mineral edge. Well balanced and integrated with fine chalky tannins, lively acidity and a long finish ending with fruit and spicy notes. Tremendous value for such a complex wine. — 10 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Elegant Ruby red color with red fruit aromas and gentle floral spice, aged for about 12 months in French oak, signature blend of grapes from Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, and Yamhill-Carlton AVA's. On the palate flavors of cherry and black raspberry with notes of herb, licorice and wet stone notes. Soft dusty tannins on a long finish ending with fruit, spice and earthy notes. Very Nice! Drinking well now! — 19 days ago

Donald Williams

9.3

Very nice Port. Held up quite nicely after being open for a while. — 3 months ago

with Bonnie

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Another big boi from this producer. Obviously uses at least a significant proportion of partially dried grapes. Fairly saturated color. Nose is rather subdued, reluctantly giving up scents of leather, underbrush, crushed rock, and dark cherry underneath all of that non-fruit stuff. In the mouth, it’s big, with initial slightly bitter, extracted notes. Tannic. Dissimilar from straight Valpos in its size and austerity. Dissimilar from Ripasso-style Valpos in that the fruit is not especially ripe or sweetish. It will go well with our stuffed shells in red sauce, but is a little challenging on its own. It occurs to me that this might fit in well in a tasting of 2017s from the left bank in Bordeaux. In other words, very atypical for a Valpo. Still, it’s pretty good, as long as you don’t harbor any expectations of typicity.

UPDATE: two nights later (using a vacuum closure), this has actually improved. Kind of amazing for a Valpo of this age. The fruit has moved closer to front-and-center, and it seem a bit more Calpo-like, though it’s still pretty large-framed. Upping score from 8.8 to 9.0. — 3 months ago