Steve Anderson

9.2

Old Faithful. Year after year. — 8 months ago

Shay A

9.2

My experience with South African red wines is limited, but I’ve enjoyed some Meerlust reds and a few other random bottles. I have to say, while this wasn’t a revelation, it is the best South African wine I’ve had to date.

This was a bottle opened blind for a few people. Oddly enough, there were similarities to this and a 2013 Almaviva…a burnt rubber/tire note on the nose alongside a vegetal/herbal pronounced note on the nose. Tangy/sour black cherries, red currant and red licorice too. Mostly red and black underripe fruit dominant. Even a bit of tar. This drinks like a chinon mixed with a lean vintage Bordeaux…the spice and vegetal flair is there next to the lightweight mid palate from a cooler Bordeaux vintage. A blend of five “noble varietals” in honor of Bordeaux, this was a unique wine that had people guessing from all over the world. After 1-2hrs of air from
bottle, it was balanced/integrated and ready to roll. I’d enjoy these sooner rather than later. — 3 years ago

Willie Carter

9.1

An immediately attractive light gold color in the glass. A fine, persistent mousse with a terrific amount of tiny bubbles. Very fresh aromas on the nose with honeysuckle, apricots, and plenty of chalk. Roasted nuts are dominant here after some time with fresh cut flowers joining in.

100% Chardonnay aged up to five years on lees. The 8 g/l does show itself but never in a cloying manner. The 40% of reserve wine from Mesnil sur Oger and Avize also clearly show. This is a very mature and earnest champagne. The minerality and exquisite tension set it apart from so many others.

Nice integration and structure here. The high acidity is balanced by the softness of the fruit and the more savory characteristics. The palate follows the nose closely with more toast, citrus, and nice chalk. Long finish that you really don’t want to end. — 4 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.1

Nice medium gold in color, touch of metallic oxidation on the nose. Powerful and potent on the tongue. Bone dry and definitely more savory than fruit-oriented. The wine demanded attention and kept pumping its flavor 30 seconds after swallowing. Perhaps more cerebral than pleasurable, but waxy, lanolin notes can pare well with Greek chicken and roasted Greek veggies. Opa! — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

The follow up to the 03 Leonetti. @Paul T- Huntington Beach & I have been telling readers about older Jones Family Vineyards for some time. If you haven’t had or not tried this producer it will be the last time I try to entice to you to try this producer. Talking about it more will only drive up the prices on the secondary market.

This 09 is damn beautiful after nearly a four hour decant but it is still fairly youthful.

It is ruby, lush, gorgeous, ripe fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, plum, hues of purple, blue fruits & raspberries, poached strawberries, black licorice, mixed, dark berry cola, steeped black tea, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, dry top soil, dry herbs, hints of eucalyptus, dry clay, dry tobacco, new leather, spice, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon & vanillin, withering red & dark florals framed in violets & lavender, beautiful round acidity, beautiful; balance, tension, structured, smartly polished finished that lasts minutes.

Still needs another 5-8 years to show its best self.

The Jones Family vineyard is located off Bale Lane in Calistoga and was planted to all five Bordeaux varieties by David Abreu in the early 1990s. Heidi Barrett made the wines until 2008, and Thomas Rivers Brown now makes the wines. — 10 months ago

Jeff Lin

8.9

Very tanic in the beginning. Much smoother after some time — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Decanted for a two hours before we got into this bottle and then consumed over the following three hours. This is one of the more unique producers from Chateauneuf du Pape as they are known to have the most prized and oldest Mourvèdre in the region. Initially, this had the funkiest aroma, almost that of a high school locker room. Thankfully, that blew off after about five minutes. What remained was a powerful, concentrated wine with a bouquet of red and blue fruits with garrigue and exotic spices. On the palate, red cherries and baked blueberries and an unmistakable kiss of black pepper. Very good acid and sneaky tannins; characteristic of the vintage. And while the 15% abv is kept fairly well in check, it does have a touch of heat on the finish. Fun to try one now but I expect this to show better after 2025. — 4 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2019 vintage. Big and brooding from being disturbed during hibernation. Medium-heavy body. Pretty nose and a smoking profile. Sexy in an earthy, grounded way. Decanted and tasted after 30 mins and 2 hours post-decant. Still super-tight but all the promise of pleasure is there for the long game/cellar. Focus and push for decades. Would like to revisit in five years. 7.30.23. — a year ago

Steven Beishuizen

9.1

Five years after the vintage, this 2016 is drinking beautifully... Very deep coloring but a light nose of slightly liquered cherry.. On the palate, this one coats the mouth with that cherry flavor, with very integrated tannin. Not overly acidic here, but taking each sip makes me think of roast meat food pairings. Sage and zippy black pepper on medium finish. Very nice. — 3 years ago

with Anita

Shay A

9.2

I’m between a 91-92 (same as I was for the Brut Reserve). After going through 6 of these and 6 brut reserve over the last year, I feel confident in the longevity of these Blanc de Blanc champagnes.

For a Blanc de Blanc, this shows plenty of yeasty/toasty notes with fleshy characteristics. Sea salted flaky honey buttered biscuits with lemon scone and honeysuckle aromatics. While the palate is similar, the finish is so drastically different than the rest of this champagne…almost too tart. Palate profile is rich with yellow fruits, kiss of nougat, and some classical limestone. The finish is just crazy underripe and again, tart. Razor sharp acidity. I think this is a champagne that benefits from time, whereas the Brut reserve is perfectly fine to consume now. — 3 years ago