Ericsson

9.1

Decisions decisions… Both very comparable styles. Salvestrin is a St Helena Suav Blanc with fruit derived from the foothills and elaborated by a female winemaker, it’s got great balance and composure. Very elegant on the palate, it has this sublime honeysuckle component somewhere in the mid palate. — 2 months ago

Spencer Spetnagel

9.1

Black cherry, red currants, bramble, iron, turned dry earth, cardamom. Ripe and filling across the palate. Stays lithe throughout. Gorgeous texture and composure. A warm vintage handled skillfully by Mr. Doerner and team. Per usual. — 3 years ago

Clay Bullwinkel

9.1

Citrus, sharp composure, well rounded — 4 years ago

Kelly Cullen

9.0

Glass before Jeong — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.1

The surprisingly elegant 2020 Shotfire Quartage is a red blend that delivers ample layers of black cherry and dried herbs with graphite and spice touches. Good composure is on show in a fleshy mid-weight style, providing a rich blackberry flavor core with chewy tannins to finish. $25.00 (Angus Hughson, Vinous, December 2023) — a year ago

Willie Carter

9.0

Dark, dark purple with no hint of translucency. An eclectic nose that just leaps out of the glass. Mulberries and rhubarb. Black cherries and strawberry preserves mingle with lusty dark chocolate and dry earth.

56/23/21 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec primarily from wonderful Stags Leap and Yountville grapes. A proper decant is necessary because of the 15.3% alcohol. Most wines just cannot maintain their composure with that kind of heat but the Shafer does very well here, not surprisingly. Ripe tannins and nice complexity.

Savory notes take over on the palate with cloves, smoke, and stewed plums. Grilled meat, bacon fat, and blueberry cobbler. Just delicious. Leather and mint with warm spice on the long finish. A sturdy wine with years to go. — 3 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.3

Smoky minerals, black cherry, orange peel, violets, spice cake, licorice- just a few notes. There’s a lot going on here and it’s intensely satisfying. Grainy tannins, very lengthy finish. Just a superb young Morgon with effortless style and composure whose best years are still well ahead. — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

I tasted the 1982 Lynch-Bages twice within a month, both at a private dinner in London and at the château, from bottle and double-magnum on separate occasions. Both vindicate an exceptionally fine 1982, perhaps a bit overlooked in a vintage full of stars. Curiously, the bottle in Bordeaux does not fully deliver the mesmerizing freshness and energy compared to the bottle in London: pencil-lead-tinged black fruit intermixed with clove and freshly-rolled tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, perhaps just a little austere compared to its peers. Yet, indeed, the bottle in London exudes class and composure with a detailed, mineral-driven vintage belying that year's unseasonably warm period. Superb. Tasted both in London at a private dinner and at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2023) — a year ago

Keaton Kail

9.2

An oops bottling from the estate. 17% and technically dry. Took months to ferment fully. A ready-to-be-popped balloon of blue and blackberry preserves. Just mind-boggling in it’s weirdness and utter composure . — 4 years ago

Annie Ford

9.5

Delicious! Lots of flavors. Very different what what I usually enjoy. It’s a great balance of dark and spicy yet fruity. — 5 years ago