Bob McDonald

9.6

The 3rd wine at the First Growth Bordeaux lunch at the Downs Club last Saturday. My contribution to the lunch. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Opulent and Powerful. The experts say this is a 50 year wine and tasting it now at 39 years currently it will definitely not have an issue reaching 50 years. Mint, spice and black fruits. The masses of dry tannins 20 years ago are starting to resolve. Jancis wondered in 2004 if they would ever soften. I have one left which I hope to drink on its 50th birthday in 2036 if I am still around. This was the oldest wine in the lineup and also the most robust. — a year ago

Rob N

9.2

I quite enjoyed this wine, but difficult following up after an Opus One! — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

This is a tasty Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County in California, however it is not drinking like one.

Showing black fruits with chocolate notes, tobacco, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices and black pepper.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Good right out of the bottle and much better after 2 hours in the decanter, so be patient.

I had this wine many times before, and it is drinking very nicely as a 5 year old.

Fruit forward and rich, with a bit of RS. Good by itself as a sipping wine.

Aged in French oak barrels for 9 months.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$50. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Stupid at under $40. Buy all you can.

Green & Golden apple, banana, lemon & lime candy, cream, super soft chalkiness, vanillin, fruit blossoms, spring flowers, jasmine caramel notes, honeysuckle to understated honey, with yellow florals, spring flowers with mixed greens. If you are an acid head (like me) it’s perfect. Excellent long finish that is well balanced, elegant, polished and sings persistently for minutes ending in mid white spice.

Photos of; one of their Grand Cru vineyards, likely 40-50 year plus rootstock, Pierre-Yves Colin and library cellar. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This is an insiders wine. You have study, focus and taste a lot wine to know how special this wine can drink. Especially, at its QPR.

There are a lot of people that covet SQN, Caycuse, Horsepower and No Girls. For my palate, these wines either burn the palate with ABV or choke off the fruit with way too much bacon fat and or deeply marinaded grilled meats. Yes, you are drinking expensive, flashy producers but, I would humbly disagree they are better wines than this 2011 Le Clos Du Caillou Vielles Vignes Cuvée Unique. Those other wines should aspire to be everything this 2011 shows and delivers.

This Le Clos Du Caillou has the balance the above wines lack and at a fraction of the price point. I would drink this 2011 over any of the other fore mentioned wines. While this Le Clos Du Caillou is a shade hot, it is not nearly as hot as SQN etc.. Hot ABV alcohol that burns the palate & back of the throat will forever be a fatal flaw in a wine.

The nose reveals, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue & purple fruit mix, poached & back strawberries, black raspberries and both plums. Dark, sweet tarriness, dry, crushed rocks, steeped teas, anise stretching to black licorice, hint of dry herbs with bay leaf leading the way, dry brush, black, dry earth, savory, grilled meats, medium, dark spice, understated baking spices; clove, nutmeg, vanilla and a touch of clove, dark & mid red fruit cola, just a whiff of incense with candied, fresh and withering red & dark florals.

The body is rich and mid full. Tannins just 50% resolved with round, dark tarry teethiness. The structure, tension, length and balance are harmonious...just before their peak. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue & purple fruit mix, raspberries that haut the center palate on the long set, poached & back strawberries, black raspberries and both plums. Dark, sweet tarriness, dry, crushed rocks, limestone minerals, steeped teas, anise stretching to black licorice, hint of dry herbs with bay leaf leading the way, dry brush, dry black earth, dry stone wrapped in moist clay, savory, grilled meats, some bacon fat, medium, dark spice, understated baking spices; clove, nutmeg, vanilla and a touch of clove, Mix of caramel & mocha powder, dark & mid red fruit cola, just a whiff of incense with candied, fresh and withering red & dark florals. The acidity is phenomenal. The long, ripe, well balanced & textured, elegant finish is memorable and is persistent for several minutes.

Wine paired perfectly with our marinated Tri-tip.

If you are over paying for the above lesser wines mentioned above, you owe it to yourself to seek out and cellar this wine appropriately.

Photos of; Le Clos Du. Caillou, their barrel room, Owners-Sylvie Vacheron & Bruno Gaspard and one of their vineyards. It’s amazing they can grow anything in that stone soil structure.
— 7 years ago

peter taylor

10

Still drinking the 89 while storing at temps rainging from 50 to 90 degrees F for the last 22 years. 2 bottles left. Not one bottle in all thes years was less than perfect. I would rate it as a 98.5, but, i am no expert. I have had great assulase, tokaji aszu and chateau d'Yquem but, for the price i paid (20$/bottle), it far exceeds the others. It is now a medium amber color complex fruity tones great finish. I feel sad when the last drop leaves my teast buds. I also have a few of the 90's to us as a comparison. They are a distant second. — 8 years ago

Anthony De Blasi

9.4

50/50 Teran and Syrah from the south of Istria. Extremely balanced, fruity with very elegant acidity and soft tannins. Great! — 3 years ago

Benjamin Shirk

9.3

McCarthy & Schiering, $50

Bittersweet occasion and went way above my budget to celebrate my birthday and also mourn Grandma Julie's passing. She loved CdP so thought I'd splurge on one. I've only had a couple but have loved every one I tried. This was a bit different, I'm used to bright fruit forward but this was very muted cooked dark fruit with a lot of emphasis on the baking spice and earthy tobacco notes. Incredibly complex - licorice, coffee, clove, tobacco with an underlying subtle dried/cooked dark fruit. Crazy smooth, but I'm comparing it to sub $20 wines that I'm used to, and you can barely tell that it's 15% alc. Nice tannins but I think it would benefit from a touch more acidity. I'm being picky since I paid so much for it but in summary it's one of the best made wines I've ever had, but not among my favorites. But it's still a great experience and I don't regret the purchase — 4 years ago

Ken Z

9.5

Drank 12/31/20

Happy New Year!

Scents of dried cherry, leather, tobacco leaf, and cedar Incredible balance with sweet cherry, earth, and a touch leather. Long finish dominated by cherry and drying tannins.

4/22/9/5/4 +50=94 pts.

JS went 98 on this one. A fantastic wine, bit cant quite get there. — 5 years ago

Jordi Pazo

9.4

Troba alternativa Montgat. W. Vila. 325 -50% = 162,50. 08.02.20
07.07.20 — 6 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

Vintage 2009 | a true to type Touraine, certainly not a middle of the road wine. Made from 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Cot. Now eleven years old but still with a certain stubbornness, though one can call this character as well ☺️ I put it a few hours in the decanter and then it went well with a porc cotelet and fresh green beans. A smell with cherries, flint, vanilla, a robust taste with only a slight velvet impression. I like these ‘difficult’ wines that play hard to get. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Today was my annual hosting of the Wednesday Wine Committee. There was 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert, all provided by me. Tasted blind, as always.

Copying my note from the ‘07 vintage as the wines are near identical. I will say that I didn’t get as much yeast out of the ‘09 as I did the ‘07, but it’s hard to know if it was simply due to age. I’ll hold back a bottle or two for a few years and revisit then.

Next to Ultramarine and the Reserve Schramsberg Sparklers, this is one of the best domestic Sparklers I’ve had, especially at the price ($50). Nose was grilled honeycomb, baked yeast and a small bit of limestone. Extremely creamy on the front palate...bubbles were so incredibly tiny. Multiple bubble strings. Wonderful lemon bread palate, with a crisp, chalky finish highlighted by grilled pineapple. There seemed to be more green apple notes here compared to the ‘07 vintage, but may be due to youth. This is an excellent US version of champagne. — 7 years ago

with Andrew, Weston and 3 others

Chris England

9.4

Always a treat to enjoy these excellent NV pink bubbles @ £50 👍 one of our favourites 😍

📍 Billecart Salmon NV

🏵 93-94 points

🍇 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir & 30% Pinot Meunier

🍷 Shimmering pale peachy salmon pink 😍

👃 Sweet biscuit & brioche through peach, strawberry, red currant & grapefruit with mineral & sweet red apple tones

👄 Crisp med fresh soft fine lively bubbled mousse of citrus, grapefruit zest & dry minerals w/ sweet strawberry, raspberry & red apple fruity undertones

🎯 Med sweet & dry almond sugar biscuit, sour grapefruit, sweet strawberry, peaches & red apple mineral loaded finish
— 8 years ago

Clifton Jackson

9.5

One of the best California Chards that I’ve tasted. Opens with a subtle minerality that softens to a rich fruit fullness of lemongrass and cardamom that is perfectly accented by the mild French oak, maybe up to 50% new. This is a wine that seems to truly express its terroir ... I need to get more of this!!! — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a beautiful one from Bordeaux.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, light vanilla, earth, wet leaves, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, dark chocolates and tobacco leaf.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.


This 7 year old, from the great 2015 vintage, is drinking very nice right now.

This Fifth growth Bordeaux is showing nice complexity, with a soft and elegant mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours in the decanter.

Young, but already delicious, and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.

Robert Parker 97 points.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with food too. Will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

A Delicious wine that drank better than the 1996 I had 4 years ago.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels (50% new) for 16 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$130. — 4 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.1

The 2017 De Toren Fusion V, the Left Bank Bordeaux-based blend, 90% raised in 50% new French oak, is deep garnet in color. It has a well-defined blackberry, bilberry and soy-tinged nose, touches of pencil shaving coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, almost Médoc-like tannins, quite structured and more austere compared to older vintages that I have tasted, especially in the context of a ripe growing season. Noticeably bitter toward the finish. Personally, I would afford this a couple of years in the cellar just to shave the edges, but it is a commendable Stellenbosch Bordeaux blend, one that cohered nicely after two or three hours. (Neal Martin, Vinous, April 2021)
— 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here's a fantastic one from California.

Pretty color of dark ruby with a reddish rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, black currants, dried figs, tobacco, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, cola and peppercorn. Great nose.

Full bodied, elegant and smooth, with medium acidity and fat legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, raisins, toasted cedar, leather, vanilla, tobacco, licorice, chocolates, medium roasted coffee, coke, sweet spices and black pepper.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This is a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Well balanced with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

The nose is gorgeous and I just kept on smelling on it for a long time.

This 5 year old is drinking very nicely now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years and beyond.

Good right out of the bottle and better after 90 minutes of airtime.

This Single Vineyard Cabernet is just plain delicious. Tangy and interesting, rich yet elegant.

Aged for 20 months in French Oak barrels (70% new).

14.8% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$50. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

@Delectable this is 2014 Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin, “Blanchot”

The nose reveals; candle wax, lemons, green apple, overripe pineapple, kiwi, lime pulp, pear, white peach, apricots, peach, topical melons, beeswax, honeysuckle, vanillin, creamy butter, fresh herbs, caramel, subtle chalkiness, sea fossils, limestone, grey volcanics, the lemon in Lemon Pledge, green grass, dry straw, glazed, brown butter, with fruit blossoms, yellow lilies, jasmine & spring flowers.

The palate is; rich, lush, round, waxy and elegantly smooth. Excellent viscosity. Glorious as it slips over the beautiful mouthfeel. Sour lemons, green apple, overripe pineapple, kiwi, lime pulp & candy, pear, white peach, apricots, peach, guava, topical melons, beeswax, candle wax, honeysuckle, vanillin, creamy butter, fresh herbs, caramel, subtle chalkiness, sea fossils, saline, limestone, grey volcanics, the lemon in Lemon Pledge, green grass, dry straw, glazed, brown butter with fruit blossoms, yellow lilies, jasmine & spring flowers. The acidity is; round, phat & lively. The finish is; polish, rich, lush, balance fruit & earth and has no hiccups. Great wire to wire.

Photos of; one of their Vineyards, Benoît Droin tasting through his wines & Domaine Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin,

Producer notes; The Droins have been producing wines in Chablis for nearly 400 years (their history as vignerons goes back at least to 1620). Benoît is the 14th generation guardian.

The Domaine has 13 hectares of vineyards and produces 14 different wines, including Petit Chablis, Chablis, 7 Premiers Crus and 5 Grand Crus. They prune specific to each vineyard. The wines are fermented differently by vineyard.

All their wines are fermented in mature oak. The Blanchots are all fermented and matured in tank. Vaillons, Mont de Milieu and Montée de Tonnerre receive 25 per cent of barrel fermentation and maturation, 35 per cent for Vosgros and Vaudésir, 40 per cent for Montmains and Valmur, peaking at 50 per cent for Fourchaume, Grenouilles and Les Clos. However the age of the oak and the choice of tonnelier may vary according to the cuvée. The maximum new oak is ten per cent in the Grand Crus. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

8.9

This is a wine you don’t see very often - an Old World Cabernet Syrah. Grown in Provence from 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The owner was able to classify the wine as the more lowly Vin de Pays to get around the archaic French classification laws so he could do the 50/50 blend. A good robust crimson colour. I’m getting Cabernet Notes of black currant and herbs on the nose and fleshier Syrah notes on the palate. Sandy persistent tannins to finish. Probably will live another 10 years + so might have opened a little early? Being an Australian I am spoilt for choice for excellent Cabernet Shiraz blends most of which would blow this away for quality and value even though this Trevallon is one of the 1001 wines. I paid 110 Euros for this in a bottle shop in Provence and would prefer Penfolds Bin 389 or Yalumba Signature for around the $80 AUD Mark. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I bought my first vintage from this producer & terroir beginning with the 2010 vintage and what a vintage to start. I bought four bottles for right around $50 or a little less. They were so amazing, I drank through them in no time at all. For those of you that read my posts, that’s not normally what I do. I like to drink one & age the rest. Since then, I have looked & looked for more. I’d finally given up hopes of finding more until recently I struck gold. I should have bought all nine bottles but a calmer head prevailed. It’s definitely changed since having it fresh. On the nose, the fruits are slightly macerated. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, glazed nuts, soft, delicate, chalky minerals, a touch of jasmine & yellow lilies. The body is much rounder & thicker than when it was young. Waxy. So, beautifully layered across the palate. Much of the palate matches the nose. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, apricots, peach, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, slight molasses character & glazed nuts with citrus blossoms, yellow lilies & jasmine. The minerals are much more grippy & bold as they cut across and set on the palate. The acidity round & phat. The texture is amazing as is the length, balance & beautiful, rich, long finish that lasts two-minutes plus. So glad I found more of this wine! Hubert Lamy seriously over deliver the terroir & the price point by a country mile. If you are not buying this wine on pre-arrival, you are missing great wine and excellent value. Can’t say enough good things about it. Especially, the 2010. I expect the 15 to hold similar quality. Photos of; Olivier Lamy, Olivier working in this vineyard, barrel room and their Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Vineyard. Producer notes and history...There have been Lamy’ s growing vines in St-Aubin since 1640, today it is run by Olivier Lamy. Olivier is a new breed of Burgundian grower keen to progress. He trained Méo-Camuzet & made a number of vintages before taking over in 1996 from his father Hubert. Hubert Lamy used to sell fruit to négociants, but that stopped in 1997. He grubbed up and sold off peripheral vines, keeping only the best and oldest sites. Currently he is experimenting with different planting densities in a quest to capture even greater expression of terroir. The Domaine produces both reds and whites and now has 16.5 hectares of vineyards, mostly in St-Aubin but also own a few parcels in Chassagne-Montrachet and a tiny plot in the Grand Cru Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Yields are kept low and recent innovations have been introduced with selection tables in the cuverie to ensure that only the healthiest and ripest grapes are used. His more recent move to reduce the amount of new oak with the introduction of demi-muids 300-600 liter barrels have also helped to improve the wines. Vinification is traditional and the wines are matured with only 20-30% new oak for 12 months before minimal filtration and then bottling. The quality is very high and is often superior to many wines from much more prominent villages that sell at twice the price or more. — 8 years ago