Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Primarily Chenin Blanc with small amounts of Semillon and Grenache Blanc blended in. Light golden color. Expensive aromas of stone fruit, white flowers, flint and honey. Flavors of cooked peaches, ripe apples, tangerine and a subtle mineral backbone. A touch of honey on the long and lingering finish. Slightly creamy/silky texture. (Lees aging?) Vibrant and zesty acidity. Rich and round with a great mouthfeel. Consistently solid vintage after vintage. Appreciate you adding this one to the tasting lineup, Chris B. I need to drink more Chenin. — 15 days ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.5

Great wine. Only letdown is the slightly murky, outdoorsey nose. — 10 days ago

Conrad Green

9.3

Poised and cool. Great balance. A bit understated but that isn’t a bad thing — 3 days ago

with Paul and Ara

Ray Vanderhoff

9.4

Excellent follow up to the classic 2016 Vintage. Blend of Mourvèdre (30%), Grenache (30%), Syrah (15%), Counoise (10%) and the balance (15%) made up of other approved CDP varietals led by Vaccarese’. Aromas of red and black fruit, garrigue, leather and earth. Flavors of black raspberries, currants and cherries, Asian spices, smoked meat and truffles. Long and lingering (slightly spicy) finish and beautiful balance. Full bodied and dense, but not overpowering. Fine grained tannins and amazing complexity. Great now, but there is another decade (or so) of aging potential. Just incredible. — 8 days ago

Chris MacLean

9.3

Great outing. Pretty and precise. — a month ago

with Sarah

Joe Flo

9.3

Great improvement from the last btl. Unfortunately my last & not on the top of my list to replace. — 2 months ago

Brandon Boesch

9.4

So solid. Had it at a steakhouse in Estes park. Great fruit and tannin and balance. — 2 months ago

Paul J

9.4

Always great! Medium gold color. Still young. More reserved fruit than other vintages. Well balanced and just my style. — 9 days ago

with Brooke

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.6

2021. Wow. Had no idea Australia was making such good chard. Mineral and crisp. Lots of almonds, apples green, and pear. Slight honeydew. Long finish. Captivating. — 23 days ago

David White

9.2

Always consistent and the 2020 Pinotage at 6 years doesn’t disappoint
Deep ruby colour berries in nose and palate with long finish — 2 months ago

Mike Evans

9.4

Lemon and brioche, great blend of tartness and richness. — 19 days ago

Jon Tate

9.1

Beautiful wine had at Isidore San Antonio with clients. Great big bold cab had with steak. — 20 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented double-blind at dinner. The wine pours a deep garnet with a near opaque core and a slightly orange rim with considerable variation; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and desiccated fruit: black currants, blackberries, plum, pipe tobacco, capsicum, pencil shavings, a touch leather, organic earth and a mix of dried herbs and some fine warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Really tasty stuff.

Initial conclusions: this is an old wine, likely 30-40 years old. That being said, it’s still very distinguishable as it’s showing varietal characteristics. This could be Cabernet Sauvignon (or a blend thereof), Cabernet Franc (or a blend thereof), or Merlot (or a blend thereof). I can see this being Napa because the fruit is still showing some generosity. But there’s a lot of non-fruits there too. Regardless, this was giving Left Bank vibes so I could also see this being Bordeaux from a great vintage like 1982. And that’s my call, Cabernet Sauvignon-blend from France, Bordeaux, Saint-Estèphe, from a classified growth like Calon-Ségur. Shucks. But I’m not mad about my choice! Old Opus One’s are tricky to differentiate. Drinking very well right now but this will live well past 2035. — a month ago

Christian Fischer

9.6

To close the evening we have an Yquem. Always a treat, never disappoints. The 2013 is still young with decades upon decades to go. The honey, the fruit, the endless flavor that lingers in your mouth forever - what a great wine. — 3 months ago

Conrad Green

9.2

Clear and bright. Chalk and zesty lemon. Bright and sharp. Very good — 2 days ago

with Bex

Conrad Green

9.4

soft edges and broad plum. Fully resolved but still fresh. Good stuff. In great shape — 3 days ago

with Paul and Ara

Ed Chin

9.5

WOTN resolved tannins and brightness in it acidity. Both red and dark fruit. It gave me this sensation of just comfort. Another example that a poor vintage is not an indication that great bottle can’t be made. — 9 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Tasted blind. Medium ruby garnet , medium garnet rim . Quite classic and elegant, with cigar box , grafite and some dried earth , some slightly toasty notes also . On the palate this shows good balance , fresh acidity , classic blackcurrant , cigar box , earthy touch . Good depth and length , grafite tinged finish , quite correct and no extra sweetness or weight . Good length and a spicy , mineral , blackcurrant tinged finish . Lafite ? Still young , really well balanced. From now and over the next 10 to 15 years. This was actually the Mouton , which was a great surprise, but certainly a pleasant one ! — 12 days ago

Louis Martin

9.5

Fantastic pour from an often overlooked vintage year, smooth, well-balanced, delicate, great on its own and even better when paired with a well prepared steak covered with truffle and mushroom sauce, as presented at our Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner at the Hope Club. — a month ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Better with the Rib-cap. The 08 vintage was spotty to good. This one shows the shortcomings of the 08 vintage. Really good fruit, but lacks typical, depth, mid palate, and length.

The nose is class Bordeaux.Ripe to ruby fruits of, black plum skin, slightly syrupy blackberries, plum, dark cherry liqueur, strawberries, dark currants. Dark chocolate cake with glaze, screaming, lead pencil shavings, tobacco, leather, dry riverstone, limestone marl, forest floor with dry leaves, soft, incense, black, licorice, red, cola, dry herbs, tomato, leaf, with dark and red flowers, framed in violets.

The palate is ripe to ruby fruits of, black plum skin, slightly syrupy blackberries, plum, dark cherry liqueur, strawberries, dark currants. Dark chocolate cake with glaze, screaming, lead pencil shavings, deep, dark spice that expands wide, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, caramel and vanillin, dry tobacco with ash, leather, dry riverstone, limestone marl, dry crushed rocks, forest floor with dry leaves, moist clays, soft, incense, black, licorice, red, cola, savory dry herbs, tomato leaf, dry oak barrel shaving to cedar with dark and red flowers, framed in violets, acidity is ok, just not right, finish is good, not great, it falls hard on spice and is short of a minute.

93 with the Rib-cap. Green Bean from my organic gsrden. Drink now through 2035. — a month ago