Heather Rostker

9.6

Excellent — 4 months ago

with Emmett and Brian

Mark S.

8.9

Oak, vanilla, pepper. Black currant. Chocolate nuance. Leather. Concentration. Dry. Not much spicy. 8 years vantage. Wolf Blass Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz 17 @, TPEC, 250614 — a year ago

DAL 9000

9.3

Deep purple color. Soft berries/ cherries up front going to a dry middle. Finishes with a cocoa finish. — 2 years ago

Michael B

9.4

Phenomenal. Every other year I open one of these bottles from 2016 and the evolution keeps impressing me. On the nose, has a character of rainy ancient west coast forest. On the palate, Blackberry, blueberry, with hints of dark cherry. Blended perfectly with a rich, aged, leather. Hints of cedar wood, slightly smoked. Perfectly balanced. Only going to keep getting better over the next few years. — 4 years ago

Frank Fahs

9.2

Only a few sips left. Pairs well with air and probably fatty foods but I only bought one bottle so just enjoying. so glad I don’t have to share. — 6 years ago

Kevin Hicks

9.2

Easy drinking cab. I like a stronger cab but throughly enjoyed it. — 6 years ago

with Lisa

Ron R

9.3

At $23 per, there is no better domestic or international SB on the market…

On the bubble and could be 94. — 6 months ago

with Anne-marie

Brian Hearty

9.1

2022. Vineyard: Fenaughty & Lightner
Varietal: Counoise, Cinsault, Mourvédre, Grenache, Terret Noir. Light body, but lots of flavor. No funk, minimal tannins and enough acidity to pair great with sausage pasta and bagna cauda garlic bread. — 2 years ago

Tenmu Arakawa

9.0

Rich tropical fruit intertwines with grapefruit, lemon and candied lime peel. — 4 years ago

Sean Lyons

9.5

I hate to say it, but this stuff really is a higher class of vodka. No off, medicinal notes. No cloying artificial sweetness. It just tastes like the cleanest, purest spring water was made magically alcoholic. — 4 years ago

Dan Whitaker

9.0

Great wine for the money. Fruit forward. Soft for a cabernet. Not much oak. Very fruit forward for a cabernet. — 5 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.3

This wine is dark and savory. The black fruit comes along with cedar, vanilla and a chalky earth tone. Nothing like Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, but more in line with Paso Robles. Lots of South American minerals having a bit of roughhouse here. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Four day weekend. Gotta get it off to a good start. Been awhile since we had our 375ml of Ruinart.

The nose shows, ripe, slightly candied; black cherries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals.

The palate is full & touch gummy/candied. Fruits are well extracted, deep, ruby; black cherries, blackberries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Ghostly, not quite fruit brandy or fruit liqueur character, sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, not quite medium, white spice with hints of palate heat, grainy, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals. The acidity lively and crisp. The round, well balanced & polish finish is always consistently satisfying and lingers for minutes.

Photos of; the House of Ruinart, Dom Thierry Ruinart, nicely light caves and rolling, hillside, Grand Cru Vineyard.

Not quite sure where “D” gets $83 when you can buy this all day at just under $65. — 6 years ago

Brett Durci

9.0

Nose of tart fruit and spice which shows up in the palate as well. Silky tannins that take a little time to build up. Easy to drink for a medium bodied red. It's holding up well to hearty spicy chilli, and the spice of the food is letting the fruit show more through the spice notes of the wine. Curious to see how it develops when I have some tomorrow. — 8 months ago

Ash Anderson

9.2

This is, excuse me, a damn fine bottle of wine.

Worn leather, cigar smoke, and vanilla on the nose. Intense palate of overripe blackberry and cassis. Powerful but well integrated oak. Very long, complex finish.

Drank while watching a fan edit of Fire Walk With Me. Needs a solid decant. — a year ago

RM

8.9

Blackberry, crushed blueberry, bark, and hints of green pepper. Beautiful bouquet with a solid structure and medium(+) finish. — 4 years ago

Colin Cahoon

9.2

Dark cherry and spice nose. More dark cherry on the palate with cola, plum, cooked strawberry, cinnamon, clove, oak, with a hint of cocoa. Medium plus alcohol, medium minus tannins, and high alcohol. — 4 years ago

with Susan

Charles Mires

9.3

Excellent+ — 5 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.1

This Chilean Pinot Noir offers a nose that is heavy with cola, black tea and coffee grounds. The savory aromas actually outweigh the fruit. It is a medium-weight wine, not very deeply tinted, and it rides light on the palate. The acidity is brisk and the tannins firm. This is not a Burgundian take on the grape, for certain. It is more playful than elegant, more rustic than beautiful.
— 6 years ago

Daniel Taub

9.5

Omg. Drinking outstanding. Kudos to the Bear! — 6 years ago