David Smisek

9.0

07/11/26 (tw 07/2/26 Dave). $15 With homemade pizza. Smokey smell. Good taste. No harsh taste. Good flavor. But again. — 2 months ago

Matthew Sparling

9.2

I nice solid Chardonnay. Fruity with a nice finish and not sweet. — 6 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.7

One of the legendary vintages for the Château, 1986 is drinking beautifully with a captivating and ultra complex bouquet and a seductive, detailed palate with killer concentration, Paulliac power and melting tannins. Stunning wine and fully on brand for dinner at The Eighty Six! — 8 months ago

Deborah M

9.3

Day 2. Different is trending here. Did a little digging and pulled this gem.

The 2009 Viña Tondonia Reserva, a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Mazuelo and Graciano, matured in used American oak barrels for six years.

Elegance and value. Lively and fresh. Lot’s of life left for this one. Not a bad start for the year.
— 4 years ago

Will Stanley

9.4

The 2016 Chateau Musar, the winery’s latest vintage on release, is much less forthcoming on the nose than the 2013 and ‘15 that I’ve tried recently, despite - or perhaps because of - the fact that the Hochars consider 2016 to be a successful and very ageworthy vintage.

The nose is quite dense and tightly wound, much like a left bank Bordeaux presents in its youth, not yet revealing its cards besides aromas of cedar, steeped plum, smoked beef and cinnamon. The palate, however, is open for business - powerful and saturated, striking that wonderful Musar balance between dark fruit and tangy acidity, expanding towards a puckering finish with good length.

The lasting impression here is of a very modern rendition of Musar, with great clarity and purity to the fruit, fine tannins, refreshing acidity on the palate and great drinkability now (though equal potential to age). My preference of late remains the 2013, but that’s now quite hard to buy - so I’d happily have a case of this instead.

94+ — 4 years ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.7

Bright, deep ruby. Ineffable scents of dark berries, graphite, minerals, licorice, violet, dark chocolate and sage. Wonderfully suave, fine-grained and plush but light on its feet, and every bit as complex in the mouth as on the nose. Really impeccably balanced, classy wine with uncanny precision and inner-mouth aromatic lift and a resounding, endlessly building aftertaste that leaves the taste buds quivering. A wine of great finesse and energy, not to mention noble palate-saturating, fully ripe tannins. This is more about subtlety than weight, but is still hard to scrape off your palate. This already coats every square millimeter of the palate but may yet expand further. All of this fruit was harvested in October. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, May 2020)
— 6 years ago

Melissa Kingman

9.2

Hard to resist opening this bottle! Delicious now and I’m sure will be delicious in years to come. Good thing we got a few bottles! — 7 years ago

with James

Sam Friedland

8.9

This time was definitely better than previous one. More fruit and nuisance. Maybe needs more time to develope? — 3 months ago

Manj Gunawardane

9.1

Lovely ripe nose - dark fruit, spice. Not dense on the mouth, ample fruit and soft tannin. Depth, a little heat, elegant and with years ahead. Felt like a baby even on day 2 and 3. Decant needed on day 1. — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Lynch-Bages 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé, BDX, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A powerful, structurally driven Pauillac showing serious depth and long-term ambition, built on a 71% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot support. The wine carries muscular architecture, dark fruit density, and firm tannic authority, currently showing some youthful rough edges but clearly positioned for future greatness with proper cellaring.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, cassis liqueur, blackberry skin, graphite, cedar plank, crushed gravel, tobacco leaf, dark cocoa and subtle savory spice.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm, youthful tannins, strong mid-palate grip, vibrant supporting acidity, dense core concentration, and a long, structured finish that signals serious aging capacity.

Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, grilled lamb chops, beef short ribs, rosemary-crusted venison, aged hard cheeses, slow-braised meats.

Verdict
A high-potential Pauillac still in its formative phase. The structure, depth, and terroir signature are undeniable, but integration will require time. A climber rather than a polished performer today, patience will be rewarded handsomely.

🍷 Personal Pick
This feels like a future star in development, powerful, slightly raw, but absolutely loaded with upside. Not a wine for instant gratification, but one that will evolve into something truly special with time. I’d happily cellar this and revisit around 2029 when the polish finally matches the horsepower. — 8 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Always so good. Opulent and incisive. Deep nose. Lots of amplitude. Huge limestone. Herbal. So complex. German Chardonnay is so awesome. What a palate. Huge core of apple and pear fruit and stacked with minerals and a malo sweetness. So long and nimble. Gorgeous wine. Almost 9.5. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

The first of my small tranche of 2019 Cuvée Reservée’s and I figured it would be fun to share with the Tasting Group. Popped and poured and presented double-blind. The wine pours a translucent, deep ruby with magenta rim, near opaque core, medium+ viscosity. On the nose, the wine was clean with macerated raspberry, cranberry, and pomegranate fruits. There were purple flowers, some black pepper and rocky minerality along with a slightly gamey note which was quite charming. Both the fruit and non-fruit characteristics were confirmed on the palate. The wine finishes dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. There’s a compelling sense of power and energy in this wine. Everyone was in the Rhône but most were in the North; from Saint Joseph to Cornas, citing that they believed this was Syrah. However, two in the group called Châteauneuf du Pape and one actually called producer (!!) but missed on vintage (2016). Universally, the wine was fawned over and the dude who called Pagaü thought he actually favored the 2019 over the 2016 he had a while back. While I’m not sure I would go that far, the 2019 is truly quite stunning already and seems to have the guts to see a very long and wonderful life ahead. These are currently enjoying their customary early drinking window however, that window will likely close within a year or so and then I could see this shutting down pretty hard until 2025 — 4 years ago

Marisa Munoz

9.4

Smooth, rich & delicious! — 7 years ago

with Stacy and Dylan

Pooneet K

9.4

In perfect condition and drinking much more youthful than nearly 40 years!! Paired with grilled chicken thighs which went very well given the tannin structure has mostly receded. Acid still very much keeping things together and in check. Nice balance - still some good fruit, great earth, long finish. Hard to argue! — 4 months ago

Roger Ray

9.1

"A traditional Australian blend combining the expressiveness of Shiraz with the defined structure of Cabernet Sauvignon. This full-bodied wine shows ripe dark fruit aromas, voluminous richness and plentiful tannins. " — 7 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.2

Liked the 2014 even better. This is less earthy. Lime, black forest herbs hard to describe. Raspberry, Oregano, Cherry .🍒 crushed rock - drink up! — a year ago

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

8.9

Green olives, chocolate, licorice. Intense. Not at all fruity. Tar. Hard. Low acid. I don’t get the hype. Thick. Bitter — 4 years ago

Conrad Green

9.4

Deep and intense and very pure. Dark, brooding fruit hard to unwind but loads of depth. Minerality and savory fruit in spades but densely packed right now. — 4 years ago

with BOT, Gregg and 2 others

Ed Lehrman

9.3

Hard to fully enjoy as the outdoor temp was 95 but still delicious. — 6 years ago

Nagib Nasr

9.0

Amazing Port to celebrate my brothers 50th birthday!!!! — 7 years ago

with Wissam