Tom Casagrande

8.9

Yet another bottle of this, which Garagiste seems frequently to use as it “Mystery” Chianti Classico. It’s very good, but how ‘bout mixing it up a little, guys? — a month ago

Eric Urbani

9.2

From Brian Harrington:
In 2015, cuttings from a vine thought to be Nerello Mascalese were sourced from a vineyard in Sicily’s Mount Etna. The cuttings were shipped to California, government quarantined for two years then planted at Sumu Kaw Vineyard. After a year in the ground DNA testing found the vine not to be Nerello Mascalese but an unknown variety which does not match any of the over 28,000 grapevine varieties in the viticultural DNA database. Grapes from this “no name“ vine were used to make the singular wine which is truly a “mystery of Mount Etna“. — 4 years ago

K L

8.9

Ok. Nothing to write home about but good mystery box find. Like an un-Oaked. Chardonnay — 5 years ago

with Matt

Patricia Schnitzer

9.2

Dec 12, 2020. Spontaneous US Pinot tasting w/C. This from Last Bottle mystery case. Wow! It’s a winner. Cranberry, mushroom, and slight earth on the nose. Lots going on. Complex with a lot of length. Lovely, subtle and well balanced. — 6 years ago

with Caitlin

Brandon Boesch

9.5

So this is part of the garagiste mystery Rutherford. This is insanely superior to the afleet Alex. I would have pegged this as Rutherford dust, cigar box, tons of dried fruits, sweet maraschino cherries, vanilla, tar, basically classic Napa ala chimney rock or whomever in that region. Lovely as a change of pace. — 6 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.4

Fathers Day in style. One of my very favorite wines from anywhere. Clos Canarelli Corse Figare Rose. It’s simply exuberant, but has a fresh, thirst quenching character to it as well. It takes a special bottle to pair with this album which I received as a Father’s Day present. The one and only recording from Michael O’Shea who played a self made 17 strong dulcimer of sorts and was encouraged by members of The The and Wire to record this in the early 80’s. Both have a soulful mystery to them which make for a wonderfully introspective time on an introspective day. I love that my family humors these little obsessions and shares them with me. — 7 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.1

2015 doing exactly what 2015 does. Ripe, roasted, pretty, but pretty in a 2:30 a.m. lights-came-on way. The makeup is still on, the heels are in hand, and the room suddenly looks a little less forgiving. Still enjoyable, but this is not mystery or tension. This is Burgundy with its lipstick smeared. — 3 months ago

K L

9.3

Balanced with earth and cherry. Definitely still cherry forward but more developed. A nice get from the library mystery box — 4 years ago

with Matt

JKT

9.1

Very nice Cab franc blend (plus 46% Merlot 4% Cab Saug) from JR mystery 101 mixed vintages. Dark fruits blueberries herbs and no green overtones but grippy but balanced texture and finish to complement somewhat spicy sausages with tomatoes and pasta. 281 cases. — 5 years ago

K L

9.0

Pleasantly surprised by this! Part of the mystery case and drank well — very light but earthy and not overly cherry or dry. — 5 years ago

with Matt

Devin Bray

9.5

Olive, raspberry jam, pie crust, rhubarb, white pepper. It's really fragrant right out of the bottle. Flowery, herbal, some earthy notes reminiscent of graphite or limestone that I can't quite place, I'm sure I'd solve the mystery by looking at the soil composition where it was grown. There's a ton of fruit right away, too, it's bursting with dark fruits - plum, plum skin, prune. Blackberry jam. Fresh oregano or fresh rosemary - there's a sharp note of pyrazines that really feels like something green and piquant. Could be the herbs tilled into the soil. — 6 years ago

Peter James

9.2

Mystery bottle - sooo delish! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Kalinda is K&L Wine Merchants private label. If you give it 5+ years in bottle, it’s one of the best, if not thee best value in Napa Cabernet. I think I paid $18.99 or $21.99 for this 09. I’d like to tell you who made it but, that’s the mystery of Kalinda, you just don’t know. They either buy juice from a quality producer or have them make a wine specifically for them. They’ve made a lot of great producer relationships over the 40 plus years they’ve been in business. Either way, dollar for dollar, it’s a steal. Name a quality Napa producer you can buy for $20. It’s a very short list. I buy six of more of these every year without even thinking about it. It’s simply that consistently good and always an exceptional value.

On the nose, it’s sweet, ripe, ruby nectar. There are some hints of fruit liqueur. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum with hint of strawberries. Mocha powder, dark chocolate, light dark spice, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, whiff of nutmeg, crushed rocks, loamy dry top soil, some dark moist earth, dark fresh & withering floral bouquet.

The body is medium edging to full. It’s fresh, fruity, silky and elegant. The length, structure, balance and tension are in a perfect spot. There is nothing on the palate that bites back. The fruits are ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum, huckleberries, blue fruit with hint of strawberries. Mocha powder, dark chocolate, light darker spice than the nose, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, whiff of nutmeg, dry crushed rocks, soft, round volcanic minerals, loamy dry top soil, some dark moist earth, dark fresh & withering floral bouquet. The round acidity is nicely executed. The long, well balanced finish is really nice and lasts minutes. This bottle just missed 9.2.

Photos of, the K&L tasting bar in SF, floor shot of racked wines and beautiful shots from the Napa Valley.
— 8 years ago

Julia Paglierani

9.5

Yum orange wine. Rock paper scissors imports mystery case. This one is a winner! — 2 years ago

Donald Williams

9.4

Mystery Champagne. Glad I went for it. Even the non-Champagne drinkers are loving it. — 4 years ago

with Bonnie

Gilbert Van Hassel

9.6

It is a beast of a wine, majority Mourvèdre with 20 pct Grenache. Always a bit of a mystery of a wine, big tannins yet also delicate. All red fruit, can be drunk but would wait at least another 5 years. — 5 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.3

One of my favorite experiences in drinking will always be the sense of mystery that some wines possess. This unusual blend of Malvasia di Lipari and Carricante somehow transcends both grapes, with a synthesis that yields a unique character - marzipan, chamomile, Meyer lemon and candle wax layered over a wet cement minerality that lingers, vibrating with energy in the finish. The volcano speaks. Aging beautifully, but sadly this is my last bottle. — 5 years ago

Jonathan Ng

9.9

Murder mystery. Opened up after about 10m. Served chilled — 6 years ago

Brit Young

9.1

12/26 very good, the bottle from Meg’s mystery friend from her girls party. Would not pay 4x Goldschmidt though! — 7 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

Seamless and put together like a championship team. Lots of moving parts and versatility striving towards a single goal. RFG (really effing good). A decent amount of mystery and intrigue as well. — 8 years ago