Roger Ray

9.2

"The result is cherry red with hues of Violet in the glass. Ripe cherry black currant and licorice with a dash of French Oak in the nose, and a full velvety palate, fruity with toffee undertones. " — 4 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

8.9

1966 vintage. Last tasted 9.20.23. That bottle was a little "chunkier." This one was more refined. Decanted and tasted nearly immediately and throughout a 2 hour window. Throwing the expected kitchen sink's worth of sed. Color initially seemed lighter, like 30+ year old red Burg but ended up being a tad darker than that. Light-medium body. Earth, summer dirt and Valrhona chocolate in the nose. All this plus dried cherries in the frontal palate finish. Not much to speak of on the back end. Rated that 9.20.23 bottle an 8.8 and this is slightly better. Still...a definite rush to crush this. 11.11.23. — a year ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.0

50% Tannat, 50% Merlot blend. A lesser-known cuvée by Alain Brumont. The result is in the Bordeaux spirit. Black dress, ruby reflections still suggesting aging potential. After two hours of absolutely necessary aeration, the wine delivers notes of black fruits, blackberries, blackcurrants, plum. The breeding is elegant and melted with tannins between tobacco, chocolate, caramel, eucalyptus... the evolution notes are perfectly integrated into the bouquet. A wine with a classic style, of great drinkability.

Assemblage 50% Tannat, 50% Merlot pour cette cuvée moins connue de Alain Brumont. Le résultat est dans l’esprit Bordelais. Robe noire, reflets rubis suggérant encore du potentiel de garde. Après deux heures d’aération absolument nécessaire le vin se livre sur des notes de fruits noirs, mûres, cassis, prune. L’élevage est élégant et fondus aux tanins entre tabac, chocolat, caramel, eucalyptus.. les note d’évolution sont parfaitement intégrées au bouquet. Un vin au style classique, d’une grande buvabilité. — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2023 vintage. Couple of bucks less and slightly better than the Arneis I picked up 3 months ago. Ridiculously cheap $18 resto cost and delicious. Would buy it but not exactly blowing through Arneis unfortunately and not ready just yet to go with it btg. Gawd, I could crush this for a spell. Quintessential Summer juice. 7.17.24. — 5 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

This small Calistoga producer falls largely under the radar. I am thankful. The 12 vintage brings such fruit. However, this 12 Sisters rides the fence of 12 & 13. Shows dark currents, concreted mouthfeel in addition to its ripe, rich opulence.

The nose ascends with rich dark, purple, blue fruits, dark spice, violets framed in lavender for days.

The palate is ripe, ruby, lush, concentrated fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, boysenberries, very dark cherries, creamy raspberries, in & out strawberries & blueberries. Big, heated, dark spice-box, round, meaty, sweet tannins cigar ash, led pencil, tarriness, anise, moist, fresh tobacco, black licorice & cola, dark, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, vanilla, rich soil w/ dry leaves, dry, crush rocks/limestone, dry herbs-bay leaves, sage, parsley, notes of eucalyptus bark shavings, tree bark w/ hints of sap, touch of black sandalwood to barrel shavings, pepper, moist, volcanic clay, fresh & withering; dark, purple, red, blue floral bouquet framed in violets & lavender, excellent acidity with a lush, rich, big, round & meaty structure, still shows great tension, well balanced with endless polish & finish. 10 years of life ahead…properly stored. Wine post 4,600.

Such a deal at the Benchmark Bin Sale. @Paul T- Huntington Beach if you find any of this, just tell me about em, don’t buy em. 😂🤥 — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

See previous notes for the 2011 vintage. Hints of kerosene and lime. On the palate M+ intensity and excellent persistence. The following night a more fulsome body with grapefruit and citrus. A great result for the difficult wet 2011 vintage in South Australia. A truly excellent mature Clare Valley Riesling. — 2 years ago

Daniel Anderson

9.5

Fun bottle on the nose and palette at a great price. Notes of minerals, gravel and spring water keep things interesting. — 10 months ago

Devin Brown

9.1

The description: This Grand Cru is the result of patience, hardwork and love! Harvested by hand, gently pressed before being fermented in oak barrels, the Pinot Gris will turn into a rich, full-bodied white wine with notes of ripe fruit, honey and spice. We suggest to let it in the cellar for a while, let it develop all its expression!
The opinion: o yes very very nice, a fine example of this type of wine from this region. — 10 months ago

Will Stanley

9.5

Just rock-solid Châteauneuf, this is exemplary and for me personally my exact sweet-spot in terms of the varied styles from this region. The nose takes a little coaxing, but has a great yin / yang profile of pure, fresh blue fruit, liquorice, violets, and garrigue, versus seared meat, iron and loamy earth. This all puts it square in the middle of the ‘old’ and ‘new’ schools, broadly speaking, and it’s a wine that has the best of both worlds as a result.

The palate is huge, an iron fist in a glove of velvet and so much more, but in no way imbalanced or over-extracted - not overtly alcoholic, at a modest 14%. It spreads out in waves across the palate, ripples which are felt long after the finish. This is clearly a baby now, but it drinks well and will see its 20th birthday in damn fine fettle. Excited to have a case in the cellar.

Decanting not required nor recommended. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented double-blind. The wine pours a deep, ruby color with a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with significant signs of sediment. Moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, dark fruits are predominant with some purple flowers, tobacco, subtle pyrazines and a touch of earth and baking spice. On the palate, the fruit set is confirmed. The wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. The finish is very long and savory. I believe a significant amount of new French oak is being used. Based on the aforementioned, possible varieties are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or some combination of Bordeaux varieties from either France or California. While the fruit is no-doubt abundant, there is hefty structure and a complexity that makes me lean towards the Old World. And now that my head is there, it’s very hard for me to get outside of Pomerol and I think the fruit is more of a result of the vintage. So I went with it, calling it 2009 Pomerol from a great producer. Welp…I was close and probably a huge compliment to Amuse Bouche since I think this wine is supposed to be their take on Pomerol. A very sexy wine that is drinking very well right now without a decant. — 2 years ago