Jakub Kalinowski

9.1

Slightly fresher & more exotic be the Batailley.
Black fruit galore, cedar wood, minty whiffs, exotic spice.
Soft & quite mellow on the palate. Yet fresh. The tannins are so finely grained & juicy - dusty, sandy fine. Poised, so elegant, classic Bordeaux. Great mid palate, nice length & depth. This is probably at a perfect drinking window right now. So delightful. — 2 years ago

Will Stanley

9.2

Young and pale in colour, the 2020 Domaine de la Charbonniere Blanc - the only white wine produced at this historic Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate - is a medium bodied, elegant wine made with Grenache (40%), Roussanne (40%) and Clairette (20%) from sandy soils in the appellation.

The exuberant nose offers aromas of peach, lavender, pear, cardamom and lime, with a generous hint of salted butter despite the limited use of oak and no malolactic fermentation. The palate is soft and welcoming, with a gorgeous mouthfeel and very concentrated fruit, finishing on a bitter lemon note. The long finish is very satisfying. This would be a brilliant wine for grilled prawns, and I’ll leave it at that. Ageworthy? Not sure, it’s a very complete wine now. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Pale crimson in colour. An earthy, horsey, ultra savoury nose. A light to medium weight savoury palate with dried cherry, earthy mineral flavours and light Sandy tannins. I really loved this Etna Rosso which we picked from the all Italian Wine List at the River Cafe London. Went well with a lovely fresh piece of Turbot. — 4 years ago

S Wood

9.5

Sandy lemon lime San Pellegrino. Crispy AF — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Rich Ruby in colour. Muted nose. I made the mistake of not decanting but ended up putting it through one of those funnel type aereators. With swirling this released black pepper, red and black berries with a note of cinnamon. The medium bodied palate was latent, tight and self contained finishing with fine sandy tannins. In hindsight I should have left this for a few years but was guided by JM’s drinking window from Wine Spectator of 2019 to 2021. This is a better class of CdR and priced accordingly. Vine age is 30 to 60 years with a small amount (2%) from young vine Cornas. — 5 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.0

2018 vintage. Another spectacular value from the Côtes de Bordeaux, this time from Blaye. From 79 hectares of vines on sandy gravel soils. A blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet sauvignon and 5% Malbec. Again I feel sorry for owner Jean François Reaud that he has to sell such a good wine at silly prices (4,95 euro consumer price!). Even at twice the price it would be great value. Subtle nose with ripe black (blueberries, cassis) and red fruits (raspberry) with a subtle floral touch. The taste is amazingly elegant, the fruit is fresh and crisp, with a good soft tannic backbone, some complexity, moderate alcohol (abv. 13%) and very good length. Extraordinary value. Vignobles Gabriel & co. — 6 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.4

This afternoon was a treat having the 2013 Luciano Sandrone La Vigne Barolo.

On the nose was some alcohol at first that blew off with a little time, cherry, raspberry, strawberry, licorice, tar, clove, rose petal, leather and earth.

On the palate you will find cherry, raspberry, plum, licorice, clove, mint, spice and dusty earth.

This wine is full bodied and a powerful mouthfeel with medium + acidity and medium + to high smooth sandy tannins that leads to a long elegant fruit finish. A beautiful wine that won't disappoint. Enjoy the coming weekend and please stay safe. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 7 years ago

Cool Hand Luke

9.2

Juicy pear and apple — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Incredibly dense and dark in colour for its age - impenetrable - no tawny rim. Barb thought too medicinal and menthol. There is a note of menthol/eucalypt on the nose which is not unusual. I’ve always thought that Wendouree is a very masculine wine and this Cabinet Malbec reinforces that thought. Full bodied - such a solid core - not as nuanced as I was hoping for. Would easily go another 7 to 10 years I would think. Fine, sandy persistent tannins. — 3 years ago

Martinez

9.2

Chardonnay from 40 years old vines in the Trout Gulch vineyard, a very cool site on sandy loam in Aptos, about 4 miles from the Ocean in Sabra Cruz County. Pure nose with aromas of citrus, salt, crushed stone and white fruit. Medium-bodied, bright, lively with citrus flavors. Good acidity and noticeable salinity on the palate — 4 years ago

KRISTIE

9.3

Rooftop 7 with Amanda and Sandy. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Deep Ruby with aromas of dark fruits, blossom and sweet spice, spending 20 months in new French oak, grapes grown mostly in alluvial sandy souls. On the palate flavors of blackberry and currants with notes of licorice, cacao and spice, savory. Full fine tannins, long finish ending with fruit, spice and mineral character, slight alcohol presence. Tried about a year ago, aging well! — 5 years ago

Severn G

9.2

Just concluded the annual Fall seclusion at our cabin in the Rangeley lakes region of Maine, mobile service up there is mostly non-existent, after several days I am posting again. Notes are somewhat brief, as my focus is relaxing and watching the Common Loons swimming and diving in the cove in front of our camp.

Nose has ripe peach, cut cherries, tangerine peel dry sandstone and moist hay.
Palate has strawberry, peach, lime wedge, tart cherries, dry-sandy soil and a long finish. This bottle is just holding wonderfully and as fate would have us, we're enjoying our last bottle of the vintage. — 6 years ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.3

Best 100% carignane that we’ve had. — 3 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.3

Columbia county 2.0: 100% Ramisco from one of the worlds great wacky wine areas- vines not just on sandy soil, but on sand, in Colares, Portugal. The closest soul equivalent I can think of is Barolo, as it has that intensity of red fruit but within such a light to moderate frame, though tannins don’t bear the same aggressiveness as Barolos. Still, the age worthiness of these Ramiscos could easily outlive me. Needle like acidity & Gorgeous red fruits. Doesn’t feel like infanticide. Have two bottles by another Colares producer which hopefully I can resist In the next few decades. Paired beautifully with baked chicken thighs with Medjol dates, lemons, thyme, & shallots. — 3 years ago

with Owen

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Grapes sourced from 2 vineyards, high altitude sandy souls in Vera d’Alba & Renesio Incisa cru in Canale. Originally called "Nebbiolo bianco" due to the shape of the bunch and the size of the berries similar to Nebbiolo. Pale lemon with aromas of stone and citrus fruits with herb notes. On the palate flavors of lemon, apple and herb character. Medium finish, lively acidity balance, ending with creamy citrus and mineral character. Nice value! — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Mid Ruby red in colour with a tawny edge. Sour cherry with touches of pepper and cloves. Not as raspberry as I was expecting from old vine Mataro. With a couple of hours of aeration the raspberry notes started coming through finishing with Sandy tannins. This wine is made by the multi talented Andrew Caillard who is the supremo of Fine Wine retailer and auctioneer Langtons who allowed Andrew to make his superb range of wines under his own label using old vine Mataro and Shiraz; painted the exquisite labels himself and who achieved a Master of Wine in his spare time. I am lucky to have 5 of these beauties left. 96 points from James Halliday. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

See previous notes particularly the one 150 weeks ago. This wine has no TCA or Brett. Absolutely no sediment in the decant. Dried cherry, plenty of mineral - spicy notes - cinnamon. Savoury earthy aromas. Hardly any fruit. Fine sandy persistent tannins. Light to medium weight. The Rovittello vineyard is on the favoured northern slopes of Etna whereas the winery is on the south western slopes. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Sourced from the Saint Joseph and Grand Crus subzones of the appellation, which give fine, stony wines. A high-lying sandy parcel gives more complexity, structure, and acidity to the wine. Medium Ruby with red fruit and floral aromas. On the palate flavors of red plum, cherry, banana and earthy mint. Vivid acidity, medium fine tannins, dry with a medium+ finish. Very good and some bottle age will benefit. Tasting Sample. — 7 years ago

Richard Rosensweig

9.2

Yum! Sandy, loamy soil and old vines in the valley floor of Ch de P create opulent fruit - stewed plum to be precise. But C. St. Jean has balance as well. Traces of black licorice and herbs. Really peaking right now. Perfect with tenderloin. — 7 years ago