Pinotman /// Andreas

9.5

Well I kind of trashed this wine with a 9.1 - 9.2 upon opening. As mentioned corks are shot drink up. But as this stayed under my Argon line for a good week it came around. Cannot beat the Buntsandstein. But still really a hell of a wine and a showcase for German Pinot. Cherry 🍒 nose, crushed stone. Touch cedar. Herbs. This is like Burghs used to be decades ago / the wine maker took a hell of a risk. — 4 months ago

Steve Somermeyer

9.3

Lots of great complexity on nose and huge dark cherry on palate & finish. Really enjoyable wine! — 2 years ago

Austin Hohnke

9.3

Such a classy bitch. Stylish, refined, and youthful. Drinking so well right now with a fantastic mineral backbone. The oak influence is seamless but pronounced.

Still a polarizing wine though with some blind tasters recognizing the wine’s quality while still being put off by the genre of oaked California Chardonnay. — 3 years ago

Guillermo Gonzalez

9.0

The Txakoli that put Txakoli on the map! Tart pomegranate and grapefruit. Effervescence and salinity that feel like sea spray. A little less nuanced than prior vintages. Perfect with salmon bowls. — 4 years ago

Rick Wolfen

9.6

Absolutely stunning! Had this bottle at home with our daughters to celebrate our anniversary. I would put these Aubert wines up against any bottle from the USA or France. Excellent super bright fruit with incredible balance. Beautiful wine! — 6 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.5

I really like this
I reckon it'd be hard to say this is a Barossa Shiraz without doubting
The fruit is not jammy, it is actually rather vibrant and fresh
Lots of little details around and a long finish
Wine in balance, but it can age too quite a while
I'd put this in the bracket of Barossa that I truly enjoy🙏 — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Barrel taste of the 2016 Insignia.

The nose shows bright red floral fruits. Ripe; dark cherries, blackberries, creamed black raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and a touch of pomegranate. Vanillin, light cinnamon, dark rich soils, dark chocolate bar, soft understated volcanic minerals, violets, red and dark florals.

The wine is still extremely fresh. The body medium full. Tannins are round & slight tarry. The fruits are very ripe and bright. Ripe; dark cherries, blackberries, creamed black raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and a touch of pomegranate. Vanillin, light cinnamon, dark rich soils, dark chocolate bar, soft understated volcanic minerals, limestone, violets, red and dark florals. The acidity is fresh and waterfallish. The fruit is beautiful. The wine has a long way to go in barrel but, it shows great promise. The finish is already well polished with great structure, length and balance.

Photos of; their Napa Estate vines, logo woven into the carpet, futures offering area and long shot of their visitor center building and terrace. — 8 years ago

Willie Carter

9.5

Already so lovely, but still so young. Medium ruby red in the glass with long, lusty legs and a wide brim. The nose is exactly what you think a classic Left Bank Bordeaux should be. Cassis, plums, and tobacco immediately upon opening. New leather and oak with just the right amount of earth. Very nice.

Big, powerful, and virile. Amazing balance and purity for a wine so young. Still a bit tannic at times but decanting certainly helps with that. Pretty fruit on the palate with blackberries and cherries. Soft vanilla undertones from start to finish along with licorice and more earth on the tongue.

Very impressive with such depth and such personality. As good as this is today it will be so much better if you can show patience. Put these away and try your best to forget about them and you will be rewarded. — 4 months ago

jesus g

Hospitality Schramsberg Vineyards

9.4

Same event, these kicked my ass. Love Dom the most. I’ll put on the whites and reds I liked the most — 2 years ago

Lyndsey Wegner

9.8

Big red fruit, currants, stewed strawberries, so ripe but not overripe, like you put it in a pie, but still has the acid to hold up, cherry, like a chocolate cherry that's articificial but you just love the nostalgia and flavor. A little bit of leather on it but so beautiful. Really loving this wine, it's perfect with a steak and just keeps opening and getting more beautiful with each sip! — 4 years ago

Chris Grimm

9.2

Interesting wine. White tea was dominating for a bit, then the nose turned more floral. A lovely peach/melon undertone in the mouth. Couldn’t put the glass down. — 6 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.3

Deep inky put purple color. Blackberry, smoke, eucalyptus nose, with a hint of pine/mint in the background. Initial attack is from the greenery, then quickly moves to the black fruit. Some acidity. Medium tannins, slight pruney finish. Excellent!

93 points — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Jack & Arden put together a wonderful evening of delicious food and great wines, and a few of us attendees contributed some bottles to enjoy as well. Great night!

Served blind. I actually thought this was older than the previous wine (it wasn’t) and that this could be older Napa. Color wise, there was more translucence and bricking. Bing cherry, bay leaf, and herbal notes. Saddle leather, pipe tobacco, black cherry on the palate. A favorite producer of mine. Thanks for bringing @Jack Thompson — 8 years ago

with Arden, Jack and 3 others

Antonio Galloni

Founder, Vinous

9.7

One of many truly great wines I drank last night. I bought 12 mags of the 2004 on release. Have to put the rest far out of reach. What a totally stunning, gorgeous wine... 🍷😋😱 — 8 years ago

Noah Chasin

9.2

Initially concerns it was shot, three hours later it proved to be quite delightful. — 7 months ago

Ericsson

10

Petrus Night at Teodoro in Playa del Carmen. Simply put, the most perfect wine. — 7 months ago

Jack Goldenberg

9.1

Classic Lafite. Hard to put into words. It was delicate yet still powerful. I’ve had the wine in my cellar since a year or so after release. We were stunned at how well it had aged…45?years old and still retained its fruit. It was worth the wait — 2 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2020 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is fabulous. In fact, the appellation wine is my favorite Pinot in this range. The combination of the sites, and a bit less stem influence than the vineyard designates, works so well. There's a bit more fruit, more mid-palate sweetness and better balance overall, in my view. All the elements are so well put together. All of this fruit is from Machado and Hapgood. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, August 2022)
— 4 years ago

Scott Soren

9.4

This is my second time with this wine, Vinious media gave this 100 points, and as a lover of Pax wines, I still can’t get there. While it’s a nice wine it’s a massive fruit bomb at the moment with some underlying back side subtleties of elegance. Time is still needed and i probably won’t take another shot at this for at least 2-3 years. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When in doubt, a sure bet is a well aged, good vintage Heitz. @Eric Shanks

I intended to grab an 06 but, mistakenly grabbed an 07. I’ve not had one of my 06’s yet...next weekend.

The one thing I do every time I open one of my ten year or older Heitz Napa Cabernet’s is smile & think, this was sub $35 at Costco. It’s the wine feeling/definition of stealing candy from babies.

The nose is a beautiful harmony of fruit, earth and florals. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, dark spices with violets palate heat, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay, understated herbs & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, some sage & bay leaf, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is splendid. The long, ripe, ruby, lush, elegant, well crafted balance of fruit & earth is delicious and persists endlessly with a dark spice on the long set.

The body is; delightful, ripe, rich, lush & full. The structure, tension, length and balance are woven in a perfect tapestry. This 07 has another 10-15 years easily. The tannins are rounded, smooth but, still have a dark, chewy, tarriness with baby teeth. The beauty of the vintage is on full display. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark & milk chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied ; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is perfect. The finish is; rich, ripe, ruby, candied, well balanced fruit & earth, elegant and long sets into velvety, round tannins and mid dark spices.

Photos of; the winery, tasting patio, old basket press and wide shot of the winery & Estate vines. — 7 years ago