Sebastian Garcia

9.4

2020 $18 glass at Chotto, delicious. Online bottle $59 — 6 months ago

with Lisa

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Another solid vintage of this Bordeaux Blend. This vintage’s grape breakdown: Merlot (59%), Malbec (28%) and Cabernet Franc (13%). Light garnet color. Very faint on the nose. Hint of black fruit. Pallet is more vibrant with notes of black berry/currant, mushroom, dark chocolate and tomato leaf. Medium bodied and chewy tannins. Consistently good. Thanks for the bottle, Kase. — 2 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.3

2018 vintage. This estate was bought by Jacky Lorenzetti in 2007 and the investments are paying off (see also the spectacular quality improvement at their Pauillac estate Pédesclaux). While previous vintages featured a majority of Merlot, this 2018 is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37%. Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. This might very well be the best vintage to date for Lilian Ladouys in a year where Jacky's daughter Manon joined the business. She is highly devoted to organic farming and the Lorenzetti estates are now officially in conversion to organic. Moreover, Lilian Ladouys was promoted to "Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel" status in 2020. An estate to watch and the wines are very affordable too at around 20 euros. Classic nose with ripe cassis and cedar wood, intertwined with a fresh minty aroma. In the mouth the fruit is concentrated and layered with amazing freshness and a solid ripe tannin structure that make the alcohol (abv. 14,5%) go unnoticed. Long mineral finish. Highly recommended. Still very young, give it time to open up or decant. Should age beautifully for at least 15 years. — 4 years ago

Jay Eagan

9.2

2007 was terrific on Pritchard Hill and this is a great example. Black currant dominates the front end and the tannins are still massive through a 20 second finish. Best of all Spago is open for grab&go so if you live in LA support one of the great restaurants - spectacular 4 course for $59 (++)! Plus they gave us an additional pizza. That’s what I call quarantine! Stay safe all — 5 years ago

with Kristine

Ron R

9.5

Outstanding example of Cali Pinot. Even more so since this is 2012 vintage. Overripe cherries and coffee notes explode on the nose. The palate displays crunchy black fruits along with syrop de cassis. Superb grainy tannins combine with bright acidity. A reference point in Sonoma/Cali.

Here are my top 2023 tastings by type. Let me know what your favorites are…

2023 Wines of my Year
Sauvignon Blanc - Modus Operandi (2021) - $45
Chablis - Domaine Genot-Boulanger Puligny Montrachet (2020) - $85
Chardonnay - Kongsgaard (2020) - $120
Pinot - Aston Estate (2012) - $70
Cabernet - Sinegal (2019) - $75 &
Cabernet - Lewelling (2019) - $59 — a year ago

with Anne-marie

Mike Saviage

9.9

Tasted blind. Deep purple color. Looks very young, compared to the 45 Margaux next to it. Almost opaque. Notes of black fruit, cracked walnuts, sweet fruit, raspberry and some cedar desk. Super rich in the mouth. Seems young and is firm, but tannins are softened and the mouthfeel is velvet touch. Long finish. It peacocks all night. The walnuts thing leads my guess to Latour, but can this be the 45? Is it a 61 or 82? Could be... I go with it being a 59 given how young it seems. Just an amazing bottle of wine, open for ~9 hours by the time we left, it seemed to effortlessly power along. Thanks Stan! — 3 years ago

Greg Gratson

8.9

Nice, not as nice as the other wsj club French Chardonnay — 4 years ago

Brent Young

9.5

This is Manzanilla Pasada La Bota No 90 Capataz Cabo

Pouring a glass with the Vinloq System
DAY 1
👃Iodine, seawater, a touch of oxidation, and salty minerality
👅Brine leads the way with iodine, nuts, herbal notes, and other flavors that are hard to pin down but are enjoyable.
These flavors lead to some bitterness before the very long and enjoyable finish. This is full bodied and amazing

The remaining wine was Slow Decanted in my refrigerator

I returned to this wine multiple times over the following weeks. My experience was similar each time

DAY 20
Same aromas, flavors and intensities as day 1. So rich and resonant. The finish is deep, mineral laced, seawater, nuts & herbals. No signs of fruit. Extremely long finish

That a sherry aged under biologically active flora stays fresh for days & weeks is not surprising. But I still protect them because it is not a wine that I prefer in large servings. Rather, I enjoy a small glass frequently. They are super food friendly and a perfect match with many foods including aged cheeses, cured hams, and even sushi. Also superb in the correct cocktail

This was a total delight over 4-5 weeks 💕 — a year ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

Tasted blind. Tawny color with light rims. Old wine nose. Notes of raspberry, cola, old cedar desk, some tobacco and a little menthol. Rich and long in the mouth. Lighter than the 59 next to it. Also tighter, but opens up over the evening. Really good but not as good as the 59. — 2 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.3

fully opaque violet, magenta rim, prominent tears; plum, black cherry, dark chocolate, coffee, leather, and cedar; dense, concentrated, juicy dark fruit, good length; full bodied, medium acidity, gritty tannins, no heat despite 15.3% ABV; made from blend of 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Petit Verdot sourced from two estate vineyards with 59% of fruit from Les Pavots vineyard in Knights Valley in Sonoma County and 41% of fruit from Au Paradis vineyard in Oakville, aged 18% in French oak; a very nice fruit forward, early drinking second wine; $110 — 4 years ago