Ira Schwartz

10

Wine stimulates our sense of smell and taste but in this case it also created a tidal wave of emotion. Through a tremendous act of generosity a dear friend shared this special bottle when he heard me lament I was not able to secure a bottle of wine to celebrate my mother’s 100 birthday. My friend stood the bottle up for several days. We decided it made sense to PnP. As you can see the cork was intact and the color of the wine defied its age. The excitement to take that first sniff was overwhelming for me. Old but alive scents wowed me. Lots of tobacco, leaves, leather and dried fruit. In the mouth those same scents were transferred to my palate thanks to a tsunami of acid. At about the one hour mark the wine quickly entered a death spiral. I cannot imagine another bottle of wine that will ever conjure up that amount of emotion and happiness. When I described my experience to my mom, a very broad smile came over her face. A blessing to share this experience with my mom and a privilege to taste a wine like this. — 12 days ago

with Richard

Phil Kessling

9.0

New arrival in the shop but had to take a bottle home. Coravin the first night, it was closed and a little bitter on the finish. Pulled the cork the next night and it was a different wine. Tart fruit and great minerality, 14 ABV but didn’t drink hot. No RS. Gong to let the other bottles sit for a while. — 3 years ago

Brian Hearty

8.9

2011. Very interesting up or down reviews on this wine. Several mention funky notes, where I tasted none. Several noted high tannins, where maybe mine had mellowed. Body was a little thin and it did take over an hour to start opening up, but I paired it with some Indian takeout and it paired great! — 3 years ago

Daniel M

9.0

One of the bottles we brought back from our stay in the Lot region. Opened 1 hour and 30 minutes before serving. Served over a charcoal grilled super ribeye piece. Great pairing!
Very different take on cahors than the ones we tasted over there. Oak, chocolate, cassis, blackberry, cherry, a menthol thing too. Very inviting and complex. The palate shows a very long acid drive, some nice matter, a soft mouthfeel, some cherry, chocolatey and blackberry notes, some typical grainy, dusty tannins, and a long, everlasting finish with that dusty layer, some cherry, an oaky note reminiscent of the nose and a nice, delicate, savoury touch in the rear, with a very nice pinch of umami to make it great. Less extracted than expected (and than Le cèdre cuvée I had a few years ago), an elegant, modern Cahors. Great stuff! — 5 months 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

Jim McCusker

9.3

Had this a couple of weeks ago. We don’t have a lot of bordeaux in our cellar, mainly because it takes so many years for them to come into their own. Case in point is this 2003. While it was reasonably approachable when young, it’s now beautifully integrated. Will have to take a look at what else we have resting down there… — 4 years ago

with Vanessa

Jerry Raphael

9.4

I usually bring at least one older wine to a favorite BYOB restaurant for NYE dinner. I selected this 33 year old cab and trying to open it the cork crumbled and some came out and some stayed it so decanted through a tea strainer into my take out bottle. I could tell just by the color this wine had promise. Poured about 2 hours later and the color was deep dark red to the edge. Not much on the nose but the taste had a lot of black fruits and a bit of spice and seemed like a young wine. The finish was long and smooth. It was still drink great as we finished the bottle about 2 hours later. Luckily I have another bottle and have to figure out when I’m going to open that one. At Anthony’s in HH — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

See previous notes on July 2018 and October 2021. This is maturity nicely. Keith Mugford, the owner and winemaker said on release “It will take at least 10 years to develop some bottle age characters and will probably reach its peak somewhere around 20 years old. However it should continue to be drinkable up to 30 years old, at least and especially for those bottles under screw cap.” (Which this was). Showing cassis, mulberry, cedar and a little tobacco. Mouth filling and delicious. Rich and sweet - could be described as a Shiraz lover’s Cabernet. Great persistence - smooth and slippery tannins. A very good vintage in Margaret River. I have 3 left - next one in late 2026 or 2027 when 20 years old. I also have a Magnum which should not be touched until at least 25 years of age. — a year ago

Ed Tostanoski

9.4

Dark fruit, earth/iron/funk. Probably peaking or close to it, as the fruit is starting to take a back seat and I think this one needs the fruit to stay in balance — 3 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

A nice dark cherry red color with a wide brim. The nose opens up with some nice spice and green earth. Plenty of funk and fun on display here. Dense moss and forest woodland screams before the bright red fruits show up to play. The floral aromatics really set this one off.

45/30/25 of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah, this is a Central Coast take on Chateauneuf du Pape and baby, it works. It’s a gentle onslaught of goodness. Mounds and mounds of bright, fresh fruits come in waves. Wild strawberry, red cherry, and raspberry. A hint of dark chocolate with menthol and more greenery. It seems like people don’t know how good these are and that’s a crying shame. Beautiful wine and so hard to beat. — 4 years ago