K. Syrah

9.4

1999: Yeah. Outstanding 25-year old Barolo still an explosion of Nebbiolo flavor. Brick color but plenty of depth, with strawberry fruit well-balanced by typical leather and tar. A treat now, and wouldn’t wait any longer. — 5 months ago

Byron Hewett

9.5

Oh yeah! Gorgeous. Savory. Fully mature. Rich. Harmonious and long. — 5 years ago

Andy Hall

9.6

Fuck yeah! Finally broke down and opened one of my scarecrows! — 5 years ago

with Jerry

Josh Weinstein

9.5

Oh yeah Mags going down — 6 years ago

with Kristen

Christian Fischer

9.3

Usually not a huge fan of Italian wines, but yeah, have been buying some Sassicaia over the years. As I put away some wines I stumble across this 2012 that should be ready to drink, so I bring it upstairs to decant it. Great nose and typical flavor profiles emerge. Nice acidity and a some background menthol flavors that remind me of some great Chateau Musar vintages. This is a vibrant wine with tannins still strong, but integrated; better on day 2.
Not one of my favorite wines, no surprise, but a solid well-made enjoyable Bordeaux blend — 6 months ago

Chris Gillespie

8.9

Yeah that's a gem from red mtn! Great price too! — 5 years ago

Jessica M

9.7

Yeah, pet nat rose I just love always... bar Norman — 6 years ago

Chance Miller

9.0

Revolutionary wine maker... desert island & Randall Graham wines, yeah, I can dig it🍷 — 5 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.6

Open that bottle night! We’ve had this kicking around the cellar for nearly a decade and it was time. I’ve drank many Sauternes but have dreamed of tasting Yquem since devouring Richard Olney’s monograph (and Jeremiah Tower’s descriptions of Yquem bacchanals) as a boy—yeah I was a maybe a bit precocious.

Nose of muscat grapes. A brilliant medium amber, luscious mouthfeel. Mature. Honey, almond essence, crème brûlée, coconut, candied pear. The richness sets Yquem apart. What a treat. Happy birthday @Alsu Shakirova 🥰🥂🎂 — 5 years ago

with Alsu

Scott Cowan

8.9

Cherry jam nose. The heat wafts up with the vanilla scented jam too, and remains in nice, not over-powering, ways through first sip - mid-palate - finish such that I think the stated 14.1% alcohol under-states the actual case. I’m drinking this 2017 vintage Feb 12-13 2019 and it tastes good now with promise of tasting very good, with some potential complexity in a few years. Just now, this wine packs a punch well above it’s weight class: $18 at Berkeley Bowl. It’s far below the quality of top Paso cabs but it’s far below their sticker prices too... so, hey, why not enjoy this as a more than serviceable table wine for hearty and even some spicy fare now, cellar several bottles to taste 1-5(+ ?) later as a cheap investment that could pay off huge? One can always pull out the Justin Isosceles Reserve and Tablas Creek bad boys for special Paso-wine occasions. I do miss a longer finish ... but tiny hints of licorice, shiitake+hedgehog and maybe also portobello mushrooms, and slightly larger suggestions of smoke plus some leather lead me to believe The Fableist is working on some delicious stories to tell in coming years — and will then, perhaps, linger longer on the finish. Yeah, I do think the yummy plummy jam will give way to more flavors in time — and if this hunch/hope/faith proves true, Ill increase the rating a fair amount over 9.0 for some tip-top QPR. — 6 years ago