15 Vintages of Montrose dinner. Herve Bertrand flew in from the Chateau for this dinner and all wines came directly from the Chateau cellar except the 1989. A phenomenal dinner with some great back stories about the various vintages by Mr. Bertrand. Served in 5 flights: '12, '08, '95 / '10, '09, '03 / '05, '90, '89, '76, / '00, '86, '85 / '98, '82, and ''70. Food and service at Ripple was off the charts good. If you enjoy Bordeaux from the Medoc, St. Estephe then Chateau Montrose deserves a spot on your cellar. — 8 years ago
On the nose I was worried about the oak. But honestly? This s*#t’s delicious. I don’t have much Rombauer experience aside from hearing wine hipsters disparage it. Maybe it’s changing stylistically because this had a really cool mellow feel to it. Very silky, very stone fruit, and a graceful Werther’s without the sweetness finish. Honestly I think I just drank it too young. Like in a few years the oak is gonna meld in nicely. I recommend this with anything involving cheese. Any cheese. Cheap cheese, fancy cheese. Any cheese. I can’t stop saying cheese. Cheese. And wine. Happy Friday everyone. — 2 years ago
Visually this is cloudy in the bottle, and in the glass. An explosion of passion fruit on the nose. Palette is light and playful, with brioche and citrus fruits. Finishes a little edgy, with the right amount of sweetness. Great stuff! — 8 years ago
2014 Vintage. 15.5% Alcohol. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Syrah, 15% Petite Sirah, and 13% Petite Verdot. Big wine with great fruit and acidity. Loved it. After Russell’s Zoom with Golden Gate Cellars customers and friends. Thanks Frank for organizing and Russell for entertaining us and more importantly making great sh#t! — 4 years ago
2006 Saxum Bone Rock from the awesome James Berry Vineyard in Paso Robles. 76% Syrah, 18% Mourvèdre and 6% Grenache. A whopping 16.7% (and no, that is not a typo), alcohol! 3 hour decant, and it needs it. Motor oil black in the stem. Aromatic nose of exotic spices, roasted game and pepper with some Spring flowers lurking in the background. Explosive monster of a palate of Morello cherries and brambly fruits. Notes of baking spices and loamy earth. Soft tannins and nice acidity. I’d be lying if I said there is no noticeable alcohol, but I don’t think anyone would guess almost 17%. Rich and pure with that silky texture that I do crave. Strong finish. I always enjoy that rustic/tannic component that Mourvèdre contributes to the equation. Years ahead of this one. I would never guess this was an ‘06. Well worth the wait to join the Saxum mailing list. @justinsmith has the touch. One addendum: This wine is just begging to be joined at the table by a beautifully frenched and denuded, garlic-crusted rack of lamb like the Food & Wine recipe authored by my friend, the very talented Kenny Rochford. Maybe not the traditional pairing, but sometimes you just gotta push the envelope. — 7 years ago
Ellen Clifford
Always here for the Konstantin bottles. Refreshing AC with all the delightful honeysuckle-cum-rubber cement joy. I love this s*#t — a year ago