David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Second Sauternes pairing with my homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Didn’t use the additional crushed pineapple this time. Both preparations are very good. I think I prefer it w/ less pineapple.

In 2014 I attended the Bordeaux En Premiere. One of the six days, we toured 8 Chateau’s tasting multiple vintages at each in Sauternes & Barsac. Then, went back to Chateau Guiraud for dinner. Before the dinner, Bill Blatch then arranged for a Sauternes tasting after tasting at 8 Chateau’s in Saternes & Barsac. We tasted 50 Sauternes in basically in 60 minutes. After that, my hand was like Winne the Poo in the honey jar from dumping. After, my wish wasn’t necessarily for the forthcoming dinner, but rather wished to go to a Dentist for a teeth cleaning I had so much RS in my mouth. None the less, dinner was fantastic and started with warm Foie Gras & gravy. Perfect as is w/ the Pineapple Upside Down Cake tonight.

This 05 is everything that you taste in the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Perfect paring. Newly a quarter century and no fading in its evolution.

Dry; stone fruits, pineapple, orange citrus, pineapple. Marmalade, caramel, saline, limestone, honeycomb, beeswax, coconut, vanilla, saline, round acidity with yellow florals, toasted nuts with round acidity for days. Elegance, balance, structure and round, rich polish that goes in and on. Coravined from 375ml.

Bill Batch (who worked for Cristy’s & owned his own negotiate company) has somewhere around 5,000 bottles of Sauternes. He does a Sauternes & Sausage party bi-annually. Good luck getting a well sought after invitation. There are more people in Bordeaux who want to attend then there are available invitations. — 5 days ago

Vino Joe

9.5

Dark deep rich color. Lots of perfume and luxury to this wine. It’s very approachable twelve years in. The alcohol is in tune. The fruit is mature and dark. Nice length. It went down very quickly and easily. Stellar wine! — 10 days ago

Vino Joe

8.9

This rating is just my taste. Not a reflection of the quality of the wine. I generally don’t care for the St Emilion region. The wine is just too austere for me. It’s 22% cab franc. It had a slight puckering dried out character without balance to me. Definitely can tell it’s a well made wine. Perhaps with a strong food pairing this would be a better experience for me but it was a wine I didn’t enjoy drinking. — 7 days ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.5

Liquid gold 😍 — 4 days ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.5

Great wine, from a half bottle.
Lots of complexity and depth of flavor. Honey, white chocolate and caramel. Nectarine, pear and bloodorange. Almonds, oats and buttery cookie-dough.
Exquisite balance, luscious sweerness, fresh acidity and spicy bitterness.
Deeeelicious now! — a month ago

Conrad Green

9.7

Deep and complex. Gnarly slightly wild fruit. Earthiness, intense and yet reduced. While not the best bottle of this I’ve had it’s still pretty amazing stuff. A long life ahead — 15 hours ago

with Paul, Gregg and 2 others

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (24%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Petite Verdot (5%). Dark Ruby/purple color. Aromas of blueberry, black currants, violets and tobacco. Black fruit (blackberry, black currant, black plum) on the palate with hints of chocolate, black licorice, baking spices and black pepper. Medium-plus bodied and a slight note of mineral/graphite on the long flavorful finish. Well integrated oak, creamy texture and lively acidity. — 3 days ago

Scott Kahn

9.0

Deep gold in color. Lower acidity than expected. Lots of white stone fruit and sweetness with some biscuit on the palette. Great complement to Brie. For the vintage and the producer a little underwhelming. — 19 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.8

My first Petrus was a very special thing. So intense and seductive, really something out of the ordinary. It kept begging my nose going back to the glass and harmoniously gave back so much pleasure. Could feel its presence very clear after a few minutes. Incredible. 98-100. Unique and delicious. — 5 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Deep and quite opaque , narrow ruby rim . Quite a lot of wood spice though with time in the glass there is a lot underneath that oak , dark cassis , ripe blackberry and a mineral undertone . Quite round and ripe on the palate , almost ‘new world’ in style compared to some of the preceding vintages , rounded but gritty tannin , balanced acidity . Generous and round, but with balanced alcohol , good length. Dark cassis , blackberry dark cherry notes. A strong oyster shell , saline component after a while in the glass . Needs time obviously , even though this is quite round and ripe. Intense with great potential. Better in 10-15 years will last well a further 10-15. — 6 hours ago