Tom Elliot

Founder Northwest Wines

9.2

White Rhône blend. Unfiltered turbidity. After 1 hour aeration, aromas of wet rocks. Grown in cobblestones. Farmed organic. 12.9 alc. Well done. Decant and drink now if you have some. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.5

And just like that, my Gargiulo inventory has been reduced about 33%. This wine is in a good spot, although not quite as black fruit dominant as the one I opened up about 18 months ago but more reminiscent of the one I opened up 3 months ago. This is the end of the road for my 2010 Gargiulo MRR Cabs. This one was 1/2 sweet black cherry cough drop, 1/2 blackberry. Herbal, dried wildflowers, rose petals, dried nuts, and finished with softened yet still present oak tannin. Out with a bang! — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Cedar And Blackcurrant aromas with fresh Herbs. A classic 10 year old Margaret River Cabernet. Blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon; 3% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. A perfect match with Porterhouse Waygu grade 5-6. Medium weight and still with a future but I would be drinking my remaining 5 bottles by 2025. One of the Top Cabs in the Margaret River in the dress circle Wilyabrup sub district over the road from Moss Wood. Sandy fine Tannins. A touch of menthol/eucalypt after a few hours in the Decanter. — 8 years ago

Hal

9.3

Board meeting day 1 — 8 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.5

2012 Hammell Wine Alliance Hommage a Francois Durif #1
Petite Sirah. Rather restrained nose. Anise, a hint of vanilla, coffee and an open bottle of nail polish. Palate of dark fruits and road tar. A boatload of tannin predominates the finish. Not exactly unexpected given the youth and the varietal. Rich and full-bodied, the wine continued to evolve and give up more nuance over the course of the evening. @Hammell is a talented Dude! If I had another bottle, and I do not, I would set it aside for quite a few years to allow those monstrously huge tannins to mellow out. If nothing else, this bottle is a great reminder to exercise patience with Petite Sirah. Particularly the SQN “The Writing On The Wall” which was only bottled in Magnum format. I wish Manfred had at least given us one 750ml bottle with the set. Oh well... — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Barrel aged for 15 months (60% new and 40% 1 year old), sourced from four sites along Eastside Road: Foss, Calegari, Hunt Ryd, and Lone Oak Vineyards. Dark Ruby with black fruits and sweet spice. On the palate cherry, blackberry and ripe plum flavors with cinnamon spice and alluring soft tannins, still wrapped with nice structure. The finish lingers with a complex ending of cacao and earthy mineral tones. Nice! Tasting Sample! — 9 years ago

Cecilia Sánchez

9.9

Marzo 1, 2017 México, Capital Grill: solo NOS, sinembargo 22 mill — 9 years ago

Leonard Huot

9.1

1st release and production for 1 mille road on the naramata bench. Excited to have ordered and tried. Excellent winemakers who started laughing stock and have ventured to a single varietal production. This Pinot noir is wonderful will look forward to more of the rich smooth wine. @P A have to try — 6 years ago

Carlos Mussali

10

Ovalie cendree Loire valley aged goat cheese. Chile crunch. Dalmatia fig jam. 1/2 rye sourdough= ultimate pairing — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.0

Popped and poured. Day 1, this was okay. Day 4, this was okay. While this is clearly a traditional, well-made wine, I’m just not terribly impressed by this particular bottle’s showing. Cherries, strawberries, Earl Grey tea and dried herbs...all of which I love!!...but this never really generated any “oompf”. To be honest, this came across more like a really good RdM in terms of quality. I have another bottle that I will hold and see if it delivers more down the road. Maybe I’m missing something 🤷‍♂️? Don’t get me wrong, this is a good wine and better with food but it just doesn’t stir my soul right now and it doesn’t live up to the hype it’s been getting. — 8 years ago

BrainsNBuns

9.0

This shit tastes like what I think of when I think about beer. I’m a sucker for beer in a wine bottle (750 mill). Fresh, fruity and not too hoppy but there’s a bite. Very aromatic. Surprisingly strong. I think this is a good everyday “come home from work and drank” beer. The bonus is the 9% ABV good beer to bring to the function for all to enjoy! Cheers 🍻 — 8 years ago

with Nerd_Emperor

Kristy Johnston

9.0

Enjoyed with truffle butter filet night 1 and cheeseburger w/ truffle fries night 2. Would buy again. — 9 years ago

John Benedetti

9.0

Definitely not your run of the mill Zin. Classic Ridge balance and structure, with many years to run left in her legs. Approachable now, but I'd love to see her 5-7 years down the road. Firm acid, integrated tannins, nice medium-dark fruit that's very lively, but with a complexity underneath that appeals to my love of nuance. — 9 years ago

Roger Lang

9.7

Very little more to say more thar from bottle opening to 1 hour after open this wine changed beautifully from still tight fruit-forward dark fruit to 45 min after open to red fruit and country gravel road summer day... — 10 years ago

John pappel

9.6

Decanted for 1/2 an hour. A beautiful rich yet smooth syrah. Great fruit still apparent. Enjoying with grilled lamb — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

Classic RRV Chard served for Thanksgiving 2019. Nose of herbs and butter. Entry of honeysuckle, mango, wildflowers. Middle gains a limestone grit. Finishes with brighter acidity than I would have expected given that the entry of this wine is quite a bit more rounded than I expected it to be. Hint of walnut. Very balanced. These wines are built for an extremely long haul, 1 to 2 decades. Drink or hold. — 6 years ago

Corinne Walters

9.7

At Total Wine tasting 1/19 - sweet, but with a little acid just at the end. Very drinkable, pulls at my tongue, top wine of the tasting — 7 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.0

Fresh and bright. Well balanced with nice acid. Expressive on both nose and palate. — 8 years ago

JKT

9.2

CVed 1/16/18. That brighter red ruby color. Interesting nose of wild berries and brush and hints of lavender like a new world veneer on old world funk. Light acidic palate and medium finish. Good Acker 16 value and need to try again. 75 cases made. Opened 9/2/21 and its drinking beautifully! Nose very well resolved of Burgundian notes with new world cherries and red fruits. Very lively texture. Stood up well over three years! Upping by two points! — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Is there any meal better than steak (Ribeye) and well aged Claret? This is another 1991 Bordeaux experiment of mine. 1991 was a vintage with horrible frosts and a less than favorable growing season, right? A vintage critically panned. This is my 3rd recent 91 from a good producer. And again, it didn’t disappoint. Like 97 and 07, it’s better with the right bottle age than young. Magic evolution happened in the bottle way down the road. This 91 is in great form with a fair amount of life ahead of it. On the nose; a little ripe fruit funk, wonderful dark & lighter red cassis, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries, vanilla, light cinnamon, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs and fresh & dry red flowers. The body/palate is medium, round, ripe & still fresh. The tannins nearly completely resolved. Ripe, floral fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries & half cooked rhubarb. Vanilla, light cinnamon, touch of clove & nutmeg, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs, a little band-aid and fresh & dry red flowers. The acidity drips over the palate and the long, well balanced, still structured, nice tension, good length finish lasts over a minute. Again, love & appreciate the 12.5% alcohol. What a beauty with and without the steak. Next time you’re in your fine wine retail shop and see a quality producers 91 that’s been well stored, buy it and have it with a Ribeye. Photos of; their exotic Estate, Chateau interior, newer barrel room and their vines as viewed from the front of the Chateau that are across the road. Producer notes and history...Cos d’Estournel has a long distinguished history in the St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding in 1811. It did not take long before Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In those early days, Cos d’Estournel did not sell through Negociants. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Bordeaux Chateaux’s to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. If you’re at the property, the statue on the bench in the front courtyard is of the founder, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel. The Estate was then purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux using the negociant system. If the Chateau was not selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification. Imagine that! So, it turned out to be a fortuitous decision. Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family owners of the neighboring Estate of Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. This purchase was the beginning of the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. Decades later, the grandchildren of Fernand Ginestet, Jean-Marie Prats, Yves Prats and Bruno Prats took over ownership and management of Cos d’Estournel. In 1995, Bruno Prats sold the property to the Merlaut family, owners of the Taillan Group. The next era in the development of Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Cos d’Estournel was bought by the industrious and wealthy Michel Reybier, who earned his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things further improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making at that time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in not only the wine making facilities and cellars, but in parts of the Chateau as well. While the wine making facilities are completely modern with their 100% gravity design, the outward appearance retained the original design and feeling that has always been a part of Cos d’Estournel. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH (Pichon Baron). Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the Estate. What makes the remodel special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity and allow for the expression of their terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. Perhaps, the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and the racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a “pumpless pump over.” The 91 hectare vineyard of Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located extremely close to the border between Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe. The Estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. They also make a second wine called Pagodes de Cos. This is a great wine to buy in very good vintages. Especially, if your budget prohibits you from purchasing their first wine. — 9 years ago