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

Benjamin Hickey

9.5

Vineyard is very close to the sea on old sea bed picking up minerals and fine grainy tannin. 2 years new French oak, 1 year old oak and 2 years in polymer. Very nice structure. — 10 years ago

Henrik Poulsen

8.9

14.5% alc.
Fermented in 40% new and 60% 1-2 year old French oak barrels.
835 cases produced. — 10 years ago

with Kurt-Inge

Kim Callender

9.0

Finally opened the last bottle of wine from our cross-country road trip to San Francisco 5 1/2 years ago. It held up surprisingly well! #wine #winetravel #ohiowine #wineeverywhere — 10 years ago

Tom Wood

9.0

Commendations on being a 1 in 20 enjoyable pinot gris, absolutely love it! — 11 years ago

Chris Monahan

9.2

2009 vintage. Swilling with la familia. $75 @ total wine. Opened up nicely after 1-1/2 hour decant. A very bold wine went well with grilled portobello and collard greens. — 11 years ago

Donald Patz

Owner/Winemaker Patz & Hall

9.8

Wall Road vineyard is the old Carr Vineyard after it had been sold. 1 last time - Dave Abreu farmed it.
— 12 years ago

with Patz and Sung

Holly Ange

9.1

Aromas of butter and citrus. Pineapple, vanilla, and oak flavors. Well-balanced. — 12 years ago

Daniela Caniglia

9.8

All concrete. 900 cases. Nice acids, nice crisp, smooth. Great with seafood, 15/1 13/ BTG — 13 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

M

8.9

20060302 Cru w25062w to w24462w
Drank 20170101
Pair with Vietnamese pork, butter lettuce, Spain 5j ham cubes, truffle cheese, black olive, beef ri.

Nose: from little to rich plum and licorice
Taste: from little to rich plum and licorice, dark plum, yummy. Licorice comes out in an hour and accompanies well.
Color: dark
Good after 1 hour, finally finish in 2 hours, good

The 2007 Zippy's Block Shiraz is a sound effort indeed and displays the characteristics of a premium Barossa Valley red. Two Hands Wines have created a single vineyard series, of which Zippy's Block Shiraz is a major player, and this particular vintage, although tough, still resulted in a top notch wine.
EXPERT REVIEWS

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 93 pts - The 2007 Shiraz Zippy's Block from Roennfeldt Road in the Marananga sub region of Barossa Valley, is a brooding, burly wine with a splendid nose of plum, tar, licorice, smoke, game, and blueberry. On the palate it is surprisingly restrained, bordering on elegant. Savory, ripe, and medium-long, it will be approachable in 1-2 years and drink well for a decade thereafter. - Dec 2009

James Halliday's Wine Companion - 92 pts - More life here, with some red fruit providing lift to the concentrated fruitcake and chocolate beneath; the oak and fruit work in tandem and provide a rich, but not overwhelming level of interest on the finish; chewy with some nerve to conclude. Date tasted 26 Feb 2009, drink by 2020.

Wine Spectator - 91 pts - This spicy red is distinctive for its star anise and cigar box overtones around a plump, chewy core of blackberry, plum and dried blueberry flavors, persisting through a solid frame of fine tannins. Best from 2011 through 2019. 750 cases made. -HS, Oct 2009 — 10 years ago

Doctor No

8.9

Good stuff. Balanced but fairly run of the mill. — 11 years ago

with Doug

Bob McDonald

9.5

A brilliant wine. 1 of the top 10 wines this year for me. A plum infused minerality...... Rain on a hot bitumen road". A powerful persistent yet balanced palate showing great ripeness but not overdone. Most tasters would not pick this as NZ - more probably Australian. This wine would compete favourably in any International Shiraz competition. 18.5+. — 11 years ago

Jay Kulkin

9.8

This was really the 09 975 ovx.,,,, smooth, fruit forward at 1 hour decanted..,,,the best! — 11 years ago

Kevin Yen

9.7

2014/3/21@An-Fu Rd Party — 12 years ago

Gregory Fulchiero

9.1

Fruit bomb ... Maybe, delicious .... Absolutely ! Best on day 4 so far ! — 13 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

Adam Plotkin

9.0

1 more for the road! #IPNC #Sonoma — 11 years ago

Steve The Wine Guy

Cellarbrations at Cottesloe Western Australia, Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW)

9.4

Lovely aromatics, subtle spice and cedary oak complexity. Really velvety texture and fresh layered fruit flavours. In fact excellent integration of flavour all round! I am really stoked about this wine. It's a sexy, elegant silk dress....made from fruit. And yes.... I would wear it.
After I dig out of this hole! — 11 years ago

with Krystal

Tal Yaacovi

9.6

special Oscar wine #1 — 11 years ago

Kristi 18

9.0

1/2 wine night at Eurasia. Nice bold wine — 12 years ago

Mallory Laumann

9.7

Thanksgiving 2013 #1 — 12 years ago

Becky Flanagan

9.9

Had at Turf Club at Disney with Kathie & Kevin. 1/21/13 — 13 years ago