Tyler Felous

10

Finally had my a-ha moment with this wine (after opening a 16 too early). 07 was just beautiful - kept growing in stature over the 3 hour meal. Drank in Venice to celebrate our anniversary. — 2 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.3

100 year anniversary ... not of the winery, but of the acquisition of the winery by the Cordier family--France is unreal! Deeply extracted, royal purple, opaque, medium plus to full bodied. Red cherry dominated on open but after an hour blackberry has taken over. Spices and a hint of vanilla in the background. Medium plus alcohol 14.5. Medium acidity. Tannins are still biting a bit. Super long length. I would recommend holding this at least another 2-3 years. The tannins will soften, and I suspect we will enjoy some tertiary flavors from the spiced vanilla that remains.

93 points — 4 years ago

Casey Curbow

Sales Associate Windsor Wine Merchants

9.4

Incredibly fresh and seamless fruit and floral aromatics. Preserved strawberry and straw. Perfectly integrated richness from oak regiment. Last bottle drank was in a savory umami stage 4-5 years ago, but this was singing at peak somehow. — 5 years ago

Amy Testa

9.1

Very smooth, a little on the sweet side in a good way. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Deep Ruby with youthful aromas of blue and black fruits with sweet spice and slight mineral character. The wine is a blend of 86% Cab Sauv, 7% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec & 2% Cab Franc from their estate-owned Napa Valley vineyards, aged 18 months in French (62%) & American oak (38%) (48% new). On the palate complex flavors, blackberry, plums and ripe cherry with sweet spice, oak and eucalyptus notes. Well balanced with good acidity and tannins still developing. Full-bodied, long finish ending with cacao and wood spice. Delightful! Tasting Sample! — 6 years ago

Bill Bender

9.6

3 hour Audoze followed by a 2 hour decant and poured back in the bottle for dinner. This was extraordinary! Every bit as impressive as the ‘01 and ‘02. Robust blackberries, graphite, a smooth yet substantial mouthfeel and a sensational lingering finish. I recall reading a review of the Shafer HSS that descried the wine as “an elegant sledgehammer”....a perfectly succinct and apt description — 7 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.4

Needed 2-3 hours in the decanter to open, then was in a great spot. Holding my other bottle for at least 2-3 yrs, though — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.6

#AgedWineTuesday

Here is a fabulous 99 point wine by Robert Parker.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Great nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, figs, cedar, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, light earth, cola and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Showing nice balance and a great mouthfeel. Round and rich. Elegant and smooth.

This 22 year old still has a lot of power in it, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

So soft and powerful, with a great nose. This is a gorgeous wine right now.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$250. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Tried this about a year ago, tried again, aged nicely! HALL Wines is located in Napa Valley and employs organic small-vine viticulture and precision winemaking. ‘16 is a blend of 98% Merlot and 2% Cab Sauv. Very deep Ruby with rich berry fruit aromas, complex but not overpowering adding a touch of floral and spice. On the palate rich fruit, raspberry and cherry flavors with sweet vanilla, cacao and some oak. Smooth tannins, great balance, long finish, a joy to drink. — 5 years ago

Joseph Barsky

9.5

2003 Vintage. 15.5% Alcohol. Basket pressed old vine Shiraz that used to be a source for Penfolds Grange, planted in 1875. This was huge fruit and velvet texture with long finish. Last sips went well with milk chocolate for dessert. — 6 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

After a couple of days in the Finger Lakes tasting cold-climate wines, I craved something Mediterranean in style. This is a terrific Grenache, picked early enough to keep some zing. Nose has fresh raspberry, stone dust, and rhubarb. Transparent and athletic in the mouth. Nice acids and purity, has some tannin for structure too. Great pasta wine. — 7 years ago

Tim Schroeder

9.0

A fruity zin; less jammy than many from CA. Some acidity in the middle and tannin late; a touch of char to finish. — 8 years ago

with Amanda

Al Shikoh

9.2

Medium reddish purple in color with aromas of red berries, cherry cola, spice cake, and hints of earth. Medium bodied with good concentration and balance on the palate finishing with silky tannins. Sourced from their estate vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA including a mixture of Pinot Noir clones planted between 1984 and 1990 in thin marine sedimentary soils. Made with one third whole clusters and only 8% new French oak. 14% alcohol. — 8 years ago

with Kelly

Dennis Hogenkamp

9.2

13.5% ABV Salute to Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier in France. Lulu’s father owned the vineyard , and she along with her husband took it over. Sadly we lost her in October 2020 at the age of 102 y/o. This is a blend of old vine Mataro and Grenache. Light salmon color, watermelon initially , later apple. Very nice! — 4 years ago

Adam Beasley

9.3

This current vintage, 2020, is the best I’ve had over the last few. This funky, crunchy blend of mostly Carignan with a splash of Pais, has been a consistent favorite in my house for its immense drinkability, freshness, and individuality. This wine scratches a specific itch every time. — 5 years ago

John Kuhn

9.3

Great nose. Good color. Nice peppery finnish. Smooth drinking. Tannins and acid are well balanced. Nice lingering finish. Fruits are mu
ddled. Lots of fruit with cherry dominant but nothing else really stands out. A fine example of Klinker Brick wine. You won't be disappointed in this wine. — 5 years ago

Jeremy.Buss

8.9

Hadn’t had Zin in a while and was pleasantly surprised with this one. Wonderful bouquet of dark berries at the first sip, with blueberry, blackberry and raspberry coming through. Touch of spice and the whole combo went very well with our BBQ ribs. — 6 years ago

Brett Rogosin

9.0

It’s been open about 3 days and airing about 4 hours in the bottle. The nose is musky barnyard with wet oak, damp forest floor, wet leather and dark red fruit. There’s still some chalky tannins with acidity that rushes down the sides of your mouth and tongue. The red fruit carries forward, but more underripe with skins intact. It’s cleaner on the palate with a bit of damp cellar and dry earth, with notes of leather and red plum skin. The red plum and leather hang on into the finish. It’s a solid showing that I’d like to see where it develops over the next 3-5 years. — 6 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

10

Not the best looking cork for a 2013,
But easy to see the high ratings it received on release,
3 or 4 💯 from the so called professionals,
Has improved significantly since my last bottle in November,
.375 bottle — 7 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

First winery on day two in Sonoma was Donelan Family Wines in Santa Rosa with Meredith. The last Rhone varietal red was the Walker Vine Hill Syrah. Sadly we were told that this was the last vintage that will be produced. This bottling is made up of 100% Syrah and is around 40-50% whole cluster fermented then aged for 20 months in 25% new French oak. 1,025 cases produced.

Insanely dark and inky purplish ruby red, completely coats the glass. Dark berries on the start of the nose followed up by cinnamon, cocoa, blueberries and some dustiness. Medium plus tannins (7/10) with a full body. Rich and layered palate with red currants, red plums, even a touch of blue fruits and some solid minerality. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2028. (93+)

$$$ - Tasted at the winery. Retail price is $75.00. — 8 years ago

with India