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

Frank Kuo

9.4

Color of ruby plus purple. Nose of crayon, aldehyde, some strawberry, oak, some tobacco leaves, a bit spice in the nasal cavity. Nose is plenty. Taste is silky, slight sweet, ripe grapes, a bit zest, vanilla, a bit peppery, oak, almost no tannins, tasty and soft. Aftertaste shows some more oak and warmth. A good one. — 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. — 6 years ago

Daniel Porter

9.3

Very young. Needs 3-5 years to round the tannins. High acidity. Fruit is very nice. Lots if bing cherries. Will be very good in a few years or with a long decant. — 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. — 7 years ago

with Amanda

"Odedi"

9.1

Since this is the last Friday of the year, my Cabernet fix is going to be a little different this time.

Dark ruby in color with a short brick /orange rim.

Earthy nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, earth, wood, light vanilla, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso, forest floor, leather, pencil lead, light barnyard, licorice, light vanilla, bell pepper and vegetables.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity and nice legs.

Dry and earthy on the palate with blueberries, cherries, oak, licorice, cloves, earth, wet leaves, vegetables, herbs, beef jerky, spices, dark coffee, pencil lead, green pepper, black tea and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

What a wonderful Cabernet based red from Saint Estephe. Nicely balanced and very complex with a great mouthfeel. Earthy and still young, but drinking very nicely now.

Not a great vintage, but so enjoyable by itself or with food. The nose is so complex, that it's so nice just to sniff on.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly and show some tannins.

I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers.

13% alcohol by volume. — 8 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

Delectable Wine

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9.4

The 2017 Sassicaia shows the natural richness and intensity of the year while retaining its mid-weight sense of balance and overall poise. A burst of super-ripe red cherry/plum fruit makes a strong opening statement. Mocha, cinnamon, leather and dried herbs appear later, adding aromatic lift. The 2017 is a fairly immediate Sassicaia. Even so, it has enough energy to drink well for a number of years. Production is down 35%, a combination of naturally low yields, dehydration on the vine and then selection in the cellar. Most of the fruit comes from the estate’ hillside vineyards, older parcels that resisted the conditions better. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2021)
— 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

Chris England

9.2

Taking one for the community trying this top vintage Talbot @ £58 to see if it’s worth buying more & computer says Hell Yeah 😍👍 Drinking great already but in 10-40 years Boomshakalaka 💥 a tad too youthy at the mo so let it 😴 💤 the 05 & even 10 are drinking well already 😉

📍 Chateau Talbot 2015

🏵 92 points moving to 94+ in time

🍇 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot & 3% Petit Verdot

🍷 Ooaque blackened ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Sweet damson plum & rich blackcurrant w/ smoke, liquorice, cocoa, blueberry, raspberry, light gravel, broken pencil, spice & minerals

👄 Med+ body of rich ripe deep blackcurrant w/ a red liquorice, mocha & mineral undertone

🎯 Long touch dry mineral infused blackcurrant, blueberry & red liquorice mocha kiss
— 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

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

Had this at a Tapas Bar! The pillars on which the 5 founding families erected a winery in 1890 built a way of living, feeling and producing wines of the highest quality that continue to evolve. Not released until 2015, bright Ruby, complex aromas of fruit, spice and oak. 90% Tempranillo from 3 villages & 10% Graciano from 2 villages. Cherry & blackberry flavors, with a feel of currants around the core, espresso & spicy notes on mouthwatering tannins. Wow! Lingering finish. Will get better over next 15 years — 8 years ago

Jim Maynard

9.1

This is a very big wine. Very big. Still a lot of structure and tannin to last. A bit angular and I would say not completely together. Since this is 2009 vintage in 2021, it may never completely harmonize. But huge fruit and a big mouthful of wine if that is your style. Needs a hearty dish. — 5 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

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. — 5 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

"Odedi"

9.5

To celebrate 15,000 followers on Instagram, here's a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Extremely fruity on the nose with blackberries, blueberries, raisins, figs, vanilla, cedar, toast, graphites, earth, spices, peppercorn, leather, smoke, chocolates, mocha, coke and coffee.

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

Dry and extremely fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cherry pie, raisins, vanilla, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, peppercorn, spices, earth, mocha and dark roast coffee.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a wonderful Napa Cabernet. Still young, but drinking very nicely now, with lots of fruits and nice complexity.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (2 hours). After 3 hours, big tannins come in.

This should lay down for another 10 years, to be appreciated even more. At this point it might be too fruity for some. Aging it for 7 to 10 years will do the trick.

I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers.

Drunk from a 1 liter bottle.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$80. — 7 years ago

Darren Dittrich

9.3

Mersault-like in age, albeit a bit richer. Steely stonefruit and citrus notes, developing a nice light butterscotch and melon note at 8 years of age. Plenty of toasty oak and spice... but not overpowering. Perfect with risotto. — 8 years ago