Scott E. Becker

9.3

[Tasted on January 25, 2025 at Home with Tom, Kathy, Mark and Lucille]

84% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5.5% Merlot; 5.5% Cabernet Franc; 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. Blackberry and black currant fruit, with chocolate, espresso, earth and a mineral note. Nicely balanced. — 9 months ago

In Jin

9.1

This is very good wine for price. Good tanin full body not strong in acid but enjoyable — 5 years ago

Vijay Parikh

9.3

Zesty, lemon peel requires about 30-45 minutes in the glass. Elegant with a slight note of peach. — 6 years ago

Kate Leahy

9.0

Cherry fruit and bright acidity. Short,
spicy finish. — 6 years ago

Matt Trader

9.1

Blind tasting night - Considered Bordeaux Varietals due to the Pyrazines, and I should have gone old world due to the tart fruit on the pallet.. however it was ripe, and I went Margaret River, Australia.. should have went with my gut. But, it was midnight so I'll blame it on fatigue, ha. 🙃

Great wine from a great vintage - fun fact: this estate is the only other estate to be edited into the 1855 Classification a year later, as a 5th growth, literally hand written into the list. — 7 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Wonderful Sicilian natural wine! Deep gold (let’s call it light orange) in color. Hints of grilled lemons with a hint of smoke. Beautifully “funky.” A true winner! Great with appetizers! Thank you Franky Bella for this selection. — 8 years ago

with Kasey

Lewis Chester

9.8

1986 vintage. At Au Fils du Zinc in Chablis - thank you Fabian for picking the best white wine experience of the year. This was a wine that Mr Raveneau didn't release because he thought there was too much oak and sulphur. Only recently did they realise they had a gem. Medium golden hue. Honeyed, white peach, lemon pieces, iodine and crushed rock minerality. Slight bovril note and sea shell with air. Amazing complexity. On the palate, perfect balance between fresh acidity and body, highly concentrated and layers of complexity. Very very long. Outstanding. Still fresh enough to last another 7-10 years at least. — 8 years ago

Alan Snitow

9.2

Terrific eucalyptus note — 2 years ago

David Wong

9.1

Worth waiting for three hours — 5 years ago

Big Wave Dave

9.3

Complex nose. Bread, nuts, lemon merengue, slate, and a reductive smokey note. On the palate, the wine is stuffed with substance but is yet to unfurl and bubbles are quite pronounced which distracts from the flavour profile. Slightly disappointing but full if potential. — 6 years ago

with Racquel

E & K G

9.2

So so goo! Just needs a bit of air in the glass to take on volume and toasty note. — 7 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

I will preface this note by disclosing that I am generally not a fan of Super Tuscans. I like old school Toscana. But I will try to be objective here. The nose is very evocative of a classified growth Bordeaux: lots of cedary, gravelly scents and some dark berry fruit underneath. In the mouth it is concentrated and soft, but develops weight in the back half of the palate. Some peppery heat from alcohol at the end too. I know it’s predominantly Sangiovese, but it really does taste very Left Bank, except for a little note redder fruit at the end. — 7 years ago

with Angelo

Lyn Farmer

9.2

Medium ruby color and a pronounced nose of raspberry, violet and a spice note reminiscent of sandalwood incense. Lovely medium body with silky texture. Good acid balance for food pairing and a long lovely finish. Wonderful evocation of serious Beaujolais — 8 years ago

Nancy Croisier, CSW

9.5

My favorite Pinot in a lineup from Tony Rynders. — 8 years ago

with Doug

DomDoc

9.3

Read the reviews on the 2017 and was intrigued. Opened in the morning and sampled throughout day while raking leaves. Finished at dinner. The wine is precise, balanced and interesting. The tannins dominate and are refined, supple and then linger. The fruit is primarily plum with cherry. Tobacco comes a bit later. No clues how this will evolve but. note to self, wait till 2024 or later to rake the leaves again. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Pale to mid crimson and a little cloudy - a characteristic one used to see occasionally in Bass Phillip as they are bottled unfiltered which adds to the flavour intensity. A beautiful perfume of whole bunch notes, sous bois and a touch of toffee. Amazing intensity for Bass Phillip’s 5th ranked Pinot Noir cuvée. Sweet and savoury fruits. Delivers more fruit on the palate than one would expect from the nose. For short term drinking but still delivers the Bass Phillip stamp of quality. — 6 years ago

Justin Kaneps

9.0

A wine to drink with a lover. — 6 years ago

Jason Gelman

9.5

Special new year’s eve selection. Contemplative wine that gets more interesting and dynamic with each sip. The dominant flavor is a smooth balanced coffee note that is just beautiful, with tobacco, leather, cedar, some light red fruit as well. Exceptionally long finish, like 10 minutes long. A treat to drink. Happy new year! 🎊 — 7 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.4

Big citrus rind note ona very weighty fran. Big and delicious...as usual. — 8 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

This wine had some tobacco and earth FUNK after it was opened up. The herbaceous and tobacco ash note on the nose was almost identical to the 1980 Beringer State Lane cab. This did blow off after an hour, but the wine was less fruit than I thought it would have been. Lots of dark figgy jam. Tobacco and cigar box. I'm sure the fruit came back after I left, but this would have been 2 hours after opening and just didn't have the time to see this one though, hence the "NR" rating. Impressed by this wine, and probably one of the older Monte Bello wines I've been able to drink. — 8 years ago

with Benjamin