Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Sette Ponti or "seven bridges," refers to the 7 bridges crossing the Arno River on the road from Arezzo to Florence. Blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cab Sauv & 10% Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in new French oak. Went to a tasting, had ‘14 & ‘15 side by side. Very dark enticing red with concentrated aromas of dark fruits & earthy notes. Flavors of cherry & plum with tobacco and spice. Firm but approachable tannins, medium length ending with a bit of spice as the finish builds. Best to drink ‘14 now. Tasting Sample. — 7 years ago

Josh Krieter

9.0

Dark chocolate overlaying a little bacon, great petite sirah — 8 years ago

Rob Brobst III

9.3

Nice wine. It came to the party wearing a backpack, glasses and a hat with a mosquito net. — 8 years ago

with Jade and Paul

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

On the nose; dark, bramble, black plum, boysenberries, huckleberries, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, creamy raspberries, some black licorice, vanilla, black pepper, savory notes, volcanic minerals, crushed dry rocks, loamy dry top soil, medium spice, lilacs, lavender & violets. The body is; full, rich, lush, velvety, silky and sexy. The velvety tannins are just starting to round out. As good as it is after an hour in the decanter, it’s still early on the 06. The wine flows gorgeously over the palate. The fruits are ripe & creamy. Blackberries, black plum, boysenberries, huckleberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries and a faint hint of strawberries in the background. Raspberry cola, volcanic minerals, bramble, loamy dry top soil, dry crushed rocks, vanilla, medium spice, bacon, black pepper, black licorice, sweet tarry notes, lilacs, lavender, violets, nice round acidity and a long gorgeous, velvety, well balanced finished. I’d still wait another five to seven years to open another bottle and it would likely get a higher rating at that point. It has all the right elements to achieve a near perfect score. This is another example of a wine I recently purchased on the secondary market for exactly half its release price. Photos of; McLaren Vale vineyards, seriously old gnarly vines in their Kangarilla Vineyard, Shiraz grapes ready for harvest and their Cellar Door. — 8 years ago

David L

9.3

13' Vineyard 7 & 8 Chardonnay. Big boy Chardonnay. Pop & pour. Love drinking this wine. — 8 years ago

Jill Safken

10

To me this wine tastes tart and fruity. — 9 years ago

Brian

9.7

Wow ... not much more to say. — 9 years ago

Ann

9.8

Love this one always — 10 years ago

Erin Greenawald

9.1

Richard wine tasting #7 — 10 years ago

Brian McMahon

Sales Polaner Selections

9.0

Region: Beaujolais
Appellation: Beaujolais
Wine type: Red
Varietals: Gamay
Organic: Certified
Vineyard: The Beaujolais appellation spreads over 30 km between Saône Valley and Haute-Azergues and Haut-Beaujolais hills from North to South. This wine is primarily made with fruit from the Morgon sector.
Orientation: South facing with a slight slope.
Soil: Decomposed granite and crumbly schist referred to regionally as "rotten rock".
Viticulture: The vines are 40 years old; they are pruned quite extensively to limit the yield; all the bunches are picked by hand and then very carefully sorted to retain only the fully ripe, whole bunches.
Vinification: Semi carbonic maceration for up to 7 days. Traditional Vinification temperature: 22° C at the beginning of fermentation and 32° C at the end. On pressing, cooling to 22° C to retain as much aroma and flavor as possible.
Aging: In vats on the lees. All terroirs vinified and aged separately.
Production: 550 cases
Notes: Lacy and charming with a suprising amount of structure for an entry level Bojo. — 11 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.5

Bill's in town, so why not kill a Sami-Odi??? He opened the Greenock Creek 02 Seven Acre, so why not this one? This wine has an intoxicating nose like the Sami-Odi Hoffman 0.534 Syrah consumed a few months before. This is definitely a "little wine" to this HD Syrah. Displaying just as much lusciousness in the nose. One person said "I don't know what this is, but I can smell this in the glass for the rest of the night and I would be satisfied." Mission accomplished! The entry is dark, black fruit and a ton of it. Dark, black, condense, full bodied, although the finish seems to be a bit shorter than the Hoffman Dallwitz. Multi-vintage wine of 2012, 15, 16, 17 Syrah. Delicious. Still has 10 years left. — 7 years ago

with Dan, Shay and 1 other

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.1

Third of our seven year vertical tonight....Scratch that the 2014 came out too.

Dark mix of garnet and ruby red. Lovely nose with pencil shaving, purple flowers, spices, cassis and more currants. Medium plus tannins (7/10) and medium plus to full bodied. Love the gravel on the palate, almost mountain like with tight dark berries and dark spices. Long finish. Drink till 2024. — 8 years ago

with Sean and India

Roman Sukley

9.4

2003 Merry Edwards 30th Anniversary Pinot Noir. From Merry: "Three distinguished vineyards provided grapes for this special wine. 72% came from the last vintage harvested at Windsor Gardens, blended with 21% Olivet Lane and 7% Quail Hill Ranch. These venerable old vines have all seen more than thirty vintages and harmonize in celebration of my first three decades of winemaking. I made just 333 cases of this luscious wine." A gift from a friend, bricky appearance showing some age. Bright cherry cola and rose petals on the nose. On the palate, black cherry, boysenberry, clove, caramel, mocha and some earthy notes. Fruity without being jammy. Good acidity. Rich and velvety. Well-structured with medium tannin. Best description: delicate and graceful. Lengthy and enjoyable finish. — 8 years ago

Ashley M

9.4

I really really like this! — 8 years ago

Lance Aker

9.1

Dark cherries and black currant. Deep purple color. Really gets better after being open for an hour. Moderate+ tannins. Had another glass 24 hours after opening and I think it was even better. — 9 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.2

Almost a decade gone by and still lamenting the loss of 7 Springs in Vlossak's portfolio — 9 years ago

Jeffrey Boscamp

9.1

11/7/15 deer mountain. My go to wine. Plums, dried fruit. Plums to prunes. Just delicious. Mourvèdre is so underrated. — 10 years ago

Winn Roberton

9.5

High elevation cab. Oh yeah good. 2010 vintage. — 10 years ago

Jeff Robillard

9.6

Full bodied. Nice wine. Smooth. — 12 years ago

Beau Carufel

Winemaker/Owner Random Wine Company

9.0

A sneak peek of the latest and greatest 7 of Hearts pinot. Young and a bit disjointed but with immense potential. — 13 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.7

It’s usually a good sign when the winemaker can articulate what the wine is about like this: “Ceras is Botanica’s counterpoint. Its color is more purple than red. It is more about minerals and herbs than fruit and flowers. It is a focused and elegant distillation of rock rather than an opulent cascade of fruit. It is an expression of the geology that lays beneath our land, the tart blue fruits of the coast range and the tender herbs that one finds amongst the trees and mushrooms of the Northwest forest.”

Her 2013 Ceras is yet another example of Maggie Harrison’s sorcery over the vines at Antica Terra. The focus and intensity of flavor is off the charts, yet it maintains an almost ethereal weightlessness, only emphasizing the layer of silk that separates you from the wine. The pungent rock is so on point and distinctive it instantly reminded me of the scent of lichen growing on rocks, which I experienced in Colorado when I was 7 or 8 years old. This sets the stage for the level of complexity exhibited. The fruit has both an extraordinarily high level of purity and yet the woven tapestry of herbs and spices and even fruit blending are impossible not to notice. The key being that nothing is forced.

The nuance of complexity only being noticed when desired is nearly an impossible feat. I can’t help but recall James Conaway quoting Andy Beckstoffer in his recently released book: Napa at Last Light: America’s Eden in an Age of Calamity. “If a wine was a model with a chipped tooth, you’d have to give her something to compensate with. If she needs better shoulders, better breasts, give her some. But her real charm is in how she carries the defect.”

After reading his book, I can tell you I’m definitely not certain whether you can accept his quotes verbatim. One thing is certain, though, Maggie Harrison’s Antica Terra wines carry the defect like no other. — 7 years ago

Rhonely Boy

9.2

A Central Coast rose not to be missed, and available in Magnum!

49% Grenache, 39% Carignane, 11% Syrah and 7% Mourvedre. Im giving the addition of Carignane from 90 year old vines (Wirz vineyard - Cienega Valley), two thumbs up!

Fruity notes of watermelon and strawberry, fuzzy peach skins in both taste and mouthfeel. Acidity is nicely balanced, keeping everything crystal.

A real suncatcher of a rose.
Fantastic on its own, and could envision it being enjoyed as sangria or sorbet too.
Let the good times roll!



— 8 years ago

Carolyn Chen

9.8

Beautiful. Had this wine on 8/7/17 — 8 years ago

Neal Ferry

8.9

seven blend wine experience Cab, Malbec, Syrah, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Zin, Grenache, — 8 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.5

Washington is great for Merlot. Seven Hills is known for being a beacon of sorts. They are generally the first to harvest. This is from their top Merlot blocks from the 37 year old vines in their estate vineyard. Seven Hills wines age like crazy and their Merlot based stuff calls more to the Right Bank in Bordeaux than the new world. Living in Washington, I think I view Seven Hills like listening to the Beatles or The Stones. Too much looking for the new thing & not listening enough to what one knows is great. This is great. — 8 years ago

Michael Townley

8.9

Disappointed as it was not much up front and the finish was just ok — 9 years ago

with Oscar and Carin

Tom Kobylarz

9.4

Traditional, small, with only 7 hectares of vines Collemattoni can meticulously farm how they want to produce a magnificent Brunello with depth, complexity, and purity.

With almost 12 years to settle in this is in a great place right now, shedding the youthful structure for mid-maturity and is leaning into tertiary aromas and flavors. Anyone who thinks aging wine is a waste of time and money just can't understand this kind of experience and should stick to easier wines.

Brunello and Bistecca, this 2004 is in such a good place right now, perfect with the beef. #collemattoni #sangiovese #tuscany #wine — 10 years ago

Erik McLaughlin

Vice President Seven Hills Winery

9.2

2013 Old Vines — 10 years ago

Darrin Ylisto

9.7

From 40 year old vines. No Malo. Oily, dense mouthfeel. Very mineral. Disgorged 7/13. Still young. — 12 years ago

Yoon Ha

Master Sommelier/Wine Director Benu

9.3

At the time, the highest elevation Chardonnay in napa. This 2006 is drinking beautifully! — 12 years ago