Andrew S

9.4

Really good. Nice deep dark fruits with nuances of red fruits. Fennel, eucalyptus, tar. Gorgeous acidity and long 1-2 minute finish. All in that well balanced, sophisticated way with now resolved tannins that lift it higher. — 7 years ago

Matt Duncan

9.4

Bright red. Great lift and length. Only good things to come. — 8 years ago

E & K G

9.5

We had the 2004, 2008, 2010 today. All good vintages. 2004 was the consensus WOTN being the most “put together”. The balance between fruit, acidity, structure was all there. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

On the nose, stewed fruits of; black plum, blackberries, dark cherries, plum and blueberries. Mocha, chocolate, mixed berry cola, sweet spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, loamy mineral soils and dry dark florals. The mouthfeel is less concentrated than other vintages of Corison but that's indicative of the 10 Napa vintage generally. The tannins are nicely resolved with another 5-8 years before they are completely resolve. The fruits are; dark cherries, black plum, plum, black raspberries, blackberries with strawberries that dance around the rest of the fruit. There's nice barrel toast, vanilla, nutmeg, light clove, cinnamon, touch of wood shavings, liqueur notes, caramel, mocha chocolate, mix berry cola, loamy soils, dry crushed rocks, bramble, dry stems with nice soft round acidity. The finish is a little lean but tasty. Good balance of fruit and earth with long, rich elegance. Cathy slightly overachieved the 10 vintage as a whole. Photos of; her estate building, Cathy in her vineyard, grapes coming in at night (better to harvest when the fruit is cooler) and her estate vineyard in all it's glory. Producer notes and history...Cathy Corison grew up in Riverside, California. She studied biology at Pomona College and was on their men's diving team, because the school didn't have a women's team. In 1972, she had to take an extracurricular class. She signed up for a trampoline class, but changed her mind upon seeing a sign-up sheet for a wine tasting class. This class was the catalyst that sparked her interest in winemaking. After graduation in 1975, she moved to Napa Valley in California. She received her Master's degree in Enology from University of California, Davis. Upon moving to Napa, she started working in the tasting room at Sterling Vineyards and at a wine shop. During this time, she was getting her Master's degree at the University of California, Davis. She was told by her professor that she would not get a job in Napa Valley because of being a woman. However, if she wasn't the first Napa Valley female Winemaker, she was certainly one of the first. She tried to get a job at Freemark Abbey and was denied because they believed she could not work in the cellar. She almost took a job at Christian Brothers in the enology lab. However, she decided not to take the job and in 1978 she became an intern at Freemark Abbey and eventually became their Winemaker. She joined Chappellet in 1983 and was their Winemaker for nearly ten years. She founded Corison Winery, in 1987. The winery is located in St. Helena, California in a barn built by her husband, William Martin. Corison makes Cabernet and Gewürztraminer. They produce about 3,500 cases a year depending on the vintage. The winery makes a Kronos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and as well as a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The Kronos is an estate wine that is made from organic grapes. The vineyard is dry farmed. The grapes come from one of the oldest vineyards in Napa Valley. The Napa Valley Cabernet comes from Rutherford. The Gewürztraminer is called Corazón and comes from the Anderson Valley. — 9 years ago

Eric Egan

9.0

This was lovely; full of primary fruit and lovely a point tannins but starting to loose its flesh. A very good easy drinking wine, though unfortunately that's all it was. As expected. — 10 years ago

David Collins

9.5

One of my favorite Heidi Barrett wines. — 10 years ago

with Teresa

Derek Hearst

9.7

Even in difficult vintages, great wine makers make great wines. This is a CDP unlike many others. The fruit was in perfect balance with all the secondary favors. Surprising how good this was considering the vintage. — 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

It needed an hour decant to come around and blow off the barnyard funk. After that, elegance, ruby blue and red soft fruits; blueberries, bright cherries, fresh juicy strawberries, some cooked green bell early on that gradually faded, steeped tea, soft saddlewood & minerality, a touch of easy wet black earth, pebbles. The 88 has all the classic characteristics and elegant finish one comes to expect from Pichon Lalande. Not their best but pretty darn good on Christmas Eve into Christmas. Merry Christmas all!!! — 10 years ago

Kalamota

9.0

These guys: always solid and 2012 is just an all around good year for CA. Second day drinking was even better. Will be coming back as always. — 11 years ago

Erica Golden

9.0

With a little filet and some cheesy potatoes with ALL kinds of dairy in them. A delightful dinner pairing choice, but also good alone. — 12 years ago

Tim O'Rourke

9.0

Really good right now, but not as focused as I would like to make it great. Secondaries, tertiaries all there. Yummy! — 12 years ago

with Max

Mark Flesher

9.2

The nose and palate of this wine is primarily watermelon. Sweeter side of things. Perhaps a hint of black pepper on the finish. Based on what I was told, these are good to drink young. I think that this wine is probably going to be better after a year. Not doing badly now. I think the drinking window of this wine is probably a bit on the short side. I think this wine will be on the downward slide by 2020. — 8 years ago

with Dan, Keith and 2 others

Hugh O'Riordan

9.3

Just got my allocation. Had to see if ok. Well it really, it is a lack of self control. Wonderful aroma is dark fruit. That great cab aroma. Complexity all the way and Long delicious finish. A really good wine and I say ready to drink. Not sure what Aging will accomplish. I’ll let you know in a few years. Buy this wine — 8 years ago

Nico J. Snyman

9.3

No bubbles left, some seepage on the cork, but funnily enough it was still quite special, confit ginger, mandarin marmalade mixed with vanilla beans, custard, creme brûlée, just the caramel on the finish showed it wasn't stored correctly, all things considered quite extraordinary. — 9 years ago

Benjamin Keator

9.7

More earth. Loved it. Why can't all pinots be this good — 9 years ago

with Will and Weston

Mark Flesher

9.1

To me, this wine of all the aged wines had the best entry without a doubt. This wine is made in a very old world and French style, and you can tell it from the start. I was a little worried about this wine, but the cork was in great shape and extracted by an ah-so with no problems. This wine had a very herbal nose, and herbal front. Raspberry front eventually emerged. The middle of this wine was actually quite full bodied. The finish was a little earthy, a little bit of mushroom, and tame oak. The wine was good, and still going after all these years. Look forward to the other bottle soon! — 9 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

So good and all gone :,( — 9 years ago

with Sean and India

Charlie Beatty

Buyer wineworksonline.com

9.5

Jumped the gun tonight, just bought my 1st bottle YUP of Caymus 2014 Napa Cab Sauv! Why had to try it. See my picture above, we decanted it to a Water Pitcher for maximum breathing. Waited 30 minutes and gave the sniff test. Nose of jammy black fruits. Trying my first sip, still a little hot. Waited an tried again, sweet vanilla oak on palate, good acid on tongue (yep), starting to open. Nicely balanced with soft tannin structure, rich fruit. Needs a good 2-3 hours next time! I give this a solid 95! Why? It reminds me of the 2012. The 2013 needed 6 hours and was still tight. 2012 vs 2014 very close in all the above statements. Bravo. Paid 64.98 plus tax at WineWorks in Marlton NJ Tonight. Yes I know I had to experience this with family right away. CB 95.. Let me know your thoughts. PS: needs to be served at 55-60 degrees in temperature. Really Good!! — 10 years ago

with Steph and Michael

ToM Stransky

10

It's been a few years since last visiting this icon and midnight on a Sunday seemed like a good idea. #Absolutelyoutstanding and preferred over all of its peers. Opulence in the autolysis department yet enough fruit to balance and keep it focused. Quintessential 'spoil yourself' champagne at the top of the class. If only I could make it a weekly event..TS — 11 years ago

Paul Hinschberger

9.1

Quite good, but next to all the other chateauneufs, it was just ok — 11 years ago

Eric Waxman

8.9

Maybe not as good as the 2000 but quite tasty all the same. — 11 years ago

Joseph Moss

9.3

Gamay all day, every day! With some aging on it. Good to drink, still good to keep. — 12 years ago

James Forsyth

9.3

Scampi NYC is a popular new Southern Italian influenced restaurant in Manhattan's Flatiron district, led by a chef whose previous gigs included Ai Fiori (good food, corporate vibe) and The Spaniard (don't look beyond the burger). The extensive wine list was put together by @Kimberly Prokoshyn, former head somm at Rebelle and stalwart of many a La Festa del Barolo. The list's main strength is its reasonably priced back vintages from Bordeaux and Burgundy - of all possible strengths, that's about as good as it gets.

My father in law's birthday made for the ideal occasion to visit. The restaurant is loud but not quite excessively. Dishes are all designed to share and range from delicious light dishes, of which the fluke crudo was a highlight, to more hearty fare such the half chicken and rib eye steak. The pastas were innovative, rich and addictively good.

Our first wine was a 2003 Gruard Larose. It is rich and ripe, mocha, black fruits and leather. It sustains nicely while the tannins are pleasingly resolved. It's probably about as good as this wine will get. The power of this Bordeaux stood up well to the vivid flavors of the cuisine, and was a dream with the campanelle with fennel sausage.

The appetite was whetted for the next bottle...
— 8 years ago

with Cara

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have a six-pack of this 05. I thought after 10 years in bottle, it would be interesting to check in on its evolution. While tasty, I’ll wait another 8-10 to open another. Even after 2-3 hours in the decanter, it’s still a very young adolescent. On the nose, slightly sour blackberries & dark cherries, dark currants, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, anise, whiff of spice, steeped tea, dry stones, dry crushed rocks with dry top soil, caramel, vanilla with fresh & dry red florals. The body is thick & full. Tannins are starting to round out. It’s velvety on the palate. The fruits are; bright, fresh & ripe and really show the greatness of the 05 vintage. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, baked strawberries, cherries, raspberries on the long set, dark spice, clay & loamy dry top soil with crushed rocks, dry stones, cigar with ash, graphite, dry stems, slight herbaceous character, mint, used leather, clove, caramel, vanilla, fresh & dry red florals with violets. The round acidity is about perfect. The structure and length are still strong. The balance is in harmony. As for the long finish, it’s lush, ruby, rich and well polished. Photos of; Chateau Brane Cantenac, large wood vats, Henri Lurton and Estate vines. Producer notes and history...Chateau Brane Cantenac began in the early 17th century. At the time, the estate was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten. Even that far back, wine was produced from the property. In fact, the wine was so highly regarded it was one of the more expensive wines in Bordeaux. It sold for almost as much money as Brane Mouton. This is interesting because of who went on to buy the vineyard in the 1800’s. The Baron of Brane, also known as “Napoleon of the Vineyards”, purchased the Chateau in 1833. At the time of the sale, the estate was called Chateau Gorce-Guy. To get the funds needed to purchase the Margaux vineyard, the Baron sold what is now called Mouton Rothschild, which was at the time of the sale, known as Chateau Brane-Mouton. Not such a good move with hundreds of years in hindsight! In 1838, the Baron renamed property taking his name and the name of the sector where the vineyards were located and called it Chateau Brane Cantenac. The Chateau later passed to the Roy family, who were well-known in the Margaux appellation in those days, as they owned Chateau d’issan. Moving ahead to 1920, the Societe des Grands Crus de France, a group of merchants and growers that owned several chateaux located in the Medoc including; Chateau Margaux, Chateau Giscours, and Chateau Lagrange in St. Julien, purchased Chateau Brane Cantenac. Five years later, M. Recapet and his son-in-law, François Lurton, took over Brane Cantenac along with Chateau Margaux. Lucien Lurton (the son of François Lurton) inherited Brane Cantenac in 1956. Today, the estate is still in the hands of the Lurton family. Brane Cantenac is owned and run by Henri Lurton. After being given the responsibility of managing Brane Cantenac, it was under the direction of Henri Lurton that large portions of the vineyard were replanted. Vine densities were increased, the drainage systems were improved and the plantings were also, slowly changed. The vineyard of Brane Cantenac is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. Carmenere was used for the first time in the 2011 vintage. The only other Chateau I know that still uses Carmenere is Clerc Milon. The 75 hectare Left Bank vineyard of Brane Cantenac is essentially unchanged since it earned Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification. At least that is the case with the 45 hectares used to produce the Grand Vin of Brane Cantenac. Those 45 hectares are planted surrounding the Chateau. Those vines are located just in front of the Cantenac plateau and are the best terroir that Brane Cantenac owns. They have other parcels, which are further inland and much of those grapes are placed into their second wine, Le Baron de Brane. Those additional hectares can be divided into 3 main sections. Behind the Chateau, they have 15 hectares of vines on gravel and sand, 10 hectares across the road with sand, gravel and iron and a 13 hectare parcel with gravel called Notton, which is used for their second wine. The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 6,666 vines per hectare on the plateau and up to 8,000 vines per hectare for the vines located behind chateau, in their sandier soils. The higher levels of vine density are always found in the newer plantings. The terroir of Brane Cantenac consists of deep gravel, sand and clay soil. Experiments in the vineyards are currently looking at becoming more organic in their vineyard management. Today, more than 25% of Brane Cantenac is farmed using organic farming techniques. It is expected that over time, the amount of hectares farmed with organic methods will be increased. Brane Cantenac has gone through 2 relatively recent modernization’s in 1999, when they added began adding the first of their smaller vats to allow for parcel by parcel vinification and then again in 2015 when they completed a much more complete renovation of their cellars and vat rooms. While Brane Cantenac is a traditional producer, they are no stranger to technology as they were one of the first estates to embrace optical grape sorting machines. In very wet vintages, they can also use reverse osmosis. To produce the wine of Chateau Brane Cantenac, the wine is vinified in a combination of temperature controlled, traditional, 22 oak vats, 18 concrete tanks and 20 stainless steel vats that vary in size from 40 hectoliters all the way up to 200 hectoliters, which allows for parcel by parcel vinification. 40% of the fermentation takes place in the oak vats. The oldest vines are vinified in vats that are selected to allow for separate parcel by parcel vinification. The younger vines are vinified more often together in the same vats. However, the Carmenere is entirely micro-vinified, meaning that those grapes were completely vinified in barrel, using micro-vinification techniques. This can also happen because the amount of grapes produced is so small. Some vats can be co-inoculated, meaning they go through alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation simultaneously. At Chateau Brane Cantenac, malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak tanks and barrels. The wine of Brane Cantenac is aged in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. The initial 2 months of aging is done with the wine on its lees, which adds more depth to the wine. There second wine is Le Baron de Brane. Le Baron de Brane is not new. In fact, previously, the second wine went under the name of Chateau Notton, which took its name from one of the main parcels where the grapes were planted. During the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s, having a second wine was important as the estate declassified 3 vintages, due to extremely poor, weather conditions in 1956, 1960 and 1963. Production of Chateau Brane Cantenac is about 11,000 cases per year. — 8 years ago

Jimmy Hayes

Estate Director Mayacamas Vineyard

10

86 HM - what else to say other than it's the wine that got me into wine; every time I taste it I remember why I got started in this business.. First tried at 16 years old at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver with my Dad. Today, a couple decades later, got to enjoy it again from 5L surrounded by good friends and family. 10 is for all of it, not just the wine. Grateful to Jason and Sarah Heller for their generosity. #happyeaster — 10 years ago

with Douglas, Helen and 4 others

Max Kelly

9.1

Sweet, good, but not all that complex. — 10 years ago

with Chris

Adam Foster

Beverage Director Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop, Blue Coop Restaurant

9.0

Pretty aromas of all things forest-like, wrapped in a big red fruit hug. — 11 years ago

Jon Fine

9.2

crazy good. not at all fat despite the 2003-ness. — 11 years ago

Cody Short

10

NYC for my 35th and this was firing on all cylinders. Extremely dark in color, massive nose and the palate showed everything good about classic Latour. This liked and tasted like an 80's wine, so youthful and surprisingly no sediment in the bottle. Easily a top 5 wine this year. — 12 years ago

Tina Art

8.9

It's good one! all time favorite. Not full and not bold and not too sweet — 12 years ago