David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

A wine I’ve enjoyed mostly upon release or near it. I vowed to wait six years and nearly made it. At least it is 2018...just! It’s worth waiting this/that long for it to develop. On the nose; sweetly, baked fruits of; dark cherries, strawberries, black plum, plums, blackberries, and notes of blue fruits. Cinnamon, vanilla, very light clove & nutmeg, caramel, soft, medium, beautiful spice, black fruit tea, limestone minerals, loamy, dry, brown top soil, fresh dark florals and violets. The mouthfeel is full, rich & lush. The tannins are round, still have some teeth and possess velvety round edges. It’s fruit driven but not a bomb and showing elegance & grace. Fruits are perfectly ripe; dark cherries, strawberries, black plum, plums, blackberries, notes of blue fruits and dry cranberries dip in and out. Cinnamon, vanilla, very light clove & nutmeg, caramel, soft, medium beautiful spice that is more pronounced on the palate, black fruit tea, touch of melted brown sugar/molasses, limestone minerals, touch of rich dark sweet turned soil, loamy dry brown top soil, soft understated eucalyptus/mint, dry fresh florals and violets. The round acidity is just right, just a slight very small alcohol burn, the length, structure, tension and beautifully balanced finish are in a very good place. Even better in 2-3 more years in bottle; which is when I’ll have my next one. Photos of; the winemaking duo of Gary Franscioni (left) and Gary Pisoni, Rosella’s Vineyard on the right. As well as, Garys’ Vineyard at the bottom. Producer notes and history...The Santa Lucia Highlands appellation is known for its rich, vibrant Pinot Noirs. However, that wasn’t always the case. The first Pinot was planted in 1973, but results weren’t all that great. Chardonnay was the appellation’s early star. Much of the area’s current fame for Pinot Noir arguably can be traced to Gary Pisoni, a free-spirited wine enthusiast who grew up in a Salinas Valley vegetable farming family. Pisoni decided to plant a few acres of Pinot Noir in 1982 on his family’s horse ranch, at the southern end of what was to become the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation but his horses started eating the grapes. So, they had to go. His initial planting were limited by a lack of water until he dug a well on the property. Pisoni started planting even more Pinot Noir. The vineyard is now around 45 acres and nearly all of it Pinot. By the late 1990s, word had spread about the success of his vineyard, and a number of Pinot specialists from around California had started lining up to buy his grapes. He started producing his own wine in 1998. Pisoni isn’t the only Gary who has become a force in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Gary Franscioni, a childhood friend, followed Pisoni’s lead by planting grapes and started Roar Wines in 2001. The two of them now have five vineyards between them...all farmed meticulously with the same crew. They are best of friends...sort of a Mutt & Jeff. They have become a formidable presence in the Highlands, attracting interest from top winemakers and Pinot Noir lovers from all over. Franscioni is also from a vegetable farming family; Pisoni figures they’ve known each other since they were 3 or 4. Franscioni saw his friend’s success and once he got some money together, decided to plant grapes of his own. Franscioni’s property is farther north and cooler as it’s closer to the Monterey Bay. He was going to plant Chardonnay. He woke up and Franscioni recalls imitating Pisoni, and shouted, “plant Pinot!” Franscioni planted what became Rosella’s Vineyard, named for his wife, in 1996. He took Pisoni’s advice and planted four acres of Pinot Noir, although he still planted 12 acres of Chardonnay. It’s now a total of around 50 acres with three-quarters of it Pinot Noir. The next year, they decided to become partners and planted Garys’ Vineyard, a 50 acre parcel where they grow Pinot and a little Syrah. Since then, Franscioni has developed Sierra Mar, 38 acres of Pinot, Chardonnay, Syrah and a tiny amount of Viognier. The two teamed up again to establish Soberanes Vineyard, 35 acres of mostly Pinot Noir, with a little bit of Chardonnay and Syrah. That last vineyard was developed by Pisoni’s son Mark. The Garys might seem an unlikely pair. Pisoni is colorful character to say the least and has an outspoken manner. Franscioni comes across as more serious- minded. However, the collaboration between the two, who often address each other as “partner,” clearly works well. The two are good on their own, but better together. Pisoni being more gregarious acts as the frontman. He is the Ambassador. He’s a check on the rest to keep the quality high. Franscioni and Mark Pisoni run the farming on their own vineyards and work together on the joint ventures. The family involvement doesn’t stop there. Jeff Pisoni makes his family’s wines, which are under the Pisoni and Lucia brands. Franscioni’s son, Adam, joined the family business in time for the 2011 harvest. He handles sales for Roar and helps his father manage the vineyards. The grapes from all five vineyards are in huge demand, because the two families are such careful farmers, constantly tweaking and improving. Prominent customers include; Testarossa, Siduri, Kosta Browne, Copain and Bernardus. When a new vintner approaches them about buying grapes, the partners examine the winery’s track record and the Winemaker. If they like what they see, the winery is put on a waiting list. There’s not very much movement in their vineyards. When Franscioni planted Sierra Mar, he and Pisoni had 62 wineries waiting to buy fruit. Soberanes was developed with the idea of working with some new winemakers. There was some concern, even among the two families, that quality might suffer as the vineyard operations grew. However, there’s no indication that’s the case. In fact, with each new venture, they build on what they’ve learned in their older vineyards. Eventually, there will be even more vineyards. The Pisonis and Franscionis have purchased a 100 acre cactus farm in the Santa Lucia Highlands. There’s still a lease on the property. So, prickly pear cactus will continue to be grown for five more years. But at some point, the land will be planted with vines. Both families understand the importance of continuing to build for the future. The Garys looking back tell a story of being in the same spot some years ago and looking at a field of broccoli out back. He told Franscioni that the field would look a lot better with Pinot Noir vines. Now that parcel is part of Rosella’s Vineyard, and it’s planted with Pinot. Everybody thought he was crazy...most people usually think that when someone makes a bold decision. He’s a person who has always had vision and creativeness. He also has tremendous passion. Good things only happen when a person possesses all three of these qualities. Their wines are primarily available by mailing list. However, Nepenthe in Big Sur, CA acts as a quasi tasting room for some of their wines. — 6 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.8

@Ted Mandes @Christine @Steve Colanero I've been fortunate to meet Victor Blanquart on several occasions. He's an awesome guy, great brand ambassador and every time I've met him he's holding a bottle of Louis for us to taste!! I'm thinking of inviting him over for dinner 5 times a week!! All kidding aside, Louis is by far, my absolute "Go To" cognac for any occasion that I want to remember forever. The story of how it is made is amazing. Breathing it in ever so gently from the length of your arm will begin your journey through a field of flowers, as you approach the nose it transforms, deepens and reveals more of itself layer by layer for what appears to be an endless harmonious concerto. A single drop will literally create an explosion of tastes which again appears to go on endlessly. I scored it a 9.8 since I've never had the pleasure of tasting their legendary Rare Cask or their black pearl. I can even begin to imagine how this bottle could be any better!! Its that good and every time I enjoy a few ounces I consider it a privilege. Truly amazing. — 7 years ago

with Steve and Christine

Joel Pennington #❤️🐢🍷

Owner/Winemaker Slow Turtle Vineyard

9.3

Just finished pressing my '15 Champanel (which underwent cryomaceration - think Hans Solo in carbonite) and rewarded the Slow Turtle team with juice from Fausse Piste. Too good. — 8 years ago

with Jordan

Wendy Haas

8.9

Blurred by candlelight. Fun night with no power!! — 9 years ago

with Scott

Cindy Kobbe

10

I was first introduced to Rufino Moscato D'Asti in Dec 2014 while visiting The Ambassador Hotel in Kansas City, MO. It has become my favorite go-to Moscato wine. Love everything about it. — 9 years ago

Matt Wilson

9.5

One of the best of Cahors. This wine should serve as ambassador to the sud-ouest. Complex, deep, black fruit aromas of cassis, plum, fig, leather and violets. Then, such balance and elegance on the palate with confident tannins and a determined finish. Power and concentration without high alcohol. I am in awe. — 9 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.1

From the ambassador of great wine! — 10 years ago

Shay A

9.2

I’ve started seeing quite a bit of this winery on Delectable as of late, and @Jason Oliver does a great job of being an ambassador for them. He informed me of a killer deal they had going, so I snagged a 3-pack.

Robbie Meyer (of Del Dotto, Pierson Meyer) became the full time winemaker in 2015. The Spur is their red blend and really is an awesome value for Livermore Valley. Bordeaux varietals + petite sirah. Super dark in the glass. Nose is full of herbs, crushed blackberries, graphite. I thought it would be super heavy on the palate due to the color, but it was soft. Easy to pick up the petite sirah in this with the spice and pepper on the finish. Tart and spicy fruit too like rhubarb. Smokiness and cedar wood. Looking forward to the merlot and Malbec I have. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

On the nose, boysenberries, olallieberries, blueberries, blackberries, baking spices, dry powdery soils, dry stems, bramble and bright, fresh, fragrant purple florals. The palate is warm, lush, round and elegant. Tannins 65% resolved. It's still fairly big and very fresh. Palate fruits are; boysenberries, olallieberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries and raspberries haunting the background. Lifting warm spices, black pepper, black licorice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, dry crushed rocks, volcanic minerals with liqueur notes settling in at the mid point to the long finish. Dry stones, dry straw, tarry notes, violets, purple florals and palate raining acidity. The finish is long with good balance of fruit & earth. There's still nice tension, length and structure. The 05 still has another 7-10 years of good drinking ahead. As great as it was to be at the property tasting their new releases, it's a pleasure to enjoy one of their well aged wines back in the states. Photos of; the view from the new estate (love that red Barossa soil), tasting bar, Andrew Tierney, Torbreck International Sales Ambassador who hosted our visit(left) and Owner, David Powell (right). Producer history and notes...Torbreck Vintners was founded by David Powell in 1994. Before founding Torbreck, he worked for Robert O'Callaghan at Rockford Wines in the Barossa Valley. Rockford is an historic old winery and they love old historic wine relics...all you have to do is walk the property. In trying to start his own label, David lacked the funds to buy grapes outright. So, David began to share-farm a vineyard, a practice which involves working without pay until the grapes are sold, at which time the owner is paid a percentage of the market rate for his grapes and the share-farmer keeps the grapes for their own use. The share-farming principle or as we call it, sweat equity. This enabled Torbreck to obtain fruit from the very best vineyards in the Barossa Valley, while giving David Powell experience working in the vineyard and winery. In 1995 Powell crushed and fermented his grapes in a shed on his 12-hectare Marananga property; which continues to be home to the winery. The winery was named "Torbreck" after the forest in Scotland where Powell worked as a lumberjack. The first wine made under the Torbreck label was the 1995 RunRig. When it was released in 1997, Parker gave it a score of 95; which went a long way in launching Torbreck Vintners. Lisa, now Managing Editor at Robertparker.com raised that score to 98 in 2010. In late 2002, Torbreck was placed into receivership due to financial pressures on Powell from a divorce settlement. Torbreck was purchased by Australian businessman Jack Cowin for 6.5 million Australian dollars with Powell retained as winemaker and managing director. In 2008 Powell reacquired the estate in partnership with Peter Kight, the owner of Quivira Winery in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley in California. Torbreck produces around 70,000 cases of wine per year, depending on vintage conditions. 6.5 million Australian dollars is not a lot of money in today's environment...actually quite a deal. They had just completed their new facilities as shown in the photos two weeks prior to our visit in April. If you haven't had their wines, their lower price wines are very good at great values. Torbreck makes everything up to their high end RunRig at $300 plus a bottle with lots of quality wines in between that are really quite good and value priced vs. the rest of international market. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Attending the Côtes du Coeur in Dallas. Was asked to be a brand ambassador for Montagu Wines, so I get to pour this weekend! Last night was the grand tasting...out of 18 or so wineries, two really stood out.

This was so freaking good. I know @Shawn R is a big fan of their stuff and this was my first time trying anything from Barnett (need to try their cab franc). This and the Macauley To Kalon were neck and neck for WOTN. Velvety in texture. Pure toasted oak, vanilla, black and blueberry pie. Superb balance. — 7 years ago

Vijay Vaidy

9.8

Hard to find a better ambassador for 2001 Napa style. I'm not sure these wine makers ever surpassed this era ... Unfortunately a bit premium priced these days, but worth dropping some $$$ for, more than the average peer — 8 years ago

Clive Williams

9.1

Recommend by my daughter Sophie who is ambassador for Malbec and this is a great one. Very eloquently described in earlier reviews. So if you see it drink it! — 8 years ago

Beki Mann

9.6

A Demi-sec that is barely so! So lovely with cheese and fruit. On rec from Lenny at Ambassador. — 8 years ago

Jennifer Ann Salyer

8.9

Viceroy at The Ambassador Hotel. — 9 years ago

with Chris

Pavle Milić

9.4

The fruit on the nose ripped the doorframe out of the closet. Vibrant, alive and focused. Great Russian River Valley ambassador. Classy. — 9 years ago

Leigh Mc

9.1

Italy 2014 road trip. Purchased in verona for ambassador. Really enjoyed this one — 10 years ago

Maria O

9.7

Was at the gallery ambassador session. — 10 years ago

Konrad Ziegler

9.0

A wonderful ambassador of Oregon pinot. Our first introduction years ago and a friend ever since. — 7 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.2

An old favorite and outspoken ambassador for SB cool climate See-rah — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

On the nose, liqueured dark cherries, cherries, poached strawberries, dark raisins, plums, dates, figs, baking spices, chocolate, dark rich soils, light spice and decayed dark florals. The mouthfeel is thick, rich and nicely resolved. Although it's nearly 20 years from inception, it's quite fresh and somewhere just the other side of it's peak. Dark cherries, plum, raisins, figs, dates, prunes, cherries, poached strawberries, somewhere between black raspberries & raspberries, dark & milk chocolate, light spice, rich, dark, moist soil, dry loamy top soil, violets, decayed, dark florals, light baking spices and caramel with nice round acidity. The finish is thick, rich 50-50 fruit and earth and lasts nearly a minute. This 98 is drinking nicely tonight with our Burrata, olive oil, Tondo balsamic, roasted garlic, garden cherries tomatoes and pesto sauce. Photos of; their beautiful villa estate, straw mats in warm rooms for drying the grapes to make this wine, Owner/Ambassador-Marilisa Allegrini, one of their vineyards and our charcuterie. Producer history & notes...Allegrini is one of the most acclaimed wineries in Veneto and a benchmark producer of Amarone. Their owner Marilisa Allegrini is a global ambassador for the region and internationally. Many in the industry considered her, "the voice of Amarone.” The Allegrini legacy spans six generations of wine growers. The Allegrinis have played a leading role in Valpolicella since the 16th century. Giovanni Allegrini is the patriarch of the modern estate. Today, his children, led by owner Marilisa, carry his legacy forward as one of the Veneto’s most acclaimed estates. Marilisa is the Ambassador for the estate while her brother, Franco, is internationally praised as one of Italy’s finest winemakers. They have 247 acres of vineyards in the Valpolicella Classico, the Allegrinis nurture a collection of remarkable sites. Each with its own personality, soils and focused microclimate. All seven vineyards range from the steep hillsides of La Grola to the plateau of La Poja and offer uniquely special expressions that make up their truly amazing wines. Allegrini has earned many accolades. In 2016, they were named Winery of the Year by Gambero Rosso, Italy’s definitive wine and food magazine. Parker called Allegrini the “reference point for fine Amarone.” Tonight this 98 was a nice example of those accolades.
— 7 years ago

John Kanellopoulos

9.0

What's not to like of this genuine left bank Bordeaux ambassador dark color, easy tannins, multiple earth and currant aromas opening a little light on the body felicitation nous amis Francais! — 7 years ago

John Kanellopoulos

9.0

Superb: good body, maturity, balance partially matured tannins, a great ambassador for St Julien in Medoc! — 7 years ago

Sarah O'Kelley

9.0

New world richness but with many layers - dark fruit, licorice, cigar box. A decadent treat! — 7 years ago

Kimberly Anderson

8.9

Cherry nose. Anise nose. Very smooth. Drinks older than it is. — 8 years ago

John Kanellopoulos

9.2

2011
A splendid ambassador of the left bank Bordeaux reds: Dark red, good body, earth and berry aromas already mature tannins , perhaps in 5-10 yards this would had been a gem! U am not too sad I did the "sacrifice" — 8 years ago

Beki Mann

9.5

All grower bubbles to celebrate the New Year! This was new to me! A great rec from Lenny at Ambassador. — 8 years ago

Michael Kilgore

9.8

Might be the best rum I've had. Lot going on, but all working together. Not too spicy. What I always want cognac to be — 9 years ago

Ciprian Toma

8.9

A good Ambassador of Champagne — 9 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

10

Thanks so much to fellow Delectable member and Krug ambassador Garth for the excellent Krug seminar at K&L! This bottle was Krug ID 213032 and spent six years on the lees before being disgorged in spring of 2013. It is based on 2006 and composed of 11 vintages going back to 1990. The cepage is 44% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 21% Meunier. — 10 years ago

Barb Anderson

9.3

Unbelievable!!! — 11 years ago