P A

9.2

Not easy to approach at first but once you get into this wine it’s a stunner. Dark ruby in presentation it offers delicious aromas of raspberry and black wild cherries. Lingering sublime layered taste of wild mushroom, cedar, earth and beautiful leather it has an enticing full mouth feel. It’s long legs and refined tannins highlight the masculine structure of its terroir. Paired perfectly with Braised Veal Cheeks, cauliflower purée and black truffle. Cheers 🍷 — 7 years ago

Craig Williams

9.3

Disgorged August ‘13; an absolutely unique Champagne experience with its solera approach to assembling the base wine. Complex, layered, oxidative and long. — 7 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.8

2008 Sine Qua Non "The Duel" Grenache. "Two Losers, Two Winners." 15.8% alcohol. Yet another less than perfect Wine Advocate scorer, but if that's not perfection screaming from my glass right now, it's mighty close. Expressive nose of lilacs, dark fruits, anise and fresh baked blueberry pie. On the palate, a potpourri of liquefied purple flowers and sweet kirsch. Typical SQN satisfying and lengthy finish. I think I would have to be tasting all these barrel aged wines side by side by side before I might be able to rank them, and even then, I expect it would be difficult to distinguish a 10 from a 9.8. I've not found much that can approach Manfred's barrel aged wines for shear opulence. Maybe @justinsmith and @saxumvineyards Bone Rock in a great year, or perhaps @philippecambie with his Clos Saint Jean Sanctus Sanctorum. Let's face it, my followers know I'm perhaps Manfred's biggest fan. Would I let ya'll know if I tasted an SQN that was anything less than great? So far, we haven't had to worry as we've not even been close. — 8 years ago

Louie Christensen

9.1

It's hard to beat great Caa fruit with an Old World approach. Solid structure props up the heaps of black currant, savory notes, and warm oak spices. — 8 years ago

Alan Betus

9.2

2011. Drank March 2017. Had it with Del Dotto Villa Del Lago to see how two wineries approach the challenging 2011 vintage. Soft fruits that weren't extracted enough for me. Smooth tannins. Hall did a very good job on an off-year vintage. But, without even tasting the '12 you can tell that the '11 is the shadow of what the '12 is. — 8 years ago

with Mark

Andrew Schirmer

9.2

An easy Chablis to love, a crowd-pleaser. Buttery mouthfeel on initial approach, citrus, minerals, flint, chalk, long vibrant finish. Gentle saline/honeysuckle nose. Perfect with wild mushroom bucatini. — 8 years ago

with Alsu

Mitja Sirk

Production La Subida, Aceto Sirk

9.2

Intense wine.. I'm sure will be a much more refine wine in a couple of years!! Very nice experience .. — 9 years ago

with Dan

Andrés Solís Lira

9.5

Love this unusual cab franc-merlot blend from Andrea Franchetti!, also an unusual guy with some rock'n'roll background with which I seem to sympathise. If this is the future of the much-loathed Super Tuscans, sign me in! Oxidative approach, racking, 2nd, 3rd & 4th passage barriques, cement tanks. A wine that sits nicely next to you and invites to enjoy, not a masculine ego-show. Looking forward to try his Passopisciaro very soon #rosso #toscane #andreafranchetti @WineTraining @Dusan Bradanovich — 10 years ago

William Gordon

9.7

An almost new world approach to Pinot. Really drinking great right now. — 10 years ago

Albert Villa-Real

9.9

Jas an effervescent approach. The nose is very earthy and has that barnyard tone but the taste and finish is the opposite! The fruit is very elegent and velvety and the finish just does not want to go away. — 12 years ago

Bill Belanger

9.1

“The Liar” tastes like an Amarone, but is not produced like it. In fact, the full sour cherry and slight raisin character were lighter than Amarone — and easier to approach — 7 years ago

Chris Zitzman

9.3

A truly surprising, rich and rounded experience. Cedar on the nose with an approach the velvety-but-well underpinned with tannins that are pronounced but born naturally into the rhythm of the wine. There’s an unusual rhythm here that leads to a memorable, cherry-smoked finish. — 7 years ago

with Beth

Steve Martinelli

9.4

Drinking well right now with a good hard decant. She opens up over an hour or so. Still will age. Nicely balanced between firm tannins and acidity. Plenty of red fruit and flowers. Seems like a more old school approach to this one. — 7 years ago

Matt

9.3

This went straight to all the pleasure centers in my brain. Like seeing an image of brain activity of someone on cocaine. This is overt, juicy, and unyielding in its approach. Like drinking your favorite tiki drink on the beach, it demands that you smile, laugh a little, and just enjoy what's in your glass. Blown away by the balance at 70g/l RS, and very curious what some bottle age will do. — 8 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.0

This wine of Spain colors up like cranberry juice. It has an extremely earthy and savory element to the nose. It's more than just an herbal “stemminess” - it's a full-on, nose-in-the-furrow dirtfest. There are cherry and strawberry notes, of course, but they live under the ground. The palate plays right along with the game, hiding its bright red fruit underneath an umami blanket. It's not an approach I find much in a rosé, even one that’s Garnacha-based. Nice acidity, and full in the mouth. Pair this with a salami sandwich, cashews or tapas if you're feeling adventurous. — 8 years ago

Matt Trader

9.3

Fairly familiar with these guys. The Bacci family is producing some increasingly serious juice at all 4 of their wine labels, but the Brunellos are proving to be their best. The 2010 Reserva was num. 49 top 100 on WS, and 100 pt rated by James Suckling. This vintage of the baseline Brunello received a 95 pt critique. Now that the factual formalities are out of the way.. the wine.

Needs a bunch more time in the bottle and if consumed this year, loads of decanting. Orange burgundy rim, and a dark ruby core. Full of smokey cedar, oiled leather, dried thyme/oregano combo, underbrush, and black plum skins. The pallet is full of intense tannin structure, and balanced food friendly acid, exhibiting notes of wild cherries, green and black peppercorn, vanilla, clove, anise, and a faint touch of coffee bean lingering with the herbaceous finish. This is a modern approach to Brunello, or in general Italian wine - French Barriques, and shorter maturation times - as opposed to using big neutral oak barrels "boti" to produce a wine that is less focused on the influencing flavors of new oak, and more focused on the character of the fruit and the terrior. The traditional style needs more time to age to be appreciated, but styles like this modern one will age quite well, and can be approached sooner (most would say the best of both worlds). For $50, an impressive value wine from the DOCG of Brunello di Montalcino. — 8 years ago

Sybaritewino C.Lawrence

9.3

Bill knows great booze. He makes great wine. An original #rhoneranger This 2011 is sumptuous in its minimalist approach to joy delivery. — 9 years ago

Paul Weil

9.1

An extremely impressive effort, this Malbec is binged in a style Californian to the core, rejecting the more sharp and tangy acids of Argentina for a Cabernet like approach, with rich velvety chocolate and cherry flavors and a lingering coffee ground finish. A bit sedimented, it benefited from some time in a decanter with a punt. — 9 years ago

Alex Mcmahon

9.4

Killer 2006 champagne, enjoying this one from a magnum. Perfectly balanced with a nice biscuity finish. Amazing wine from an amazing grower with a true natural approach to winemaking — 10 years ago

Justin Madol

8.9

Notes of white pepper and cured ham give way to dense black cherry and blackberry jam. Everything is in balance on the palette with more cherry and soft tannin. New world terroir with an old world approach. Young wine with an energetic medium finish. Heavy french influence here that will pay off with time. — 10 years ago

Peter Vetsch

9.3

We'll see if Delectable can figure out the name of this wine - I had to create it on CellarTracker. Made by a social interest cooperative in Costers del Segre, just west of Barcelona, this blend of Cava grapes (Chardonnay + Macabeo) is focused and beautiful. A swirling array of flavours, largely not fruit-based -- talcum, buttered popcorn, rubber, varnish, baked pear, cinnamon, mineral, celery -- yes, I swear, all in the same wine -- then scorching straight-line acidity on the back end of the palate that carries the wine through into a long, herbal-tinged finish. Somehow takes an intense approach to a fairly neutral set of flavours. Stunning. — 12 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.1

Getting some air before we approach... To be paired with a beautiful piece of Halibut poaching in the oven now.

Ok, this is an interesting bottle...For certain appears oxidized in the glass, but it's not (really). The nose has some sort of clementine/tangerine thing happening with citrus pith and white flowers, maybe a touch on the oxidative but the bottle is still recently opened. The palate has acidity, almonds, pear and honey, medium-short finish. A very intriguing bottle...Go seek one out! — 7 years ago

Chris Zitzman

9.2

The '13 vintage was a boon to the entire west-coast, and the Dominio "Love Lies Bleeding" makes that clear from sip numero uno. Even from the first glass (sans decant) the "Love Lies Bleeding" gently wraps its way around the palate with a delightfully soft approach that's backed with a real substance of juicy cherry and extremely fine tannins to frame it.

Between the subtlety and softness of the nose and the vibrant fruit that's un-wrapped right upon touching the tongue- I would have been fooled into thinking this an example of something from California if poured blind.
— 7 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.2

Gosh dang. Wish I had gotten another bottle. I saved this from last October at The Wine House's Antinori fest...another coming up so maybe I should go. Anyway I adore a good Barbaresco. More quickly sip-able than Barolo. This is all the fresh roses and dried orange peel you can imagine. The tannins are a smidgen rough still. I opened this early I now know, hence my desire for another bottle to age. But there are those backnotes of violet, frankincense (or myrrh? They run together in my memory), angry earth (not yet tar and yet!) and blueberry that are hiding there in the very back. This is a tasty wine that could use another year or so to knit together. The acid is decent but the tannins need to get their act together. I say this even after "decanting" into my Zalto Burgundy glass for a lil' while...but maybe I still need a real decanter, and maybe more than an hour of wine relaxation . And patience. — 8 years ago

Ted Corvey

9.6

WOTN! Blend of several indigenous Sicilian grapes (50% Nerello Mascalese, 20% Nerello Cappucio, 20% Nocera, 10% other indigenous varietals) from vineyards right off the Straights of Messina. Not an Etna wine, but embraces if not surpasses the Burgundian qualities many high end Sicilian wines approach. Tremendous acid balance and tannin integration that can only come from precise wine making. Very deep but funky mushroom, red fruit, forest floor, and slightly brett nose. On the palate tremendous fruit quality tastes of red berries, peach, and floral notes end up giving way to herbaceous and leather undertones. Again, thanks @Kyle Harvey for lugging this across the world for the summit! — 8 years ago

with Scott and Kyle

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. — 8 years ago

with Steve and Christine

Leslee D. Miller

Owner and Certified Sommelier Amusée Wine Consulting

9.9

This was one of the first wines early on in my career that taught me the transcendence of wine. Chateau-Grillet, an appellation committed only to the production of Viognier in the most ethereal fashion. We enjoyed this gorgeous 2006 just last night on the island of Saint-Martin. A wine so precisely layered you'll never forget the personality & real depth that Viognier has the ability to display: gorgeous white florals, razor sharp lines of acidity & perfectly ripened guava, honeydew & honeycomb. So happy to have consumed this while in a state of complete relaxation. Experience, after all, reminds us of those moments that brought us to the exact spot that we are today. #grateful — 9 years ago

Kalima Collymore

9.3

Beautiful, linear approach to Sauvignon Blanc. Incredibly fragrant notes of white peach and gardenia on the nose. Bright acidity and an lovely finish. — 10 years ago

Perry Riddle

9.2

Muscular and brawny on the first approach. Blackberry and cigar box. Soft layers to finish. Decant for an hour. — 10 years ago

Sybaritewino C.Lawrence

9.7

slightly oxidative approach to blanc2 with an assemblage of '02 and '06 grand cru vintages. grotty good stuff ❗️ — 10 years ago