Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I am not the biggest fan of a lot of CA Chardonnays but, I have come to fully embrace Arnot-Roberts, this vintage & terrior.

This is not a wine you want well chilled...better just under room temperature. When well chilled, it loses too much of its beauty & sheer elegance. Shows more CA Chardonnay structure/backbone with big green apple. When it is cold it does pair better with the Lattebusche Piave Vecchio...a drier, harder cheese. When it warms, the best choice is the Jasper Hill Farms soft, full cream. white, Harbison.

After it has warmed & had about a half-hour of air, the nose is rounded, lush & ruby. Sweet & sour lemon, green & golden apple, overripe pineapple, guava, green melon, kiwi with skin, lime candy, caramel, gentle, white spice, just a glimmer of, herbaceousness, chalk, grey volcanics, melted, brown butter with yellow flowers/lilies, jasmine, spring flowers with mixed greens.

The body is rich, lush and full, a touch gluey with good viscosity. Sweet & sour lemon, green & golden apple, overripe pineapple, guava, green melon, kiwi with skin, tangerine, lime candy, honeysuckle, caramel, cream, gentle, white spice, just a glimmer of, herbaceousness, chalk, grey volcanics, limestone, melted, brown butter with yellow flowers/lilies, jasmine, spring flowers with mixed greens. The acidity is phat, round and really well done. The rich, well balanced, elegant, long finish is delicious, settling into persistent, delicate white spice.

Just misses 94.

Photos of; Arnot-Roberts vineyard, staff at harvest and Duncan Arnot Meyers (left) and Nathan Roberts in their vineyard in Forestville, where they have Trousseau planted. — 5 years ago

Megan

9.5

I’ve been savoring this bottle over several months using my Coravin. Sadly, finally finished it off. Just love tasting this golden beauty open up in the glass. Can’t wait to start on another bottle! — 6 years ago

Heidi Ingelfinger

9.4

I can remember when JP and I went to visit Rafanelli back in ‘06. Broke and retooling at Davis and we were told we had to get it. Cult status stuff. And we bought two bottles and put them away. Met David and Shelly back then and it seemed by invitation only. What a beauty after all these years. Dense, viscous, blueberry and ripe red cassis. Smokey earthy Dominican cigar tobacco. Lingering and pillowy juice with subtle once chalky tannins. Heading toward ripe dried fig and graphite. All has integrated wonderfully. A bit boozy for my tastes but beautiful just the same! Yum! One last thing, after adequate storage and miles of travel the cork was pristine, barely and 1/8” of stain. — 6 years ago

with JP

Dean Bernal Sr.

9.5

Kelly Fleming Vineyards.
Sophisticated & elegant yet simply unrefined. Very approachable at such a young age but don’t underestimate the depth & complexity of this beauty.
I’ve tried so, not to give in.
I’ve said to myself this affair would never go so well
But why should I try to resist when I know so well
That I’ve got you, under my skin?
Slowly, softly, patiently...I wait... — 7 years ago

with April, Jeff and 2 others

Joe Lucca

9.5

Finding ways to stay warm post bombogenesis. Deep, deep garnet in the glass. Super extracted, it literally stains the glass as you swirl. Still very tightly wound, this has a very long life ahead. Dark red and blue fruits, violets, creme de cassis, hints of smoke, grippy tannins, and some bay leaf / wild herbs. Gorgeous with a 2 hour decant, but will be even better with a few more years on it.
Sincere thanks to the HFIC @Martin G Rivard for this beauty. Like rays from the Sunshine State, this baby is warming me up tonight! — 7 years ago

with Diana

Jon Tam

9.2

An aromatic joy in the pinot noir family, this beauty is bursting with fruit but smooth as a baby's bottom. Get ready to go on a rocket ride that takes you straight to Malibu. Think: watching sunset mid summer, with your toes in the sand and your lips on the glass... -Katie — 8 years ago

with Randy

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Had this beauty at a recent wine tasting. Aged in oak barrels for about 42 months, deep Ruby color with ripe berry fruit aromas and hints of floral scents. On the palate, this full-bodied wine shows cherry and blackberry fruit with complex spice, licorice, tobacco and cacao. Lively acidity with smooth young tannins, smoky oak notes take this wine to a rich lingering finish. Needs a few years to fully develop. Tasting Sample. — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

A blend of mostly Semillon with some Sauvignon Blanc. Deep lemon color with concentrated aromas of ripe fruit and sweet honey. On the palate you can taste the layers from sweet ripe fruit to honey to nutty notes adding in a touch of citrus. Long finish with an elegant ending. A beauty from Olivier Casteja. Had this for Mom’s birthday. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Whenever I have a really older bottle of wine, I think, what was I doing in this case 1989?

About this time of year, I was walking into Candlestick Park for the Bay Bridge World Series while this wine was fermenting. I was walking through the parking lot when the 89 earthquake hit. It was like Godzilla was a Gopher tunneling under my feet. The stadium erupted with a resounding cheer. Earthquake during the World Series...yeah! It wasn’t until an hour later that hard reality set in.

This Chateau Lynch-Moussas is a recent direct purchase from the Negotiant. 89 was a pretty good Bordeaux year. So, why not see how a 5th Growth producer wine evolved over 30 years. It’s a treat to enjoy wine with this much age.

While Lynch-Mousses has improved vastly in more recent vintages, back in the day, they made some nice wines but, not great. This wine shows beauty & elegance but, it lacks fundamental elements of high quality. However, its fruit and structure have held up nicely over the years.

The nose reveals a fair amount of; barnyard, mushrooms, ripe; blackberries dark currants, dark cherries, black raspberries & strawberries on the edges of the glass. Black plum skin, dark chocolate, raspberry cola, mocha, caramel, clove, nutmeg, burnt cinnamon, tarriness, graphite, leather, old tobacco, dark spice, dry herbs, dark, rich, black earth, stones, dry brush, steeped tea with withering red & dark florals.

The body is still full and round. The fruits are still ripe & slightly candied. The wine is still holding an interesting drinking window, it’s on the decline. While that sounds not good, I find them in this phase infinitely more interesting. Ripe; blackberries dark currants, dark cherries, black raspberries & some strawberries. Black plum with skin, dark chocolate, raspberry cola, mocha, caramel, clove, nutmeg, burnt cinnamon, vanillin, tarriness, graphite, leather, old tobacco, dark spice, dry herbs, dark, rich, forest floor, mushrooms, stones, touch of limestone minerals & crush rocks, dry brush, steeped tea with withering red & dark florals with violets. The acidity is round & excellent. The long finish is; rich, ripe, well balanced & intergraded with long drier but, very floral persistence.

Excellent with our steaks. Still has another 5-7 years of good drinking ahead with excellent storage. I also miss the 12-13% ABV of the 80’s Bordeaux’s.

Photos of; the entrance view of Chateau Lynch-Moussas, Count Jean-Baptiste Lynch of Ireland and Chateau founded in the 1800’s, the owner/operator since 1961 - Emile Casteja and their barrel room.
— 6 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.0

Terrifically mineral and just-underripe strawberries. A beauty of a wine with beast on the bottle. Taken down in the sidebar at Covell. Proper wine for cheers-ing to chosen family. — 7 years ago

Antonio Galloni

Founder, Vinous

10

Simply phenomenal. Youthful, dense and utterly ravishing in its beauty. As profound as wine gets. — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.2

Wine is a product of nature. This fact was all too real for Ormes de Pez in 2014 as the estate suffered through a brutal hailstorm in May that took with it a third of the potential crop. Yet, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining and the positive result here was that the reduced yield resulted in an unusually deep, powerful vintage for this St. Estèphe property that belongs to the Cazes family, owners of Lynch-Bages. A dark, sumptuous beauty, the 2014 Ormes de Pez offers up a compelling mélange of purplish and black fruit, smoke, grilled herbs and graphite, with quite a bit of density. Rich and voluptuous, the 2014 is a gorgeous Ormes de Pez that will drink well relatively early. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Feb 2017) — 8 years ago

Geoff Troup

Sales Eder Brothers, Cellar Fine Wines

9.4

Such beauty and elegance. I'm sure some of it is the age, but an AOC known for power emitting such elegance...Wow. Anyhow, jammy raspberries and a whole garden of vegetables on the nose. Palate is quite refined with white pepper, rock and all the trademark CDP flavors. Im never a huge fan of that fruit in the front, but the mid and back arr gorgeous. What's truly remarkable is the balance...The ability to isolate any single flavor to ruminate on, how each nuance to perfectly morphs into the next. Still some pronounced tannin in this guy! — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

A blend of 75% Semillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, & 2% Muscadelle. Golden with complex aromas, somewhat Riesling like, and adding a tropical bouquet. On the palate this botrytis rich wine shows apple, pineapple and honeysuckle flavors. Lingering finish ending with smoky vanilla notes. Was lucky enough to get a taste of this beauty. Will contine to age in the bottle. Tasting Sample. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.

The 96 is a nice surprise add from Clyde’s cellar. Thank you Clyde.

This 96 is beautifully floral. The evolution is right around its peak. The body is medium full and the tannins soft. It’s an elegant beauty.

The fruits are ripe and delicious. Leaner blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries and shades of raspberries. Soft earth; dry top soil, dry rock, limestone minerals, old tobacco, soft leather, cedar with dry and withering red & dark florals. The acidity is like a waterfall. The long finish is well balanced fruit & earth and in a sweet spot.

Photos of; our dinner group, tasting room at Pontet Canet, the horse plows they still use in the fields and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Dense inky purple. Briar, black currant and blackberry notes in nose. Blackberry and mint flavors with a touch of bay leaf. Blackberry, cherry and mint with length in aftertaste. Fine grained tannins, moderate skin astringency initially but soften quickly. Lovely flavor profile, slightly tart but softens — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.6

Another beauty from @lariojaaltasa that I nabbed from @gabbymeetswine @vilaviniteca for €150 and it’s singing 😍 check Instagram for pics of cork & wine ⏩ This is at peak drinking 🕺

📍 La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 1985

🏵 96 points

🍇 85% Tempranillo w/ Mazuelo & Graciano

🍷 Slight garnet clear ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Smokey charred oak in a damp cellar through mashed earthy cherry & old leather w/ balsamic, cocoa, herbs & vanilla expressed perfectly in a Zalto Burgundy glass

👄 Med body of super silky fine creamed cherry bathed in cocoa w/ red berry tones & light balsamic

🎯 A very long balsamic cherry cocoa linger that just goes on and on 😍 w/ a touch of dry oak as it dissipates into mocha
— 6 years ago

Mike

9.2

2005 Beauty. Will be drinking at Bellecour in 45 minutes. #BOOM — 7 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.6

Color of dark yet clear burgundy with bloody red in the rim. Nose is beauty with black currant and raisins, oak, polished alcohol, refined acidity, and dried strawberries. Taste is dry with powerful tannins and balsamic vinegar, some vanilla or strawberries ice cream, a bit savory spice, peppery, ripe cherry, dense flavors. Aftertaste is medium long and tasty with peppery taste in the throat. Very enjoyable. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have to say this is my favorite Chateau to stand in front of and gaze. On the nose, spice, wild blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries, black plum, plum, leather, cedar, dark moist soil, wet stones, mint, tobacco leaf and dark fresh & dry flowers. It's drinking nicely with silty medium-medium + tannins & full bodied. Ruby, ripe wild blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries, black plum, plum, leather, cedar, dark moist soil, wet stones, crushed dry minerals, mint, tobacco leaf and violets, dark fresh & dry flowers. The acidity is round and mouthwatering. The long finish has great elegance, beauty, length, tension & balance. It's just starting to hit it's stride and has plenty of life ahead of it. Another 15-20 years. Who said 04 was a difficult vintage? This will continue to improve and will stun with another 10 years in bottle. Photos of the the exterior Chateau front & side, tasting room and Christian Seely Managing Director. Chateau Pichon Baron and Chateau Pichon Lalande were originally part of the same estate. Pichon Baron got it's name when Therese, daughter of the founder, received the estate as a dowry when she married Jacques de Pichon Longueville the first President of the Bordeaux Parliament. Chateau Pichon Baron changed because of the Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville. He took over managing Pichon Baron when he was only 19 years old! When the Baron passed away at 90 in 1850, he divided his Pauillac estate. The sons were awarded what became Chateau Pichon Baron and the daughters were given what later became Chateau Pichon Lalande. Pichon Baron went through three rough decades in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Part of the issues were, lack of investment and they machine harvested. The first really great vintages for them were 89 & 90 after Jean Rene Matignon, Jean-Michel Cazes join them and AXA Insurance Company purchased them adding capital. The 73 hectare vineyard of Chateau Pichon Baron are planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. However, the Cabernet Franc and the Petit Verdot are reserved exclusively for the second wine. The terroir is mostly deep gravel, sand clay soils. Pichon Baron uses 80% new French oak and rests in barrel 18 months. @ FogoDeChao

— 8 years ago