Anson Funderburgh

9.5

This was excellent. Delicious, fruity, juicy, very smooth and drinkable, light tannins and not very earthy for a Pinot. — 16 days ago

Jess

9.0

Deep ruby-purple color.
Aromas of cassis, stewed blackberry, vanilla, soft licorice.
Dry. Flavors of ripe black cherry, blackberry, soft vanilla, licorice. Medium, velvety tannins.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 3/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 2 months ago

Brandon Boesch

9.4

Really nice wine with great balance. Flint, dark fruits, some cocoa, but drinks lighter than I was expecting. Lovely. — 2 months ago

Ericsson

9.4

Very light and crispy with notes of white peach and hints of draw berry. The most perfect day time rose. Cheers. — 19 days ago

Courtney Nicole

9.2

Light and fruity. — 2 months ago

with Joe

Mike Lev

9.0

Black cherry, red fruit too, med+ body, med tannins. Mostly carignan with Grenache and mouvedre, savoury and garrigue notes, wet stones too. Drink now or hold a few years. — 2 months ago

Robert Brown

9.0

Quite good, well balanced. Tar & Roses. — 2 days ago

with Cynthia

yan ho

9.2

wine club 10.14.23 sparkling wine — 2 months ago

Andrew Flavell

9.2

2015 vintage. Wonderfully light and fruity. — 2 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

There are good steak wines and then there are steak WINES! Not that this is the best wine or steak wines I’ve had. It was simply birthed for steak. Allen Brothers Strip Steak. Seasoned with coarse Garlic Salt/ Pepper and Napa Valley Rub from wholespice.com. If you haven’t had your steak this way, my highest recommendation. The fat & gristle are perfect w/ the 08 Belle-Vue. If you olive oil, heavy coarse salt & pepper your bake potato at 475 for an hour & a half, you’ll discover how great, crispy/crunchy/complex a potato shell can be. Older Bordeaux can be good on its own but with beef or lamb, it’s just a marriage made in heaven. Here’s the rub for my friends & I, we can’t find a steak better than we make. That’s what the Covid years firmed up for us. The 08 vintage was saved with late good weather. It sits somewhere between the good and very good vintages. Drinks better earlier than great to grand vintages. Slightly over achieving its young critical reviews.

The palate shows; drier dark currents-blackberries, black raspberries, black plum dark, not quite ripe cherries, raspberries edges. Dark chocolate baking bar (that’s what French oak does), lead pencil shavings, dark rich earth with dry leaves, limestone powder, dry river stone, dry tobacco, chewy leather, dark, intense spices, nutmeg, some cinnamon, vanillin, caramel hues, saline, fresh & withering, dark, purple flowers with lavender hues, nice acidity with a well structured & balanced, rounded meaty tannin, floral finish that lasts minutes. Medoc is always the place to look for nice wines with value…even better in excellent vintages. Even better in 5 years.

It has another 10 years plus of good drinking ahead properly stored. — 3 months ago