Justin

9.5

Half bottle. $45.48 @ Total Wine. rich, full bodied, spicy, concentrated and elegant Bordeaux wine. balance between power and refinement. 2014 was ready to drink, not very tannic! Second growth. Def get this again. Les Tourelles de Longueville is their second wine if I can ever find to try. — 4 years ago

Serban Sincai

9.2

Very good balance between reductive and oxydative notes. 9,2 PM — 6 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Second wine we tasted after our tour at Champagne Billecart-Salmon. Our tour guide was excellent and very knowledgeable about the domains history and all the wines.

Copperish pink and very lively. Layered nose with roses, strawberries, light raspberries, strawberry crème, and a little herbal. High acidity (7/10) but balanced with a slightly smooth mouthfeel. Layered with strawberries, tropical fruits, kiwi, grapefruit and melon. Very fresh and crisp. Medium to medium plus body with a long finish. Drink till 2024.

Made with a minimum of 40% Chardonnay with the remainder split between Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier of which 5 to 8% is from red wine. Aged for around 3 years on the lees.

Thanks @David L for introducing us to this stunning producer! — 6 years ago

with India

Matthew Beninati

9.4

Intense black fruit forward. Will overpower any dish that does not include MEAT.... but does just fine in its own. This may be the perfect bridge between the $20 offerings, and $150 offerings of Napa Cab. — 7 years ago

Steven Gullo

9.2

Really freakin good. Collaboration between Aubert de Villaine of DRC and Larry Hyde. The absolute best expression of old world meets new. — 8 years ago

David L

9.5

05' Shafer Hillside select. Nose on this wine will suck you in. Undeniable… The balance between fruit, tannins & acidity is close to flawless. Year after year they produce these full bodied gems! Just a gorgeous wine. 10/15+ years in it. — 8 years ago

Ted Rutledge

9.1

Completely round and elegant. At its peak but not fading fast. Not showing any musty qualities. A problem that affected many wines produced from this estate between 1986-1990 — 9 years ago

Eric Gardner

9.5

In a magnum, yay bicentennial. The difference between this and the '81 is that the '81 is great but it doesn't taste old, the '76 tastes old in a good way. — 9 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.6

Incredible balance between concentration and freshness. — 10 years ago

Aaron Rankin

9.1

Great balance between freshness and body. Nose of lemon/lime, ocean air, wet stones. Zippy but clean acid that wraps the full palette and uplifts medium+ body, particularly showing in the mid-palette. — 6 years ago

Amy Huson

9.4

Pencil lead, cooked fig, dark chocolate, vanilla; incredible balance between the juicy acidity and smooth yet grippy tannins. Perfect time to drink! — 6 years ago

Eric Casias

9.5

Decanted for 4 hours. Balanced, soft and a merge between Napa and old world. Gorgeous. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The 14 Almaviva Cabernet is 68% Cabernet, 22% Carménère and 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The vines are 38 years of age. The wine spent 18 months in 75% new oak. The nose shows some slight funk at first. Blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, black cherry cola/licorice and dark florals. The M+ tannins are soft and a little sticky. The fruits are slightly candied in style. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark chocolate, soft leather, crushed rocks, dark moist turned earth and dark fresh florals. The structure, length, tension, balance and finish are quiet beautiful. Producer history and notes...Almaviva began in 1997, as a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro. With the strengths of both families pedigree, they achieved international recognition with the the launch of their very first vintage. Their goal was to create the equivalent of Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé in Chile. Patrick Leon is their Winemaker and also makes Opus One & Mouton Rothschild. Almaviva is located in the Maipo Valley in Chile's central zone. Puente Alto has ideal conditions for growing the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Almaviva has 85 hectares. The climatic features of Puente Alto include its; stony soil, cold, rainy winters, and the hot days and cool nights of its summers. Maipo is considered Chile’s Napa Valley.
— 7 years ago

Joe Lucca

9.3

Old world style from California central coast. The nose is redolent of Luxardo cherries and Antica Formula vermouth. On the palate, there is a battle between fruit and earth; deep, earthy forest flavors are offset by bright, tart spring cherries. Coastal botanicals play against wild fruit. Better than expected. — 8 years ago

C. Cole

9.0

Nicely balanced between fruit and minerality. Could age a few more years, but still drinkable now. — 8 years ago

Louis Schofield

Sommelier/Wine Merchant East End Cellars

9.7

Across the river from the Lauer, bit more residual but there's a wonderful commonality between the wines. All hail King Egon. — 8 years ago

The fly

8.9

This is my local wine guy's favorite wine. He stopped stocking Caymus because it was "shit" and instead lines this with his shelves. I swear to god it looks exactly like purple kool aid. It has a big tannins and generally tastes ridiculous. A shameful varietal. — 9 years ago

David Witkowsky

Sales Potomac Selections

9.2

Blackberries crushed between rocks — 10 years ago

Erin Pooley

Owner/Winemaker Good Luck Wines

9.7

So excited to open this tonight! @between5bells thank you @jonathan_wood #apluswine — 12 years ago

Nichole Herman

10

Nichole really enjoyed this one! — 6 years ago

Drew Brandt

9.8

Wow had this one at Caymus and it’s by far the best wine. You could even tell a distinct difference between it and their normal release. — 6 years ago

Sean Grullon

9.5

Okay - fine. It’s a good, probably great wine. Overpriced? Yes. Opus is filled with pretentious douchbags? Double yes. But this is a well-made wine bridging a gap between Napa and Boudreaux. Dusty nose with menthol, earl grey tea, tobacco, flowers, cassis, and creamy dark fruits. It has a really nice velvety finish. — 6 years ago

Richard Lewis

9.4

Light, refreshing lemon with a bit of oxidation along the lines of fino sherry. — 7 years ago

with Lynne

Rafael Landestoy

9.4

Wonderful comparison between (as one taster mentioned) the femininity of Lalande vs the masculinity of Baron. The theme held true throughout the night with most Barons being bigger and bolder and the Lalandes being more elegant and refined. Both beautiful but different. — 7 years ago

with Jorge and Ilida

Veronica Castro

9.3

This wine came in with a lot of high hopes, and man, every one was met. Elegant, powerful, and racy. Nose full of lemon blossoms, palate teeter-tottering between acid and fruit, an exciting wine with loads of Salt, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, ending with a zesty, salty-limey finish. Very pretty wine. — 8 years ago

Matt Austin

Owner/Winemaker, Grosgrain Vineyards, Walla Walla, WA

9.2

Walks a tightrope between far too young and past it's prime. I'm leaning too young. Really developed with air. Fascinating stuff as always. — 8 years ago

David Gissen

9.2

So intense right now. Learned my lesson on previous bottles. Keep the cork in between pours to prevent oxidation. Tastes like drinking tang off a piece of stone. — 8 years ago

Lou Putney

9.3

Rides a great line between sweet and dry. Best cool not cold. Perfect with any dinner. — 9 years ago

JohnQ Boxler

Sales Berkeley Wine Company

8.9

Nice tension between structure, fruit, and savory notes. — 10 years ago

Erin Pooley

Owner/Winemaker Good Luck Wines

9.5

#apluswine is found between five bells — 11 years ago