Ely Cohn

9.3

I’ve heard for years about the wildly extroverted and extra-ordinary Sancerre wines from Sebastien Riffault. His wines are an outlier of ripeness in a sea of lean high acid chalky juice. Rich with an amber glow.

He picks his Sauvignon Blanc at the last minute to reach a level of ripeness you’d never expect could come from the tiny cold pocket of the Loire.

Now I like both styles, but this is super fun and something completely new to me.

Think juicy peach, fresh apricot, and bright yellow pineapple. But still with high acid - nothing flabby. — 4 years ago

Tarique Qayumi

9.1

Superb! Beyond my expectations! — 5 years ago

Bill Bender

9.7

My buddy @Mike R and his lovely wife drove all the way out to the sticks to meet me and my daughters on our country vacation and we met at a little diner and brought a few wines to share....I meant to bring the ‘13 Scarecrow but mistakenly grabbed the ‘14 because of the damn tissue wrap. No worries with the vintage mix up—it absolutely shined bright like a diamond as did Mike and Rhonda who immediately make you feel at ease and happy when you see them. The Scarecrow was resplendent in dark chocolate, Jamaican coffee, rich soil, smoke and buoyant sweet purple fruit. Astonishing purity, acceleration through the mid palate and a very lengthy velvet coated finish. Superb performance for such a nascent wine and the company was beyond compare. @Mike R drove me home to my farm afterword and we hit a deer (it and his car are OK) on the way and we ended the evening shooting off fireworks on the back porch. Pure country goodness. — 6 years ago

with Mike

Bret Barker

9.2

A touch beyond its prime but still very good. Very light with cherries and spice, well balanced — 6 years ago

Michael Park

9.3

Hitting it's peak. Nice layers of complexity developing beyond the fruits with earth and gravel. — 7 years ago

Martin G Rivard

10

What a beautiful person inside and out! I'm blessed beyond measure to be able to call him "Dad". Words can't adequately express how much I Love him. We opened a few bottles last night that I will hold near and dear to my heart forever. We are celebrating his completion of 6 rounds of chemo therapy in his battle against Prostate cancer. This is his 3rd time in the ring against this opponent and it appears that he's won with a unanimous decision by knockout at this time!!!!!! Love you dad!!!!! So proud of your strength through this process. My Father was born in 1940. A difficult year to say the least:
Germans entered Bordeaux in June of 1940. As dictated by Hitler himself, it was the sworn duty of each and every commander to search and seize whatever could be used for the advancement of the German cause. Bedlam broke out. Chateaux' were ransacked, wine cellars were looted if not used for target practice. The Chateauxs were forced to continue producing wines. It's poetic justice that Mother Nature provided the Germans with the worst growing season from 1940 to 1944!!!! The Germans left Bordeaux in 1944 to the cheers of the residents "Au Revoir Les Allemands"!!!! The 1940 bottle that we enjoyed this evening survived World War II. It Survived the ransacking, pillaging & plunder of countless German soldiers. It's outer capsule showed evident signs of its struggle but it's inner beauty was unblemished and glorious. I've had many, many vintages of Latour from 1928 and on but none have ever tasted as perfect as the one we enjoyed tonight. This 1940 was perfect. It was a fighter, it never gave up, it never relinquished in the face of adversity. That's my Father, that my role model. He's a beautiful person inside & out. I think 1940 is the best vintage that I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. Special thanks to my good friends Michael Troise whom provided me with much of the insights in regards to the incredibly difficult vintage and David Page whom gifted this bottle to me for our celebration this evening. I will never forget your generosity. It was a glorious evening to say the least!!! Wine has a way of bringing people together and encapsulating an evening and event. I couldn't think of a better way to rejoice in his victory than to open a Father & Son birth year wine. — 7 years ago

with Ryan, Christine and 1 other

LM Segal

9.5

Sublime. Iron fist, velvet glove and all that. Beyond doubt that this cuvée rocks when Capo not made. Decant briefly and sip away slowly. — 4 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

A lovely Champagne that never tries to get beyond itself. Persistent small bubbles that never seem to stop with a fine mousse. Fresh brioche, apricots, and tart apples comprise the nose. Consistency is key here. This little sparkler is so solid and sturdy. Beautifully balanced, delivers at a high level that’s easily comparable to other big Champagne houses. Predominantly Chardonnay, there is a freshness and effervescence to these bubbles. Very bright and lively on the tongue, this is clearly a step above similar bottlings. Toasted almonds and toasted bread lead on the palate with vanilla and green apples bring up the rear. Such a solid, terrific Champagne, this should be your house bubbles. — 4 years ago

LM Segal

9.7

So beautiful and clear in its purpose, titillating on the nose and fulfilling its promises beyond. Balanced and velvety dark red fruit, hints of black tea and cassis but all in a more Old than New World Gestalt. Lots of secondary stuff emerging you just want to sip it slowly. If anybody wonders how well these age, track one down, it’s so worth it. Kudos @Cathy Corison for making this distinctive and enduring bottle! — 6 years ago

Vanessa

9.3

Black fruit, oak, and leather, with a heavy mouthfeel, and beyond delicious. #celebrating #firsttimemarathon — 6 years ago

with Deked1

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

When it comes to my B-day, there is only one fit, an old Pichon Lalande with my Ribeye. As a lover of Bordeaux, these two are my favorite pairing. It’s a very slow walk to the finishline. A small bite of steak and a sip of 89 Pichon Lalande. Then, repeat until finished. I had some concerns about this bottle. A slightly slippery and crumbling cork. The first sip was not bad, but not what you want or are expecting. After some time in the decanter, it really started to shine. On the nose; ripe, ruby, floral cassis, blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The body is full, round and silky. Tannins are well resolved at around 80%. The texture, length, tension and length are in a sweet spot. The fruits are ripe, ruby & expressively floral. Blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, scorched earth, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The acidity is just a little off but still nice. The finish is divided nearly equally in fruit, earth, florals and herbaceous. It’s very enjoyable but falls just a little short in longer, lingering length. This bottle had good storage, not great. Even so, still has another three to five years ahead. A bottle with excellent storage has another five years beyond this one. Photos of; the backside of Pichon Lalande, angled terrace view of their vines right next to Latour, my steak & twice baked potato (so good) and CEO Nicolas Glumineau. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This was the wine of the Penfold's tasting. It's softer and elegant over the palate and reveals layers and layers of black & blue fruits, expresso, soft minerals, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and on and on. Even better in 5 years and beyond. The Mamba decanter. Just $750 Australian. Looking for to the full tour and vintage tasting at Penfolds Magill back near Adelaide. — 7 years ago

David Langstaff

8.9

I wanted this wine to be magnificent. It wasn't. 1994. A bit long in the tooth. Should have had it years ago. Nose brought back great memories. Wonderful flowers and nuance. Beautiful bouquet. But the win was disappointing. Just didn't go anywhere. Faded fast. More I hope a function of being beyond its time. Oh well. At least it was expensive. — 7 years ago

with Todd, Cynthia and 2 others

Raff

9.1

Dark red full ripe plum in colour. Fresh fruit, caramel, a bit of star anise and tobacco on the nose. Candied, with a bit if freshness. Still very ripe, no tannins but a good amount of body. Finishes on the anise again but tempered with a bit on lemongrass. Highly drinkable — 4 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

Alive and kicking. 25 years old and really not showing it. These 90s Napa Cabernets are really impressing me. This one seemed to have a nose of jasmine and blackberry and a little bit spicy. Entry was mature ripe blackberry, black cherry. The middle started to have a little bit of olive and green pepper showing up with some truffles. The finish was very soft, tannins just about gone. Really neat bottle, surprise pull from Dan! I think this one is beyond peak, headed down the backside of the hill slowly, but probably a solid 5 years left. If you have any of these, pop and enjoy them because this was a treat! — 5 years ago

with Dan and Bradley

Nicole Revilo

8.9

Solid blend for the price point. Definitely give it a try. Let it open a little bit for it’s full potential. If I find it for $12 again, I’m buying at least 2. — 5 years ago

Kimberly Anderson

9.3

Beyond amazing! With Realm BTK RIDIC — 6 years ago

with Chad

Jay Kline

9.4

My notes on this from May of 2017 still apply. Popped and poured. Drank well over two days. Immediately this wine impresses visually. Sure, the color is an expected deep garnet but what's most striking is the fact that it's never completely opaque at the core. You can just barely get the faintest amount of light to see through it. It's quite beautiful, really. The nose is initially a bit reticent but a few minutes of air in the glass does the trick and then it really begins to show off the most lovely perfume of mixed red and dark fruit; so fresh and pure with just a flash of garrigue. No perceptible heat on the nose. On the palate it's a veritable wonder of berries, Rainier cherries, black berry liqueur, and just a touch of fine white pepper. The body is perfectly proportioned and the finish lasts for over 30 seconds. In summary, this is an incredibly balanced 2010 CdP that is already hitting its prime. Personally, I felt it was really at its very best about two hours in which leaves me to believe it should be a great pop and pour for the next couple of years and potentially has the balance to be great for longer. That being said, there is no need to decant, just pull the cork, pour and enjoy the evolution in the glass. The hard part is allowing it to last for two hours and longer. It should be noted that this is dangerously quaffable wine and it wouldn't be hard to take the whole thing to the head. Might as well drink these sooner than later as I'm always a bit wary of CdP much beyond the 10 year mark, where I tend so find many of them fall apart on the palate. Perhaps others with more experience in the long-term ageing of CdP can chime in though. Absurd value at $30.

As a side note, this paired very nicely with pan fried pork savory bacon wrapped filet mignon. — 6 years ago

James Forsyth

9.3

Vaucluse is Michael White's Upper East Side French restaurant with a slight American twist. And so it is the wine list. Large sections of French wine are bookended by their US equivalents. Two pages of Burgundy are followed by a handful of Sonoma and Oregon Pinots. We stayed Old School and went for a Bordeaux. Red fruit, tar, leather, somewhat advanced beyond its decade of life. A tasty mid weight wine that was lovely with the rack of lamb and establishment atmosphere. — 7 years ago

with Cara

Mike Rabinowitz

9.0

And who said Brunellos don't last beyond 10 years? 19 and counting. Delish. — 7 years ago