Aravind A

9.6

I picked this bottle up and put it down trying to decide if tonight was a special-enough occasion. In the end, glad I leaned this way. Perfectly mature, and better than.my past btl from a bit over a year ago. Helped to warm up a couple of degrees above cellar temp. On the nose: damp earth, floral perfume, touch of brown sugar, black raspberry, tea leaves, asian spice...a panoply of flavors. On the palate, lovely acidity, tart cherry, great density, hi-toned wild strawberry, mineral notes, sea salt..fantastic complexity. Tannin still showing grip on the finish, but this is perfect aged red burg for my palate. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The White Burgundy was excellent but, still have to have my BSR 375ml. It’s been awhile for us.

It is a little better tonight following the Burgundy & soft white cheese.

The nose on this bottle really flows out of the glass tonight. Beautiful lean fruits of; blackberries, black cherries, cherries, strawberries, watermelon near the rind, blood orange, orange & tangerine & some pomegranate. Crisp volcanic minerals, saline, sea fossils, baguette crust, vanillin, whiff of caramel, soft white spice, pink flowers and rose pedals.

Everything on the palate sings just a little louder tonight as well. Fruits are even a little richer than normal. Ripe & slightly gummy not as normal leaner fruits of; blackberries, black cherries, cherries, strawberries, watermelon near the rind, blood orange, orange & tangerine & some pomegranate. Crisp and grippy, volcanic minerals, beautiful softer, powdery chalkiness w/o quite the sharper edge it normally has, soft, hints of Provence herbs, saline, sea fossils, baguette crust, vanillin, whiff of caramel, soft white spice, pink flowers and rose pedals. The acidity is crisp, lively and dead on as alway. The long, rich, well balanced finish is deliciously refreshing and persists minutes.

Photos of; one of their Grand Cru Vineyards at sunset & inside and the Estate grounds of the House of Billecart, — 5 years ago

Jon Ebsworth

8.9

Nice balance of fruit and tannin. Black currant notes. Bought on a work trip 10 years ago and nice to finally open and try this. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

NYE =‘s Krug Rosé. I can’t say I completely agree with what the Krug fireplace mantel suggests, but it’s certainly very delicately delicious and will put a guaranteed smile on your face! The mouthfeel is entirely feminine. The micro bubbles are unmistakable Krug and made with great precision. Fruits of; black raspberries, black cherry, cherries, watermelon mid way to the rhine, strawberries & understated citrus notes with pink grapefruit dominating the blend. The fruits are so restrained but are perfectly styled on the leaner side yet so ripe, juicy and delicious. There’s brioche but it comes fresh from the best of Parisian bakeries. Sea spray, minerality that is so soft & delicate, it’s hard to call it minerality. Krug Rosé reveals the very best, smooth, silky, velvety chalkiness that can be found on this planet. Pink roses/florals for days. Perfect acidity and a glorious, long, rich, beautiful finish that doesn’t end. If you enjoy wines that show pure elegance, perfect finesse and haven’t had Krug Rosé, treat yourself to a bottle or a split. The split may leave you wanting more. However, I can’t think of a better wine/way to celebrate the current year and bring in the next. Happy New Year all! May 2018 be peaceful, successful and spent with your family, best friends, prodigious wines and excellent food pairings! — 8 years ago

Eric Grasser

9.0

Young and chewy at the moment. One hour of air shows violets on the nose with black and bing cherry, granite, sea salt and a pop of grenadine in the mouth. — 8 years ago

Donald Rory

9.0

Luscious green apple with lemon tart. Racy and a touch of sea shell mineral. Had with fresh caught black fun tuna sashimi and seared Tuna pepper steak. Perfect match — 8 years ago

Christina Hansen

9.2

I am not sure you can find a better wine for the price on the east coast, only $7! This bordeaux-style red blend is complex with notes of black and red cherry, baking spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, cedar and musk. Would hold up to any roasted or stew. Maybe too much alcohol for a goulash though. 2009 vintage. — 9 years ago

PussNBeets

9.2

Current and black cherry flavors. Smooth finish. — 5 years ago

with Rusty, Jenny and 1 other

Ian Hamel

9.2

2020/4/15-16 with Venetian red tonguebsole roasted with potatoes and onions and chicory salad, and black sea bream linguine and fava, pancetta and onion ragu. Monteraponi is always so good - up there with Montevertine among my favorite Chianti estates. The 2017 edition is a light to medium weight with a nice transparent texture, and that dried orange peel and cherry thing. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Four day weekend. Gotta get it off to a good start. Been awhile since we had our 375ml of Ruinart.

The nose shows, ripe, slightly candied; black cherries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals.

The palate is full & touch gummy/candied. Fruits are well extracted, deep, ruby; black cherries, blackberries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Ghostly, not quite fruit brandy or fruit liqueur character, sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, not quite medium, white spice with hints of palate heat, grainy, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals. The acidity lively and crisp. The round, well balanced & polish finish is always consistently satisfying and lingers for minutes.

Photos of; the House of Ruinart, Dom Thierry Ruinart, nicely light caves and rolling, hillside, Grand Cru Vineyard.

Not quite sure where “D” gets $83 when you can buy this all day at just under $65. — 5 years ago

Allison Lyzenga

9.0

Deep purple; medium plus intensity aromas of blackberry, black currant, black plum, graphite, vanilla, coconut, cedar, forest floor, potting soil; dry, medium acid, high tannins, high alcohol, medium plus body, medium plus intensity flavors of blackberry, black plum, black currant, graphite, vanilla, coconut, cedar; long finish, very concentrated fresh flavors, harmonious — 7 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

Dark ruby in color with a brick rim and medium intensity.

On the nose, cherries, black currants, vanilla, licorice, cloves, spices, chocolates, peppercorn, coffee, earth, leather and wet leaves.

Medium bodied with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with raspberries, strawberries, cherries, earth, cloves, forest floor, spices and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This 11 year old Israeli Syrah is over the hill now, but still enjoyable by itself or with food. Not balanced anymore, but showing nice complexity.

This Single Vineyard Syrah was good right out of the bottle and died down pretty quickly.

100% Syrah grapes Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels and bottled unfiltered.

14.8% alcohol by volume. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

On the nose, sour fruits of; dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, green bell peppers, tree bark with sap and fresh very dark florals. The palate is medium bodied & the tannins are medium soft and round. The fruits are; blackberries, dark cherries, an array of blue fruits, poached strawberries, green bell pepper with additional vegetal notes, dusty, dry, loamy dry top soil, crushed dry rocks, olive pit with flesh, herbaceous notes, nail rust, light funky gym locker notes and a round, soft acidity and a finish that a 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3...fruit, vegetal and earth. 9.0 with the potential for a bit more with cellaring. Photos of; Irouléguy, Jean-Claude Berrouet and a classic Basque dish. Producer history & notes...Irouléguy is located in Basque Country...the southwestern most part of France wine regions and is only a half an hour from Spain. Irouléguy received its appellation contrôlée in 1970, with about 250 acres of vineyards cultivated by 60 growers. Jean-Claude Berrouet is an Irouléguy native who left the area for more than three decades to be the winemaker at Château Pétrus. Jean-Claude eventually returned home. He named his estate “Herri Mina.” In Basque, herri means “country,” and mina means “homesick.” I guess you could say he missed the area he grew up. Jean-Claude also makes a white blend of Gros Manseng, Petit Corbu and Petit Manseng. His vines are planted on the steep south facing slopes of the Pyrénées at around 400 feet above sea level. His vineyard has a climatic influence from the Atlantic. They are protected from cold north wind and receive more sunshine than most other French vineyard regions. Jean-Claude also produces a small amount of this Irouléguy Cabernet Franc; which is 100% Cabernet Franc-Tannat. A classic Basque pairing (shown) for this wine is a flour dredged fried chicken with stewed red and green peppers, tomatoes, onions & garlic.
— 8 years ago

Alex Spoto

9.5

Have you ever enjoyed a black arkansas apple? Barraco’s pignatello lifts with a nice acid, savory tart black & blue fruit, and the characteristic sea brine. Plum stew nonne perfume black olive. Spritely ballast to rich tomato bb octopus sugo. — 5 years ago

S.S. Mandani

9.5

Quarantine materials ready. Creature comforts are getting me through this thing. Give me good coffee, pavement to pound, a pen that dances on the page, a worn notebook with still empty pages to fill, jazz weaving the air, and a bottle of wine, and I will kill all the time there is.

A magenta shawl in the glass.

Earth’s fragrance caught in a bottle. Sweet, sweet clay. Leather. Intense plums and orange zest. Sea breeze. This is a memorable and rich bouquet.

Subtle smoke quality reminiscent of the char in the bark of good brisket. A reserved dark fruit quality which is there, but just teases you as a spicy black peppercorn note swings in for a jab. It’s smooth.

An eloquence in the expression and structure. Like a mathematical proof or a line of poetry you cannot easily forget.

It slaps. — 5 years ago

Shay A

8.9

Wednesday Wine Committee hosted by Dan. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert wine. Tasted blind as usual.

Seemed over the hill to me. Little bit of burnt rubber on the nose, which took me to South African Cabernet or Chinon. Not much acidity. Good bit of pepper. Old black cherry. Not sure how common this is for the vintage. — 6 years ago

with Jeff and Dan

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

What a really nice Rosé Champange from Drappier and an extraordinary value at Costco at $39.99. I’m not giving up my Billecart Salmon Rosé but, this is pretty close to Ruinart. At this price point, it’s being well added to rotation.

The nose reveals, ripe; black cherries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, watermelon and orange rind citrus. Fruit blossoms, pink rose petals, nice, soft chalkiness, sea spray, sea shells, volcanic minerals and a touch of white spice.

The palate is fresh & lively. Nice micro bubbles. It’s thick and rich. The fruits are ripe and deeply concentrated. Ripe; black cherries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, watermelon, orange rind citrus, nice, soft chalkiness, sea spray, sea shells, strong presence of gritty volcanic minerals that press deeply into the palate, a fair amount of dark spice on the palate with fruit blossoms, pink & red rose petals. The acidity is really good...lively. The long, rich, beautiful, well balanced finish persists several minutes.

Photos of, the Champagne House of Drappier, wide & really chalky caves, different oak vats they use for fermentation and one of Drapper’s Grand Cru vineyards. — 6 years ago

Artem Lebedev

9.3

Garnacha and Cariñena. The aging is partly in 3000 liters oak, partly in barriques, partly in amphorae. Ultra-biodynamics. Complexity! Cocoa, ripe raspberries with black pepper, strawberry jam, cranberries baked, blackberry sea, skin and meat tones, sage, menthol, earth, glowing stones, prunes, violets, roses. Excellent acidity, light sweetness, medium body, slightly sticking out alcohol, silk pleasant tannins. Very pleasant juicy jam-and-lace aftertaste. Outstanding wine. — 8 years ago

Melissa Villalpando

9.5

Delicious. Black cherry notes and smooth. Easy from start to finish!

Bartender told me it's from the older winery in Austria or in the world? Cool! — 8 years ago

Mark Silverman

8.9

Deep, full & bold. Lots of fruit but not sweet. Cherry, raspberry, black pepper, coffee & vanilla notes with subtle barrel tannins. Well worth the price if you like up front wines. Meant for cool weather, accompanying well seasoned meats or any hearty meal. — 9 years ago