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

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

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

Mark Lindzy

9.5

Single parcel very old vine field blend, rocky volcanic cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. Black cherries tossed in volcanic ash, white pepper and smoked sea salt. 600ish bottles produced. #nospitting — 9 years ago

Daron Watson

9.2

velvety & dark, blackberry, black currant, damson plum, Christmas & rum cake, a smoky finish like rauchbier! 55 Merlot 35 Syrah 10 PV — 9 years ago

Robert Szulc

8.9

Full of fruit low acidity on finish. Tannins medium and pleasant — 9 years ago

Paco Suro

9.2

Muy grande! Needs more time. Concentrated. Black fruit. — 9 years ago

with Zac, Amy and 1 other

Nikolay Dimitrov

9.7

Bulgarian grape brandy from Muscat grape. Amazing! — 10 years ago

Phillip Udvadia

9.6

Suggested while dining at Barchetta, NYC. 2 acre lot in Italy, multiple varietals, sommelier worked there, thus the access. Nose was funky without overpowering the fruit. Went well with our whole roasted Black Sea bass and grilled octopus but would have also worked with venison or lamb chops. Was told the price was "two digits" but I have yet to see the bill. — 10 years ago

Fernando Fernandez

9.3

Smoky, Spicy and Earthy. Rich and Creamy with plenty of fruit mostly black cherry and blackberry. Lighter notes of vanilla from the barrel program but in wine in good balance. Nice hold and great paring with the Tuna Tartare dish. — 11 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

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

TheWineStalker

10

Brown color. The most aggressive characteristics of this wine in aroma and flavor at this point in its life are raisinated fruits, licorice and menthol. There's also juicy tomato, the inside of an acoustic guitar, and find black table pepper. Sweet tannin and a creamy full body, but so silly smooth that it can feel light as a feather. On the the finish there's menthol, it gains a tart cherry flavor and the tannins turn up the heat drastically. Hands down the best I've ever had from Bulgaria. — 9 years ago

Austin Blackwell

9.3

This is showing really well now. Nice aromas of aromatic balsam wood, dried flowers, black currant, dark cherry, and a little mocha. Not too fruit forward but just right. Good acidity with very well integrated tannins and a medium plus body for a Pinot. Very long finish I wish I had another bottle😕 — 9 years ago

Christine Havens

9.2

Cloud's Nest Vineyard, as the name suggests is perched 1,500 feet above sea level in the Mayacamas mountain range. Gravelly soils further limit the vines' growth and the aromatics are striking. Earth and forest floor, wild mushrooms, underbrush, warm leather and soy. The palate echoes this high-altitude Cab's woodsy aromatics, with a medium-bodied countenance and a nimble vein of acidity that amplifies black cherries and cedar, and on the finish dried sage and anise. 14.2% ABV | Sample
— 9 years ago

Matt Trader

9.7

Jee wiz this is good. A delicious highlands single malt aged in 6 different casks; wine, madeira, sherry, marsala, Kentucky bourbon, and port casks. What does that crazy concoction produce? A ridiculously rich, fruitful, smooth delight in a glass. There is such a complex craze to the nose, one of vanilla cool whip, tropical fruits similar to the nose in a Sauternes, melted dark chocolate, malt, and cedarwood. Then comes the pallet, a wonderful marriage of chocolate covered orange cream, spices, malt, sea salt caramel, and ripe papaya, finishing in a playful white pepper and last second, faint memory of oak lace.
That was exhausting. I'm going to go ahead and finish this complementary glass, and savor these last few moments. This is the definition of comfort in a bottle. — 9 years ago

TheWineStalker

9.5

At first it smelled like I was pouring black table pepper so I let it open up. Once it did there were aromas of red currant, black cherries and a dusting of cinnamon. Palate just as intense with same flavors but also with black coffee. Big, mouth-drying tannin finishes it off along with black cherries and spicy heat. An outstanding example of Cabernet, a steal for $9. Vintage 2013 — 10 years ago

Marcy Simon

9.9

Fresh black rock Olive brush & kind of sea spray minerality Yum — 11 years ago

Austin Blackwell

9.7

Black Cherry, clove, woodsy earthy notes. Lush and balanced — 12 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

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

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

Richard Lewis

9.5

Black raspberry and a touch of cocoa on the finish, light bodied. Forest floor on the nose - I could smell this wine for hours. Don't mind me. — 9 years ago

with Lynne

Kevin Pierce

9.0

This was a really good Cab.
I could taste the black cherry which I'm usually a fan of but it wasn't very strong. The blackberry is a nice counter balance. I will buy this wine again. — 9 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Here is another great wine from Israel.

Inky in color with a deep purple rim.

Great nose of smoke, blackberries, blueberries, plums, cherries, earth, oak, cloves, licorice, mint, cocoa and black pepper.

Dry and fruity on the palate with cherries, blueberries, plums, oak, vanilla, licorice, chocolate and black pepper.

Long finish with soft tannins, peppercorn and bitter almonds.

This is a great blend of 66% Petite Syrah, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Syrah.
Enjoyed it by itself, but would be great with a big hearty steak.

Very young, still, and needs five years to fully mature, maybe even longer, but already enjoyable. To me, this was the best one, so far, out of this winery that I tried.

Aged for 16 months in American and French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume. — 9 years ago

markus gould

9.7

ladies and gentlemen, this is how to do a perfectly balanced, huge wine!
what a sincere charakter, super focused, not bold or jammy at all.
70 year old carignan vineyard 600 meters above sea level. red and black shist soil.

one of my favs at berlin's raw fair - and quite appropriate for christmas gulp...
YES! — 10 years ago

with Marcel

Andrew

9.1

This is a new wine to hit my local liquor store shelf and not going to lie the label sold me on it. Aromas of blackberry and plum. Medium to full body, soft, smooth and sweet. Black fruit, pepper and cocoa. Good length. — 10 years ago

Charlotte Martyn

8.9

Goes well with Stilton, very dry, smooth and fruity with tannins. — 11 years ago