Benjamin Shirk

9.3

McCarthy & Schiering, $11

Bursting with tropical flavors, lots of pineapple and guava, almost reminds me of POG juice. Balanced with a crisp acidity and very easy to drink. Amazing for the price, I immediately went back and grabbed 2 more bottles — 3 years ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.3

The 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Lena di Mezzo mixes crushed blackberries with plum sauce, wild exotic spices and dark chocolate. It’s remarkably fresh for an Amarone, casting silky textures across a medium-bodied frame, but it’s supported by vibrant acidity and a mix of tart wild berry fruits and minerals that saturate the palate. Notes of spiced orange peel, medicinal cherry and sweet herbs linger long over a bed of rounded tannins. There’s just the slightest hint of heat here, but the balance is otherwise perfect. I’m loving the savory-over-sweet persona as well. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2021)
— 5 years ago

Mike Beltran

9.5

The Monte Rosso was outstanding in every way- expressive nose of dark red fruits and layers that touched all parts of the palate. The flavors complimented a wonderful dinner. 8 years and still getting better. 100 year old vines that show how good Zinfandel can be when grown and tended to reveal their sense of place. Outstanding 🍷🍷🍷 — 7 years ago

Janet Coleman

9.0

2012 vintage is the perfect Cab- lush with a spicy fruit - really like this — 7 years ago

James P Grover

8.9

Dark berries and a hint of orange peel, with a little graphite and stone. Medium acidity and tannins. Very good value, which is typical of the wines I’ve had from this producer. — 8 years ago

Nico J. Snyman

9.6

Tried the '90 recently, spoke of how amazing a producer of Californian Cabernet it is, but just needed a little more time, this '85 is well & truly on point, everything is in balance, there's fruit intensity yes, but the development/complexity/layers are really shining through, outstanding stuff. — 9 years ago

Shawn R

8.9

True Biale wine...pronounced Moon Mountain fruit without question. Strong and dense as you would expect from Biale/Moon Mt. Black raspberry, hints of molasses and pepper on the mid palette. Finishing with a zingy cherry, mocha and baking spice. Recommend another year in the bottle. — 10 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.2

Any wine that can shine from a plastic cup deserves extra kudos. Mistook for a Northern nebbiolo with its structure, detail, & balance, but the fruit is pure southern, pomegranate & black currants. Eye opener (esp for 30$ list). Want to re taste in proper stemware. I think 80% nero di trioa 20% montulpiciano — 10 years ago

with Owen

Mike

9.1

Quirky but nice — 11 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.7

Our K&L Redwood City staff party at LB steak was fantastic- nothing smaller than magnum allowed! This double mag has been in our cellar since release and has hardly moved at all! Big, powerful, Mountain fruit! — 12 years ago

John Knudsen

9.0

Decanted for 2 hours. Still big, no signs of fading. Did not drink enough before it was consumed to review properly, but seemed a touch sweet. — 3 years ago

Chris McClellan

9.0

Big tropical fruits, lemon curd, luscious, yet retains acid in the end…maybe too much vanilla cream (oak) for me, but overall delicious after dinner and segway to whiskey around the fire…. — 5 years ago

with Michael and Ryan

Meg Herring

9.0

Will be buying more of this! — 6 years ago

Hayden B. Oothout

9.3

Spectacular moon mountain cab. I love Cabernet Sauvignon from this AVA. Good minerals and fantastic fruit on the palette. This is fantastic now and would age well in the bottle for a few more years. If you see this, grab it! — 7 years ago

Scout Rose

9.1

Oaky, big Aglianico. Very structured with lots of tannins. Something vegetal in the finish. Probably should have let it age a few more years but very enjoyable nonetheless. — 8 years ago

with Ora

JJ Lumia

9.1

Big and brooding. Plum, currant, toasty oak, vanilla, and mocha notes. I have long been a big fan of the Medella Real Gran Reserva. Relatively easy to find. Great price. Always reliable. It’s one of those wines that will appeal to both the newly-initiated and experienced tasters. I also love that it’s so multifaceted. You can drink it alone or with a burger, and it has enough structure to pair with a steak. You won’t go wrong always having some of this on hand. — 8 years ago

Loc Dao

10

Tremendous wine - no need to decant - paired this with a veal osso bucco and it was perfect - floral, earthy musk but deep well balanced with dark fruit and a spicy finish - highly recommended for the price — 10 years ago

Miguel Castro

9.0

Wonderful balance. Merlot and Tempranillo counterweight the heavy Tanat. Still, a meaty wine for read meats. Velvety and round tho. Some blackberries and forest fruits - little tanine. — 10 years ago

Michael Washabaugh

9.1

Paired well with a lamb, eggplant purée, fava beans, piquolo pepper. Would also pair with a medium rare magret duck or other game. — 11 years ago

Morgan Diamant

9.4

Had at thanksgiving 2014 with Fam. Everyone but Lisette really liked it. $21 at Urban Grape (5R).
Dried cherry on the nose. Licorice, funkiness/ mushrooms, earthiness, with a finish of black cherries. Smooth and lovely old-world drinking — 11 years ago

Neal Ferry

9.0

Dry as Dirt…. — 5 years ago

with TwiLea

Tom Casagrande

9.2

So great. Loads of ground, smoky sandstone, ripe blackberry, maple syrup. Rich, structured, so good, so balanced. My favorite Zin plot of land. — 6 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.4

Outstanding Italian White. Remarkable balance of minerality, acidity and fruit. Very pure. Apples and pears. Wine is bright and fully open right out of the bottle. Best white of the year so far. Nice!! — 7 years ago

with John

Maddie Fromell

8.9

Listening to fado in Lisbon — 7 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.3

Cranberry, cassis, persistent tannin. No bricking, no fading at the rim. If anything, this tastes austere. How is this 24 yrs old?! — 8 years ago

Xavi Nolla

9.3

Eternal wine. #rioja — 9 years ago

Paul Mason

8.9

Aggressive dark fruit, more oak (and vanilla), less acid and more 1 dimensional than the Bedrock 2012 from the same vineyard we tried next to it. Will improve with a few years time but not as sophisticated as the Bedrock. — 10 years ago

with Duane

Pascaline Lepeltier, MS

Master Sommelier, Wine Director Rouge Tomate New York

9.1

1981 pale as a peony, lifted by the acid / a really nice surprise — 10 years ago

Chris MacLean

8.9

A little rounder than I remember but still very solid. — 11 years ago

Mike Fiorello

8.9

One of the best wines for the price. — 13 years ago