Conrad Green

9.6

Structured and balanced. Very in place and lightly sophisticated. The fruit is all in check as is the alcohol. Still a long life ahead, but very god right now. You need to lean in a bit to feel it — 4 months ago

with Peter and Gregg

Tom Garland

9.3

Happy New Year! Had to go out with a fun year end wine.

Decant and pour(decent chunky/fine sediment). A majestic dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: Eucalyptus, perfumed red fruit, floral, soil, herbaceous. Taste: silky, creamy, fresh wine with some still there red cherry, tobacco, earthy, shaved graphite, and a peppery cedar long finish. YUM! What a treat to drink as a our final wine this last night of the year.
Cheers!
ELLA Restaurant,  New Year's Eve:
Cavier Beignet
Dungeness crab bisque
Roasted Liberty duck breast
72 hour braised short ribs
Chocolate midnight cake — 4 months ago

with Brenda

Evelyn Frison

9.3

Buttery but not gluttony. - The GiGi
Nearly as good as champagne confetti - Yiiiiiiiiiiiiing
Hints of caramel and dream - Karen — 7 months ago

Spencer Fox

9.3

Always superb. Ripe, juicy cherries on the verge of jammy but still fantastic freshness. Pink flowers and some minerality buzzing around the mid palate as well. Began to fall apart after an hour or two but still, hits every single time. — 7 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

10

Solid. As always- previous notes apply. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Opened about four hours prior to service and allowed to breath. Two bottles were opened tonight from the same cellar and one of the corks showed some small signs of seepage but both wines showed equally. No formal notes. The 1997 Opus One pours a fairly youthful looking deep ruby color with moderate signs of sediment and a near opaque core. The nose exhibited powerful aromas of dark fruits, organic earth, tobacco, leather, horse blanket (brettanomyces?!), and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry and the structure remains quite firm but the texture is plush and almost chewy. The notes on the nose are confirmed and the finish is long and satisfying.

But the tasting notes only tell half the story here. This was consumed alongside a 1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Had these been served together double-blind, I would have absolutely understood if someone called both as left-bank Bordeaux. Yes, the texture was plush and yes, the color was dark(er), but only just. It was just waaaay more Old World leaning to me with the earth and presence of brett. Which makes me wonder, why hasn’t brett been noted very often in other TN’s for this wine? Only (Charlie Carnes and OneFive) really address it directly and maybe this is what most are getting at when they mention “Bordeaux-like” and all the Pauillac vibes. What I can confirm is that these notes were consistent between two bottles from the same case, still in their tissue paper, so I’m reasonably confident that this is characteristic of the 1997 Opus One. I digress; I liked the wine. There, I said it. It was a bit of a one foot in Old School Napa, one foot in New School Napa, handled with an Old World touch. I liked it even better side-by-side with the ’90 Mouton, especially considering the relationship between the two. That being said, folks that can’t get down with a little brett will be turned off by this vintage of Opus. In my case, I would enjoy another opportunity to drink the 1997 some time. Great now with some air to stretch its legs and should be enjoyable through the next decade.
— 10 months ago

Collin Moody

9.4

Another one. In good condition even if the cork was impossible. Opened up well as it shed all the meaty, coffee age to be a elegant and assertive speaker. — 8 years ago

with Andie

Nick Davis

9.3

Thought it was Condrieu. Elegant! — 9 years ago

Chris Bensick

9.0

Thanks to a good cork, still alive, with a super bouquet, although a bit faded in the mouth. Wish I was in as good shape! — 9 years ago

Scott T

VP/Senior Wine Specialist Christie's

9.3

Very nice! However I think the '90 Cos edged it tonight. 89's tannin is more apparent, not quite as much flesh covering the structure. Still, very high quality indeed — 10 years ago

Chris M

9.8

Wow what a Blend. Bold and a glass-staining dark color! Every sip was savor worthy from beginning to end. While you could taste the Zin the other varietals came through as well. An excellent wine worth the price! — 4 months ago

John Malcolm

9.8

Fabulous. Paired with lobster. Fresh and refreshing. Right up there with Cristal and Pol Roger Winston Churchill as my favorite champagne. — 4 months ago

Anthony Cammarata Jr.

9.0

This 1994 Bordeaux is a pleasant treat and perfect compliment to our assortment of charcuterie and Italian antipasto. Decanted for one hour but could have been longer as the wine continues to open up by every sip. This wine has a beautiful bouquet with earthy flavors including tobacco, leather, and hints of fig. Buon Natale! — 4 months ago

with Michael

Will Stanley

9.6

Such is the way of life at López de Heredia, the 2010 Reserva was only released to the market last year, while most bodegas are currently extolling the virtues of their 2019s. Well, as a fan of Viña Tondonia, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the 2010, fabled year that it is, having enjoyed many a superb wine from other producers in this vintage.

Decanted for four hours, this wine is effusive from the glass, with a strikingly darker, richer aromatic profile compared to vintages such as 2007 and 2001, and more in line with 2008 - but better still. The oak provides a generous chocolate- and vanilla-laced bouquet that also has blackcurrants, blueberries, cranberries and kirsch, and bouquet garni. The palate is, predictably, very austere at this primal stage, but again has a richer, more rounded mouthfeel to prior vintages that is simply wonderful. Needless to say, this is a benchmark wine for the region and will age rather well, and what a wine it will be in decades to come.
— 7 months ago

Dr Snake MD

9.7

Attempting to accurately capture the depth of this cali cab is like putting socks of a rooster- you get scratched and your cock gets angry. Don’t let the fight dissuade you though because the cigar box nose lifts you towards a state of transubstantiation as medium minus acidity beckons you towards a bed of tannins. — 9 months ago

JJG

8.9

Loosing strength unfortunately perhaps just this bottle as this is one of my favs — 2 years ago

Andrea Watt

9.1

Full red fruit and spice with smoke and woody honey. Smooth as silk. — 6 years ago

B

10

Magnum 1991 Joseph Phelps Insignia CS. Dinner at T w neighbors. Drank alongside the '90 Latour out of magnum. We didn't decant this as long as the Latour and out of the gate, this wine was a little tight. However, by the end of dinner, this was the clear winner. Just held up and got better as the night progressed. — 7 years ago

Kyo Jin

9.3

Conterno showed better tonight. As expected, too much oak presence right now, but showing sweet and pleasant fruit. — 9 years ago

Rick Magnello

10

Still vibrant as hell #bombassvintage — 9 years ago

Julie Drinker

9.6

As always, Spottswoode is outstanding... don't want to stop drinking it. — 9 years ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.5

The 2008 Cheval Blanc is one of the go-to wines of the vintage. Now at 15 years old, it has retained the energy and focus it displayed from the outset: black fruit, crushed stone, wilted violet petals and touches of forest floor cohere wonderfully in the glass. The Cabernet here is more expressive. The palate has a slight chewiness on the entry, but it "relaxes" in the glass. It shows off its delicate lattice of tannins and perhaps a bit more backbone than I have observed on previous bottles. It's very intense on the finish where, as before, the Cabernet Franc takes charge. Superb. Keep it another three to four years if you can. Tasted at the Lia's Wings/book dinner at Medlar restaurant. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2023)
— 4 months ago

Jonathan Wall

9.4

Rating refers to the last glass, which was the best. Our foul… upon opening it was almost a little thin and flat. But as we swirled it got better and better until there was quickly none left. Last glass had bramble, earth, caramel. Nice 1998! — 4 months ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.8

The 2016 Palmer is a brilliant wine from Thomas Duroux, though I feel it will ultimately be surpassed by the 2018. You cannot argue with the nose: intense black cherries and raspberry fruit, crushed violets and crème de cassis (as if there was a touch of Pauillac in there). The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, sensual tannins, perfect acidity, velvet smooth with layers of chocolate-tinged black fruit, hints of black pepper and cedar towards the sustained finish. It is a fabulous Palmer that will give much pleasure. Tasted at the Palmer vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, August 2023)
— 6 months ago

Ron R

9.4

This is high up on the totem pole, and it shows on all senses. The nose is complicated and dense, which then leads into a rich variety of notes such as tobacco, cedar, coffee and cherries. While it seems to have already evolved into its drinking window, powerful tannins and good acidity provide the hallmarks of a wine that will hold its own for a long time. — 7 months ago

with Anne-marie

Jay Kline

9.5

Popped and poured; no formal notes. The 2000 Chateau Musar Grand Vin Rouge pours a deep, slightly hazy garnet color with some signs of sediment. On the nose, this is drop dead gorgeous with all the vibes I would come to expect from a 20+ year old Musar. Clearly a vinous wine with a wonderful mix of red and dark fruit; mostly ripe while some dried fruits are beginning to appear. Earthy characteristics were also playing a strong supporting role along with sweet pipe tobacco, leather, some red and purple flowers, some green herbs, exotic spices and there was a touch of brettanomyces but nothing out of control. On the palate, the wine was quite spry with ample structure still; firm tanning and lovely acid. The finish was long and simply to die for. Musar's Grand Vin Rouge is often compared to some of the great wines from Bordeaux however, I have traditionally eschewed this comparison as I have found these wines to be almost singular. That being said, this bottle was far and away the most relatable to Bordeaux that I have so far experienced. It should also be noted that this bottle came to me ex-chateau a couple of years back and provenance likely had something to do with the strength of this showing. It was a fabulous pairing with grilled lamb chops and fattoush. Based off this experience, I expect well stored examples to drink well for at least another decade and likely, longer than that. — 9 months ago

Alan Hyde

9.7

First anniversary. Golden hue. As I opened the bottle I was hit in the face with intense aromas. A very complex and wonderful cuvée. — 6 years ago

with Julie

Mvon Higgins

9.2

Garnet with thin translucent rim. Light complex nose of strawberry, raspberry, cherry, marshmallow, vanilla, baking spice and oak. Light body of mild pomegranate and red berry cola bring clean acid to the palate with a baking spice, smoke, leather, and earth background. Small velvety tannins leads to a long, slightly dry finish of pepper and cocoa. Very good balance and good structure make this a bargain at $19.99 USD as a sipper or light dish partner. — 8 years ago

Christine Havens

9.7

As always, Krug is for me, the perfect illustration of power and fineness. The common thread amongst all of the bottles I have been fortunate to taste is a sense of luxury. In a wine, luxury is not an easy to define, but most certainly Krug has it. A generous nose of brioche, apple galette, quince and nutmeg. The mousse is quite fine, gracefully leading into full texture, and an acid spine that pierces through layers of crème and orchard fruit. And the finish—as long and languid as any great story arc. — 9 years ago

Michael Petrozzella

9.6

Fantastic, as always. — 10 years ago