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

Jason Brater

9.2

Fruit forward at PnP but as it opened it revealed dark chocolate and tobacco notes as well as a faint oakiness w a slightly tannic finish. Really nice. — 4 years ago

with Heather

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

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. — 10 years 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. — 8 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

10

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

Peter Sultan

9.3

Columbia county 2.0: end of a meal, nightcap of sorts. So so perfumed with dill & vanilla & tree sap, as if Willy Wonka decided to get into winemaking. Really just lived for a while breathing this in. On palate it’s remarkably agile & light, even though the body of red fruits is firmly medium boned. No signs of decay or slowing down- even the cork was perfect-easily can go on another several decades ( it feels). God what a treat. — a year ago

with Owen

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.9

The 2013 Opus One is an absolute stunning release, and is certainly one of most impressive young wines I have ever tasted from this estate. This shows a darker, more forward profile from this warm vintage, and is clearly one to contemplate, as there are so many complexities and working parts to this compelling wine. This instantly impresses as it opens to intense aromatics of crème de cassis, black cherry, blackberry compote and black plum woven together with mocha, sandalwood. The mouthfeel is voluptuous and beautifully concenrated with deep and penetrating flavors of black cherry, créme de cassis, blackberry cobbler, anise, sage and anise, which all resonate beautifully across the palate. This is already extreamly appealing, but try to resist this hedonistic wine for at least another few years, as there is undoubtedly a long future ahead. Drink 2019-2035-99 — 5 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

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

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. — 8 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. — 10 months ago

Robert

9.3

Worth letting age. It gets better as you drink it. This is a full body wine, great fruit, coffee and chocolate flavors. — 6 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

8.9

The biggest and most full bodied wine of the evening was the Cos d'Estournel. From the hot 2003 vintage this also made it the youngest red of the evening. Big, irony, camp fire embers, black currants and cassis, toasty and well integrated oak buffer the wine. Time has peeled back some of that concentration revealing the heat that stuck out to me as the one big thing out of place. In the context of the vintage this might be OK but it turned me off. Good, but disappointing especially considering how critics went out of their way to speak of its lack of signs of heat. — 7 years ago

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