Aaron Tan

9.5

Exceptional balance. Rich, but so fresh. Pears, orange, flowers, lemon curd, cream, brioche, nut. Long, powerful palate, underlined by a driving acidity.

Some thoughts: In my eyes, RMs tend to fall into "extreme" categories e.g. Laherte - austere, Egly - rich (lees), Agrapart - rich (oak), Selosse - oxidative; but this wine doesn't fit here. NM-like, but not (I think of Chartogne-Taillet when I say this). Compare to Krug's Grand Cuvee, the Grands Vintages is definitely richer and broader (fair comparison, given how both wines are constructed).

From Chain Bridge Cellars:
As the name suggests, Eric Rodez’s Grand Vintages is a rich, powerful and very much “grand” wine in the tradition of Krug (where Eric learned his craft). This year's release is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from seven great vintages going back to vintage 2000. Eric ages all of these base wines in used oak and blocks malolactic fermentation to maximize freshness and vibrancy. Then the carefully crafted blend spends 8 full years on the lees before being disgorged this October. The dosage is ultra-low - 2 or 3 g/l - so this could be labeled "Extra Brut," but there's so much richness and depth here that "Brut" seems more appropriate to Eric.

Past releases have earned plenty of critical praise, including 17.5/20 points from Jancis Robinson, 93 from Vinous, and 92 from Wine Advocate. This year’s release is explosive on the nose and palate, pumping out big notes of lemon curd, caramel, toasted nuts, baking bread, crushed chalk, and more. The flavors just balloon out to fill your entire palate and finish with layer upon layer of mouthwatering pie crust, lemon curd, hazelnut, crushed stone and salty caramel flavor. Try holding some for even more richness! — 8 years ago

Dave Kluz

9.2

Blueberry and some crazy passion fruit notes on top of deep blackberry and dark cherry. Amazing tannic backbone and iron spine at this age with fresh acid. — 9 years ago

Rich Aurilia

9.0

Aging very nicely. Still has a bunch of years left in it. — 10 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Another Pennsylvania Bordeaux Blend. Great black cherry flavors and wonderful balance. One of the best Red Wines PA has to offer. 2007 Vintage — 10 years ago

Emily Kresie-Harrington

8.9

Good typicity. Dried cranberry, red currant, red plum, dried rose, violets, organic and inorganic earth, moderate level of VA, normal for the style. Bridge between modern and old style. Paired well with a debate concerning the carrying capacity of European vs African swallows, ascertaining the guilt of a witch, and a near-fatal battle with a bloodthirsty rabbit :) — 10 years ago

Cory Fierro

9.4

Troll Bridge Password red blend, 2009. Bottle number 218 of 900.

Deep ruby color with a nice, slighter ruby rim. The tears fall nicely on this blend. On the nose are notes of blackcurrant, black pepper, cooked, crushed raspberries, stewed fig, plums, mint leaf, baking spices of vanilla and slight cinnamon with some dried leaves and some forest floor in the background.

The palate is dry, with some tannins though this could be cellared for 5-10 more years. Some green capsaicin, bell pepper and oak. A tinge of tobacco leaf, and a ton of red fruits. Also a nice bit of cinnamon apple spice on the finish.

Had this wine with a charred filet and it really brought out some wonderful black pepper on both. Beautiful blend and makes me want to try more from them. — 10 years ago

with Liz

William Hughes

9.1

Do not mistake this for a Chinon. Cabernet Franc is a killer grape in Virginia and Maryland! She loves our terroir! This wine has a wonderful perfumed nose of sour cherry, desert rose, and a hint of tobacco. The nose follows through on the palate with svelte tannins and a slight cherry liqueur note. Well done Baker family and here is to Maryland wines! — 10 years ago

with Drew

Brian Grech

9.3

Buttery, hay, with a fair amount of oak — 11 years ago

with Ashley

Allison Henry

9.7

Amazing! One of the best wines I've had. Perfectly balanced — 11 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.0

Dare say this was way better than the last bottle I had about 2 or 3 years ago. This was kind of a forgotten gem in the cellar that I found last Friday. A little vegetal from cork pop had me worried but this wine blew off in 20 minutes and showed great terroir and classic aged foresty black notes emerged. Lots of body was here and very ample fruit. Finish showed completely resolute tannin. Very silky finish. Great with olive and mushroom marinara. Probably slightly in decline at this point. It quite a delight tonight at 10 years old. — 9 years ago

Christine Havens

9.0

A garnet-hued, frothy vixen of a wine, the Aphros Sparkling Vinhão Super-Reserva delights with ultra-earthy, pungent funk, and juicy black plum notes forming a concise bridge between nose and palate. Bright acidity cuts through layers of pruney deliciousness, the finish is brisk and short very much about black tea tannin and dried herbs. At 12.0% ABV it goes down very easily. I expect this pair well with charcuterie, unlike Lambrusco, it's bone dry. — 9 years ago

Diane M. Napolitano

8.9

Smells like cherries. Merlots are still the pilsners of wine lol — 9 years ago

Rob Guimaraes

9.1

The aromatics of ripe merlot/pinot noir, the fruit profile of Washington syrah, and the structure of a ripe-year Bordeaux. A perfect bridge between Cali Cabernet and left bank French drinkers. — 10 years ago

with melissa and Sam

Chris Allen

9.2

Delicious! A typically heavy cab, but more fruit forward than many, and light on spice. A unique style of cab. — 10 years ago

Katie Grieb

9.1

Subtle notes of vanilla and blackberry. Very well balanced and elegant. — 10 years ago

with Christian

J Lam

8.9

Happy with the value and flavor of this wine. Paired it with some fresh strawberries and it worked well! Brought out more of the wine's fruit flavors. Smooth. Not an in your face type of wine. — 10 years ago

James Knoblich

9.4

2007 Pepper Bridge Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon. Walla Walla Valley, WA. Dense Flavors of Ripe, Dark Fruit with Long Finish. Aged Nicely, a Classic WA Cab Sauv. — 10 years ago

Pamela Quist

9.8

This wine was a complete experience of delight. Drunk alone or with food it stands tall and proud. Perfectly balanced fruit and acids and a mature, full, round taste that lasts on the palate and in the glass. — 11 years ago

Doug Adams

8.9

Sumewhat lighter than expected. Earthy with a nice nose! Deep plum flavors with hints of vanilla. Great with lamb! — 11 years ago

Al Shikoh

8.9

Medium purple hue. Red cherry on the nose with floral tones and hints of bell pepper. On the palate medium bodied with lighter red fruit like raspberry, cherry, and cranberry. Soft tannins with long spicy finish. — 9 years ago

with Kelly

Michael Chelus

9.0

Blackberry, cherry cola, currant, vanilla, oak, mossy earth and hints of mint. Great structure and quite tannic. — 9 years ago

Joseph de Castelnau

9.4

Awesome, a little fruity, a little sweet. Right amount of complexity. Not herby at all. — 9 years ago

Bill Morgan

8.9

Plum and cherry with hints of vanilla smooth delicious finish — 9 years ago

with Ben

Justin Carp

9.0

Very dark and full bodied. Dry but light and mild tannins. Strong blackberry flavor, light licorice flavor. Ate with standing rib roast and asparagus. It was a gift. I would never spend this much money on a bottle of wine. — 10 years ago

Richard Adams

9.3

Lot of years left on this BTK — 10 years ago

Jonathan S

9.1

2014 vintage of Tidal Bay by Benjamin Bridge is 9.5%ABV and wonderful Canadian East Coast gem. Aroma and palate of stone fruit, citrus notes, hint of herbaceousness. Persistence of lemon drop and nectarine, medium finish. Wonderful pairing with jumbo sea scallops and Parmesan infused risotto. Enjoy now. — 10 years ago

Stephen Bonner

9.0

Nice bridge style between new and traditional. Mouth filling, good tannins, layers of strawberry, plum, tobacco leaf, and tea. Complex. — 10 years ago

James Mongey

10

So very smooth and very good. One of my favorites — 10 years ago

Kaitlin Will

9.7

Nutty, buttery, and balanced. The taste really lingers. Reminds me of popcorn! — 11 years ago

Melissa Simpson

10

One of my favvssss straight out of Nova Scotia. Sweet, summery, champagne-y! — 11 years ago