Shay A

9.1

This was Decanter's 2013 Wine of the Year. Came across it fairly hidden at a local wine shop in town and got it for $40. Figured why not!

At 16yrs old, the color is still extremely ruby shaded. Don't really see any bricking around the edges. Floral nose of cherries, and a dirty/dusty element to it. Fairly thin at the front of the palate, but it has a nice weight in the middle and the finish is holding strong. Black peppercorn, faint leather taste and a rush of tart cherries. Reminds me of a 5-7yr old Sonoma Pinot. This is still "juicy", which to me is less in your face than "jammy". Fruit is giving way to secondary notes. Not WOTY for me, but for $40, a nice find.

Update: Much better after 45mins as well as at cellar temp. — 9 years ago

Louise Tardif

10

An intriguing wine. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this wine amazing but it has a freshness to it hard to find in many wines. An amazing wine, that comes costly, but will leave lasting memories. — 10 years ago

Tim

9.1

Surprised this wasn't more tannic - thought it was very well structured with dark jammy fruits and bell pepper on the nose (actually didn't find the pepper notes unpleasant at all, which I typically steer clear of). Black fruits, charcoal smoke, cracked black pepper all hit high with some light hints of licorice and...jalapeño? All in all a pleasant wine to pair with a homemade Beef Wellington on this anniversary year of the Judgement of Paris. — 10 years ago

Mako Sawaguchi

9.5

What a great find in Rome. — 11 years ago

Skyler Rogers

9.0

Couldn't find any ratings on the 2013, so rolled the dice here. Everything we wanted from a Pinot. Wonderful. — 11 years ago

Barbara Parker

9.0

An outstanding California blend; rated way higher than its price. A great find.
— 11 years ago

Jennifer Cox

9.3

Minneapolis- find! — 12 years ago

Thomas Savre

10

The duck Magret is in the stove! Not crazy with the noSe. The mouth is so so so great, a lot of blackberry! Can't wait to serve it blind! We ll see how many people will find a Sancerre ?? — 12 years ago

Paul Burditch

9.8

A fabulous find. Highly recommended — 13 years ago

Lenna Pewitt

9.5

Love this. Would like to find it again! — 14 years ago

jake aziz

9.1

Needed a little air but ended up delicious. A steal if you can find it. — 9 years ago

Adam Knoerzer

9.0

Lots of secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors happening in this 9-year-old wine. Tobacco and toastiness are prominent, and the fruits have started to veer into prune territory over plums. Great find for the price. — 10 years ago

Greg Smith

9.0

Always like a nice blackberry hint. Went well with a weekend dinner. If you can find it go for it. — 10 years ago

Mary Forrest

9.0

Loved this wine! New fave, but don't know if I can find it in OK...? — 10 years ago

Anthony(aug 2013) Dimarco

9.1

Really happy to find this 1 litre for only $129 especially considering 750ml sells for $100 in the store. First time for the 2013 vintage. Very similar to 2012 and another winner for me. — 11 years ago

Sean m Roberts

9.5

Beautiful wine. Just finished dinner, a great find at a local winery in Ventura. I have had the privilege to visit this town and enjoy some similar local vineyards. — 11 years ago

Justin Hansohn

9.5

Immediately in my top 5 beers. Concentration without weight or offensive intensity. So many tropical fruits, cannabis, and sage aromas bursting out of the glass! In the mouth it reminds me of all the great aspects of a Sierra Nevada pale ale turnt up. A new benchmark in balanced beer. Such a casual hurried situation to be drinking this, but nonetheless an encouragement to find more of this stuff. — 11 years ago

Armen Khachaturian

10

Areni Noir...wine from Armenia that's amazing...try it if you can find it! — 12 years ago

Jacob Shea

9.7

A fav that I can find at most west coast whole foods — 12 years ago

Richard Betts

Master Sommelier/Winemaker/Mezcalero Saint Glinglin, Sombra

9.7

Pro tip: find a local and take them to lunch at the Aria w/ 1/2 off ALL wines under 500 clams. Boom. — 14 years ago

Narun P

9.0

40th harvest. Bravo! This is a new find for me from my most favorite appellation in Central Italy. The 2012 packs everything I like about Brunello. Medium garnet color with fresh, vibrant hue of young Sangiovese. Relatively classic. Juicy with red cherry, wild strawberry, a bit of wild raspberry. It's seen quite a fair bit of new oak showing both scent and taste of baking spices, new leather, vanilla bean. Silky tannin backed up by med-plus acidity. You surely don't drink a Brunello young but this is tempting. Best around 2022-2035. 90+ — 9 years ago

Vijay Vaidy

9.8

Hard to find a better ambassador for 2001 Napa style. I'm not sure these wine makers ever surpassed this era ... Unfortunately a bit premium priced these days, but worth dropping some $$$ for, more than the average peer — 10 years ago

Jessica Sant

9.7

Love this. Find it almost anywhere — 10 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.1

From magnum, and still a bit beefy around the middle, reflecting the vintage. Plush but with character, the perfect choice for those who generally find Beaujolais too thin. — 10 years ago

Christanna Honer

9.7

2004--if you can find in 375, drink up, it's hittin' the spot! — 11 years ago

Thomas Hughes

9.3

One of the best wines under $45 you can find. Incredible fruit and complexity. Rivals its flagship Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red at nearly 1/3 the price. Amazing wine. Cheers!! — 11 years ago

Max Reichwage

9.5

The best wine I could find in Cabo, 2002 is really good, great depth, fruity and earthy. — 11 years ago

Justin Heller

10

Such a find!!!! — 12 years ago

Mike Peterson

8.9

Good not great. A new find. — 12 years ago

Thomas Hughes

10

Stuck in between banner vintages (2000 & 2005), 2003 is a great year to find "value" in Bordeaux. With the rise of the Far East's middle class, "Super Second" classified French reds sell for over $100 per bottle. (And 2 to 3 times that for the exceptional 2009 & 2010 vintages). So for my 2013 birthday, why not open a 10 year old Paulliac? 1st, this requires patience. After decanting, the glass needs time to develop. It's been 45 min and finally starting to exhibit it's elegance. Smooth, balanced, caressing ... You can almost taste the centuries of expertise. When I started getting into drinking wine, I was vain in thinking "French wines, can they be that good?" Yes, they are but not at any price! Don't just take out a mortgage to buy anything; research and try 2nd labels of vineyards. This wine is brilliant, but I still prefer Chateau Leoville Las Cases as my favorite 2003 Bordeaux. A very happy Cheers! — 13 years ago

with Heidi