Wulf Losee

9.1

2017 tasted 2020. Bananas and wildflowers on the nose! The scent is almost oily. Malolactic fermentation gives it a silky tannic feel on the top of the mouth. Slight hint of bananas and chalk on the end. A surprising long finish. Very nice. I’m a confirmed Chard hater, but this causes me to reconsider my prejudices. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

It’s Labor Day Weekends and all we’ve done is Labor. However, it’s all good now.
Cheers! 🥂

All previous notes apply.

@Paul T- Huntington Beach Ruinart Rosé cures all earthly mosquito bites! 🦟 — 7 years ago

Sarah

9.3

Is it just my family in which this wine causes serious controversy?! There are those of us who really like it....and then there is my mother who hates it. It's a go to for me for it's cheap price point. It's what I do if I'm feeling g slightly less needy than Bota box but don't want to put in the effort of "risk" of trying something new. Knowing this it was one of the three bottles Liz brought me last weekend. — 7 years ago

with Liz

Jay Kline

9.3

Okay...shit is getting real at Mayacamas these days. This was easily one of the more enjoyable new world Chardonnay’s I’ve had in a long time. Citrus, tropical fruits, marzipan, minerals...all presented with such a cool confidence. This wine has personality that causes you to take notice due to its affability and then delivers over and over. Bravo. — 8 years ago

Jennifer Tomkins

9.6

My favorite red wines are the wonderful rich montepulcianos of the Marche region of Italy because they are soft and supple and full of rich fruit flavors. In other words I like my reds full bodied but not heavy and rounded and with soft tannins. This wine hits my sweet spot. I find it mouthwatering. I was surprised and delighted to discover it and wholeheartedly recommend it to those whose tastes in wine coincide with mine. A bonus: this producer supports progressive causes with his profits AND he makes his wine with almost no additives and with organically grown grapes, mostly petit dsirtah and mourvèdre. — 8 years ago

CYesh

9.5

Nothing cures the broken ankle blues better than Jean-Louis. Almost as good as making a Lisa......in Weird Science. — 9 years ago

Max Kogod

Owner Kogod Wine Merchant

9.2

Cotton candy & honeyed, but crystal clear. '08 cures all. — 9 years ago

Doug Powers

9.8

Initially this shows some sulphur notes, swirling causes it to blow off, so, so rich and complex flavors, intense stony and mineral notes show into the very long finish, just a fantastic Les Clos Chablis!! — 6 years ago

with Jim

Kaori B

8.9

55gbp @Saponara, Islington.
Nice full wine from Puglia. It’s a good wine starting strong but finishes at the same level without much change.
Like the girlfriend you love bc she has attitude when you meet but then it’s that same attitude that causes you to split. — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

One of my last remaining 2010 CdP’s...from back when I was exploring the region. I’ve since only focused on a few specific producers but Marcoux is one that still has some of my attention...mostly because it’s hard to deny that it’s really good wine. This bottle seemed a touch reductive at first but that blew off with some time and what emerged was a bounty of brambles, sandalwood, garrigue, Twin Bing, some sediment...actually a lot of sediment. The tannins weren’t very obvious at first but after a couple of hours, the tannin monster showed up in full force. For whatever reason, this has happened to me on occasion with top wines from CdP and Gigondas. Not sure what causes that. Anyway, based off this experience, I would have to say that these still have quite a bit of life in them. In the same breath, however, I would exercise caution as I’ve witnessed too many Grenache based wines not age as gracefully. — 7 years ago

Lam S

9.2

Deep and intense. Smooth tannin 6/10, acidity 8/10, body 9/10. A bit too strong causes unbalance. Black fruit la nose like black current black berries and black chocolate . Not bad. — 7 years ago

Justin Hansohn

9.2

Taking that electric cut out of a lot of Spanish Albariño I experience that causes me to take a step back. This is delicious and rich in a very balanced way while still bringing a whole lot of character and interest forward. Special. — 8 years ago

Michael Tao

9.0

In the middle of a business trip, and a glass of Sanity is exactly what I needed. Nice fruit, good balance and not overpowering. Enjoying at Weft & Warp — 9 years ago

Erin Kurland

9.4

Cures jet lag like a cold bath. Although red...tastes incredible with calamari - Ciao! — 9 years ago

with Lee

Bryan Hopkins

9.2

I am tasting the 2000 vintage. The first aroma I get is just oak, almost sterile, like an impeccably clean hardware store. Leaving the glass a few moments to give contact with air opens up softer aromas of nougat and plum. The taste is about exactly like that: oak in your face all at once to yield quickly to nougat candy, plum, and raisin, but letting the brandy sit in my mouth causes it to turn into lovely cigar tobacco flavors with milk chocolate. Slight hint of saffron-infused chocolate on the finish, but then it fades back into that really strong neutral wood as the finish lingers. Trying the 1998 vintage, less complex scent, clean spice and wood, much more mellow with the wood than the 2000. On the palette, honey and milk chocolate. Much more approachable and easy-drinking than the 2000. Trying the 1995, I get an explosion on the scent of molasses and perfectly balanced oak. There was also a fruitiness that took me a long time to identify, but it finally hit me. Have you ever had the mango custard that is served at some Indian restaurant lunch buffets? It’s like that. Rich, syrupy mouthfeel with taste of black molasses and maple syrup prevented from being cloying by the strong oak, which doesn’t overpower but gives exactly the structure and bite that it needs to do. The fruitiness in the palette is like canned fruit salad in syrup. This is really good! So much richer and more balanced than the 2000. The 1979 vintage is less interesting to me. The prominent note is maple syrup, with oak becoming apparent afterwards. There is a sweet, floral perfume note on the scent that to me gives this vintage what interest it has. — 6 years ago

John Hagood

9.0

Second bottle of 2017 from Domestique in May 2019, on 7/27/19. We bought to have with tagine, but we wanted something light gauzy yeasty zingy. Amber orange. Strong ginger then, light bandaid leap out, as strong fragrance right from bottle. Crunchy Bartlett pear, green apple, cantaloupe, honey, apricot, banana tastes on the palette. Strong lasting finish causes salivation. Cloudy at bottom of bottle! Better to swirl and decant? — 7 years ago

Bret Weingart

9.1

Very well done wine. Each sip causes me to want another! — 7 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

This wine is 6 years old and has essentially zero sediment. That means a heavy-duty filtration, which causes me to think, how much flavor did they strip out? Putting that aside, this is very good. Classic scents of brambly dark blackberry and a hint of dark maple syrup, and smoky gravel. In the mouth, it’s large framed, and would benefit from a bit more flesh and fruit. But that’s quibbling. It went very nicely with my mesquite grilled hangar steak. — 8 years ago

Tom Young

8.9

Interesting. Big flavor with tartness that causes a little pucker — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

We were suppose to be in Napa this weekend. Sadly, no one should be in Napa/Sonoma except Firefighters and first responders. However in lieu of; the Sodhani party, appointments at Beau Vinge, Mark Herold & a steak at Cole’s Chop House, what the next best thing? #STEAKANDCLARETNIGHT at home in the backyard. This 86 was amazing with my ribeye. The kind of pleasure that causes great pause and rolls the eyes a bit. On the nose; menthol, eucalyptus, dry herbs, soft ripe blackberries, dark cherries, strawberries, baked plum, perfectly stated baking spices, stones, soft unstated spice, clay, rich dark earth, touch of black cherry cola and fresh & dark florals. The palate is heaven as it coats. The body medium full, layered and the tannins are nicely resolved but not completely...still a fair amount of life in this bottle. I’d say it’s still around it’s peak. The fruits are ripe and still fresh. Blackberries, baked plum, dark cherries, strawberries, dry cranberries, hues of blueberries, black cherry cola, sweet darker spice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, dark rich earth, dry stones, tobacco, suede leather, dry clay, menthol, eucalyptus, touch of dry herbs, fresh & dry dark flowers, beautiful, round acidity, perfect 12.5% alcohol and a long, even, elegantly balanced with beautiful structure, tension & length that’s lasts two minutes. It’s in a really excellent spot. 9.6 with the ribeye and 9.4 on it’s own. Photos of; an aerial shot of Chateau Canon, owners Alain and Gerard Wertheimer who made their first big money on Chanel, own Rauzan-Segla and are worth just under a paltry 10 billion, their barrel room and their Saint-Emilion vineyard. Producer notes and history...Chateau Canon is a premier cru with a history of fine vintages. This Saint-Emilion property has long been recognised as one of the best in the appellation. It is believed that Canon was named after Jacques Kanon, the naval officer who bought estate in 1760. He built the château here and surrounded it with plantings solely of vines...a rare agricultural practice at the time. However, he then sold the estate to a Bordeaux négociant just ten years later. In 1919 it was purchased by the Fournier family, who owned the property until 1996. When they sold it to the Wertheimer family, owners of Chanel and of Rauzan-Ségla in Margaux it unfortunately had some serious problems. The cellars were contaminated with TCA, the chemical compound which causes cork taint. Many of the vines were infected by viruses and in need of being replaced. As well, part of the vineyard above the quarried cellars had subsided. Fortunately the Wertheimers had the money to fix these issues and a manager, John Kolasa with the skills. The first decade of the 21st century saw Canon begin to regain its reputation once John Kolasa retired and Nicolas Audebert at Rauzan-Ségla took over. The substantial estate covers 22 hectares on Saint-Emilion’s famous limestone plateau close to the town. The vines have an average age of 25 years and are generally planted with a southerly or south-westerly exposure. 75% of the vines are Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. After the grapes are hand-picked, they are fermented in traditional cone-shaped vats, before spending 18 months ageing in oak barrels, 50% new and 50% used. — 9 years ago