Matt

9.1

Has a cool vintage personality to it, the acid is elevated and tannins are still firm albeit softening from the wines upbringing. Im a fan, there’s a lot of complexity on the nose, taking this classically-styled Rioja beyond what archetypal things might come to mind with this benchmark wine. Soulful and almost old school Bordeaux-like. Current, dried raspberry, stewed plum and dried black cherry, gravel pushing into graphite, tobacco, sous bois, wet leaves, juniper, leather, American oak, pipe smoke. Considerable freshness for such a tertiary wine. The elevated VA could be a problem for some, I enjoyed the lift. — 5 years ago

Manjiry Tamhane

9.0

This has aged beautifully. Still has the dark fruit flavours but intensified on spice. Great length. Very happy that we have another bottle! — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.5

The 2015 Clos Mogador is a absolutely stunning release from this historic Priorat estate. Located in Gratallops, in the heart of the Priorat hills, René Barbier, one of the founders of the Priorat revolution, crafts an incredible blend of 40% Garnacha (lauched from 80 year old vines), 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah and 5% Morvedre, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. This immediately reveals seductive aromas of red cherry preserves, rose petals and roasted figs. On the palate this is ripe and intense, yields bright flavors of orange rind, red cherry and red raspberry with wild thyme and garrigue flavors. Intoxicating and beautifully structured, this beautiful wine will evolve gracefully for many years to come. Drink 2019-2040- 95 — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.5

A nice Grande Cuvee by Krug. I didn't get to have much of this at all. I do remember that this one had a hair pin trigger on it! I let it breathe for a bit. This one had a nice straw colored hue. Lots of lemon and some nutty characters. Was going to come back to it. It was set down when greeting a guest, and gone very soon thereafter. I remember great fruit but thinking this one probably is still too young. — 8 years ago

with Dan, Benjamin and 2 others

Bill Bishop

9.3

Served from magnum. The 1979 Gruaud Larose is drinking beautifully. Light brick rim to dark ruby color. Just a touch of Bret in the nose but plenty of plum-like fruit. Nice acidity with plenty of fruit up front. Ripe. Soft tannins with nice lingering fruit in finish. Perfect now but will hold for several years to come. Drank on my 64th birthday with BBQ ribs. Great pairing. — 8 years ago

Alessandro Cantarelli

9.1

molto strutturato e vellutato al palato ribes e mirtilli sciroppati al naso molto raffinato come il Barbaresco buono deve essere — 8 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.4

A deep, inky wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is endowed with serious depth. Here the flavors are unusually dark and intense, with plenty of blue and black stone fruits. Graphite, cloves and licorice contribute to an overall impression of gravitas. Far from an easygoing wine, the 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet needs time in bottle to truly shine. Hints of violet, lavender and plum add the final shades of nuance. All of the signatures of the vintage come through beautifully. The translucent, mineral-laced finish is especially appealing. Frankly, it's hard to put the glass down. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous) — 9 years ago

Ben Lehman

9.2

Funky funky berry juice. Starting to come around. Last 2 bottles I had felt downright dormant. This is starting to show it's stuff, and I like what it's showing — 10 years ago

Ryan Vento

10

I've had no finer wine than this. Once it was decanted for about an hour the true character began to come out. After about 2 hours the pinnacle was reached. — 11 years ago

with Krystal and Taryne

Steven Kahn

9.3

The nose was a 10, but maybe a bit past peak...finish just didn't quite come through. — 11 years ago

Philip Deibel

9.5

We enjoyed this bottle last night, but this is a much cooler picture. Earlier this year my sister was invited to a fundraiser in LA where a friend purchased every seat at Thomas Keller’s table. Not only did her friend invite her to come with her boyfriend, but he also invited her to bring our parents. After Christmas I wanted to let her take a bottle back to LA for the dinner. It was a hard decision, but I went with some old world class. It turns out that he knows the producer well and is a big fan! Phew! I’ll be honest, I was blown away by Alban’s Reva, but then we opened this and it just screamed class. Such a refined and elegant beast. Balanced/Seamless. — 5 years ago

Victor Hwang

9.2

88 mouton with Keith harding art work. The nose upon opening was sublime. As it decanted and opened, it was a bit disjointed. Has a lot of potential but at this age I think it’s not going to come together. The nose weakened, and the body to finish is a bit jarred. — 7 years ago

Aaron Hamrock

9.7

Young but couldn’t wait to try it. After an hour or so decant it started to open up. This is going to be an amazing wine in years to come. — 7 years ago

with Tim

Ira Schwartz

9.5

I was floored by the aromas coming from the glass, plums , tea, smoke , something green.. I wanted to stop there because I feared the palate could not come close to the nose. Boy was I wrong. Tannins obviously resolved but the acid was an eye-opener. Mushrooms , dark fruits, orange zest and figs . A lovely finish that was silk like. — 7 years ago

with Richard and Jason

Justin Sun

9.5

Tannins silky smooth - secondary notes just starting to come in. Will get some more. — 8 years ago

Kristi Lynn

10

Funny story, we ordered the bottle of wine on the line after this bottle on the menu. The waiter brought this bottle as a mistake which we found out was listed as a $485 bottle of wine! We took one sip and knew that it was too good to be true. Come to find out that this is one of the first super tuscan wines ever made. Even though management took the bottle from our table as soon as it was realized, that was the luckiest and most delicious mistake that's ever happened to us. — 9 years ago

Rocket Rod

9.1

Lovely balance and long finish. Classic "Grange" characteristics with better QPR. Drinking nicely now but lots of fun to come down the line. — 10 years ago

Bryan Garcia

Sales Grand Cru Selections

9.3

Teenager that needs a little more time to come out of his shell. Classic Chave weight, texture, and elegance. — 11 years ago

with Patrick

Christian Gourdin

10

Delicious - aromas of toast, and flowers come through the most. — 11 years ago

Michael Smith

9.3

What can you say, classic Reims crisp and tart. This NV is as consistent as they come. — 11 years ago

Kevin Løk

9.1

I’m a fan of this producer and the rosé delivers. Ethereal, nice minerality. Some oak and light vanilla notes come in to round it out. — 6 years ago

with Caroline

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I’ve eyeballed this 05 over the last couple of years...thinking, I should drink this up. One thing about Heitz wines made by the Heitz family is they will age very well. We’ll see what happens to their wines now that they have been sold to corporate owners.

This 05 was pulled from my secondary cabinet storage; which means not EuroCave.

I spent three days sending 200 plus bottles to auction and rearranging my collection. So, this was standing free. Time to drink up, right? Nope. This still has another 5-7 years plus of good drinking ahead even if I laid it down in a dark closet with added humidity. I can, because I live in a cool climate. So, it would be just fine.

The nose reveals, ripe, still fresh fruits of; dark currants, blackberries & black raspberries. Black plum pudding, black cherries, baked strawberries and beautiful blue fruits that always come out nicely in older Heitz wines. Anise to black licorice, steeped dark fruit teas, purple & blue fruit liqueur/cola, limestone minerals, crushed rocks, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, mocha, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, touch of nutmeg, dark spice, dry & fresh herbs, mint, some soft leather & dry tobacco, graphite notes, dark, rich, black, earth with fresh & withering; dark, red, purple flowers with violets and hints of lavender.

The body is; full, ripe, lush and has beautiful texture. Velvety, dark, tarry, tannins. The tension, structure, length and balance are where I love them...just over the top of the bell curve. This is still so fresh. Dark currants, blackberries & black raspberries. Black plum pudding, black cherries, baked strawberries & rhubarb shine on the long open & palate set with beautiful blue fruits. Anise to black licorice, steeped dark fruit teas, purple & blue fruit liqueur/cola, red licorice, limestone minerals, river stone, crushed rocks, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, mocha, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, touch of nutmeg, dark spice with just the right amount of palate heat, dry & fresh herbs, mint, some soft leather & dry tobacco, graphite notes, dark, rich, black, earth with fresh & withering; brilliant, dark, red, purple flowers with violets and hints of lavender. The acidity is round and perfect. The long finish is; very well balanced fruit & earth, rich, lush, ripe, elegant, delicious and dances on the palate with long persistence.

It’s a steal today considering I paid $29 in 07/08. Delectable tracks it at $130. Beautiful wine tonight.

Photos of; their tasting bar on Hwy 29, sign and tasting room vines in Saint Helena, tasting room building and sitting area just outside their tasting room. — 6 years ago

Mads

9.8

Birthday wine. Velvety with dark fruit. Great tannins. Will be easy drinking for a long time to come. Great with Lamb. — 7 years ago

with Paul

Charlie Abbott

Sommelier Casa Mono

9.7

I mean come on...rich, opulent, stunning — 8 years ago

Anna Sangiacomo

9.0

Silky entry, dark fruit flavors, emerge with hints of baking spice and black olive. Will delight in years to come. I prefer their wines with lots of age on them. — 8 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.2

Hep! Step up to the value plate and come back for seconds. — 8 years ago

with Mark

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.6

Charles from Champagne Louis Roederer was kind enough to bring this over and we enjoyed it with some Kelly's Katch caviar. It takes about 16 years for Cristal to come around, and this was showing wonderfully. It had nutty depth and incredibly long, chalky detail! — 9 years ago

with Jim

Malachi Rose

9.8

Such a smooth champagne. Tastes of creme brûlée, honey, apple, and toasted vanilla all come through. — 11 years ago

William Leslie

9.9

First off. You have heard about decanting.... This is a great example. Open and it tastes flat, give it time to breath and the flavors come out. The nose has a nice oak, smokey texture. Taste has a predominant black cherry flavor with nice ripe fruit flavors. Oak remains throughout the taste from start to finish with american oak flavors. An almost cigar smokiness hits immediately with a slight spice....not sure where to compare this to because it's not like a Zinfandel pepper, but more like an allspice. The overall feel is medium bodied with rich cherry flavors and well balanced for a smooth feel. This is a great introduction to Stags Leap without spending $150. — 11 years ago

Charles Schneider

9.9

Extraordinary, with many extraordinary years to come! — 13 years ago