Michael Tuchband

9.8

Amazing flavors of dark fruit and wet forest floor. Brings me places — 6 years ago

with Moné

Jeff Loo

9.5

Absolutely blew me away. This is stunning in all the right places and has brilliant acidity and fruit to match to let this wine continue to develop and improve over the next 10+ years no problem, but it's so good now, why wait? — 8 years ago

Tom Riley

9.0

2012. If there were in our home such a thing as a house wine, this might be it. QPR that cannot be ignored. Well made and balanced, all the moving parts in all the right places. 13.0% abv. All for $13.99. Such a deal! — 8 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This is unique. Nose has pumpkin bread, tangy, rich red berries, and moist dark minerality. Mouthfilling flavors feature warm sandstone, plummy blackberryish fruit. Ultra-long finish flashes from unidentifiable flavors to unidentifiable flavors. A wine to contemplate, for sure. Just wow. 500 ml bottle. — 9 years ago

with Angelo

Gae Saccoccio - NdC

9.6

Really complicated on these so suspect days, expose themselves with concepts such as: tradition, terroir, identity without falling into the most sinister rhetoric if not sounds just trite and hypocritical as the counterfeit currency with which even large-scale industries - supported by marketing - pays back its inattentive mass audience riding the wave of the country of origin or protected typicality. A diabolical mechanism this one for which even the most noble ideas probably the right practices and good experiences completed in the scale of centuries to human measure and not on massive industrial scale, are trivialized by sleazy slogan, emptied of meaning to be more or less surreptitious thanks to barbaric persuasion techniques and brain-washing propaganda.
Yet with the Valentini's Trebbiano you may not groped to summarize in words if not by drawing on terms so appropriate to express it. Now concerning this iconic label we've got behind it a local grape variety, a real family and a great wine that collect in a bottle the past and present story of a side of Abruzzo who claims to defeats victories and sacrifices to dominate the abuses (on and of) nature, miseries and splendours of agricultural seasons. Places, people, vision, wines such as Valentini are here to remind us how each bottle stay so proudly standing as non-reproducible beauty and fermented goodness expressing all its artisanal uniqueness and authenticity which are just that suspect to industrial wine production in manufacturing chains on standardized quantities; wines that are all equal to themselves even though wine itself is not much left at the end of the day/cycle. Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Valentini 1998 is what we have to rate right now: rusticity with class; style, purity and glory of a local grape recognized by many admirers from all over the world: act local think global this is another slogan-cliché which in this specific Valentini's wine exemple could sounds a little less false and more effective. — 9 years ago

with Alberto and Giovanni

Jimmy Smith

Director, West and North London Wine School

9.2

80% Grenache, 20% Syrah. Dusty, green edges. Very red fruited. Oaky, cedar, smoky. Full bodied, structured, with very vibrant acidity. Juicy, crunchy. Cranberry, sweet spice, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper. Good fragrance. Vanilla. This will go places. Firm grip and vibrant acid — 10 years ago

Russell Shearer

9.0

Orange and slightly funky, but oh so good in all the right places. — 10 years ago

David S

9.1

Oh if only the Elmhurst, NY, Thai places had wine lists like Chada Thai and Lotus of Siam. — 11 years ago

David Snyder

9.1

There are only three places in Spain that make a 100% trepat. Really great. Light to medium body. And just kept getting more interesting as it opened. — 11 years ago

Tala Drzewiecki

Wine blogger Winelandia.com

9.2

Love these wines! Grenach, Mourvedre, Syrah & Counoise. Pretty sour cherry fruit, zippy acid, 13% alc. 100% organic & Biodynamic. if you ever end up in Paso, this is one of the only places worth going to. — 12 years ago

Thomas Brenner

9.2

There are some places in the world where they view present day America as a place where we expect to be happy. Should we feel bad they live in places where you should just expect hardship? We live in a time and place where we can focus on building our inner selves and have a chance at....When we're not constantly putting out fires we can really focus on...should that be a source of shame. When the desperate struggle to find food and shelter is finally behind us, we can turn our attention to other sources of pain and truth.
This is the kinda wine you feel bad about being able to enjoy. I feel privileged. — 7 years ago

Matt Trader

9.3

Even next to a 2009 Barolo, and a 2011 Ridge Three Valleys, this one was the WOTN. 2009 was great for the Rhône valley, especially places like Châteaunuf-du-pape, but little known Lirac made them equally, if not better. 50/50 Syrah, Grenache, and right in its sweet spot. Dark baked plummy fruits, blackberry cobbler qualities, charred wood, and provancal herb on the nose. The pallet was full, lush, and ever so slightly jammy, with sweet tobacco and dark chocolate covered cherry to the finish. It was great stand alone, and great with the Duck and Maple Glazed Ham, and all the roasted vegetables, etc. I'll be looking for more Lirac in the future. — 8 years ago

Tom Goldstone

9.2

Lovely wine in one of our favorite places! Only wish we were staying here again. — 9 years ago

with Jenn

Philippe Houdebine

9.3

Un grand pauillac? Not sûre. C bon. Une côte rôtie encore. — 9 years ago

Marshal White

9.3

The dimensions of this wine are huge, and I don't mean alcohol, acidity, or tannin, though it has fair bit of all three. There's a depth or a third dimension that only wines from special places have. The fruit is bright and the color pale, but the wine is dark in character. It's the character that Etna has - that rocky, ashy, old balsamic, dusky mountain herb, intense etnosity. — 10 years ago

Amy Morgan

9.5

This nose has a pronounced intensity of ripe black fruits (black currants, black plums) dark chocolate, herbal and intense minerality. The palate is beautiful with well integrated and complex notes of black fruits, (blackberries, black plum skin) clove spice, savory spice, bittersweet dark chocolate, smoke, and granite. The minerality in this wine is amazing. It hits in all the right places and adds depth of this full body wine. — 10 years ago

Jimmy Smith

Director, West and North London Wine School

8.9

Forest fruits, raspberries, morello, good structure, acid is balanced, meaty in places. Good. Lightly green edges. — 10 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.1

2009 vintage. Very good but a puppy. Rustic but also delicious. Very Moreish. — 10 years ago

Andrea Robinson MS

Master Sommelier

9.5

We don't usually think of aging Barbera. This 2004 was redolent of rose petal, truffle and tea, still vibrant and juicy, going places. Wow. — 11 years ago

roland benedetti

9.0

I actually really like this. Volcano are definitely great places for wine. — 11 years ago

E & K G

9.2

Doesn’t carry a ton of weight but it’s approachable from the get go. Dark fruit but nice and light on the palate. This is one of our favorite places to eat In Honolulu as well. #wheninamerica #drinknapa — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

It been hot on the west coast...even in places it's not normally. Today is no different and you can add humidity; which is something we almost never have here. Time to bust out the Sauvignon Blanc. This beauty is loaded with tropical madness. Plenty of crystalline sugar in the bottom of the bottle. The green apple, ripe pineapple, lime, lemon, mango, green melon, guava, saline minerals, dry grassy notes, and spring flowers leap out of the glass. The palate matches the nose with beautiful, round, acidity and round rich long finish. Photos of, their tasting room and Calistoga vineyard. Delicious tonight! — 8 years ago

Martyn Etherington

9.1

Fall in Dallas = Late Summer in most places. Crisp, dry and very drinkable Provence rose.. probably last of this year. — 9 years ago

Kimberly Woods

9.6

This wine is absolutely lovely! This is one you can definitely drink solo! It has a nice oak finish and is extremely smooth! It's a must try! Only a few places sell it! If your in Snellville, GA go to Niko's Wine Corner!! — 9 years ago

Lori Richman

9.2

Love this very well balanced tasty cab — 9 years ago

Alex Alan

Wine Director Hotel Delmano

9.4

2010. Curves in all the right places. — 10 years ago

Jimmy Hayes

Estate Director Mayacamas Vineyard

9.0

Vibrant and racy. Ripe sweet nose but seriously mineral. Lemon candy and stones. Love being introduced to new wines in far away places. — 10 years ago

Steven H

8.9

Spring time in foreign places. Bitten by bugs (in a nice way). Just peachy. — 10 years ago

with Jana

Jim Nelson

9.4

A light, beautiful, slightly grassier version of Pošip and one of the best I've had. (Everything here is Marko Polo this, Marko Polo that, cuz he is said to have been born in Korcula, tho other places brag same) — 11 years ago

with Camille

Magnavita Cellars

9.6

Pretty little Brunello. A delicate little flower that is sexy & subtle, while still being intense in all the right places. Aromas & flavors were focused on cherry vanilla & chocolate with oregano notes. Soft, pretty & cozy. — 11 years ago