Jerry Raphael

9.2

What a wine and did not show it’s 43 year age at all. The color was very dark with no brick edge. The nose was a bit subdued but had the typical berries, herbs and meat notes that carried over to a very tasty wine. The finish was okay not super long but long enough.

I started buying Beaucastel maybe a few years before this 1978 vintage and in Parker’s reviews of the 1978 vintage was a consistent hold but he did change his mind years down the road and said it was over the hill; well not by a long shot. I constantly purchased 2 or 3 bottle of every vintage till the price was out on my reach in 2001. I also had visited the winery in about 1990. The real kicker with this vintage is the current price estimates of $150 to about $250, current vintages run $80+ and I purchased this bottle for $11.99.
— 3 years ago

with Matt and Barbara

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

EnRoute established in the RRV in 2007 by the partners of Far Niente. Les Pommiers introduced in May 2009 and reflects a blend of vineyards from Green Valley and upper Middle Reach area of RRV AVA. Complex fruit aromas, cedar and mineral notes. On the palate cherry and cranberry flavors with tobacco and toasty oak, rich structured tannins. Nice mouthfeel, zesty crisp acidity ending with fruit, mineral and oak character. Nice! Tasting Sample. — 6 years ago

Chinmoy Saha

9.0

Not a big fan of white wine. This 2005 one is really special one. The color, clarity, nose and body is top quality. — 7 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.2

My favorite vintage so far of the non-cru Ronchi blend. The purity of fruit in good vintages is highly charming and seductive. Briefly decanted before dining on veal saltimbocca, the wine is proving to be forward enough for young drinking but won’t reach prime time for another few years. Rivals the 2010 at this early stage. — 7 years ago

Becky Gelber

9.4

Earthy spicy bold plum & berry — 8 years ago

Henrik Poulsen

9.3

I have been surprised more than once over how certain vintages of Lafite can seem muted for a long time and then miraculous bounce back and show fantastic at 30+ years.
That being said I doubt this will ever reach the 98-100 range for me....
(1995 enjoyed a few months ago was in a different league). — 8 years ago

with Kenneth

Ben Sacks

9.2

Very consistent Cab. While not a single-vineyard, I find its a solid expression of lush fruit and silky "Rutherford Dust" tannins. The '12 was pretty silky, I wouldn't reach for it to accompany a dinner but it's a crowd-pleaser on its own. — 8 years ago

Michael Mugmon

9.9

One of the last of the Chandler bottles before the winery was sold to Ferrari Carano. Truly outstanding. — 4 years ago

with Amy

Matthew Cohen

9.3

So... very interesting.

Blind I would guess a really elegant northern Rhône maybe except for the kiss of green apple. Balanced. But not acidic. Very Mineral. Rich. Delicious. But not typical. Which is fine.

It’s not what I would reach for if I wanted a standard Chablis. But it’s delicious. You should be collecting wines from this producer every year. And this is a awesome wine to have in a vertical.

Bought from fass selections. — 5 years ago

Doug

9.6

Open and drink! Traditionally you’d need to breathe an hour to reach full potential but this 2013?is ready to go! A bargain under $25 2013 vintage — 6 years ago

Lucas Wittmann

9.4

So elegant and regal. One of their best vintages. Well stored bottles need another 5 years to reach apogee. — 7 years ago

Kris Dahl

9.2

Nice with a bit of spice. — 8 years ago

Tierney H

9.2

2012 vintage, just as good as the 2013. Paired with a lasagna. — 8 years ago

Doctor No

9.3

A great wine in an underappreciated vintage. This hits all the classic high end Bordelaise notes of clean cassis fruit, bits of graphite and a light and almost imperceptible bit of green pepper. The nose is complex and lush and beginning to reach maturity but quite a bit of fruit still remains. Decent core of acidity and tannins still not fully resolved suggest this will continue to age well, but this comes across really well for 12y old. — 8 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

As the summer is slipping out of our hands, its time to to pop those complex reds that we’ve been lastning for. Produttori del Barbaresco is considered one of the best cooperatives in the world and its 2016 Barbaresco is a solid proof of that statement.
Restrained at first and needs a couple of hours in the decanter to reach its climax. True to its provenance its clasically crafted, and puts up complex profile of red cherries, rose hip, strawberries, spice, bitter orange and a volatile dried floral lift over a canvas of wet soil.
An offensive approach on the palate with a high acidity and a generous portion of mouth coating tannins that is well accompanied by a pronounced fruit profile with an evolving finish. Very good indeed, but is a couple of level behind to reach the higher tiers. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Last night, a buddy of mine who’s a Disabled Veteran and Registered Architect, announced that he was assuming control of a SDVOSB Architecture firm. He had spent the better part of a year of trying to reach a purchase agreement. So it was an evening of celebration. He’s been a Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars fan for some time and he planned to pull the cork on a few bottles. We had a couple of rando bottles too but all were California Cabernet Sauvignon. I brought this bottle. It was part of my most recent delivery from Seavey and I was curious to try it out. Well...it was clearly infanticide. This was reductive at first and most of that blew off after about fifteen minutes. This was just so wound up. Delicious, fresh and almost crunchy fruit with a lot of structure. This was very bright compared to the Heart of Fay that preceded and just fell a touch short due to it being somewhat reticent. That being said, cellar time will be very kind to these and I would imagine this will show better down the road or with a lot of air, which this didn’t get. — 6 years ago

Christina Ahlheim

9.2

Love. Fav wine there! — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.7

Colour of burnished copper. Notes of strawberry raspberry and tomato leaf. On palate savoury strawberry notes with hints of toffee minerals and a touch of honey. The blend varies between 60 to 70% Pinot Noir and 30 to 40% Chardonnay - zero Pinot Meunière. A full bodied Champagne of profound intensity which assaults all of the senses and will easily reach its 20th Birthday. The full package and stunningly good. Like all great wines It changed over time showing different nuances and flavours. — 7 years ago

Noel Geisen

9.2

Elegant and powerfull. Great wine, still lots of tannine, needs a few more years to reach it's peak but already delicious. — 8 years ago

Kasu Sista

9.8

Beautiful wine. Very balanced with the right amounts of fruit, acidity, alcohol and very silky tannins. Inky purple. Six years old and drinking nicely. Probably another 5 or more to reach peak. Every bit a Monte Bello. — 8 years ago