Tom Garland

9.4

Double decant (lots of chunky sediment) and pour. A noble dark garnet color with little browning on the edges. On the nose: beautiful.....that sweet aged cab aroma with blue fruit, black olives, green veggies, eucalyptus, crushed rocks. Taste: Red plum, chocolate espresso, pencil lead, some blackberry. Beautiful sweet tannins coat the mouth....such a elegant, rich wine with a long finish. — 5 years ago

with Brenda

Sean Lowry

9.0

2008v. Deep garnet color. After a few minutes to open up, there's deep Bing cherries, purple plum, and dusty cocoa powder. On the palette, there's juicy fruit but not too bright- leans more dry old world style. Good acidity Despite 11yrs of age, soft tannins coat your mouth with a melty grip. Dark earth on the long finish. 14% ABV. Overall, a very well balanced and satisfying Malbec that's a little darker and more brooding than you typically get in a Malbec. — 6 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.5

On this Easter night we have opened the 2009 Philip Togni Tanbark Hill Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon which has gone over very well.

The nose is very expressive with rich luscious aromas of black cherry, blackberry, black currant, black pepper, licorice, pimento, mint and earth.

At first sip on the palate brings rich dark fruit of black cherry, blackberry, black currant then the green bell pepper comes through with black pepper, licorice and rich earth.

This is a full bodied wine with medium + acidity and medium + gripping tannins that coat the tongue which leads to a long beautiful finish. A well blended wine that is very pleasing and has many years ahead of it. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. The new week is ahead so please be safe and make it an eventful one. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 7 years ago

Bill Bender

9.3

Birthday dinner for a '77 and '90 tonight. Celebrated at Addison and indulged in the chef's choice menu. I'm not sure how many courses we had--12, 13, 14??--but it was the single most foundation shaking culinary experience I've ever experienced. If you are ever in Del Mar do yourself a favor and dive in mouth and feet first! The Martha's was full of sumptuous fruit, dusty tannins and fun funk. None of the tell tale eucalyptus or menthol but a very fun treat. — 8 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.0

A beautiful take on a southern blend. This sat alongside some heavy hitters from the Rhone & held up beautifully. Fresh ripe strawberry notes coat the palate. Silky & easy to enjoy. — 8 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.1

Has the roundness & oxidative qualities of the Tondonia Blanco, but is more generous & approachable in youth. Hazelnut & lemon notes coat the palate. Aromatics aren't as forward, but still show some pretty florals & lemony notes. Always a treat to drink this producer's wines. — 8 years ago

with Robert

Scott Wetzel

9.4

2000 Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte. Nose of dry dusty earth with dried cherries. Color is plum red with lightish edges. Dried cherries coat the tongue with essences of french oak and cool gravel. Well rounded body with light tannins. Finishes balanaced with dryness, tart, cherries, and slight eucalyptus. Decanted two hours. 94. (1-5-2020) — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Had another bottle, Wow! Laura Catena, 4th gen winemaker, grew up in Argentine-Italian winemaking family in Mendoza. Wines, named after her children - Luca, Dante & Nicola - background of the label is the McDermott coat of arms of her American husband, Daniel McDermott. Single-vineyard wine from land belonging to the Laborde family. Deep red with big ripe fruits & smoky oak. Palate plum & jammy blackberry, spice with nice earthy character. Tannins are a bit rustic, lingering ending with toasty oak & spice. — 6 years ago

Robert Rothfield

9.4

Two hour decant and open for business....muted nose but exuberant black cherries and soft velvety tannins that coat the palate like cocoa powder....very satisfying — 7 years ago

David Kline

9.2

Sage, nutmeg, allspice, black currant, smoked blackberry and blackened plum with shimmering basalt, cedar and vintage tobacco. Medium mouthfeel with refined tannins, a blood-like iron taste, rich, black cherry and dried cranberry with a gritty, earthen coat. A sprinkle of graphite and nettle in a cedar box. #poderesapaio #bolgheri #italianredwine #rosso #thanksgivingwine #thanksgivingindulgence #thanksgiving — 7 years ago

with Courtney

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.2

Last wine for our wine pairing at Chef's Table this evening, paired with a prime beef tenderloin with morel mushrooms and a smoked garlic-potato puree.

Deep purplish ruby red. Layered nose with boysenberry jam, tons of spices, cinnamon and violets. Medium plus tannins (6.5/10) and medium plus bodied. Lacks a little oomph in the mid palate. Notes of blackberries, blackberries, vanilla and caramel. Long finish. Drink till 2026. — 8 years ago

with Sean and India

Paul Masson

9.2

Strikingly youthful. Deep garnet almost all the way to the rim. Complex aromatics of ripe berries, baking spices and licorice, lead, cedar and forest floor. Ample acidity brightens the palate, and regal, nearly-resolved tannins coat the mouth. Finely integrated and harmonious, this has plenty of life in it, but no reason to hold any longer. — 8 years ago

Scott Rowe

9.3

Quintessential Northern Rhone ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
So glossy it looks like it's been hit with a 2 pack clear coat!! — 8 years ago

Aloke Mukherjee

9.0

Wtf ... Missing again. This is SLH! — 5 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.4

Bright, full ruby-red. Highly complex, thoroughly ripe scents of black raspberry, cassis, dark plum, tar, tobacco, mocha and minerals, lifted by a violet topnote. Wonderfully suave and fine-grained but still quite youthful, spreading out to coat the palate without leaving any undue impression of weight. Shows a distinct black cherry medicinal reserve. This very smooth wine finishes with a broad dusting of ripe tannins and steadily building length. Approachable now owing to its successfully integrated acidity and tannins, but I'd rather give this beauty a bit more time in the cellar. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, July 2019) — 6 years ago

James Forsyth

9.4

Dear friends of ours, a couple so delightful in spirit that they adopt aged, abandoned dogs, clean them up and make sure they have the most sublime last few years of their lives, invited us over to visit their latest pooch. Their newly rescued fourteen year old terrier, Audrey, was looking vibrant with glossy coat and waggy tail. A far cry from the dusty critter from the shelter's photograph.

Audrey wasn't the only aging beauty that our friends shared with us that evening. They very kindly opened this 1986 Robert Mondavi. Despite its age, at thirty two the wine retained a good deal of freshness with focused aromatics. High toned fruit, dried leaves and subtle leather combine on the palate and evolve through the long finish. Like Audrey, my tail was wagging. — 7 years ago

with Cara

Anthony Lombardi

9.0

Sugar plum, & sappy ripe blackberries coat the palate. Nose shows some savory notes. Kinda surprised at the sweet rich fruit in the cool vintage. Good stuff though. — 8 years ago

David Kline

9.4

Light Sumatra coffee notes, with dark cocoa nib and baked red plum with a borderline persimmon coat on. A drop of night blooming jasmine surfacing briefly and African violet, and a fat lily thickness. There are baked cherries and a smoky paprika, too. Black cherry, that coils dustily into a toasty oak and resin dappled raspberry and roobios bitterness and fine grained tannins. #brunello #poggiocastellare #PianBossolino #italianwines #montalchino #Tuscany #riserva #wineallyouwant — 8 years ago

with Courtney

Eric B

9.0

Wine pairing dinner at Remy on Disney cruise. This was included as part of the French chef's food pairing. — 8 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.4

This comes from the personal label of vineyard manager Josh Clark and his wife Heather. Winemaker is Thomas Rivers Brown.

This is Samuel L. Jackson cast as Henry David Thoreau. A richly polished voice, with an attitude and a cadence that would even make gibberish entertaining. Beyond the ostensible hedonism, though, there's a substance that is layered, nuanced, and contemplative. But the former can certainly make it hard to focus on the latter.

Opens with some obvious, but not overpowering, malo butteriness which sets up perfectly for the blueberry pimp coat that takes center stage, surrounded by pencil shavings, crème de cassis, licorice, baked fig, and cigar box.
— 8 years ago