Sherwin Taghdiri

9.1

Has a nice deep fragrance cherry, chocolate and leather and balsamic!
Has rich flavor of spice, dark cherries, and dark chocolates. Spice lingers on the palate, but remains smooth. — 8 months ago

with Boris and Renny

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

When I’m not drinking a Napa Cab, I reach for a Jordon. Blend of 80% Cab Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot & 2% Malbec, aged 13 months in 100% French oak (35% new). Deep Ruby with aromas of red fruit, floral and an array of herb spices. On the palate flavors of cherry, blackberry and fig with oak, vanilla spice, leather and cacao notes. Rich fine tannins, well balanced and integrated with fruit and oak. Very Nice! Will age well. Just had this with a fillet mignon, Nice! — 10 months ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

From a great looking bottle with a fill almost into the neck. Double decanted and left in the bottle for 5 hours before attacking it. Amber color. Good weight and haunting nose. Notes of old cedar, mocha, plums, cola, dark fruit, molasses and some sweet red cherry. Early on it’s all about the amazing nose. But with time the wine gains weight and you have a gorgeous old St Estephe in front of you. Still giving its all, and although the fruit is somewhat faded, this has complexity and structure that still drives the experience. And that nose is simply stunning. Great showing. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

The 30th Anniversary of this signature wine grapes Puente Alto vineyard, deep Ruby with aromas of dark fruits and espresso notes, a blend of 98% Cab Sauv & 2% aged for 15 month in French oak (66% new). On the palate flavors of black cherry and  blackberry with herb, tobacco and smoky oak spice notes. Firm tight tannins, long finish ending with fruit, cacao and toasty spice, needs time to develop, cellar a while! Tasting Sample! — 4 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.2

Interesting to compare these wines tonight. With 3 years of age on the Ratti it shows in the obvious areas. Color is leaning brown. Cherry and rose are giving way to earthy flavors. It's obviously impossible to determine if the younger wine would exceed the Pio Cesare 3 years, but given it's current complexity, I'm giving the nod to Ratti.

92 points — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Night 1 of the Fall WNH event in San Antonio. What a killer start to the extended weekend, all courtesy to Shawn and Jennifer for hosting! Tonight was Italian wines.

Another in the running for WOTN. Maple and rich! Cherry and vanilla tobacco on the nose with herbal spice and a strawberry tart finish. Young and acidic! There is a very underripe red fruit dominant profile here. Crazy how young it tastes for 23yrs old. Bravo @Shawn R ! — 7 years ago

with Mike, David and 5 others

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A redo after that disappointing 2002 Pichon Lalande two weeks ago on #steakandclaret night. While this is not again what I expect from this producer, it is better than the 02. Nose of cedar, fresh tobacco, stones and dry soil, quiet baking baking spices, ripe & lean; blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate, hues of blueberries, light mushroom, soft leather, black licorice cola and fresh red florals. The body is leaner to medium and well resolved. The fruits are fresh & bright. Dark cherries, cherries, lean blackberries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate & cranberry juice, hues of blue fruits, saddle-wood, sweet suede leather, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar, dry stones, top soil & rich turned dark earth, limestone minerals, dry stems, slight touch of dry herbs, round, mouthwatering acidity and lean, long, well balanced fruit & earth, good structured finish with length. Finish lasts a full minute. Still 8-10 years of good drinking ahead. 9.3 with the ribeye. — 8 years ago

Megan Russell

9.0

On the nose, I smell cherry and vanilla. Tasting wise, it's very smooth. Not super tannic, more juicy. Notes of blackberry and cherry. — 9 years ago

Joe Lucca

8.9

Spring flowers and dried herbs on the nose. Tart cherry, black plum, and raspberry. Tons of minerals!!!! Himalayan salt, crushed slate, wet river rocks. A trip beneath the earth's crust in the shadow of Etna. This has the grip and saline acidity to cut through richness. Might be a good match with grilled sausages. Or a foil to long simmered tomato sauce. — 9 years ago

with Diana

John W

9.6

Deep ruby coloration. No translucency. On the nose, blackberry, black cherry, plum, leather and florals. On the palate, complex and layered, with strong minerality, florals, spice, black cherry, plum and black berry with long finish of fruit and florals. Full bodied and balanced tannins. — 8 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.2

Pale ruby color. Aromas of cherry, raspberry and sandalwood. Such a great Pinot. Black and red fruit on the palate, great structure, hint of black tea on the finish. — 9 months ago

Jon Ebsworth

9.2

Light and supple with earthy cherry finish on the palate. — 2 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.7

Blend of Tempranillo with 19% Mazuelo (Cariñena), unusually high, each aged separately for 26 months (Temp-American / Mazuelo-French), pronounced bouquet of berry fruits with complex spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry, cherry and plum flavors, well balanced, with pepper, cinnamon and slight tobacco. Long finish, tight tannins ending with fruit and an earthy mineral character. Outstanding, will age for years and will improve in the bottle! — 4 years ago

Will Stanley

9.6

I’ve been itching to try Il Poggione’s 2015 Brunello since buying a case this time last year. I could count on one hand how many Brunellos I’ve had in the past, so this was exciting from the POV not just of this being a very highly rated wine, but from it being a new experience and foray into the world of Tuscany.

It has a translucent crimson robe, with aromas of dried cherry, tobacco, cedar, iron, beef blood and from somewhere an aromatic lift of lavender.

The palate is defined by vivacious acidity, mouthwatering tannin and a core of candied cherry, walnut, dark chocolate, espresso, all cut to a very savoury tune.

Very, very long life ahead. Would love to taste this alongside Produttori del Barbaresco’s 2016 Barbaresco in ten years’ time. — 4 years ago

Andrew Lohse

9.0

Red cherry, red plum / American oak for days—coconut, dill, vanilla / slightly dried quality on the fruit. Delicious. — 5 years ago

David Kline

9.2

Mocha, violets, baked plum, cherry juice, orange. Bright cherry on the palate, from ripe to tart, with ginger snap and espresso notes that sharpen to dried cherry and cranberries. #Carparzo #brunello #Tuscany #montalchino #italianwine #sangiovese — 7 years ago

with Courtney

Bret Barker

9.4

Big Tig fan. Hard to go wrong with this wine. Tannins are more subtle and it is more elegant. Usually young tignanello are straight forward super Tuscan powerhouses but this has a lot going on with cherry, spice , a little cedar with mineral at the end. — 7 years ago

Colin Cahoon

9.4

Classic Rioja. Dark cherry and blackberry nose with cigar box in the background. More dark cherry, plum, leather and mocha on the palate. Chewy tannins and lingering acid through the finish. Powerful but balanced from start to finish. — 8 years ago

Eric Guido

9.4

The nose was dark with woodsy floral tones offset by red berry, leather, hints of clove and star anise. It was soft with silky textures on the palate. Youthful but not tannic with perfectly balanced acidity enlivening flavors of tart cherry, spice, and minerals. The finish showed it's youthful structure with dried red fruits, inner floral tones and hints of cedar. This is beautiful and just entering what is sure to be a long drinking window. — 9 years ago

Jiga Hitorn

9.6

Cherry tobacco, good acidity. Like a top Bordeaux — 10 years ago

Tom Garland

9.4

Decant for sediment(lots of fine/cloudy sediment) and pour. A majestic tawny dark red color. On the nose: sweet port like with dried plum/cherry, herbaceous, rich soil, mushroom, pepper. Taste: Amazing! juicy, refined, balanced, savory wine with dried cherry, black raspberry, earth, tobacco, mint, and a nice mocha baking spice medium plus finish. YUM! Still delivering at 44 years, and glad to have a few more bottles. — 9 months ago

with Brenda

Jay Kline

9.1

It has been a little over a year since my last note on the 2018 vintage. Popped and poured, enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2018 pours a pale garnet with transparent core; medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with delicate notes of funky cherry, rose water, tar and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. A touch thinner than some of the “bigger” vintages but no less charming. I’m sort of a sucker for the 2018 vintage in how enjoyable these are to drink in their youth. Drink now through 2038 — 10 months ago

ESF

9.3

Yeah yeah, I know this is not considered a great vintage, but this is a Cracking Claret! Leaner in style and not a verbose powerhouse, it still delivers an elegant rendition of traditional Pauillac flavors. The cherry was more like kirsch liqueur, the cassis, graphite, leather, gravel, tobacco, the bay leaf... all beautifully delineated and intense. The mid palate was polished to perfection. Tannins are sturdy enough but seamless & integrated. The finish persists and invites another drink. Got these on a great deal from K&L back in the day and glad I did! In a great drinking window right now. — 4 years ago

Mindy Woytasczyk

9.0

Delicious! Leather and cherry on the nose. Smooth Tuscan flavor. — 4 years ago

with Kara and Jared

Frank Kuo

9.2

Color of dark purple, ruby, and a bit brown note on the rim. Nose of dark fruits, tobacco leaves, spice, and indeed some strawberry. Taste is sweet! Zest, cherry, , spice, marginal tannins come next. Quite milky. Aftertaste is also a bit spicy, tobacco leaves, and just a bit too watery. Too sweet for me but may be a good one in the party. — 6 years ago

Septentrio Winery

9.2

Great Rioja Reserva! The Grenache and prominence of new American oak are the highlight. Aromas of toasted almond, soft leather and summer plum. Pomegranate, late summer cherry and spice on the palate with a hint of brown spice. Tannins are soft. Best if you’re looking for a white meat pairing as it seems like about 30-50% garnache. Nice little break from all the Tempranillo tannins — 7 years ago

Oscar Aparicio

9.3

Very fruity on the nose. Strong notes of cherry, blackberry, and blueberry. Very bold and juicy but has a very smooth and elegant finish. — 8 years ago

with Emily

Joyce Lin

8.9

Purple/red flower on the nose, candied cherry, tiny touch of black pepper, thyme, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, medium plus tannin, a touch of tobacco, cocoa powder, beautiful and velvety. A very nice Chinon. Had pasta asparagus/mushroom pasta with anchovy garlic butter sauce with it. It's a wonderful pairing. — 9 years ago

Steve Haro

9.4

Massive and loaded with fruit. Boysenberry and roasted fig dominate the nose with a dark cherry and loamy palette. Huge, long, tannic finish. Lots of years on this one. Definitely opened it too early. — 10 years ago

John-Louis Kronfeld

9.2

Beautiful aromas of milk chocolate covered cherries with a cherry liquor note. Undertones of leather and vanilla. The palate is soft, juicy. Dry on the finish and showcases the ripe black fruits, creamy oak and fine grained tannins. — 11 years ago