Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, and half a % each of Malbec and Merlot, aged 15 months in 33% new French oak, 51% of fruit from Atlas Peak District, deep Ruby with aromas of vibrant dark fruit, sweet spice and herbs. On the palate flavors of cherry and blackberry with tobacco spice, toasty oak, cinnamon and floral notes. Fine tannins, long finish ending with fruit, spice, cedar, mocha and mineral character, Nice, should age well. — 9 months ago

Lyn Farmer

9.4

From magnum, the wine offers an explosion of black fruit with a lovely violet, black cherry and cassis foundation. There is a hint of bay leaf and emerging tertiary notes of leather, forest floor and cigar box. Cedar emerges on a long finish. Very elegant, silky Tannins and beautiful weight in the mouth. Truly elegant with a textbook balance of grit and earthy character. Gorgeous now and for another decade at least. — 4 years ago

Hayden Hamilton

9.0

Waiting a long time on this one. Brought back from Chile in 2005. Not a huge cab fan but this is impressive. We’ll structured and complex. Tobacco, black pepper, dark cherry, caramel apple, spice and almost a tawny port finish and color. — 4 years ago

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. — 7 years ago

Daniel Kozaczuk

9.5

Wow, incredible, and still holding up after all these years. Upon opening, basically no fruit, all secondary characteristics, especially on the nose. As it opened up, some dark cherry appeared and eventually the nose and palate came together. A sensory journey 48 Years in the making and a pleasure to partake. — 8 years ago

with John, Spencer and 1 other

Rob Chen

9.5

Drinkable now or lay down. Plum, leather, dark cherry. Jordan cabs are classics and always reliable. What got me hooked on wine. — 9 years ago

Brett Fromme

9.5

Decanted 2 hours. A fantastic Tuscan IGT that will impress even the most discerning wine lovers. Nose of herbs meat and subtle cherry. On the palate dark fruits, herbs, meat, and loads of spice. Very complex. — 10 years ago

John W

9.0

Dark ruby coloration. On the nose, cherry, plum, spice, leather, and chocolate. On the palate, mirrors the nose. Full body, not nearly the same complexity or lengthy finish as the grand reserve, but a nice value wine. — 9 months ago

Scott E. Becker

9.1

[Tasted on July 25, 2022 at Santo in Nashville with Rachel]

Red plum and cherry fruit with iron, licorice, spice, chalk and leather. Fuller style of Brunello. Well balanced and integrated. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Deep Ruby with aromas of red fruits, cedar and floral spice. On the palate flavors of cherry and raspberry with toasty notes and cinnamon spice. Aged in French oak (about 50% new). Full-bodied, fine texture and tannins, long finish ending with fruit and toasty character. Nice! — 4 years ago

Severn G

9.6

Happy Father's Day 2020 to all; I'm posting pictures of our fur-kids, an independent and somewhat self-interested bunch. Two boys (9) and two girls (3), all rescued from various locations across the East Coast of the US. They generally bring the utmost of joy to my life on a daily basis.

Nose has blackberry jam on moist leather, minor cedar, very light barnyard notes, grilled blackberry,
blueberry compote, brewed dark roasted coffee, wet garden soil, chocolate vines candy and dried orange peel.

Palate has over-ripe blackberry, wet tanned leather, dark chocolate syrup, dehydrated black cherry, chocolate covered blueberry and moist cedar.

Silky smooth, intense finish running +2m, still showing tannins. Expect this bottle to easily hold another 10+ years without concern, in proper storage.

Decanted ~5h. Paired with well salted (in advance), medium-rare, grilled NY strip steaks from my favorite, local farmer in Columbia Co. NY (Kinderhook Farm) and sauted, early season, baby squash in ozro with our garden herbs.

INAUGURAL vintage on this wine, I certainly didn't realize that fact when we bought it in September 2005! This has been in storage for the prior 15 years, just coming back home in January 2020.

Merlot 50% / Cabernet Sauvignon 40% / Petit Verdot 10% — 5 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. — 9 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. — 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. — 12 years ago

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9.3

The bottle of 2014 Pontet-Canet showed better than the previous one at the 10-Year-On tasting in London. This offers much more restraint on the nose. It's quite precise, with greater mineralité seeping through the black cherry and cassis fruit. The palate has a sorbet-fresh entry, fine tannins and a silky sheen. The oak is fully subsumed after a decade, plus there is a little more depth on the finish compared to previous showings. This is a fine example of the vintage, and bottles should drink well over the next 12 to 15 years. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the Pontet-Canet dinner in Washington DC. (Neal Martin, Vinous, June 2024)
— a year 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. — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

Catching up on my March Issue of Decanter, which, among other things, celebrates the wines of Spain from regions such as Rioja, Toro, Rias Baixas, Alicante, Manchuela, Valencia, and Jumilla. 🍷🍷🍷 This Issue reminds me of how much I have yet to explore in this country. 🇪🇸 It inspired me to have a glass of Rioja made from the Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) grapes.

👁 This wine has a medium ruby hue with garnet rim variation. 👃 It has a medium intensity of developing aromas. 👄 Aroma and flavor notes are concentrated and include black cherry, red currant, plum sauce, violet, black licorice, anise, balsamic vinegar, black olive, sweet tobacco, leather, cedar, nutmeg, vanilla, clove, earth, and peat. This wine has medium acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, and a medium(+) finish. It’s complex; it has finesse.

This wine is from La Rioja Alta, S.A., Viña Ardanza, Reserva 2012, with an ABV of 14.5%. This wine is predominately Tempranillo (78%), coming from 30-year-old vines, which is blended with Garnacha (Grenache) (22%). It has extended American oak aging.

I have tried numerous wines from this producer – La Rioja Alta, S.A. – and have loved them all. — 5 years ago

with Deked1

LM Segal

9.3

These are now required purchases in any good CC year. Cherry-wood nose, some oak. Velvety dark cherry fruit, light on the acid but just enough to frame the beautiful core of toasty oak, baking chocolate, dark earth. Years to go. — 8 years ago

Matt Duncan

9.8

Light garnet color bordering on delicate with fine sediment. Musty almond paste on closed nose. Tart apricot, cherry pie. Clover, allspice finish. Lingering menthol appears with time. So many more notes rise and fall with food. Soft, luscious, curious and lovely. — 10 years ago

Madeline Puckette

9.0

look: pale ruby red core with slightly garnet rim.  medium viscosity.

smell: medium intensity aromas of roasted red bell pepper, allepo pepper flake, raspberry sauce, roasted jalapeno.  overall, sweet and ripe fruit smells followed by slight iron-like gravel note.

taste: medium + acidity, nearly high acidity, medium - tannin, flavors of smoked tomato, sour cherry, ending with a note of sweet dried/roasted pepper.  

profile: flavor is 'bursty' and drops out quickly and then hangs in a very subtle low way on the palate.  
purchased with Somm Select. honestly, it could have cellared a few more years. — 11 years ago