Bloody Amateur

9.5

Not a “Bordeaux guy” but that may be because I don’t/can’t get my hands on the real stuff. This was pretty revelatory. More floral and delicate and sensuous than I could’ve imagined for a broad category our server called “cigar-box.” — 7 years ago

with Gaurav

Kevin Ortzman

9.1

Such a reliable wine - sour cherries, cedar tobacco box with slight ash. Simply fantastic! — 9 years ago

Laura Diefenderfer

9.0

Great taste. Not dry. Smooth with a hint of blackberry. Ideally paired with a medium rare steak. — 9 years ago

Matt

9.4

Dusty, cigar ash, R. Apple skins, dried earth, spices, dried herbs, smoke. Structurally this wine is very sound with vibrant acid and tannin still holding on. Almost Nebbiolo-like in texture and elegance. Very pretty and beautiful. — 9 years ago

Jayme Henderson-Steese

9.9

What a treat. This wine is tasting spectacular right now. Dried herbal notes, cigar box, faint fruitcake notes, cedar, teakwood, cassis, plums, forest floor. Elegant and lean with a bright, red-fruit driven finish. #leovillebarton #1996 #bordeaux #stjulien — 10 years ago

with Steve

Antoine Pin

Wine Buyer Kroger/QFC

8.9

Pass! Looks too much like Chocolate Shop. $17 / 88pts — 12 years ago

Paul Koplitz

9.0

Best box wine I’ve had. Worth every penny. — 7 years ago

Alex Tso

9.2

A classic. — 7 years ago

Charles Rivas

9.2

Herbacious with cigar box notes and evolved fruit. A showing beautifully right now. — 9 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

10

To me the most complex wine of the night offering a deep cerebral experience, with what I thought of as a berry bouquet garni was the 2000 Haut-Brion. The most contemplative, while also a deeply pleasurable wine, offered layers of classic Bordeaux notes of toast, coffee, currants, cassis, subtle & smokey campfire embers, cigar box...the list goes on and most of that was in the nose. The palate was texturally seamless, packed and stacked with structure that never got in the way, though you would notice it on the finish letting you know it was there.

2005 was locked up and unrelenting at first, the second go an hour later was more repenting but it was still not nudging much. A thoroughly excellent wine, but just not revealing much beyond the hints of its greatness.

#hautbrion #pessacleognan #bordeaux #wine — 9 years ago

Lisa Hallgren

9.6

1976 Vintage. Pretty amazing. Iron & earth, tobacco, cigar box, straw, dried prunes, and dried savory. All the good stuff. — 10 years ago

Sean Fischa

9.1

My new house wine — 11 years ago

Lisa Kinser

10

Great with Thanksgiving dinner! — 12 years ago

Guillermo Camacho

9.2

Wine held up extremely well for age, maintained concentration but still complexified. Dark blue/red fruit, spice box, and chocolate on the nose. An ensemble of fruit on the palate with an amazing acidity that continued to tease out nuances. Extra .1 for showing it’s ability to age gracefully. — 7 years ago

Peter Brush

8.9

Lots of cigar, leather, forest floor. Fruit is mostly in the distant background. Drink now. — 8 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

Kyle Groombridge

9.3

"I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon"... I can see why Nicolas Alexandre Marquis de Segur said these iconic words after having this wine in my glass. The nose is so inviting with warm spice, cigar smoke, embers, and toast. Raspberry syrup, plums, vanilla, and toffee on the palate. Nice thread of smoke throughout with nice balancing fresh fruit. What an enjoyable wine! 20 months in new oak - obviously the more accessible style the new owners are going for... the Pinot the other night gave an experience, this one tells a story. — 9 years ago

PJ

9.5

Great way to warm up on a 20 degree night! 🍷 — 11 years ago

Mark Yandle

9.1

A bit past it's prime, but delicious regardless. Leather and mild cigar on the nose along with subtle floral notes. Fruit flavours were very light blackberry and plum. Very warm earthy tones. Tannins were all but gone. A great way to celebrate a birthday! — 11 years ago

Rachel Hughes

9.0

Shiraz (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (23%), Merlot (7%)
2009
Padthaway, Australia — 13 years ago