Rick Jordan

9.0

VINTAGE: 2004
BOTTLE: 375ml
APPEARANCE: Deep red, garnet meniscus, viscous legs.
NOSE: Allspice, white pepper, bell pepper, dark fruits.
MOUTHFEEL: Round, medium - acidity, medium + tannins.
PALATE: Cinnamon, tomato leaf, leather, hints of vanilla.
FINISH: Long with sandalwood throughout and some cocoa at the very end.
NOTES: Picked this up in December of 2017, thinking the 375 bottle will have made this ready to drink immediately. Was not wrong, it is drinking well, but there is sufficient backbone left in this wine to age for many more years to come, even in a 375. Nice layers of complexity that were fun to tease out, but still many notes that I don’t yet have the ability to properly identify. I look forward to trying again with more years under its belt. — 8 years ago

Ebbe Bonde Soerensen

9.5

A wonderful color, nose fantastic multiplex, a hint of oak but also minerals and fatness, taste delicious velvet fullbodied Chardonnay , is approachable but needs more time to develope more complexity. — 9 years ago

Kevin Bohlin

9.4

Ive tasted this 3 times now with different degrees of air and it's been beautiful and elegant each time. Great complexity and still showing fresh fruit but so many lovely layers around it. — 10 years ago

Susan Lin

Business Development Belmont Wine Exchange, WSET Diploma candidate

9.5

Powerful and laser focused, great acidity and freshness combined with mature complexity flavors of warm, cooked red and black fruits. Strong earthy and savory undertone - slightly damp. Showing well for the vintage! — 10 years ago

with Steven

Marty Mathis

9.9

Near to perfect as can be. IMO a $68.00 well spent (30 yrs ago). So moving in its complexity, refinement and sophistication. No where near decline. So inviting; I just wanted to dive my soul into the glass. Bravo! — 10 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.4

2004 vintage. Lunch with Gerard Basset at Hotel TerraVina. 1 hour decant. Dark ruby hue. Wonderful nose of leather, sweet spices, roasted meats, mulberry and blackberry, dark chocolate and licorice. Although developing still very fresh and youthful despite the obvious complexity of aromas. On the palette, the tannins hit you hard - grippy; high acidity that starts off quite searing but with air becomes rounder and attractive. Medium plus body and full concentration. Long finish. Gerard loved it and so did I! — 11 years ago

David Speer

9.4

Powerful wine with lots of complexity and depth. — 11 years ago

DrinkBordeaux

9.6

Impressive complexity and concentration. Nose of dark ripe fruit, truffle, and violet. Silky smooth palate, round tannins. Enjoyable now, but will really improve with time! — 12 years ago

Mike Evans

9.5

The classic Haut Brion nose of tobacco and minerals roars from the glass, though still pretty tannic and tight on the palate. Air smooths it out and brings out more complexity. — 12 years ago

Mark Gunning

9.2

Classic Musar complexity on the nose. Not as tannic as the 2005 and a bit more approachable than the last vintage. Lots of black fruits. Still lots of ageing potential. — 12 years ago

Michael Patrone

9.2

Well balanced tannins. Decent amount of alcohol. Mild complexity. — 9 years ago

Jon Ruyle

9.6

Amazing complexity. Dark fruit, and a finish in which herbs dominate minerals. Tons going on throughout the finish. — 9 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.2

Deep garnet red with lots of bricking on the edges. Light cassis and dark cherries on the nose with some tertiary notes like earthiness and damp leaves. Moderate tannins (6.5/10) and full bodied. Lots of complexity with light cassis and dark cherries, a little bit of tomato leaves and earthiness. Very well rounded and integrated with a long finish. This will only keep losing fruit and get earthier with time. Drink now. — 10 years ago

with Sean and India

Rebecca Fletcher

9.1

2005 vintage. Blackberry, black cherry, earth, mushroom, black olive. M acid and body. M+ intensity, round tannin, finish and complexity. — 10 years ago

Stacey Bressler

9.4

Lovely complexity.
— 10 years ago

Jason Kissane

9.5

A great champagne! Lovely toast, complexity and very fine bubbles - 1996 vintage — 11 years ago

John Osgood

9.5

Disgorged 2011. Drinking excellent with a profound nose. Great texture on the palate with layers of complexity. The best bottle of Initial that I've had to date. — 11 years ago

with K

David Singer

Sommelier/Wine Educator LibationEducation

8.9

Who knew B.Gros could age? Oak has integrated, cranberry,
Forest floor, cola, sandalwood, Alc is almost unbalanced, fine grain tannin. Solid complexity/finish — 11 years ago

Lesa Gough

9.1

Lovely jammy fruit, but made with restraint. Decent complexity and nice balance , great with food. — 12 years ago

Robert Cunningham

Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop

9.4

Really wonderful classic Rioja. Opens after 1 hour. Superb depth and complexity. — 12 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.5

This wine has it all! Great purity, complexity & elegance from the master of Cornas. — 9 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.9

OMG! This wine has it all. Amazing power, complexity, structure and aromatics. — 9 years ago

Alex Xu

9.8

Sublime depth and complexity, mushroom, leather, black pepper, charcuterie, intergrated with beautiful red and black fruit. Beautiful texture and weight - rounded but with good heft. Lots of oomph — 10 years ago

Charles (Chad) Bucklin

Owner and founder of C. T. Bucklin Wine Advising

9.9

My first #chateaurayas and now I understand the hype. Very Burgundian in style but this is just a unique wine deserving its own category. This wine had profound complexity and was perfectly balanced. It is so young. #chateauneufdupape #southernrhone #rhonevalley #grenache #ctbucklinwine — 10 years ago

Brian Filip

9.0

Dark inky purple. Strong aroma immediately upon open. Bold and silky smooth, but very much fruit driven. Pretty much just jammy blackberry and blueberry. A little sweet. Enjoyable and decadent, but would have liked a little more complexity. Probably just too young?
— 10 years ago

Ryan Bonnici

9.3

Delicate and rich with meaty nuttiness. A superfine bead, there is plenty of toast, dried fruit and hazelnut complexity. Magnificent! — 11 years ago

Fabien Lainé

Blogger VinDeling.com

9.5

A brilliant vintage such as 98, an excellent wine well balanced with beautiful structure, complexity around a fine fruit and garrigue notes, generous it needs time in a carafe to get better - displaying a magnificent it gives nice maturity and a dense wine with power — 11 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.6

Wow. Fresh as a daisy. Young and elegant with chalky, iodine notes. Good complexity. Don't even think about opening this baby for another decade. — 11 years ago

John Skupny - Lang & Reed Wine Company

9.6

Expressive without being effusive - great complexity - a joy with Bar Terra slices of Toro & Lobster ravioli! — 12 years ago

Yoon Ha

Master Sommelier/Wine Director Benu

9.8

So much life here, energy and freshness to spare. Lovely mature fruits, woodsy complexity over a velour texture. — 12 years ago