Peter Sultan

9.3

Broke out one of my cellared Raffaults for my homeboy who graced me with a home cooked Tuscan styled flank steak w rosemary & arugula, as well as Israeli cous cous w chickpeas, charred tomatoes, feta, & herbs. Light Cadmium red hued & strong color though ( good cork- not a guarantee w Raffault!); dense Hibiscus, fresh raspberry & some bramble on nose; on palate very clean & smooth mouthfeel, with the initial flavors repeated but a deeper blend of red fruits & a stronger presence of under brush. Super fresh & integrated. Elegant, & the Burgundy echo was hard to ignore. Not Uber complex but not monolithic either, which this line of Raffault can be in its youth ( or as it ages). Very impressive, & accessible now. Curious how my ‘02 & 07s will fare… — 22 days ago

with Owen

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.3

1630 bottles produced
Old school natural wine
Niccolaini was the avant-garde of the movement without ever being in it himself.
I got told stories of a farm with no electricity perhaps a decade ago or so
Massa Vecchia is appreciated for all its labels and you can find out which one is your favourite
Personally i am not a rose drinker, but i knew i wasn't going to be disappointed here
This is more like a Valentini cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, but even more extract, i dare to say if you sell this wine for a red nobody would argue.
It's funky to start, it gives you cola and china and its fresh and fun, plus very long and mineral.
Quite earthy perhaps not a precise fruit to define, but real good altogether
For my understanding this is the last vintage made by Niccolaini' daughter in law as a winemaker and i keep a bottle of the next vintage..i am very curious to how he has come back to his captain seat. — 2 years ago

Mathew

9.1

Leather, plum, and pepper. We really finished the bottle off too quickly! Was just starting to open up in some more interesting and curious ways. — 5 months ago

Shay A

9.5

One of the bottles I provided for a co-hosting with Mark at the City Club wine group. Poured alongside Mark’s 2012 Oakville Winegrowers mag.

En mag. I was curious to see how this showed upon opening, and it unsurprisingly needed a quick decant to blow off some funk. As a blind pour, it’s tough to get to Mourvèdre heavy in profile, but it absolutely is what makes older CdP so magical. Beautiful faint ruby in the glass. A bit leathery and maybe even a small hint of brett, but then it evolved to show potpourri, spiced red and black fruits and garrique. In the glass, the expected savory notes come out with smoked meat, gaminess, black pepper baked-rhubarb, little bit of truffle. Elegant. Good acidity. Delicious finish! — a year ago

Veronica

9.0

I really enjoy this wine, it’s delicious, balanced, elegant, clean. Drinking it in summer, curious if I’ll enjoy as much in winter. — 3 years ago

Neil Valenzuela

8.9

Pale straw color. Aromas of tropical fruits, key lime and limestone. Tart Sauvignon Blanc- very good for the prize. — 3 years ago

Tareyn

10

Delish! Paired with meatballs and French bread dinner w/ Stu — 6 months ago

Brent Young

9.3

Served this beauty on 2 occasions with Vinloq Preservation

DAY 1
👃Precocious yellow fruit (grapefruit and lemon) and green apples, flinty minerals, white pepper, and grassy herbals
👅Lemon oil with white pepper and spirited minerality. The fruit is more round and more restrained than on the nose.
Salty. Great acidity. The oak treatment is spot on. Long dry, mineral laced finish. So good

The remaining wine was Slow Decanted in my refrigerator and finished a week later

DAY 7
Such a glorious nose on this burgundy. Really delightful. White flowers and peach and even some tropical fruit notes. Flinty and expressive. Totally lovely on both occasions

I knew this was likely young but I was curious to try my first bottle. It's clearly drinking well now but it's going to be stellar with more bottle age.
I am looking forward to revisiting another bottle in time🥂
— 9 months ago

Ian Hamel

9.0

2021/5/3-4 with Ningbo stewed pork with red fermented tofu and yakitori, itadori and mayonnaise, warabi and takenoko yaki onigiri. I was both curious and nervous about this considering my experience with the Montestefano. This also started out a bit ponderous and volatile, but on the second day it had calmed into a nice, bitter cherry dolcetto. — 3 years ago

Christian Fischer

9.2

That was one tough cork to remove. Took me 15 minutes and several tools, but managed. Of course I kept this bottle too long, this is beyond its peak. That said, still a lovely Bordeaux and I am curious how the air in the decanter will help. A great wine and fantastic it kept that long — 3 years ago