Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.4

Deep garnet red, no bricking on the edges. Layered nose with a touch of brett, bright cherries, perfume and forest floor. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Smooth and elegant attack with perfumed notes, crushed gravel and dried cherries. Excellent backbone and dry, long finish. Drink till 2032. — 8 years ago

with India

Ming L

8.9

Delicious, silky and mellow. But where is the complexity and backbone? Nevertheless an enjoyable wine. — 9 years ago

Alex Xu

9.7

My first lesson in incredible Côte Rotie - black and blue fruit, subtle sweet oak spice, anise and clove. Nice backbone of acid and a transition into earth, leather and a hint of vanilla. Medium grained tannins, super long finish. — 9 years ago

Star Straf

9.3

Well balanced between acidic and citrus with nice finish significantly better then others at this price point — 10 years ago

Scott Diaz

9.0

Nice acid backbone. Still has bright fruit but it is at its peak. — 10 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.4

Homemade ravioli and Barbaresco? Sign me up tondo this every night! This wine was full of gorgeous tar & roses with the food and revealed its tannic backbone once we were finished eating. — 10 years ago

with Cleora

Bill Bender

9.3

To me '91 and '94 surpass '97 as the "best" vintages for north coast Cabernet Sauvignon. From recent tastings I believe that the '91's while they are more tannic....are also holding on to more fruit than the '94's. The Ridge was super strong and showed really well but the fruit is fading slightly. Still a lot of backbone, tertiary flavors and harmony to make it shine. — 8 years ago

Oliver Brown

8.9

I think ball bag birr(!), is a wine innuendo too far for a classy wine producer. However, Château Potensac, does intrinsically have a certain 'potency' and 'hardihood' to it.

Many say 2003 is oft-over extracted. With much already passed its peak even, by the very nature of the year's excessive heat. But I found this bottle to be in a good (midlife) state. With the vintage's, most criticised, low acidity, still lively... a solid backbone as such, very much still on display; for many a fine wine for that matter, especially a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.

Its primary and secondary aromas are very much alive too and its tertiary ones just hinting at what hands they will ultimately show. It benefitted from a good 1/2 hour decant too #wine — 8 years ago

George Chen

9.3

Neck fill and cork tight and sweet sounding when you pull it. You almost can tell if a bottle will be good by how the cork comes out. Juicy still with dark cranberry notes, pure of fruit and melted tannins and acid backbone. Love it as not sure how these 75's would have aged. — 9 years ago

Vijay Parikh

9.0

This 2000 vintage bottle needs four hours to open up. Well balanced with black and red fruits acid forming nice backbone and a medium finish . Great value! — 10 years ago

Deborah Parker Wong

10

Steven Mirassou's Bordeaux blend has some of the best qualities of 2011: lifted, aromatic, varietal character and a backbone of acidity and minerality that will age for 20+. — 10 years ago

Bryan Lipa

9.4

Still big fruit with herbaceous backbone. Should last forever... — 10 years ago

Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe

10

Elegant with lots of power and length. Fantastic wine with a mineral backbone. — 11 years ago

Erin Sclar

9.0

Bright red and black fruit, cinnamon, and sweet baking spices, with well integrated smoke and cedar. Backbone is the perfect name for this more structured, bold Oregon Pinot. — 8 years ago

Derek Hearst

9.2

This is developing really well but I would hold on to this vintage for a few more years. Nice smooth tannins at this stage that give a nice backbone to the earthy tobacco and stewed cherry and raspberry. This was enjoyable now but the best days are ahead. — 8 years ago

Sean Nelson

9.5

2006, from 6L. Elegant, intense, good fruit and backbone. — 9 years ago

Robert Cunningham

Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop

8.9

2004 is showing fleshy fruit but lacks backbone and structure and may not have great longevity. — 10 years ago

Nicole McLendon

9.0

Enjoying this wine! Very smooth.... — 10 years ago

Shana Wall

9.3

#2000 #ChateauMalescot #StExupery #GrandCruClasse 50% #CabernetSauvignon 35% #Merlot 10% #CabernetFranc 5% #PetitVerdot this 3rd Growth #Margaux is full of ripe Fruit... tart Raspberry, Cranberry, Blackberries, Blackcurrant, strong Salinity, Earthy & Savory, Strong Green Bell Pepper backbone, Sage, Thyme, Woodsey, Mocha & hint of Vanilla, Clove Spice & Cinnamon, Cologne... A Masculine wine, sexy & full of life still...! A perfect #Valentines treat❤️ Bottoms up! #Cheers 🍷👍👏👏 — 10 years ago

Cathrine Todd

9.2

2002 Dom Perignon (DP) does not have the great backbone of fierce acidity of '96 or '04, but it does have great ripe, exotic fruit aromatics that many other 2002 Champagnes display, since it was generally a hot, dry year. '02 DP is drinking great now, so have fun! — 11 years ago