Shay A

9.2

Monthly WTF guys blind tasting group. This month was our annual, and famed, Left Bank vs Right Bank theme. All wines served blind as usual. Started off with a Rosé and a champagne. Great night.

Even with the couple hour decant, this was very young tasting (no surprise). Cedar and underbrush, blackberries, cassis, mix of red and black fruits...finishes with bay leaf. I’d hold for 7+. I called this ‘13 Left Bank. — 6 years ago

with Andrew, Jack and 6 others

Danny Hearit

9.0

Perfect Thanksgiving wine. Mix of Lambrusco and Merlot with a bit of sweetness, mellow. — 8 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.4

Spiced cherries & tobacco mix with vanilla & dill herbal aromatics. Grippy tannins & mild acidity frame the fruit & spice. Puts on weight as it breathes. Benchmark Rioja. — 9 years ago

Brian Messineo

9.3

Nice mix of red / black fruits, leather, mushrooms and earthiness. — 10 years ago

Paco Suro

9.0

Really interesting. Paired with a very eclectic mix at Passionfish and rocked the whole way through it. At $36 on the list. A steal. — 10 years ago

Eric Manuel Castrodad Santini

10

Perfect flavor, nice body and mix well with everything — 11 years ago

Michael Wilson

9.1

Really lovely blend of 10 different grapes. Lots of purple flowers and pepper. — 12 years ago

with Scott

Morten Nilsen

9.0

The nose is incredible, a strange mix of easy on palette with full bodied finish — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Had another bottle. Stéphane Ogier is one of Côte Rôtie’s most well-respected stars & looks for concentration in the vineyards and freshness in the cellars. "Le Temps est Venu, ‘the time has come’ for an adventure farther south, with old-vine Grenache and limestone slopes. A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah that comes from the Plan de Dieu and Visan AOCs. Red fruit aromas and pepper spice notes. Sweet raspberry and cherry flavor adding herbs to the mix. Medium length ending with earthy notes. Nice value! — 8 years ago

Mike Evans

9.4

A savory mix of bell pepper, dark cherry and black currant fruit, and a compelling meatiness on the finish, supported by tongue-prickling acidity and tannin, it has definitely hit its peak but isn't at all in decline. Magnificent. — 8 years ago

with Eric

Nicole Dutram

9.5

Spice. Good body but not overpowering. Citrus hint trying to make its way into the mix. Quite delicious. — 9 years ago

Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe

9.2

Maturing nicely! Beautiful mix of fruit, dark floral and subtle spices. — 10 years ago

Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe

9.7

Fantastic mix of berry fruit, earth, spices. A very seductive wine with immense power and long finish. — 11 years ago

Andrea Watt

10

The blend really brings out subtle notes from both grapes and makes a smooth but intriguing mix of flavors. One of my favorites for the price. — 11 years ago

Anil Saxena

9.1

Wow. Incredibly rich, full and lush cote de Rhône. Stood up well to middle Eastern food. Complex mix of dried berries and other dried fruit. — 7 years ago

Josh Spurling

9.0

Really tasty with a mix of pear, citrus, and tropical fruits. Mediterranean herb notes add spice add interest. Great spring/summer sunny day sipper! — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

I can’t pour enough praise on Dan and his talents. I don’t give many wines near perfect scores, but this merits one. The nose is a beautifully balanced mix of floral fruits, earth and spice. Blackberries, huckleberries, boysenberries, black plum, black raspberries, plum, black raspberries, poached strawberries, dark moist soils, loamy dry soil/clay, raspberry cola, smoked meats, medium dark spice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, lilacs, violets and lavender. The balance is incredible...one of the most balanced wines I’ve had. The structure, tension and length are so close to perfect. It’s in the OMG realm. The tannins are nicely resolved but still have teeth. It’s gorgeously lush and rich. Blackberries, huckleberries, boysenberries, black plum, black raspberries, plum, black raspberries, poached strawberries, hues of blue fruits haunt the palate, dark moist soils, loamy dry soil/clay, raspberry cola, black licorice, touch herbaceous, smoked meats, medium dark spice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, black & white pepper, dry crushed rocks, stones, lilacs, violets and lavender. The finish is heaven all the way around. To borrow Bordeaux terminology, this is First Growth Shiraz. If you don’t seek out Dan’s wines on the secondary market, you are missing something special. Not at all meant to be enjoyed young. This wine is in a very good spot and has another 10 years of life going forward. — 8 years ago

George M Wood

9.0

Good, nice mix for peppery food, balanced, better as it airs — 10 years ago

with Nury

Matté

Manager The Wine Cellars

9.4

This really does need a good ol decant but has wonderful concentration, very deep, almost broody nose of intense blackcurrant and dark plum fruit as well as a strange but very attractive mix of blueberry & graphite, almost heading towards prune.
A very well balanced mid palate though seems to be somewhat lacking in acidic lift overall but the fruit seems well integrated with the tannins, slightly underripe black berry fruit and with some grip on the finish, food would benefit this wine at the moment but it would be interesting to see how this comes along. Feels like it would benefit from at least another 5 years in bottle. Decent length. — 11 years ago

Don Hanna

9.6

Great mix of old world and new world Cab tones. Another cab fav. Rat Pack lives. — 12 years ago