Vino Joe

9.7

Based on other reviews here I decided to open, decant and wait 2 hours. Great advice! This was electric after 2+ hours. Pungent, powerful and delicious! Rich deep dark color and strong earth and mature cherry notes. Still active and pacing in the glass. This was the best bottle of the ‘16 so far for me. Definitely in its enjoyment zone. — 6 months ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.3

Feel that this has closed down a lot since our last try. A lot less lively and hard to put your finger on. Still gorgeous and silky...will always remain one of my most favourite wines! Paired with pasta putanesca. — 8 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I think my posts on this producers Napa Cabernets with this kind of age have been clear. 2005 not the shinning star vintage of Napa Valley, yet non the less very consistent & punches above its price point. Pretty sure I bought this in the $35ish range. She is smooth with no bittiness on the palate.

The nose shows; used coffee grounds, dark currants, brambly, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, both plums, melted dark chocolate, caramel, mocha powder, baking spices, black licorice, steeped black tea, sandstone,moist clays, fresh & dry herbs, dark, fresh & withering flowers.

The palate is elegant & still fresh; dark currants, brambly, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, both plums, melted dark chocolate to pudding, caramel, mocha powder, baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanillin, black licorice, mid to dark berry cola, steeped black tea, dark spice with palate heat, sandstone, moist clays, fresh & dry herbs, dark, fresh & withering flowers framed in violets, very round acidity with balance, evolution, structure/ tension & elegance for minutes and lands on earth & spice.

Still has 7-10 yrs ahead. You could make a case for 94 here. — 9 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.2

Shifting to a more feminine and elegant profile, after almost 20 years this still has a lot to offer. Complex fruity and umami notes of cherry, currants, pepper, spice, cured meat, tossed earth and truffle.
Great effort, year after year. — 2 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.2

Never disappoints; at 15 years it clearly still has a lot of life in it, and always shows better on day two. Aroma is reticent at first, but then opens to classic Bordeaux graphite and bramble fruit, plus pretty licorice and floral notes layered with tobacco and earth. Unyieldingly traditional and delivering a whole lot of pleasure for the dollar. Best of all, pairs well with a variety of food, even rustic vegetarian dishes, unique for Bordeaux. Flirting with 9.3. — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

This was really drinking well with notes of black currant, plummy fruit with leather, earth, graphite, mocha, black olive, mineral & sweet tobacco. Always a treat to taste a Haut Brion even though this is considered an off vintage. Med bodied that seems close to maturity & should keep another 10- 15 yrs. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When in doubt, a sure bet is a well aged, good vintage Heitz. @Eric Shanks

I intended to grab an 06 but, mistakenly grabbed an 07. I’ve not had one of my 06’s yet...next weekend.

The one thing I do every time I open one of my ten year or older Heitz Napa Cabernet’s is smile & think, this was sub $35 at Costco. It’s the wine feeling/definition of stealing candy from babies.

The nose is a beautiful harmony of fruit, earth and florals. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, dark spices with violets palate heat, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay, understated herbs & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, some sage & bay leaf, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is splendid. The long, ripe, ruby, lush, elegant, well crafted balance of fruit & earth is delicious and persists endlessly with a dark spice on the long set.

The body is; delightful, ripe, rich, lush & full. The structure, tension, length and balance are woven in a perfect tapestry. This 07 has another 10-15 years easily. The tannins are rounded, smooth but, still have a dark, chewy, tarriness with baby teeth. The beauty of the vintage is on full display. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark & milk chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied ; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is perfect. The finish is; rich, ripe, ruby, candied, well balanced fruit & earth, elegant and long sets into velvety, round tannins and mid dark spices.

Photos of; the winery, tasting patio, old basket press and wide shot of the winery & Estate vines. — 6 years ago

TJ Maxwell

9.1

1977 Martha's. Funky bottle. Really dirty aromas of earth and such. Fun to share but not the best bottle — 9 years ago

Peter Slagowitz

9.4

Fantastic 95 Super Tuscan. Nose had hints of vanilla, soft earth a light spice. On open was smooth if a touch flat then after 45 minutes it opened to let dark fruit notes of blackberries and cassis come out. Sublime. — 10 years ago

Nate Miles

9.3

Early nose was austere, even a bit severe, then giving way to sticks and leaves and wet earth - like walking through the woods early in the morning. Light to medium in body. Stones and mushrooms and earth and sweet red fruit - all you can want in a Pinot Noir. I really like this wine. — 10 years ago

James Parker Huston, CWE

Sommelier Charlie Palmer

8.9

Rolling down the hill quickly! Still fun to try. — 12 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2021 pours a deep garnet/purple with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of cassis, mixed brambles, plum, tobacco, some red and purple flowers, dried herbs, dry earth and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. This is still very youthful and, to my palate, its best years are still ahead. Already delicious though. Drink now through 2051+. — 7 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Something for my Wagyu Burger.

I do enjoy this producers style/craft. Also, enjoy the elegance of St. Julien. 2012 is a vintage Sofia & 1 worked harvest at Clerc Milon. So, the 2012 vintage will always be a special vintage for me, even if it was only one that was good to very good for the right terroirs and producers. Just wasn’t special like; 00, 05, 09, 10, 16 or 19 etc..

Having said all that, this Ducru is not the 2012 star of the region. It’s elegant but falls short on depth, character & umpf, which are things I have grown to expect and have experienced from this producer in many vintages.

The palate shows, soft, round & velvety M-M+ tannins. Ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, some of both plums, slightly baked strawberries & circling raspberries. Slightly dry tobacco w/ ash, soft leather, sandalwood, mid, dark, rounded spice, nutmeg, clove, some cinnamon & vanillin, dark most earth with clay & dry leaves, herbaceous notes, very soft & elegant graphite, a touch of of mid berry cola/licorice, dark withering flowers, red roses, nice acidity with nicely balance, good tension/structured, elegant finish that last nearly two minutes and long sets on rounded dark spice.

@EmiratesLoungeDubai — 8 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This needed a lot of air to show its mostly black fruits, berry, graphite, cedar, leather, spice, earth & tobacco. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

This bottle was a lovely gift from our friend Tim who visited Omaha this past Spring. Our only instructions were to enjoy it together with food; challenge accepted! While I have experienced many wines produced by Foillard, this was my first with his “Cote du Py”. The wine pours a deep ruby color; slightly hazy in the glass. On the nose, at least initially, there are signs of some Brett giving a barnyard characteristic but that sort of blows off (or at least becomes less obvious) with cherries, earth, blackened poblano, underripe plum, and purple Sweet Tarts taking a more central role. On the palate, it’s mostly dark cherry and blackberries showing very little in the way of evolution. Medium+ acid, medium- tannin. The finish was super long. I was really impressed how young this wine was coming across; hardly an indication of anything that would indicate ten years of age. Yet more proof that Beaujolais can cellar quite gracefully. We loved how this paired with grilled rack of lamb and a light salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, garbanzo beans, mozzarella and prosciutto. Grazie Tim! — 5 years ago

Drew Hutson

9.3

An absolute favorite. Great name and the winemaker has a great background story. To me, it's the wine equivalent to eating chocolate-covered cherries with an espresso on the side. — 6 years ago

Jeanne Kietzmann

9.4

A lovely wine. Will keep for years. Light, crisp, easy to drink...pairs well with most red meat dishes especially roasted duck. Right amount of earth. — 8 years ago

Manchester Sheldon

9.3

Violets and peppercorns on the nose, it needs some air to open up, dark wood and some earth on the background. — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

On the nose, stewed fruits of; black plum, blackberries, dark cherries, plum and blueberries. Mocha, chocolate, mixed berry cola, sweet spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, loamy mineral soils and dry dark florals. The mouthfeel is less concentrated than other vintages of Corison but that's indicative of the 10 Napa vintage generally. The tannins are nicely resolved with another 5-8 years before they are completely resolve. The fruits are; dark cherries, black plum, plum, black raspberries, blackberries with strawberries that dance around the rest of the fruit. There's nice barrel toast, vanilla, nutmeg, light clove, cinnamon, touch of wood shavings, liqueur notes, caramel, mocha chocolate, mix berry cola, loamy soils, dry crushed rocks, bramble, dry stems with nice soft round acidity. The finish is a little lean but tasty. Good balance of fruit and earth with long, rich elegance. Cathy slightly overachieved the 10 vintage as a whole. Photos of; her estate building, Cathy in her vineyard, grapes coming in at night (better to harvest when the fruit is cooler) and her estate vineyard in all it's glory. Producer notes and history...Cathy Corison grew up in Riverside, California. She studied biology at Pomona College and was on their men's diving team, because the school didn't have a women's team. In 1972, she had to take an extracurricular class. She signed up for a trampoline class, but changed her mind upon seeing a sign-up sheet for a wine tasting class. This class was the catalyst that sparked her interest in winemaking. After graduation in 1975, she moved to Napa Valley in California. She received her Master's degree in Enology from University of California, Davis. Upon moving to Napa, she started working in the tasting room at Sterling Vineyards and at a wine shop. During this time, she was getting her Master's degree at the University of California, Davis. She was told by her professor that she would not get a job in Napa Valley because of being a woman. However, if she wasn't the first Napa Valley female Winemaker, she was certainly one of the first. She tried to get a job at Freemark Abbey and was denied because they believed she could not work in the cellar. She almost took a job at Christian Brothers in the enology lab. However, she decided not to take the job and in 1978 she became an intern at Freemark Abbey and eventually became their Winemaker. She joined Chappellet in 1983 and was their Winemaker for nearly ten years. She founded Corison Winery, in 1987. The winery is located in St. Helena, California in a barn built by her husband, William Martin. Corison makes Cabernet and Gewürztraminer. They produce about 3,500 cases a year depending on the vintage. The winery makes a Kronos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and as well as a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The Kronos is an estate wine that is made from organic grapes. The vineyard is dry farmed. The grapes come from one of the oldest vineyards in Napa Valley. The Napa Valley Cabernet comes from Rutherford. The Gewürztraminer is called Corazón and comes from the Anderson Valley. — 9 years ago

Aristotelis Protopapas

Head Sommelier The Savoy, London

9.5

Outstandgly balanced. Savory yet still fruit will appear in its most delicate dark ripe plum that has smashed against earth and let dry for few hours. The fact that is a magnum btl has benefit in its evolvement perfectly to one of my favorites ever! — 10 years ago

Pooneet K

9.4

Absolutely lovely classic left bank. 2002 was a less heralded year, but this has stood up extremely well. Just getting to secondary now, still a ton of fruit and earth and leather on the nose and palate. Excellent acid and a very long finish. 13% which is appreciated and the seamlessness comes through. Really delicious and a perfect Thanksgiving meal pairing. Opened 5 hours before dinner and decanted for 1.5 hours. Perfect spot. — 7 months ago

John Bratincevic

9.2

NOSE: muted, red fruit, oaky vanilla, graphite

TASTE: super smooth, the fruit is candied and dried (cherry and maybe some fig?), mild spices and earth and fragrant wood — still enough acidity to keep it balanced. I like more fruit and oomph, but it is good. 92. — 8 months ago

"Odedi"

9.4

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim. Doesn't show much age.

Beautiful nose with red and black fruits, chocolates, tobacco leaf, vegetables, forest floor, black tea, earth, coffee, herbs, spices, black pepper and wildflowers.

Full bodied and soft with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, black plums, currants, oak, light chocolates, coffee, mushrooms, licorice, tobacco leaf, earth, herbs and spices.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a gorgeous 24 year old Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Saint Julien. Rich and elegant. Spicy and very complex. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Drinking at its peak now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 10 years.

A great sipping wine that is so much fun to drink by itself.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in (33% new) French oak barrels for 18 months.

13% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$150. — 9 months ago

"Odedi"

9.6

#AgedWineTuesday

Here is a fabulous 99 point wine by Robert Parker.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Great nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, figs, cedar, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, light earth, cola and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Showing nice balance and a great mouthfeel. Round and rich. Elegant and smooth.

This 22 year old still has a lot of power in it, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

So soft and powerful, with a great nose. This is a gorgeous wine right now.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$250. — 3 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

The right order with our Porterhouses. Still has the Margaux elegance presence but, lacks the quality of fruit & characteristics of the 06 Rauzan-Segla.

Not the best vintage I’ve had from Lascombes. Interesting as this was a warm vintage. All my previous 2003’s have shown bright, ripe fruit. The fruits were dull & lacked freshness which, is very different than the other 03’s I’ve had to this point. I don’t know if the staff trimmed too much canopy and the fruit got too much heat and UV light, therefore losing freshness along with a lack of water during the season.

This will still drink well for another 5-8 years before it declines. Our Porterhouses helped contribute to a better experience masking some of its shortcomings.

The wine showed dull, dark fruit with more earthiness than expected given its evolution from its bottle age. Dry soil & clay, stones, dry forest floor, dry tobacco, used leather and withering & dark flowers. The acidity was pleasant but not up to par. The finish lacked Margaux beauty but, it did pop up here and there. Just no consistency. The fruit was flat and lots of dry earth on the long set. Not bad just no up to what I expect from Lascombes and the vintage.

Photos of; Chateau Lascombes, concrete tank cellar, barrel room with some unique lighting for a Bordeaux producer and their tasting salon. — 6 years ago

Holly Anderson

9.5

Took a bit to open but then a stunner. Herbal, dark fruit. Scorched earth. Great wine. Thanks Julia! — 8 years ago

Matt

9.0

Subdued, earth driven wine. Noticeable brett that seems to be hiding everything else. — 9 years ago

Harry C

9.0

Took a while to open up, so let it sit and breathe. It'll be worth it. Lots of dark fruit. In the mouth, feels round and full with satisfying lingering finish and layered tannins. I wanted to taste the 2012 now before laying it down for a few years. It's going to be great next time around. — 9 years ago

David Annis

9.6

This is gorgeous. The cork disintegrated, and the bottom was black as tar. The nose is fruit and earth in that order, which was surprising. Decanted 30 minutes, which wasn't enough time for the vinegar notes to dissipate. Light color, which is slightly incongruous given the still pronounced fruits and tannins. Leather, cigar box, blackberries, oak on the finish. I was initially worried that we might have waited too long, but by the end of the bottle, I'm convinced there was no rush. This is exactly what a mature Pauillac should be. — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

The nose on this wine is stunning baring the alcohol heat. Perfumed red florals and candied dark and lighter red fruits. While the wine is truly elegant, the alcohol is seriously burning the back of my throat. The bottle reads 14.1 but I think over 15 degrees. Maybe, they wanted to save on the higher alcohol tax. The wine starts so beautifully only to burn the back of my throat. The fruits are ripe, elegant and beautifully soft. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, faint back palate of strawberries, sweet/soft leather, black licorice, violets & roses, rich delicate & sweet wet black earth, soft light baking spices, caramel, milk chocolate, figs & dates, amazingly sweet dark minerals, touch of black tar, touch of spice and a rich long elegant dark fruit liqueur finish. I would score this wine higher if it didn't punish my palate and throat with the burning alcohol finish. — 10 years ago