Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.7

Excited to try this 2013!. A dark inky purple color while the nose takes you in with aromas of dark cherry-cassis, dark chocolate, subtle mint and touch of meat and sweet cinnamon sugar. Oh my! — creamy, luscious and a full body elegant wine. Blackberry-cherry fruit stand out with deepening tastes of chocolate espresso, bacon fat, pepper spice and cinnamon adding to its long finish. What a delight on this hot Friday night inside our cool home! Got to try it!! — 4 years ago

with Karin and Jill

S.R.Alexander

9.2

Deep deep wine, and a little hot for me — 5 years ago

Steve Pollack

9.1

Very sweet, rich, and low acid. — 6 years ago

Rina

10

I loved the juiciness of this red blend. Very smooth & easy to drink. Didn’t need much time to open up. I poured it & was able to enjoy it within 5 minutes. Beautiful notes of cherry jam nutmeg & hints of plum. Would buy again no doubt!! — 6 years ago

Tooty Frooty

8.9

Vetifan hur jag lyckades men jag råkade glida in på nån vinprovning med spanska viner??? — 7 years ago

Hampus Bejnö

9.0

C-vitaminbrus, grapeskal, mineral, Konfiterad citron. Slankt och eteriskt. — 8 years ago

with John, Axel and 3 others

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.0

Perfect for International Merlot Day on 11/7/2017. Dark ruby red with some garnet too. Integrated nose with some savory elements, pepper, toasty, and dried berries. A touch of cinnamon too. Well integrated medium tannins (6/10) and medium to medium plus body. Layered palate with blackberries, a touch savory, earthy, dark cocoa, dark berries and a little gravel. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2025. — 8 years ago

with India

Elmira Olson

9.5

Very sweet would be nice mixed with frozen peaches Etc — 9 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

An enchanting pale rose petal pink color in the glass. A fine perlage with plenty of small bubbles. A classic rosé nose with nice red fruits and a floral character. Black cherry dominate with cherry blossoms and wild strawberries. Fresh herbal aromas are underlying with hot buttered toast.

70/30 CH/PN from Grand Crus in Louvois, Bouzy, Avize, Cramant, and Chouilly, this has an impressive pedigree. Non vintage but a blend of a single year, this can withstand more time being left alone for a few years but it oh so pleasant right now. As much as I love the no or low dose champagnes, the 7 g/l is more than welcome here. Bright acid throughout.

There’s a definite intensity to the fruit on the palate. More of those nice red fruits occupy most of the attention here with a touch of chalky minerality. That familiar yeast makes a quick appearance backing up the herbs and spice. Immensely enjoyable. — 5 years ago

Sam Lee

8.9

Fruity of lemon lime and green apple goodness
Slightly honeycomb and lemon tart ricotta cheese
Texture is buttery hint of mushroom yet good dry acidity
Good refreshing and as well dinner wine
🥚 — 5 years ago

Stephen Long

9.4

Juicy, delicious, a ton of weird funky tastes, barnyard, minerals, orange zest. — 6 years ago

Dennis P.

9.0

Some days, you want something stronger than wine, and today has been well.......one of those days.

Old No.7 brand, since 1866, a sour mash whiskey favorite. Jack & Coke works for me.

40% abv. 80 proof — 6 years ago

Ken Z

9.3

Drank 7/27/18.

No formal tasting notes. Drank with friends and a NY Strip.

100% Italian Cab. Italian nose with red and black fruit flavors and nice acidity. Medium well integrated tannins. Sadly, my last bottle. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

It’s a weekend of 95’s. We had a bottle of their 96 about a year ago. Time to try the 95. On the nose; I get dark currants, a cognac/eau de vie character, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, stewed black plum, black raspberries, blueberries, anise, cinnamon, vanilla, light spice, black tea, dark cola, light eucalyptus, bay leaf, dry top soil, crushed dry rocks, dry stems and fresh & dry dark florals. The body is medium with soft, round Rutherford dusty tannins. It’s very integrated, layered and complex. The fruits are fresh, ripe and juicy. Blackberries, dark cherries, stewed black plum, black raspberries, blueberries, strawberries paint the background, cognac/eau de vie character, mocha, caramel, dark spice, light clove, cinnamon, vanilla, suede style leather, dart crushed rocks, dry top soil, dry stems, eucalyptus, bay leaf, mint, steeped tea, violets and fresh & dry dark florals. The acidity is excellent. The structure is still rather big for a wine that’s been in the bottle 20 years. Great length and balance. The long finish is gorgeously lush and beautiful. This 95 might be a touch better than the 96 from a year ago. Still has another 7-10 years of good drinking ahead. Appreciate the 13.5% alcohol. Much more palatable than the 14.5/15-15+ in today’s Napa Cabernet’s. I am more and more convinced that not only is the Tapestry a great value, but you should wait 20 years in the right vintages to enjoy them. There’re just simply that much better! Photos of; the tasting building on Hwy 29, Founder Georges de Latour, sunset road signage and their tasting room. Since they are one of the first Napa wineries, here are their historical and producer notes. BV took its name from the French translation of the term “Beautiful Place”. BV was founded in 1904 by Georges de Latour when he obtained 40 acres of vines cultivated in the late 1870’s. His first purchase in California came when Latour bought the Ewer and Atkinson Winery. The purchase came with a vineyard first cultivated in 1880. Those purchases became larger in 1907 when he obtained the Hastings vineyard just east from Rutherford. Around the time of those purchases, Georges de Latour moved from France to California. He was no stranger to the wine industry as he was well known for selling phylloxera resistant root stock to growers in California. The vineyard started to come together in 1900, when Georges de Latour began purchasing vines in Rutherford. The initial wines released by BV were made from purchased grapes, or wines that were produced by other growers, as their vineyards were not yet productive. Georges de Latour was a person who never passed on a good opportunities. During Prohibition, he purchased vineyards at reduced prices, as they were being abandoned. BV managed to thrive during Prohibition due to their production of wine for religious services. BV was one of the first Napa Valley estates to begin using modern, French wine making techniques. They also credited for making the first wine produced from mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, BV Private Reserve. None of this could have been accomplished without the assistance of Andre Tchelistcheff. Andre was hired by Georges de Latour and moved to California from France in 1938. Andre was responsible for introducing many of the modern wine making techniques that were used in Europe. It was Andre who began thinking about frost protection during the growing season. He also pioneered the need for proper sanitation and the use of small, French oak barrels for aging of the wine. He also insisted that malolactic fermentation become part of the wine making process. Andre eliminated pasteurization and introduced the technique of cold fermentation to increase the color and concentration of the wine. As well, Andre introduced modern, viticulture practices of Europe. He began replanting the vineyards with higher levels of density, reducing the amount of sulfur used in the vineyards. More importantly, Andre focused on planting high quality French grape varietals. It was Andre that helped Cabernet Sauvignon get its start in the Napa Valley. He was also responsible for bringing Pinot Noir to Napa, but soon agreed that the cooler climates of Sonoma was better for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Geroges de Latour passed away in 1940. After his passing, day to day operations were taken over by his wife and daughter, with the continued aid of Andre Tchelistcheff. The company continued to grow and by the early 1960’s BV was selling nearly a 100,000 cases of wine per year. In 1969, BV was sold to Heublin. The winery was later purchased by Diageo, who in turn sold the vineyards to Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates in 2015. BV is one of the largest land owners in Napa Valley with more 1,100 acres under vine. Their best parcels are located in the Rutherford appellation. They’ve planted of all the major Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Additionally some, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. They also maintain a vineyard that is used to experiment with a wide variety of different grape varieties including; Carignane, Petite Sirah and Valdiguie. — 8 years ago

DAL 9000

9.0

Big jam bouquet. Jammy raspberries with a dry smoke almost tobacco finish. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

For all of you that drink; SQN, Cayuse & Horsepower, if you haven’t tried a well aged Rostaing, you are missing the best aspect of Syrah.

Côte de Rôtie translates in English into Roasted Slope. That’s exactly what this wine defines.

The Ampodium is a blend of 7-8 different Rhône vineyards. 2010 a dynamic vintage in Northern Rhône.

I bought this recently at auction and it has been decently stored but not quite ideally stored.

The nose reveals; roasted chestnut, stewed; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries on the high nose & backend of the fruit, used coffee grounds, soft leather, dry tobacco, savory meats, dark, moist soils, anise to black licorice, fresh sage & bay leaf with candied; dark, red, blue, purple florals in a field of lavender.

The palate is; fresh, ripe, juicy, elegant and nicely resolved. The structure, tension, balance and length are perfect. It is for the palates that love elegance & beauty, not brawn & ABV. Roasted chestnut, stewed; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries, dark cherries, juicy, ripe strawberries backend of the fruit, used coffee grounds, soft leather, dry tobacco, savory meats, smoke, dark, moist soils, anise to black licorice, light purple cola, fresh sage & bay leaf with candied; dark, red, blue, purple florals in a field of lavender. The acidity is round & stream like. The finish is in perfect balance, harmony that settled softy yet speaks volumes.

Paired with the Cardiff Chipotle Tri-tip. The best Tri-tip we’ve had. You can order at CardiffCrack.com. Not inexpensive though. The best never is!

Photos of; me in the La Landonne Vineyard, Rene Rostaing and our tour with Pierre Rostaing in their La Landonne Vineyard. What an afternoon!

Producer notes, Pierre (son of Rene & now Winemaker) uses up to 100% of the stems - believing they contribute to Côte Rôtie’s ineffable perfume. Macerations last from 7 to 20+ days, and the wines enjoy a long élevage in a mix of barrels and time-honored pièce for aging, so that no more than 15% of a given vintage sees new wood. — 5 years ago

with James and Christina

Riccardo L.

9.0

Smells like teen spirit. Yeahhhhhhhhh. Yeah yeah. 🤘 — 7 years ago

Russell Shetler

8.9

Spicy notes on the nose. I get a plum taste and definite vanilla. This has a very long and smooth finish. Wonderful. — 7 years ago

Phillip Antley

9.2

Big and spicy. Tastes it’s age, but has a lot of depth. — 8 years ago

Kristin Canfield

10

A favorite — 8 years ago