Jay Kline

9.5

And they call this their “second” wine. After McHenry in Santa Cruz, Seavey was an absolute show stopper for me on our recent trip to wine country. We had the opportunity to try five different wines with three bonus pours from recent and library wines and I tell you: All 👏🏼 eight 👏🏼 were 👏🏼 bangers 👏🏼. From their Chardonnay (which was sprung on us the moment we arrived, was acid driven and had the most delightful spine of minerals that I could have sworn it was GC Chablis), to their Rosé (which is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend and bends what’s possible with the genre) to their Founder’s Reserve (which didn’t present much in the value dept. but was a killer wine nevertheless). Anyway, this 2005 Caravina is positively singing right now. Opulent amounts of plums, cassis, brambles, and sweet tobacco with secondary characteristics juuuuust starting to make their appearance: leather, truffle, and forest floor. Moderate acid. Firm tannins still! What a beauty...in a sort of masculine way. America! — 6 years ago

Kevin Cahoon

9.4

This is just lovely with hints of black cherry and plum with creosote, black pepper and soy accents. Palate is full of spicy Syrah flavors with lots of white pepper, plum and black raspberry. Tannins are present but sauve with lifting acidity. Just a great level of balance on the earth driven finish. — 7 years ago

ADAM STROMFELD

9.5

Soft and terroir driven brown and elegant. Well balanced sour cherries truffles and barnyard. Perfect acidity and balance — 7 years ago

with Natalie

Chris England

9.2

A fab £56 St Estephe showing how well they can age but boy this is an oak dominatrix in an oak bondage orgy 😁 only for oak lovers 😉 I still enjoyed it 👍

🏵 92 points

🍇 40% Cab S & 60% Merlot

🍷 Opaque ruby

👃 Rich oak driven smothered dark fruits that drown out any other nuance aromas but some sooty smoke creeps through

👄 Med silky smooth body of oaky dark berries w/ a liquorice & mocha touch

🎯 Med+ liquorice & mocha dark fruits w/ dry oak dominating — 8 years ago

Jo Florradikal

9.0

very mineral, green apricots, candied lemon and orange peel, ginger notes, good acidic driven finish — 8 years ago

Geno Tomko

9.5

A pure wine. The fruit is dazzling, so subtle and perfectly ripe. With air it gains some stem driven aromatics, as well as dried violets. High pleasure, high pound-ability. — 9 years ago

with Chandler

Matt Duncan

8.9

Showing a surprising richness given its age. Blackberry, coffee grinds, oregano. Great aroma driven by coconut husk. Moderate length with potential to extend in coming years. — 9 years ago

Adam Jesberger

9.2

Awesome for the price. Autolytic and tree fruit driven. Fairly high acid and good length. Ripe red pears and yellow apples with cream and bread dough heavy on the nose and palate. Weighty and complex. — 10 years ago

Jayme Henderson-Steese

9.9

What a treat. This wine is tasting spectacular right now. Dried herbal notes, cigar box, faint fruitcake notes, cedar, teakwood, cassis, plums, forest floor. Elegant and lean with a bright, red-fruit driven finish. #leovillebarton #1996 #bordeaux #stjulien — 10 years ago

with Steve

Michael Ochsner

9.0

Way young...but delicious nonetheless. Mineral driven and staunch. — 11 years ago

with Brett

Shay A

9.4

Heck of a hosting by @Weston Eidson last night for the City Club wine group. All wines were tasted blind.

This was fantastic, and my first experience with vintage Dom Ruinart. Yeasty but balanced out by mineral driven notes (slate, limestone). Medium bodied (more full when compared to the Marc Hebrart). Little bit of honey. Super smooth mousse. More reductive in style with a tiny bit of burnt matchstick I called this 2006 Blanc de Blanc champagne. — 6 years ago

with Weston, joe and 2 others

Bill Bender

9.6

I’m a sucker for Clape. Rich, ripe and mineral driven. Lots of power but marked beauty and lush tannins. Licorice infused soil and sweet, sappy red fruit. — 7 years ago

Brian J.

9.1

Awesome nose! — 7 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.4

Sweet kettle corn and buttery croissant blanketing floral and lemon nuances. Piercing powerful acidity. Baked lemon and white pepper flavors. Amazing wine. All terroir driven without a hint of malo. — 8 years ago

Bryan Thomas

9.4

Cool black fruited flavors, iron and spice -incredible density that is in perfect balance on a long mineral driven finish. Excellent potential — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

On the nose; fresh strawberries still on the vine, mint, cherries, raspberries, cola, limestone minerals and fresh red florals. On the palate; lean to medium body, fresh, ripe, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate extract, dark cherries, touch of raspberries, dark spice comes on as it opens up, limestone, volcanic minerals, perfect level of silty chalkiness, mint, fruit tea, crushed rock powder, cola, red vines, fresh, brilliant acidity and a well rounded, polished fruit driven finish. Photos of; Hirsch Vineyards, crush facility, 2014 night harvest (beautiful fruit) under lights when it's cooler (better to harvest fruit when it's cooler)and living legend David Hirsch. — 8 years ago

Billy Fung

9.0

Primofiore is the entry door to the wonderful world of Giuseppe Quintarelli. Cherries, sweet spices and hint of green bell peppery notes dominated on the nose. Fruit driven but also pervading presence of dark chocolate on the palate. Delicious wine that delivers over its price point, well worth a try! — 10 years ago

Holly Orchard

Certified Sommelier, President of Savvy Cellar Wines Inc.

9.1

Lovely! There is a golden apple ripeness balanced by refreshing acidity and a silky chalky texture. A hint of buttery lees, and just enough minerality to make this a great compromise between an austere, mineral driven style, and a rich, round, brioche style (the hubby's style). — 10 years ago

Martin Redmond

9.2

Salmon color with lifted red berry, melon, blood orange, wet stone, ocean breeze and a hint of damp dusty earth aromas. On the palate it's medium-bodied, layered and fresh with fine concentration and mixed melon, stone fruit, red berry, flavors with and herbal note and a very giving mineral driven dry finish. Great value at $22! — 10 years ago

Aristotelis Protopapas

Head Sommelier The Savoy, London

9.1

What can I say. Very serious Charlemagne just for few! Good acidity levels, 100% terroir driven wine. Truffles,earth and toasted nuts... We sell at £250 — 11 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

D6. Young. Very young. Even though it was decanted and frequently agitated, this one didn't come out to play until almost 2 hr after opening. Nose of Bing cherry and mint. Some red clay must. The entry is very acidic. Black cherry hint but Bing cherry backbone. Herbal middle. Started to show terroir-driven notes to the finish. Youthful and tight tannin. LOTS of life ahead. Be in NO HURRY to drink this one. I'd say optimal drinking time 5 to 10 years. — 7 years ago

Bill Bender

9.5

It’s so hard to source these and it showed really well. I find these less bretty and earth driven than most other CDPs. So, not as thought provoking with secondary characteristics but a little more purity and more fruit expression. — 7 years ago

Thijs Hendriks

9.6

Incredible complex, this wine is developing in the glass, so mineral, layered and aristocratic. High end terroir driven riesling👍 — 7 years ago

Constance Upton

10

Rootstock description: "tiny ribbons of bubbles and an intensely mineral driven core balanced by layered flavors of stone fruit, croissant and chamomile." — 8 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.6

The 2014 Montrose has a bouquet that exudes class and sophistication: pure and mineral-driven black fruit, cedar and pencil lead, hints of blueberry developing with aeration although it never impedes upon the sense of terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with graphite-tinged black fruit, filigree tannin, a sweet core of blackberry and boysenberry fruit with a satin-like texture towards the finish. There is obviously some high quality oak used here, but it is simpatico with the fruit. For Montrose, you might argue that this is more modern in style and yet it is undeniably crafted with real panache to create a modern classic. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, March 2018) — 8 years ago

Mark Cochard

Sommelier phillywine.com, Chaddsford Winery

9.1

Richly textured. layered compexity, mineral driven. Really nice wine. 2014 vintage — 9 years ago

Sam Decker

9.3

The '15 is superior to the '14 at this point. Whereas the '14 seemed more two-dimensional and driven by its grapefruit tinged acid structure, the '15 is more generous and open and resonant: river-rocks and barely ripened honey dew. — 10 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.0

I suppose with climate change, we're going to start seeing more of these Loire SBs without the grassy, pyrazine qualities of years past. Delicious, mineral and citrus driven wine - but it doesn't line up with what I think of as Sancerre. Time to reframe expectations! — 10 years ago

Alejandro Castillo

8.9

Dried tamarind preserved red fruit medium body find tannins good length on the back end still holding up pretty well for a fruit driven 1997 — 10 years ago

markus gould

9.0

quite frankly it's not an insider tip to present helmut / cornelius dönnhoff's jewels, but this (in austria) quite underrated wine may be one of the best of the kabinett vintage 2013! the acidity vibrantly merges with the 40g plus residual sugar (43,9 to be very precise); presenting stone fruit, touch of exotic fruits as melon and mango, citrus cest, white blossoms and salty finish - easy going and for contemplation at the same time. you wanna DRINK it - touché!

the recommendation for asian / fruit and herb driven cuisine is obvious... — 10 years ago