Alicia Cypress

9.1

It’s been a bit since I’ve had a Sonoma Coast Pinot, and glad my entry back included this Cobb Jack Hill. Super pretty dark ruby fruit with a hint of blueberry and some stems on the backside. Needs a few years to show its true wonder, but I’m quite satisfied to be drinking after a dreary day in one of my favorite cafes. — 5 years ago

GabWine

9.5

Color : White
Wine estate : Billecart-Salmon
Designation : Champagne
Name : Brut Sous Bois
Country : France
Vivino : 5/5
Note : I think Billecart is my favorite brand of champagne. At each tasting, a treat and wonder! With this "Blanc de noir", we have a character related to its passage in oak barrel which gives a beautiful complexity. A bright yellow robe with its fine bubbles, a nose of citrus, butter and toast. On the palate, the expression of his character with notes of toast, brioche. Just perfect.
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Je crois que Billecart est ma marque de champagne préférée. À chaque dégustation, un régal et de l'émerveillement ! Avec ce "blanc de noir", nous avons un caractère lié à son passage en fût de chêne qui donne une belle complexité. Une robe jaune éclatante avec ses fines bulles, un nez d'agrumes, de beurre et de toast. En bouche, l'expression de son caractère avec des notes de pain grillé, brioché. Tout simplement parfait. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Steak, Frites & Claret. I am in heaven this New Year’s Eve. While 03 was a very warm & ripe vintage; which will drink well younger, this still needs 5-8 years. The nose still shows a fair amount of earth & some funk even after an hour & half in the the decanter. Sour dark cherries, ripe blackberries, black plum, roasted strawberries, raspberries haunt the background, light vanilla & cinnamon, light, soft, spice, black cherry cola/licorice, light volcanic minerals, dry stones, rich turned earth, black tea, anise, dark fresh florals with a hint of violets. The body is medium, lush and beautiful. Tannins have baby teeth. Sour & sweet dark cherries, ripe blackberries, black plum, roasted strawberries, blueberries, raspberries haunt the background, light vanilla & cinnamon, light, soft, spice, black cherry cola/licorice, light volcanic minerals, dry stones, rich turned dark earth, dry crushed rock, hints of graphite, cigar tobacco, used leather, black tea, anise, dark fresh florals with a hint of violets. The acidity is round and near perfect. The length, structure, tension and balance are all in good company. The finish is long & beautiful with nice balance, but just a shade more earthiness on the long set. Here a little trivia for your next game of “Wine Trivial Pursuit.” What was the first wine brought into space? In 1985, the 75 Lynch Bages was brought into space by a Frenchmen. Of course, right? I wonder if that drove up the bottle price? I think Lynch Bages is still currently closed for visits as it’s under renovation. They are making serious improvements to their facilities. Should you ever visit, make your appointment either side of lunch and eat at their Bistro...Cafe Lavinal. It’s very good, close and owned by Lynch Bages. Library vintages of Lynch Bages are available by the glass. It’s a very short walk from the Chateau. They also have great accommodations in walking distance, the Cordeillan Bages. The hotel is very nice and has a two star Michelin Restaurant. One of our favorite meals ever! Wish you all peace, success and many nice bottles in 2018!!! Happy New Year! 🎊🎈🎆 🍾🥂 🎉 — 6 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.2

Whole cluster, no sulfur, 100% delicious. This is SBC pinot I can get behind. Yes, it's being led by beautiful pomegranate fruit, but it's in lovely tension with herby/earthy/minerality. Outstanding and fully delicious now, I wonder what this will be like in a few years. No idea. — 8 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.3

Eighth bottle. Some variation, but most have been stellar. This one was obviously well stored - good fill and perfect cork. Still drinking very well and showing ageability of Santa Barbara wines. Drink at cellar temp. — 8 years ago

Andrew Reetz

9.1

A biodynamic wonder! — 9 years ago

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.1

Not as much oak as I was expecting, but tons of juice-like fruit. I wonder if they micro-oxidize? This is a wine that lacks risk, but is a safe bet if you don't care about terroir. — 9 years ago

Greg Sorensen

9.2

Such a great Ardanza. Fruit acidity and all the classic tertiary magic. I wonder if today's Ardanza's will age with such grace. I miss the old school label too. — 9 years ago

George Hesse

8.9

Had at Palo on Disney Wonder. Unmemorable — 10 years ago

with Jennifer

Garrett Dale

9.1

Makes me wonder why more people don't drink Riojas when this is probably better than the majority of mediocre cabs, merlot, Pinot, etc for the same price. — 10 years ago

Rob Moose

9.0

Flinty, smoky, peppery, this 2011 is quite distinct from its older brother. The color is not dissimilar but one would never confuse the two glasses. The pepper note is something I get a lot from 2011, and I wonder if it will blow off with air or just time. The palate is more penetrating though the finish fails to show a different side of the equation in the way the 2010 does. A very competent wine but a bit one note. — 5 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

8.9

Ok this is excellent oxidative white wine, and has all the qualities I love in great fino sherry. But then again I wonder when drinking why not just drink good fino? — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

My notes on this from May of 2017 still apply. Popped and poured. Drank well over two days. Immediately this wine impresses visually. Sure, the color is an expected deep garnet but what's most striking is the fact that it's never completely opaque at the core. You can just barely get the faintest amount of light to see through it. It's quite beautiful, really. The nose is initially a bit reticent but a few minutes of air in the glass does the trick and then it really begins to show off the most lovely perfume of mixed red and dark fruit; so fresh and pure with just a flash of garrigue. No perceptible heat on the nose. On the palate it's a veritable wonder of berries, Rainier cherries, black berry liqueur, and just a touch of fine white pepper. The body is perfectly proportioned and the finish lasts for over 30 seconds. In summary, this is an incredibly balanced 2010 CdP that is already hitting its prime. Personally, I felt it was really at its very best about two hours in which leaves me to believe it should be a great pop and pour for the next couple of years and potentially has the balance to be great for longer. That being said, there is no need to decant, just pull the cork, pour and enjoy the evolution in the glass. The hard part is allowing it to last for two hours and longer. It should be noted that this is dangerously quaffable wine and it wouldn't be hard to take the whole thing to the head. Might as well drink these sooner than later as I'm always a bit wary of CdP much beyond the 10 year mark, where I tend so find many of them fall apart on the palate. Perhaps others with more experience in the long-term ageing of CdP can chime in though. Absurd value at $30.

As a side note, this paired very nicely with pan fried pork savory bacon wrapped filet mignon. — 6 years ago

Raun Kupiec

8.9

Good, but maybe not up to the hype. Probably just too young and the bottle open too long at the bar. Nice complexity in the flavors but finish a bit meh. Some cocoa, mint, olive. Deep colors and smooth but overall feeling was thin and missing a middle. Definitely enough tannins and acidity to wonder what it will be like in a few years, but this is a crap business lounge and I don't want my flight delayed that long... — 7 years ago

Gibson Campbell

9.0

Black fruit licorice and fierce tannin. Wonder if it was blended w some Syrah or Carignan. Needs decanting and food. Tar component worked well w osso buco — 8 years ago

Ashley Royal

9.1

Emirates lounge Dubai...and you wonder why I say Delta sucks! — 8 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.6

Birth Year! Happy belated celebration to me. I enjoyed this lots lots lots. Started off locked down but then turned into subtle fruit. Soft wonder on the tongue. Drank over a 2 hour span. Could have let it sit in the glass another 1-2 hours. — 9 years ago

with Sean

Kirsty Elliott

9.1

What a treat! Through the wonder of #coravin I was able to taste a glass of this ripe black fruit powerhouse. It's aged beautifully. — 9 years ago

T SZYMAN

9.3

Warm up with this wonder. — 10 years ago

Gary Fenstra

9.0

Huh. This is the last bottle at Stalzy's. I wonder who drank most of this? — 10 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

R.I.P. Robin Leach who sadly passed away today. May Heaven be filled with peace, champagne (96 Krug Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil) and Beluga Caviar dreams. God bless. Cheers! 🥂 I wonder how many people he inspired to drink Champagne over his many years doing the show? — 6 years ago

Laura Arnold

9.5

Wonder with Lamb. Low tannins, ready to drink immediately when opened. Full body, earthy finish, beautiful cab — 6 years ago

with Steve

Jay Root

9.4

Wonder, bold Napa cab. Paired incredible with medium rare steak. This was actually a gift and I believe the giver said it had been aging in his cellar for 7 years. — 7 years ago

Barb Anderson

8.9

I needed a monster to pair with the ultimate smoky BBQ. This Cab fit the bill. — 7 years ago

Igor Beron

9.7

No wonder Soldera is considered one of the best wineries on earth. — 7 years ago

Eric Egan

9.2

Super-weird bottle. Mid-shoulder, crumbly cork, and the colour of freshly pressed strawberry juice - extremely pale as slightly cloudy! The immediate scent was quite off-putting but after 30 minutes it stormed back! Scents of autumn mulch, burning vine roots, sour cherries, and raspberry compote. A weird sourness and heady acidity on the front of the palette but it still keeps together well. Clearly badly kept but still really interesting to drink! A true testament to The quality of Mouton under the stewardship of the late Baron. I wonder if this is what some of the better kept bottles might be like in 100 years' time!? — 8 years ago

Paul T- Huntington Beach

9.0

Had pizza stuck in my head since I woke up, I wonder why?
Not bad for a friday domino's run, reco from total wine store, have to throw them a bone now & then, normally shoot them down, but she looked so sad, — 9 years ago

Michelle Ballen

9.8

This wine is insanely delicious - and affordable! — 9 years ago

with Brett

Adam Wills

9.3

Another score from Paris, drinking now in Amsterdam. Wonder how it pairs with Mushrooms ;) — 10 years ago

Mitch Cahoon

Sommelier/Wine Director Petra's Bistro & Wine Bar

9.6

Wonder if it's possible for Napa to taste like this anymore? — 10 years ago