Paul J

9.0

45+ decant but needed closer to 2 hours. Dark purple in color. Nose was all over the place - US, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy. Wine had minimal fruit, plenty of wood, and lots of Portuguese elements. Would have guessed California or Portugal if having blind. Depth was medium as well as the finish. Ample tannins. Expected more from the label and vintage. — 5 years ago

with Brooke

Ian Staub

9.1

As expected from Enfield, this oozes class and balance. Not as austere as true Sonoma Coast, and not as sauvage as the northern Rhône, this has pretty ripe black and blue fruits while still possessing all of the beautiful floral, smoky, meaty, peppery elements you’d expect from top notch Syrah. Tannins are resolved and acid plays a leading role, keeping this fresh and exciting. Enjoyed over two nights with Szechuan (and Szechuan leftovers). Perhaps a bit subtle for the food, but still delicious. — 5 years ago

Paul K

9.7

This is amazing. I’m sure it will benefit from time, but I would not describe as tight. This is ready for extreme enjoyment now.
Color is opaque garnet. Nose tips hand of cab franc with floral, herbs, perfume, and dark red fruit. One of the best elements of this wine.
Lots going on the palate. That’s where u find the Petite Verdot. I’m saying chocolate covered currant and then layers of allspice, red and blue fruit. Sweet tannins, if that’s a thing, bring it all together and then the finish follows for a long time. This is awesome. It reminds me a lot of the 2008 Penfold’s Grange in structure if not a little in profile.


— 6 years ago

Jean-Francois Pelletier

9.6

Garnet color. Intense nose of red fruits, spice, sous-bois and earth. The nose is just haunting. Palate is all about finesse, with all the elements fitting together beautifully. Soft red fruits backed by a great acidity and tension and an incredibly long finish. What a treat. — 8 years ago

with Frankie

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Tasted side by side with the 2013 Lineage. Tough battle but bottle age has definitely helped this bottling. Mix of deep garnet and ruby red. Straight from opening there were lots of savory elements mixed in with red and black berries. Some floral notes too like roses. As it opened up over the two hour period there was petroleum, dark cocoa and cinnamon. Over the evening, additional notes of dark ripe fruits and even more spices, even slightly savory ones. So balanced for how young this is. Started out with heavy tannins (8/10) but mellowed and rounded out to a solid moderate tannins (6.5/10) over the two and a half hour decant. Rounded medium plus body that will develop further with time. Started off with some darker cherries and light greenery with a bit of leather. Even a bit of spices. Great acidity giving this strong backbone and a semi-dry long finish. This will be singing given another five years and drink will over the next twelve. Tons of potential and very surprised by this caliber of wine coming out of Livermore Valley. Great job Steven! — 9 years ago

with Sean and India

Paul J

9.3

1hr+ decant and needed every bit of it. Fruit forward nose with lots of Pinot elements. Wine was refined and silky, with more tannins than expected. Cherry fruit mixed with meat and a touch of spice. Not what I was expecting from this, but very nice. — 5 years ago

with Brooke

Paul J

9.5

1 hour plus decant. Dark red color. Nose contains graphite, black cherry, and some medicinal elements. Wine has more oak than expected but nice cherry fruit. Awesome texture and great depth. Medium plus finish. Not as good as the ‘12 I recently had, but still one of my favorite producers! — 5 years ago

with Brooke

A. R.

9.1

Lightly floral, slightly sweet and a touch of smoke (unpeated)... oily mouthfeel. Good dram. — 6 years ago

Boris Mathiszik

8.9

Nice blend. Much more straight tasting than their Islay cousins. I miss the peat and smoke flavor. — 7 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.4

Color of black tea. Nose is peaty, fermented grains, spices, and some ripe fruit note. Taste follows similar notes with addition of sweet caramel. Aftertaste is some more salty mineral and baked apple. Flavors are right to the point with decent concentration. — 7 years ago

Matt

9.2

Showing great. Tannins could use some resolve but aromatically the oak is starting to seep in. Still a rustic charm that Guillemot always has that I love. Impressed by the dark fruit this possessed, black raspberry, black cherry, red blood orange. Savory elements like fennel, forest floor, sweet tobacco starting to pop up. Great glimpse of where it's headed. — 8 years ago

Olav Sa

9.5

End of bottle... — 8 years ago

.

9.4

Beautiful. Right in the middle between youthful fruitiness and mature tertiary development, showing some elements of both. Delightfully perfumed on the nose, full in the mouth, and smooth on the finish. A real treat. — 9 years ago

Stas Medvedev

9.4

🏅 Rating 94/100 (4,4⭐)

Beautiful clear bright ruby color. One can sense high breed of top Burgundy right away. Immense depth. Bouquet of forest red berries with some black, forest floor, Indian spices, sandal wood. With some time in the glass develops floral aromas of dark red roses. It feels like it has significant influence of new oak, but it is very well integrated and adds to wine's complexity. ⁣
Smooth, but rich and ripe juicy on the palate. ⁣
Tannins are also ripe and finely grained giving pleasant mouth feel. All elements are in perfect balance as you want your Grand Cru to be. Looong finish. ⁣
⁣
Wine opened its drinking window and delivers ultimate pleasure already. ⁣
⁣
It has this Corton character which gravitates towards Côte de Beaune rather than Côte de Nuits.⁣
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This is Domaine Bouchard, not their negociant wine. Own grapes come from 3,95 ha East facing vineyard in historic lieu-dit of Le Corton.⁣ — 5 years ago

Robert Rothfield

9.2

“The most richly flavored of all Scotch whiskies”.....I would tend to agree! — 5 years ago

Matt Perlman

8.9

Beautiful light cloudy rhubarb/garnet color. Medicinal sour cherry and vibrant tangy strawberry. Lacks the complexity and funky/savory elements of the top Jura examples but compensates with purity of the fruit — 7 years ago

Marcus Pollack

9.5

Very peaty, campfire smoke hits the nose immediately. There’s a hint of raisin and some tar, then a long saline finish. One of the best Islay’s I’ve had. It is a beast; consider yourself warned if you prefer a lighter or fruitier flavor profile. — 7 years ago

Eric Breece

9.5

That is not a typo, limited release of Ardbeg. Very boggy. :) — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

In every difficult vintage, anywhere, you will find producers that make exceptional wines. This 91 Palmer is such a wine. I have to thank Clyde Beffa owner of K&L Wine Merchants who has been traveling to Bordeaux for 35+ years for highly recommending two 91 Bordeaux's to me. The 91 Pichon Lalande; which he described as "heavenly." It's just the word I would have used to described it 5 or 6 years ago. Also, this 91 Palmer. He described as, "​I love it-soft and silky." I would strongly agree. You see, critics gave the 91 vintage a horrific review as a whole. Bordeaux had two frosts in April and a cold growing season. These elements didn't prevent either of these producers from making beautifully elegant 1991 wines. I have said it many times and will say it again, taste wines even in difficult vintages. You'll find value and some excellent wines. As for this 91, it's in perfect form. Excellent on it's own and even better with the ribeye. It's so elegant, smooth, beautiful, ripe and well balanced with earth & fruit. The fruits are slightly stewed & baked. Blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, touch of rhubarb, cherries, strawberries. Dried florals, used leather, tobacco with ash, slight vegetal quality, anise, not too sweet black cherry licorice/cola, figs, dark earth with crushed rocks, dry stones, underbrush, understated spice and perfect acidity that drips over the palate. The length, structure, balance and finish are in perfect harmony & the finish goes on and on and on. As many times as we've been to Bordeaux, we never get tired of the drive on the D-2 through Margaux and Pauillac. Chateau Margaux & Palmer stand side by side in beautiful prodigious history to say nothing of Baron Pichon & Pichon Lalande. Every year, for my B-day, I have a great steak and an old Bordeaux. It just doesn't get any better than that. And as many of those nights I've had, B-day or not, this might have been the best. Perhaps topping or equaling the Ribcap at Bourbon Steak and the 91 Pichon Lalande. To quote Gary Westby, "it steak and claret night." 12% alcohol is so much more enjoyable than 15% plus. ❤🍷🎉🎂 — 8 years ago

with Gary