Dark fruits, spices, and some other subtle elements in the nose. Rich, complex, and delicious on the palate. Wonderful! — 7 years ago
Rich and round with ripe citrus notes, though lovely acidity. Definitely tastes older than it actually is — 8 years ago
Lovely secondary elements of sweaty saddle leather, cedar and later some cigar box. Soft, integrated tannins. Long finish and very nice nose. — 9 years ago
Underripe red fruits, earthy as all get out with some nice floral elements. Nice acid & just a *leetle* tannin. — 9 years ago
Really good Pinot. Sweet and sour cherry, minerality and a bit of roundness that makes it so appealing. — 10 years ago
2008
Bright but age served it well - letting the Zin and Cab elements meld. Nice cold day sipping wine — 10 years ago
Really lovely after a couple hours of air. Crisp yet meaty, nice finish. — 11 years ago
Full bodied and smooth — 12 years ago
I forgot that I had this but I did not forget that I liked it. — 7 years ago
2 different bottles. One overripe and sweet cherry. Too ripe. Sweet finish. Not great. 88 pts. Second bottle was better, more tertiary elements and balance. Moderate finish. — 9 years ago
Drank BTG out of double magnum for #largeformatfriday at Tilia. Absolutely outstanding. SO aromatic. All the elements of this wine have damn near perfectly integrated together after 20 years. Acid and tannin in near perfect harmony, both intense but yet so refined and balanced. Singing with fig, dried cherry, tar, star anise, clove, and dried rose and violet petals. Stunning. — 9 years ago
1958 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino: from Jay. This was the Ying to the Mascarello's Yang. Lovely rich ruby colour with virtually no bricking on the edge. The nose developed over the course of 15 to 20 mins in the glass. Unlike the Mascarello that was shedding perfume from the moment it hit the glass, the Monfortino needed more air before becoming less brooding. Dark fruits on the nose. Purple plums, black cherries, some forest floor, light tobacco as well as some floral elements prevailed. The palette was a reflection of the nose so no surprises. The fruit was far from dried out and this particular bottle still had plenty of life left in it but from my recent experience this is the exception rather than the rule. I have had around 10 bottles of old Monfortino ('55 / '58 / and '61) over the last year and the bottle variation, as you would expect, is tremendous with the majority of them past their prime. The finish was strong and in keeping with the rest of the package with reasonable length and quality. Drink now. 95/100.
— 10 years ago
First US Riesling I have had - impressed - good fruit, mineral & structure - would love to taste it with some serious age! — 10 years ago
Incredible. Beyond amazing. Porty elements with a cake, whipped cream chocolate icing type of nose and flavor profile. Raisins, dates and figs come to mind with chocolate cake on the palate. Long finish. Hands down best wine I've had from Australia. Seriously though, this smelled like chocolate icing. Beyond delicious. — 11 years ago
Nose has similar elements to 07: black cherry, smokey white pepper, licorice. Palate has balanced acid, smooth texture, fruity finish. Great tannins, will last another ten years if cellared well. I ❤️ Paloma! — 11 years ago
got the 2012 at grocery outlet north hayward. careful with that foil! outstanding nose: blueberries, licorice, and cedar. lighter bodied, tangy berry flavors with welcoming acidity on the finish. for $4.99 this wine offers excellent value. a terrific vintage. showing well! — 7 years ago
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! — 8 years ago
Delicious, with a surprisingly delightful finish in particular. Key distinction between it and the other wines of the estate. Had elements of coffee and black currant on the nose. — 9 years ago
In this vintage, would have been hard pressed to say this wasn't the single vineyard bottling unless tasted side by side--powerful and complex, liquid rocks up front, with structure just beginning to soften enough for fruit and savory elements to emerge. — 9 years ago
Savory and delicate. Drink up. Nice nose palate and finish. Milk chocolate and licorice elements with some woody, cedar chest elements. — 10 years ago
It's so wonderful to drink Jean-Christophe's wines again. Alsace! — 10 years ago
Smooth red — 13 years ago
Matt Perlman
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 — 6 years ago