C. Cole

9.3

Second of two bottles, and… WOW! A perfect balance of fruit and minerals, with a beautiful nose, too. An exceptional bottle. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.

The 13 was a brutal tannin vintage when I tasted it at En Premier. The tannins are still bitty but, nothing like they were out of barrel.

The fruit in the 13 shows the difficulty in the vintage. They are duller and it’s really stands out from other vintages and not in a good way.

It’s lean and there is nothing that really draws you in. Fruits are; dark cherries, rhubarb, blackberries, some blueberries@and the strawberries show some ripeness the other do not. Lots of dry earth, dry stones, some herbs, dark withering florals, decent acidity and a uneventful dry finish.

Photos of; Clyde and Alfred at the bar, their Amphora style cement tanks they ferment part of each vintage now, road signs of the good neighbors they keep and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 6 years ago

A Cork in the Road

9.5

Harmonious balance of acid, fruit, alcohol, and tannins. I'm so impressed with the brightness yet lingering finish. Might be one of the top wines I've ever had? I don't want this moment to end. — 8 years ago

MJ Tsay

8.9

another 2 bottles from the dinner that started with the Champy Docteur Leste from back at end of Jan 2017 — 8 years ago

October Cleveland

9.0

Friendly and representative cool climate Pinot. Bit of spice, short legs but foresty earthy goooood. — 9 years ago

William Leslie

10

Fruit flavors on the nose, but no oak. Flavors of sweet tobacco and cherry seem to be most pronounced. There is also a juicy blackberry flavor paired with black current. The flavors all work together well without overpowering another. The wine is extremely well balanced leading to a very smooth feel. The tannins are mellow and there is a small little bite on the end. Overall this is an excellent wine from an excellent winemaker and one not to miss. For drinkers looking to try a more expensive bottle but worry it's not with it, this is a great choice to calm your fears. Just make sure to properly decant. — 9 years ago

Keith Pinault

9.2

Every kind of pepper imaginable on the nose: green, black, white, chili. Rich palate with fruit she an eye-opening herbal finish. Buy this now. — 10 years ago

Andrew Holod

National Sales Grapes of Spain

8.9

Well made, clean, some pineappley fruit in the nose. The palate is enhanced by a bit of zippy/spritz. It doesn't give much at the moment aromatically. Textual fairly rich as the 14+ alc would lead one to expect. Not my normal drinking style but with trying and likely more restrained than many competitors. — 10 years ago

Michael Morgan

9.1

First time trying an old Felton Road and a Block 5 courtesy of Can. Forest floor, some black fruits. Great concentration with depth and intensity of flavour. Good length but never felt over-blown or heavy. Shows why this wine is an icon. 94 points — 11 years ago

Anthony Ianni

9.6

The 2008. Lime, slate and floral. Awesome backbone of acid. Medium + length. Killer. — 11 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.3

The 2017 Haut-Bailly matured in 50% new oak and bottled at the end of April. It has a fragrant bouquet with blackcurrant, wild strawberry, wilted rose petal and light truffle scents emerging with time. This is a less powerful nose than recent vintages, but I appreciate the understated style. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded, saturated tannin. There is good acidity here, quite spicy in the mouth with a gentle, if not overly complex finish. It is the kind of Haut-Bailly that will drink comparatively early, though it has the substance to last for 20+ years. (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2020)
— 5 years ago

Martin Mills

9.2

Smooth as silk, with a hint of vanilla under its lush red fruit surface. At four years, it’s drinking fabulously, hard to see how it could improve and life is too short after all. Sourced in Halifax for about $60, sadly I think they are sold out. — 7 years ago

Michael Genn

9.7

Wine of the week! So balanced and complex. Awesome to taste at the end of the Chateau visit — 8 years ago

Denise Mathias

8.9

2016 from Winc — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Darker fruits than the RR. Concentrated blackberries, dark cherries, creamy black raspberries, raspberries, dark crushed minerals, big chalk, touch of clove, Asian spice, perfumed dry red and pink florals. Nice acidity and length. Finish round with big spice and candied ripe fruit. — 9 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.0

One of the best $20 Cali whites out there! — 9 years ago

with Elena

Robert dietterle

9.1

Pulled from the wine fridge and enjoyed this with fresh Salmon.
Very berry on the palate but not jammy.
Well rounded smoooth finish with barely a hint of tannin. Wonderful! — 9 years ago

Ray Isle

Executive Wine Editor Food & Wine Magazine

9.3

Plenty of time left, but I don't think it qualifies as infanticide when the wine tastes so damn good now... — 10 years ago

Stuart Robinson

9.3

Give it a couple of years, or a good decant. — 10 years ago

Michael Davenport

9.2

Very sexy...reminds me of a Washington cab, maybe from DuBrul. Now if only the Easter bunny would bring me a bottle of Le Dome — 11 years ago

Colin

9.2

Most interesting Sauternes I’ve tried. Started smooth with honey and then got more complex with a long finish that changed as it lingered, especially as the bottle got some air. Felt like it was maybe a little too powerful towards the end of my last glass, but I was maybe getting some sediment at that point. All in all an exciting tasting and it left me excited to try some of their other wines. — 5 years ago

Corinne Walters

9.7

At Total Wine tasting 1/19 - sweet, but with a little acid just at the end. Very drinkable, pulls at my tongue, top wine of the tasting — 6 years ago

Matt Trader

9.2

Valentine's Day 2018. Paired with Roasted Butterflied Lobster Tail, and a Chocolate Truffle Torte. Notes to come:)

- - Brane-Cantenac is a special wine to my wife and I. It is the first Bordeaux Chateaux we ever visited on our honeymoon. It is this little modest estate sitting in the shadow of the oversized Chateaux of Cantenac Brown, but it couldn't be more opposite when you bring the wine into the mix. Classic Margaux nose but less funk and more fruit. Terrior is hard to define, but if you have been somewhere memorable, and have a wine or food from that place.. it's when you have it again and it transports you back that to that place and time that defines that for me. It smells of the cool clean air and morning dew, sunshine, gravel dust from the road we had just driven in on, leather and wood from the barn, and the fresh overtones of fruity wine just beginning fermentation in the production facility that make up the core character of the wine. It is the terrior of Cantenac, and more specifically of Brane-Cantenac.

Paired this with Roasted Butterflied Lobster, and Broccolini, and a little left over for the Chocolate Truffle Torte I made as well for Valentine's Day. — 7 years ago

Max Kelly

9.3

Initially showing some oak and grip, but this settled into a cedar-y, spicy, elegant wine. Initially lagging behind the '01 La Mission, the intensity and integration built with time and air. By the end of the night, it was neck in neck. Great wine that will improve with another few years. — 8 years ago

with Chris and Alessandro

John Zimmerman

9.5

Wonderful aromas from this, and very strong nodes of spices, herbs, cassis, and cedar. Slight tannins, and a dryness that builds over the course of a glass. Also discovered a youthful strawberry profile nearing the end of my glass, and that was delicious. Overall very good! — 9 years ago

Aadil Mamujee

9.6

Lots of delicious red fruit and very smooth. Loved it. — 9 years ago

Philip Cook

8.9

Black cherry, raspberry notes. Fair amount of acidity. Paired well with baked salmon. — 10 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.3

What. Fantastic wine and a prime example as to why WA state is surging with new recognition as the next great thing after OR foursome CA. Integrated with balance and complexity with a great nose and mouthfeel reminiscent of much older wines. I'm a buyer. — 10 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.4

Definitely among my favorite California Pinots these days. Lithe, juicy, and all sour cherry raspberry goodness with a side of citrus snap. — 11 years ago

Thomas Hughes

10

In 2010, Wine Spectator crowned James Berry's "Saxum" their Wine of the Year. The $75 bottle now is sold for $300 or more at auctions. However James Berry also sells his grapes to other wineries. Every year Villa Creek creates a James Berry Vineyard "High Road", but for the 2007 vintage they keep a selection in oak barrels for an extra 2 years. The result is the High Road "End of the Road". The aging and limited release brings a bottle to $100 (for non club members), but I now consider this a wine in my top 10 favorites. Think full bodied California Cabernet fruit blast meets elegant balanced French red. The sip glides over your tongue and waltzes with your taste buds. Caution, this bottle packs a subtle punch with 17% alcohol ... So share or call a cab! Wine Spectator rates it a 93. I would go higher! Cheers! — 12 years ago

with Heidi