Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

On the nose; ripe, ruby, floral; blackberries, blueberries dark cherries, black raspberries, caramel, mocha, vanilla, loamy soils, fresh, red florals and violets. The body is thick & full. Tannins are round and velvety. The fruit gorgeous and creamy in style. Dark currants; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, blueberries, raspberries. Mocha, medium intensity baking spices, cinnamon, vanilla, milk chocolate, loamy dry souls, violets, fresh red florals, beautiful round acidity. the structure length, tension are well executed well a balance polished finish. Photos of; the entrance to the Winery with a press on east side, Layered soil structure of their Dr. Crane Vineyard and the immaculate barrel room. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

It been hot on the west coast...even in places it's not normally. Today is no different and you can add humidity; which is something we almost never have here. Time to bust out the Sauvignon Blanc. This beauty is loaded with tropical madness. Plenty of crystalline sugar in the bottom of the bottle. The green apple, ripe pineapple, lime, lemon, mango, green melon, guava, saline minerals, dry grassy notes, and spring flowers leap out of the glass. The palate matches the nose with beautiful, round, acidity and round rich long finish. Photos of, their tasting room and Calistoga vineyard. Delicious tonight! — 8 years ago

Tania Fabiani

9.6

Sanjay dinner at the marine room may 2017 — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

On the nose, lightly candied styled fruits of; dark cherries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries and pomegranate. Cinnamon, vanilla, light loamy soils and fresh dry dark florals. On the palate, dry M+ tannins & black currants. Round, full, rich and juicy fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, blueberries and strawberries. Dry crushed rocks, gritty volcanic minerals, leather graphite, tobacco leaf and ash, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, spice-box. The long finish shows softer, dusty tannins. It's also showing some good bottle evolution since I had it last Spring. As well, the structure, texture, length & finish are improved. Photos of their beautiful wood wall storage cabinet in the main dining room and another perspective of the terrace view. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

The cellar room at a Merus. The 13 had big dark fruit and sage nose. Ripe blackberry juice, creamed blackberries, black cherries, black cherry licorice, anise, dark dry powdery earth, crushed rocks, edgy mineral powder and nice acidity. Round polished elegant finish that takes an hour in the decanter to reveal. — 9 years ago

Austen Ito

9.1

Lots of developed aromas. Leather, tobacco, vanilla, coconut, cooked fruits. Med + body, long finish. Still kicking 11 years later with some room to go. — 10 years ago

Bryan A

9.8

Had the challenge of turning a room-full of rosé virgins into rosé fans. There was no other choice but to start them up with the best in class. Glad to see happy new rosénatics. — 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Is there any meal better than steak (Ribeye) and well aged Claret? This is another 1991 Bordeaux experiment of mine. 1991 was a vintage with horrible frosts and a less than favorable growing season, right? A vintage critically panned. This is my 3rd recent 91 from a good producer. And again, it didn’t disappoint. Like 97 and 07, it’s better with the right bottle age than young. Magic evolution happened in the bottle way down the road. This 91 is in great form with a fair amount of life ahead of it. On the nose; a little ripe fruit funk, wonderful dark & lighter red cassis, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries, vanilla, light cinnamon, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs and fresh & dry red flowers. The body/palate is medium, round, ripe & still fresh. The tannins nearly completely resolved. Ripe, floral fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries & half cooked rhubarb. Vanilla, light cinnamon, touch of clove & nutmeg, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs, a little band-aid and fresh & dry red flowers. The acidity drips over the palate and the long, well balanced, still structured, nice tension, good length finish lasts over a minute. Again, love & appreciate the 12.5% alcohol. What a beauty with and without the steak. Next time you’re in your fine wine retail shop and see a quality producers 91 that’s been well stored, buy it and have it with a Ribeye. Photos of; their exotic Estate, Chateau interior, newer barrel room and their vines as viewed from the front of the Chateau that are across the road. Producer notes and history...Cos d’Estournel has a long distinguished history in the St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding in 1811. It did not take long before Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In those early days, Cos d’Estournel did not sell through Negociants. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Bordeaux Chateaux’s to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. If you’re at the property, the statue on the bench in the front courtyard is of the founder, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel. The Estate was then purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux using the negociant system. If the Chateau was not selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification. Imagine that! So, it turned out to be a fortuitous decision. Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family owners of the neighboring Estate of Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. This purchase was the beginning of the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. Decades later, the grandchildren of Fernand Ginestet, Jean-Marie Prats, Yves Prats and Bruno Prats took over ownership and management of Cos d’Estournel. In 1995, Bruno Prats sold the property to the Merlaut family, owners of the Taillan Group. The next era in the development of Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Cos d’Estournel was bought by the industrious and wealthy Michel Reybier, who earned his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things further improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making at that time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in not only the wine making facilities and cellars, but in parts of the Chateau as well. While the wine making facilities are completely modern with their 100% gravity design, the outward appearance retained the original design and feeling that has always been a part of Cos d’Estournel. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH (Pichon Baron). Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the Estate. What makes the remodel special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity and allow for the expression of their terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. Perhaps, the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and the racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a “pumpless pump over.” The 91 hectare vineyard of Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located extremely close to the border between Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe. The Estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. They also make a second wine called Pagodes de Cos. This is a great wine to buy in very good vintages. Especially, if your budget prohibits you from purchasing their first wine. — 8 years ago

Tracey LaPointe

9.0

Incredible. Fruit forward but not jammy. Sadly for wine club members only. — 9 years ago

Nate Redner

9.5

Crushable. Great summertime wine. — 9 years ago

with Michael

Ray Everett

9.0

Just another Thursday night wine. You can literally smell it before you enter the room, it's that big. Deep black cassis and blueberry, light vanilla and sage. Moderate tannins starting to integrate very nicely. Yep, just another Thursday night quaff. ;-) — 10 years ago

with Warren

Craig pyle

9.0

One of my favorites from Long Shadows. Thick and rich in nose and flavor. Great tasting room in Woodenville WA. — 10 years ago

Jared Elder II

9.1

Great wine in our room having some wine and cheese for dinner. It was a great buy and really hit the spot. I think this will be a trip of “risk and reward”. So what is the price point and how good is it???? This is a really nice wine. Would have it again for sure. — 8 years ago

Nikki Cooke

9.4

Delicious!! Not too exy — 8 years ago

with Brittany

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

On the nose, syrupy dark cassis, blueberries, black raspberry cola, pepper, spice & fresh violets. The palate is rich, full bodied, smooth, elegant & big....it well extracted! The flavors abound. Dark cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, black licorice, dark chocolate, salted caramel, core of anise, tarry notes, thick medium spice, pepper, soft, leather, powdery slushy tannins, liquid violets, decayed dark florals, underbrush, bitty minerals, crushed rock powder & dark rich loamy soils. The acidity is like a waterfall over the palate. The long, elegant finish is rich, ripe fruits that really pop along with swirling spice-box. Photos of our April visit to MD...shots of the grounds & tasting room. This 07 still has 5-7 years ahead of it. — 8 years ago

Guy Fiore

9.0

Drank a little too chilled. Curious to taste at room temp. Very smooth. Complex — 9 years ago

Tracey LaPointe

9.5

One of the best pinots I've ever tasted. So big so much fruit but balanced and not jammy. — 9 years ago

Colin Yates

Wine Buyer Macadoodles Fine Wine & Spirits

9.8

1986 and still room to grow. Lots of brilliant red fruit on the nose. Oak is faint but there. Hints of irony blood and band aid. Palate leans more towards darker fruit with fine tannins and tangy acidity. Lovely. Two bottles tasted with consistent notes. — 9 years ago

with Brigette, Dan and 2 others

Jo Anne B

9.5

Green pepper and spice. Love it as much as I did when we were in the tasting room. — 10 years ago

with Kim, Dave and 2 others

Kelsey Nelson

9.8

Stumbled upon this tasting room and was blown away from their winemaking skills — 11 years ago

with Matt