David Dorn

9.5

Just absolute finesse! So balanced. Stellar expression of what Napa cab can and should be. — 3 years ago

Erik Longabardi

9.4

Good muscadet is ethereal. — 4 years ago

Alexander Motola

8.9

Super solid every time. Lovely wine; not the highest expression of Nebbiolo but you can drink this wine with anything. — 5 years ago

John Hagood

9.1

From Domestique 4/13/19 for tagine, but only opened 2013 in garden on 4/27/19. Chlorine smell for J; lemon, thyme, chives, cloves, vanilla. Mouthfeel and long finish of pine. Pretty rich for Muscsdet. Expected salinity. Malted Easter egg shells. — 6 years ago

Ross Goldberg

9.3

Excellent young expression of Syrah. Excellent fruit and body! — 7 years ago

Patrick Arres

9.0

Excellent Picpoul de pinet ! Apero a Valloire — 7 years ago

Michael Schamis

8.9

A crisp, bright and rich white with possibly a touch of old oak. Citrus and stone fruits with a nice bit of stone minerality. Nice was to start the evening. — 8 years ago

with Kati

Marty Mathis

9.5

2019 Cote du Py By far the best Gamay Noir I have tasted in several years. Such a precise expression of Morgon. This aroma shows the perfect combination of deep and inviting cherry plum fruitiness along with the slightest brush pepperiness and subtle meaty/earthy hints. There is no funky Brett in this wine that I can find. Not squeaky clean commercial either. There is no mistaking the pedigree of this vineyard site as well as the deft hand of this legendary producer. The texture is pure pleasure, almost nil tannins (The way I like it), and major length. Woody, brushy (rotundones) are combined with perfectly ripe tree fruit and alluring minerality . For anyone confused about the distinction between Burgundy and Beaujolais this should stand as a model example. Bravo bravo bravo!!! — 3 years ago

Jon Ebsworth

9.1

Really drinking well, fine expression of Morgon this. And still likely to drink well for years to come. — 4 years ago

Jason Miller

9.0

Amy likes it but may have been influenced by prior wine taster. — 6 years ago

Jeremiah Allen

9.1

Whole cluster love 🍇 💗Volcanic charm 🌋 Cristom is overdelivering for the category. Nearly all estate vines, very much an expression of Eola Hills. The aromatics are spicy and the palate is pure silk. — 6 years ago

Mackenzie

9.3

2nd gls of ‘18 — 7 years ago

David Dorn

9.3

Wonderful expression of Oakville. Dark fruit and smooth tannins. Absolutely wonderful wine. — 7 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.5

LC17 consistently shows incredible verve and a multidimensional and layered expression of its rich red berry fruit, blood orange, chalky minerality and sea spray salinity which lead to its long and exhilarating finale. Can’t get enough 👏🏻✨🥂 — 3 years ago

Thijs Hendriks

9.6

Deg feb 2019 — 4 years ago

Andrew Olsen

9.2

Wonderful way to ring in the new year! — 4 years ago

J Greene

9.2

Amazing. Better than the 3 dollar crap we bought on the champs de mar. — 6 years ago

Patti Gamboni

9.1

Awesome acidity, no sulfur used, beautiful. Pure expression. — 7 years ago

Samuel Albert Camacho

9.5

2006 vintage on Dec 30, 2017 from Bob’s cellar. Lovely expression of Sangiovese. — 7 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