AJ Gubser

9.0

Nose of pear, green apple, sea breeze, and some distant caramel and butterscotch.

Palate of green apple, lemon, supported buy sweet oak and butterscotch. Med-med+ acidity. Clean finish.

Quite a fresh wine with subtle, well integrated oak. Delicious as a starter and with lighter fare. — 5 years ago

Byron C Mayes

8.9

Star bright pale yellow. Abundant nose of white flowers and white peach. Medium full palate yields peach, coconut, magnolia petal, and dark quince. Medium plus acidity through the lengthy, slightly dark finish. While this would make a good wine for a big-bodied summer sipper, it (naturally) shines brightest with food. The bright acidity combined with the Rhône-typical layers of flavor will compliment heartier spring and summer fare as well as medium to soft cheeses. Classic white Rhône experience. I don’t foresee any significant development, but it should satisfy well into 2026. — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.1

This spicy, Grenache-based Vacqueyras exudes Provençal lushness and charm, with abundant raspberry, bitter cherry and floral notes. Substantial enough for rich winter fare, the 2017 also has the energy to pair well with lighter foods. It’s still young, so a quick decant is in order. $25.00 (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, December 2019) — 6 years ago

Sheils S

9.0

Bottle number two at a Lebanese restaurant. This was a very tasty red with full forward fruits of cherries and plums. Some cedar and vanilla on the finish. Holds up well with the complex and acidic Lebanese fare. Will definitely buy again should we cross paths at a wine shop, but not at restaurant markup. — 7 years ago

Byron C Mayes

9.1

Deep dark purple with slight garnet tinges in the glass. Abundant and bosomy nose of red currant and cherry pipe tobacco. Echoed on the full-bodied palate with plum and (as my dinner partner noted) a shade of beets. Medium plus tannins. Medium acidity. This is one big wine. As much so now as when it was young. Hearty omnivore fare will serve it well as would, frankly, a few more years laying down. No really. 2025 is not out of the question. — 7 years ago

with Jay

Colleen Wherthey Dunn

9.4

Light and fruity, with melon and citrus notes and well balanced acidity and minerality. Lovely finish, great with lighter fare or just sipping on the patio. — 8 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.5

Oh hey wish I were writing these notes whilst sipping not in retrospect. All I can say is the mystery of what flipping grapes are in this, plus the confounding richness of the sweet and higher than expected abv PLUS the high acid lead to fun in a glass. Also that went well with kimchi deviled eggs. The sweet plus spicy...you guys hie thee to faith n flowa. Powa — 9 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.1

This wine has been consistent since the 2009 vintage. The Little Bit Chardonnay is definitely the one to buy and open for the discriminating tastes, but this bottle will do the job it needs to complement lighter fare. I definitely think this one is a little bit lighter bodied than other vintages of Hudson, But the classic yellow fruit and herb density is certainly here. Actually very soft and rounded on the front, while still showing quite a bit of minerality on the finish. I think this one would probably do very well with a year of age to kind of bring it all together a little bit more. The QPR on this bottle is pretty good, and deals are usually to be had. Not bad for a wine that will probably keep very well for 5 years or so and has this kind of complexity for about 45 bucks! — 6 years ago

Ken Z

8.9

Drank 12/16/19. Nice with burgers.

Nose of red currant and cherry, with a bit of smoke imparting the only noticeable oak influence. Flavors of plums black cherry, and a touch of earth on the simple palate. Medium silky tannins. If I had to knock this wine, I would say that it lacks a bit of complexity and length on the finish, but overall very enjoyable. Would pair nicely with lighter fare, such as pork or chicken as well. Excellent QPR at around $13.(Costco)

3/22/7/4/3 +50 =89 pts. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

After trying this, I was informed that this one had been slow-oxing for 3 days! Soft quality with very rounded edges. Red and black fruits here get you right in the front with a dried nut character. Plum, pipe tobacco, a little foresty in the middle. Finishes with a lot of elegance but still has enough grip and pepper that it would go very well with really just about any food or fare. If this wine is drinking this well after 3 days, it still has a ton of life left! — 7 years ago

with Dan and Bradley

Mark Flesher

9.2

Tropical Chardonnay with great weight and density. Went well with Greek food. Nose of pineapple and honey and a touch of basil. Entry that is also very tropical and quite dense. Mouth coating. Didn't compete with the food like I thought it would, but instead really danced around the fare. Went best with the basil pesto hummus. Finished with more acidity than it started with. Aftertaste was kind of strange, almost like a tart peach. I truly think this wine needs to sit another couple of years before trying again, but it's still a very solid wine for the price point. — 7 years ago

Erin Bell

8.9

Lovely light flavor, went well with traditional Thanksgiving fare! — 8 years ago

James Forsyth

9.4

The Polo Bar might be the most "sceney" restaurant in New York. The walls are adorned by hundreds of paintings of horses, wood paneling and leather is everywhere. The aesthetic is utterly on point and on brand.

We drank this fabulous Sonoma mountain Cab from Anakota. Deep, dark, quite dense, highly structured and with an intensity of fruit that gives the impression that this will be very long lived. Suffice to say it was perfect with the well executed, uncomplicated American fare (New York Strip Steak for me). — 8 years ago

Neil Walsh

9.2

Will go well with Good Friday fare. — 9 years ago

Byron C Mayes

9.1

Dark but clear red. Wonderfully inviting nose of black cherry and balsam. Medium full body with a nose-marching palate of black cherry and other dark fruits, balsam, patent leather, and anise herb (in that order). Medium acidity. Medium plus, velvety tannins. This is a fully Italian take on the Cabernets (Sauvignon and Franc) that calls out for food (medium to light cuts of beef would be great… Osso bucco?), but would fare just as well by the glass. Drink now through 2028. — 6 years ago

Byron C Mayes

8.9

Bright pale salmon in color. Cherry Bazooka on the nose. Medium light-bodied palate of red cherry and dried strawberry (with no Bazooka). Medium plus acidity balances the overt fruit quite well. Classic Rosé d’A in all of its fruity goodness. A rare French wine that fits right in with American “sippin’ culture” while still a perfect compliment to spicy fare or soft cheeses. If you’re one of those folks who claims to “not like anything sweet,” get over yourself and stop lying. The epitome of fruity rosé is just waiting to help you get through summer 2020. Let it. Drink now. — 6 years ago

David Kline

9.2

Blood red, with maximum density. Rosemary, plum-prune, sage and thyme, blackberry, black cherry, black pepper, cassis, violets, piebald earth and a touch of cranberry aromatically. Medium mouthfeel of elegance, and satin-y tannins despite its youth. Smoky raspberry sporting a cranberry aura, black currant leaf, light cassis, and roasted lamb with the lightest mint. Fantastic pomerol at a great price point. Hold this for another five years at least, and you will be well rewarded. Otherwise decant and serve with rustic fare smothered in olive oil! Brilliant. — 7 years ago

with Courtney

Scott Cowan

8.9

Cherry jam nose. The heat wafts up with the vanilla scented jam too, and remains in nice, not over-powering, ways through first sip - mid-palate - finish such that I think the stated 14.1% alcohol under-states the actual case. I’m drinking this 2017 vintage Feb 12-13 2019 and it tastes good now with promise of tasting very good, with some potential complexity in a few years. Just now, this wine packs a punch well above it’s weight class: $18 at Berkeley Bowl. It’s far below the quality of top Paso cabs but it’s far below their sticker prices too... so, hey, why not enjoy this as a more than serviceable table wine for hearty and even some spicy fare now, cellar several bottles to taste 1-5(+ ?) later as a cheap investment that could pay off huge? One can always pull out the Justin Isosceles Reserve and Tablas Creek bad boys for special Paso-wine occasions. I do miss a longer finish ... but tiny hints of licorice, shiitake+hedgehog and maybe also portobello mushrooms, and slightly larger suggestions of smoke plus some leather lead me to believe The Fableist is working on some delicious stories to tell in coming years — and will then, perhaps, linger longer on the finish. Yeah, I do think the yummy plummy jam will give way to more flavors in time — and if this hunch/hope/faith proves true, Ill increase the rating a fair amount over 9.0 for some tip-top QPR. — 7 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.4

Alas, a final hurrah in which to say, “Fare thee well, Del Frisco’s Grille!”
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As for the wine itself, really delicious and seductively powerful with loads of potential for the coming years. A bit more feminine than the To Kalon, the MH has some finesse and sensual elegance that makes it less of a Lamborghini and more of a Ferrari. Lots of licorice, plum, blackberry, and cassis. I had the waitress pop the cork and pour me a glass for my steak, but I stopped at one glass. I’ll be taking this selection home to see how it evolves over the next day (or two).
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EDIT: Day two and this wine is on fire 🔥So delicious. Much more balanced; it’s like it knows its own identity now. — 8 years ago

with Krystal

Ted Boydston

8.9

Fruit forward, offering a pop of black fruits supported by a hint of oak and spice with, perhaps, some dark chocolate. Held up to Italian fare very well. Probably not a good pair with delicate foods. — 9 years ago