Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Blend 52% Petit Verdot, 26% Malbec & 22% Cab Sauv, deep Ruby with aromas of red and black fruits with notes of black pepper. On the palate flavors of blackberry, black cherry and ripe plum with cacao, leather and pepper. Fine tannins, medium+ finish ending with cedar, vanilla and black fruits. Good value. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.5

A continuation of some 1981’s that I’ve been opening to celebrate my 40th and this might be one of the biggest revelations yet. Over the last 20 years of my education, I’ve had the honor of being humbled countless times by wines, both good and not so good. However, every now and again, a wine comes along that challenges basic conventions and broadens my perspective. This was such a wine. Popped and poured; served alongside an assortment of grilled fare. The cork was about as healthy I’ve seen from a wine at 40 years. It came out mostly intact save for a small piece that was easy to remove but it served as a reminder that I ought to spend the money on a Durand. The color is deep garnet with some ever so slight browning at the edge of the rim. There is some fine sediment towards the bottom of the bottle but it’s otherwise quite clear. The nose was immediately engaging and full of interest. Predominate notes of old leather, dark cherry, mushrooms, black pepper, tobacco, and sweet baking spices. On the palate, the wine was rich, redolent. A mix of dark, mostly desiccated fruit, pipe tobacco, and baking spices. The real star however was the structure. Everything was still in its right place. Tannins were noticeable though clearly softened with age and very well integrated at this point. The acid provided all the necessary lift and a perfect zip to the finish. A wine of supreme balance. The four of us who shared this bottle looked at each other in wonder and amazement. A truly special wine that has years of life ahead. I have little doubt that it will still be handsome at 50. — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Some friends of ours brought this to our backyard dinner last night. This is not a producer I buy. So, it was nice to revisit and nice of them to share.

The first thing I would say, is this is a well made Pinot Noir. Having said that, I don’t buy it due to its pricing. If you are buying this from the winery, its price point is still too high for it’s quality and gets worse yet when you go to the secondary markets which, many do, due to its limited production & wait on their list.

I say this because I have had countless examples of Sonoma & CA Pinot Noirs that are as good for $75 or around that price point give or take a little. The Hendricks Pinot from Santa Lucia is a similar style and for me, is better than this Marcassin. The Hendricks is $75 on futures buying.

Our friends that brought it, whom we share a mutual friendship with another Sommelier. He told them they had to drink this as it was getting old. I can tell you that is simply not the case. This wine has another 7-10 years of fine drinking ahead. These statements happen when your consuming wine regiment is based on a steady stream of always drinking wines young...It just happens.

The wine shows beautiful mid & dark candied, floral fruits, heavy baking spices and too much cinnamon stick for me. Beautiful, dark, red, blue and purple florals. It is well balanced, lush, elegant, polished with nice round acidity.

A very nice wine just overpriced IMHO. You can do just as well for less and you would only lose out on the fact you are feeling good about opening a cult name Pinot for yourself or to impress others. Not a dig, just the wine psychology that experience has led me to through the devotion of studying wine and consumers feedback. Not all, but enough to call it what it is. I myself have fallen prey to those emotions & I’m sure will again.

Photo of, Marciassin Winery, Helen Turley-Co Owner, Ryan O'Donnell-Winemaker and a Sonoma vineyard they source fruit. — 5 years ago

Andrew Holod

National Sales Grapes of Spain

9.1

Vibrant purple. Deep fruit character, subdued spice elements for Syrah. The main palate impression is of dense, extremely fine grained tannins than beg another sip. Paired w grilled lamb chops scented w garlic, oregano and rosemary, which seems an ideal match. — 6 years ago

Chip Hughes

9.3

Seamless, polished and chiseled Grenache/Syrah co-ferment. No brett; neither oxidative nor reductive. Impressively moderate (14%) alcohol for 2015; persistent and fine sandstone mineral qualities. All raspberries and almost plush. #magellan #grenache #syrah #pezenas #languedoc — 7 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.1

Persistent fine mousse, wild strawberries, slightly vegetal, fun and fresh 😋 — 4 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.3

Strawberries, cherry pie, fine bead, vinous 🍒🇺🇸😋 — 4 years ago

David Kaplan

8.9

The Château Brûlesécaille 2016 is comprised of 55% Merlot and a little under 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc and Malbec making up the balance. In the glass, the wine has a glistening dark royal purple color, almost opaque at the center, with flashes of magenta just at the edge. The classic Right Bank nose unfurls gradually with aromas of sun-warmed black raspberries, griotte cherries, and sweet white tobacco, along with fleeting suggestions of eucalyptus and exotic spices as the wine evolves in the glass. On entry, the wine is meaty and succulent, building to a burly, lingering, rich mid-palate, loaded with a cornucopia of black and red fruit flavors that echo the nose; lightly seasoned with pine needles, toasted coconut, and baker’s chocolate – all framed in sinuous, assertive, ripe fine-grained tannins. Almost California-like in concentration and texture, with dusty minerality and fresh Right Bank acidity that carries the flavors through a long, elegant finish. Drink now – 2030. — Moore Brothers Wine Co. — 5 years ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.1

Fine bubbles, bruised apple, lemon, yeast, mineral. really nice. — 5 years ago

Trixie

8.9

A fine, classic style black and tan beer.

Perfect pairing for a sunny, Friday afternoon. 😎

•5.0% ABV• June 5, 2020🐊 — 5 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.1

A blend of Straight Bourbon, Corn 🌽 Whiskey, Straight rye and a plush of 15 YO Olorosso Sherry. All the whiskies are at least 4 YO. Unique and flavorful. — 6 years ago

Gavin Baum

9.4

So good. Lifted, gracious, and pure, with wonderfully sappy, medicinal raspberry and kirsch character. So fine and energetic and juicy. Absolutely love it but it's wound a little tight at the moment. Give it a year or two. — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.1

Vivid pale orange-pink. Expressive scents of fresh red berries, orange pith, pungent flowers and chalky minerals show excellent focus and lift. Fine-grained and nervy in the mouth, offering zesty red currant, strawberry and blood orange flavors and a spicy jolt of white pepper on the back half. The floral note sneaks back in steadily on a silky, persistent, mineral-driven finish. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, June 2018) — 7 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.2

Blackberry, cedar, full body, fine tannin 😋 — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.2

I’m between a 91-92 (same as I was for the Brut Reserve). After going through 6 of these and 6 brut reserve over the last year, I feel confident in the longevity of these Blanc de Blanc champagnes.

For a Blanc de Blanc, this shows plenty of yeasty/toasty notes with fleshy characteristics. Sea salted flaky honey buttered biscuits with lemon scone and honeysuckle aromatics. While the palate is similar, the finish is so drastically different than the rest of this champagne…almost too tart. Palate profile is rich with yellow fruits, kiss of nougat, and some classical limestone. The finish is just crazy underripe and again, tart. Razor sharp acidity. I think this is a champagne that benefits from time, whereas the Brut reserve is perfectly fine to consume now. — 4 years ago

David Kaplan

9.4

The Château Reverdi 2016 is comprised of 60% Merlot, 30% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 12 months in small French oak barrels, 10% of which are new. First, use a good large glass. This is a classic Listrac-Médoc in a very great vintage, and it needs room to stretch out. Complex, exotic aromas unfurl gradually, and then erupt from the glass, with sun warmed wild blackberries, ripe cassis, griotte cherries, and eucalyptus moving in and out of the foreground, adding Perigord truffles, crushed violets, and freshly sanded cedar, as the nose evolves in the glass. On entry, the wine is concentrated, structured, and palate coating, with a solid core of wild blackberries, fresh fennel, and sweet black currants that echoes the nose —the Petit Verdot showing through with its muscular, fresh raciness, and the flavors are wrapped in plush, luxuriant, fine grained tannins. Drink now, for its incredible primary black fruit, or lay away in a cool dark cellar for at least a decade.— Moore Brothers Wine Co., Brooklyn — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

This is a nice Grenache from Dry Creek Valley in California.

Showing red and black fruits with earth, wood, spices, chocolates, tobacco and herbs.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and nice legs.

Very nice nose. Easy drinking with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Fine grained tannins on the finish with tangy cranberries.

Could use a few more years in the bottle to mature, but already drinking very nicely now.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

89 points. — 6 years ago

Matt

9.2

Crushed red cherry, baked red plum, Ceylon, clove, animal (brett), licorice root, wilted flowers. There’s a really muddled and savory dimension. I think the brett laces in really well and is balanced. There a lot of fine tannin and length, departing with textural mineral notes and spices. Great synergy from the co-ferm. — 6 years ago

Greg Helmer

9.2

This has all the flavors and aroma for a fine Pinot Noir. A little bolder than some, lite pepper notes followed by fruits and ferment. Very nice drink. — 7 years ago

Rachel Perry Kieffer

9.1

$6.99 at Trader Joe’s, fine every day wine — 7 years ago