Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Ruby core still , quite wide garnet rim . Still quite young looking . This is quite exotic at first with some Asian spice , rose water , floral hints and after a while red cherries , red currant and blackberry . On the palate this has more of the darker fruits , dark cherry , blackberry with some spicy , wet slate and , lightly herbal , tobacco notes . Fresh acidity and fine but noticable tannins . Quite long and detailed , saline with spiced tea tinged finish . Quite reserved and understated but enough fruit and mid palate to cover the structure . This is drinking well now with time in the glass , and will continue at this level for another 10 years or so . So exotic and enticing on the nose , and with great poise and freshness on the palate, really great showing. — 20 days ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.8

Vintage 1995 | topnotch, a treat. Paired with a Tournedos, sheer perfection. First impression: truffle! Layers of other impressions: tobacco, leather, porcini. Is drinking at its prime now | at Bistro C | Thanks @Liselotte Brouwers just as old as the wine… — 2 months ago

Eldon Sproule

10

So for those who don’t know, this wine is a collaboration between one of the most famous California winemakers and one of the most famous Bordeaux wine makers (the grapes are from Napa).

The young expression when I first had it 10 years ago was big bold ripe fruit, probably the quintessential Napa cab.

The aged expression had more secondary and tertiary characteristics, terroir, and represented Baron Rothschild in respects of crafting a wine that could grow and develop and express the care that goes into winemaking as opposed to simply growing good fruit.

The young version of it perfectly expresses Mondavi and Napa. The aged version captures the elegance of Bordeaux winemaking and Rothschild’s fingerprints. You cannot fully experience this wine unless you’ve had it young and old. Unbelievable experience tonight. — 2 months ago

Ron R

9.5

This producer is in a class of its own.
No signs of maturity. Pure notes of saddle leather and oak on the nose. A pure expression of Bdx with balance and power. Mid palate displays mature cherries and a hint of olives. Grainy tannins play second fiddle to prominent acidity.
My mental shortcut here is; GET SOME!
Thanks Rick. — a month ago

with Andrew and Rick

Austin Hohnke

9.5

First time having the pleasure. Ok, I get it. Unctuous and thicc. Searching every corner of my palate for one more ethereal drop of elixir. Grilled peach and apricot drizzled with vanilla extract. Is that sugar I’m chewing on?
The money though? — a month ago

Nathan Renfro

9.7

First bottle of the 2010. This is gonna be a really special wine but I think it need another 5-7 years. Tannins and softened, fruit is there, acidity is still strong, and don’t get me wrong it’s great now with a couple hour decant, but in a few years it’ll be really nice. Getting black, blue, and dark red fruit, ripe and juicy. Man so silky in the mouth. Graphite, stone, forest floor, cedar, hints of camphor, black licorice. Wonderful. Nice medium + finish. Really nice, only going to get better! — 2 months ago

Vino Joe

9.5

Wonderfully rich balanced and deep. Best enjoyed within first 2 hours. Lots of heft perfume and dark dark fruit. Very much enjoyed this. — 2 months ago

Steven Gullo

9.0

Vibrant red fruit, bold tannins, peppery. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2020 Classico pours a garnet color with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Morello cherry, pomegranate, red flowers, old wood, and dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. My first time trying the 2020 vintage of Produttori’s Classico and it’s another really lovely, benchmark example of Barbaresco. Drink now through 2040. — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2018 vintage. Last tasted 04.08.23 (9.5), 12.01.22 from a 375ml (9.5) and upon release 06.07.21 (9.5). Decanted and tasted after 45 minutes. Mysterious, dark-fruited and dusty nose. Medium body with excellent darkness of night color. Previous baby-fat overtures approximately 90% gonzo. Slimming down and getting more toned. In a state of transition with undeniable tension that can easily be misconstrued as underperforming. Last wine I tasted that was under this sort of metamorphosis at this level was the 1996 Pichon-Lalande about 1.5 years ago. Such a privilege to experience world-class wines in such a vulnerable moment. Everything is laid out bare/naked before you and you can see where the wine is headed and whether it will be following a trajectory that agrees with you. Definitely unusual to find this occurring in a wine this youthful but the 21st Century is smashing the old 20th Century clay tablets and digitizing. For most wine enthusiasts sampling this wine now, expecting some disappointment in the scoring. For myself, this is currently in the perfect symmetry of past, present and future. Will it show critically better in the future according to the accepted trials, palates, judges and juries? Probably. Will they experience the potential, doubts, insecurities and questions? Doubtful. This kid stays in this exact picture for another 2-4 years imho before striking another pose and I would love to taste this again during that time frame. An above and beyond thank you to FLB (Friday Lunch Bunch) regular Todd. 08.15.25. — 2 months ago