Sean Herriott

9.1

Follows the signature playbook of rich extraction and pungent oak notes from this vigneron. Hands off for at least five years. — 7 years ago

Joyce Lin

8.9

Cinque Terre means five lands. Yellow with gold hue, lemon and tangerine peel, crushed rock, wet stone and rusty blade. On the palate: slightly flint, high acidity, apricots, lemon curd, yellow bouquet floral note, silky texture with smooth coating in the mouth. Say 12.5 % abv on the label but feel more in the mouth. Min 40% Bosco with Max 40% Albarola/Vermentino combined. — 7 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.4

This is too good not to have the correct designation. It is the Salinia Wine Company Wellspring Chardonnay Solera out of Sonoma (I think Wellspring Cellars is in Texas). As far as I know, this is a five vintage Solera blend of Chardonnay from Heintz Vineyard near Occidental. Dark gold, nutty sherry notes with great acidity. Love this. — 8 years ago

Martin Redmond

9.2

The wine pours a medium gold color with promising honeysuckle, baked apple, melon, and baking spice aromas. On the palate it's full bodied for a wine that sees no ML. It's harmonious with bright acidity and a hint of tannins that add to its delightful structure. It shows baked white peach and apple, melon, a bit of nectarine and baking spice flavors with a lingering finish. This is a great winter white! The fruit was sourced from the Bonofiglio Vineyard, owned by Glenn McGourty and his two brothers. It's a seven-acre organically farmed vineyard is located five miles north of the town of Hopland. It was aged in neutral French oak for five months with lees contact and stirred once a month to increase mouthfeel. 14.2% abv — 8 years ago

Byron C Mayes

9.0

Bright gold with glinty green highlights. Big nose of red apple, white flowers, petrol (yes, only five years on). Palate echoes with medium plus acidity, medium body, a bit of spritz on the tongue, and a medium short finish. Solid example of the region and variety. — 9 years ago

Scott Taddeo

9.3

Lovely wine from a gorgeous vineyard in Flaxman Valley. This will set you back 100, but the vineyard is now in the hands of someone else and you can expect to pay five times that. Lovely, youthful ripe fruit thats met with great restraint that's supported but judicious oak use. — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.7

One of the best California Cabernets, including all the Cult Cabs. It is pure elegance even at this still young age. It most certainly will only get better over the the next five to eight years. The hardest part is waiting as it's so good now. Blackberries, blueberries, blueberries and blueberries. Black plum, raspberries paint the background, liquid violets, milk chocolate, it's juicy to dry, underbrush, herbs, dry crush rocks, just a touch of baking spices, sweet leather and dry soft minerals. Smooooth! The fruit is perfect. Chuck really knows how to farm fruit and the exact time to reel it in. He is one of the most underrated Winemakers in CA. — 9 years ago

Austin Hohnke

9.9

Hands down the best NV Champagne I have tasted. 'Les Crayeres' is 100% Pinot Noir and lives up to its name. Terroir, sense of place, chalky, effortless. Gold and rightfully so. — 9 years ago

Lyn Farmer

9.3

This wine is unusual for being 100% Pinot Meunier, the underrated third grape of classic Champagne blends. On its own and in the hands of a skilled vigneron, this grape shines. This wine is bright pale lemon yellow with a rose gold tinge. On the nose there is a warm lemon chiffon character that is absolutely beguiling. The wine is creamy with appealing acidity and vibrancy. Long on the palate it is crisp and beautiful accompaniment to seafood and today chicken. It has the breadth on the palate to stand up to grilled food as well. Simply delicious. — 10 years ago

Casey Stewart

9.6

Takes a while to open up, but once it does you've got a George de latour caliber wine on your hands. — 10 years ago

Machelle Hilley Phillips

9.7

Finally have a chance to spend more than five minutes with my husband. This wine is delicious and should pair well with the fat rib eyes that are on the grill. — 11 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.0

Is this number five? I’ve lost track already. “Gold Jerry, Gold.” Can taste a touch of the age on this bottle. #freundfest2018 — 7 years ago

with Rob and Mark

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have a six-pack of this 05. I thought after 10 years in bottle, it would be interesting to check in on its evolution. While tasty, I’ll wait another 8-10 to open another. Even after 2-3 hours in the decanter, it’s still a very young adolescent. On the nose, slightly sour blackberries & dark cherries, dark currants, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, anise, whiff of spice, steeped tea, dry stones, dry crushed rocks with dry top soil, caramel, vanilla with fresh & dry red florals. The body is thick & full. Tannins are starting to round out. It’s velvety on the palate. The fruits are; bright, fresh & ripe and really show the greatness of the 05 vintage. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, baked strawberries, cherries, raspberries on the long set, dark spice, clay & loamy dry top soil with crushed rocks, dry stones, cigar with ash, graphite, dry stems, slight herbaceous character, mint, used leather, clove, caramel, vanilla, fresh & dry red florals with violets. The round acidity is about perfect. The structure and length are still strong. The balance is in harmony. As for the long finish, it’s lush, ruby, rich and well polished. Photos of; Chateau Brane Cantenac, large wood vats, Henri Lurton and Estate vines. Producer notes and history...Chateau Brane Cantenac began in the early 17th century. At the time, the estate was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten. Even that far back, wine was produced from the property. In fact, the wine was so highly regarded it was one of the more expensive wines in Bordeaux. It sold for almost as much money as Brane Mouton. This is interesting because of who went on to buy the vineyard in the 1800’s. The Baron of Brane, also known as “Napoleon of the Vineyards”, purchased the Chateau in 1833. At the time of the sale, the estate was called Chateau Gorce-Guy. To get the funds needed to purchase the Margaux vineyard, the Baron sold what is now called Mouton Rothschild, which was at the time of the sale, known as Chateau Brane-Mouton. Not such a good move with hundreds of years in hindsight! In 1838, the Baron renamed property taking his name and the name of the sector where the vineyards were located and called it Chateau Brane Cantenac. The Chateau later passed to the Roy family, who were well-known in the Margaux appellation in those days, as they owned Chateau d’issan. Moving ahead to 1920, the Societe des Grands Crus de France, a group of merchants and growers that owned several chateaux located in the Medoc including; Chateau Margaux, Chateau Giscours, and Chateau Lagrange in St. Julien, purchased Chateau Brane Cantenac. Five years later, M. Recapet and his son-in-law, François Lurton, took over Brane Cantenac along with Chateau Margaux. Lucien Lurton (the son of François Lurton) inherited Brane Cantenac in 1956. Today, the estate is still in the hands of the Lurton family. Brane Cantenac is owned and run by Henri Lurton. After being given the responsibility of managing Brane Cantenac, it was under the direction of Henri Lurton that large portions of the vineyard were replanted. Vine densities were increased, the drainage systems were improved and the plantings were also, slowly changed. The vineyard of Brane Cantenac is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. Carmenere was used for the first time in the 2011 vintage. The only other Chateau I know that still uses Carmenere is Clerc Milon. The 75 hectare Left Bank vineyard of Brane Cantenac is essentially unchanged since it earned Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification. At least that is the case with the 45 hectares used to produce the Grand Vin of Brane Cantenac. Those 45 hectares are planted surrounding the Chateau. Those vines are located just in front of the Cantenac plateau and are the best terroir that Brane Cantenac owns. They have other parcels, which are further inland and much of those grapes are placed into their second wine, Le Baron de Brane. Those additional hectares can be divided into 3 main sections. Behind the Chateau, they have 15 hectares of vines on gravel and sand, 10 hectares across the road with sand, gravel and iron and a 13 hectare parcel with gravel called Notton, which is used for their second wine. The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 6,666 vines per hectare on the plateau and up to 8,000 vines per hectare for the vines located behind chateau, in their sandier soils. The higher levels of vine density are always found in the newer plantings. The terroir of Brane Cantenac consists of deep gravel, sand and clay soil. Experiments in the vineyards are currently looking at becoming more organic in their vineyard management. Today, more than 25% of Brane Cantenac is farmed using organic farming techniques. It is expected that over time, the amount of hectares farmed with organic methods will be increased. Brane Cantenac has gone through 2 relatively recent modernization’s in 1999, when they added began adding the first of their smaller vats to allow for parcel by parcel vinification and then again in 2015 when they completed a much more complete renovation of their cellars and vat rooms. While Brane Cantenac is a traditional producer, they are no stranger to technology as they were one of the first estates to embrace optical grape sorting machines. In very wet vintages, they can also use reverse osmosis. To produce the wine of Chateau Brane Cantenac, the wine is vinified in a combination of temperature controlled, traditional, 22 oak vats, 18 concrete tanks and 20 stainless steel vats that vary in size from 40 hectoliters all the way up to 200 hectoliters, which allows for parcel by parcel vinification. 40% of the fermentation takes place in the oak vats. The oldest vines are vinified in vats that are selected to allow for separate parcel by parcel vinification. The younger vines are vinified more often together in the same vats. However, the Carmenere is entirely micro-vinified, meaning that those grapes were completely vinified in barrel, using micro-vinification techniques. This can also happen because the amount of grapes produced is so small. Some vats can be co-inoculated, meaning they go through alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation simultaneously. At Chateau Brane Cantenac, malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak tanks and barrels. The wine of Brane Cantenac is aged in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. The initial 2 months of aging is done with the wine on its lees, which adds more depth to the wine. There second wine is Le Baron de Brane. Le Baron de Brane is not new. In fact, previously, the second wine went under the name of Chateau Notton, which took its name from one of the main parcels where the grapes were planted. During the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s, having a second wine was important as the estate declassified 3 vintages, due to extremely poor, weather conditions in 1956, 1960 and 1963. Production of Chateau Brane Cantenac is about 11,000 cases per year. — 7 years ago

Chris Bidleman

9.1

Double gold — 9 years ago

Bernardina Davies

9.5

Bernardina had this 10 years ago

Samuel James

9.2

Hands down one of the best Sauvignon Blancs Ive ever tasted — 10 years ago

Brian Schmaltz

9.2

BA Bruery Series. Two Turtle Doves to Five Gold Rings — 10 years ago

Rubychick

9.5

This rocks it, 5 white blend, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauv Blanc, Sem, Riesling. Gold. — 11 years ago

with Fleur

Rahul Sagar

9.8

Apricot wine, dash of brandy sweet and delicious from all perspective a different punch compared to regular desert wines - a 45 north speciality ! — 12 years ago

Arden Barnett

9.1

Was not familiar with Five Star Cellars’ work until yesterday, but after last nights successful Super Tuscan blend we decided to try the Boudreaux blend tonight. Really enjoyed this wine. Very bold red fruit, leather, smoked sea salt? and herbal notes on the nose. Lots of cedar wood, bergamot tea, 80%+ dark cocoa powder, baking spices particularly cardamom stood out to me. The right amount of spice on the palate. Velvety tannins. Really left you wanting more of this wine. Impressed with the quality of the wines they are producing around that $30-50 price retail. Apparently this 09 won gold medal at the 2015 Walla Walla Wine Competition. Looking forward to trying their Syrah next. — 7 years ago

Alex Trobough

9.2

Lucked out grabbing the last bottle at our local store. Cab based blend with Merlot, Zin and Petite Sirah to round it out. Notes of stone fruits, blueberry, tobacco, five spice, black pepper linger well after your first sip. Ready to get my hands on more of their wines. Saddle up. — 8 years ago

Limor Finkel

9.4

Any Zinfandel that still tastes this fresh after 12 years deserves five gold stars. The first vintage Mike Dashe really crafted out of Lytton Springs and made even better when sharing alongside him, Anne and the Dashe team. — 8 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.2

This Carmel Valley wine is Monterey County born and bred, made from two different Chardonnay clones, 95 and 76. It is aged in new French oak barrels for five months, and the touch of wood is just about perfect. The alcohol hits a lofty 14.2% abv. Well, it would be lofty in Burgundy. In California, it's about normal. The organic and certified sustainable grapes are harvested and sorted by hand, and only seven barrels were made
The wine is a pretty golden color and smells very much like citrus and earthy minerals with a faint hint of smoke thrown in. It's a titillating nose for a Chardonnay. The palate holds up the promise of the aromas. There is a strong sense of minerality up front, which gives way momentarily to a butterscotch flavor. That flavor in turn hands off to lemon-lime and notes of fresh stream water that has run over sandstone rocks to get to you. The oak make itself known, but in a very polite way. Fresh, zippy acidity feels perfect for a picnic or the Thanksgiving table. — 9 years ago

Stephen Howell

Cellarbrations at Cottesloe Western Australia, Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW)

9.6

Tasted completely blind- Incredible deep amber gold colour suggests considerable age but the acid structure! Clean, persistent and still so fresh this had me stumped for a while. There was only a slight hint of the mineral/kerosine note hiding amongst all the rich fruit flavour that gave me an important hint.
This is an amazing dry Riesling that could do another five years and potentially more. my guess was very close. (2000 polish hill) I nearly got it!
— 9 years ago

Shana Wall

9.3

#2006 #ScreamingEagle My 1st time tasting this #CultWine & I think it's appropriately named. #Screaming with... Alcohol, Tannins, black & blue fruit, cassis & oak... As if the Eagle swooped down and knocked you over to grab the bottle from your hands. Dark Black/Purple in color. Smokey, brooding, intense. Tobacco, coffee, A definite Food Wine. Not to be taken lightly or sipped on its own. A powerhouse that would benefit from many, many more years in the cellar. Exciting & dangerous like an Eagle... Not for the timid of heart. Don't mess with this chick... She'll take you down! Definitely benefits from decanting. In #2006 #SexyBack by #JustinTimberlake is tipping the charts along with #YoureBeautiful by #JamesBlunt as is #GoldDigger by #KanyeWest & #JamieFoxx .... And I must say... You may need to be a Gold Digger in order to get your hands on this bottle of wine! ;). #Cheers #HappyMonday #ThinkWhileYouDrink #Wino 🍷😎 — 9 years ago

Danielle

10

I finally got my hands on this mead thanks to my mom. It is delicious liquid gold! It's sweet with a little bite and each sip leaves you with the taste of honey. Perfect for drinking while watching the new episode of Vikings! — 9 years ago

Boeger Winery

9.4

Five gold medals so far for this vintage! — 10 years ago

Timmer T

Blogger CatalunyaWine.com

9.7

Cellers d'en Guilla keeps winning well deserved awards for this one, including a gold medal at this year's Grenache du Monde. One of my top five sweet wines of all time. — 10 years ago

Cathrine Todd

10

This 1976 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia White Rioja is not only the best LdH I have ever had... but the best white Rioja hands down and makes my top 10 greatest whites I have had... Old school oxidative style done to perfection. Gold color, honey suckle, lemon custard and almonds with soft texture and bright tang on finish with orange blossom notes left in my head. This is a great wine! And I'm going to try to find more!!! — 10 years ago

Holly Oaks

9.1

Just awarded a gold medal at the 2013 okanagan fall wine fest awards. Bone dry and citrusy with a little white peach. Amazing with oysters and shellfish in general. Hands down one of the best whites in the valley. — 12 years ago