Cyrus Kay

9.3

Immediate tart fruit nose - raspberry and blueberry, rhubarb; gives way to ripe blackcurrant. Hints of charcoal.

Lovely palate - beautiful balance. Very smooth texture - very well integrated tannins. Starts with more tree bark-sequence notes, herbaceous and cinnamon undertones, before fading into rich, soft black and purple fruit, with exceptionally bouncy black currant again a dominating theme, and with minor forest floor undertones to add the equivalent of subtle crows feet.
It's like it tells you it's age first, then proceeds to flirt with you. This is a cougar wine: it snares you with a sense of mature yet bouncy fun and then proceeds to beguile you with a mix of old and new in both aroma, taste and texture. A slightly high level of acid from its advanced years is a low price to pay for drinking it all.

Lovely long finish that gives beautiful chewy fruit, yielding to herby zest after seemingly long time.

Only criticisms are a slight muddling of fruit flavours, and a slight preponderance of acid on the front of the tongue. — 9 years ago

with Aimie

Tiffany Sams Cox

9.3

Where is that place where richness and precision collide? Where barely ripe tropical fruits flirt with a lacy veil of mineral sensation and just a tickle of late summer roll in the hay gets caught in my hair...That place? Oh, it's the Sonoma Coast squeezed and bottled with the Rivers-Marie label. — 10 years ago

Jeffrey Davies

9.5

Levensohn 2012 Napa Valley/St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon
I had the good fortune to taste this exciting wine on two occasions, first at a party for the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux organized by Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider) in Bel Air, together with a number of top Bordeaux producers! And then at a dinner at Silvio Denz's Château Faugères, a grand cru classé in Saint-Emilion. I've always enjoyed sharing some of Napa Valley's finest with some of Bordeaux's top producers! I think it fair to say that everyone, myself included, was very impressed with this rendition of Pascal Levensohn's latest release, produced from grapes grown in his own Saint Helena vineyard, most of which fruit he sells to Vineyard 29.

The color is like the band: saturated Deep Purple, leaving little doubt as to the ripeness of the harvest. The nose gains in both intensity and complexity as the wine comes to life in the glass revealing aromas of ripe blue and black fruits, subtly underscored by hints of vanillin and espresso, these latter scents being the result of nearly two years aging in high-quality, new French oak barrels. Nothing is overstated here, au contraire: complexity is as much in play here as is concentration. On the palate, the wine has a velvety caress thanks to its superbly integrated grape and oak tannins that confirm the impression of ripeness but also the deft hand of the winemaker. Similar blue and black berry fruits that were evident on the nose also infuse the flavors of this intriguing wine. The wine's finish is lengthy and altogether seamless. Nothing stands out but for the overall harmony and balance of this beautifully knit rendition of Napa Valley Cabernet.

I thought the 2010 Levensohn was a very fine wine when I tasted it last year. But this 2012 rises to a whole new level, one where it begins to flirt with some of the Valley's most prestigious names. My friends from Bordeaux, with whom I was pleased to share it, were as impressed as was I. Alas, the wine has but one fault: there were only 49 cases produced – and one of them is already spoken for!
— 11 years ago

Neesie Low

9.5

Smooth & good — 13 years ago

Alexander Vadas

9.5

Wow..... lingering minerality; feels like this wine knows how to flirt with your tastebuds — 9 years ago

Nathan Kidder

9.1

Funky and tart, like a barn rave. It's been a few months since I've gotten to flirt with Burgundy proper, and I'm glad to be back. Pairing with chicken cacciatore, to bring out the herbaceous, wet-hay-like gaminess that makes wine like this perfect for dinner tonight. While the tart acidity isn't usually my first choice, it balances my dinner masterfully. I bet in 3-5 years, the barrel spice, fruit, and acidity will marry well. — 9 years ago

Peter C

9.1

Bit timid. Red fruit, sweet tea leaves. Earthy. Flirt. Makes me want to try more. Very well made. — 10 years ago

Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen KC

9.5

Secondary aromas that flirt with coming back. Great (ripe) body and spicy as expected. — 11 years ago

Kai Wright

9.6

An elusive flirt. Gorgeous, but hard to pin down floral and citrus bouquet. Full, silky body. Enticing, good one to sip and ponder. — 11 years ago

with Kyle

Matt Kerwin

9.6

Great sipper! — 13 years ago

Jessica Call

9.0

Excellent wingman wine (used it to give a little flirt). Now let's see if this can get us to "date" #3. — 9 years ago

Scott Taddeo

9.2

Red fruits, high toned florals, spice, slightly smoky and super herbal with no noticeable oak. Doesn't flirt with northern Rhone, but is its own thing all together. The medium bodied palate is complimented with gorgeous satin like tannins met with thunderous fruit intensity — 9 years ago

Mark Gagnier

9.0

Pervasive delicate fine tiny bubbles. Pear, smooth, slightly creamy. Very drinkable — 10 years ago

Jonathan K

9.1

Eleni loves this one! — 11 years ago

with Eleni

A.C. Mac

9.7

But it's cool if I still flirt with Malbec, yeah? — 11 years ago

T A

9.4

Really good — 12 years ago