Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Had this Year ago. More than 40 years, Ponzi Vineyards set the standard for New World Pinot production with many innovations & techniques. All 130 acres of Ponzi vineyards are certified sustainable. Aromas of rich ripe fruit and osk spice, aged for 20 months on French oak (30% new) with fruit from Ponzi's Aurora, Abetina and Madrona vineyards. On the palate cherry and strawberry flavors with currants, herb and licorice notes. Lingers, well balanced frame ending with spice, cedar & mineral tones. Nice! — 6 years ago

Jörgen Lindström Carlvik

Owner, Brix Wine Consultants

9.3

Souring aromas here; just awesome. Dark cherries and plums, spice, wet stone, mineral and dark chocolate frame an elegant and beautifully balanced wine, worthy of its pedigree name. Needless to say, no magician on planet Earth can foster true greatness in vintages like this BUT only enviable estates are able to bottle THIS given the circumstances. It fails to broadening its mid-palate and tannins are already integrated, better love sooner than later. Bought on release. Note to self; one legendary vintage from here, please. — 7 years ago

Henrik Poulsen

9.3

13.6% alc.

Super expressive fruits at this early point that almost is too much/overpowering for the supple and elegant structure of this wine.

While still utterly pleasing I could wish for more tannins and "frame work" here and hope this will gain better balance as the fruit mellows down a bit. — 8 years ago

with Kurt-Inge

Robert McCall

9.4

This really benefited from the 3 hr decant as the aromas just soar from the glass. Blackberry, pipe tobacco, sweet oak, and Napa valley floor. A healthy draw from the glass provides a delicious palate coating orchestra of black raspberry/dark currant, tobacco, and hint of peppercorns. Still youthful tannins frame the palate and help provide a lengthy finish. Just wow. Many years of life ahead, glad to have more. — 8 years ago

Jeff Loo

9.0

Mocha, chocolate and ripe red and black fruit frame this wine with notes of vanilla and sweet oak coming through. The palate is full bodied and has gritty tannins that will resolve over time, but given the over ripe nature of this wine, only time will tell if it becomes something special. — 8 years ago

Tony Bubbles

8.9

So little frame of reference for me with Sherry — 9 years ago

with Marc

S.R.Alexander

9.2

Incredibly large frame for its age. Flowers and cured meat on the nose with chocolate and blueberries and a light smokey finish — 9 years ago

Matt

9.3

Light and elegant body, soft texture and very finessed from aromas to structure. Pure and transparent. Changed my mind about Priorat with one glass. Meat, flowers, plums, spices, leather. Drinks like Burgundy on a more moderate frame — 9 years ago

Joe Lucca

9.4

Interesting nose of cherries, earth, and a bit of camphor. The palate explodes with tart cherries, raspberries, red currant, and tobacco. A light frame, with refreshing tannins. A hint of peppercorn on the finish. Sangiovese like you've never had. This is cool, unique juice. Blind taste this and you'll probably guess Burgundy! — 10 years ago

with Diana

George Chen

8.9

Bigger frame than I expected. Need to lay down more. — 10 years ago

Amer S. Ahmed

9.1

Unexpected and delightful - Pinot Noir from Southwest Virginia! From vineyards planted at 1800 feet (big diurnal range and early harvest), this silky wine sang with notes of loam and damp earth, maitake mushroom, cranberry, red cherry, raspberry compote, boysenberry, violet, lavender, black pepper, toast and wood smoke, with bracing acid and medium-plus tannins on a medium frame. A long, satisfying, and juicy finish. One to seek out that proves how careful site selection and winemaking skill can produce superb results from innovative grape/region combinations! — 6 years ago

LM Segal

9.2

No explanation for why this was so good but it was. And what’s with @delectable photo upload? It’s cutting off within the frame, sorry. — 8 years ago

Daniel M

9.0

Northern Rhône style fronton. Delicious. Pepper and cherry and plum on the nose. Fruits all over the palate. Long acid frame that makes it very easy to sip on. Love it. We paired it with roasted squabs : perfect match! — 8 years ago

Rajiv Ayyangar

10

This is a knockout wine, a stunner, a pitch-perfect expression of love for wine in general, and Loire Cab Franc in particular. It's wild in all the right places, and impressively refined where it counts.
Medium ruby color. Arresting and straight-up delicious nose that has a certain choreography to it. Specifically it reminds me of Jiří Kylián - finding freedom within a melange of classicism and visceral impetus. Exuberance in wine is rare enough, but exuberance with such focus and intention?
The classicist bent was my first impression - a correct nose of stewed bell peppers and coffee grounds (pyrazines), earthy dog fur with slight clove (brett), and a savory blackberry-cherry fruit compote.
Tasted blind, you would guess Loire, but you might wonder at the shifting nature, at how occasionally the bretty flavors rear up in a flourish, only to be overshadowed a second later by a warm, pure fruit. There is something haunting about the fruit here - it seems to contain memories of many different wines. The wildness is complex - dried leaves, dog fur, toasted mushroom, spiced clove, moist earth. The pyrazinic aromas have uncommon depth and character - stewed bell pepper, coffee, and nascent tobacco.
On the palate, the wine dances with an elegant 12.6% alcohol frame, vibrant acidity, and satiny tannins - the medium on which the finish is printed. There is a moment, mid-palate, where the individual components come together seamlessly - a strong argument for structural-aromatic integration in the Clark Smithian sense. On the finish, the flavors subtly unravel, then persist like a vocal ensemble with synchronized vibrato.
Get this. — 8 years ago

Adam Foster

Beverage Director Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop, Blue Coop Restaurant

9.2

Oak, structure dominate on medium frame. Needs some time to integrate. — 8 years ago

Craig Stanfield

9.2

A belated birthday treat courtesy of Daragh and Kara. Great acidity and tannin providing a great frame for the fruit, herb and earth notes. A true delight! — 9 years ago

Matt

9.0

Ballin on a budget (sort of). Baby CNDP. Layers of dark fruits ranging from ripe, to jam, to dried. Blackberry juice, dried figs, roasted plums, black raspberries, powdered sugar. Enough garrigue and meaty charm, licorice, peppercorns, cocoa, cloves, spices, sweet tannins and forest. All this classic CNDP character and density on a approachable frame. Crushed it w/roasted lamb gyros. — 9 years ago

LM Segal

9.3

100% Knights Valley cab with a Bordeaux sensibility. Tobacco leaf nose and medium body, dark red fruit on a nice tannic frame. Peaking. Stark contrast to the Robert Foley '04 Claret we drank beside it, whose Napa extraction and finish could not be more different. Kudos to the team @DCK Healsburg — 10 years ago

with Melissa

Yoon Ha

Master Sommelier/Wine Director Benu

8.9

Nuanced fruit, dried tobacco leaf, over a sleek frame with powdery tannins. — 10 years ago

Ray Isle

Executive Wine Editor Food & Wine Magazine

9.0

Hard label to get in the frame! Tight as can be when opened, gave it an hour in a decanter & it gained a lot of depth. — 11 years ago

Amer S. Ahmed

9.1

Beautiful wine - expressive medium+ nose of violets, rose, blackberry, red and black cherries, and lavender, following through with a medium body and bracing acidity on a mineral frame. Long finish — 7 years ago

with Kumail

Scott Taddeo

9.7

he wine itself is intensely aromatic leading with touches of violets, lavender and blue gum before notes of black currant, cassis, ripe plums, liquorice, dark chocolate and some toasty oak. Immediately assertive in the palate with power being the defining message, the wine is extremely focused with inherent freshness nestled within its big frame. It’s extremely youthful and those with patience will surely be rewarded, but jeeze it’s hard to stop drinking it now 🔥 — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

It's just one of the best evening starters unless your are going to bust out; Krug Rosé, vintage Krug & Salon or like's. The fruits are bright, delicious and leaner in style. Black cherries, black raspberries, strawberries, cherries, tangerine & watermelon near the rhine. Delicate, powdery chalkiness with a fine and slightly sharp edge that I love, baguette, beautiful saline & minerality. Fresh, crisp acidity and a delightful finish with long staying power. Photos of their beautifully manicured property, A frame racks waiting to be riddled, the grape press after first pressing and the best days in the vineyard...harvesting! Normally, I'm regularly a 9.3, but tonight it's showing me a little more. — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.7

Was lucky enough to get a taste of this wine, really liked it and bought one for the cellar. Very dark red with full rich berry flavors and complex spice. On the palate ripe cherry and blackberry flavors with savory spice on a well balanced frame. Tannins are approachable but the wine is still very young. The finish is long ending with oak notes. I should wait but had a reason to drink something great. A bit pricey but worth it for special times. — 8 years ago

Steph Anie

9.1

Aromas of red raspberry caramel and hints of toasted oak that frame flavors of cherry and mocha or a wine that finishes rich and juicy(back label)

Always a good pinot — 8 years ago

LM Segal

9.3

Smoky stoniness, lithe, silky smooth. Floral red berry extract on a clean, fresh and perfectly balanced frame. Hint of resin. Simply the best (of the few) Morgons I've had. From Magnum. — 9 years ago

Ryan Johnson

9.5

Youthful but opening nicely after an hour. Texture and acidity for days. Anise and fennel frame a ripe strawberry core. Great with rack of lamb! Chewy fine tannins. — 9 years ago

Christine Havens

9.1

The 2014 Mattaison Napa Valley Rosé is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Counoise from the Windmill Vineyard. I love this wine because what it communicates is restraint and tensile minerality as one would find in a good Provence rosé. Delicate floral aromas, slightly underripe white peaches, and white hand soap lend dimension to a lithe frame that has a subtle and demure touch of creaminess in the background. White plum skins and pie cherries crescendo before slowly unwinding. 11.2% ABV | Sample — 10 years ago

LM Segal

8.9

Nose not giving much but a little tarry asphalt. Compact, dry but passable young Barolo, with leathery cherry medium frame. — 10 years ago

Bobby Linsley

9.5

10 year Bordeaux...Bravo. The tannins have settled somewhat with the result being that this wine's structure, acidity, frame and finish are all in alignment. Rich dark fruits,cassis and Christmas cake. Such a joyfully smooth drop. — 10 years ago