Boris Mathiszik

9.1

A tad oxidized but still bright and fresh. Typical Rioja earthiness. Red fruit in the foreground. — a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

1986 vintage. Sampled five bottles for a 1986 BDX tasting @ Mister A's in San Diego. Double decanted and tasted over four hours. Medium body. Pretty rustic early on and that stayed consistent till the end. Opened up a little later with a splash of bright cherry fruit. Should stay the course for another 5-6 years. 3.14.24 — 2 months ago

Conrad Green

9.1

Nice clear bro fruit at the front. Plum and black cherry with a hint of pepper and an inky poise. Very good. — 2 months ago

with Paul and Ara

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1995 vintage. Great fill, foil and label. Perfect cork. From a top-notch cellar. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Volcanic ash-styled sed vs chunky-style. Big funk on the nose that resolved after 7-8 minutes. Wine was showing decently (in the 69-72 degree range) but lacking any tannic structure. Placed the decanter atop an ice bucket bath to drop the temp down to 60 degrees or so. Took about 20 minutes but the tannins kicked in the door to say hello. Fruit components stayed constant. Pauillac tendencies were all there. As is the case often with older BDX, the decaying matter/leaves at the onset transitioned to graphite/lead pencil and espresso flavors. This was a superior bottle in great shape. Top of this wine’s specific bell curve. Comparable bottles would look to be drinking this well for the next 5-7 years without dropoff. Out of larger format…could possibly push this into 9.4 status. 2.5.24. — 2 months ago

Suneal Vishnupad

9.6

Dark fruit, vanilla, cassis. Excellent and really well integrated tannins. Kayla - 9.8 — 3 months ago

with Kayla

Juan Cerda

9.4

Still crunchy fruit from a double mag! — 4 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Happy New Year! Had to go out with a fun year end wine.

Decant and pour(decent chunky/fine sediment). A majestic dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: Eucalyptus, perfumed red fruit, floral, soil, herbaceous. Taste: silky, creamy, fresh wine with some still there red cherry, tobacco, earthy, shaved graphite, and a peppery cedar long finish. YUM! What a treat to drink as a our final wine this last night of the year.
Cheers!
ELLA Restaurant,  New Year's Eve:
Cavier Beignet
Dungeness crab bisque
Roasted Liberty duck breast
72 hour braised short ribs
Chocolate midnight cake — 4 months ago

with Brenda

Delectable Wine

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9.8

The 2016 Palmer is a brilliant wine from Thomas Duroux, though I feel it will ultimately be surpassed by the 2018. You cannot argue with the nose: intense black cherries and raspberry fruit, crushed violets and crème de cassis (as if there was a touch of Pauillac in there). The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, sensual tannins, perfect acidity, velvet smooth with layers of chocolate-tinged black fruit, hints of black pepper and cedar towards the sustained finish. It is a fabulous Palmer that will give much pleasure. Tasted at the Palmer vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, August 2023)
— 6 months ago

Nathan Renfro

9.2

Bordeaux style with earthiness and loads of structure. Wine has many years left. Crisp mouthfeel. Dark ruby colored. Red/black fruit, earthiness, mushroom, red licorice. Med finish. — a year ago

Delectable Wine

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9.6

The 2014 Montrose has an engaging and complex bouquet with black fruit, a pencil box, pressed violet and warm earth scents, gaining intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with excellent tannins that frame the mineral-rich black fruit (in fact, this is one of the most mineral-laden 2014 Left Banks I tasted.) The oak is seamlessly integrated, and the finish has real panache. Beautifully, and it's just entering its drinking window. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year-On tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, March 2024)
— 2 months ago

Conrad Green

9.4

A slightly medicinal note at the front. Good savory fruit. Mint and bloody iron plum. Lucid and distinctive. — 2 months ago

with Paul and Ara

Conrad Green

9.4

Tobacco and dark fruit. Ink and pure midpalate. Still quite dense and lean. Good stuff. — 2 months ago

with Paul

Christopher Duong

9.6

Intense dark fruit, leather, good balance, smooth tannins — 3 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

Blend of 79% Cabernet, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, deep Ruby with rich fruit aromas. On the palate flavors of blackberry and currants, with notes of licorice, tobacco, some floral and spicy oak. Fine tannins, long finish, ending with fruit, oak and spice. Nice but needs more bottle age, should last another 10 years. Nice! — 3 months ago

Ryan Joyce

9.4

Most complex Cab I’ve had from California. Wonderfully easy to drink, with a beautiful mix of fruit and spice. Recommend. — 3 months ago

Joe Santiago

9.2

Gorgeous Pinot. Well-balanced fruit, tannins, vanilla and slight oak. V nice! — 4 months ago

Eric Kememes

9.2

Magnum- Great gamay vibrant fresh fruit — 5 months ago

James K

9.0

Would have been a monster. Past its prime, with no fruit left. Still, some nice tertiary notes. Thanks, Mike! — 5 months ago

with mike

Adam Kincaid

8.9

Always a solid Sonoma cab. Some anise and dark fruit, dark chocolate and anise. Slight bit of dill and vanilla. Drinks young, this could go for a bit longer. Good strong tannins but smooth enough to balance my prime rib. — 8 months ago

with Jillian

Jon Grauman

10

Perhaps the best bottle of wine I have ever had! Pure perfection! Elegant, rich, perfectly balanced, huge aromas, still tons of fruit, and a finish that's still lingering. Better still, I enjoyed this bottle at Martin Berasetegui in San Sebastián, a 3 star Michelin restaurant. Outstanding!! — 9 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

The fruit for "La Chapelle" is sourced predominantly from Le Méal and Bessards (with a little form Greffieux and Rocoules. Relative to the two Chave’s, the 1988 “La Chapelle” seems a bit more like a Hermitage fastball right down the middle of the plate. Desiccated mixed berries, olives, purple flowers, and minerals with a touch of ethyl acetate. Again a great pairing with grilled lamb and Moroccan spices. Vinous and drinking well now through 2035. — 2 months ago

Dan Huddleston

9.5

Lots of eucalyptus at opening. 15 mins in it begins to settle in. Leather, mushroom on the nose with the ever present eucalyptus. Really well structure fruit on the palette, a tinge of acidity and a bit sharp on the finish. More time in the glass brings a balance that’s amazing for a 39 year old wine. Thankfully no one here to share!
— 2 months ago

Conrad Green

9.4

Dark and sweet and delicious. Gnarly deep fruit but a lifted clarity and deliciousness. Really good — 2 months ago

with Paul

Victor Hsu

9.0

Complex Zinfandel field blend, with nice interplay of flavors and textures—fruit, tannin, acid and earth, that evolves in the mouth. Perfumed and drinkable by itself. Fine example of Sonoma County Zin. Tasted the 2021 vintage at the winery. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Flight #2 of our 1997 Retrospective and these were the thoroughbreds. Presented single-blind; no formal notes. Wine #1 had great color, was developing, and probably the earthiest of the group but still had a lovely fruit profile. A really nice balance of fruit and non-fruits. Robust structure. Notably, this was the only bottle in the flight that had Brettanomyces…and while I found it to quite charming, this is what ultimately got me hung up on whether I thought this was the Dominus or the Monte Bello. Ultimately I called the later. I really dig this and wish I could afford more Dominus in my life. Drink now and through 2035. — 3 months ago

Dave Mayers

9.3

03 out of mag. Decanted 2 hours. Huge red fruit in the nose. The body was delicate. Perf drinking window. Red cherry, Bordeaux like pallate. Silky finish. All class. — 4 months ago

Michael Phillips

9.8

Velvety, lush and loads of dark fruit and berries — 4 months ago

Kaito Kikuchi

9.4

Intense aroma of jammy fruit, very smooth — 5 months ago

Brenda Reyes

9.2

Cooper meat market $140, fruit forward soft tannins long finish — 7 months ago

Jeremiah Diaz

9.4

Deep purple in color; plums, black cherries, and oak on the nose; high acidity; high tannins; a little hot; tastes like black plums, licorice (I think), and blackberry jam with a long peppery finish. Nellie likes it. I do too, but it's more fruit forward than what I prefer lately, but very good — 8 months ago

with Nellie