Eric Smith

9.1

All around great. Rich. Smooth. Not aweet — 5 years ago

Paul T HB

9.2

I can count the number of 2000 vintage bottles I’ve had on one hand, avoided like the 98’s.
Great cork for 20 year Napa,, juice isn’t too shabby either. But definitely not a top vintage. Parker 87 back in the day.
Worth the gamble at $100.00 — 6 years ago

Paul T HB

9.3

Oldest Herman I’ve had,
16.1 Abv.
Worth the gamble for $30.00,
Starts fading with air, so drink it fast! — 7 years ago

Andrew Davidoff

9.4

Delicate, supple, very long finish. Absolutely surprising. One of the most pleasurable wines I have ever shared. Everyone loved this. — 8 years ago

Duff Mahan

9.3

Drank 2h17 to 1Q18. I found it at a local store in dallas 2H17, for $30-$40. Bought all 8 bottles on a gamble. No idea how it was stored for the 19yrs, but it was very good. Held up well. The cork was an issue, but nothing a sieve couldn’t handle. — 8 years ago

Martin Mills

9.3

Wow. Any 15 year old wine is a gamble but this one paid off. Deep golden colour, almost shocking the contrast compared to the younger wines tasted beforehand. Nose is toasted sesame and popcorn, all oak and allusion - one of those wines that connects with memories. On the palate it is rich, textured, almost oily, resolving to succulent tropical fruit. Thrilling. — 8 years ago

with Christian and Thandi

Tom Kobylarz

9.3

Best #Zinfandel producer out there (period), 7 years old and it's balanced, deep, fresh and most importantly fun to smell and taste! Dare I say this could age to 20 years? I'd take that gamble just to see what it's like, but side more with the fact it would be in fine drinking condition.
Here we have a splash of Carignane that adds depth, beep but not flamboyant fruit and spine to the structure. Blue and dark red fruits brood over a layer of roasted meat and subtle, ripe tannins and tweek of acidity on the finish. #carlisle — 9 years ago

with Blair

jeremy avnet

9.2

Surprisingly good! Took a gamble and won. Not too sweet. Nice fruit. Good acid and minerals. #birite — 5 years ago

S Mead

8.9

A gamble that paid off & complimented every dish of a set menu — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.4

The 2016 ‘Private Reserve’ Chardonnay by Beringer is a stunning wine by superstar winemaker Mark Beringer. Sourced from the Gamble Ranch Vineyard in the Oakville AVA, this wine starts off with beautiful aromas of apricot creme brulee, vanilla cream and kumquat with macadamia nut. The palate is plush and shows a seductive mouthfeel as the wine unveils vanilla cream, buttered popcorn, white peach, butterscotch and roasted pineapple flavors. Seductive and rich, yet beautifully balanced and layered, this is a complete wine by Beringer that will cellar marvelously for the next fifteen years. Drink 2019-2033- 94 — 6 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.5

Riverain is Steve Nordhoff and Dean & Laurie Gray’s label that produces just a few hundred cases from some select vineyards in Northern California, including a Tench Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Gamble Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.

According to Dean Gray, Riverain is a historically French term meaning “local & friendly people who reside near the river.” @Greg Ballington deserves credit for the reco, and while I’ve had a handful of Syrahs from the Cardiac Hill Vineyard in Sonoma County’s Bennett Valley, this is my first that’s made by Thomas Rivers Brown.

Screams old world, particularly Northern Rhône. Loved it from the get-go, but the acceleration at 90 minutes open is significant. Campfire grilled meat, finely ground pepper, black olive, and creosote, with a core of savory black fruit, and a beautiful secondary combination of cedar and lavender. There’s a distinctive combination of balance, purity of fruit, and savory structure that’s hard not to recognize. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Curiosity got the best of me. Parker rated this 97 points and a local wine shop managed to get 1-2 cases and at $34/bottle, it was a gamble I was willing to take.

Color me surprised and impressed. 45mins-1hr of air time and 👌. Very purple in color, but the wine wasn't as heavy as it looked. Big aromatics...maple syrup, caramelized brown sugar, blueberry jam, faint smell of smoked meat. Very "pure" front and mid palate...nothing was overbearing or dominant one way or the other. Silky texture, rush of blue and black fruits, earthiness, toasted oak and milk chocolate. Very Napa cab-esque. Could see how some would think it was too extracted, but it doesn't touch a Caymus 40 in that category. At $34/bottle, this is a show stopper. Not worthy of 97pts, but probably the best sub $40 bottle of cabernet I've come across from Cali. — 8 years ago

Paul T HB

9.5

Not bad,
A non wino friend told me years ago this was good, saw it available for $35.00, it was worth the gamble — 6 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.1

Deep and complex saignee rosé. Cabernet Sauvignon with CF, Merlot and PV. — 6 years ago

Joseph Barsky

9.2

2009 Vintage. 15.0% Alcohol. Tannins now resolved and fruit hanging in here. My only bottle. Suggest drinking sooner than later. — 7 years ago

Zach Jindra

9.0

Raw leather, plum, blackberry, prune, anise, dried strawberry, cedar, campfire smoke, black peppercorn. Acid is still moderately present. Tannins have fallen off considerably.

Leakage from the cork. Wine about a quarter inch below taper of neck. Cork had no hope without a Durand. With ah-so it still went straight in-- better than falling apart though. Honestly, I thought this was a bad gamble but wine came out better than I expected. Not prime but still good. 91 — 7 years ago

Derrick Kelley

9.2

Somebody was basically giving them away and they turned out to be a good gamble. Sweet oxidized fruit on the nose. Well balanced body and still some grip on the palette. — 8 years ago

Daniel K

9.3

Took a gamble buying this bottle but it paid off! 31 years later and it's showing amazingly well. — 8 years ago

Jeanette Hrnyak

9.0

Taking a gamble this evening on this wine which I recently had at a tasting. Nice and light with just the right amount of acid and "mineraly" balance! — 9 years ago

Ken Swegles

9.4

1980 Gamble Ranch-a most enjoyable treat. Still breathing pyrozene laden cubanos. — 9 years ago

with Abbey