Christian Fischer

9.2

Very smooth and flavorful. Great QPR. Wonderful after an insane day at work — 5 years ago

Jason Sliwa

9.6

Delightful champagne. Not too much aged character. Elegant dried fruit, yeasty backdrop but not strongly apparent, tight bubbles, round character. — 6 years ago

with Eli and Vicki

Nathan Sneller

9.5

This wine showed an awesome evolution over the night. Its age was apparent throughout, but it hit the whole spectrum from dark berry, to cigar box and leather, some earthiness, light notes of eucalyptus. A new layer revealed itself every time the wine was revisited. — 7 years ago

Stephen Osgood

9.5

delish! perfumed with tons of bright red fruit...I hear so much criticism about the oak regimen at Cathiard which is not apparent in this wine at all. — 7 years ago

Jeff D.

9.1

Hard to transition to after an '81 Cab since tannins were chewier and wine overall was bigger but the pedigree of this wine was apparent. Needed a good half hour to open up for smooth sipping. All smiles on this wine! — 8 years ago

David Langstaff

9.4

Perfect Granache nose. Needs air to develop fully. Dark fruit and pepper. This bottle (2012) high in alcohol at 15.5%. Apparent on nose and taste. Wish it had dialed back a bit. A bit hot. Should have it in 5 years. But... this granache delivers. — 8 years ago

with Nicole, Cynthia and 1 other

Luis Arguero (@winefromAtoZ)

8.9

A great crisp, lemon & floral wine. Volcanic ash very apparent — 9 years ago

Cecilia Vergara

8.9

Medium intensity rubi with nice soft tannins, red fruit flav and apparent high alcohol ( 15 abv). High acidity. I tasted this same vintages 2 years ago. Now it’s much better! Drink it now. Nice wine! — 5 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Revisiting this wine and vintage. Good acidity, bone dry, pleasant mix of tropical fruit (guava, mango), nectarine, malic and citrus flavors. Mineral finish though no apparent lees character in initial tasting. Better integrated than previous tasting. A really remarkable everyday table wine that’s made for a special occasion. — 6 years ago

Ryan Hayward

9.6

Top of the line Gavalas single varietiel Assyrtiko from Santorini, very mineral and extremely dry. Perhaps the best Assyrtiko I’ve had - the blue Santorini is surprisingly better than Gavalas’ regular Santorini... In 2017, he bottled in batches rather than all at once so there is a variance for the 2017 vintage, since the bottling was spread over several months. I haven’t tasted all of them, but I’m told the later months are even better than usual, but unless you’ve had the different ones I’m not sure you would be able to tell the difference since there is no apparent markings of which batch each bottle comes from. I bought this one from a market late in the season (after he was sold out already), so it’s possible this was a later month not sure, really a great Assyrtiko! — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.5

WOTN, pretty much unanimous. So, so big. Lots of darker fruits but this one had everything from cola to licorice, black cherry to blackberry, herbal notes quite apparent, pepper finish. Still has 10 years left easily. Almost left this one in the locker, and glad I brought it along! — 8 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.4

2nd bottle of this; trying to study it a bit more this time. This is a partnership between Rothschild and Concha y Toro. It was spectacular! 12 years of age is apparent. The color is brick brown. Full bodied with sediment. The nose initially gave off a common licorice but after a 1 hour decant--arguably could be longer--that has subsided. Now it had some barnyard aromas.

On the palate, it's perfectly balanced. Spherical. Some spice and pepper, plenty of aged red fruit. And the tannins are subtle but firm. I'm critical as hell. This hits the top of my scale (to date).

A solid 94 points, maybe even 94+ — 8 years ago

Howard Roselinsky

9.0

Dark fruit presence but earth and spice definitely more apparent. Well balanced. — 9 years ago

Ericsson

9.4

Dark ruby red color. The nose is powerful: raspberries, chocolate and also leather. The mouthfeel is complex and balanced! The berries are immediately apparent, followed by savoryness, and hints of vanilla. The finish is long, intense, and full of round tannings but smooth as silk. Rioja, paella and Alejandro Sanz; can’t get more Spanish than that. And it may be the inspiration talking but this bottle is tasting as close to Rioja perfection as I’ve ever had. — 5 years ago

Subu W

9.0

Medium to light bodied; low on tannin and a little acidic; good after taste — 7 years ago

Matt

9.3

Wow, just gorgeous for the price. Generous, balanced, layered. Intelligent use of wood here, adds a subtle richness and intrigue. Asian pear, melon, citrus, cherry blossoms, wet chalk, hazelnut, cured meat, sea spray, brioche, cream. Noticeable autolysis character. Nice weight and concentration for entry NV, reminiscent of Ouriet, and there’s an influence from Krug that’s apparent to me. 50 PN 50 CH (1..17-08?) 11/2016 disgorgement — 7 years ago

Michael Herzog

9.1

Blackberry, black cherry, vanilla, cassis, grilled meat on nose.

Tasting - Still has some time left. High alcohol level not apparent. Eucalyptus? Nice wine and good finish. Good acid there. Better than expected. — 8 years ago

Brent Bracamontes

9.0

Pronounced ripe fruits and sweet spices on the nose. Mildly oxidative. Cooked Granny Smith apples, lemon curd, ginger. Heavy cinnamon and nutmeg. Fruit much less pronounced on the palate, but firm acidity and more oxidative notes. Reminds me of a mix between a fino sherry and a young Rhône white, especially with its apparent lack of glycerol on the palate. Medium finish. Incredibly interesting wine. — 8 years ago

Neil Shah

8.9

Past its prime but the bones of greatness were apparent. — 9 years ago

Matt

9.2

This bottle was more expressive than the last. More concentrated fruit tones, heady aromas, lengthier finish. Same descriptors and structure just more vibrant and apparent. Would love to lay a few down for the 3-5 year drinking window — 9 years ago