Hayden B. Oothout

9.2

Excellent Zinfandel blend from Orin Swift. The backstory of this wine is almost as great as the wine. Non-compete in a contract from selling of a vineyard, didn’t allow Orin Swift to produce a Zinfandel for 8 years. Hence 8 years in the desert. Just spectacular on the nose with hints of blackberry and cherry. On the palette it is enticing and young, bountiful fruit. Would probably benefit from another year or two in the bottle, but is spectacular now. — 5 years ago

James Forsyth

9.9

A stunner, though a little tight right now. Monumentally structured, the wine unfolds in the glass with new aspects of it revealed by the moment. Would it were that I had a case, I'd keep it for a decade or two hence. — 6 years ago

dan boedeker

9.2

I rate this wine more than anyone on Delectable. Enjoyable blend, great tasting room experience, hence the case I'm still getting through. Good wine made better by memories and the people who you are drinking it with. — 7 years ago

George Chen

9.5

Pros, get over the higher alcohol stigma...this wine is powerful with finesse. Grown on hilly (45 degree) quarry rock (hence name La Carriere) this mineral packed wine has sharp lemon custard acidity. Great Chard in my humble opinion. One of the best in CA! — 7 years ago

Paco Suro

8.9

Light in body. Red cherry. Reminds me of some of the good juice from the Madrid foothills. Hence #sierrafoothills — 8 years ago

Zachary Price

9.3

A total wine pick-up, the nice bright label calling to me from a dusty bottom shelf in the "Other Reds" section. Was on the look out for some Petit Verdot ever since a friend of mine asked, "Why is it that I like Petit Verdot so much", and I had no good answer. Petit Verdot is a classic Bordeaux blending grape, typically added at 5-15% to a blend in order to improve tannic structure and boost the flavor profile. New world producers have been experimenting with this late ripening grape, especially in warmer climates, as a stand-alone counterpoint to strong Merlots and Malbecs. Hence Cellars is a smaller producer in the Walla Walla Valley at ~1500 cases a year, specializing mainly in Bordeaux grapes. Paired with a homemade shrimp red curry. Yum! ~$21 | #petitverdot #wallawalla #hencecellars

On the eyes: Concentrated, opaque, deep dark garnet, med+ stain, med tears, no gas/floc.

On the nose: A bit vinous with early hints of chocolate, spice, and violet yielding to leathery, jammy blackberry. Med+ alcohol.

On the tongue: Med+ acid, med alcohol, med+ tannin, med+ body, round on the palette. Dusty black fruit that is undercut by chocolate, spice, and cedar yielding to a wet leathery chewiness. Still a bit tannic - needs another year or so. — 8 years ago

Said Medina

9.1

A great age-worthy wine, could take so much more aging but this was solid. Tannins were just about right, had a nice nice bite, hence the opportunity for age. It was a spry '04 and I was happy to see it. — 8 years ago

Christina Palicka

9.2

Love this! Peppery and some smoke. Easy to drink. — 9 years ago

Jes Millet

9.1

Smooth and balanced and lovely with red fruits and a rich, no nonsense finish. Lavender and wet stone with a little mahogany dust. Lacked the clear strength of midpalate I typically die for in the CNdP, hence the B+ rating. — 10 years ago

Shari Elwell

9.8

Metal retreat — 11 years ago

Amy "Bernie" Matthews

9.7

Croatian wine from the island of Hvar. Grapes are in the sun for 2718 hours, hence the name. Hard to get hold of outside of Croatia, but definitely worth a try :) — 11 years ago

Anna Garcia

9.1

Best Rosé I’ve had, but I’m not a huge rosé fan hence the rating. But it’s good! — 5 years ago

James Forsyth

9.3

A delicious Barbera and one that I rather regret drinking now rather than in a decade hence. It is dark, intense, packed with red fruit, plums, pepper, some spice. Dense but maintains elegance. Very good. — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Still tasting great — 6 years ago

Patrick Vanhoucke

9.0

LONGING FOR THE SOUTH

Yesterday I drank this very nice Macedonian semi-dry T'ga za Jug red wine.

The wine is made of the native grape variety Vranec. It has an intense red color, and the distinctive taste of raisins and raspberries, which make it a nice sweet treat (hence: semi-dry).

The wine is named after the poem ‘Taga za Yug’ of the Bulgarian poet Konstantin Miladinov (1830–1862), one of the Miladinov brothers, who originate from Ottoman Macedonia. Both brothers are thought to have laid the foundation of the Macedonian literary tradition.

‘Taga za Yug’ means ‘longing for the South’ (el anhelo por el Sur): "If I had an eagle's wings, I would rise and fly on them to our shores, to our own parts [...] Here are frost and snow and ashes, blizzards and harsh winds abound [...] There the sunrise warms the soul".

When it is cold outside, and fiercely raining, I can assure you that it makes you long for the sun that warms the soul. Drinking the T'ga za Jug wine in good company and nice surroundings makes for a wonderful or sometimes even better alternative.
— 7 years ago

Devin Bostick

9.2

Very nice thick rich, "tonkatsu" broth feel, deep purple, low tannin, slight acid, currant and jam fruit is there and it's slightly sweet like a honey tea, very good table wine. Not too complex but not simple either. Actually boiling pork bones now for ramen, hence the comparison. — 8 years ago

Tracey LaPointe

9.0

2014. An interesting marriage of tropical fruit and acid. It's unoaked...hence the acid but full of mango and pineapple. Quite lovely — 8 years ago

tim heyman

9.2

when I bought this 13 years ago had no idea about hebrard and bouard. has aged remarkably 2000. hence my rating! — 8 years ago

Stefanie Jackson

9.1

95% corn 5% malted barley, not rye! Delicious! 10, 23 and 53 gallon barrels, hence the baby bourbon namesake after the baby barrels — 9 years ago

Fabrizio Gallanti

9.2

Round, with floral an citrus flowers. Skin maceration, hence skightly orangy with lots of wax and honey. — 9 years ago

Tim C

9.6

If your into malbecs. Not to shabby — 10 years ago

Kai Ichikawa

9.7

Happy garagistewine purchase. — 11 years ago

Geoff Hurdle

9.5

A very good find and quite a surprise! Banner Elk is in the western NC mountains. Imported vines. Grapes grown in Banner Elk! Hence the surprise. It really was great! — 11 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Well located situated between Lafleur and Petrus hence the name. A little bit of history - Pomerol was originally planted by the Romans but fell into disrepair and neglect until the 17th and 18th Century. The total area of Pomerol is only 800 hectares. This wine is plummy and very earthy and so enjoyable. My notes said “This is why one loves Pomerol “. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

On the nose, a touch of barnyard. Sweet & sour dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, baked strawberries and hues of blue fruits. Dry crushed rocks, dry stones, rich black turned, soft leather, cedar, underbrush, tobacco, light vanilla & clove, medium spice, limestone, fresh & withering dark red floral bouquet.

The body is just full. The tannins are soft, rounded, chewy & sticky and still have some teeth. The wine elegantly guides smooth over the palate...very little that pushes back. It’s still youthful but not as youthful as my expectation. Sweet & sour dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, baked strawberries and hues of blue fruits. Dry crushed rocks, dry stones, rich black turned, soft leather, cedar, underbrush, tobacco, some dry herbal notes, sweet tarry notes, light vanilla & clove, medium spice, powdery limestone, loamy clay & top soil, graphite, dark spice with lifting heat, fresh & withering dark red floral bouquet and haunting violets. The acidity is near perfect. The structure, tension, length are in a very place but, will still improve for another 15+ years. The long, finish is ripe, round, balanced and lasts minutes.

Photos of, the Chateau, Technical Director Vincent Millet, beautiful stainless steel tank room and their new barrel room.

Producer notes & history...historic records show that Calon Segur was in existence as far back as 1147, when it was owned by Monseigneur de Calon. He was an important Bishop in the community. This makes Chateau Calon Segur one of the very oldest properties in Saint Estephe. Eventually, the property came to be owned by Nicolas Alexandre de Segur. Hence where part of the name of the Chateau comes.

After passing through generations, the estate became the property of the famous Marquis de Segur. de Segur is an important figure in Bordeaux history, not only for his ownership of numerous top Bordeaux estates in that day but, he also owned Lafite and Latour. de Segur is credited with uttering the words that spawned the idea behind the heart shaped logo of Calon Segur. The story is that de Segur is quoted as saying: “I make my wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is in Calon.” This famous saying lives on the label of Chateau Calon Segur, where the drawing of a heart is prominently featured on the bottle.

Chateau Calon Segur was one of the original three Bordeaux vineyards in Saint Estephe. In 1825 Chateau Montrose was a forest without a single vine belonging to the massive Calon Segur estate. In fact, Chateau Phelan Segur was also once part of the vast Segur estate. The holdings of the Segur family were so large, they included what would later became Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton Rothschild!

The more modern era by European standards began in 1894 when its Left Bank vineyards were purchased by Georges Gasqueton and Charles Hanappier. Hanappier was a large negociant at the time. The Gasqueton family managed the estate until 2012. Madame Gasqueton ran the estate until she passed away at the age of 87 in late September, 2011.

In July of 2012, Chateau Calon Segur was sold for 170 million Euros or 215 million US dollars. The buyer was a French Insurance Company, Suravenir Insurance. Jean-Pierre Moueix, the owner of Petrus and the massive negociant company Duclot also took a minority stake in Chateau Calon Segur.

Since taking over Calon Segur, they started renovating the property with the focus on the wine making facilities. They followed a trend to vinify on a parcel by parcel basis. The estate replaced their older vats with new stainless steel tanks that vary in size and number to match the size of the various vineyard parcels.

The new tanks accompany a completely new vat room as well with everything moving completely by gravity. The new tasting room was remodeled as well. The renovations were completed in 2016.

Their cellars also needed work. Immediately after closing, the new owners began an extensive replanting of the Calon Segur vineyard. There were a number of reasons they chose to do this. They needed to increase the level of vine density and add more Cabernet Sauvignon.

The extensive renovation of Chateau Calon Segur cost somewhere north of 20 Million Euros. Other changes, the new owners took full control and brought in Vincent Millet as the Technical Director.

The 55 hectares of Calon Segur are located just north of the small town of St. Estephe and are planted to 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Chateau Calon Segur is one of the few walled in vineyards in the Left Bank. Calon Segur is also known as being the northern most Classified Growth in Medoc.

The terroir of Calon Segur is a blend of gravel, rocks, clay, sand and limestone soils on the surface with gravel that can be as deep as 5 meters. Underneath, you find marl, clay and limestone.

On average, the vines are 25 years of age. However, they have older vines that range in age from 45-60 years of age.

The vineyard of Chateau Calon Segur remains almost exactly the same as it did at the time of the 1855 Classification.

Since the remodel was completed, fermentation takes place in 70 conical shaped, stainless steel tanks that range in size from 25 hectoliters to 120 hectoliters. Vintages are now aged in 90% to 100% new, French oak barrels for up to 20 months.

Production of Chateau Calon Segur is around 20,000 cases per year. They also make a second wine, which was originally named Marquis de Calon. Now, the second wine is sold under the name of Le Marquis de Calon Segur.

There is also a third wine, which is sold under two names, La Chapelle de Calon, and St. Estephe de Calon Segur, which is produced from vines that mostly come from a specific plot with more limestone. — 6 years ago

Barbie Fiallo

9.0

Had this at a private club in London where the wine was used for their 100th anniversary party hence the label addition at the bottom. It's a classic pomerol ... Lovely. — 8 years ago

with Jonathan

Roel van der Burg

Sommelier at Restaurant Entrepot

9.6

Outstanding! #rieslingreference Part of the Grosse Lage Brunnenhäuschen although the 'real' name of the vineyard (Abtserde) may not appear on the label (hence Abts E). This part of the Lage has a slightly different underground (red limestone instead of limestone) and used to be a seperate vineyard in ancient times. — 9 years ago

with Niek and Xander

B R

9.2

Great wine tasting experience. Fresh and crisp.. Engaging staff - knowledgeable, unpretentious. Also shared interesting history of the ranch and its support of the Humane Society hence the wine label with the dog and angel wings. A little more effort required to find this gem but worth the drive. — 10 years ago

Stewart Alsop

9.6

I like the one that is aged in a rum barrel, hence the reference to Caribbean. — 11 years ago

Bryan Swenland

9.6

Very good. Nice and smooth Merlot. — 11 years ago