Bob McDonald

9.4

Mid plus Lemon in colour. Aromas of wet hay, nuts, beeswax, Lemon and toast. On palate waxy, lanolin texture with honeyed notes developing. The Hunter Valley is generally considered the home of Semillon in Australia and produces world class age worthy whites but this Trophy winning Barossa Semillon is right up there. Differs somewhat to the Hunter by being a more fruit driven style. — 5 years ago

Jeff Miller

9.3

Powerful Shiraz with nice acidity and fine grained tannins. Great food wine. Bursting with baking spices, ripe blueberry and cassis on the nose with a little black pepper, grilled herbs and gunflint thrown in for good measure. Palate was rich and intense with mouth coating blue and black fruits, mouthwatering acidity and a long lasting finish. Really surprising wine that we got as part of a gifted year of the California Wine Club. Best wine we’ve had from that club so far. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Pale Lemon with a youthful greenish tinge. Aromas of wet straw and starting to develop secondary notes of lanolin and a little toast but a long way to go to reach full maturity. On the palate Citric Acid floods the sides and back of the tongue- mouth puckering. Tastes about 2 years old, not nearly 9 years and at least another 10 years cellaring ahead. Receives no oak influence and only 10.5% Alc. Highly awarded on the Australian Show Circuit with 4 Trophies. from the Royal Queensland Wine Show. From a 10 acre block at the foothills of the Brokenback Ranges in the Hunter Valley. First vintage in 1973 was a labour of love for the partners friends and families with the first grapes carried to the Winery in buckets in the back seat of Len Evans’ Bentley. .....a funny story 😉 — 8 years ago

Michael Solway

9.0

Waxy, wet stone; bright citrus, pear and marzipan. Medium full in the mouth. Fresh and lively. — 8 years ago

Clarke Gasper

9.5

In a word, delicious! Silky smooth tannins with notes of cherry, acai, milk chocolate, dried cranberry, baking spices, and eucalyptus. Paired with lamb but the wine definitely holds its own #auction — 8 years ago

with Matthew

Michael Adelman

8.9

Clean easy drinking summer beer. Very crisp and beautiful in its simplistic form... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" — 9 years ago

Brian Grech

8.9

Zesty acidity. Good to have in the salad-pairing repertoire. — 9 years ago

with Ashley

David L

9.7

06' Barnard Magrez Cabernet. 83% CB 12% CF 5%PV. WOW... A rare bottle indeed. This was sourced from the famous Vineyard Thorevilos (Abreu). Aaron Pott was its winemaker in 2006.

A 2 hour + on the decanting. All the elegant black fruit you can imagine in this glass. A 30+ finish. It's certainly in the discussion of one of the finest 2006's I've had out of Napa. Drinking well now & has another 20+ great years in it.

Barnard Magrez is now sourcing there fruit from Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyards. If you didn't get enough Realm Dr. Crane 12/13's. Hell… just want to add another great wine! This certainly could be a viable option(wish list). Benoit Touquette is "NOW" the winemaker😉👍!!

I'm not saying the 12 & 13's are another Realm Dr. Crane. They're the same winemaker & sourcing🤔. Just a thought... — 9 years ago

MJ Cass

9.1

16 year old mcGuigan Semillon, a surprising treat! Lemon, lime evolution in the bottle turns to melt in your mouth sorbet. #savouraustralia #viwf — 10 years ago

Simon Beeny

9.1

Lovely nose and just enough time in the bottle. Would be an even better drop with 3-5 years to remove the acidity. — 11 years ago

Jason Rzutkiewicz

Wine Blogger Jason's Wine Blog

9.1

Should get more of this. Drinking splendid now but years more in front of it. Nice QPR at ~$18 — 12 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.0

Very surprised when I opened the wine list. My inner geek took over when I saw it was the same wine I consumed last week but a different vintage. A much less open and complex nose than the’11.
In the mouth this wine demonstrated greater freshness than the ‘11. Grapefruit like acidity put the fruit flavors at the forefront. Once again I was a little disappointed with the finish but I think in this case the wine truly needs time to unwind. — 6 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.1

It is starting to build up some character and complexity
Grapefruit, litchees, lanolin, a bit smoky too
Nice finish with a good amount of acid still there — 6 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.5

This is amazing stuff
I just don't understand why Aussies don't love it as much as I do
This bottle might be singing at its best in another ten years
Extremely enjoyable now too
Supported by a searing minerality ✌️ — 7 years ago

Mark Cowan

9.1

Put In down your throat xxx you are welcome — 8 years ago

Daniel Wisner

9.3

Whoa whoa whoa! This old bad boy was excellent. Soft peaches on the nose. Warm bread and sliced, green grapes to taste. A hell of a treat for $25. — 8 years ago

JeremyC

9.2

At Quay in Sydney.....1st Semillon I remember being truly impressed by....not like any other I'd experienced prior....bright, complex and missing the wax I tend to not dig. Fun wine but not for $35/glass. — 8 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.5

On the label it says Vat 18, never heard of it before, it must be a selection. At peak anyway, lanolin, honey little toasty, fruit still there, good freshness. Wine that disappears in no time from the bottle👍 — 9 years ago

Angelo Casagrande

9.0

Deep, dark, inky color. Touch of menthol with plum and blackberry notes. Very nice wine to drink by its lonesome. I remember drinking Tyrell's Long FlatRed blend about thirty years ago for about $5 a bottle! Apparently they still make it, but I've not seen it in s few decades. — 9 years ago

Cindy Fraser

9.5

Very Jammy nose. Quite deep in color and flavorful. Like it a lot. Good buy! — 10 years ago

Stuart Robinson

9.1

Exemplar medium-bodied Hunter Shiraz in the modern style. — 10 years ago

David David

9.1

secondary characteristics of oak and leather coming to the fore. For a 31 year old shiraz she still has some life in her — 11 years ago

Andrew Nelson

9.3

Tropical as all hell...super delicious — 11 years ago

Amie Schoenmaker

9.7

Worth every penny!!! But will be even better in 2-3 years! Can't wait — 12 years ago

Johnno Harris

9.5

What a beauty! Really in the zone right now. Rich black fruits and savoury spice. Opulent and generous but still tightly coiled with plenty of length. In a nice window now with another 5-10 years ahead of it. 🍷👌🏽 — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.2

Taking one for the community trying this top vintage Talbot @ £58 to see if it’s worth buying more & computer says Hell Yeah 😍👍 Drinking great already but in 10-40 years Boomshakalaka 💥 a tad too youthy at the mo so let it 😴 💤 the 05 & even 10 are drinking well already 😉

📍 Chateau Talbot 2015

🏵 92 points moving to 94+ in time

🍇 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot & 3% Petit Verdot

🍷 Ooaque blackened ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Sweet damson plum & rich blackcurrant w/ smoke, liquorice, cocoa, blueberry, raspberry, light gravel, broken pencil, spice & minerals

👄 Med+ body of rich ripe deep blackcurrant w/ a red liquorice, mocha & mineral undertone

🎯 Long touch dry mineral infused blackcurrant, blueberry & red liquorice mocha kiss
— 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Is there anything better than Ribeye & Claret? From my perspective, no. This is the second wine from one of more prestigious Chateaus in St. Estephe. Bordeaux rule number 2, buy the hell out of good producers second wines in very good vintages, like 2005. You’ll get great wines at more affordable prices. Providing, you exercise patience; which is rule number 1. Decanted for 3 plus hours. On the nose, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, black plum & cherries pull up the rear. Incense, herbaceous character, anise, scorched dark earth, burnt ambers, anise, baking spices dominated by vanilla, black tea, black cherry cola, loamy dry soils, dry & fresh red florals with violets for days. It’s in a great phase with many years ahead. The body is full and round. The texture has you wanting more. It’s velvety and ripe. Tannins soft and powdery, around 65-70 resolved. The fruits are ripe & ruby...showing the excellence of the 05 vintage. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, black plum & cherries pull up the rear. Incense, herbaceous character, anise, scorched dark earth, dry stones, leather, cigar with ash, burnt ambers, anise, baking spices dominated by vanilla, black tea, black cherry cola, loamy dry soils, dry & fresh red florals with violets for days. The acidity is dead on. The length, structure, length & balance is harmonizing like America on the album, “ Horse with No Name.” The long finish is; ruby, rich, elegant, round, beautiful and lasts a minute plus. Beautiful wine. 9.4 with the steak. 9.2 on its own. Photos of; Chateau Cos d’ Estournel, hosting/tasting area, private wine stock and barrel cellar. Producer notes and history...Chateau Cos d’Estournel has a long history in the appellation of St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding it in 1811. It only took a few years before Chateau Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In the early days, the wines of Cos d’Estournel were not sold through the Negociant system. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Chateau Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Chateau Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Chateaus to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. After his death, the estate was purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux, using the negociant system. If the Chateau had not been selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification! Chateau Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family, the owners of the neighboring Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. The purchase was the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. The next era in the development of Chateau Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Chateau Cos d’Estournel was bought by Michel Reybier, who made his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making facilities in the entire Bordeaux wine making appellation at the time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in the winemaking facilities and cellars. The wine making facilities are completely modern, using 100% gravity. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Chateau Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH. Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the estate. In 2018, the estate released COS100, produced from their oldest Merlot vines that were 100 years of age. It was limited in production to a 100 Jeroboams, (3 litres) and 10 Balthazars (12 litres) and a few other sizes were produced from only 2 barrels of wine. The proceeds from COS100 go to the charity, Elephant Family, that is devoted to protecting and nurturing Asian elephants in their own, natural habitat. Cos d’Estournel’s new cellar is a joint reflection by the technical team, the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Jean Guillaume Prats. It’s a marvel blend of simplicity and modern technology. Cos d’Estournel is unique to Bordeaux and the rest of world. What makes this special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity allowing for expression of their special terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. The new cellars at Chateau Cos d’Estournel include 72 isothermal cone shaped stainless steel vats. The vats are specifically designed for thermal inertia. The 72 vats have a wide range of capacities to correspond with the needs of each parcel of vines. The vats range in size from as small as 19 hectoliters all the way up to 115 hectolitres. 12 of the smaller vats that are designed to handle between 19 and 60 hectoliters that have two levels in each vat. In other words, this offers the technical equivalent of 24 separate vats. Each of the vats are double lined, which allows for more exact and temperature control. None of the vats use interior heat coils. Perhaps the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a pumpless, pump over. What takes place is, the wine is released from the main vat where the skins remain. By gravity, the juice is then moved into smaller vats which are on wheels. These small vats are sent to the glass elevators where they are moved up one floor and returned back into the vat by gravity to cover the skins. At this point, the process is still unique to Chateau Cos d’Estournel. The wine production of Cos d’Estournel is labor intensive starting the moment the grapes enter their new facility. The berries travel through a tunnel that instantly lowers the temperature of the fruit to 3-5 degrees Celsius. This sudden chilling stops the loss of juice while also slowing oxidation. Next, the grapes are cold macerated at 7-9 degrees Celsius for about a week. Pump overs are done by gravity recycling. The juice from the top of the vat moves to the bottom of the vat entirely by gravity. The fermentation takes place at low temperatures to avoid over extraction or harsh tannins. The 91 hectare vineyard of Chateau Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located close to the border of Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe appellation. The vineyard has cultivated 84 hectares of vines. Even though the vineyard has been expanded over the years, the grape varietals planted here have remained consistent. The vineyard, located on the hill of Cos, has gentle elevations of up to 20 meters. On average, the vines are 35 years of age. However, the estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. Cos d’Estournel is translated from old Gascon speech; which means the hill of pebbles. It describes the terroir along with clay, gravel, sand and limestone soil. However, there is a unique aspect to the soil at Cos d’Estournel, as you find more gravel and less clay here than you do at other neighboring vineyards. Because the fruit is grown close to the Atlantic ocean in a cool climate, Cos d’Estournel is often among the last of the properties in the Medoc to harvest. The vineyard is managed by teams and each team member is given 45,000 vines to look after. The vineyard, which is almost one large block, can be further divided into 72 separate parcels. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

From some very old vineyards in the Hunter Valley. Old Paddock planted in 1921 and the Old Hill planted in 1880. Polished leather aromas. Big and savoury with a long future remaining. Dry tannins. 17+ This is the 2006 vintage. — 10 years ago

Brad Pejcic

9.5

Light golden green in colour. Honey, toast and a little lemon rind developing through the regular citrus flavours. Delicious already and it's only going to get better. — 11 years ago

Christy Frank

9.6

Oh hell! Hella good. 2012 vintage is a little friendly straight out of the gate vs 2011. Darker, deeper, a little more brooding... In an alpine sort of way — 11 years ago