Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.5

94-96. Potente e bilanciato. Molto legno a naso al momento che compre un po’ le ceste di frutta matura che vengono fuori da questo vino. Veramente notevole la maturità del frutto. Forse anche grazie ad appena il 26% di Merlot. Ma i Cabernet sono intensi e maturi. Lungo ed equilibrato sul finale. — 17 days ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.6

This wine gets so much hate and I really don't understand why. Had it 3-4 times and has always been such a pleasure to drink. WOTN contender here with power, elegance and complexity. Could have drunken the whole botttle on my own! — a month ago

Claire Mangine

9.0

I asked for a jammy red and that’s what this is !! Not super into these “commercialized” wines, but it does the job for easy drinking. Yum — 2 months ago

Mariana Puga

9.7

this is really nice! i notice some floral and strawberry notes — 2 months ago

with Raul

Peter van den Besselaar

9.3

Vintage 2008 | Reliable old school Rioja, well balanced with vanilla, mocca, cedar — 4 months ago

Scott Kahn

9.5

Beautiful wine - one that has improved with age! Deep and rich color with a bouquet of cedar in the glass. Dark and plentiful fruit, integrated albeit present tannins, and a long finish. This is best Estournel that I have sampled! — 4 months ago

Melanie Hogan DelBuono

9.3

I was surprised it was in a clear glass bottle. Still very young but surprisingly light. Very vanilla with fresh cherry’s. Not a big Cabernet at all. — 4 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (91.3%) and Merlot (8.7%). A bit tight and unexpressive right out of the bottle. After a 45 minute decant, this wine was awake and very alive. Dark ruby color. Aromas of graphite, forest floor, wet gravel and dark black fruit. Flavors of black currant/cherry/berry/plum, tobacco, baking spices, dark chocolate and minerals. Distinct notes of smoky oak and wet earth on the long and lingering finish. Tannins were a bit lighter than expected at first but developed with aeration. Quite savory, rich, full bodied and powerful. Beautiful texture. Exceptional (once it opened up) but not the bottle of near perfection that I had heard so much about. Thanks for sharing, Petey and Happy Birthday, Kase! — 20 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2012 pours a deep ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Montmorency cherry, blackberry, dill, toasted coconut, olive, zatar, and a touch of vanilla. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This only got better with air and might be my favorite young Tondonia since I first drank the 2006 vintage. Really good stuff already! Drink now with some patience and through 2042. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Deep ruby , thin pink rim . Fresh cassis , blackberry , quite spicy with a touch of vanilla, red plum . Quite open and enticing . On the palate this is somewhat linear with cool dark fruits , cassis , red plum , grafite and saline touch . Fills out well with quite grippy , cool tannins , fresh acidity , and good length with grafite , cassis finish . This is obviously not ready , however it was an enjoyable wine to drink over dinner , the freshness and cool fruit character are quite apparent , and the tannins though gritty are somewhat in the background . Though it was worth the experience , I would leave bottles a further 10 years before trying another. This is an elegant and well judged wine . — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

No formal notes . Pretty deep Amber , copper colour . Intense marmalade , saffron , creme caramel . Rich on the palate with rich marmalade , saffron notes . Good acidity , but rich. Good length . This is drinkable now and shows quite an advanced colour , though due to its richness will probably carry on delivering for another 20 years , perhaps longer .

This was a rather fascinating evening put together by our incredibly generous host. All 2007 reds were served blind in two flights: 1st Mouton, Haut Brion, Cheval Blanc , La Mission Haut Brion then Latour , Lafite , Petrus and Margaux . Overall the wines showed well , and were mostly enjoyable to drink now , though there is no rush . This somewhat maligned vintage can give a lot of enjoyment in the right environment, I certainly wouldn’t hold back from opening or purchasing any of these wines . They mostly show good density of fruit , personality and elegance , with good freshness. These are not powerful wines , and at times perhaps the fruit can be a little cooler or greener but I was pleasantly surprised by the way they performed , just goes to show you should never write off a vintage without trying the wines ! — 3 months ago

Victor Charcan

9.4

Great wine in a great vintage. Dark fruit, well handled oak, plums and cherries, great acidity and fine tannins and length — 4 months ago

George Booth

9.1

Got this wonderful bottle of wine from our good friend Lucia — 4 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Drinking well at 50 yrs being a wine I have had many times showing red & black fruits, cedar, leather, spice & sweet tobacco. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two hours. It’s been almost a year since my last visit with the 2018 vintage and it’s in a very pretty spot right now. All notes previously apply though I should point out that the florals are especially showy right now. The nose is simply beautiful to experience. The fruit remains fresh and mostly red fruited. The structure is still firm. Very, very easy to enjoy on its own or with a meal. Drink now through 2038+. — a month ago

romo

9.0

Sure. I mean, I guess.. like, ok. — 2 months ago

Dylan Kinzer

9.8

I don’t really remember but it was banging. Going to be tough to beat. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Medium lemon yellow , fine bubbles . Quite restrained and mineral focused on the nose , then lemon confit , quince, touch of orange flowers, with some pastry notes , white flowers , honeysuckle also . Quite intense and mineral on the palate , fills out well with some lemon oil and pastry notes also , but this is reserved and elegant in style , more mineral , chalky and more intense than the 2013 had last week. Really refreshing acidity . Long and complex on the finish , I would imagine this needs more time than the 2013 too. Come back in 5 years , will show well for a further 10-15 years , perhaps longer. Very promising . — 3 months ago

Jane Nuss

9.1

Pale gold with fine bubbles. Blossom, apple, pear, tangerine, lemon, brioche, and toasted almond. Dry, medium body. Well-balanced acidity with a crisp, medium-plus finish. You can find this stuff almost anywhere these days. But I must say, I still like it.
— 4 months ago

Damian

9.9

Decanted in the glass for 30 minutes, with bottle open during that time and later. The best wine experience so far. I tried it before on a tasting and was not impressed. Brioche, toast, citrus, apple and racing acidity were still present in my mouth after 2 minutes of taking a sip. I prefer to drink it the way I described at the beginning vs straight from the bottle that was standing in ice. — 4 months ago