Benjamin Shirk

9.3

McCarthy & Schiering, $50

Bittersweet occasion and went way above my budget to celebrate my birthday and also mourn Grandma Julie's passing. She loved CdP so thought I'd splurge on one. I've only had a couple but have loved every one I tried. This was a bit different, I'm used to bright fruit forward but this was very muted cooked dark fruit with a lot of emphasis on the baking spice and earthy tobacco notes. Incredibly complex - licorice, coffee, clove, tobacco with an underlying subtle dried/cooked dark fruit. Crazy smooth, but I'm comparing it to sub $20 wines that I'm used to, and you can barely tell that it's 15% alc. Nice tannins but I think it would benefit from a touch more acidity. I'm being picky since I paid so much for it but in summary it's one of the best made wines I've ever had, but not among my favorites. But it's still a great experience and I don't regret the purchase — 4 years ago

Ted Corvey

9.2

Alive but on the back side of peak so I would drink it if you got it. I don’t believe Produttori made any single vineyard wines this year, so not shocked with the fruit quality with as much as it has still lots of roses black cherry and tarry leather coming on the nose. — 4 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.2

In the day these guys were Epic! I traded for this wine (Covid inspired) and on a particularly cold, blustery Chicago Saturday... we did big-ass burgers and left over Greek potatoes and green beans. Match made in Heaven! Haven’t seen a plastic cork in years... 16.1... Holy Shit! No sign of alcohol on the palate... did you get that? 16.1... no alcohol on the palate? Dark, rich, cloudy, chewy—classic black fruit, pencil lead, saddle-leather notes. Still alive and balanced. What a fun wine with food on a cold winter night. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.7

As perfect as a glass of well made & well aged Napa Cabernet gets. Heavenly palate harmony.

What a Christmas late night wine snuggle under the candle tree with Sofia.

A bottle/glass you wish would never end.

One of the very best Christmas Eve’s in memory.

Merry Christmas!!! 🎄🎁🎅⛄️🌟❄️

Only 60 bottles made. I bought 33% of them. @Shay A ended up with two & @Paul T- Huntington Beach had 2 or 3 of them.

Never had a better Napa Cabernet for $89 or much more.

I misspoke a few weeks ago. This is the best Napa Cabernet I’ve had this year. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.7

Mid yellow in colour. Aromas of musk and mandarin with dried herbs and a hint of paraffin. Fresh and sprightly at 18 years of age. I was contemplating leaving this to 2022 when it would have been 20 years old and on this showing it would have made it easily. With time some peachy flavours and some sweetness. Next day - lovely honeysuckle and honeyed notes on the palate. Fulsome with stone fruits and quince - you would think off dry but in fact 12.8% ABV and fully dry. Made by the legendary Brian Croser back then. An absolute treat to have a wine like this for Sunday lunch. One of the Wines of the Year for me. — 5 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

Vintage 2017 / young and frivolous! Biowine from Sicily with characteristic Italian acidity on the tongue and raspberry smell. Very quaffable. Nice. / Paired with pasta porcini and green salad. The winegrower says it is ideal with fish (like tunafish) and I can imagine so. Made from Nero d’Avola and Frappato. Did not think you could make such fun wine from Nd’A. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

No detailed notes as we were at dinner with friends. Three Somm’s present for dinner and all thought this was wine of the night. I was one of them.

I believe their 15 is even better than their fantastic 2010.

If you are not familiar with this producer & terroir, I highly recommend you do. It remains under most consumers radar. I should probably stay silent on it as it will only drive up demand and price. But, good wine is meant to be shared with people who know how to appreciate it. This is around $55 on pre-arrival and $70ish if not bought on pre-arrival.

Olivier Lamy left the family Domaine to learn from other producers before returning to his family Domaine. He made Méo-Camuzet for few years just before his return.

The body was thick and slightly waxy. Nice green apple, pineapple, lime, honeysuckle, fruit blossoms with excellent round acidity, texture, elegant and well polished finish.

Recommend you slightly over chill it and decant it for an hour if you drink it this young. After it hour, it really blossoms.

Photos of, the Domaine property, Saint-Aubin Vineyard, amazing Saint-Aubin Chardonnay grapes and Domaine building sign — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Made in Martinborough NZ by Japanese perfectionist Hiro Kusuda. At vintage time he flies out a team of pickers from Japan who inspect each and every grape before crushing. A light to medium bodied Syrah with white pepper and ginger notes - also dried meat. On palate you can actually taste the pepper. Love this style of wine. Cannot see a long cellaring future however. Lovers of big Barossa styles may not like this. With a little more mid palate fruit I would have scored 96+. Very much like another Kiwi Syrah - Te Mata Bullnose from Hawkes Bay - one of my faves - also loads of white pepper. — 8 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.3

1630 bottles produced
Old school natural wine
Niccolaini was the avant-garde of the movement without ever being in it himself.
I got told stories of a farm with no electricity perhaps a decade ago or so
Massa Vecchia is appreciated for all its labels and you can find out which one is your favourite
Personally i am not a rose drinker, but i knew i wasn't going to be disappointed here
This is more like a Valentini cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, but even more extract, i dare to say if you sell this wine for a red nobody would argue.
It's funky to start, it gives you cola and china and its fresh and fun, plus very long and mineral.
Quite earthy perhaps not a precise fruit to define, but real good altogether
For my understanding this is the last vintage made by Niccolaini' daughter in law as a winemaker and i keep a bottle of the next vintage..i am very curious to how he has come back to his captain seat. — 4 years ago

Rhonely Boy

9.1

2016 Sparkling Pinot Gris orange wine.

Ryan, yes, more please and thank you!
A fan of the orange Pinot Gris, geeked to of received an email regarding the release of a personal winemaker stash of sparkling orange Pinot Gris.

“To quickly explain, an “orange wine” is made from white grapes, but instead of pressing the white grapes and discarding the skins like normal white wine production, they are kept in contact (just like red wine production) with the juice for 21 days extracting the orange of color. For fun, I produced a small personal batch that was made like a traditional method champagne. Perhaps the only one of its kind.

I hope you enjoy!

Ryan”



Perfect amount of bubbles, lightly carbonated, any more and it would of been a bit rough.

— 5 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.7

Raul Perez, Mencia wizard and human garden gnome, makes some of the most innovative and highly allocated wines from anywhere. I don’t often drink stuff this good. Sometimes you need to be reminded that average and good wines are made for relaxation and enjoyment and that extraordinary wines are art.

La penitencia could be the best thing I’ve ever opened at home. It’s elegant and bootlegged. The front label probably designed in an Internet cafe, the back label looks like it was cut and glued by a five year old. These things make it lovable because it’s so bad and it’s so good.

Pours a browned purple motor oil. The aromas fly. Perfumes of red and blue colored berries, clove, spice, leather. Like a brand new catchers mitt that needs some oil and some love. Feels of plush berry fruit and flavors of prunes and macerated strawberries and boxed raisins that seem to hang around for about as many years as I waited to open this thing. — 5 years ago

Willem Booij

9.3

I had my fare share of chateau Latour the last 2 decades, and every time it surprised me that this a wine that never gives up. Strong in good years en without fear in the so called “bad” vintages. With my hand on my heart I can tell you that Latour is my al time favourite, based on on at least a dozen time’s for as far is I remember I tasted it. Mostly by the generosity of good friends from the past and present. The same I can say about LFDL, but quit surprising not about this third wine of Latour, made in the same area from a different plot but by the same skilled crew and under the same conditions. So what’s there to tell about this wine? Is it good or is it not good, and the other big question is it worth the price asked for, its not a cheap wine! The 2015 Le Pauillac de Chateau Latour is a blend of 54.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41.7% Merlot and 4.1% Petit Verdot. The colour is perfect as it is, just as a great Bordeaux red bastard must be in its youth. Then the nose: The flavours fly out of the glass, notes of beautiful ripe Forrest fruit an blackberries, a hint of my humidor and some deep dark flowers. In the mouth it’s not a heavyweight champion but more a well structured delicate wine, some nice fruit and all ready very drinkable at this moment. Well balanced and still potential to soften a little bit more and give more flavours in the nearby future. But overall it’s a true to type Pauillac that satisfied my curiosity. I can easily drink a few bottles of this wine this decade but it’s not a bargain! But it’s from Latour so I think it’s going over the 93 point I rated it now in some years. — 5 years ago

Mike R

9.5

Damn well made Napa cab dominated wine

full bodied blend cab dominated but taste the softness of the merlot and the tanginess of the PV blend - for me it is sweet almost but elegance with a very dense purple zing from blackberry fruit intermixed with licorice and lime soil - the texture is nice loamy forest floor but not all earthy and a gritty layered mouthfeel - love the length

God I miss a brilliantly made cab from Napa

@Eric LaMasters @Carl Fischer your thoughts as you tasted the same tonight — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

If you haven’t explored Washington wines, you need to visit Walla Walla. They are making incredible wines that compete with any region in the world without exploiting your wallet. Their prices will rise in time as the demand grows but, for now, they are outstanding wines at reasonable prices.

One of their best producers is Long Shadows. Gilles Nicault is their talented Wine Director who is a French transplant. He works with several consultants who all work on one wine each. World famous; Michel Rolland, Randy Dunn and JohnDuvall who made Penfold’s for 29 years.

I paired their Riesling with my grilled pork chop; which is largely based on the recipe from Mustards Restaurant in Napa Valley. 14 ingredients go into the two day marinade. It is perhaps one of the best food & wine parings I’ve had.

Photos of, the outside fire at Long Shadows, their beautiful tasting room with lots of hand blown glass the grilled pork chop, rosemary potatoes and grilled zucchini from our garden. — 7 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.3

Beautiful full deep medium gold… surprising for such a young white wine. Enticing bright aroma of spring flowers and juicy dripping ripe orchard fruit. Every once in a while you run into a wine that just knocks you back a step.. this is such a wine. Rich, ripe, round, weighted, serious, lip-smacking good, complex, alive, smile-inducing, with a finish that makes you want to pour a glass for everyone you know. We consumed this wine with extremely well-made takeout Indian… Tikka Chicken, warm spicy Chana, and downright hot Lamb Vindaloo… this elixir stood up to the hodge-lodge and made it better. I need to buy this wine by the case. — 4 years ago

Ruud Verhagen

9.3

with the amount of 16% alcohol you fear a jammy bomb with a lot of heat, but i must say this is very nice handled. A great Chateauneuf with a superb nose and a lot of stuffing made by great and gentle hands. Bravo! — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.3

In my mind, there’s no better way to celebrate another trip around the sun than with loved ones, watching the sunset, while sharing a delicious meal and wine pairing. This evening hits the mark!

This wine is a 2nd growth Saint-Julien from the Médoc, left bank, region of Bordeaux, France. When I say 2nd growth, that means the Château from which this wine hails received the second highest quality designation as of part of the “1855 Classification” that took place during the Universal Expedition in Paris in 1855. This quality designation remains intact today despite the centuries that have passed.

This wine is clear with a deep ruby hue and garnet rim variation. On the nose this wine has medium intensity(+) of developing aromas with a large focus on blackberry, fig, cassis, prune, potpourri, incense, anise, cedar, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, earth, leather, and tobacco. On the palate this wine is dry. It has medium acidity, a medium(+) body, medium alcohol, high tannins, and medium intensity in flavors consistent with the nose. The finish is long.

Interestingly, the fermentation took place in various vessels, including those made from oak, steel, and concrete and then this wine aged in oak barriques (small oak vessels) until it was ready for bottling.

It was also cellared at the Château from harvest until shipping in 2015.

Château Léonville, Grand Vin de Léonville du Marquis de Las Cases, Saint-Julien, Médoc. Vintage 2005. ABV 13%.

This wine has complexity, balance, structure, and length. It’s outstanding. I’m not surprised to see a 100-point rating from Wine Spectator. Thank you @Deke for the amazing Birthday selection! — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

My homemade warm, Bourbon Pecan Pie with Marianne’s Old Tyme Vanilla...our favorite ice cream maker & second favorite ice cream from them.

Pie made with Redwood Empire “Pipe Dream” Bourbon.

Tawny Port would have been sweet over sweet over sweet...way too much & over powering. The Matthiasson Sweet Vermouth is the perfect pair. It captures the pie with a gentle hug without overwhelming it like Tawny would do.

As I was making my pie, I realized there are very valid heath reasons for only making this once a year. But, wow is it amazing!!!

Our group will likely never go out for another formal dinner if the choice is ours, it just wouldn’t be as good on multiple levels.

The Matthiasson Vermouth starts like summer sun tea with a touch of sugar, subtle brown sugar/molasses background, hints of toffee, butterscotch, marmalade fruit, dry stone fruit, dry pineapple, orange citrus, salted nuts, chalky soils, grainy volcanics, warm toast, slight honeycomb notes, vanilla with dry floral bed. The acidity is insane. The long finish is; unique, extremely well balanced, lush, elegant with persistent length. On the back end, you perceive the most subtle quality of Vermouth.

Brilliant beverage creation! — 5 years ago

with Christina and James

Brett Vanderbrook

9.3

Back in May of 2014 Serge and Gaston Hochar came to New York City and led a tasting at my local wine store. I wasn’t familiar with their winery or family at the time, but I understood it was a big deal. At this tasting we got to try both red and white wines dating back to the 1970s. Serge was enigmatic and passionate, and it was one of the most unique wine experiences I’ve ever had. My girlfriend and I splurged and paid (at the time) the most we had ever spent on a bottle of wine for the 1999 flagship red. We had really liked the 1994, but it was beyond our price point, and we figured if we held onto the ‘99 for a few more years it might start to take on characteristics of the ‘94.

Tonight, almost 6 years later, while in week 3 of quarantine here in Brooklyn we decided it was time to get dressed up, make a fancy dinner and open that bottle. So we pan seared some duck breasts, oven roasted some asparagus, and made a celery root and potato purée.

In my brief experience with Serge, I learned he wasn’t much for tasting notes. He didn’t care to hear what the wine smelled or tasted like but more about the esoteric way it made you *feel.* So in honor of the late, great Serge Hochar I won’t tell you that the wine poured a translucent brick red or that its nose was an intoxicating perfume of red fruit, spices, leather, and barnyard. That it was still vibrant and bright on the palate with cherry and baking spice, and without even a whisper of tannins. Instead I’ll just tell you it made me feel not cooped up for a few hours. That I was actually sitting down in a restaurant and enjoying a meal and conversation with my partner, and not locked down for the foreseeable future. It made us feel normal again, at least for one meal. — 6 years ago

with Raina

Delectable Wine

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9.7

The 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 7 years ago