Coffee Mocha and Blackberry notes. Medium plus intensity finishing with fine Tannins. One of the Barossa’s old vine icons - Stonewell. From the cooler slow ripening Top quality 2002 vintage. Travelling easily in its 16th year with a strong core which will ensure another 5 to 10 years but pretty compelling right now. — 7 years ago
The 2nd of 2 Australian Icons from 1999. Jasper Hill is Heathcote Royalty and their Emily’s Paddock is an unusual blend of Shiraz with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. Beautiful aromas of pipe Tobacco Earth and Cocoa. The palate is defined by an all pervading Earthy sweetness with Cocoa notes and great length, concentration and persistence. Cannot detect the high 15.5 % Alcohol just giving this beautiful full bodied Wine stacks of flavour. Like the Semillon this has a way to go. Next in at least 5 years. — 7 years ago
Seven Stones was the wine of this market visit to Napa. For me, it is the very definition of why I drink wine. Great fruit that is not overworked and is the Webster’s Dictionary of elegance, even at this young age.
On the nose; beautiful dark & medium red cassis. Ruby in style with amazing florals. Blackberries, dark cherries, raspberries & blue fruit mix. The red florals are so engaging, They possessed me for quite sometime before getting to tasting the wine. Soft baking spices with understated vanilla.
The body was medium full. Tannins unbelievably soft, silky and elegant for such a young wine. The fruits picked at the perfect ripeness. Such elegance! Creamy and ruby fruits of; cherries, dark cherries, creamy raspberries and wafting blue fruits. Soft spices, dry crushed rock powder, delicate volcanic minerals, touch herbaceous, whiff of black olive, dry soils, beautiful red roses and violets. The structure firm yet delicate as was the tension. The length and balance in perfect harmony. The long, polished finish simply amazing. Especially, in a wine this young.
Photos of; the property with the seven stones from Yosemite that are held together by gravity and weight 100,000 pounds, and two other artworks from the owners amazing art collection and the view from their terrace. — 8 years ago


Luciano Sandrone is making some of his finest wines in what has been a long and extraordinary career full of successes. Of the Piedmont wineries that are still in their first generation, those that started in or around the 1980s, Luciano Sandrone is arguably the only estate that has joined the small group of properties, all of them multi-generational, whose wines are widely recognized as icons and collectibles. The 2012 Barolo Cannubi Boschis opens with beguiling aromatics redolent of crushed rose petal, spices, mint and new leather. Wonderfully layered and nuanced, the 2012 offers good freshness to match its inviting, supple fruit. I would prefer to drink it sooner rather than later, while its alluring, open-knit personality is on full display. In 2012, the fruit tends towards the redder end of spectrum, unusual for Cannubi Boschis, which usually tends towards darker shades of expression. The 2012 is perfumed, lithe and super classy from start to finish. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Mar 2017)
— 8 years ago
Nice nose. Some raspberries and tart cherry. Also an earthy pungent element. Bit of mint. Flavors are nice too. Fruit with anise and great minerality. Zippy. Finishes strong with dark chocolate, cassis and hard candy. — 9 years ago
Well balanced red blend. Moderate to full fruit on the front of my palate. Easy middle with dark stone fruit, a hint of spice and a long glycerin finish. — 10 years ago
A nice dry red with a oak and fruity taste. — 10 years ago
Deep crimson in colour with black tea edges. Hints of liquorice and spice. Full bodied more savoury mineral than fruit driven. Supple tannins and good length. One of Australia's Shiraz icons from a not so great vintage. — 10 years ago
Definitely the best rose I've had so far. Fruity and sweet but just the right amount of each. Drank this with Elaine and Hope during dinner when Elaine came to see the house for the first time since I furnished it. — 11 years ago
2014 vintage is one of the best wines I’ve ever had. Smooth with light tones of berries, earth, mineral. Just outstanding. Worth the ewIt to taste one of the icons in wine industry — 7 years ago
I really enjoy pairing wine with food. One thing I like to do when I work events like these is to offer guests wine that has achieved its perfect bottle phase and this didn’t disappoint. So often you go to a restaurant or an event and all they offer are new releases or close enough. Wine needs time in bottle to shine. This one was at its peak and for many guests was the wine of the night. I’d have trouble disagreeing with that.
Wine was seamless and elegant. Ripe, lush, ruby fruits of; dark cherries, some blackberries, plum and soft florals blueberries on the edge of the glass. Great acidity and round long finish. This was better than some $100 plus bottles of Pinot’s I’ve had for a faction of the price. It walks the fence of CA Pinot & Burgundy nicely.
The dish paired perfectly with Hedy’s, Fresh Summer Beans, Pumpernickel Crouton, Yogurt Dressing, Chive, Preserved Lemon. The perfect age on the Cahill married beautifully with the dish and excellent on its own. The food did not overpower the dish, nor did the dish overpower the wine.
The 08 Cahill was a recent direct purchase from the winery through K&L Wine Merchants. It was like stealing, it was priced so inexpensively.
Walter Hansel made his fortune in the auto business; which allowed him to pursue his other passion in wine. He and his son’s first vintage was 1996. They are located near Kistler and Dehlinger in Sonoma. The Cahill is made from a blend of three clones; 114, 115 and Rochioli.
One interesting fun fact. Walter Hansel was among the first people to drive a car into the Yosemite Valley in the early 1900’s.
Hedy on FB @Plate&Bottle — 7 years ago

2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣6️⃣
🗞 Trump, Brexit, Zika, Icons’ 💀, Fake News
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🗣 Here at NASA, we all pee the same color
🌍 7.3B
Superb @ £59
🍷Pale straw
👃 Squished lemon & lime in waterfall crashed mineral stones w/ green apple, peach, orange & apricot
👄 Creamy, but not syrupy, refreshing silky balanced med acidity in med body of zingy tart green apple & lemon curd
🎯 Med+ Granny Smith w/ citrus & dry mineral finale — 8 years ago
Prefect example of how the combination of wine, place, and people can lend themselves to pure happiness, if only for a few hours and 750mL. Enjoyed this 2010 bottling at the Ahwahnee Lodge dinning room (Yosemite NP) with rack of lamb and roasted autumn vegetables. Showing great concentration, age, and structure. Cheers to more moments like this one! — 8 years ago
Thanks @Jim Westby for packing this claret for our trip to Yosemite. We grilled up Fred Steak to pair with it, and this powerful, virile '93 had the power and cut for the rich, flavor y tri-tip. This wine has so much going for it- you have to wonder if they added some of another more famous vintage! — 8 years ago

Mid Lemon. A nose of citrus but a palate of stone fruit. White peach and cream. Palate staining intensity with great length. Oak is totally integrated into the fruit at 9 years. Used to be regarded as Australia's premier Chardonnay and probably still is depending on your style preference. Other Margaret River icons plus Giaconda , Oakridge and Bindi amongst others in the East also vying for the mantle. World class. Halliday once compared the 1987 to a premier Cru Puligny. — 9 years ago

This Oakdale produced NV PG/Columbard blend is a local gem, dirt-cheap with the fruity citric tones of a much more expensive food wine. — 10 years ago
Perfect balance of crisp and clean. Delightful to drink. — 11 years ago
This local vineyard wine (out of Da Boonies, Murylund) is a new favorite! With 12% alc/volume it has a sweet taste of honey but not overly sweet and a crisp like a Granny Smith apple. — 7 years ago
The first of 2 Australian Icons from late last Century - 1999 ;) Crystal clear mid Lemon verging on pale Gold. Aromas of Lemon Bees Wax and Lanolin with a hint of honey - all the hallmarks of aged Hunter Valley Semillon. Better than the 2000 vintage of the same wine had recently. I have one left from a dozen bought on release. Will leave for at least 3 to 5 years - into its 3rd decade. — 7 years ago
Well, I did not expect to be tasting this on a Monday morning - but the Kermit Lynch tasting is always full of surprises with both steals and icons. This falls under the latter category. Structured by a backbone of dusty tannins and a pillar of acidity, this proves less austere than I am used to with young Méo wines. Medicinal cherry, ginger, tarragon, and earth. What a way to start the week. — 8 years ago



Pepper on the nose, very dry, medium bodied — 8 years ago
A beautiful Margaret River Cabernet nose which is Herbaceous Elegant Intense and persistent with some red and black berry aromas From a good vintage and made by one of the Icons of The district in Wilyabrup. Still with a good future of 10 years plus. — 8 years ago
Arguably the wine of the day in the Aussie icons tasting. The great thing about St Henri is that Penfolds lets the gorgeous old vine fruit speak instead of clobbering it over the head with American Oak. Some herbal/liquorice aromas. On palate mellowing black fruits, medium bodied with great length - superb persistence of flavour. At its peak IMO but will probably last for many more years- just becoming more savoury. — 9 years ago
Bright as a cup of coffee!! Or a Yosemite sunrise in crisp springtime air! — 10 years ago
Gift from baltimore 🍷👍 — 12 years ago
Allison carlcok
Starts sweet but finishes nicely. Perfect summer wine! — 6 years ago