Illustrious
Le Macchiole
Paleo Bolgheri Cabernet Franc 1999
1999 vintage. 85% Cab Sauvignon 15% Cab Franc. Tawny rim. Classic left bank Bordeaux nose. Dusty, Bay Leaf, Geranium notes. Lacking some mid palate fruit. Was going to have an International taste off with Moss Wood Cullen and Dominus all from 1999. This super Tuscan would have lost out in this illustrious company despite its gorgeous nose. — 9 years ago
Château Latour
Les Forts de Latour Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2003
Initial reductive smell blew off to reveal a lovely curranty Cabernet. Not as big as it's illustrious elder sibling but very well made for this drought year. Some leathery notes. Very good. — 9 years ago
Domaine A. et P. de Villaine
Les Montots Mercurey Pinot Noir 2011
Domaine de Villaine is owned by none other than Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of that most illustrious estate, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. The little house Villaine is located in Bouzeron, and offers fine quality for money for those looking for a good value. The 2011 is light on fruit, a notoriously difficult vintage, but it has some charm nevertheless with tart cherry notes, cranberry and rose hips on the palate. The acidity is quite high, and the wine begs for food. A nice cheese plate? Yes. — 9 years ago
Freycinet Vineyard
Louis Pinot Noir 2007
This 2007 Louis upstaged its illustrious big brother to win the Trophy for Best Tasmanian Pinot Noir at the Tassie Wine Show in 2010. Stewed rhubarb notes. Good intensity and length. 18- — 9 years ago
Midnight Wine Company
Boxcars Petit Verdot 2012
Product of the illustrious winemaker of ceremonies Tom Rinaldi. He made Duckhorn and Provenance famous....just getting things started at 65 years young....what a great life it is :) — 10 years ago
Castello di Monsanto
Riserva Chianti Classico Sangiovese Blend 2013
The illustrious 2013 vintage. There's a lot to like here. Roasted, smokey meat quality is intact. Dusty in the nose. Gravel that's been lit on fire. Acidity fairly dramatic. I still prefer the 12 for the nuance and balance. This is still a great wine. — 7 years ago
Penfolds
Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2010
Mature cool climate Chardonnay. Penfolds Whites are starting to gain the reputation of their illustrious Red offering. After 6 years funk is replacing the Flint of a few years ago. Nice stone fruit notes and long. Enjoyable. — 8 years ago
Gaec Henri Bonneau et Fils
Les Rouliers Vin de Table de France Grenache Blend
From the legendary Henri Bonneau of CNP. This is a non vintage wine, normally a blend of two vintages (2005 & 2009?) From a 3.5 Ha vineyard in the Gard department. No Syrah but Grenache, and tiny amounts of Mouvedre, Counoise & Vaccarese.
The resulting wine is one of astonishing freshness, purity and tension. Look for depth (not width) here. This has structure, aplomb and good definition. The tannins are abundant, grippy which evoke bags of spices and leather. The spicy/phenolic (Herby, liquorice)/sappy and ripe tannins quality character suggests some whole bunch fermentations which add extra tannins, matter and density...tension too. The fruit is obvious but restrained. Firm, tight and powerful, this is one of the best wines I have tasted this year. CNP quality in this wine, would be interested to see how it would perform in a blind tasting amongst other illustrious Chateauneufs... — 9 years ago
Ségla
Margaux Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Owner by Chanel and the second wine of the illustrious 2ème Grand Cru Classé Château Rauzan-Ségla, this wine is made for earlier drinking. Ripe and fragrant with black currant, damson, violet, cigar box. Softer tannins than most. Shorter finish — 9 years ago
Blake's Hard Cider Co.
The Illustrious Wassail
Slightly cloudy; Bright, citrusy nose, palate shows same, with crisp green apple notes. Plenty of complexity and interest. Very good. — 9 years ago
Cantillon Brewery
Zwanze Tripel 2013
Jean Van Roy's amazing story of Zwanze 2013. When we started renovation works in the cellars of the brewery two years ago, much to our surprise we came upon the remains of some very old walls. In agreement with the medievalists of the city of Brussels, the works were stopped in order to allow archaeological excavations to take place.
Shortly thereafter we were astonished to find out that Cantillon brewery had in fact been built on the ruins of the very ancient Abbey of Cureghem! According to the medievalists, this religious community was well-known during the middle ages for its fowl fed on draff and, more specifically, for its dish of stuffed Cureghem capon, which was served with a beer brewed at the abbey and apparently drew pilgrims from all over Europe.
Yet it was truly a heavenly surprise when the excavations uncovered the cell of the abbot, Father Faro. In the small room the archaeologists found quite a few old reference books, one of which contained the original recipes for the beers brewed at the abbey several hundred years ago. We didn’t hesitate for a second and decided on the spot to recreate one of these mythical beers.
This beer, which will be our Zwanze for 2013, therefore bears the name of its illustrious place of origin, Abbaye de Cureghem (Cureghem Abbey). Cureghem was formerly a village established many centuries ago on the banks of the Senne, the river running through present-day Brussels. The area was very heavily industrialised during the 19th century and, among other things, became home to many breweries. Today, it is part of the municipality of Anderlecht.
Since beers commonly referred to as “abbey beers” are not, or not any longer, products of spontaneous fermentation, we decided to brew a top fermentation beer, from a technical point of view in any case. The yeasts were selected in collaboration with Institut Meurice, a post-secondary college in Brussels specialising in biotechnology. Brewed in March 2012, our “Cureghem” beer fermented four weeks in stainless steel tanks before being blended with 10% lambic and pumped into 400-litre barrels of various origins. After maturing for six months, the beers were blended and put into casks or bottles to undergo re-fermentation and reach 7.2% ABV (Alcohol by Volume).
Inevitably, a top fermentation beer brewed in a spontaneous fermentation environment will be affected by the wild yeasts in the air, and this is certainly what happened in our case. For our Cureghem, the cultured yeasts were clearly the main factor behind primary fermentation and I think that the wild yeasts in the beer will instead play an increasingly important role as the product ages. However, despite the addition of the lambic to give it a little “extra something” in terms of character and ageing characteristics, this Zwanze cannot in any case be considered a spontaneous fermentation beer.
The long fermentation period coupled with the presence of wild yeasts lends this beer a solid character with a dry finish that lingers on the palate, while the combined use of fresh and aged hops yields both freshness and bitterness. Moreover, the different malts used give this year’s Zwanze a coppery colour along with a touch of caramel and candied fruit that provide body. Clearly, this is not your standard “abbey” beer but, perhaps, it is representative of what these beers were one or two hundred years ago — 11 years ago
Henschke
Mount Edelstone Vineyard Shiraz
There is a certain unique character with Mt Edelstone only repeated in it's illustrious elder sibling Hill of Grace. Undefined but silky is part of it. Notes of roasted coffee bean. Some pungency like H2S but not. The highlight is the silky supple tannins. A beautiful wine one could never tire of. 2004 vintage. From 90 year old ungrafted vines. — 8 years ago
Fermoy Estate
Reserve Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Fermoy Estate is one of the lesser known names in Margaret River but in a very good area with illustrious neighbours. From a good vintage this shows typical herbaceousness with some cassis. Good balance with fine tannins. Tried again on 26 Feb 2016 with similar notes. Fruit is restrained with fine tannins. — 8 years ago
Tyler
Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay 2012
Citrus Heavy Chardonnay that also offers White Flower, Dried Apricot & Yellow Pear. Central Coast Gold from an Illustrious Vineyard & Vintner... — 9 years ago
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin
Brut Rosé Champagne Blend
Awesome Rose poured by the illustrious Alesha Sin Vanata while visiting her in CLT. Strawberry, brioche, pear, apple and much more. — 9 years ago
Feather Winery
Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (entirely) crafted by Napa's illustrious, Randy Dunn. After having spent 22 months in French Oak (entirely).....Voluptuous, Sweet Blackberry, Bay Leaf — 9 years ago
Folio (Michael Mondavi Family)
Oso Vineyard Red Blend 2011
Verdoso 2011 Napa Valley Petite Verdot Every year at FOLIO we split all employees into 3 wine teams. Each team creates a wine: label, story, varietal(s),etc. Luckily, we had the illustrious Tony Coltrin on our team, who made this masterpiece of a wine. 100% PV from the Michael Mondavi Family's Oso Estate on the backside of Howell Mtn.
My 9-yr old daughter, Briley, submitted a painting and it was voted for the label. Here's the copy: "VERDOSO loosely translates to the Green Bear. This mischievous mythological creature is much like the Liger, but more like the tooth fairy, and enters the vineyard in the middle of the night replacing the unripe green berries with ripe mature clusters." — 9 years ago
Gilbert Van Hassel
2008 vintage. Quite smooth and velvety for a lamarche. Sweet tannins, earthy undertones, a bit less fruit than expected. Peppery, and then rather flat on the back palate. Could expect more from a grand cru with such illustrious neighbors. — 7 years ago