Sagee Aran

9.2

2011 vintage from 30 to 40 years old vines, Judean hills,Israel.
Ink color, dark fruits notes, some acidity. Good balance. Rich and thick. Starts a little harsh, developes nicely and becomes round. Good finish. — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

9.0

A nicely-styled Saint-Estephe—from the Cuvelier family, owners of Leoville Poyferre—in a modest vintage year. The 2011 Château Le Crock opens with lush, inviting aromas of black currant, smoky black cherries, pen ink, leather, and earth. There are no hard edges on the palate, black fruit luxuriates against a framework of well-structured tannins, moderate acidity, and an unexpected yet welcome dusting of cresosote that emerges on the finish, co-mingling with cedar and dried herbs. Sample | 13.5% ABV — 8 years ago

Pamela Gallo

9.1

2007 vintage. Bordeaux grapes mixed with sangiovese. Made in classic super Tuscan style. Wonderfully balanced wine with subtle oak teeatment. Grilled plums, ink ,graphite, tobacco, cocoa, and oregano all in harmonious play. — 9 years ago

laura

9.0

Cherry vanilla with a light smoke at the end. — 9 years ago

David Koenen

9.1

All biological wine, made entirely by (wine)buddy Richard van Oorschot. First vintage ever made. Thrilled to have the opportunity to taste this. From a single vineyard west of Madrid, at 840 meters altitude, with a bottom of schist. Made from 100% old garnacha, most vines are at least 40 years old. This is truly something special. Cinnamon, a smoldering wood fire, cassis and berries, some damp earth, a hint of ink, sweet morello's. Voluminous but with a very good, fresh balance. Quite unique and darn tasteful. I am deeply impressed. And there's quite some longevity too: I opened this bottle on Friday but couldn't breathe in all the impressions because of a cold, so after two glasses I put it in the fridge. Today, 5 days later, I pulled it out, took a sip and was pretty much blown away. Hats off Richard! — 9 years ago

with Richard

Neel Master

9.1

Very pretty wine, nice balance,
Really enjoyable. 2012 vintage. — 10 years ago

CK Vong

9.0

2005. Guessed fronsac or st emilion. Almost impossibly low tannin at this splendid vintage. Uncorked at 8pm drink thru 2am, the longer it stays in the bottle the better. Barossa nose at beginning almost watery palate. Kept developing as the ink, soy sauce nose fades away. Bitter cocoa palate at the end. 14% yet burning alc is a drawback. Drink. — 10 years ago

Kapyrick Wine

9.0

Deep ink juice. White pepper, oaky bouquet. Very dark berry fruit, and black pepper taste , more Zinfandel than pinot. Pretty cool and different, but uneven taste. Was waiting to balance out, but never did. Just not a great vintage. Wanted to like this, but it never came around. — 10 years ago

Keith Eddleman

9.7

We like this bottle. Fruit forward, Has some sweetness on the finish, low tannins. Great price — 11 years ago

Rick Legare

9.3

Excellent — 7 years ago

Jaeda

9.2

Really good. Light and sweet. — 8 years ago

Steven Beishuizen

9.1

This one shouts Syrah far more than Merlot. I really like it. Lame-ish branding hides the quality. — 9 years ago

with Anita

Billy Vegas

8.9

Tart cherry. Ink soaked cotton. Stem. — 9 years ago

Heather Miller

9.0

Nice, light and fruity! — 9 years ago

J Levenson

9.2

Terrific! Enjoyed vintage 2014 on 9/5/15 Decant 30 minutes. Enjoyed at Casa Ado with a Caprese Salad and squid ink pasta with fresh lobster. Awesome! — 10 years ago

Zoe Zhou

9.4

classical. cedar wood, mint, eucalyptus, ink. after 1 hr, vintage leather & fur. — 10 years ago

Julie Hudspeth Epperson

8.9

Good but had better. — 10 years ago

Brett Horwitz

9.3

1998- 1st vintage for this interesting wine- very dense, ink-like, fruity, with long finish — 10 years ago

April Teár

9.5

Could use about 10 more years but still amazing. Peppery. Straight purple ink in color (20.5%) — 10 years ago

Serge De Marre

9.6

Love this one! — 11 years ago

Jason Koh

9.5

Wow! The 70s Barolos sing beautifully right now (2017)... this 1970 Marcarini beauty is older than me but certainly more youthful and pretty. Throw out vintage ratings from critics and grab any bottle of Marcarini from the 70s! Cherry cola, rose water bouquet reside harmoniously with mushroom and freshly rained on asphalt- just so good. A perfect pairing for Maialino’s squid ink taglioni as well as the namesake suckling pig. yum yum yum. — 7 years ago

Scorewine

Wine writer http://www.israelwines.co.il

9.1

Big , bold, tight, robust, rich, this is a truly intense wine from what seems to another underrated vintage in Bordeaux. This 2011 has a ink dark color, lovely aromas of cassis, cherries, chocolate, cedar-wood, blueberries, and sweet spice, full big body with dry tannins, tight and a bit rough, nothing that a few hours decanting or 5 additional year cellaring cant solve ;-) the finish is long and chewy, the wine is truly impressive. My score 91, with a potential for a higher score in future. Drink to 2028 — 8 years ago

David D

9.0

Not as light as typical dolcetto. Slightly inky, tart and fruity tannins, cherry stems, hint of grapefruit, thyme. Okay but not great. From Seventh Avenue Liquors. (8.5)
UPDATE 10/30/17, a year and a half later: same vintage and much better. Light acid and nice tannins, a touch of ink and cherry and ripe stone fruit. — 9 years ago

Sherrilyn

9.5

had it in Stoon with Gwen before Stoon marathon — 9 years ago

Christine Havens

8.9

Domain d'Andezon's Côtes du Rhône is crafted from a blend of 40 year-old Syrah vines and 60 year-old Grenache vines grown in the arid and galet-laden Southern Rhône. Unfiltered, it's inky and hunkered with slightly rustic notes of black olive tapenade, dried pen ink, loamy soil overlaid by juicy boysenberries. In the mouth, there is an equal degree of intensity, shored up by dusty tannins and brooding, earthy notes. For $12.99, it's a great value, I've always liked this wine, though admittedly 2013 is not what I'd regard as a top vintage. 14.5% ABV | Sample — 9 years ago

Francis Huicq

9.5

2011 vintage. A serious wine from the lower part of the famous Cote du Py, on les Javernieres exactly but from the oldest vines...some were planted in...1914 ( the youngest vines...25+ give birth to Les Javernieres cuvee). south east facing on deep, iron oxide rich soils, this is a serious, robust wine. Whole bunch fermented, an ink black colour, deep and richly scented. The palate is full, rich and tight. Youth, it opens up nicely overnight and reveal classic meaty, rusty notes. This is very promising and will develop nicely over the next 10 years. Beaujolais has more on offer than wines to pour down through the sink. — 10 years ago

Bradley Brown

Owner/Winemaker Big Basin Vineyards

9.0

2012 vintage: underbrush, ink, bit rustic. Surprising persistent finish with dense tannin — 10 years ago

with Matt

Anthony Byrd

9.0

Fruity, full-bodied. — 10 years ago

Carlos Mata

9.1

Dense, dark, pure ruby red, with very, very slight brownish rim. This baby is 10 years old now, and it occured to me to open it up today. And boy, was I wrong!! This beautiful wine is just too young, but equally delicious, comtemplative, and admirable. Meaningful aromas that you can feel two feet away from the glass. Aromas of black currant and blackberries, with a hint of soy sauce and chinese ink. Deep dark flavors touch the tip of the tongue right away. There's nothing shy about this wine; it is quite vibrant and youthful. Meaningful character from its indigenous grapes, showing inmense length; commandable structure adorned with appropriate amount of fruit and volume. Finishes incredibly long, for minutes on end. Its complexity is formidable, showing subtle bacon fat at the beginning, followed by deep, meaningful dark flavors of currant, dates, wild berries, and golden figs. Do not open this wine today. Must be open in 2024. Today, 94 pts. — 11 years ago