Jessica Hereth

Sommelier/Wine Director Olympic Provisions

9.2

So go and live a little
Bone turns brittle
And skin withers before your eyes
Make sure you give a little
Before you go to the great unknown in the sky — 8 years ago

Kristen Benel

9.5

Bar boulud — 8 years ago

Jim Wagonfeld

9.6

Wow. Clear ruby with peripheral minor browning. Breathtaking nose of smoke 💨, tar, leather, bacon and cloves/cardamom. Flavors of plum, olive, pepper and spices. Totally resolved oak, balanced acid and intense, long finish. Strangely, The Meat Church dry Rub on the rib eyes echoed the wine. Incredible! Wish you all could have been here. — 9 years ago

with Judy

Teri Vick

9.0

Buttery, oaky, tastes a lot more expensive than $4.99. — 9 years ago

Karina Henderson

8.9

I would say this is spicey but no bite. Very pleasant, smooth, tastey. — 9 years ago

Ben Walker / Caravin

9.5

Not the White, it's Matthieu's stunning red. Eyes peeled for Matthieu, an absolute hero. — 9 years ago

Zachary Price

9.0

A total wine pick up. Vacqueyras is a French AOC in the southern Rhône region, established in 1990. Often receiving the unfortunate moniker of "a poor man's Châteauneuf-du-Pape", the wines are typically GSMs and can age nicely if produced correctly. This one is 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, (the AOC requires a minimum of 50% Grenache in the wine). While you can drink the wines young, they truly begin to shine after 3-4 years. This wine seems to be peaking now. ~$17 | #totalwine #vacqueyras #GSM

On the eyes: Dull deep brick brown, slightly cloudy, peaking to slightly orange at the rim. Med stain, med tears, no gas/floc.

On the nose: Black cherry, mulberry, vinous, nice oak character, hint of petrol and pepper.

On the tongue: med+ acid, med tannin, med alcohol, med body, a bit chewy in the mouth. Bright red cherry, stewed blackberry, a hint of mulling spices, touch of oak and tar. Nice finish. — 9 years ago

Amye Broschat

10

Gorgeous deep dark fruit with an incredible balance of tannins body and mouth feel! Loving our first vintage of this incredible Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, Indigo dreams!!! — 10 years ago

moshe cohen

9.1

A tremendous Gewurztraminer! close your eyes and meditate. perfect body..rich but not heavy. the palate is a plethora of tropical fruit and roses. the length is legendary. incredible wine .bought in the winery june 2014. opened with friends on our patio August 14..superb! — 11 years ago

Mike W

9.3

Smooth fruit forward. — 11 years ago

Mark

9.7

Drank 6/23/13 with rib-eyes on the grill, great, start to finish — 12 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.5

Exceptional balance. Rich, but so fresh. Pears, orange, flowers, lemon curd, cream, brioche, nut. Long, powerful palate, underlined by a driving acidity.

Some thoughts: In my eyes, RMs tend to fall into "extreme" categories e.g. Laherte - austere, Egly - rich (lees), Agrapart - rich (oak), Selosse - oxidative; but this wine doesn't fit here. NM-like, but not (I think of Chartogne-Taillet when I say this). Compare to Krug's Grand Cuvee, the Grands Vintages is definitely richer and broader (fair comparison, given how both wines are constructed).

From Chain Bridge Cellars:
As the name suggests, Eric Rodez’s Grand Vintages is a rich, powerful and very much “grand” wine in the tradition of Krug (where Eric learned his craft). This year's release is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from seven great vintages going back to vintage 2000. Eric ages all of these base wines in used oak and blocks malolactic fermentation to maximize freshness and vibrancy. Then the carefully crafted blend spends 8 full years on the lees before being disgorged this October. The dosage is ultra-low - 2 or 3 g/l - so this could be labeled "Extra Brut," but there's so much richness and depth here that "Brut" seems more appropriate to Eric.

Past releases have earned plenty of critical praise, including 17.5/20 points from Jancis Robinson, 93 from Vinous, and 92 from Wine Advocate. This year’s release is explosive on the nose and palate, pumping out big notes of lemon curd, caramel, toasted nuts, baking bread, crushed chalk, and more. The flavors just balloon out to fill your entire palate and finish with layer upon layer of mouthwatering pie crust, lemon curd, hazelnut, crushed stone and salty caramel flavor. Try holding some for even more richness! — 8 years ago

Eri

9.2

Skinny legs from South Africa! The v first time to have orange wine :D Fine marriage with cream sauce - love it. — 9 years ago

Heather Lane

9.5

If you closed your eyes you would smell this wine and think it's a white burgundy...slight petrol flinty nose which leads into a palate full of bright acidity and citrus...beauty — 9 years ago

with Kelli

E Alvelais

9.5

Just can't get enough! I am a Comtes de Champagne fan boy. Back to back '04 and '05 eyes closed. — 9 years ago

Tim Dooley

8.9

One of the coolest label these eyes have seen. Be careful though, you may shoot you eye out! 😉 — 9 years ago

with Maggie

Olga Bell

9.0

Anytime I need to see your face I just close my eyes and I am taken to a place where your crystal minds and magenta feelings take up shelter in the base of my spine sweet like a chica cherry cola 🍫🍒🍫 — 10 years ago

S.L.R.

8.9

Definitely needs to open up. Perfect with the rib eyes prepared. — 10 years ago

Zachary Price

9.0

Picked this one up from total wine cuz it's a Santa Maria Valley Pinot. Decant this one and drink it now! I was pleasantly surprised! ~25 bucks | #sierramadre #pinotnoir #santamariavalley

On the eyes:
Brownish Garnet
Med+ stain/legs
No gas/floc

On the nose:
Med Acid
Med Alcohol
Raisin and Violet
Orange Peel and Earth

On the tongue:
Med Acid
Med Alcohol
Jammy currant and cola
Vegetal, violet
Med+ body, gets chewy
Good complexity, evolves nicely
Decant for an hour — 10 years ago

Charlie Beatty

Buyer wineworksonline.com

9.7

Wow! My Great New Find!! Wow — 11 years ago

Jonathan Wood

9.4

Serious stuff. Eyes rolled back in the head when paired with uni. — 12 years ago

Dock Hooks

8.9

Kicking back letting the local tunes adjust my attitude with wine:30 showing on the clock she strolls in my direction digging the slow roll Hendrix spinning left then twisting right dressed in deep purple clinging and flowing interestingly crimson along her rim and edges back to casually claret whispering that she's from a small chateau hanging on the right bank of the Gironde near Arveyres. Offering her hand, I accept pulling her in close then a slow spin and a slower twirl she comes close bathed in the essence of blackberry and spice, young but ripe, wet earthy slowly working her way to a first kiss dripping then gripping, pulling tightly then going soft and silky still clinging while working her way deeper. I close my eyes, Hendrix stops and she's gone. A distant guitar string bends an unknown player. I spot her by the bar, her colors waving in the breeze of a lazy fan I reach out take her firmly by the neck, then lower bending her gently back then spinning her my way, she again engages, her essence lingering in my memory, we dance on as the tunes continue their spin. Later, when we are both done I figure she's likely a fine Merlot brightened by Cab Franc having found her way through new French oak nestled by the river, intelligently nuanced well worth the dance and cost is not an issue...

Hanging at Promise' Land Market where the tunes are always righteous, the people are cool, the conversation is groovy and wines dance from the walls... — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.4

My wife is a kindergarten teacher, so we both understand the importance of a little alcohol at the end of the day! With it being Valentine's Day, we figured this bottle from O'Brien, a favorite of ours, fit the day well! They are a sight for sore eyes when surrounded by big Napa fruit bomb cabs. These are beautiful Bordeaux style wines that accentuate restrained fruit but also a great blend of funky earth and spice. (And JRae's cookies in town has the best sugar cookies around...we'll enjoy one or two before drinking as this wine needs at least an hour decant before it opens...not a pop'n'pour style). — 8 years ago

Prem Salem

10

Very good wine. Crisp and light bodied, I love it :) — 9 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.1

Our second chard that hasn't been buried in oak, I chose this based on the fact that I figured William Fevre would do justice to Chilean chardonnay grapes...and I was right. If ypu close your eyes this might be pegged as a Premier Cru burgundy. Excellent balance in terms of fruit and acidity, this is probably the best white we've had in Chile. — 9 years ago

with Vanessa

Zachary Price

9.0

Brander vineyard, planted in 1975, is a quiet legend in the Santa Ynez AVA. The vineyard specializes in Bordeaux style wines, with major grape varietals consisting of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Sauvignon Blanc tends not to age well, so drink them within ~3 years of bottling. Warmer climate examples, typical of CA, tend towards grapefruit and tree fruit flavors and typically balance the young juice with high acid. This one was quite crisp and refreshing! ~$17 | #brander #sauvingnonblanc #santaynezvalley

On the eyes: Pale yellow with a hint of green, star bright, clear, med stain, med tears, no floc, gas present.

On the nose: White peach, ripe honeydew, lychee, perfume, and wet chalk. Med alcohol.

On the tongue: Med+ acid, med tannin, med alcohol, med body, effervescent in the mouth. White peaches, ripe honeydew, guava, orange blossom, chalky undertones, perfumed finish. Very nice balance. — 9 years ago

Jonathan Lipsmeyer

9.4

This wine is greater than I ever could have hoped. So young fresh and alive--like the intersection of creamed corn and cherry jam with a wild furry animal lingering in the background, staring with wide eyes. This is spectacular — 10 years ago

with Zachary

Jeffrey Lew

9.2

Out of a magnum. So what do I say about this wine?? It was fruit forward, it had depth and great weight on the palate and is the very essence of what California wine has become. It's awesome if you in a supermarket and need a great bottle for a bunch of people who don't drink a lot of wine. But once you open your eyes to what's out there you realize this is glorified grape juice and there is so much better. 92 pts. — 11 years ago

Kim Granlund

9.5

"Misty morning in the springtime
Close your eyes, crystal eyes
On the darkside let the light shine
Please, please stay with me tonight
These lips will find strawberry wine" — 11 years ago

Nate Rose

Wine Director Specs

10

Boom. Don't look into his eyes. Mesmerizing just like the wine. — 12 years ago