Jeremy Pollard

9.3

Not shy, this one. An upfront riot of aromas and flavour, with citrus, mandarin, nougat and oak influence with good weight and a luscious texture. — 3 years ago

with Sam

Paul J

9.3

2hr+ decant. Dark red color. Nose has cherries, pencil shavings, and burnt cedar. Wine has nice flavor, but lacks structure and depth. Medium finish. Love the French influence. — 4 years ago

with Brooke

John Riddick

8.9

Rich style, good oak influence. Missing some vegetal notes that I love so much about Cab Franc. Overall enjoyable. — 5 years ago

with Lauren

Bob McDonald

8.9

Raspberry aromas and a rubbery note. Very raspberry on the palate. Oak influence is restrained, particularly for a Penfolds red (apart from St Henri) although it is 10 years old, very integrated and nearing the end of its drinking window. Once again the Grenache aromas and influence on the palate dominate in this GSM Blend. Easy to drink. — 6 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.1

Independence Day 2019 🇺🇸🍾🎆
Evening BBQ with some close friends.

Solid bottle, neutral oak, minimalistic influence. — 6 years ago

Kimberly Anderson

9.1

Aromas of buttered popcorn that blew off to butter, citrus and white flowers. Viscous wine that coats the mouth, but not in an unpleasant way. Bright key lime and other citrus with fresh mineral crispness. Definitely some oak influence, but not the primary like with a chard — 6 years ago

Kristen McCreary

10

More full-bodied than the Apothic Inferno and the bourbon barrel influence is not only evident after you take a sip, you can also see it on the inside of the glass! 👍🏻 This wine is my favorite so far in this “bourbon barrel-aged reds”. It’s fabulous! — 6 years ago

Paul J

9.4

Lovely and consistent. Massive French influence with earth and barnyard smells. Medium depth and a rustic flavor. Dark fruit. Medium finish. Excellent QPR. Definitely my style. — 4 years ago

with Steve and Brooke

Bob McDonald

9.0

No. 2 wine at the Downs Club Super Tuscan evening last Friday. From magnum. No detailed notes. 100% Sangiovese. Made in the modern style with Oak showing. Ramon our host and importer said this will give the wine better longevity. Red fruited. Personally would like to see less Oak influence . A combination of French Barriques and large Hungarian Oak Bottis. — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Finally getting around to posting wines from my annual Napa trip from two weeks ago. Always goes by quick! Lots of fun new stops this year.

The Fantesca property on Spring Mtn is gorgeous, and their tasting room at the winery is stunning. Really enjoyed getting to try more of their wines.

Give it time and this will be a point or two better easily. The only Fantesca wine not made by winemaker Heidi Barrett, but by assistant winemaker Tony Arcudi. A good balance of classical Cali Pinot with some old world flair. Fruit here is slightly underripe and a mix of red and black berries. A definite herbal influence with underbrush. Lots of layers here...rhubarb tart and candied black cherries up front before evolving to show herbs de Provence, cedar, crunchy cranberry and tobacco leaves. Complex. Delicious. — 5 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.3

Decanted ~2hr.
Prior notes apply, very consistent.

A beautiful golden yellow straw color in the glass.

Nose has banana skin, honey roasted almonds, shaved oak and wet chalk.

Palate is bruised golden apple, warmed pear, candied lemon skin with fading oak influence. The acidity is just perfect to the mineral balance. This bottle has plenty of life remaining.

Paired with a gratuitous slab of steelhead trout on the grill, baby fennel, roasted baby spring veggies and grilled lemon.

Fully into a happy place this evening. 👍

Love how Meo-Camuzet laser etches the corks for security, lot traceability and authentication. — 6 years ago

Heather Venard

9.1

Wow! You can smell the influence of the spirits right off the bat. The bourbon barrel aging definitely lends to the taste as well, with the sweetness present but not cloying. This is a really fun wine — 6 years ago

Emily Kresie-Harrington

9.0

2016 vintage. Nicely rounded and ripe, showing moderate oak influence. Tropical pineapple and mango, yellow apple, poached pear, honeyed almonds, nutmeg, chamomile, cream. Good streak of acidity keeps the palate fresh and lively. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Ruby red with a tawny rim. Aromas of menthol, mint, black and red fruits with a touch of licorice and tar. Similar notes on the medium to full bodied palate. Finishes with chalky, fine, drying tannins. This producer was one of the early adopters of using small French oak Barriques. This influence was noticeable 4 years ago in my first Delectable note on this wine but now it has all come together and in balance. Looking forward to trying the 3rd one in 2 or 3 years time. — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Fruit comes from the coolest coastal parts of this appellation, linked by the influence of the Pacific’s cool marine air, which delays ripening. Ruby with rich berry fruit, citrus and floral spice. On the palate, strawberry and cherry, tangy, with cedar notes and earthy tones. Bright acidity, soft expressive tannins, long finish ending with mineral and cedar spice. Very nice, drink now & over next 5 years. — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

In a word “Elegant,” 100% organically farmed Tempranillo from village of Laguardia, aged in barrels for nine months limiting the oak influence. Deep Ruby with aromas of dark berry fruit and subtle light spice. Palate, clean and fresh fruit flavors of cherry and sweet blackberry, very smooth with super fine velvet tannins. Long finish, complex ending bringing everything together. Outstanding about 1000 cases made. Don’t hesitate if you see a bottle. — 5 years ago

Steve Biondi

9.3

Between my wife's fresh tomato sauce and veal meatballs with Incredible spinach the wine just brought in in abundance of complexity intones unequaled in the sphere of my influence — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

Compared to the 05 Ponente that went down last night (the 'palate cleanser'), this wine is quite different. But very true to style for Rian. This wine always tends to go darker. Nose and palate of baking spice, blackberry, chocolate, fig. In the first few years, these tend to also have a blueberry and vanilla side hustle, but really tend to lose that after five or six years. This one didn't have any blue fruit or vanilla notes. Towards the finish, this one stiffens up. Still a touch astringent with stiff tannin. Would have been a great one to serve in the American v French Oak blinded tasting from last night. Not really a lot of discernible French Oak influence even though I'm pretty sure they use 100% French. This one has a long life ahead of it. Have one more bottle, which I will try to hold until approximately 2023. Fat chance..... — 6 years ago

Darren Dittrich

9.1

Intense... could be confused with a Barolo if not for slightly rounder tannins, less oak influence, and fruit intensity. This is not a feminine Barbaresco.... the’14 needs a lot of time in bottle, or at least a long decant. SommSelect . Update: 2 days later and after a 90-minute decant, this thing is starting to come alive. Much better now with some rich Italian food. Hold until 2022+ — 6 years ago

S.S. Mandani

8.9

Viscous color and texture. Bouquet is subtly perfumed of roses. You can smell the Italian influence. It’s as if you’re there in the fishing villages of Bandol.

A cool, rustic charcoal flirts with plum and vanilla. Almost perfect balance of fruit, oak, tannic structure, minimal astringency, silky mouthfeel.

Complex and round all at once.

$40. Worth every copperhead. — 6 years ago