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 G

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. — 7 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. — 7 years ago

Frank Chen

9.5

Dark elegant, beautiful fruit with great wood influence, dark currants, settled spices...love how it not just about the fruit amazing!! — 7 years ago

Jan van de Ree

9.0

Smoother then usual Etna Rosso with Mascalese. Basket of red fruit, clear volcanic influence. Long finish. — 8 years ago

Heather Doyle Meyer

9.4

I definitely taste the viognier influence.... there is a crispness, and yet roundness, I know it's counterintuitive. There's cotton and pineapple, lemon and complexity that is just entertaining. I will drink this bottle lovingly with my friends... lots of thanks involved here... xoxo — 9 years ago

Chris MacLean

9.2

Spicy gingerbread notes from the oak influence, but well integrated, and finishing dry. Good length and structure for Bourgogne level. — 9 years ago

with Amanda

Matt

9.0

Crushed rocks, snow, white leaches, peach skin, lime zest, verbena, lime blossom, slight kiss of barrel influence, slight nuttiness coupled with some leesy notes. A touch plush on the attack but racy mineral driven finish follows. Crumbly/spritzy texture. Great value. — 10 years ago

Andrew Stover

Sommelier/Wine Director Oya & Sei, Wine Blogger ChiefWino, Founder Vino50

9.0

A nice example of Finger Lakes #FLXwine #Riesling from winemaker Eric Bilka. Racy with lime zest, grapefruit, peach blossom & yellow apple with a zesty, wet stone finish. Just a hint of residual sugar. #wine #sommelier #nywine — 12 years ago

Christanna Honer

9.6

Classic rustic Rioja. Dried cherry, shoe leather, anise with underlying subtle vanilla and pine straw. Subdued cherry fruit with definite oak influence on palate, dry, dusty, lingering finish. — 12 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 — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Wednesday Wine Committee. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

I had this about 6months ago and notes were similar. Main difference here is this initially smelled like it had American oak influence. Tar, Rose petal, and underripe black cherry. Because of my initial thoughts, I called this Rioja. Nice. — 7 years ago

with Will and Weston

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 — 7 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! — 7 years ago

Bryan Scott

9.4

Loved the influence of bourbon barrel — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Quite pale in appearance which belies the power of the palate. Lovely nose showing mainly strawberry notes and some raspberry. Very fruit driven with no apparent whole bunch influence. A cool airey wine. I would love to put this up against some 2015 Burgundies- I think it would compare well. — 8 years ago

Alina sol

9.4

Very fruit forward with a bright finish. Slight effervescent feeling with light colored red fruit jammy taste. Medium weight for a Syrah with no noticeable tobacco influence. — 9 years ago

S Butterfield

Sommelier Flask Fine Wines

9.7

Very concentrated. Perfumed and layered with all the influence 100+ year old vines have to offer. Exceptional. Special. — 10 years ago

Megan Wolleben

9.0

Not usually a Malbec fan but like this one — 10 years ago

with Dan

Grayson Hartley

Winemaker David Girard Vineyards

9.2

Ever under its influence — 12 years ago

Craiggy Weggs

9.1

Soft. Not sharp. Not too sweet. — 12 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..... — 7 years ago

Severn G

9.1

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

Solid bottle, neutral oak, minimalistic influence. — 7 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 — 7 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. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Gorgeous perfume - I could smell this for hours. Medium weight on the palate with those trade mark silky tannins. Noticeable whole bunch influence. Coal River in Tasmania is hot right now for the production of top class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Interestingly the grapes are taken in refrigerated containers to the Adelaide Hills for vinification at Shaw and Smith. — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

The fruit for this Pinot comes from two of the coolest, most coastal parts of this appellation, linked by the influence of the Pacific’s cool marine air, which delays ripening. Bright Ruby with berry fruit, citrus and warm spice. On the palate, raspberry and cherry, tangy, with cedar notes and earthy tones. Bright acidity, soft expressive tannins, lingering finish ending with woody spice. Very nice, has room to age. — 9 years ago

Austin Blackwell

9.1

A meaty and mineral aromatic influence on the core of dried cherry and blackberry. This definitely has some interesting tannins with a great amount of coffee and earth coming in. Drinking well now and will improve over the next few years! — 10 years ago

Peter Yeung

9.9

Unbelievably rich, honeyed, and vibrant at 30 years old. This wine had limited release initially due to too much oak influence, but has balanced it out after 30 years... — 10 years ago

John Willison

9.0

Pale color. Subdued white flower and mineral nose. White stone and almonds. Definitely influence of oak. Especially on the finish. Balanced, well made. Not necessarily my style, but good. — 11 years ago

with dmoore61