Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Welcome to Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2025.

2012 in Bordeaux is a great memory as Sofia & I had a great 5 year anniversary trip to Italy where we were married, ending in Bordeaux. Picking Mouton Merlot for a day, lunch with the Baroness, having steak and sipping 82 Mouton. Pinch me is what I said to Sofia.

Saint Julien is the elegant region on the Left Bank. While 2012 was an ok to good vintage it will always be packed with great memories.

Branaire-Ducru in grand vintages is still a great value. Always elegant with this kind of bottle age and more.

Hour decant starting notes.

Tonight smooth, ripe, round, juicy; brambly blackberries/black raspberries, dark cherries, cherries, black plum, some strawberries, raspberries with blueberry tones. Dry tobacco with ash, leather, spice box with some heat, lightly grilled meats, volcanics, moist clay, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, light vanillin, mid berry cola, dark chocolate bar, forest floor with leaves, sandalwood, steeped black tea, bay leaf, dry thyme, mocha powder, dry caramel, crush, dry rock/limestone, dry river stone, bright red flowers mixed with dark withering flowers, nice round acidity and a balanced, smartly tensioned, elegant finish that lasts 90 seconds & lands on herbs & earth. — a month ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Medium ruby garnet , medium garnet rim . Quite exuberant on the nose from the off , with grafite , spicy cassis , touch of dusty tobacco and spicy blackberry . On the palate this is elegant with refreshing acidity , cassis, cool
Blackberry dome mineral , oyster shell notes . Fine tannins and fresh acidity . Good red currant tinged tinged finish . Really elegant and refined , a good example of this vintage . Drinking perfectly now and over the next 8-10 years I would imagine . — a month ago

Lily Sanders

10

Very balanced Chablis with minerality — 18 days ago

Camilo Viafara

9.6

Fan Fuckingtastic — 2 months ago

John Hagood

9.1

From Chambers 2/25/2025. Absolutely splendid. — 3 months ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.3

Violet florals, bloody, iron, quite pretty. — 6 months ago

Vino Joe

9.7

Even more fantastic than the previous bottle of 2010 I enjoyed a year ago. Decanted and enjoyed over 7 hours. This was good from first pour but became great and then magnificent over the next 3.5 and 7 hours. It was still full of verve on the last sip! Early only it was more dark fruit but over time the wines softened and became a bit sweeter and rounder. Tremendous length and complexity. — a month ago

Scott Soren

9.5

At nine years old it’s still quite young. Deep garnet, color, robust nose. This is a pure pleasure a good blend of power and elegance. I will drink for the next 20 years.  — a month ago

Dawn E.

9.0

Clean, clear, crisp, dry, red berries, crushed rock, melon, slight saltiness. Refreshing from the south of France. — a month ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Intense but way softer and fruitier than expected, likely due to vintage conditions. Intensely mineral on the nose but vying for primacy with copious amount of deep orchard fruit (greengage?). Rich and intense in the mouth. Lowish acids. Very very good but seemingly atypical (or maybe this is global warming typical). — a month ago

with Rebecca and Angelo

Damian Walch

8.9

Leathery notes on the nose. Dry and great blackberry on the palette. Very nice. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby , thin slightly pink ruby rim . Quite dark fruit with cassis , blackberry , grafite . On the palate quite ripe and juicy , but with good balance , slightly gritty but ripe tannins , good cassis tinged , grafite finish . Overall this shows well , with good density and juiciness , sweet but importantly with a very balanced , refreshing personality. Enjoyable now , fruit forward , but no doubt can age well over the next 10 years. Enjoyable and moreish . — 3 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

8.9

2014 vintage. — 8 months ago

Roberto Anesi

9.4

Frutto scuro, evoluzione, tanto mentolo. Rotondo. Elegante, tanino ancora ruvido. Molto molto buono — a month ago

Mark S.

9.0

Quite special natural wine aged. Aging nuance. Complexity. Earthy. Still fresh. Highly Balanced Domaine Ganebat Cote du Jura 13 @, La P, 250426 — 18 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Quite deep ruby , narrow ruby rim. Deep and more concentrated on the nose , with dark cassis , ripe summer fruits , dark cherry , grafite , oyster shell notes. On the palate this is quite rich and decadent , cassis , ripe blackberry , blueberry a, dark cherry . Sweet but ample tannin , balanced acidity , quite rich but well balanced , good blackcurrant, grafite tinged , length . This is showing well but will continue to do so over the next 10-15 years , perhaps longer . — a month ago

Conrad Green

9.0

Rounded and quite plush on the nose. A little whiff of age… rounded and still quite fresh. Lacks the cut of the younger wines — 2 months ago

with Peter and Gregg

John Jaye

9.2

Super drink. Soft tannins, lots of fruit and a great aroma — 2 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Blend of 84% Cabernet, 12% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, deep Ruby with rich fruit aromas, aged for 14 months in 15% new French oak. On the palate flavors of blackberry and currants, with notes of licorice, tobacco, some floral and cedar spice. Fine tannins, long finish, ending with fruit, vanilla, oak and spice. Nice but needs more bottle age, should last another 10 years. Nice! — 3 months ago

Erik Longabardi

9.3

Beautiful — 7 months ago