Ready to rock and roll. Blackberry and red clay on the nose. Entry of black cherry and cola with acidic character. Middle is dark, smoky, leather, more blackberry and hint of cocoa. Still finishes with a young semi sweet baking chocolate and Rutherford dust! Black pepper finish is unmistakable with a ton of black fruit, and plenty of life left. Dang. — 5 years ago
Light gold. Silky in the glass. Textbook Raveneau nose with notes of light apricot, lime blossom, white clay, honey and brown spice. Round and vibrant in the mouth. Long finish. Still young but the vintage remains approachable at age 13. Two bottles paired well with our Oysters Rockefeller course for a group. — 6 years ago
medium berries — 7 years ago
#KWN Wine 3. From the get-go, clearly had some age to it. Exhibits initial cherry fruit, which immediately falls into the background. Secondary flavors of leather, forest floor and clay quickly overtake the palate. A Smoky finish with hints of eucalyptus. Opened up nicely over a couple of hours. Magical. — 8 years ago
Always the sweet taste of the iron-rich clay in the wines of Petrus which separates them from anyone else. It's that unique mouth feel as graceful and rich as finest Vicuña and sings siren songs on the tongue. — 8 years ago
Fragrant white, with stone fruit aromas & flavors, pleasant acidity and flavors of passion fruit and hints of fresh herbs. — 9 years ago
Berry pepper nose, nice. The edges tingle my nostrils, also pleasant. A tinge of meatiness lingers. Definitely get the berry-cherry hit, and that meatiness in the nose is also present. The tannins are not hard but soft and pleasant. Great sipper on its own, and I think could handle a hearty meal. — 4 years ago
Medium gold and heavy in the glass. Great old burg nose from the get go. Notes of ginger, apricot, white clay, tan spice, and some cardamom. Rich and viscous in the mouth. Modest acidity. Similar to other bottles I’ve had of this, this is still delivering a great experience. Tasty finish. Still holding on, but not forever. — 5 years ago
Excellent with red meat. We loved it — 5 years ago
Interesting — 5 years ago
2014. Delicious for a. “simple value pinot”. Cherry Jolly Rancher flavors but not at all cloying. Some nice smooth glycerin. I like everything I’ve had from De Ponte Cellars. — 6 years ago
This was a tuff year, with lots of rain and cool summer. Cassis, blackberries, with an intense dark Ruby color. Lots of minerals, clay, evergreen notes, smooth tannins. A little bit of vanilla on the finish. Great bottle for "Technical Year". — 7 years ago
Great chilled!!! — 8 years ago
Complex dark fruit, leather and clay-gravel. Pairs well with grilled lamb steak. — 8 years ago
Very intense flower aroma, sweet taste. Really good one for warm summer evening! — 9 years ago
Delicious SA chardonnay. Almost like the baby of a fatty Meursault and a more structured and mineral Burgundy white (Chablis). Oak, flint, juicy apple, lemon and a beautiful, lingering acidity. — 4 years ago
Nice regal gold hue. Amazing pit fruit and wet stone nose. Plus notes of apricot, white clay soil, salty ocean breeze and some Raveneau honey on the finish. Rich and powerful in the mouth. Coats the palate with lots of fruit and fine grained acidity. I’ve had this a few times and this was at its best. Great Raveneau at age 30 is an amazing treat. — 4 years ago
I like the Patrina for its quality and QPR. Its quality is not all that far from the Reva but, about half price.
I also find the roasted or roasted chestnut quality I find in Rostaing wine out of Rhone. It is my belief, they have more or less styled their wines from Rostaing.
The nose reveals; dark, ruby & slightly candied, currants, purple fruit mix, blue fruits, blackberries, dark cherries, creamy black raspberries, baked, spiced plum, roasted chestnuts, smoke, grilled meats, touch of bacon fat, heavy expresso roast, dark, rich earth, dry crushed rocks, dry brush, pepper notes, some caramel, mid, nicely layered baking spices, dry herbaceousiness with bay leaf dominance, with fresh, blue, dark flowers with greens topped of with field of lavender.
The body is rich, lush and full. The tension, structure, length and balance are about five years from its peak. The tannins round yet, grainy and speak to another 10 years of excellent drinking ahead. Dark, ruby & slightly candied, currants, ripe; purple fruit mix, blue fruits, blackberries, dark cherries, creamy black raspberries & baked, spiced plum. Anise to black licorice, roasted chestnuts, smoke, grilled meats, touch of bacon fat, heavy expresso roast, dark, rich earth, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil with clay mixed in, dry brush, pepper notes, some caramel, mid, nicely layered baking spices, dry herbaceousiness with bay leaf dominance, with fresh, candied, purple, blue & dark florals with greens topped of with field of lavender. The acidity balances the alcohol like a waterfall over the palate. The long, ruby, ripe, slightly candied, well balanced finish slides into dry tannins & earth and persists several minutes.
Paired well with our slightly spicy Kentucky Bourbon Chicken Skews, Rosemary Roasted Fingerling Potatoes & Green Beans.
Photos of; the Patrina Vineyard, Owner/Winemaker-John Alban and imagery inside their barrel room. — 5 years ago
Softly aromatic, ripe strawberry, clay, tobacco, nice acidity — 6 years ago
When it comes to my B-day, there is only one fit, an old Pichon Lalande with my Ribeye. As a lover of Bordeaux, these two are my favorite pairing. It’s a very slow walk to the finishline. A small bite of steak and a sip of 89 Pichon Lalande. Then, repeat until finished. I had some concerns about this bottle. A slightly slippery and crumbling cork. The first sip was not bad, but not what you want or are expecting. After some time in the decanter, it really started to shine. On the nose; ripe, ruby, floral cassis, blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The body is full, round and silky. Tannins are well resolved at around 80%. The texture, length, tension and length are in a sweet spot. The fruits are ripe, ruby & expressively floral. Blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, scorched earth, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The acidity is just a little off but still nice. The finish is divided nearly equally in fruit, earth, florals and herbaceous. It’s very enjoyable but falls just a little short in longer, lingering length. This bottle had good storage, not great. Even so, still has another three to five years ahead. A bottle with excellent storage has another five years beyond this one. Photos of; the backside of Pichon Lalande, angled terrace view of their vines right next to Latour, my steak & twice baked potato (so good) and CEO Nicolas Glumineau. — 6 years ago
A personal favourite. Untouchable. — 8 years ago
Cool site Garnacha grown on clay limestone (unusual for Priorat). Meaty, flesh, leathery, earthy, spices, dried roses, citrus peel. Deeply layered and would be a blast with age. — 8 years ago
'Les Picasses' lies along a riverbank on a fairly steep slope that is primarily alluvial clay overlaying chalk and limestone. The vines are over 50 years old and the site is known to produce wines with fabulous purity and minerality. As such the Olga Raffault 'Les Picasses' Chinon 1989 has had time to mellow, the aromas are quite lovely—lavender, game, worn leather, a touch of barnyard, and cellar dust. There is a throaty, sensual wildness to this wine, punctuated by a vein of bright acidity and minerals. Everything I love in Loire Valley Cab Franc. — 9 years ago
David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
So, many of you have not had the pleasure of having Dan’s wines. It is largely due to the fact he doesn’t have a US importer. He sells all his mid production level wines through his mailing list. That makes importing from his mailing list as restrictive as the import fees. They are equal to the price of the wines you order. Not something you’ll do. I didn’t. You need to find his wines on the secondary market to be cost effective.
We had the privilege of visiting his Cellar Door in the Spring of 2017. What a fantastic visit and walk of his Estate with him. The age of his Estate vines are 100 plus years old and their yield is less than a ton per acre which, does not make for a lot of wine but, instead a very concentrated wine.
Dan traveled to and worked in many of the key wine regions before settling in as Torbreck’s Winemaker and then marching to his own drum doing his own thing as “The Standish”, his way. No compromises.
The first thing you need to know about Dan’s wines is you can drink them early but, that would be a huge mistake. This 03 is sensational now but, is worthy of more cellaring. It has 10-20 years of life ahead of it...proper storage of course.
This is a second night wine for us and it is still big.
The nose reveals smokey; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, black cherries, blueberries, mulberries/boysenberries, baked/poached strawberries & some raspberries, sweet tarriness, dark berry cola, black pepper, steeped tea, eucalyptus, mint, tree bark with sap, herbaceous, dry crushed rocks, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, moist, forest floor with dry leaves with withering; dark, red, purple flowers framed in violets & strong lavender.
The body is full, round, lush & ruby. The tannins are still big, round, tarry & meaty. The structure, tension, length & balance are just there & yet still not there. It is still a monster on day two. Smokey; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, black cherries, blueberries, mulberries/boysenberries, baked/poached strawberries & some raspberries, sweet tarriness, grilled meats, dark berry cola, black pepper, steeped tea, eucalyptus, mint, tree bark with sap, herbaceous-sage & rosemary, used charcoal, graphite, dark spice with palate heat, burned ambers, incense, rubber toy, dry crushed rocks, moist clay & top soil, dry stone, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, moist, forest floor with dry leaves with withering; dark, red, purple flowers framed in violets & strong lavender. The acidity is round and a rushing river. The extremely long finish is, big, round, elegant, floral, well balanced, runs juicy to dry with persistence for days falling onto earthiness & dark spice on the long set.
Photos of, a plaque that hangs above my kitchen sink that speaks to me always, Dan Standish, his Cellar Door and surrounding buildings. — 3 years ago