AHF

9.5

Feb 2023. Slightly brick red color, more than last year. Palate slightly less candy sweet. Carefully decanted. A week later, very fine sediment on bottom of decanter. Recommend long decant. A month later, still drinks smooth and sweet. — 3 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Lovely Italian Red Blend (90% Negroamaro and 10% Malvasia Nera). Nice violet and bramble berry fruit aromas. Wild berry and earth flavors with hints of dried herbs and orange zest. Extremely soft tannins. Garnet color and brick rim. Not overly complex but wonderful balance and texture. Thanks Chris B. Revisited in November 2021. Holding strong. — 5 years ago

Chris England

9.8

My favourite Pomerol in a great year 🏆 now sells @ £250-£285 😱 On its 6th try & it’s now much better integrated & drinking lovely but will age more 😉 A New Year’s Eve delight 😍 enjoyed with Lasagne 🍝
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📍 Vieux Chateau Certan 1998 Pomerol
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🏵 98 points for 1998 😁 & should improve
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🍇 90% Merlot & 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
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🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick edge
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👃 Nasal Nookie Gang Bang of creamy dark spiced damson plum in soft smoked oak & light cedar w/ soggy earth, wet leaves, liquorice, rock minerals, cracked pencil lead, dirty gravel, cocoa, black berry fruits, charred soot embers, mint & herbs - nasaltastic baby 😍
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👄 Med earthy body of silky smooth ripe dark plum & black berry fruits w/ red cherry, raspberry liquorice & choc mocha in slight dry rock minerals
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🎯 Long deep plum & dark berry earthy soft liquorice mocha choca cherry & a light dry mineral oaky seductive smack in your chops — 7 years ago

Kristie M. Connor

9.0

Cherry pie with homemade whip and cinnamon. Red plums. — 8 years ago

Kirk F

9.0

Birth year bottle for our first born daughter, Haley. Celebrating her graduation from Iowa State this weekend and her achieving gainful employment one week from tomorrow. The cork was stubborn but eventually cooperated, and we decanted and filtered the wine. Tart cherry the first sip, wondering if we needed a backup. Beautifully brick coloring and the sharp edges are rounding out and now we’re getting a smooth mid palate of dark berries and spice leading to a bright finish. And a bright future! 👍🏻🍷👩‍🎓. Cheers! — 8 years ago

David D

9.0

More dark ruby color than translucent brick. Dried flowers, touch of wood and smoke, cranberry, tea, wet fallen leaves on a misty forest floor. More acid and mineral, not as much tar and not as mellow and full as the 2013 Barolo we’ve had. From Flatiron Wines. — 8 years ago

Joaquin Martinez

8.9

Not fruit forward, strong tannins, hints of plum, cocoa, tobacco, and espresso. Beautiful brick color, with the bestest soon to be husband. — 4 years ago

Lynn Penner-Ash

Owner/Winemaker Penner-Ash

8.9

Better day two. Needs some time — 5 years ago

Chris England

9.6

This is still my favourite Rioja & vintage at present, worth £80 😍 My 10th try & still a beauty I can’t resist 👍 I exemplifies the pure essence a high quality Rioja 👏

📍 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 2001

▶️ @lariojaaltasa 🤗

🏵 96 points

🍇 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano & 2% Mazuelo

🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Smoked oak through mashed earthy cherries covered in vanilla coconut cream, balsamic jam & double caramel choc mocha w/ red liquorice, truffle, prune, date & light spiced herbs #nosetasia

👄 Med body of rich smooth silky creamy dark & red cherry bathed in balsamic goo w/ melted mocha & earthy liquorice

🎯 Long balsamic cherry mocha berry blast w/ a balsamic linger, touch of woody oak & red berry — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.2

Fab GPL reaching peak drinking window @ £75-£90 always a lovely wine 👍

📍 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2001

🏵 92-93 points

🍇 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot & 2% Cabernet Franc

🍷 Deep alight garnet ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Heady smokey oak through black currant & berry loaded with minerals, pencil lead & flint stone w/ dark plum, red berry, leather & damp cellar

👄 Med body of smooth touch dry mineral infused black berry fruits w/ a touch of red berry & cocoa

🎯 Long slight dry black fruit mineral bomb w/ a mocha liquorice kick — 7 years ago

Kim Brater

9.4

Really delicious Pinot. Burgundian style. Elegant. Cassis and muted earth. Amazing for the original price. This 2011 is long gone. Paid under $40 several years ago. Wish I had another. Hear my Dad saying in my head "Always buy two..." 😀 🍷 — 8 years ago

DAL 9000

9.0

Aroma of dusty raspberries. A hint of sweetness with a big raspberry strawberry dryness in the middle. — 8 years ago

Thomas Bennett-Stroud

9.1

Vibrant, expressive, feminine. Superior biodynamic quality of fruit, not masked by oak. — 8 years ago

Keith Crump

9.1

A good brick red plenty of tannic strength holding it together — 5 years ago

Kari Hamilton

9.4

From day In Lodi. — 5 years ago

with Frank

Kirk F

9.2

Special birth year bottle for a milestone birthday this week. The cork was almost entirely intact and we double decanted to catch all the sediment. A beautiful brick color in the glass, evolving over 4 hours and drinking nicely. Plenty of fruit left and I also picked up a little salinity/olive savoriness. Glad a few friends popped by to share this with me #50inquarantine #socialdistancing 🍷😷🙌🏻 — 6 years ago

Megan

9.0

I usually tend toward Pinot Noir, but when I want something just a bit bolder, Gamay hits the spot. I have really been enjoying this 2015 vintage. — 8 years ago

Jonathan Davidson

9.4

Silky tannins and sweetness. Brick color. Lengthy finish — 8 years ago

with George, Paul and 1 other

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9.4

(aged in American oak barrels for nine years and then in bottle for a minimum of eight more years) Faded brick-red. Aromas of red berries, dried rose, cedar and tobacco show outstanding delineation and pick up woodsmoke and herb nuances as the wine opens up. Sweet and seamless in texture, offering mineral-accented red currant, cherry and blood orange flavors that spread out steadily on the back half. The extremely long, tannin-free finish shows compelling sweetness, lingering florality and an echo of smoky oak. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, May 2017) — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.4

Top year 904 @ £75 that was drank in Zalto burg glass as its like an aged burgundy

🐽 Paired w/ Iberian Ham 😍

🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick

👃 Smoked burnt oak, soggy earthy leaves, leather, dark cherry & figs w/ balsamic & damson

👄 Med body of creamy stewed cherry w/ earthy balsamic & slight mocha

🎯 Med finish of above w/ earthy balsamic linger

Reaching peak but I preferred the 95 904 over this but the 890 94 was better than the 95! — 8 years ago