David Kline

9.3

Nano hazelnut chocolate on coffee rye, blackened sponge cake, well done steak, black sesame, lavender and baked blackberry. Well knit.
Graphite glimmers on dark chocolate and cedar-oak slivers, smoky tobacco leaf, and tea. Immersive.



#cosdestournel #grandcruclassé #bordeaux #stestephe #appellationsaintestephecontrolée #misenbouteilleauchateau #saintestèphe — 3 years ago

Steven Richardson

9.1

Vanilla is known as ‘the salt of the baking world’ and this wine embodies that. Velvety smooth vanilla, maybe black cherry or Concord grape, peppercorn, tea leaf. I was skeptical at first finding an 11 year old wine in 2021 that had bottle gimmicks like fake gold wire, but is worth the 30$CAD if you can find it! — 4 years ago

Daron Watson

9.5

what a phenomenal job the crew did with what Mother Nature threw them ~ this is an elegant & approachable example of Sassicaia ~ upon pulling the cork Mediterranean scrub & herbs fill the nose and flavors of red licorice and Razzles pop on the palate ~ in time the red fruits become less candied and the the scrub & herbs, along w tobacco leaf & hints of gravel, finish the flavor ~ though a samurai sword of acidity slices through!

If you’re looking for breadth this doesn’t have it ~ but what is there is focused and sings! — 4 years ago

Holly Zahn

9.2

Not bad for how cheap it is. Not too bitter or dry. Has a bit of a funny taste, maybe vinegary or something. But overall pretty smooth and nice. — 5 years ago

Sidney Jackson

9.0

Not bad for the price def drink again! — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

This 41 yr old LLC was still fresh & drinking well showing a little funk in the beginning that quickly blew off with notes of red & black fruits, currant, cedar, leather, forest floor & tobacco leaf. — 5 years ago

William Hughes

9.3

Aging beautifully! Still loads of currant and lavender. Add a touch of iodine and some more black fruit, mix with lean tannins and fine acidity. Here is to Maryland wines! — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Decanted for 3 hours before dinner. Dark, opaque color - darker than the Barolo next to it. Really nice nose. Notes of dark fruit, leather, tobacco leaf, old desk and some dried violets. Nice weight and texture in the mouth. Surprisingly bright and tasty finish. In a great place. Give it air! — 3 years ago

Simone M

9.1

Light and tasty — 4 years ago

Shengli Hu

9.0

VA, dark licorice, allspice, brown sugar, banana, cedar, smoke, veal, dried bay leaf, candied red and black currants. Balanced between medium+ acidity, medium smooth tannins, and fruit concentration. Finished long.... Tasting while watching the excellent documentary Wine and War in which Serge was just chilling... in the warfare — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

Merry Christmas 🎄 to those celebrating.

Homemade pizza calls for a delish Tuscan, Sangiovese-based blend.

This wine is deep ruby. It has medium(+) intensity in aromas. Aromas are developing and include primary notes of black cherry, blackberry, plum, violet, tomato leaf, black licorice, black pepper, and dried mint, secondary notes of cedar, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, and tertiary noses of tobacco, leather, and barnyard.

This is a dry wine. It has medium (+) acidity, a full body, medium alcohol, medium tannins, and medium intensity of flavors that mirror those on the nose. The finish is medium(+).

Tignanello, Marchesi Antinori. Toscana, IGT. Vintage 2014. ABV 13.5%. — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Mike Saviage

9.7

From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

Sweet black fruits, earth, leather, tobacco leaf, dried herbs & a touch of carob. Although drinking well now, I would drink up as I can’t see this getting better with more time. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.1

I’ve got to be honest...I don’t think I’ve ever had a BV wine before. Being that their history in Napa runs quite deep, I figured it was time to try a bottle, and this was reasonably priced at the restaurant.

Extremely dark in the glass. Nose was spice, dark chocolate shavings and cassis dominant. Quite smooth (which I find with most ‘14s) from the front palate all the way through the finish...blackberries, black cherry, just a touch of blueberries in the mid-palate that accentuates the oak. Finish has a nutmeg and bay leaf type note. Fairly rich style cab-blend that went well with my hangar steak. — 7 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Surprisingly youthful for 35y, served from a magnum.
Still deep in colour, with not much evolution towards the rim.
Uplifting aromatics with cigar box, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, some kirsch, but also some black currant jam.
Medium bodied on the palate with nice balance, the tannins still surprisingly grippy, though a touch dry.
Nicely poised, with good flow and high drinkability.
What a surprise! — 3 years ago

ESF

9.3

Yeah yeah, I know this is not considered a great vintage, but this is a Cracking Claret! Leaner in style and not a verbose powerhouse, it still delivers an elegant rendition of traditional Pauillac flavors. The cherry was more like kirsch liqueur, the cassis, graphite, leather, gravel, tobacco, the bay leaf... all beautifully delineated and intense. The mid palate was polished to perfection. Tannins are sturdy enough but seamless & integrated. The finish persists and invites another drink. Got these on a great deal from K&L back in the day and glad I did! In a great drinking window right now. — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.5

WNH Montelena Estate virtual tasting. Others represented were the ‘94 (evidently corked), ‘01, ‘03, ‘07, ‘15.

I may be an outlier here, but Montelena is one of the few wineries where I not only don’t care for them young, I just honestly don’t enjoy them at all (and that’s coming from someone who enjoys the likes of Myriad, Bevan, Rivers Marie, etc on the young side). For my preference, they are just so vastly better with 15+yrs of age to them. YMMV.

After standing this upright for about two weeks, I gave this about a 45min decant. Starting off fairly thin and having some funk to blow off, it really bulked up after an hour and a half. Dark ruby/tawny in the glass. Reminiscent of left bank Bordeaux (leather, herbs de Provence, only a hint of tobacco), but a sweet cherry liqueur and dried cranberry on the nose bring this back to possibly New World. On the palate it sports underripe and dried black cherries, red clay, cedar, bay leaf, and earthy tertiary notes. Gripping, tannic finish with balanced acidity. In harmony here. I’d say this likely has another 3-5yrs in this beautiful drinking window before evolving more. — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark purple tawny and opaque x2. Has an old world bouquet in the nose. Notes of black fruit, tobacco leaf, moist forest floor and leather saddle. Rich and luscious in the mouth. Tannins resolved, leaving a velvet fruit coating in the finish. Really good tonight. — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Great vintage for DB that is still showing up at 65 yrs with notes of dried cherry, berry fruits, cedar, leather, savory spices, dried herbs, forest floor, lead pencil & tobacco leaf. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Part 1 of the final and main event for the Fall WNH. The most spectacular lineup of wines I’ve ever seen, and an overall wonderful ending to an amazing trip with fantastic people.

A baby, but already strutting its power. This is no doubt a modern take on Bordeaux with more rich/sweet black and blue fruit than others, but it reigns in before it gets too Nap-esque as the fruit is more underripe. Mid palate and finish show dark chocolate, bay leaf and a touch of leather. Because of the style, not too adverse to opening now with a 2-3hr decant, but this will improve for many years. Bravo, @Mike R . — 6 years ago

with Mike, David and 4 others