Brad Jensen

9.3

Held up well over the last 28 years! Took a gamble on some birthday wine and it payed off well. Prominent bricking and the cork obviously fell apart, but the wine maintained the rustic, leathery notes of age, with hints of black tea, overripe plum, and some lingering acidic energy, like a ripe strawberry with some dark chocolate. Medium bodied, with some leathery, smoky ash over the dark cherry like fruit, there’s notes of cranberry and strawberry compote still alive in here. The finish lingers for a while, fresh, but not acidic with tannins that only really started to show after a few hours of opening. Grippy, but well integrated. If the measure of a great wine is in its ability to last, this wine has earned the title despite poor storage conditions and lack of faith from its sellers. — 6 days ago

Vanessa

9.1

It’s been one week since we lost my Mom; a sweet, beautiful, kind soul. 😇. She taught us many things, not least of which is to be fully present in the moment and have faith in tomorrow. ❤️❤️

Here’s to her - here’s to living for today and having faith in tomorrow. 🙏🙏🙏

Tonight we’re sipping a Fattoria dei Barbi, Brunello di Montalcino, Reserva, Vintage 2012. ABV 14.5%.
@fattoriadeibarbi

This wine is made exclusively from the Sangiovese grape 🍇 , hailing from Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy. 🇮🇹

It has a medium garnet hue. On the nose and palate it has a medium(+) intensity of developing aromas and flavors; notes include ripe black cherry, black currant, fig, plum, also mint, dried oregano, anise, black licorice, clove, pipe tobacco, leather, pencil shavings, potting soil, meat, and peat moss.
🍷🍷

This wine is bold and structured and has complexity and balance with a lingering finish. 👏 It’s tasting wonderfully now, but we think it has the structure and concentration to continue developing for years to come.
— 4 years ago

with Deked1

Chris Morphy

9.8

As you swish the wine around and send your nose to the rim of your glass, a hint of smoke alongside a whiff of spice will tingle your olfactory. Now take that glass and touch the wine to your lips and take the smallest sip while breathing through your nose to be hit hard by 2 of your senses. Now your taste buds will get a rush of oak and black cherry that expands the tongue and moistens the cheeks. The wine will slide down your throat coating every inch with a smooth, buttery texture. The alcohol content hitting you in the deep throat resembling a higher than average alcohol content. This wine is extravagant, but if you have too much at once, the tannins will turn you red. This wine is marvellous and the price tag definitely will reflect that. — 7 years ago

Trevor Scott

9.4

Endorphins will shoot from your lips at the first sip of this wine. Be warned. — 2 years ago

with Ellyn

Daniel Bloom

9.2

N: Loads of Blackberries, tobacco, wet gravel, deep blackness. Herbs on the edges, violets,
P: The palate is broad and dark, with a delicious bitter finish. Dark berried, w great acidity that makes you(me) smack your lips. Nicely, nicely, done.
We’ll see how long the rest last.
From @fassselections. — 3 years ago

JKT

9.2

Everytime I somehow recall an underwhelming tasting of Lumpp and I open one and then it's oh this is really good! That Burgundian autumnal Forest floor and leaves and ripe black berries and fruit. Good texture balanced acidic complex palate carrying to finish. Great with amahs hock. Faith restored — 5 years ago

MaJ CappS

9.1

Young, I know, still love evaluating the 16’ vintage in southern Rhône.
Lilacs and graphite line my nostrils as I inhale deeply.
First brush of the lips offer up deep, dark, dried fruits, hints of rosemary.
As I have opened this waaay before its time, I am punished by being constantly slapped upside my head with the Tabacco and cedar staves. The acidity is precise and razor like.
Need to revisit the other bottle in another 5 years.. — 7 years ago

Paul K

9.4

2 hrs decanted. Drank over next three. Same rating as the Ch Duhart Millon 2018, but this just edges it. Very different. Nose is awesome. Dusty red fruit with some forest floor, but just a little. Palate - Fruit more prevalent and juicy here. Sticky, tarry mouth coating currant and blackberry go seamlessly into tannins that make your lips stick to your teeth. Loooong finish. This is great. Pros say wait until 2025, but I think this is great. The softening of 10 years will be cool for sure. — 3 years ago

Lizzy Toreev

9.4

The nose is so leathery and dark I thought it would be overwhelming, but the taste is beautifully dark and refreshing - lots of blackberry, black currant, and enough tannin for structure but not to leave you smacking your lips afterwards. Perfect on its own or with food - exactly what I want from a dark, rich red. — 4 years ago

with Greg

Ira Schwartz

10

Flashback 20+ years ago to the Wine Library in New Jersey. Walking with my 14-year-old niece she was drawn to a double magnum sitting in the corner of the cold room. She exclaimed, “ Uncle Ira , that is the biggest bottle of wine I have ever seen.” Excited by her enthusiasm I told her I would buy it and we would drink it at her wedding. That opportunity presented itself this weekend. I decided this was best consumed at the rehearsal dinner. As one would expect the bottle drew its share of oohs & aahs. The cork was pristine. I should have decanted as the bottle had a ton of sediment. On the nose; earth, hints of leather, and tobacco. In the mouth a textbook example of an aged California Bordeaux blend. Concentrated flavors of red and dark fruit, herbs, vanilla, and graphite flow into a stunning finish that still has a tannic structure. An elegant and seamless wine that has years of life remaining . I have been fortunate to taste wines that could bring you to tears. This bottle brought me to tears before a drop of wine touched my lips — 6 years ago

with Randy, Monica and 1 other