Ryan Guy

9.6

Fresh apricot, glazed almond, nutmeg, and cardamon spice. Layered with honeysuckle, pear, and green apple. There is a short crust, pear tart character on the nose. Still so grab and lively on the palate. Stone fruit, orchard fruit, toasted almonds, and Danish butter cookies. Linear acidity with bright, zesty finish with pithy lemon notes and tart apple. Lingering finish with a touch of warm spice. Waited a while to pop this one - it was well worth the wait! — a year ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

It is really not fair to have their 06 after their 09. It’s good but, all you can think about is the 09.

The nose reveals, slightly stewed to cooked fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and bright cherries. Steeped tea, limestone, licorice, dry crushed rocks, cedar, dry tobacco, soft, used leather, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, underbrush, dry stems, dry top soil, understated baking spices, light graphite, dry herbs, light, dark spice and withering red & dark florals.

The body is lean, not quite full. The structure, tension, length and and balance are just ok to good and reveal the shortcomings of the 06 vintage. slightly stewed to cooked fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and bright cherries. Steeped tea, limestone, licorice, dry crushed rocks, cedar, dry tobacco, soft, used leather, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, underbrush, dry stems, dry top soil, understated baking spices, some v/a or bandaid, light graphite, dry herbs, light, dark spice with some heat across the palate and withering red & dark florals. The finish is nice and elegant but, lack the fullness and beauty of most really good vintage Palmer’s. It finishes with nice persistent dark spice on the long set. Just give me another taste of the 09. 😜

Photos of; Chateau Palmer, their barrel room, a photo of their vineyard soil structure-if you didn’t know where all that earthiness comes from, a picture is worth a thousand words and their tasting room. — 5 years ago

Sean Grullon

9.5

Okay - fine. It’s a good, probably great wine. Overpriced? Yes. Is it worth the money? No it’s not. Opus is filled with pretentious douchbags? Double yes. But this is a well-made wine bridging a gap between Napa and Boudreaux. Dusty nose with menthol, earl grey tea, tobacco, vanilla, flowers, cassis, and creamy dark fruits. It has a really nice velvety finish. — 6 years ago

Francisco Perez

9.1

This is really a great wine worth the price. Full bodied and well balanced. Complex and smooth with a nice finish. Quite flavorful and fruity with complex acidity. Great compliment to grilled bone in ribeye. Just a wonderful addition to life. — 7 years ago

Lily Davis

French Wine Specialist at Ottorink Weinbar

9.0

2015 is gamey and ripe af. Good, but not worth the price in USA. — 8 years ago

Raul Puga

8.9

Great fruit. Very enjoyable. Worth the price — 8 years ago

Chris McClellan

9.2

Coconut/vanilla/dirty earth, plush dried fruit makes it all worth it. Uber complex. Delicious — 2 years ago

with Deb and Gregory

Ming L

9.0

The 15’ bottling sees Petit Verdot leading this Bordeaux blend at 32%, with 26% CS, 26% Merlot, 13% CF, and 3% Malbec.
Complex and deep nose of blackberry, cassis, fig, dry pine cone, dark soy source, butterscotch, thyme, black pepper, with hint of violet. The palate, while delicious and smooth, lacks the depth I expected. Finely grained tannins lead to a long peppery finish.
377 cases made. — 4 years ago

Ming L

8.9

The 2015 Improv is a rich and brooding wine compared to the 2014 vintage that I can remember. Blackberry jam, stewed plum, burnt brown sugar, cedar, vanilla, and light herbs. Big body and dense texture. Wish for a brighter acidity, but the depth of flavor and lingering long finish more are more than made up for it.
47% Merlot, 29% Petite Sirah, and 24% Petit Verdot. — 5 years ago

Alex

9.2

Dark stewed yet somewhat bright fruits with cola on the palate. Soft tannins balance nicely with the subtle spice of the wine. Excellent but not sure it’s worth the hefty price tag. — 6 years ago

Christopher J Marx

9.4

I've read a lot of mixed reviews on this vintage. For my part, the nose alone was worth opening the bottle. It was amazing. — 7 years ago

Scorewine

Wine writer http://www.israelwines.co.il

9.0

A fantastic 2002, this lovely wine shows once more that today there aren't really bad years in Bordeaux, this Pontet Canet was well structured rich and tempting. Deep red, tempting rich multi layered nose ripe cherries, black current, coffee, cigar box, and tea leaves, full rich body, dry tannins, full of black fruit, high acidity and a long chewy finish. Was worth the wait, my score 90. Drink to 2022 — 8 years ago

Elizabeth Krystyn

10

Amazing. Worth it to try. — 8 years ago

GaryWEdwards

9.3

Agree with those who describe the finesse in this reserve. Long open but worth the wait every time. apparently higher in sangiovese than other vintages and it works just fine. Really nice Antinori offering! — 3 years ago

with Logan

Keith Crump

9.4

30 years in the bottle but still wonderful fruit but tannins relaxed like a a warm autumn day which is what we were blessed with, this is my favoured Bordeaux always giving with a forgiving price, worth the wait — 4 years ago

Lee Mauney

9.2

14 year old gran reserva paired with grilled lamb chops and manchego salad. Full body, decanted, improved over time, dry, berries, oak, vanilla spice, peppercorn. Long finish, probably worth storing for several years. $38 13.5% abv. — 5 years ago

Robert Howey

9.2

Sumptuous fruit and long finish. Floral notes in the aroma, dark berry, spice, and long smooth finish. Good balance. Medium weight. Made me think of what Queens Peak Cabernet might be like when it grows up. A delightful experience and worth the price. — 7 years ago

Nathan Adams

Consulting Wine/Beverage Director, Snake River Brewing, Persephone, King Sudachi

9.5

The Emirates flight crew altered me that @Claire Owen and I consumed a total of 4 bottles on the flight...worth it, I think? Needed something to pair with the caviar and canapés. #EmiratesSuites #a380 #honeymoon — 8 years ago

with Claire

Cedar Koetting

10

Worth every penny. Soooo gooood. — 8 years ago

John Getaci

8.9

Very smooth from start to finish, low tannins, silky. Let breath for about 10 minutes to in lock the full potential. — 8 years ago