Austen Ito

8.9

Red spicy fruit, eucalyptus, mocha, sweet spices. Velvety however a bit hot at 14.5%. Medium+ body, tannins, medium acidity and finish. — 5 years ago

Shengli Hu

9.0

Schist, loess, alluvial. Tart red cherry, steeped tea leaves, finished slightly sweet. Med acid, med fine grained tannins. Med+ intensity/finish. Citrusy, native yeast, fermented in vineyard. Blend of Abel, MV6, Dijon clones. 23% whole cluster, 24% new oak. Citrus - blood orange!! — 5 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.7

Sourced from the Loess, Seven Hills, Holly Roller, Serra Pedace, Mill Creek Upland and Leonetti Old Block Vineyards, the red blend was aged for 22 months in French oak before bottling. The final blend is a smaller than usual portion of Cabernet Sauvignon (73%) and an unusually high portion of Malbec (22%) with just a touch of Cabernet Franc (5%). This wine needs a two hour decant before enjoying. Once aroused, this slowly unveils green bell pepper, blueberry compote, creme de cassis and sagebrush tones that fill this highly perfumed nose. The palate is decadent, revealing an exceedingly plush texture. With bright acidity and serious weight, the wine expresses copious dark fruits with sweet pipe tobacco, blueberry compote and dark chocolate shaving flavors. Seductive in its youth, this stunning new bottling will have an exceedingly long life ahead of it. Try to resist this beauty for at least another year. Drink 2020-2045- 97 — 6 years ago

Robin Pinder Herndon

9.5

Lovely St. Joseph Blanc. Subtle nose with just a hint of stone fruit. Smooth on the palate with a bit of acidity. There is a apricot flavor peaking through. — 7 years ago

with Bruce

Iñigo Sanchez

9.0

Muy buen vino, ribera del duro. Tempranillo. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

This is their Walla Walla Cabernet not Cabernet Franc. 100% Cabernet sourced from their Anna Marie & Loess vineyards. Nose with a core of; dark currants. Soft spices, smoke, grilled meats, blackberries, blueberries, dark cherry, warm well cooked toast, baking spices and dry dark florals. On the palate; the tannins are velvety. Spices that rise in intensity on the palate. Blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, mocha powder, dusty dry soil, M-M+ body with good acidity and a round nicely polished finish. — 8 years ago

Gadi Karpel

9.1

91/100
Vintage 2012
Altenkirch Pfaffenwies Riesling Erstes Gewächs Trocken 2012
Producer: Weingut Altenkirch
Country: Germany
Region: Rheingau
Founded winery since 1826
Owner: Franziska Breuer-Hadwiger
Winemaker: Jasper Bruysten
Size: 20 ha, Annual production: 100,000 bottles
Terroir: gray slate, quartzite, loess
Grapes: 100% Riesling.
Alcohol: 13%., Sugar: dry.
Color: Golden light,shiny.
The aroma is intense, mineral and fruits: apple, pear, lime and grapefruit, feel a nice petrol notes and minerality.
The body: medium to full. The taste is rich, well-balanced, nice combination of mineral flavor, acidity and fruit
The finish is long, with apleasant bitterness. — 9 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

It is not close. This is the best domestic Cabernet Franc I’ve ever had. Insane nose. It smells like if Foillard made a Cabernet Franc. Sick florals. Like OMG florals. Gorgeous berry fruit and lovey hint of wonderful sweet herbs. It is such a deep and enveloping aroma that it is almost too intoxicating. Just a total wow nose. Truly amazing. You can sniff so so hard and more and more aroma arrives in your nose. Just stunning. 9.6 nose. Really stunned. Confectionary as well. Palate is so refined, so elegant and so juicy. Just extraordinary. It’s medium bodied and insanely fresh, with such refined, ripe and substantial tannins. So pure. What balance. 40% whole cluster. Loess soils. What a long incredible finish and the fruit just sticks to the back of the palate. A truly brilliant wine. — 5 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.4

The 2014 Sangiovese from Leonetti was Sourced from the Seven Hills, Loess, Mill Creek Upland and Serra Pedace vineyards, and incudes a small percentage of Aglianico (5%). This absolutely stunning Sangiovese opens with intense aromatics of red cherries, raspberries, cigar box and rose petals. The palate has wonderful minerality and shows impressive mid-palate weight, with flavors of dark cherry, red raspberries, pipe tobacco, milk chocolate, mint and pencil shavings that expand effortlessly. The astringency is absolutely wonderful, as is the long, mineral and dark fruit driven finish. This wine will cellar exceedingly well for a decade or more as this is a tremendous showing by Chris Figgins who has carefully crafted one of the most compelling examples new world Sangiovese that you will find. Drink 2019-2029- 94 — 5 years ago

jh

8.9

Smells wonderful — 6 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.1

More of a fruit-forward style, approachable but with great minerality and tension. Great expression of site- classic loess top soil over primary rock. Riesling type nose with floral nuances, wet stones and honey. Solid body and frame but remains supple and light, moving across the palate in all directions. Spice character is much more subdued than your "typical" Gruner. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

100% Cabernet sourced from the Anna Marie and Loess vineyards. On the nose; really nice red & dark florals, baking spices, spice, core of black currants, ruby blackberries, black cherries, black plum, black licorice, tarry notes and dark florals. The body & tannins are M+ with a nice velvety mouthfeel. Blackberries, black plum, dark cherries, black raspberries with cherries painting the background. Lifting spices that rise with heated intensity, pepper, violets, crushed dry rocks, soft leather and hints of tobacco. Acidity is nicely well rounded. The long, rich, polished, finish has nice structure, length, tension & balance. — 8 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.1

See the last note, just add to the fact that this is pretty typical of a Loiben based wine having a warmer climate with likely more loess soils. — 9 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.5

This outstanding 100% Merlot was largely sourced from the Loess Vineyard (66%) with smaller portions from the Mill Creek Upland and their 40-year-old original block at the Leonetti winery. Needing a two hour decant to fully open, the 2018 Leonetti Merlot slowly unveils layers of toasty oak that are woven together with black cherry cordial, sagebrush and milk chocolate tones that all come together in the glass. The silky texture truly impresses, as the wine effortlessly glides across the mid-palate. Cocoa powder dusted red cherries greet you, while flavors of underbrush, damp earth and espresso bean all enliven the senses. A complete wine, the 2018 Leonetti Cellar Merlot will enjoy a long life in the cellar. Try to resist this stunning new wine for at least another two years. Drink 2022-2040- 95 — 5 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.1

Wearing its terroir (Loess) on its sleeve. Interesting blend of 65% Sauv Blanc, 30% Gelber Muskateller and 5% Traminer. A little CO2 to start, but fresh, great acidity, floral nose and lemon zest on the palate. — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.6

This wine has rounded out since being released in 2008. The grapes were chosen from the Seven Hills, Loess, Mill Creek, Upland. Pepper Bridge, as well as Bacchus-Dionysus and Wallula, both located in the Columbia Valley. It is a blend of 76% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot, having the highest percentage of Carmenere that I have seen for this wine. This vintage was characterized by an early bud break and a hot summer which led to ripe fruit. The wine opens with aromas of milk chocolate, Turkish coffee, sagebrush and black cherry. This leads to rich flavors of black cherry, anise, sage, blackberry and mocha. There is a silky mouthfeel and wonderful viscosity, despite the wine being nearly 10 years old. This is drinking beautifully, one of the best of its kind. 2,723 cases of this delicious wine made. Drink 2019-2035- 96 — 6 years ago

Adrienne Leistner

9.2

With Craig, Jessica, Jeff — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

86% Cabernet from Phinny Hill, Two Blondes & Sagemoor, 10% Merlot from Loess and 4% Petit Verdot from Octave. Aged in 40% new oak for 23 months. On the nose, ripe fruits infused with cologne. Blackberries, dark cherries, mix of blue fruits, vanilla, cinnamon, black licorice and pyrazines, black raspberry cola and fresh red florals. Palate has ripe fruit of; blackberries, black cherries, mix of blue fruits, plum, black raspberries cola. Black licorice, light spice, cinnamon, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, tobacco, soft leather, dry stems & M+ dusty tannins & body. Round acidity and a candied, long, elegant finish. Photos of; their tasting room, the exterior of the tasting room that you would never know it's there if you didn't zero in on the address and their highly stacked barrels in their cramped cellar. — 8 years ago

Paul Masson

8.9

"Sunny mountain." From the lower Ahr with a high proportion of loess giving an easygoing charm. The barrique really stands out against the slender frame of the wine, giving lots of cedar and spice. Hopefully that will integrate better with time. — 8 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.2

Old vines & while I don't understand much about Austrian terroir, Terry Thiese's words on Loess & the rich full character it can impart are on full display here. That richness is superbly balanced with acidic brightness & a mineral/pepper character. — 9 years ago