Danny O'Brien

9.0

Solid Napa Cab, pretty floral and chocolate notes mixed with sweet tobacco leaf, oak and dark fruit. Drank a bit young, tannins got pretty grippy and gave me a slight headache, but overall a nice wine — 3 months ago

Vino Kaela

9.2

Delicious field blend of Grenache 80% Mourvèdre 15% Syrah 5%. Displays ripe red fruits earthy pasture notes and irony meat/leather. (Subtle) happy with the amount of bottle age. Balanced with a long finish. — 3 years ago

Ray Burstein

9.0

Light, lively, great — 5 years ago

Raun Kupiec

9.0

A lot going on but still too young. The tannins are too powerful and intense for me. But there is a lot of dark fruit and complexity present. — 7 years ago

Samantha Burek

9.2

Light and fruity! Loved it! — 8 years ago

TheSkip

10

So, I came home yesterday and there was a package at the door. I wasn't expecting anything and looked at the sender. @Martin G Rivard ! Well then! I knew santa was over, but perhaps Easter Bunny Rivard had struck?

I opened the box with haste. Surely anything from @Martin G Rivard would be of high quality. I saw a flash of orange and though, oh my! But there was only one bottle and it was oddly shaped. This must be the limited edition, double magnum of @Jason Chang's Nine Suns cuvée! I ripped open as if it were Christmas and out came Carlo Rossi.

I'd never heard of this producer but I trusted Martin. This bottle came with a very handy pour handle at the top. I was excited. Although it was only 4pm, I remembered what @Bill Bender said about 3pm so, I thought to myself, why not?

Hurriedly, I came into the kitchen and got my favorite Zalto glass, as inspired first by @Roman Sukley. I retrieved my corkscrew and opened the knife only to discover that this was a convenient screw cap! How thoughtful of Martin!

Open it went and the room filled with a lovely sweet grape must. I knew this would be special. I grabbed my winestop given to me by @Ron R and inserted to to insure there would be not a drop wasted.

Into the glass and my excitement prevented any thought of a decant.

What a wine! Those Concord grapes - what has Welch's been thinking? They've missed out on one of the finest varietals I've ever encountered. I knew I was truly lucky to try this rare wine.

But something felt...off. And I realized, I had nothing to pair with this! Thankfully there was a full 4L in this bad boy. And the screw cap allowed for prompt resealing.

Away I went in the car. What oh what to have? Aih! Exactly! @Paul T told me about the heaven of pairing McNuggets. Off to Ol' McDonalds I went.

Twenty McNuggets and sweet and sour sauce please!

I scurried to the back, and carefully withdrew my Zalto from my backpack. Opening the McNuggets, I knew this would be special. And indeed, I am with words to describe the experience. Yet, again, I knew something just wasn't right. The wine wasn't presenting itself. So I thought, how can I classy this up? And then I remembered all of @David L's posts with the classy silver wine coaster.

I had to have one. I asked the chap at the counter of McDonalds, but the response I received was less than satisfactory. I had to solve this issue myself. Thankfully , while returning to my table, I spotted a HomeGoods store immediately next door. I ran across and found a lovely silver charger.

And finally, returning to my table, I was now all smiles! More smiles than @Mike R !

What a special evening. I really wanted to end this off right. I grabbed a dozen roses and rushed home to the wife. Half a bottle Rossi still intact!

I showed her the bottle and wow! You should have see her eyes. I then suggested we retire to the bedroom and this was met with prompt approval.

And with such a great night, I wanted a lovely memento. I gently placed the bottle against her and snapped a lovely shot that is sure to be on the cover of the next issue of BBB with @Bill Bender !

Thanks for thinking of me @Martin G Rivard ! — 8 years ago

Joho

9.8

Headline: “damn near perfect” not dry, not bitter, not sweet, not watery, just lovely balance all around. If you’re looking for a defining characteristic it’s that there is none. Some would say the greatest designs goes unnoticed. I would also say that the greatest wines should lay in a similar vein. There is no one flavor or characteristic about it that is overpowering the rest. — 7 months ago

Michael Moy

9.6

Drinking with the asian stacks — 5 years ago

Palmer Emmitt

Owner/Winemaker Judge Palmer

9.2

Drinking impossibly well. Really pure fruit and perfect balance. — 6 years ago

Por La Vida

8.9

Cantaloupe, honeydew, lime zest on the palate. Subtle grassy hints, lemon lime, salt air on the nose. Enjoyable if simple. — 8 years ago

Mike Beltran

9.0

When it was opened the nose was shy, 30 minutes later it opened up to a smooth and elegant wine with fruit and soft tannins. Solid and good drinking. Cork was in great shape!! 56 year old wine that has held up beautifully.🍷🍷 — 8 years ago

with Joe

Alyse Villarreal

10

Fun, light, fruity, bubbly. I like very sweet wines and this is it. — 8 years ago

with Sal

Ross Cobb

Owner/Winemaker Cobb Wines, Winemaker Hirsch Vineyards, Claypool Cellars, Banshee Wines

9.1

A bit soft, but very cool to try — 9 years ago

Paul J

9.6

This was drinking perfectly! Dark red color with minimal bricking. Could be mistaken for a Bordeaux as this is an elegant Napa Syrah. Meaty, rustic, and a touch of floral. Would love to buy more. — 9 months ago

with Geoff and Brooke

Jessica P

9.8

Sweet and refreshing. Amazing — 4 years ago

Christos

9.1

Dark fruit, cherries, anise, and tobacco on the nose. Very dry wine. Dried fig, vanilla, more dark fruits, more cherry, and chocolate. Long finish of leather and oak. Drink now. Decant for an hour. — 5 years ago

with Fotini

Nic Tan

9.0

Big, bold and beefy — 7 years ago

Paul Chang

9.2

This was our second bottle. First was uninspiring and despite the 97pt RP rating, found it to be disappointing. The trick is to let it breathe for at least an hour to let the flavors develop. It is no Opus One but very satisfying with a juicy steak or just plain enjoyment! — 8 years ago

Matt Austin

Owner/Winemaker, Grosgrain Vineyards, Walla Walla, WA

9.1

I don't know who Steve and Sandra are, but apparently they weren't thrilled with this gift since it ended up on Winebid. Their loss is my gain. — 8 years ago

Brad Henn

9.0

sharing with my good friend Buck! deep berry flavors, with rich tannins and mild oakiness. love this! — 9 years ago

with Alicia