Jeff Hasmann

9.1

Great wine from Corbieres. The majority of the fruit comes from 80 - 100 yr old Carignan vines with 20% Grenache blended in to soften it. Ripe prunes and plums meld with notes of cocoa and spice. The mouth-feel is Bordeaux-like with the heavy tannins and noticeable hints of mineral. This wine is bold and powerful, but well-balanced with concentrated flavors and great structure. The wine screams for a fine dinner with meat as the main course. Excellent! 2014 vintage on Dec 14, 2018 — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.0

A powerful, authoritative wine, the 2012 Paveil de Luze is shaping up to be one of the under-the-radar gems of the year. Earthy and smoky notes add nuance, but it is the wine's explosive, deep personality that stands out most. Expressive floral, savory and ferrous notes meld into the expressive finish. Although the 2012 is more power than finesse, it offers exceptional balance and tons of personality. The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. This is an impressive effort from Paveil de Luze, a Margaux property that could probably be a classified growth. Simon Blanchard is the consulting winemaker. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous) — 9 years ago

Ron R

9.4

The nose is dense and rich with jam compote, nutmeg with a hint of barrel toast. The aromatics gently merge into the palette. Rich dark maraschino cherries meld with spice box. Tannins are still quite ripe and need more time to relax. Nice mid-palette persistence. A dry finish comes along for the ride. This is a classic clone of a Bdx blend. An excellent showing, which should improve with age.

@Martin G Rivard - We can't thank you enuf for this gem! — 9 years ago

with Anne-marie

Ron R

9.3

Not sure is this is identified correctly, but age is certainly a friend of this wine. On the nose, we detect kirsch and candied cherries.
The palette, while rich, is not as flamboyant as it was in its youth. Black stone fruits meld with anise and a hint of cloves. Finishes dense and a touch sweet. Wifey rated this as 93 pts. Who am I to argue.
— 9 years ago

with Anne-marie

Tom Kobylarz

9.6

Exceptional and pure immediately come to mind and are affirmed over 2-3 hours. This is Sangiovese Grosso in a very Burgundian, transparent and very pure expression.
A new producer of sorts, the earliest wines were in 2006 under this label from what I recall.

Being my first Stella the color is uncommonly lighter for a Brunello than you would expect.

The nose is pure, with elegant raspberry and strawberry fruits that meld with Earthy minerality, mushroom and spice into a beautiful, sensual perfume.

The palate continues the purity party, marrying a persistence and depth that reminds me again of Burgundy. A long finish carries the fruit, fresh acids and the fine, supple tannin.
As great as it is now, will it reach even more heights? Only time will tell.
#brunello #sangiovese — 9 years ago

William Hughes

9.1

Drink now and give it plenty of air. This is a terrific '11 that could use a couple more years to meld the fruit and the tannins. — 10 years ago

William Hughes

9.7

Wow! The '76 Is killer and has years to go. Wonderful poached pear with honey and anise on the nose and palate. Nothing cloying about this wine at all. The sweetness and acidity meld seamlessly! — 10 years ago

Dan Fredman

Chef Sommelier World of Pinot Noir

9.7

Zowie! Pretty much everything I want in a red wine- dark fruit, smoke, ample acidity and just enough age to meld its pieces together but not so old that it's lost its verve. Great wine accompanying a magnificent hunk of pork. — 10 years ago

with S.

Andrew Benn

9.0

2008
Bright but age served it well - letting the Zin and Cab elements meld. Nice cold day sipping wine — 11 years ago

Jeremy Benson

8.9

Funky nose. Delicious herbaceousness. Needs a couple years to meld together. — 7 years ago

Bill Bender

9.5

From 3L. Spice box and eucalyptus meld with deep red and purple fruit and supportive but resolving tannins. This is in a really sweet spot. — 8 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.1

The 2012 La Vieille Cure is once again a real overachiever. Round, succulent and deeply expressive, the 2012 hits all the right notes. A host of raspberry jam, iron, smoke, herb and spice notes meld together in this impressive, voluptuous Fronsac. This is a very strong showing. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous) — 9 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.1

Honey, almonds, yellow stone fruits, white flowers, almonds and mint all meld together in the 2010 Verdicchio di Matelica Vigneto Fogliano, a wine that stands out for its textured personality and class. (AG) — 9 years ago

Michael McGuire

9.0

Dark deep red in color. The smell is a bit boozy and you can easily smell the merlot but if you really focus you smell the cab. There is a nice acidity and a bit of an alcohol taste that meld together with the cab and merlot. The oak is the there but in the background. The finish is quite nice with the merlot and cab fighting for dominance. The body, complexity, and overall taste are amazing for a cheap wine. I recommend buying a lot of this at TJs. — 9 years ago

Ron from VA

9.2

Wonderful meld of spice and dark fruit energy! Glad I waited :) — 9 years ago

David Kline

9.1

This one grew on me. Took a few hours, but really began to meld. Went from a fruity pulpy strawberry to a rhubarb and green olive nose bursting with carnation and Rose aromas, and a blood orange, smoky raspberry, and cran-apple pudding, without being sweet. Really well crafted. — 10 years ago

with Courtney

Ron from VA

9.3

Wow! First, I had a small taste via the Coravin... And the reseal worked great over the last year. So when I opened and let this breeze I was blown away at its varietal explosion! Massive amounts of complex peppers and spice meld to form a black hole of dark harvest flavors. This was beyond VA craftsmanship! Ohhh, I wish I had another bottle to pair with some huge red meat entree ;) what is most striking is that 2007 had such high sugar levels that it caused many wines to be flabby… This gem had incredible structure at eight years old! — 10 years ago

Charlie Beatty

Buyer wineworksonline.com

10

Awesome a first for me! I have had multiple vintages of the normal Malbec and others from this producer.. This is there finest offering . Loaded with soft tannins that meld with gobs of Fruit! It was my first wine of the night. Awesome is my thoughts here. CB — 10 years ago

with Andrew, Geirr and 2 others

Rémy Charest

Writer Winecase.ca

9.2

New oak and really great, intense, substantial Chardonnay have a really great relationship. When they meld, it's fabulous. Take this, for example... — 10 years ago

Josh Luhn

Luhn Wine Consulting Owner, Luhn Family Wines

9.3

Wonderful blue flower notes meld with the usual suspects; coco, plum, dark berries. Quite pretty and balanced for the warm 2007 vintage. — 11 years ago

James Forsyth

9.1

Really pretty wine that is definitely best served on the cool side. Great structure with tannins that grip the palate. Crushed roses, red fruit meld together for delicious drinking in the near term. — 7 years ago

Scott Cowan

9.1

Hot Hot Hot. And delicious. Despite the tight grip this astringent Grenache places on all in the bowl, aromas of sour cherries and licorice leap out. They meld velvety-smooth beneath a spicy pepper-dark chocolate coat that drapes over oak, tannins for miles, and bold fruit.
Hard to believe the 14.3% alcohol measurement on the label. Taste buds argue that this wine surpasses 15% for sure.
Will hold up to all meats and strong cheeses. Tasted great with a sauté de foie de canard, aubergines, poivrons rouges, et onions grilles.

Drink now and enjoy for 5-10 years more.... at least. — 8 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.1

The 2012 Joanin Bécot is dark, open and quite seductive. Black cherry, plum, spice and leather all meld together in a very pretty, gracious wine with soft contours to drink now and over the next handful of years. The 2012 is 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. Jean-Philippe Fort is the consulting winemaker. This is a gorgeous wine that delivers superb quality as well as value. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous) — 9 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

8.9

Cantine Lonardo’s 2010 Aglianico is a gorgeous entry-level offering that captures the essence of Aglianico from hillside vineyards in the heart of Taurasi. Smoke, tobacco, incense, licorice and wild dark cherries meld together in a wine endowed with tons of character and pure personality. (AG) — 9 years ago

Zen Zven

9.3

Aromatic notes of soap, savory, black fruits, game . . .
Svelt tannins, smooth acidity, soft texture meld together seamlessly! Result- a deliciously sensual wine.
— 9 years ago

Melanie Eitel

9.2

This is the beauty that started my love for Malbec. Full body flavors that blend and meld for a great wine that you can sip on its own, or have with a roasted pork loin. It has a berry mix with some more earthy undertones and a dash of subtle spicy notes. This one has made it to my top 20 list. — 9 years ago

Mike Mayer

9.0

Bright fruit and oak on the nose. Very nice flavors of raspberries, strawberries, and coffee meld together nicely with a big oaky overtone. The finish is complex with intense oak followed by bright fruit and black olives. Not what I expected but very powerful and interesting. — 9 years ago

with Lisa

Kapyrick Wine

10

V11 WOW! Beautiful wine. Soft, round cedar and slight smoke bouquet, which seamlessly meld into a rich blackberry and pepper spice fruit. Nice round slightly chalky finish.
Winner. — 10 years ago

Rochelle

8.9

Very good right from the bottle . Aroma of violets, lavender, oak , vanilla, and tobacco. Flavor fills the mouth cassis, cedar, tobacco, and a Meld of fruit and great tannins and a long finish ! — 10 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.2

Classic Mourvedre, it's as if the vines slurped the terroir right from the soils. Iron, savory roast wild game, violets, camphor and hot stones meld together into vinous pleasure. A heady nose with a full presence, the palate is perfectly balanced with fruit, minerality, acid and tannin. #bandol #mourvedre — 11 years ago