Kyle Harvey

9.1

Wow. Just a baby, but so perfumed, legit road construction and a florist shop - bright red cherries and perfect acidity. This is GATTINARA. — 8 years ago

Adam

9.2

A very pleasant graciano från Baron de Ley. Incredibly balanced in its construction. — 8 years ago

Fredybeans

9.1

Jaune fonce. Nez minéral et tres mur Avec des notes de fruits rouges et de cire pierre chaude. Tres puissant
Bouche très large puissante grasse mais avec un côté pierreux à la rangen de thann
Finale sur un mélange miel gras et frais.
Très beau vin avec une construction tel que savenniere ou rangen. — 8 years ago

Ron R

9.2

We drink a lot of this. Yes, it's a construction site, but we love it. It's rich, lush, decadent and over the top. Bite us! — 9 years ago

with Anne-marie

Victor H Miesel

9.1

Very full bodied and complex with a French interpretation of the classic Malbec dominance. The French construction adds depth, complexity, finish and smooths or tempers the tendency of Malbec to be overly intense, but lacking in depth and complexity. A better "Malbec", in my view. — 10 years ago

Paul Gurule

9.0

A great 2nd label from Hollywood & Vine. Currently available @ HEB Midland for $29.98 — 11 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.2

This is the second win and 2005 is a bit muted on the nose the 2000 vintage is a milestone and they make an even tighter selection with this wine they have a construction project going on and they are always improving things they now have sensors to see just ow the temperate use changes win eshipment nice evolution on the nose with — 12 years ago

Craig Williams

9.3

Bordeaux construction with lovely black currant, black cherry, fennel, oak scents; nice balance and length. A well-proportioned Cab. @ Manny’s Steakhouse in Minneapolis; great beef! — 8 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

This wine at first had a lot of heat going on. Took about two hours even after double decanting it to settle down!! Dark maroon to the glass with a nose of blackberry and limestone. Very gravelly kind of nose. The wine enters with dark blackberry fruit, slightly sweet with good extraction. Still quite youthful. Hint of black licorice. The middle is darker. More of an herbal side kind of comes out here. The finish is where I can see this one really shining in a few years. Black pepper and a ton of it. Black fruit emerges but still quite a bit of tannin and acidity. This wine despite a double decent and 3 hours of air time is still developing. I am only halfway comfortable with putting a number on this wine. Good bones, but finish still under construction. — 8 years ago

Darren Dittrich

9.1

2012 Durrell is ready to drink in 2017. Balanced construction, but could use a bit more fruit. — 9 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.3

Friend celebrating birthday nicknamed "Magic" for his contracting/construction skills, so thought this appropriate. Drinking so well at 12.1% ABV. Blue fruit, pepper. — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Nice wine from them in 2015. New vinification addition under construction. Should be ready for the 2016 vintage. — 10 years ago

Keith Levenberg

9.4

The only Vieilles Vignes in the flower lineup chez Naudin, this is on a whole 'nother plane from the others, which are wonderful but not nearly so packed as this. Structurally this reminds me of an old-style Pommard, maybe on account of the Montille Epenots '93 from the other day still fresh in my mind, to which this is somewhat similar. It features an indescribable array of scents sweet, spicy, and stony but it's the construction that really seems to show off that old-vine raw material. Dense without being primary (in fact the fruit is already kind of developed and winey) and packed with tannin that makes it sturdier than the other more delicate flower labels, while still having a sophisticated suede like grain. — 10 years ago

Liz O'Neal

9.6

Slate, graphite, burnt pencil, concrete, construction zone — 12 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

The 14 is a blend of 77% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc & 7% Merlot. Nose of; ruby dark cassis, blackberries, black plum, dark cherries, black raspberries, hues of blue fruits, pepper and liquid violets. The mouthfeel is lush & ruby. M+ body & M+ tannins. Blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries and hues of blue fruits. Crushed rocks, soft leather, dry herbs, underbrush, loamy soil powder, notes of cigar, violets, dark florals, nice acidity and beautifully round, lush finish with sex appeal. Photos of; an aerial view of Pepper Bridge, estate grapes going through veraison, Owner-Norm McKibben, and ground shot of the estate. Producer notes and history...Norm McKibben is one of founding fathers of Walla Walla's wine industry. To his good friends and colleagues, he is better know as "Stormin' Norman." In Norm's 30 plus years in Walla Walla, the valley has evolved from a 40 vineyard acres to an appellation with more than 2,800 acres under vine. A good portion of the boom can be attributed to Norm even after coming to the game late after working for several decades as an engineer in the construction industry. Not wanting to retire after, he moved to Walla Walla to become an apple farmer. In 1989, he realized Walla Walla's potential for grape growing. Norm planted his first vineyard with help from his wife, Virginia and their eldest son, Shane. Two years later, Norm added Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. These vines soon became the backbone of Pepper Bridge. Not long after he expanded his business and resume further. Norm got involved in the budding wine industry. He served as a partner and director at Canoe Ridge Vineyards, Hogue Cellars and worked with a number of Walla Walla's leading vintners. In 1996, he partnered with Gary Figgins of Leonetti Cellar and Marty Clubb of L'Ecole No. 41. At this point, McKibben had increased his vineyard holdings to 200 acres. In 1998, Norm officially started Pepper Bridge Winery. Today, Pepper Bridge Winery is a benchmark property in Walla Walla and Norm is an icon of the industry. He manages and consults for more than 600 acres of the top vineyard sites in Walla Walla; Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills and Les Collines. Norm also has introduced state of the art irrigation systems, soil moisture temperature monitoring equipment and sustainable farming techniques. Norm is a big believer in sustainable viticulture. All of his vineyards are certified sustainable by VINEA, the Walla Walla Valley's Sustainable Trust, and LIVE, an Oregon-based sustainable viticulture organization. They are also certified Salmon Safe and are monitored by the IOBC, the international body responsible for setting sustainability standards. In 1998, the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers honored Norm as "Grape Grower of the Year." That same year, he was appointed chair of the Washington Wine Commission and served in that position until retiring from the organization in 2001. If there is a Maverick of the Walla Walla wine producers, it would be Norm. — 8 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.1

Lots of immediate satisfaction due to opulent construction but not the complete package on the back end. Interesting comp to other mid-00's Cabs of the night. — 9 years ago

ie

9.0

A delicate even if vinous riesling profile. Vertical, incisive a bit pungent and savage. Good construction and persistence. Quite simple but so good. — 9 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.1

Fascinating-comes out of bottle first like tarred duckling, but unfolds into a sleeker, black core fruit beast, w both acidic scaffold of barbera but w a more burnished version if its fruitiness. Aged min 6-8 years, 1/2 of which is in bottle. Still a bit of an oddity & not sure if i love it, but respect its construction. 10% nebbiolo. Rosenthal import
— 10 years ago

Isaac Mitchell

8.9

Distinctively French, rich tannins, solid construction, too small of a bottle.
— 11 years ago

Mark Howard

9.7

Quality in every way. Rich taste, nice texture, good for both sipping and pairing with pretty strong foods. Even the bottle construction seemed nice and hefty and conveyed quality. We give this our top rating, which means we will stock it in our wine cellar as a regular. — 12 years ago