Eric Crane

Sommelier & Educator Empire Wine Distributors

9.9

Bonkers. Loads of primary fruit. Seems like it was bottled yesterday. Explosive and just kind of mind altering. Hard to believe how this showed with such age. — a month ago

Jake Hajer

9.1

Lemonade earth. — a month ago

Amit Srivastava

9.1

Dependable! — 2 months ago

with Gunja

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.4

So good. Leaner vintage. — 3 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Deep Ruby color with aromas of dark fruits, spice and toasty oak. On the palate flavors of cherry, blackberry and plum with spice, herbs, cacao, tobacco and toasty tones from 18 months of oak aging. Full ripe tannins you can bite into, long finish ending with fruit and an earthy toasty spice character. Nice! Will age! — 25 days ago

Victor Hsu

9.0

Promising red fruit on the nose but a bit too tannic—decanting was de rigueur. After 45 minutes it was better but still tight. It took a full two hours to open up fully and show interesting notes of tobacco, earth and pencil shavings to balance the fruit and acid. Tells me that I should wait another five years before opening my remaining bottles. Enjoyed the 2021 vintage with prime ribeye cap steak from Costco, chicken liver pate and Taleggio cheese, with visiting family (William, Teresa, Xander and Samantha). — 2 months ago

Roberto Carli

9.2

Crazy to say but…too young! Balanced and dark but has yet to develop the spice rack subtleness and tannins can still evolve further — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Opened the evening prior at 7pm and double-decanted; the bottle was left at room temp with the cork pressed lightly back into the neck until service. The 2000 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core and a slightly water rim; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous and showing some real power with a compelling combination of ripe and desiccated fruit: dark brambles, cassis, leather, dill, olives, spiced meat, tobacco and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and whoa is it ever delicious. This has to be one of the wines of the vintage. Drink now through 2040. — a month ago

Victor Hsu

9.3

Delightfully complicated California Chard masquerading as a White Burgundy. French nose and French finish. Minerals, flint, stone and fruit—apple, pear, peach and nectarine, with an obvious but restrained layer of oak. Not overly fruity or oaky; no pineapple or butterscotch here. Paired well with the Seafood Tower, Swordfish and Black Cod at the Water Grill Santa Monica. This was a juvenile 2021 vintage, tasted in 2024. Eager to try this gem after another half decade. — 2 months ago

romo

9.1

Clean, if basic. Versatile. — 2 months ago