Shay A

9.5

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

I had this wine a year and a half ago...and I think it may be better now! Still hard for me to wrap my head around Hundred Acre tasting and aging like this. Brilliant bright ruby in the glass. Soft cherries, sweet ripe black cherries, sandalwood, nutmeg and added baking spices. Very balanced and elegant on the palate...cherries jubilee and liqueur, sweet kirsch and licorice. Drinking beautifully! I was between old Napa cab and Italian merlot. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Ken Z

9.0

Drank 7/2/18. Another Value Costco wine at around $12. This got a 95 from Decanter. Makes me scratch my head, but it is a nice value. Nice pairing with Rigatonni with a mushroom ragu.

Nose of red and black cherry with a touch of earth and spice. Red cherry, with light earth and tar flavors backed by medium tannins. Tannins produce a drying effect on the finish, that fades to leave behind juicy red cherry flavors. I don't get a lot of oak notes, aside for some spice presence. You could easily confuse this for an Italian red.

Addendum: After vacuum sealing for a couple of days more aromas of earth and some light wood scents emerge, and the flavors seem to darken a bit. Perhaps this will improve with a couple of years in bottle. I will adjust my initial rating from an 89 to a 90.

3/22/7 +1/4/3 +50 = 90 pts — 8 years ago

Joe Lucca

9.4

The aromatics on this are amazing. You can smell this 2-3 feet away from the glass. Super earthy and deeeply concentrated, yet balanced with the right amount of fruit and acid. @Mike R I need to get my hands on more of this. — 9 years ago

with Martin, Mike and 2 others

George Yasutake

9.7

#2 Insignia of the night for our vertical. Very different from the 1999, but still one of my all time favorite Insignias. Let's see how it compares to the 1997 vintage. — 10 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.4

Oh wow. I've been a huge fan of Celia, but this is my first time trying her own wine. Gave it a 2 hour decant and it has opened up beautifully. Spice, tobacco and blackberries on the nose. Kirsch on the palate with a hearty dose of fruit and vanilla - this is a rich, medium bodied wine with very soft tannins. And it is delicious. Thank you @David L and Kristen for the recommendation! So glad I was able to find a bottle and finally try it. — 10 years ago

Jeff Vejr

9.3

One of my "go to" rosés each vintage. 4 red - 2 white blend from Provence. Pair this with anything. — 10 years ago

David L

9.5

Full-bodied Beauty. 2 hours+ opened. Very dark ruby red with purple edges. Complexity & density of few other 08'. Dark chocolate, cherry, new oak, big chunk of stone. A bit of chalkiness. 10/15 years in front of it. I'll wait a few years to open my last bottle of 08'. — 11 years ago

Eric Grasser

9.3

My last bottle, so I was holding my breath while it opened. Decanted. Nose was fully matured showing tobacco, tar, cedar and bay leaf. Took 2 hours for the cherry fruit to come through. Still alive and well and paired perfectly with dish of spiced sausage and black-eyed peas. — 12 years ago

A. R.

9.5

Excellent and restrained Rhone blend. Almost pinot-like. Sorry it's my last bottle... — 13 years ago

with Paulette

Tom Garland

9.6

2 hour decant(lots of chunky sediment). Served a little above cellar temp. A formidable murky dark ruby red with a little bricking. On the nose: bursting from the glass is menthol, cassis, sweet blackberry, wet rocks, cinnamon. Taste: big black cherry, earth, tar, with soft, sweet but still a little there tannins. A vanilla bitter chocolate long finish. Rich and compelling with great structure. Drinking great, but will go another 10 years...probably my favorite of the 06 Bond wines. — 6 years ago

with Brenda

Joanne Levy

9.7

I have been spoiled. All other red wines taste like dreck. Hoarding my last 2 bottles, but there will surely be some reason to celebrate soon. — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

At my 65th last November 2017 at good friends Jim and Vicci Hunter. This Grange was a big hit with Wine Spectator magazine being awarded Wine of the year in the mid 90’s. At this tasting it was showing its pedigree and doing it easily at 27 years of age back then. The oak is not as prominent as it has been. Incredible balance. 2 bottles left from the original dozen. Next in 2020. — 9 years ago

Charlie Frago

9.3

Wonderful- took 1/2 to 1 hr and opened up nicely. Even my wife liked. Which is good?
— 9 years ago

Steve Martinelli

9.5

SoH is one of my favorite wineries. This is a big, bold red. Plenty of tannins and acidity. Plenty of dark red and black fruit. This needed a solid 2 hours decanted to open. Lay this down for a long time. — 10 years ago

Paul Crabbe

9.2

I'm sold on Location's wine. This blend isn't super dry (my preference) but it's not sweet either (no thanks). Will be buying more from them. — 10 years ago

Mike Holzer

9.1

One of my fav Bourdeauxs and less and only $11. For my palate beats the $100+ ones I tried. Better on day 2 — 10 years ago

with Ania

Matthew Marcino

9.2

One of my favorites. What a succulent wine. Incredible after a 2 hour decant. Tight up front, but after time, juice, bold but not too heavy — 11 years ago

Angus MacIntire

9.0

One of my favorite blends. — 12 years ago

Garry Brydges

10

This is now in my top 10 everyday wines! Definitely requires some time to open up (roughly 1-2 hours). Heavy tart red with blackberry, dark cherry, full body, silky satin start and tapers to a creamy tart finish that resonates for about 3-4 minutes. Poured in 1.5 to 2 oz splashes is the best way to drink... — 12 years ago

Dale Cruse

10

Probably my favorite dessert wine. — 14 years ago

Adam Eagan

9.7

One of my favorite wines. This beauty has everything I love about Paso Syrah in excess. Blue/black berry fruit over paso minerality, and booker’s signature aromatic profile. Almost like a coconut root beer spilled on crushed rocks. Much more red fruit and acidity on the palate as well. Almost Saxum like. Absolutely gorgeous. Won’t be opening another for 2 plus years. Still youthfully tannic. Calmed down on day 2:) — 7 years ago

Anthony De Blasi

9.2

Last 2 bottles didn't impress me much, this one did, big time! Off course, my last bottle... — 7 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.6

Revisiting this just two weeks shy of a year later and my notes are nearly identical. 2 hour decant. Huge nose of blackberry with a faint hint of mint. Dark fruit dominates a voluptuous mouthfeel - liquid silk - sweet tannins. Great balance and in a great drinking spot. The ‘10 of this Spring Mountain beauty was made by Helen Keplinger. So good. — 9 years ago

JJ Lumia

9.2

Another Killer Wine Night! Theme: awesome. Tasted blind as always.
#KWN Wine 1. Blackberry fruit, with a lot of smoke and BBQ charcoal flavors. Last had 2 years ago; drank young but was fine. This drank hot. Very hot. This improved substantially as the night went on and had been opened for 60-90 min. It is still way too young and can go 10 years without breaking a sweat. But I don't think this bottle is transitioning. I still think there was a bottle issue, especially considering my last tasting notes. I left early so interested to see what my counterparts say after it aired for another hour. — 9 years ago

Lenard Henson

9.7

Lenard had this 10 years ago

Stephen Pierron

9.3

Rich and Intense Dark Fruit with slight French oak on the palate. Jammy notes of plum, currant,dark fruit, mocha, with a fair amount of acidity. This wine needs time to breathe before drinking - 1 to 2 hours in the decanter. Enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon but the Prisoner Blend still reigns in my opinion! — 10 years ago

Krystalle

10

Day 1: Very light and fruity- I was expecting something heavy and a little bitter, based in what I'd read of the grape. But it was quite easy to drink and went well with my steak and salad. I would have picked slightly lighter fare than steak if I had known this wine would be so lively! If I can get this again, I will age it to see how it compares.

Day 2: Matured noticeably, much more body, less easy drinking but still delicious, if not moreso. I now get a slight oak(?) edge, with notes of coca. I do get a bit of fruit, but it's bow blackcurrant. So if you did not like this Tempranillo when you opened it, try it the next day. It transforms quite a bit. I liked both. A perfect wine experience.
— 10 years ago

Ron Katz

9.0

Thanks to my friend Laura for turning ne on to this. Love it! — 11 years ago

Ty Agens

9.5

My #2 favorite Beaujolais. — 12 years ago

Steven Schlenker

10

My favorite and the group's #2, I preferred the 76 to the 78 but most others liked the 78 more — 13 years ago