Daniel Ciolek

9.1

Consistency is good - see my notes from earlier vintage. Approachable on opening. Floral on the nose. Dense spicy raspberry and a touch of leather on the palate. Starting to show some mineral on a moderate long finish. Tannins show at the finish. Perhaps the vines are getting more mature as it seems as if the profile is moving towards an old world style that may need cellaring in future vintages. — 2 years ago

John Pavlovich

9.6

A wonderful bottle of wine, that you usually don’t drink on a lovely warm July evening. But what the heck, why not. We don’t get many evenings like this in our neck of woods. From the first whiff you know it’s a serious wine. In its prime, deep colour, slight bricking at edges, dense and deep, earthy, definitely not a wimpy wine. A long and persistent aftertaste confirms that this is a serious wine. And highly enjoyable one, too bad I don’t have more. — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

From a great looking bottle with a fill almost into the neck. Double decanted and left in the bottle for 5 hours before attacking it. Amber color. Good weight and haunting nose. Notes of old cedar, mocha, plums, cola, dark fruit, molasses and some sweet red cherry. Early on it’s all about the amazing nose. But with time the wine gains weight and you have a gorgeous old St Estephe in front of you. Still giving its all, and although the fruit is somewhat faded, this has complexity and structure that still drives the experience. And that nose is simply stunning. Great showing. — 3 years ago

Daniel Ciolek

9.2

Solid vintage year for the reserve cab. It’s one of the better balanced mid-Atlantic cabs you can find. It has the density and complexity of a top tier cab you’d expect from.more acclaimed Napa vineyards - but without the the ‘in your face’ tannins. Nice job Penn’s Woods! — 4 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.3

The good whites of Burgundy, aka crack cocaine, are what they are because of great blending - in this case, Pierre Benoist of DRC.

This is special not just for the florals, the woods, the citrus, the spice, but for these things together.

Lemon chamomile and a cedar lined drawer. Vibrant and young with a sturdy back and all the confidence in the world. — 5 years ago

Becky Carlson

9.4

Tasted of peaches at first. Delightful! — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Takes its name from the free-spirited gentleman named Bruscone who lived in the woods of the Barbi Estate. Ruby with bright aromas of red berry fruits and wild flower notes. On the palate strawberry and cherry flavors, well balanced with avidity & fine tannins. Lingering finish ending with earthy tones. Nice value. — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Very very dark in colour - opaque. From an up and coming producer in Margaret River as in Deep Woods Estate. More black and red fruits than the usual herbaceous influences you get with Cabernet in Margs. In that sense more. SA or Victoria than normal. Balanced yet powerful flavours of black currant and spice finishing with integrated persistent tannins. Could be cellared until the early 2030s with ease. The Trophy Cabinet is full and I won’t list them all but it has won Trophy for Best Red at Royal Adelaide in 2014, and in Royal Hobart and Best Cabernet Merlot or Bordeaux blend at Royal Melbourne amongst many others. This was the first of 6 and I will enjoy the other 5 over the next 8 to 10 years. — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Tasted blind. Yellow gold in the glass, with similar notes as the 96 BBM and Batard next to it. Massive acidity. More floral than the other two. Very rich. This went neck and neck all night with the Batard as the best of the three. At first I liked the Chevy more but the Batard was right there too. 97+ — 3 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.3

This is Grade A Gamay manufactured right here in the USA. Tamed, cool to touch. No stemmy crunch, no VA. Elegant and dialed in, expressive fruit and soft comfortable blankety textures to snuggle right into.

Blatant black cherries, tiny wild strawberries and raspberries all the way down to a balanced bed of acid. — 3 years ago

with Cody

Jason

9.0

A beautifully balanced wine, with a lingering after-taste that makes you really enjoy a glass of this wine. — 4 years ago

with Melodie

Brett Rogosin

9.0

Golden copper. Slight notes of petrol, over ripe dried apricots, marzipan, golden raisins, crisp honey crisp apple, honey. Ooh...sugared caramel candies honey apple, apricots and golden raisins. It’s yummy. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Takes its name from the free-spirited gentleman named Bruscone who lived in the woods of the Barbi Estate. Enticing Ruby with sweet red berry aromas and earthy notes. On the palate cherry, licorice and sweet plum showing nicely. Fine tannins, well balanced on lingering finish ending with earthy herb tones. Needs decanting or cellar aging. Very nice! — 6 years ago

Douglas Braun

8.9

Underbrush herbs leather cherry fruit great balance nice had sparklers from Tasmania one of the few still wines -really pretty wine — 7 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Super mineral nose with discreet framing oak. Lemon flesh. Some rainer cherries. Saline and iodine. Subtle yet focused and incredibly complex nose. Such nice earth and mineral tones. Smells like Burgundy of yesteryear. Palate is so lean, salty and concentrated with a lingering hint of complex sweetness from the wood on the incredibly persistent finish. So juicy and leaning on the palate and just laser focused. So long. This has much more to give and has closed down a bit since I tasted it last. But a stunner. I’ll be back as it airs.

After 4 hours this is a wonder and has opened beautifully. Clear barely ripe granny smith apple, stunning mineral breadth and some white flowers. Palate is so juicy and saline. Luscious. It’s loosened up quite a bit. Long, structured finish. Super juicy. Fantastic. — 3 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Been a while delectable family. Flu then covid and only 3 wines in that period. Well I am back and smell and taste are as they were before all of this. Nose has peach skin, some ripe peach flesh but not too ripe, confectionary aromas. Loads of wet stones and pulverized shale. Super aromatic. Like a cross between Pfalz/Alsace. Palate is lean and precise. Really clean, balanced and so pure. Fiercely mineral. Lovely peach flesh, skin and sap on the very long finish. Really juicy and engaging. Delicious! — 3 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Gorgeous herbaceous nose. Beguiling mid to late cherry and a top note of an 18th century German Apotheke. Really fragrant, clear and vivid. Cola, cherry flower and loads of intense minerality. Really firing on all cylinders. Tree bark. Undergrowth. Just so complex. Palate is stuffed with structure, sappy vivid fruit and a banging long finish. Really long. Superb purity and density. But remains elegant and nimble. Wow this is long. Great inner mouth aromas and so juicy. This will get better with air but 9.4 off the bat. This ramps up the finesse as it gets air. Sweeter fruit as well but not too sweet. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Lemon Yellow in colour. Muted nose initially giving a mineral and lemon note. Very lemony and citrus generally on the palate, eventually a stony, river pebble like minerality. Bracing acidity which will see this go on for a few more years. The following day a marine shell note. Preferred the 2013 Deep Woods Reserve Chardonnay for a quarter of the price. — 4 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

It is not close. This is the best domestic Cabernet Franc I’ve ever had. Insane nose. It smells like if Foillard made a Cabernet Franc. Sick florals. Like OMG florals. Gorgeous berry fruit and lovey hint of wonderful sweet herbs. It is such a deep and enveloping aroma that it is almost too intoxicating. Just a total wow nose. Truly amazing. You can sniff so so hard and more and more aroma arrives in your nose. Just stunning. 9.6 nose. Really stunned. Confectionary as well. Palate is so refined, so elegant and so juicy. Just extraordinary. It’s medium bodied and insanely fresh, with such refined, ripe and substantial tannins. So pure. What balance. 40% whole cluster. Loess soils. What a long incredible finish and the fruit just sticks to the back of the palate. A truly brilliant wine. — 5 years ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.1

On the finessed and lighter side of Shiraz. Delicious. — 7 years ago