Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Nose of lemon oil, citrus oil, slate, soupy but fresh and super clean. Very perfumed. Palate is superb. So so elegant and layered. Pretty as can be with ripe citrus and stone fruits. Stoney finish with tons of citrus pith. Beautiful explosiveness. Clean and balanced with excellent acidity but not overwhelming. Good concentration and compactness. Piquant. Some yellow plums and apricot on the finish. After 30 minutes this brings the elegance big time. Wow. What a gorgeous wine. — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.4

II’ve loved all the Sandhi 2012 range of whites & this £65 S&B is superb 👍 Paired with enough curry to get a small village going regular for a week 🤣 💨 sorry I didn’t take pics of that feast 😁

📍 Sandhi Sandford & Benedict Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay 2012 @sandhiwines

🏵 94 points

🍷 Golden yellow

👃 Chopped pineapple, crushed rock mineral, lemon oil, key lime pie, honey gloop & white jasmine flowers w/ light oak, vanilla & apple

👄 Med+ body of creamy refreshing clean tropical & citrus yummyness without being overly syrupy & a hit of green apple, pineapple, honey & minerality in med acidity

🎯 Med+ fresh apple, citrus & tropical trickle w/ a dry mineral honeyed pineapple slapette — 8 years ago

William Hughes

9.5

Nuanced and sexy! Slightly oxidated and notes of pineapple, citrus oil, and rocks. — 8 years ago

Conrad Green

9.4

Very polished. Lemon oil and very refreshing. Great middle. Depth and lovely acidity. — 8 years ago

with Chris, Matt and 2 others

Bryce Wiatrak

9.2

Tactile and structure - coconut, salt, lemon oil, grapefruit peel even with some more feral, earthy tones. Super tight, condensed at the moment, but beaming with promise — 9 years ago

Max Kelly

9.3

Initially showing some oak and grip, but this settled into a cedar-y, spicy, elegant wine. Initially lagging behind the '01 La Mission, the intensity and integration built with time and air. By the end of the night, it was neck in neck. Great wine that will improve with another few years. — 10 years ago

with Chris and Alessandro

Michael Mcdermott

9.4

Ok I decided time to drink what you have bought. This was amazing. Low mid neck ullage. Of course needed 30 minutes out of bottle but still deep dark purple. Tannins soft. Leather and earth as you would expect. — 11 years ago

Riccardo L.

8.9

Some other guy said he smells engine oil and rubber and bacon on this.... yeah... I smell rubber... and maybe even bacon. Nice pluck. But the engine oil??? Anyway, it's delicious. A hybrid grape that's comparable to some big time wines I've tried in the past. Impressive! — 11 years ago

Todd Alexander

9.3

Drinking well but getting close to being over the hill. Orange oil, petrol, toasted notes, wet stones, white flowers, straw...rich and full. — 11 years ago

with Carrie and Lauren

Steven Beal

10

The vino that started it all in vintage court. Definitely at or past peak but my favorite wine maker of all time — 13 years ago

Charlie Tapp

8.9

Pineapple and lemon oil. — 6 years ago

Christina

9.8

Honey on the nose...a bit of bitter in the aftertaste. Oil, but weight. Lovely to drink!!! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

A great vintage and stupidly good with Hedy’s Melted Racklette Confit Potatoes with smoked olive oil. What a pair!!!

If you enjoy this young, over chill and decant one hour. It needs it and it vastly improves.

Hedy is our good friend and is a chef who would earn 1-2 Michelin Stars should she choose to open a restaurant but, wishes not to do. Check out Hedy’s Pop Up Dinner business @plate&bottle on Facebook.

January 22nd notes apply. — 8 years ago

with James and Christina

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 — 8 years ago

Conrad Green

9.7

Deep lemon oil, slate, and a flintiness. Wonderfully oily midpalate. Still fresh and focused. Amazing stuff- this still has years aheadClarity and length with a rounded delicious freshness. — 8 years ago

with Chris, Matt and 2 others

Anthony Biagi

Winemaker Hourglass, Owner Patria

9.1

S02 finally calmed down and wonderful roasted hazelnut, lemon oil and spearmint aromas are followed by hints of Lemon custard, brioche and lees. For a BB just really satisfying — 9 years ago

Sian McDonald

8.9

It's filthy gorgeous! — 10 years ago

Rachel Van Til

9.4

Peach yogurt, cranberry, tart raspberry, distinctive salinity and searing acidity. Almond oil, unripe tangerine. — 11 years ago

Alex Mcmahon

9.3

Cooked dates, walnuts, figs! Looks and cots a glass like motor oil — 11 years ago

Ryan Johnson

9.4

Tasty, floral, sharp acidity, slight oil finish — 11 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

8.9

This bottle is not what it should be. Piney, resinous, but with motor oil kind of phenolics. Good but odd. — 12 years ago

Aravind A

9.6

Whoa. On the nose: ripe sweet peach, honeysuckle, bright sweet lemon oil, guava, lime, lovely and amazingly intense. On the palate, fantastic acidity, excellent dry extract, slate, lime oil, sweet peach, and white pepper on the intense finish. This is a stunning btl of wine. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A pre-tasting of my heavy meat red sauce in order to fine tune the spices and seasoning it before serving for 30 people for our friend’s 60th birthday party tomorrow night.

The sauce is 9 cans of whole tomato’s crushed & drained, 9 can cans of tomato sauce, 3 cans of tomato paste, 6.5 pound whole pork roast braised in diced garlic & olive oil that falls apart & shreds when done, 5 pepperoni sticks sliced, 4 pounds of meatballs (with Italian bread crumbs, garlic salt, coarse black pepper, eggs with warm water) and 14 seasonings & spices slow cooked over 36-48 hours. It’s a blend that once it’s done is magical harmony in the mouth like a well crafted & aged wine.

The wine works well but, I’ll have better pairing wines tomorrow night.

The nose reveals; dark, sweet & slightest sour dark cherries, cherry kirsch liqueur notes, ripe, bright blackberries, baked black plum, ripe, juicy, strawberries, slightly candied black raspberries, blue fruits, mixed berry cola, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, dry stems, soft, leaner, sweet, tarriness, touch of dry herbs with the most amazing, bright, red, dark blue florals, violets and shades of lavender.

The body is medium full, round with great mouth presence. The tannins nicely, rounded, slightly tarry and baby teeth. The tension, structure, length and balance have just started to tango. Dark, sweet & slightest sour dark cherries, cherry kirsch liqueur notes, ripe, bright blackberries, baked black plum, ripe, juicy, strawberries, slightly candied black raspberries, blue fruits, mixed berry cola, medium intensity dark spice with a little palate heat, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, dry stems, leathery, dry tobacco, shades of graphite, soft, leaner, sweet, tarriness, nutmeg, clove, a touch of dry herbs with the most amazing, bright, red, dark blue florals, violets and shades of lavender. The acidity is nicely executed. The long finish is nicely knitted, balanced fruit and earth, polished with soft, brilliant florals and persists minutes.

Third largest Co-op in Europe and they produce some quality wines. Especially, for the volume the make.

Delectable has this @ $99. I bought it at Costco upon release for $28.99.

Photos of, the beautiful, quaint hilltop town of Barbaresco, my meat sauce, their tasting room just to the right at the feet of the clock tower with Gaja just a little further down to the right of there and the best Michelin star restaurant we’ve experienced for lunch. We dined there right after our visit to Gaja. What service, food and a day!
— 7 years ago

Eric

9.5

65% Semillon/35% SB. Wafty layers of apple, Carmel, light roasted nuts, lemon oil, and butterscotch. Looong oily finish. Probably in my top 3 lifetime white wines. — 9 years ago

John Willison

9.0

Lemon zest, almond oil, minerals nose. Balanced lemon citrus and oily mineral terroir. — 9 years ago

with Ken, dmoore61 and 1 other

George Chen

9.4

This is a 61 and albeit not great in Sauternes that year this wine was in perfect balance of fruits, acids with lengthy backbone. Not as intense as 67 or 59 of course but beautifully elegant. Color as dark golden with touch of hazelnut brown. Neck fill. Perfect cork. — 10 years ago

Gillian Robb

9.7

Lemon oil, oxidized golden apple, oak. So silky and beautiful. — 11 years ago

Timothy Anderson

9.1

A little sweetness in this smooth drinking red blend. Very good wines that I only rarely get when driving by Dahlgren as this winery only sells on their estate. — 11 years ago

David Landrum

9.2

'79 5th growth. 5th element. Tons of life left, fill up in the neck. Old apples, pipe tobacco, raspberries. #Maturewinerules — 11 years ago

Samuel Danthine

8.9

Langedoc Roussillon, rocky powerful — 13 years ago