Tom Garland

9.5

+1 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A splendid medium dark garnet color. On the nose: perfumed notes of red fruit, herbaceous, eucalyptus, mushroom, smoked meat, ripe olives, sweet tobacco. Taste: rich, velvety full wine with brambly dark cherry/plum, coffee, dark chocolate, orange peel, and a peppery- dried herbs- gamey long finish. YUM! A nicely aged and elegant wine with soft tannins and good acidity!! — a year ago

with Brenda

Jay Kline

9.7

Presented double-blind. The wine appears straw in color with medium viscosity and, apparently, there lots of tiny bubbles so there are signs of gas, LOL. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady notes of ripe orchard fruit, red forest berries, marzipan, lemon curd, fresh brioche. On the palate, the wine is dry with high acidity. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish lasts for an eternity. The texture is ever so creamy. Wow…well, I was drinking something special. Had to be Champagne. Maybe vintage? Maybe a tête de cuvée? The style was similar to Krug. Called Champagne from a producer like Krug. OMG…the 1996 Vintage Brut?! Sheesh…someone was feeling generous! Admitted, I don’t often get to drink vintage Krug (for many hundreds of reasons!) so my experience is obviously limited. However, there’s clearly no question in this being true to house style and, now that I know the vintage, this is showing why 1996 is so special. As others have noted, this is fresher than the 1995 I had some months ago (though, that was very special too) and had greater acid. I would like to think this provides a crystal ball for the 2008 vintage that is sure to follow a similar trajectory. Drinking very fine indeed, right now and should continue to do so through 2046…depending on how you like to drink your Champagne. — 2 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby core, garnet rim . More leafy and crunchy cassis, slightly foursquare , cooler slightly mint touches . Crunchy dark fruits on the palate , more tobacco , cedar , grafite notes , fills out on the palate pretty well. Good refreshing acidity , moderate quite fine tannins, slight green notes on the ok length . Good to drink now and probably won’t improve very much , now and over the next 10 years. — 3 years ago

Pooneet K

9.1

Very nice champagne. It’s not quite Krug and the bubbles aren’t quite fine enough but I like the Bollinger style. Seems to find the right balance between depth and fullness and precision. Perfect start to a series of great Christmas eating. — 6 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

An amazing Vintage Champagne! A perfect column of fine and persistent bubbles in the glass. Aromas of yellow apple, brioche, fresh oak and Parmesan Cheese rind. Pear, white peach, citrus and crusty bread flavors on the pallet. Creamy and silky texture. This one could have stayed in the bottle longer, but we could not help ourselves. Stately and Elegant. Thank you, Kase! — 6 years ago

with Kasey

Dario Scimeca

9.6

Outstanding despite a disintegrating cork. Rich but low alcohol. Dark but light on its feet. Very, very fine. — 8 years ago

with Heather and Tom

Gibson Campbell

9.0

Like opening up a box of fine cigars — 9 years ago

Steven K

9.3

Had at Christmas, the best rioja I've had. Plum and layers of flavor, the med+ tannins work fine to hold this together. Really good value still at $50. Rated #1wine of 2016 seems a little generous though. — 9 years ago

Mike Frye

9.1

Perfect river beer — 10 years ago

Meghan Schmeltzer

9.0

Smooth red wine. Not sweet but delicious! — 10 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Pretty deep garnet ruby , garnet rim . This is pretty open and aromatic, with smoky creme de cassis , grafite , blackberry and cedar , light herbal touches , really quite classic and noble . On the palate this has good balance and density , good freshness also . Ripe , very fine but perceptible tannins . Dark fruits , grafite , tobacco , long and detailed slightly mineral notes on the good length finish . Really elegant , though quite serious and traditional, not easy to pull off. This is drinking perfectly now (Coravin might have helped here , I would certainly decant if I had a full bottle) , though still quite fruit driven with some tertiary complexity coming through . Really harmonious and complex . From now and over the next 15 years, maybe more . At Doppo Restaurant, Soho . — a year ago

Doug Powers

9.3

Sometimes no other wine will do for me than old-style (13% ABV) Bordeaux, and this lovely medium-aged Pauillac absolutely fills the bill, redfruits, structured but not really tannic, great acid balance really lifts the fruit, not a blockbuster, but very fine nonetheless, I could drink a lot of this!! — 3 years ago

with Jim

Fredrik Finn

9.2

medium + intense, developing aromas of red apples, lemon fruit drops and some redberried raspberries my streaks , nougat, vanilla, pastry, roasted nuts and a chalk, white button mushroom undergrowth.
Dry experience on the palate, high refreshing but integrated acidity, the fine beaded mousse opens up rather wild but soon mellows into a creamy and persistent and linar character cross the palate, Chalky mid palate with a tighting finish with character of red apples, tangerines and dusty chalk. balanced and serious finish, but lacks the dimension to reach the ens zone. — 5 years ago

Conrad Green

9.6

This is lovely. Starting to hit the secondary phase. Some toasted brioche, warm biscuit flavors. Fine mousse with delicate acidity. Broad but refined. This is really complete, sophisticated and delicious. — 6 years ago

with Aaron, Walker and 2 others

Bob McDonald

9.5

Very dark crimson, almost black. Opulent aromas of cassis, mulberry, herbs and earth. Same opulence on the lush rich full bodied palate with notes of milk chocolate and black currant finishing with fine resolved and polished tannins. This to me is a typical high quality Napa Valley Cabernet - so fluid, generous and velvety in my limited experience with the genre. — 7 years ago

Namho Kim

9.3

A fine rioja. Off a coravin’ed magnum bottle. Loved it — 8 years ago

Matthew Dye

9.7

Another excellent bottle of this fine cab. — 9 years ago

with Courtney

Tom Kobylarz

9.1

Of the 2 Bordeaux drinking the best tonight, but long term the Brane-Cantenac 2005 will outlive this wine by 10 years easy. While very complex, a fine touch a green is traceable.

A classic currant and forest floor nose, fall leaves abound with a spike of spice and a barely there green that while subtle is apparent.

The pleasure here is higher for its more mature tasted and feel, while the brawny 2005 is a better wine it was not as enjoyable to me and feel it will be another notch enter in 3 years, and likely 2 notches better in 5.

The elegance and feel on this wine is ready to go and will easily go another 5+ years. — 10 years ago

Jason Kissane

9.5

A great champagne! Lovely toast, complexity and very fine bubbles - 1996 vintage — 11 years ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.5

Deep Rich and Polished Nose. The substance is pure, fine and Elegant then comes a punch of Power towards the end.
Really nice buddy here.
94-96 — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Opened and double decanted several hours prior to service; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 1996 pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with a lovely combination of ripe and desiccated fruit: cassis, brambles, horse blanket, cigar box, old leather, earth and spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Another lovely and immensely charming Poyferré. Drink now with a decant and through 2046. — 2 years ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.8

So elegant Montrose. It builds up an epic journey in the aftertaste. Rich and opulent as usual but with a fine touch of incredible level.
Softer extraction resulted on a fruitier, more sapid and rounder wine than usual. It feels it’s going to be approachable in its youth. — 2 years ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.2

Pale yellow robe, fine bubbles, good acidity, balanced, complex, elegant. Excellent champagne. — 4 years ago

with Jose and Adriana

Cristiano Humberto Naves de Freitas Azevedo

9.1

Fine bubbles — 6 years ago

Paul Krzych

9.4

My second favorite after Ruinart. Lovely fine bubbles exuding citrus, orange marmalade, and just baked brioche. Delicious for brunch and Sunday football. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Had this over a year ago, this is a new batch, a Fav! Rodolphe Péters took over the reins of this venerable estate in the southern Côte des Blancs in 2008, becoming the fourth generation to lead since the estate was founded in 1919, under the name Camille Péters. 100% Chardonnay, Crisp, fine mousse with steady flow of bubbles. Citrus, and biscuit aromas. Fresh fruit flavors of peach, apples and lemons, smooth and dry. Long mineral finish ending with elegance. Nice! — 7 years ago

Doug Powers

9.2

Lovely mature redfruit aromas, still some structure, medium-bodied, long finish, very fine “off” vintage of Beaucastel!! — 8 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.4

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
A little closed up, but that's to be expected from such a young wine built for aging. Air helps to unfold the layers buried within. While 2014 was a cooler year, the weather played well to the style of Sassicaia as its target is 12.5-13% abv every vintage, so the conditions here were less of an issue. The acidity and density are here to last for some time, probably more than you think and should go the distance just fine. Elegant, yet powerful, with pure red currants and cassis, a touch of bright blueberry fruit, with a savory and spicy edge from the Cabernet Franc, then graphite and lavender florals appear, this is a beautiful young and fresh Sassicaia. Rocks and stone on the nose hint at minerality. Elegant and persistent on the medium+ palate, gorgeously pure and distinct with firm medium+ grain tannin. A long, dense, tightly wound finish that is fresh and persistent, entirely to young but with loads of potential. — 9 years ago

Cathy Hoang Scurci

9.4

Jan 25, 2016--Rich, yet fine and delicate, one of the very best! Edinburgh, Scotland at the Witchery Restaurant — 10 years ago

Rick Baumgarten

9.1

A bit of oxidation, but otherwise, just fine. Fruit still there. 1970, 45 year old wine for our 45th Anniversary. — 11 years ago