Corson Fidler

9.1

Romantic night and an amazing wine! — 7 years ago

with Kelly

S.S. Mandani

8.9

Picnic basket, raspberry jam, cherry pie in the bouquet.

Well rounded. Subtle spice, reminds me of cinnamon & black pepper.

Extremely drinkable, friendly to the palate.

This one is special because my girlfriend brought it over from Ibiza. We had been saving it for a special occasion, and decided a Sunday night, together, was special enough.

With only 13,000 limited production, bottle 741 is down for the count. — 7 years ago

Melissa Kingman

9.3

Drinking the 2012. Took one sip when we first opened the bottle. Didn’t love it. As it opened up through the night it mellowed out, got smoother and is really fantastic. Bold and smooth. — 8 years ago

with James

Scott Rowe

9.5

Thursday night feels, train hard, drink smart. — 9 years ago

Shay A

9.5

This run of about 13 PHENOMENAL wines I'm posting are from the SQN wine dinner/WNH interview I did at @Shawn R 's house last night. I was like a kid in a candy store on Christmas. What an absolutely EPIC night! Love ya brother!

What kind of world do we live in where we use THIS as a palate cleanser?! Haha. So insane. I'm late to the Aubert train but this was actually my first Pinot from them (love their chards). Big cherry cola aroma, red licorice and graphite on the nose too. Excellent acidity and a finish of tart cherry and blackberries. — 9 years ago

with Shawn

Daniel Hernandez-Brun

9.5

13% booze, about $68, sample. In the tank for Carillon. Fat and juicy, with tons of nutty flavors and big bright acidity. Serious wine. Best enjoyed out of a plastic cup on a late night train so full it's standing room, on the way to see friends and family, in December. — 9 years ago

Christopher Fowler

9.0

A delicious souvenir from our train trip through the Pacific Northwest in 2014, we decided to crack it last night. I was a little worried it might be starting to fall off by now, but it was perfect. Just the thing to turn Monday evening into an occasion.

A delicious mix of fruit and sweet tobacco. — 10 years ago

with Michael

Petrina Soh

9.1

My wine vocab is real limited. All I can say is, this is the smooooooothest I had tasted so far. Wine is to be enjoyed with friends. Tonight was such a night. Love. — 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

I had this a number of times but, have never written notes. 🎶Tonight’s the Night!🎶

The nose reveals; lemon custard to candy, lime zest, grapefruit, pineapple, green apple, light stone fruits, green melon, lychees, cream, vanillin, light ginger, cream soda, mixed nuts, bread dough to baguette crust, light green herbs, beautiful, powdery chalkiness, sea shell fossils, volcanic minerals, yellow lilies, jasmine with mixed greens.

The body is; full, round, rich and slightly creamy. Lemon custard to candy, lime zest, grapefruit, pineapple, green apple, light stone fruits, green melon, lychees, cream, beeswax, vanillin, light ginger, white spice with some palate heat, cream soda, touch of caramel, toffee notes, nougat, marzipan, mixed nuts, bread dough to baguette crust, light green herbs, beautiful, powdery chalkiness, sea shell fossils, volcanic minerals, yellow lilies, jasmine with mixed greens. The acidity is crisp and sharp. The long finish is; rich, polished, elegant, nicely balanced, delicious and persists endlessly. Very good at its price point.

Photos of; the House of Piper Heidsieck, the train cave ride as Champange caves can run for miles and miles, artful cellar entrance and one of their Grand Cru vineyards. — 7 years ago

Donald Andersen

9.3

Very nice night cap, made for a great accompaniment on the train today. Unique Cab blend. — 8 years ago

with Lauren

Danny Martinez

8.9

And our final bottle of the night; last crew of the family over before their train to the suburbs needed a night cap. Would drink again. — 9 years ago

Andrew Claffey

9.3

Very smooth. Drank this the night I got into med school. Has a little sweetness. — 9 years ago

Mike R

9.3

Yummie - Wednesday night and smiles are out tonight - what not to love - 2 hour decant and pop - Singing begins - limited production - love the color- like a purple robe from queen Mary days - nose is tight and having a hard time opening - hints of plum and black currants,

Taste is an all this - elegant, balanced - classic Napa cab

Smile and make someone happening — 9 years ago

David Todd

8.9

Late night Liz bday — 10 years ago

with Elizabeth

Anna Sangiacomo

8.9

We decided to make it a Pinot night.
— 10 years ago

with Dede, Darlene Kardum and 1 other

Cheri Saez

9.9

Carrabbas Wine Dinner. OMG. I love this wine!! Could drink it all night long. I guess it is a limited edition 😢 — 7 years ago

TheSkip

9.0

If Cabernet, Port and Amarone spent the night at @Bill Bender’s, this would be the result. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.6

Friday night vibes... The Hossfeld’s aptly named Coliseum Vineyard was planted by the late Henry Hossfeld during the 1980s. The rock is so solid at this terraced vineyard that he literally had to frack the vine holes with dynamite. Late last year, the Hossfeld’s suffered significant damage from the Atlas Fire, including their homes and 15 of the 20 acres under vine, not to mention most of their 2017 crop. I knew this bottle would be special, but had no idea of the impact of the fires on this family.
Mark Carter founded his eponymous label in 1998 with the help of Nils Venge. Mike Smith would later become winemaker after Thomas Rivers Brown introduced him to Carter. Carter’s 2015 Hossfeld Coliseum is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and easily rivals Duckhorn’s 2014 Three Palms. Decadent black fruit leads the way, but it’s loaded with dates, fig, clove, spice cake, baking spice, and just the right edge of underbrush. This is best described as a gravy train of hedonism. — 8 years ago

Marc Alciati

9.1

Night in Rome. Off the beaten path in a tiny alley near the train station. Great find at the kitchen Culinaria. Jammy. Similar to a Pinot Nior. — 9 years ago

TheSkip

10

So, I came home yesterday and there was a package at the door. I wasn't expecting anything and looked at the sender. @Martin G Rivard ! Well then! I knew santa was over, but perhaps Easter Bunny Rivard had struck?

I opened the box with haste. Surely anything from @Martin G Rivard would be of high quality. I saw a flash of orange and though, oh my! But there was only one bottle and it was oddly shaped. This must be the limited edition, double magnum of @Jason Chang's Nine Suns cuvée! I ripped open as if it were Christmas and out came Carlo Rossi.

I'd never heard of this producer but I trusted Martin. This bottle came with a very handy pour handle at the top. I was excited. Although it was only 4pm, I remembered what @Bill Bender said about 3pm so, I thought to myself, why not?

Hurriedly, I came into the kitchen and got my favorite Zalto glass, as inspired first by @Roman Sukley. I retrieved my corkscrew and opened the knife only to discover that this was a convenient screw cap! How thoughtful of Martin!

Open it went and the room filled with a lovely sweet grape must. I knew this would be special. I grabbed my winestop given to me by @Ron R and inserted to to insure there would be not a drop wasted.

Into the glass and my excitement prevented any thought of a decant.

What a wine! Those Concord grapes - what has Welch's been thinking? They've missed out on one of the finest varietals I've ever encountered. I knew I was truly lucky to try this rare wine.

But something felt...off. And I realized, I had nothing to pair with this! Thankfully there was a full 4L in this bad boy. And the screw cap allowed for prompt resealing.

Away I went in the car. What oh what to have? Aih! Exactly! @Paul T told me about the heaven of pairing McNuggets. Off to Ol' McDonalds I went.

Twenty McNuggets and sweet and sour sauce please!

I scurried to the back, and carefully withdrew my Zalto from my backpack. Opening the McNuggets, I knew this would be special. And indeed, I am with words to describe the experience. Yet, again, I knew something just wasn't right. The wine wasn't presenting itself. So I thought, how can I classy this up? And then I remembered all of @David L's posts with the classy silver wine coaster.

I had to have one. I asked the chap at the counter of McDonalds, but the response I received was less than satisfactory. I had to solve this issue myself. Thankfully , while returning to my table, I spotted a HomeGoods store immediately next door. I ran across and found a lovely silver charger.

And finally, returning to my table, I was now all smiles! More smiles than @Mike R !

What a special evening. I really wanted to end this off right. I grabbed a dozen roses and rushed home to the wife. Half a bottle Rossi still intact!

I showed her the bottle and wow! You should have see her eyes. I then suggested we retire to the bedroom and this was met with prompt approval.

And with such a great night, I wanted a lovely memento. I gently placed the bottle against her and snapped a lovely shot that is sure to be on the cover of the next issue of BBB with @Bill Bender !

Thanks for thinking of me @Martin G Rivard ! — 9 years ago