Diane Kessler

8.9

Overwhelming reduction at first. It blew off with time in the glass. Traditional old school Syrah with cherry fruit, black pepper, and bacon fat. — 9 years ago

Shay A

9.7

Needless to say, we slayed some dragons tonight. Let the birthday week continue!

This was my wine of the night. Thanks to Joe for bringing this out. Oh. My. Goodness. Maybe it was due to drinking this after some '80s cabs, but this was like decadent milk chocolate and bacon fat. And it's 13yrs old! 😍 — 9 years ago

with Mark

Mary Ellen Bonisteel

9.4

Rich, little bit bacon fat! Love it!!! — 10 years ago

Randy Fuller

8.9

Cruz de Piedra means “Cross of Stone” in Spanish, and the name refers to the stone crosses that mark the Pilgrim's Road to Santiago de Compostela, which runs through the collective’s vineyards. Selección Especial is made of 100% Garnacha grapes from bush vines that are up to 100 years old.
The grapes are fermented in concrete tanks, then transferred to new oak barrels, where malolactic fermentation occurs. The wine is in oak for a total of about 17 months. Alcohol hits 14.5%, and the retail price is $10.

It is a dark colored wine, inky indigo with no light able to break through from the other side of the glass. The is a bit of alcohol on the nose, which makes me wonder if it might not be a higher content than indicated. Aromas of blackberry, plum, vanilla and a puff of smoke make for an olfactory delight. On the palate, big dark fruit dominates even with plenty of oak spice trying to take over. The mouthfeel is full and the tannins are quite toothy. It’s not a gentle wine. - to the extent that sipping it may offer some discomfort to tender mouths. Better to have it with meat - meat that has fat literally dripping from it. The fat will give the tannins something to do besides prick your taste buds. A heavily marbled ribeye or smoked ribs come to mind. — 10 years ago

Mark Oldman

9.8

If jet-set had a fragrance, it would be Fonseca Port 1970. Imagine the smell of Jackie O's purse from that year: expensive Italian leather, spicy tobacco, brown sugar-and-bergamot perfume, maybe a sprig of mint from the Onassis compound. Fat and sweet, with a delightfully serious, old-school label. — 11 years ago

Courtney Cochran

Sommelier/Host hiptastes.com

10

And there you have it: a wine worth getting up for in the morning, the week, the month: a unicorn wine, redolent of all the things we want in our old*er* PINOT - portobello, bergamot, potpourri, anise, saddle leather, forest floor, magic, love and peace in the world. Amen. — 11 years ago

with Suzanne and Will

Riccardo L.

9.0

Wow. So different. Can't figure out the descriptors because this is so left field. Nonetheless it's amazing. It's apparently a unicorn around here, was the last one available in the province. Ten years old. Beast. #messi — 9 years ago

Narun P

9.4

By far the best Aussie shiraz I've ever had. Espresso, white pepper, bacon fat, cassis, salted chocolate brownie. Very correct, very classy, very down under. Amazing! — 9 years ago

Doctor No

8.9

Bacon fat, white pepper, Kirsch. Could easily pass for a good St. Joseph. Lacks a certain acidic punch that's hard to put a finger on (the same feeling I get when I drink Southern Rhone) but this is a good wine. — 10 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.0

The pale gold tint shows a little more color than you may expect in a Chardonnay. The nose is elegant and restrained, with apples and pineapples joining a light touch of oak. On the palate, that oak gets a little noisier. The wine is reminiscent of an old-line California Chardonnay, buttery and a bit fat with a wonderful, creamy mouthfeel. The difference between California and Rhode Island comes in the minerality - the eastern earth is more pronounced than in those big, ol’ Chardonnays from the West. — 10 years ago

Henrik Poulsen

9.0

My notes are for a bottle of 2009 Alienor Sauvignon Blanc.
Creamy fat on the palate and showing a bit mature (not old or tired!) this is still drinking very nicely. — 11 years ago

with Denis and Kurt-Inge

Christine Havens

9.3

The epitome of old-school Côte-Rôtie, the 1998 Rostaing offers up an ever-evolving kaleidoscope of aromas: smokey bacon fat and animal notes at first, followed by sweet violets and steeped blackberries. It's quite lean on the palate, with ultra-fine, well integrated tannins—a mark of maturity—underpinned by high acidity and gamey-green notes of dill and green peppercorn, olives, and cold, compost-laden springtime soils. — 11 years ago

Ivaylo Ninov

9.2

Unicorn wine! — 12 years ago

CS

Sales Amy Atwood Imports

9.2

Aaaahhh Dirty Durty Duuurty... A little rough out of the gates in the first day, but this wine was just bottled, and judging it now would be as ludicrous as telling a 6 year old he'll never grow up to be a Unicorn Wrangler. Second day it was more intact, more cinnamon spice I associate with good carbonic maceration, not the banana and cotton candy. Bright, fresh red berry fruits, soft mid-palate with sour cherry core, fine but dense tannins and loaded with spice. This wine shows all the right dimensions of being something beautiful, I'd say 6 months and she won't be afraid to show herself to you. 2 years, and you'll wish you'd saved more bottles. Picked at 20.7 degrees Brix, whole cluster fermented, "barely" foot tread, more just pushed down with feet to maintain whole berries under the juice to promote carbonic maceration. A fairly aggressive pressing was done at the end of ferment to try to squeeze some tannins out and add a bit of structure and texture. Aged in one 5 year old Demi-muid and one 5 year old French oak barrel. Never racked until bottling. 82 cases made. 11.6% alcohol 3.9 pH — 13 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.4

This is not a baby it's an embryo. You can smell the wine even when your nose is not in the glass. Scents of blackcurrants , spice and figs dance in the glass. As you start to drink it you feel as though a dam burst in your mouth. Tremendous concentration but somehow the structure holds this together and never allows it to be fat. A finish that builds but can go even longer once the tannic structure softens. Not my preferred style anymore but when you get an example like this it's nice to relive the old days. Posted a note almost exactly 2 years ago on the 2007 and I will say it again, I prefer the valpo to the amarone. — 9 years ago

Ron R

9.7

Huge progression from the old worlds that we just pivoted from. Lavish bouquet of opulent fruits and a touch of menthol and bacon fat. Palette is explosive. The winemaker has packed a quart into a pint pot. Palette consists of jam, nutmeg, black olives, toast, and a hint of truffles. A huge fruit-bomb that I suggest you pair with you wife, or significant other. Stay home and switch the cellphones to silent... — 10 years ago

with Martin, Mike and 4 others

Steven W Alexander

8.9

2014 is a great vintage. Old vine Roussette, fat & acidic at the same time with all that smoky, stone fruit. Gimme that mushroom fondue! — 10 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.1

Seriously cool stuff here. South African old vine tinta barroca! Dense and plummy but with animal bacon fat quality to it. A tad pricy, but worth it just to see what it's all about. — 11 years ago

with Antonia and Elena

Miguel de Leon

Service Director/Wine Educator Casa Mono

9.4

Fat, round, delicious and well-made. All the hallmarks up front with that classic Chenin rubber tire and cheesiness in back. Spot on. — 11 years ago

Doug Powers

9.3

This is terrific for a 21-year-old Pouilly-Fuisse (it's the Les Clos), surprisingly very youthful, great minerality and also that aged white burgundy "plumpness" without being fat and overripe, long finish, just a amazingly fine wine!! — 12 years ago