James Forsyth

9.2

Greenish color for supporting Mexico in this morning's World Cup fixture. Ok a Mexican beer would have been more appropriate but I know what I prefer. — 6 years ago

Steve Bozich

9.2

Ya know, not many quality vineyards are producing Zins any longer, but there does seem to be a movement back to them. Once again, thanks to my friends on Delectable for introducing me to Bedrock. 2016, 14.4 ABV. Lovely pepper and leather and minerals, along with blackberry and other dried dark fruits. Touch of tannin, appreciated. Won't knock your socks of, but a really nice wine overall, for a relaxing night with friends and pork chops. 9.2. — 6 years ago

Scott Rowe

9.2

The versatility of this Wine knows no bounds. Pairs with Chinese cuisine naturally. — 6 years ago

with Robert, Chris and 2 others

Camille Offenbach

9.2

Black Friday Thanksgiving redux, with relatives, mothers-in-law, various dogs and multitudinous small children. Will the ice cream freeze? Will turkey cook? Will everyone have a fun time? No worries, the Chardonnay will keep the uncles happy for another half hour. Cuz it's awesome, not buttery, not so sweet. Good stuff. Trader Joe's. — 6 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.0

From a vineyard tended by the zinfamous Teldeschi family. This one is a little more Zin heavy than some of the other heritage blends, but the usual mixed black suspects are also included. It's still burly at this very young stage and needs extended hours of decanting. Black fruit, smokey, bramble, and spice but still tight with racy acidity. This will improve greatly with age, give them at least 5 more yrs. — 7 years ago

Mitchell Mulder

10

Re-review of this classic landmark beer, why? New label, new description on label, this was and still is such a important beer in the craft beer Community, brewed since 1997 and still stands as one of the best IPA' s in the world, Centennial, Chinook and Magnum hops give it that classic base of West Coast IPA, that started the whole IPA movement in other beers and breweries, this was the beer that set the stage for what is now the great IPA 's in the west and east coast, such a monumental and important beer, The influence cannot be understated, still as I said, it holds its place as a great beer today — 8 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.3

Reminds me a lot of the FH Mil Amores from the other night. Seems different than the 2013 version of this wine. Less tannin, more acid here. Really nice any way you slice it up. @Michael Cruse — 8 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.3

Wow- these guys just don't do anything wrong. A great counterpoint to the Copain Les Voisins from the other night. — 9 years ago

Mikey T

9.5

Approx $100 half bottle of the 2012 at Marea.
Splendid, probably my favorite transition from Chardonnay to Super Tuscan or any other bold red — 9 years ago

Drew Falkman

8.9

Love this when young...juicy and tight, but it's hung in there for 13 years, showing leather and dried flowers amongst other things. Very nice. — 10 years ago

James Sluiter

9.1

As good as Bolli for half the price... almost — 10 years ago

Dan Pugh

9.4

Wonderful Cab, drinking very well. After opening for about 10 minutes, the nose is full and fruity while the palatte is rich and chewy. Dark fruit predominates but there are other faint notes that add intrigue for the observant. — 12 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.3

Consistently my favorite rose. I’ve already been through a half case of these this summer. The bottles are under screwcap so there is no variation, every sip from every bottle is just as delicious as the last. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have a six-pack of this 05. I thought after 10 years in bottle, it would be interesting to check in on its evolution. While tasty, I’ll wait another 8-10 to open another. Even after 2-3 hours in the decanter, it’s still a very young adolescent. On the nose, slightly sour blackberries & dark cherries, dark currants, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, anise, whiff of spice, steeped tea, dry stones, dry crushed rocks with dry top soil, caramel, vanilla with fresh & dry red florals. The body is thick & full. Tannins are starting to round out. It’s velvety on the palate. The fruits are; bright, fresh & ripe and really show the greatness of the 05 vintage. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, baked strawberries, cherries, raspberries on the long set, dark spice, clay & loamy dry top soil with crushed rocks, dry stones, cigar with ash, graphite, dry stems, slight herbaceous character, mint, used leather, clove, caramel, vanilla, fresh & dry red florals with violets. The round acidity is about perfect. The structure and length are still strong. The balance is in harmony. As for the long finish, it’s lush, ruby, rich and well polished. Photos of; Chateau Brane Cantenac, large wood vats, Henri Lurton and Estate vines. Producer notes and history...Chateau Brane Cantenac began in the early 17th century. At the time, the estate was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten. Even that far back, wine was produced from the property. In fact, the wine was so highly regarded it was one of the more expensive wines in Bordeaux. It sold for almost as much money as Brane Mouton. This is interesting because of who went on to buy the vineyard in the 1800’s. The Baron of Brane, also known as “Napoleon of the Vineyards”, purchased the Chateau in 1833. At the time of the sale, the estate was called Chateau Gorce-Guy. To get the funds needed to purchase the Margaux vineyard, the Baron sold what is now called Mouton Rothschild, which was at the time of the sale, known as Chateau Brane-Mouton. Not such a good move with hundreds of years in hindsight! In 1838, the Baron renamed property taking his name and the name of the sector where the vineyards were located and called it Chateau Brane Cantenac. The Chateau later passed to the Roy family, who were well-known in the Margaux appellation in those days, as they owned Chateau d’issan. Moving ahead to 1920, the Societe des Grands Crus de France, a group of merchants and growers that owned several chateaux located in the Medoc including; Chateau Margaux, Chateau Giscours, and Chateau Lagrange in St. Julien, purchased Chateau Brane Cantenac. Five years later, M. Recapet and his son-in-law, François Lurton, took over Brane Cantenac along with Chateau Margaux. Lucien Lurton (the son of François Lurton) inherited Brane Cantenac in 1956. Today, the estate is still in the hands of the Lurton family. Brane Cantenac is owned and run by Henri Lurton. After being given the responsibility of managing Brane Cantenac, it was under the direction of Henri Lurton that large portions of the vineyard were replanted. Vine densities were increased, the drainage systems were improved and the plantings were also, slowly changed. The vineyard of Brane Cantenac is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. Carmenere was used for the first time in the 2011 vintage. The only other Chateau I know that still uses Carmenere is Clerc Milon. The 75 hectare Left Bank vineyard of Brane Cantenac is essentially unchanged since it earned Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification. At least that is the case with the 45 hectares used to produce the Grand Vin of Brane Cantenac. Those 45 hectares are planted surrounding the Chateau. Those vines are located just in front of the Cantenac plateau and are the best terroir that Brane Cantenac owns. They have other parcels, which are further inland and much of those grapes are placed into their second wine, Le Baron de Brane. Those additional hectares can be divided into 3 main sections. Behind the Chateau, they have 15 hectares of vines on gravel and sand, 10 hectares across the road with sand, gravel and iron and a 13 hectare parcel with gravel called Notton, which is used for their second wine. The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 6,666 vines per hectare on the plateau and up to 8,000 vines per hectare for the vines located behind chateau, in their sandier soils. The higher levels of vine density are always found in the newer plantings. The terroir of Brane Cantenac consists of deep gravel, sand and clay soil. Experiments in the vineyards are currently looking at becoming more organic in their vineyard management. Today, more than 25% of Brane Cantenac is farmed using organic farming techniques. It is expected that over time, the amount of hectares farmed with organic methods will be increased. Brane Cantenac has gone through 2 relatively recent modernization’s in 1999, when they added began adding the first of their smaller vats to allow for parcel by parcel vinification and then again in 2015 when they completed a much more complete renovation of their cellars and vat rooms. While Brane Cantenac is a traditional producer, they are no stranger to technology as they were one of the first estates to embrace optical grape sorting machines. In very wet vintages, they can also use reverse osmosis. To produce the wine of Chateau Brane Cantenac, the wine is vinified in a combination of temperature controlled, traditional, 22 oak vats, 18 concrete tanks and 20 stainless steel vats that vary in size from 40 hectoliters all the way up to 200 hectoliters, which allows for parcel by parcel vinification. 40% of the fermentation takes place in the oak vats. The oldest vines are vinified in vats that are selected to allow for separate parcel by parcel vinification. The younger vines are vinified more often together in the same vats. However, the Carmenere is entirely micro-vinified, meaning that those grapes were completely vinified in barrel, using micro-vinification techniques. This can also happen because the amount of grapes produced is so small. Some vats can be co-inoculated, meaning they go through alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation simultaneously. At Chateau Brane Cantenac, malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak tanks and barrels. The wine of Brane Cantenac is aged in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. The initial 2 months of aging is done with the wine on its lees, which adds more depth to the wine. There second wine is Le Baron de Brane. Le Baron de Brane is not new. In fact, previously, the second wine went under the name of Chateau Notton, which took its name from one of the main parcels where the grapes were planted. During the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s, having a second wine was important as the estate declassified 3 vintages, due to extremely poor, weather conditions in 1956, 1960 and 1963. Production of Chateau Brane Cantenac is about 11,000 cases per year. — 6 years ago

Sean Genn

9.4

Beer brewed in 2 batches with honey. One batch with champagne yeast. The other with Belgian duvel yeast. The 2 batches are blended before bottling. Nice notes of honey and yeasty aromas. Very balanced — 9 years ago

Christine Havens

8.9

Domaine de Villaine is owned by none other than Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of that most illustrious estate, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. The little house Villaine is located in Bouzeron, and offers fine quality for money for those looking for a good value. The 2011 is light on fruit, a notoriously difficult vintage, but it has some charm nevertheless with tart cherry notes, cranberry and rose hips on the palate. The acidity is quite high, and the wine begs for food. A nice cheese plate? Yes. — 9 years ago

Ashley Borg

9.3

Delicious and balanced cab. Slightly berry but mostly just grapes doing what they do best, giving me a delicate pillow of a classy ass buzz. Pairs well with sailors and other fine folk. — 9 years ago

Dock Hooks

10

Very interesting nose, which I am pondering (lots of spice). Should have decanted a half hour ago, as I think there is lots of room for note development. That written, I was hungry, which also translates to thirsty:). What's good food absent good wine? In any case, it is all here, @ VA Bch 'a Terrapin (groovy spot with a north end locals flare; crazy good oysters and other farm-to- table excellence). Oh yeah, the wine - well, there 's a strong cherry explosion that drifts making for a silky, deep finish. Back to eating and drinking..:) — 10 years ago

Lorisa Ford

9.6

Produced from late picked grapes. Half the wine was fermented in new 225 French oak barrels. The other half not in wood at all. Portrays firm, clear peach and Limey flavors. — 11 years ago

Mark Morgan

8.9

Has gone to sleep a little since last year. I’ll give my other bottle a couple years hibernation. — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.4

The 2016 Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard is utterly sublime. Lifted, aromatically precise and nuanced, the 2016 Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard is fabulous. Rose petal, blood orange, cranberry and raspberry notes give the Monte Rosso striking aromatic presence and brightness. Unfortunately, Bedrock, like all the other wineries that purchased grapes at Monte Rosso, no longer have access to the fruit off this historic ranch. Morgan Peterson and Chris Cottrell certainly chose a strong vintage as their last. The 2016 is sublime. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, April 2018) — 6 years ago

James Forsyth

9.2

Made in Other Half's signature "juicy" style, the Dream in the beer's name indicates the addition of lactose which results in a very pillowy texture, while adding some additional weight which isn't altogether welcome. — 6 years ago

Joe Rickard

9.6

Tangy and soda like. Took a few sips for me to warm up but loving it half a glass in. — 6 years ago

James Forsyth

10

I think this is probably the best beer I've ever had. It is made in the New England IPA style, namely juicy and cloudy. Perfectly balanced, the Oh... from Other Half is extraordinary. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

Deep dark tawny color. Opaque. Fragrant nose right off the bat which says "this will be better than any of the other half dozen 82 LBs you've had". Notes of forest redwood, cigar leaf, moist earth, menthol and dark dusty berries. So rich and smooth in the mouth. Great balance of fruit and structure. Yes, best 82 LB I've had. Drink if you want today, but I don't think well stored bottles like this are going to be in decline anytime soon. — 7 years ago

John Magauran

9.0

1998 Château Caronne Sainte-Gemme, Bordeaux, France, Haut-Médoc. 1 Jeroboam. Dinner at Newport House, Newport, Co. Mayo, Ireland. 8/29/15. Fantastic dinner with great friends. Black berries taste with a pepper finish. The Jeroboam size allowed sharing of several decanters with other guests.
— 8 years ago

with Linda, Leslie and 1 other

Scott Rowe

8.9

Briney, textural, not oily but clean. A little side project for the crew here. — 9 years ago

Charles Antin

Senior Wine Specialist/Auctioneer Zachys

9.2

Coravin tasting. These were half emptied using coravin and we will taste the other half 6 months later, blind. — 9 years ago

with Charles

Christine Havens

9.0

Claude Riffault's Sancerre Les Boucauds 2013 is sourced from old vines grown in clay and limestone rich soil. Half of the wine is vinified in stainless steel, the other half in oak, and the results are rather spectacular. Les Boucauds is one of the more intense Sancerre's I've tasted, the nose fairly explodes with star fruit, guava, mango, and ripe nectarine. Lean and racy on the palate, with sleek tension, staggering acidity and length accompanied by a full range of complex fruit notes and chalk. — 9 years ago

Liz stavinoha

10

I have been waiting more than a year and a half for this baby. When first open, it smells like the lumber department at a hardware store, but tastes like blueberry and. Other small berries. It's phenomenal. My judgement may be skewed by the excitement of opening a bottle I cannot buy anymore, but it's amazing stuff. It lingers, and is glorious. I'm going to do this again. — 10 years ago