Will Stanley

9.4

A gift from my old man for my thirtieth birthday this year. My last experience with this wine was the 2001, enjoyed around ten years ago. I described then how the wine lived up to its popular reputation. Happy to reaffirm that feeling with this 1994, that is an absolutely gorgeous, captivating wine that ticks every box one may have for older Rioja. It marries sweet with sour in that way that the best wines from this region do, a medley of ripe blueberries with sour cherry; bitter orange, coconut, balsamic, tobacco and cranberry. The finish is long, with flecks of sweetness that beg you for another sip. I would imagine that Faustino produce in excess of a million bottles of this stuff, given the size of their holdings, which only impresses me even more that it turns out so well. — 6 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.6

Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 89% Tempranillo & 11% Graciano, aged 48 months on American oak. On the palate flavors of jammy dark berry fruits with spice & smoky earthy notes on ripe full soft tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with fruit, oak, cigar box spice and mineral earthy tones, a joy to Sip this Fine Wine!! Tasting great, has more aging potential! — 2 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Tasted blind. Dark reddish brown color, port-like in color and in the nose. Notes of raisins, molasses, tobacco. What is this? While it seems like it could be Madeira, the impact in the mouth and the tastes in no way resemble that. Someone threw out the guess that it could be really old Bordeaux. Yep. Drinking some history tonight! — 5 years ago

Paul J

9.6

Now this is what I’m talking about! Wonderful! Dark purple color. 1+ hour decant and could use even more. Drinking beautifully but still has years left in it! Massive cigar box on the nose. Wine is very Bordeaux like as it is deep, well structured, and has an excellent balance of fruit and smoke. If you drink it fast it tastes like the best bbq in the world! Long finish. Absolutely love this and it will only get better!! — 6 years ago

with Brooke

Matt Duncan

9.3

Amazing this can still be so intriguing. Fruit has long disappeared but spiced, herbal aromas jump out of the glass. American oak finds its subtle elegance. Yum! — 7 years ago

Laura Credidio

9.2

1998 was ready to drink out of the bottle, becoming limp. But still impressive complexity. — 8 years ago

Jonathan Wall

9.0

It's ALIVE! Sort of like a handsome young Frankenstein. Tasted over 3 days. Starts out spritzy, snappy, barnyardy... and mellows nicely after some time. — 8 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.4

First taste reminded me of Firenze in that the leather belts and purses were on the nose. Lots of floral arrangements now, solid round, very nice as always. Shout out to my 1 follower @Bill Bender ... it's my birthday and my goal is to be drinking at your level next year!

94 points — 9 years ago

Nathaniel DiMaggio

9.7

Out of magnum. Holy crap!! — 11 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2000 vintage. Last tasted 9.25.23 (9.2) after 1.5 hours decanted. Popped and decanted this for lunch. Great fill and solid cork. Throwing a bit of sed but less than anticipated. Meh nose. Medium body initially. Started off on the rich side of the ledger but not plush. Had some smoothness afoot. Tasted after 45 mins open, 1.75 hours open and 8 hours open. First two were unspectacular. After lounging in the decanter 8 hours, wine had firmed up, thinned out, picked up plenty of secondary flavors and had that previously missing grip. If you're gonna open this during the holidays or anytime soon, do it very very early...otherwise, it'll be a total waste. Wine has miles to go. No rush to crush but just air it out in advance properly. 10.16.24. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.1

1986 vintage. Tasted through 5 bottles for a Mister A's 1986 BDX dinner. Double decanted and tasted over the spell of 5 hours. Light-medium body. G-L always on the subtle side of things. All 5 bottles fairly light sediment. The mid-palate really shone throughout. No exemplary notes other than performing as G-L do. Cedar, Dust, Mushrooms. Dry Earth. Will likely hang out here for another 4-5 years. 3.14.24. — a year ago

Chris M

9.2

I grab my wines by random out of the fridge. I grabbed it from the cheap zone and we really pleased with the quality as it is excellent.

Turns out it is not cheap, it's like $35-40. It's still good just not a great value — 4 years ago

Julian Gross

9.2

This is just a delicious brut rosé, really one of the best out there that isn’t four figures...beautiful fruit that melts on your tongue, just excellent — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.5

Amazing wine that never disappoints with soaring aromatics of dark red fruits, licorice, soy, smoke, tar, leather, cedar & cigar box. Both floral & elegant that should hold for another 10 years. — 7 years ago

Greg Koslosky

9.6

Rich and exotic ripe but not over the top flat out delicious . Out of magnum for Heaven my Assistants b-day! — 7 years ago

Mark Grammer

9.3

Nose had some funk with leather, mineral and a hint of red liquorice. Evolved nicely with fruit coming out after an hour or so. Blackberry, blueberry were present after the earthy start. — 8 years ago

Keith Levenberg

8.9

Still plenty of personality to this, but neither the freshest nor cleanest bottle of wine you're likely to come across. Starts out smelling of musty attic and old used books, and it never kicks it entirely, but does pick up enough other elements like cedar and cigar box to keep things interesting. What it doesn't really pick up is any fruit, which is fine for its age, but it's a bit disappointing once you compare it to something like the '75 Beychevelle which is in much better shape now with plenty more stuffing. The tannins have completely melted away so the texture is fine and it goes down easy. Interesting now, but would have been better 5-10 years ago. — 8 years ago

Brad Pejcic

9.3

I love how in Spain you can go to a restaurant order a half bottle of Rioja and a 14 year old wine comes out aged perfectly. This is drinking great right now and can't imagine it's going to get any better. — 9 years ago

Thaddeus Buggs

9.7

An incredible complex layered Bordeaux blend, is better now than when I first experience it out of barrel. @winewatch @cheapwinefinder #WINE @Sassodoro @sociallybrenda @larrywyn — 10 years ago

Monroe Bryant

9.8

Ethereal. — 12 years ago

Daniel veit

9.5

Bursting with depth of red fruits, pencil shavings, cigar box and dried tobacco leaf. — 7 months ago

Bruce Leboff

9.3

Elegant and right in the window. Cigar box and a hint of chocolate. Well balanced and very pleasant. A tinge of dryness on the long finish. — 10 months ago

with Michael and David

Andrew McIntyre

9.4

Tried this 11 months ago and loved it. This time out of a magnum and really needed 3-4 hours to wake up and then started to sing. Dark fruits and a silky palate. Such a great wine but you need patience. — 3 years ago

Gabriella Boros

9.6

Tremendous rich full red. Terrific out of the bottle and continued to develop a lustrous mouth feel. Cherry and ripe fruit with a hint of leather. Dinner with anders and Donna 2014 — 6 years ago

jesus g

Hospitality Schramsberg Vineyards

9.6

I’m really beginning to see this transition where the 2013s-16s of Rhône and Burgundy are already so drinkable and showing ripe fruit. Like they are making them to drink now, this winemaking style is showing a little more fruit extraction and from what I’ve seen here in Napa, you’re sacrificing the ability to age there for the early drinkability. Hopefully I’m wrong and these are all just warmer vintages. I just wanna see these wines reach their potential 10/20 years out — 7 years ago

GabWine

9.6

When we open from 1987, we expect everything. One thinks of its conservation in cellar, the risk that it is passed or incredible, with the tannins having evolved in this vial ... The cork pulled-out, in perfect state and one knows in advance that one hit the jackpot and that it will be phenomenal. A coppery robe, a complex nose with aromas of black and floral fruits. In the mouth, an explosion of flavors that take the length and makes us go back in time. A very large estate for an incredible wine, to fall 😍🍷 — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.9

🇬🇧 Vivino London Dinner - 01 Apr 🇬🇧

Wine 1️⃣1️⃣

d'Yquem 99 from Mami

📝 What a perfect sexual climax to a stunning meal with fab folks 😍

Mami generously brought a 75cl bottle of this god nectar to wash down the cheeses 🧀 I died & went to heaven when I had this with blue Stilton cheese 😍

I think I had more than my fair share of this silky sweet seductive love juice 😎

Too busy enjoying for notes so check out others reviews 😜

Thank you Mami for sharing this superb treat 👍😘 — 8 years ago

Scorewine

Wine writer http://www.israelwines.co.il

9.0

A fantastic 2002, this lovely wine shows once more that today there aren't really bad years in Bordeaux, this Pontet Canet was well structured rich and tempting. Deep red, tempting rich multi layered nose ripe cherries, black current, coffee, cigar box, and tea leaves, full rich body, dry tannins, full of black fruit, high acidity and a long chewy finish. Was worth the wait, my score 90. Drink to 2022 — 9 years ago

Jörgen Lindström Carlvik

Owner, Brix Wine Consultants

9.7

Brilliant and complex , caught at in a perfect spot, as this layered wine offers mature notes of dried flowers, leather and aged cigar box, but also incredible presence of red and dark fruits, framed by completely integrated oak spice and sweet, grainy tannins, all lengthened by juicy acidity. Brilliant! — 9 years ago

Madeline

9.5

Goes beautifully with lamb and beef, Lots of Red currant flavors up front with a soft finish and a bit of tang. Make sure to let it breath. black berry flavors comes out. — 10 years ago