Byron C Mayes

9.1

Straw gold in the glass. Big bosomy nose of dried quince and honeysuckle. Echoed on the palate with musty banana. Bright tingling acidity wrapped up in the full body. A more versatile wine than Fess Parker's varietal Viognier, without losing the character. — 7 years ago

Chris Loretta

10

Agree with Parker's 100 points.. this is a gem! — 7 years ago

Casander Parker

9.0

Christmas Eve 2017 at The Parker's — 7 years ago

Nicklas Eli Sorensen

9.2

Of course it's too young to drink, but it already shows an amazing insight into its potential! Parker's notes and score are on point here!

Ever so classic a Pauillac; smoke escapes the glass followed by scents of oak, plums, asian spices, cedar and pencil shavings. The palate is full-bodied and explodes with flavours of plums, blackcurrants and cassis leading into smoked cherries, cocoa and cedar. Amazing complexity and strcture. This is one for the ages! — 8 years ago

Charlie Beatty

Buyer wineworksonline.com

9.8

WOW serious juice here. This2014 Sonoma Blend. This red is rock solid as the last Red Blend they made in 2013. Parker's Review gave it a97!!! Well I step up here and give this 98!!!!!! Bordeaux style with fabulous purity. Great Fruit with 1 hour decanting . CB says for price CB 98+ and only 26.98 at WineWorks in Marlton NJ — 8 years ago

with Karen, Steph and 1 other

Mike Saviage

9.8

Reddish ruby with a little brown. Almost opaque. Pure nose of black cherry, mint, herbs, cola. Incredibly rich and round in the mouth. Long finish. Guessed old Heitz Martha's Vineyard. I think that's a complement to both. Opened 5 hrs in advance and then drunk over 4 more hours, this became more refined with time. Kind of angular versus the more opulent 45 Mouton. Parker's favorite wine the legendary 47 Cheval Blanc. What a treat to compare the two side by side. I think the 45 Mouton wins at the wire tho. — 8 years ago

William S

9.3

Last bottle of 1982 vintage bought as future after Parker's "vintage of the century declaration". Despite a couple of moves and imperfect storage early on, wine was still in excellent shape. Long past the in your face stage, still had nice color, fruit and elegance. Wish I had more. — 8 years ago

Hermes Ortiz

9.5

2010 Casanova di Neri
Brunello di Montalcino
"Tenuta Nuova"
Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
100% Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello grape)
Bright Bing Cherries
Spicy with Delicious Red Fruits
Pronounced, yet at same time,
Silky Smooth Tannins
Elegant with depth and complexity
Excellent Structure for long term aging
Rated 100 WA by Monica Larner in
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate — 8 years ago

Kyle Groombridge

9.3

I'll be the first to admit - Pessac-Leognan, with its pompous little history, gets overlooked and passed by in my drinking rotation way too easily. Perhaps not on purpose, but ultimately being deemed "not as exciting" as other left bank names like Margaux, Pauillac, and St. Julien.. but it's bottles like this that remind me why good Pessac is worth the time and effort to track down too.

After a couple hours of decanting, the nose is dark and haunting, with notes of sweet, smoky oak, blackberries, blueberries, violet, and black licorice. The tannins are present but not too astringent at all. Smooth and inviting, dark and perfectly balanced, this drinks beautifully right now but will have the stuffing to age at least 10-20 more years.. This is easily a standout of the oft-disparaged 2012 vintage and well deserving of Parker's 96-point rating. — 7 years ago

Craig Stanfield

9.1

It opens with a bit of funk but is otherwise a little muted. After an hour it still has some truffle on the nose and palate. I'm not picking up all of the mocha and black fruits that the professional tasting notes indicate. I do pick up loamy earth, crushed flowers, some plum and currants. It's really good and interesting but didn't line up with Parker's notes. I have another bottle of this and it will be interesting to revisit later. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.4

This was already on my short list to pick up considering Parker's notes (94 points), but now that it's Spectator's #10 of 2016 I finally pulled the trigger.

Boom goes the Zin. The depth of field consists of explosive black raspberry followed by massive black cherry. A plethora of tertiary components, including white pepper, black licorice, leather, tobacco, and spice provide evidence of the century old vines. Goes strength to strength with the ridiculously silky mouthfeel. Not to mention, the alcohol is felt in the legs, not the mouth. It's 15.7% abv and it's only after I felt it did I check it. — 7 years ago

Justin Mahoney

9.3

Has held up quite nicely considering sir Parker's initial 86 rating. Great earthiness, black fruit, tobacco and spice and completely smooth and lacking any tannins whatsoever. Was go time 5 years ago but still held up quite nicely - Carl's place 06-02-16 — 8 years ago

Justin Ennis

9.5

This was killer. Had out of 3L. Full of blackberry, leather and balanced tannin. Had at Damian Parker's retirement party. — 8 years ago

Ian Abraham

10

Love it as much as Kathryn Hall 2010 cab. Gently sweet with subtle tannin, rich complex layered with a floral scent sensational nose, and incredibly smooth. Slight bit of tart cherry on the flavor. 97-100
Points by Robert Parker
More approachable, but no less impressive, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) looks gorgeous, and is probably the most complete wine in the lineup. Layered and rich, yet ultra-pure and elegant, it gives up classic creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, licorice and liquid flower-like qualities to go with full-bodied richness and depth on the palate. Relatively civilized, yet with building tannin and richness, it should benefit from short-term cellaring and have two decades of longevity."- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue #213, June 2014), 97 - 100 pt — 8 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I've been curious about this wine for some time. The original 05 Ausone review from Parker was revised and one would think it was at the request of the Chateau. Parker's 💯 point review started something like this...if you are over the age of 55, you'll want to decide if you want to buy this this wine. Largely, due to his call on it's years of drinkability; which was from 2055-80. Parker's review was mysteriously revised within two months of it's original review. Tonight, I Coravin-ed this tasting of the Chapelle D'Ausone. The 05 Chapelle D'Ausone is still very big & tight but starting it's journey into a decent drinking phase. The tannins are still chewy and dark. The fruits are; ruby blackberries, dark cherries, a mix of blue fruits, strawberries paint the back palate, dark & milk chocolate, caramel, Christmas cake, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, spice-box, black tea, a whiff of green bell peppers, irony minerals, loamy soils, tree bark, a touch of leather, lead pencil shavings, dry stems, dry stones & dark moist soil. The acidity is perfect. The structure, length, balance and tension flirt with glory. The finish runs ripe to dry fruit and the minerals are rich with a dark elegance that lasts and lasts. As good as this wine is tonight, I'll put this bottle back; which is 1 of a 6 pack and wait another 7-10 years to reopen it. Both of Ausone's 05 wines are meant for most collectors end of life or meant to be left for their children. — 7 years ago

Tiago Correia Machado

9.5

Excellent fruit and flowers, especially for a 100% Loureiro wine. Parker's 94 points are most definitely a fair score. — 7 years ago

Adam Crane

9.4

Loaded with blue fruit. Heavy on the oak but should subside with some time. Nice balance here otherwise, fruit & acid. Modernly styled, not what I want in a Cornas but certainly a well made wine. Parker's tasting note said it reminded him of Noel Verset from the 70's and early 80's. While I haven't experienced a Verset that old it seems like a bit of a stretch. — 8 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.2

Some serious Pinot bang for the buck. Musty and funky, but only to a point, an essence of Burgundian character. Maritime minerality, clove tobacco, and cherry. Concur with most of Parker's note, but disagree with his "monolithic" comment and his score (87). Galloni got it right at 93. — 8 years ago

Michael Kvasnicka

9.2

IN honor of Lewis Gary Parker's first birthday. — 8 years ago

M

8.9

20060302 Cru w25062w to w24462w
Drank 20170101
Pair with Vietnamese pork, butter lettuce, Spain 5j ham cubes, truffle cheese, black olive, beef ri.

Nose: from little to rich plum and licorice
Taste: from little to rich plum and licorice, dark plum, yummy. Licorice comes out in an hour and accompanies well.
Color: dark
Good after 1 hour, finally finish in 2 hours, good

The 2007 Zippy's Block Shiraz is a sound effort indeed and displays the characteristics of a premium Barossa Valley red. Two Hands Wines have created a single vineyard series, of which Zippy's Block Shiraz is a major player, and this particular vintage, although tough, still resulted in a top notch wine.
EXPERT REVIEWS

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 93 pts - The 2007 Shiraz Zippy's Block from Roennfeldt Road in the Marananga sub region of Barossa Valley, is a brooding, burly wine with a splendid nose of plum, tar, licorice, smoke, game, and blueberry. On the palate it is surprisingly restrained, bordering on elegant. Savory, ripe, and medium-long, it will be approachable in 1-2 years and drink well for a decade thereafter. - Dec 2009

James Halliday's Wine Companion - 92 pts - More life here, with some red fruit providing lift to the concentrated fruitcake and chocolate beneath; the oak and fruit work in tandem and provide a rich, but not overwhelming level of interest on the finish; chewy with some nerve to conclude. Date tasted 26 Feb 2009, drink by 2020.

Wine Spectator - 91 pts - This spicy red is distinctive for its star anise and cigar box overtones around a plump, chewy core of blackberry, plum and dried blueberry flavors, persisting through a solid frame of fine tannins. Best from 2011 through 2019. 750 cases made. -HS, Oct 2009 — 8 years ago