Delectable Wine

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9.5

Blackberry jam, chocolate, new leather, licorice, dark chocolate and espresso all infuse Buccella's 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon with notable complexity to play off the super-ripe, plush fruit. Readers should expect a full-throttle, extroverted style. Even with all of its opulence, the 2016 is very nicely balanced. It is another compelling wine in a streak of strong recent releases from Buccella. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2020)
— 6 years ago

Andrew S

9.4

Relatively plush, nice fruits, cedar, hints of blossoms. Good amount of fruits and fine tannins. My sense is more complexity is still to come but drinking nicely. — 7 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.5

Dark purplish ruby red and coats the glass. Plush nose with tons of spices, black fruits, dark spices, cinnamon and some vanilla. Rich palate with dark spices, black fruit and cassis. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2038. — 7 years ago

with Sean, India and 3 others

Eric L.

9.5

Gorgeous wine! Plush, beautiful structure and wonderful blueberry fruit framed by lovely sweet spices. — 8 years ago

Conrad Green

9.6

Lovely soft-edged blue fruit. Blackberry and an iron roundness. All kinds of savory stuff in the middle, but really classy, with beautiful plush mouthfeel. A soft and salty character and lovely poised length. Spectacular — 8 years ago

with BOT, Matt and 2 others

John B

9.3

Wonderful. Plush blackberry, currant, anise, graphite and cedar. The finish markedly darker - mocha and espresso. Great balance after it gets a few hours of air. — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.1

2004 vintage. Medium ruby hue. Plush, dark plum, furniture polish, leather and cinamon. Obvious oak wood - vanilla essence. Some green notes indicative of the vintage. On the palate, medium plus body, medium acidity and medium plus concentration. Medium tannins - ripe and lush. Medium plus finish. Decent. Drinking well now - doubt it will improve much from here. Fruit is still good. Drink now until 2022. — 10 years ago

Paul Schmidt

9.3

From magnum, tight and fresh with berry and cedar. Quite plush. A real treat! — 11 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.3

2000 vintage. Deep ruby, edging to deep garnet around the rim, very bright. Plush on the nose. The black cassis notes from the Cab and the violets from the Cab Franc are very noticeable. The wine is developing with huge sweet spice, vanilla, smoke and leather. There's a bovril, meaty note here that's very attractive. On the palate, medium acidity, high tannin - grippy, but not coarse; well integrated. Alcohol is 13% and unobtrusive. Good concentration. Fruit is riper on palate than in the mouth, and a distinctive dark chocolate and cinnamon note. The finish is long and attractive. Hard to imagine this wine drinking any better from here. — 11 years ago

Joel Wachbrit

9.4

Lovely. Plush and very resolved. Like drinking velvet. — 12 years ago

Conrad Green

9.1

Quite fresh and lean (for CNdP) on the nose. Rounded plush cherry with some sour notes. Not to o intense and pretty. Good — 7 years ago

with Bex

Al Shikoh

9.7

inky purple; cassis, plum, baking chocolate, vanilla, menthol; plush, round, dark fruit, very long; full bodied, lovely textured tannins, 14.6% ABV; blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon this year which is heavier on the Merlot than in the past; beautiful with a fatty ribeye, crafted for immediate drinking pleasure, up there with my favorite Cali Merlots Pride and Duckhorn — 7 years ago

Ron R

9.4

Just stunning. Chappellet can do no wrong in our book. Tuck this away for a few years. We anticipate that this will “bulk up” over time. Suave tannins support subtle acid. On the palate, neutral oak treatment, with espresso notes and jet black fruits, front and center. Finishes plush and expansive. — 8 years ago

with Anne-marie

Ron R

9.4

Plush, dense, and rich. A perfect way to start the weekend. Ripe tannins add a sexy texture to what is an opulent example. Loving this... — 8 years ago

with Anne-marie

Roslan Schofield

9.2

Bordeaux style blend from several vineyards - plush with dark fruit and supple tannins — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.2

2003 vintage. Pale golden hue. Quite reductive on the nose - coffee bean, baked bread, citrus fruits. Smokey and toasty. Developing aromas. On the palate, medium plus acidity - quite round, plush and ripe, more developed than was expecting. Good complexity and some depth here. Medium body and alcohol. Good length. Not a blockbuster vintage by any means. But it is a very good effort. Arguably more enjoyable than the '04 at this stage of development, but suspect it won't age as well. Drink now until 2024+. — 10 years ago

Jörgen Lindström Carlvik

Owner, Brix Wine Consultants

9.3

Great purity of fruit with still tight tannins dominating the finish. Clever oak and lush fruit create a plush mouthfeel. Promising finish. Young. — 10 years ago

David L

9.4

86' Bottle fill & cork where perfect. Harder to find with a Bordeaux that old. Medium body wine. Tannins, acidity, fruit or so unbelievable . Plush & elegant. It wasn't very complexed or long. Many years left in it's prime. Another crowd pleasing wine. — 11 years ago

Robert Love

9.5

Nose of honey, oyster shell, and citrus. At once both firm, with cutting minerality and acid in the mouth, and opulent, with a plush perfume from the small amount of new oak. Just lovely. — 11 years ago

Alexandra Fondren

10

Still plush, round and long, with so much gorgeous fruit, graphite and spice. Perhaps best Pauillac I've ever had! — 12 years ago

Mark Kaigas

9.5

Licorice. Savory. Plush. Round. Elevage. Beautiful aging characteristics. — 7 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.4

The 2016 Duckhorn ‘Three Palms Vineyard’ is another stellar release by the talented Renee Ary. Aged in 100% new French oak for eighteen months, the Merlot has 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec blended in. The nose exudes class with ripe chocolate covered bing cherry and shades of sweet pipe tobacco that mingle with the dusty terroir tones on the nose. The palate is plush, giving an err of decadence. The silky mouthfeel really gives a feel of opulence. Black Forest cake and dark licorice flavors collide with the dusty minerals and cigar box flavors. Simply outstanding in its youth following a one hour decant, this stunning Merlot will cellar well for decades. Drink 2020-2040- 94 — 7 years ago

Michael B

9.2

Another tasting! 30-35 year old vines composed of 47% cab, 47% merlot, 5% cab franc, 2% petit verdot. Smells full of dark fruit, very plush.
Dark cherry notes predominate, with some black currant and blue berries. Appreciably greater complexity than Beychevelle’s second label. Very smooth. Hint of smokiness. Very well balanced. Nice mouthy feel. The tannins are strong and quite restricted at the back end. Slightly too acidic, it's a bit early for this one (but I’m nit picking) Overall Amazing. In 10 years or so this is going to be ridiculous. I’m finding it difficult to rate the wine I’m tasting in the current moment versus what it will become over the next 10 years. Either way, the experience was gold. — 8 years ago

Jean-Francois Pelletier

9.1

Deep garnet color. Herbal nose of sage, green pepper and lead pencil backed up by sour cherries and dark fruit. Soft and plush palate, with the fruit shining through but ending with a more herbal and leathery finish. Hold. — 8 years ago

Shawn R

9.4

Hybrid between a new world and old world. In a very sweet spot. I believe the 06 is in a prime drinking window. Acid and fruit present yet the tannins are soft and plush. — 9 years ago

Paul Schmidt

9.7

In a perfect place right now. Plush berries, charcoal, cassis and an ashy minerality. So luscious and amazing. Probably has 10-20 more years, but why wait?? — 10 years ago

with Ashley

Jake Neustadt

9.6

2007 One of the best zin-blends I've ever had when I was drinking it out of a coffee mug outside. And it was even better once I got it into a glass.
Plush — 11 years ago

Eric L.

9.0

Very nice Merlot. Plush texture with red fruits and cocoa powder. — 11 years ago

Cara Almberg

10

Silly smooth. Plush fruit. Earthly. Wow. Mind. Blown. — 11 years ago

Allison Tauziet

9.6

Iron, earth, plush texture and fresh acid. — 12 years ago