Daniel M

9.0

A nice nose full of primary, binary and tertiary scents : black currant, vanilla, toast, blond tobacco, ceddar, leather, a hint of mint, some meat juice and some earthiness, wet soil too. Wow! The palate is delicious : it starts with a radiant black currant, then it goes large with a silky touch on the sides, some meat juice, some gentle tannins wich have perfectly incorporated and a long silky finish with that nice weight and touch which lasts for a very long while. It certainly has a lot of matter and distinction for a vintage which is considered a rather poor one. For less than 20 EUR (retail price) this is quite a bargain! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Even though we brought spilts with us on our trip, I still missed it. There just aren’t many better starters to kickoff a weekend night. Cheers! 🥂

Many previous notes still apply.

The next time you have BSR as an aperitif and your are having red wine after, save some to close out your night. The BSR ascends from 1080p HD to OLED 4K on your palate. For that matter, any quality Champagne will do. — 7 years ago

Raun Kupiec

9.5

Really great stuff. Depth and complexity. Rivals classic burgundies, and barolos for that matter. — 7 years ago

Scott Rowe

9.3

En Magnum
Incredibly gentle, soft, mellow no matter the description the fruit just sings!! — 8 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.1

No matter how many times I have this wines, I'm always impressed and always surprised — 9 years ago

with Matthew and David

Norman

9.7

Sine Qua Non tasting at Matter of Taste — 9 years ago

with Jay

Jerry Raphael

9.4

Opaque in color and chock-full of deep red fruits and berries with a touch of tar and cedar spice. Fully intergraded wine and so pleasurable to drink. I get their Zin and Cab from the winery ever year and have been doing so for 15 or so years. I drink them chronologically no matter what the vintage charts say and these wine never fail to please. — 10 years ago

with Barbara

Dana Thompson

9.1

Had this terrific Tempranillo at an otherwise average steakhouse at the suggestion of my waiter and wasn't disappointed with his claims of its characteristics. Lots of midrange cherry and wood with lower acidity than I expected. Hard to figure what the retail price would be as in a high end (if average) steakhouse all logic and reason goes out the window no matter what. I'd still say "get you some" though. — 11 years ago

Landon Sutherland

10

This is just one of the best wines! No matter what I try I always come back here and get blown away at every sip. Very bold, very dry! Perfect! — 11 years ago

Matt Wilson

8.9

Hands down my favorite producer of Zin...of any wine in California for that matter... Entry level and only non single vineyard wine from Ridge. It kills me that this wine is half the price south of the border. Positively delicious, juicy California fruit handled with old-world sensibility. — 11 years ago

with Nadia

Michelle Moser

9.8

In this case size does matter... Huge! Big chocolate and chewy with tar, flowers and loaded with licorice. Silky tannins. Guests who chose to drink the white wine...well they will remember the meal... For those who selected the Barolo... Well the food was negated as nothing at the party was more opulent than this! Fantastic! — 13 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

This is a young wine that I opened last weekend and enjoyed but, had to seal it up and put back into storage until tonight. It’s a touch faded (10%) but, like all young wine, resilient.

The nose reveals, ripe & candied; blackberries, dark cherries, plum, well extracted pomegranate, the blue fruits he does so well and I love in Pinot, dry cranberries, poached strawberries, raspberries, beautiful layered baking spices, medium intensity dark spices, steeped fruit tea, red fruit cola, hints of dry crushed rocks, limestone, dark, blue, purple flowers with hints of lavender.

The body is full with a fair amount of tannin presence. Nicely knitted structure, tension, length and balance for such a young Pinot. Ripe & candied; blackberries, dark cherries, plum, well extracted pomegranate, the blue fruits he does so well and I love in Pinot, dry cranberries, poached strawberries, touch of cooked rhubarb, raspberries, beautiful layered baking spices, medium intensity dark spice with shades of palate heat, steeped fruit tea, red fruit cola, saline notes, dry herbs, menthol, eucalyptus, hints of dry crushed rocks, volcanic minerals, dry & moist clay, limestone, leathery, wood staves, amazing dark, blue, purple flowers with hints of lavender. The acidity is excellent. The ripe, elegant, balanced, polished finish is delicious and persists nicely for minutes.

Paul makes beautiful expressions of Pinot, Rhône styles & Chardonnay. If you have not had them, well worth your time & investment to seek out.

Photos of; his Sierra Madre Vineyard...netted to keep the birds from eating his fruit, fruit near harvest time, my picture meeting Paul for the first time last week weekend at a “Matter of Taste” in Napa last weekend and their barrel room. — 7 years ago

Daniel M

9.0

Discreet nose of garrigue, olive, blackberry, pepper. The palate is very fresh with a splendid balance between a rather strong acid backbone and fruit and matter on the sides. Some tannins to kick things up and a fresh finish with fruit. Very lovely. Definitely the kind of Languedoc stuff I want to sip on regularly. — 7 years ago

David Lincoln

9.8

Nearly perfect. Heavy meat and umami nose. Black fruit and olive tapenade taste notes. More southern Rhône in style than northern. Ultra sexy tannins and utterly integrated in all ways. Tasted with Christophe Baron at Matter of Taste. — 8 years ago

Bret Barker

9.5

I know too young- but it’s so good when it touches your lips! The color is such a deep purple. Red cherry, graphite and I had some vanilla undertones. It wasn’t overly tannic at all. We didn’t have a chance to decant it- didn’t matter smooth as silk out of the gates. — 8 years ago

Oliver Brown

8.9

I think ball bag birr(!), is a wine innuendo too far for a classy wine producer. However, Château Potensac, does intrinsically have a certain 'potency' and 'hardihood' to it.

Many say 2003 is oft-over extracted. With much already passed its peak even, by the very nature of the year's excessive heat. But I found this bottle to be in a good (midlife) state. With the vintage's, most criticised, low acidity, still lively... a solid backbone as such, very much still on display; for many a fine wine for that matter, especially a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.

Its primary and secondary aromas are very much alive too and its tertiary ones just hinting at what hands they will ultimately show. It benefitted from a good 1/2 hour decant too #wine — 9 years ago

Daniel March

9.3

A Clio is not for the faint of heart. If you are a six shooter, this is a shotgun. Heavily extracted, big oak, sweet flavors of cherry, vanilla, licorice, blueberry, with mild heat on the nose. It almost doesn't matter, this wine just has a presence. The beauty is that the mouth feel is not overwhelming, it's rich but still lively, the acidity keeps it fresh. The finish is long lasting, leaving a wonderful chalkiness that leaves me licking my lips for the next sip. This wine had shut down for a while, but boy is it back. — 10 years ago

Aaron Rankin

9.0

Anti-fruit. Organic matter, spices, and all that. — 10 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.0

Schäfer Fröhlich always makes great wine no matter what level. This Qualitätswein from a tough vintage does not disappoint a winner in my recent Club W tasting. Slightly bitter like many wines I like very slight petrol notes. Close to fermented pineapple according to Mimi our host at our dinner potluck. Here you go the women knows how to describe wine and has had fermented pineapple in past. — 11 years ago

Tom Riley

9.2

Twelve years in and this wine is so damn perky. Let me get back to you in another hour. Maybe it will be a tad less exuberant and a bit more relaxed. No matter what happens it's still gonna be delicious. These folks are so delightfully reliable. 13.0 abv — 11 years ago

Nate Rose

Wine Director Specs

8.9

Come on. Watch out for this one. 2011 Cabernet — 11 years ago

Thomas Hughes

9.5

2 years in oak barrels, followed by 2 years of bottle age, then released in the 5th year. Montalcino has made Brunello both a science and passion. In the most recent vintages, 2001, 2004, 2006, it didn't matter the vineyard ... Most are outstanding. But some stick out and this wine does just that. The fruit that initially hits the palate is mind blowing. How can this not be a Bordeaux blend? How can this just be Sangiovese? But it continues with the grace and balance of an old world red. Unfortunately, I haven't seen this bottle in at least a few years and I only have 1 bottle left. But for under $50, this definitely stands out! Cheers! — 13 years ago

Daniel M

8.9

Black currant, cedar, tar, cigar box, coffee, vanilla. Quite a complex nose. The palate is very concentrated with a strong acid backbone, and some dark and dense matter with black currant and somehow dusty tannins that kick everything up. The finish is very long and very wide with some bitterness popping up, black currant, and a pinch of salt. We paired this baby with a gigantic beef T-bone. Perfect pairing. It's still very young and needs time. Not a 9 because it's still too young — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

There is nothing like taking a $31 bottle of Napa Cabernet and turning it into liquid gold. All you have to do is buy a good producer’s decent vintage or better and hold it in bottle for nearly 10 years or longer. Bottle age can’t be accomplished in a decanter, no matter how long you decant it. It simply will not round out the wine, make the tannins well resolved, integrate all the flavors that equate to a nice complex wine.

I was saddened to see a quality Napa Valley Pioneer recently sell its winery. I am sure somewhere Joe Heitz is beside himself. However, nothing stands for forever. We’ll see what the new owners do with it. Certainly, the last free quality free tasting in Napa Valley is gone forever. To be continued...

The nose reveals; dark currants, ripe, ruby, slightly candied fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum, blueberries and cherry kirsch. Sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned soil, anise, steep fruit tea, limestone minerals, dry crushed rock, underbrush, soft leather, hints of dry herbs, moist clay with candied, bright, dark, red, blue florals and violets for days.

The body is full, very round and gorgeous across the palate. The tannins are about 80% resolved but, still showing some teeth. The structure, tension, length and balance have hit the top of the bell curve and will hold there awhile longer. There is nothing in this wine that bites back or is astringent. Dark currants, ripe, ruby, slightly candied fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum, blueberries, raspberries on the high palate and long set with cherry kirsch. Sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned soil, anise, steep fruit tea, caramel, some milk chocolate, limestone minerals, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, underbrush, soft leather, touch of graphite, hints of dry herbs, moist clay with amazing candied, bright, dark, red, blue florals and violets for days. The acidity is like a palate waterfall. The long finish is; delicious, gorgeous, ruby, well balanced, elegant with polish that persists nicely for minutes.

Photos of; Heitz vineyard, tasting bar/room on Hwy 29, sitting area outside the tasting room and Heitz winery and Estate vines. — 7 years ago

Shun Kikuchi

8.9

closed. Ruby with orange rim. Restraint intensity of aromas but not flabby. dry, mid acidity (well balanced), vervety. Already the window is open, just a matter of timing. Abv14.5% — 9 years ago

Quinn Peebles

10

Smoothest rye I have every had the esteemed pleasure of enjoying. Remarkable flavoring and impeccable finish. Buy it. It does not matter what your taste is, you will enjoy it. — 9 years ago

Mark Blatty

9.4

Just turned 10 and still tastes young. Napa classic no matter what the rating. — 10 years ago

Will Clinton

9.0

Fantastic with grilled oysters...or any seafood for that matter — 10 years ago

Erin Hollrah

9.2

Marcel Lapierre Morgon… I smell it in the breeze, the warm kind that makes my head float above the leaves and just flutter down to the ground below — no matter if that ground be sand, snow, concrete or dirt. It doesn’t matter, for this wine personifies my favourite wine descriptor: high toned.

Medium garnet in colour, a generous nose of fully ripened strawberries; red and dark cherries; and warm, granite-rich earth leaves room for no other aroma to interfere. For a daydreaming stint, I become sweet sixteen. Everything is deep pink and love is such an easy red. Life is silky and breezy and good. I could live forever in the slipsteam.

The wine is dry but its fruits are gushingly sweet. A soothing mouthfeel and supple tannins offer too lovely an experience. It is so tempting to bite into the bitter little seeds inside the berries, but instead Marcel Lapierre Morgon begs you to roll with the black cherry skin and enjoy the simplicity before harsh aspects of life are unavoidable. The cover of YM magazine will never be interesting again, so why not enjoy it while it lasts?

Alas, the heartier-skinned wines and those unbathed in hippie funk; the awkward intrigues as well as dangerous lusts inevitably called my attention. Life may never be that raw and pristine again, but the beauty I can always recapture in this unforgettable bottle.

— 10 years ago

Justin Hansohn

9.2

Fuck. I can't stop drinking this. This wine bar across from my kitchen is draining my wallet on getting in bed with this girl. Pure relaxation, so silky, so balanced...the minerals, the cherries, the mysteries of every sip. Open for 10 minutes, open for 2 hours, doesn't matter, she's tight, she's loose, she's so gorgeous and quiet. Fuck. I gotta get out of here. — 11 years ago

with Arturo