Jenks

9.1

Distributor closeout at the local Albertsons. $55 cut to $30, bought it on a whim. Calistoga, not even sure these vines are still standing. Big ripe Napa cab, just exploding with fruit, oak, vanilla, some grip to reign the fruit in a bit. Washed it down with smoked chuck roast, potatoes and a snow storm. — 5 years ago

Thomas H Stanphill 111

9.4

Amazing Wine ! This is a gorgeous wine . The color is golden yellow . The nose is full of rich , ripe apricots and peaches with a whiff of wild honey and toasted hazel nuts . The wine drinks very much as is on the nose , but with a zest of salinity . This a fruit forward wine that with excellent minerality ! It borders on excellence with this kind of elegance , power and depth . Most surprising is it’s complexity . This makes it extremely unique . Albeit a big wine , the drinkability is very good . I would suggest that it pairs just as beautifully with lobster and crab as it does with a prime , double cut , grilled pork chop ! At $35 -$40 dollars this wine is most definitely a steal . The QPR ( Quality to Price Ratio ) Makes this one of the biggest steals in the wine world today . I love it ! — 6 years ago

Craig Chapman

8.9

Nice easy drinking wine on the sweeter side. Paired well with pesto chicken — 7 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.1

In my note from 2 years ago I said they were “just starting to loosen up”. Im here to say that is a slow process. This is the first one i’ve had that isn’t a tannic beast, but it’s still showing incredibly young. Inky purple with rich dark fruits and laser tannins that can sear through a huge fatty cut. This is mountain fruit built to age and I have a feeling these wont hit their prime until right around their 15th birthday. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Saturday, steak & Claret night. Ribcap (the prime and most tender meat cut) & an 05 Clerc Milon. 05 an excellent vintage in Bordeaux! 😋

Time to look in on the 05 Clerc Milon after 10 years in bottle. 10 years in bottle is always a good first check with quality producers. Since I have nearly a case of the 05, I’ll open another bottle in about 3 years.

On the nose, slightly candied, ripe fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, baked strawberries and hues of blueberries. Vanilla, caramel, mocha chocolate, some cinnamon, saddle-wood, steeped tea, light graphite, dark rich soil, sweet tarry notes, crushed, dry rock powder, stones with lavender, fresh dark flowers and violets.

The body round, ruby, lush and full. The tannins like velvet. It’s starting to enter a very good drinking phase with another 15 years plus ahead. The fruits are ripe but more floral on the palate than the nose. Blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, baked strawberries, creamed raspberry cola, hues of blueberries and cherries on the long set. Vanilla, caramel, mocha chocolate, some cinnamon, saddle-wood, steeped tea, dark roasted coffee, used leather, light graphite, dark rich soil, underbrush, sweet tarry notes, crushed, dry, rock powder, stones with lavender, fresh dark flowers and bright violets. The structure, tension, length and balance is hitting its stride. Great round acidity. The ripe, rich, lush, well balanced finish is very good and will continue to get better & better and lasts minutes.

Photos of, Clerc Milon, their new barrel room first used for the 09 vintage. Their dining & reception room, our friend and Winemaker Jean Danjoy. He was the Assistant Winemaker at Opus One for 10 years before designing the new Clerc Milon Cellars and becoming the Winemaker for the 09 vintage. He has pushed the quality at Clerc Milon with each vintage...achieving the highest rating every for Clerc Milon with a 93-95 Parker rating for their 2017 vintage. Not only is he a very talented Winemaker but, perhaps the nicest person I know. And the last photo, Chateau Clerc Milon and Estate vines.

Clerc Milon sits adjacent to her sister property, Chateau Mouton Rothschild. — 7 years ago

WC Fields

9.4

Long life ahead here. Decanted 75min and this could've gone longer. Delicious pure fruit with awesome grip and tannins that cut through prime rib-eye. Will hold on opening others for several more years. — 8 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.2

Disgorged 2016. According to a friend who worked at Veuve nearby, Arnaud's wines sell out quick at the winery each year. Can certainly see why - this cuvee drinks so well. Fruit driven, with a solid core of apple, pears, and lemon curd. Oh so floral, nutty, yeasty. Reminded me of walnut butter, and MO of gruyere. I also got this pleasant vanillin tones in the finish.

Notes from Skurknik:
I wish I were named “Cuvée le Brut instead of my actual name, Gibbery Wobblestein. “Terry Theise” is a pseudonym. To the matter at hand—this superb non-vintage is 55% 2013 and the balance is 25% ’12, 10% ’11 and 10% ’06; deg 1/2016, it’s an exceedingly refined, high-toned classic Margaine, White-flowers, with sushi-knife cut and chisel, and overtones of jasmine. This wine rides the thin line between Chardonnay and Riesling, and when it’s on form it’s a thorough original, and one of my most beloved Champagnes. 92-8 CH/PN. — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Dark reddish tawny. Herbal nose. Heavy tobacco leaf, black cherries, cedar, smoke, plums, and cut Cuban cigar. Angular in the mouth. Needed five hours to find its groove. Big and powerful wine, paired perfectly with smoked prime rib. — 5 years ago

Hilary McCown

9.0

I was worried it might be past its prime, but I am delightfully surprised. There's still a touch of stone fruit and wet stones, but another layer of honeycomb and kerosene, too. Super rich texture with salinity to cut through. — 5 years ago

JFP

9.1

Excellent as a Stag’s Leap should be. Accompanied an end cut prime rib. Definitely a go to wine. — 6 years ago

Bill Bender

9.3

As Borat would say “I like a very much”....bursting with ruby red fruits, cut white flowers and a melange of mushroom and Asian spices. In a prime drinking window. — 7 years ago

George Booth

9.3

A beautiful well balanced Pinot Noir with an aftertaste of cherry and rhubarb giving it that acidic bite to cut through the food. Just a superb Pinot.
Had this at a wine tasting at Prime Butcher in Hampstead NH.
— 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Our main course was Jenny’s, Flannery Beef’s Jorge Cut “Prime Rib Style”. Beef Jus and Saba Pan Sauce. Herb Garlic Smashed Baby Heirloom Potatoes Roasted Feral Hearts Farm Rapini in a Rapini Pesto. Winter Citrus and Roasted Nantes Carrots with Urfa. Quite delicious and well paired with this 98 Chateau Magdelaine. This was a little silky austere at the beginning. My fault as it needed a longer than 30 minute decant out of magnum. Once it opened up it showed the beauty of the 98 Right Bank Vintage. The fruit started to shine after being shy to start. Layers of soft complexity silky and velvety. The beef and the wine pushed & pull evenly on each other; which is key element in any pairing. Chateau Magdelaine is made with 90% Merlot & 10% Cabernet Franc. Chateau Magdelaine is aged in an average of 40% new French oak barrels for about 18 months. When the 2012 St. Emilion Classification was announced, the owners of Chateau Magdelaine, Ets. Moueix, declared that 2011 would be the final vintage for the property. From that point forward, the vineyard of Chateau Magdelaine would be merged into their other estate in the appellation, Chateau Belair-Monange. — 7 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.2

2000 Sine Qua Non “The Filly” California Table Wine. 14% alcohol. The last Rose’ of Summer for me. Gorgeous color in the glass. Sort of reminds me of one of my favorite Porsche colors, Rubystone Red. Still fruity on the nose. Strawberries, watermelon and fresh cut rose petals. Similar flavors on the palate with some brambles thrown in. Vibrant acidity. Undoubtedly past its prime, but let’s have a show of hands, who else out there is drinking a 17 year old Rose’? Yeah, that’s what I thought. This one was obviously made before Manfred began what I affectionately like to call his Frankenstein Rose’s. They defy description. They’re over the top. They push the envelope. They’re everything I love about the experiment otherwise known as SQN. Some people hide them in their cellar. I say drink ‘em in the sunshine. — 8 years ago

Ming L

9.1

I could not resist but pull out this big Shiraz to pair with the thick cut of prime New York strip. To me the pairing is as good as it gets.
Ripe, but the 2014 vintage seems to have a more vivid acidity. The flavors just hit you like gentle warm gulf waves.
I will try to get my hands off my remaining bottles for a while. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Tawny with thin amber rims. Dry fruit nose. Notes of dried cherries, some cranberry, a fresh cigar cut, a dollup of raspberry jam and a hint of menthol. Silky in the mouth. Tannins resolved with enough fruit to balance with the structure. Probably past it’s prime showing but very nice tonite nonetheless. — 5 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.0

Birth year bottle #1 popped today to celebrate 40! Glad the cork on this one was popped today. definitely the good advice of someone who knew a little more than I did. This wine was not bad, but it was definitely not stellar. Probably about 5 to 7 years post prime. The news was a lot of must and weed and cut grass. I did let this sit for about 20 minutes to slow ox and figure out some things. The entry was a combination of tart cherry, a little hint of plum and raisin. Fruit profile was definitely giving more of the way to a dried tobaccoit was still a little bit funky and had plenty of soil and mushroom. Definitely past its prime, but enjoyable. Very glad that I only have one bottle. — 6 years ago

with Dan and Clare

Bill Bender

9.6

From 3L with a river walk view. This unraveled and shed tannin as the night progressed. Reluctant fresh cut violets and crushed rock bouquet, bright cherry tobacco, fig newton and boysenberry palette, velvety smooth and compact bold mid palate and by night’s end an especially long compelling finish. This is likely ready on pop from 750 but has 10-15 years plus of prime drinking window. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.2

I assumed this would be fairly tight knit, but was pleasantly surprised. Poured really dark in the glass and was definitely a darker profile but there was an elegance to the finish. Blackberry, smoked cedar, dried herbs on the palate with a lavender type finish. Paired well with 2” thick prime cut bacon at Fort Worth’s newest steakhouse. 👌 — 8 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.2

From Friday night steak and claret with Cinnamon and Julia from Champagne Cazanove. I was to overwhelmed by the charm of my dining companions to remember to take a picture. I bought this now 13 year old pre-arrival, and although aromatically generous, this wine is still far to young for its outstanding potential. The high class cassis perfume was followed by an overly taught feel in the mouth. It still cut refreshed after each bite of prime top sirloin! — 8 years ago