Kirk F

9.4

So good, decanted an hour after an impulse pull! Needed more time that we didn’t have but blew us away nonetheless. — 7 years ago

Daron Watson

9.6

Pulled the cork and the juice smelled and tasted DELI$H ~ I’ve had many great wines, plenty I’ve rated higher, but the pull-n-pour instant gratification AND appropriate drinking time doesn’t happen often ~ it will age effortlessly for years but I’m not sure one “needs” to cellar more — 8 years ago

Neal Schaffer

9.1

Demonstrating finesse and restrain amidst dazzling strawberry and cranberry soaked cedar plank. The bouquet stays alluring as the core of the wine retains gravel, pine nut, and shaved ham. Tannins grip just enough to pull the palate together. Finish progresses into notes of Rooibos tea and ruby red grapefruit. Showcases a style of winemaking that stays honest to the artistic side of wine. — 8 years ago

with Dana

Jay Kline

9.4

My notes on this from May of 2017 still apply. Popped and poured. Drank well over two days. Immediately this wine impresses visually. Sure, the color is an expected deep garnet but what's most striking is the fact that it's never completely opaque at the core. You can just barely get the faintest amount of light to see through it. It's quite beautiful, really. The nose is initially a bit reticent but a few minutes of air in the glass does the trick and then it really begins to show off the most lovely perfume of mixed red and dark fruit; so fresh and pure with just a flash of garrigue. No perceptible heat on the nose. On the palate it's a veritable wonder of berries, Rainier cherries, black berry liqueur, and just a touch of fine white pepper. The body is perfectly proportioned and the finish lasts for over 30 seconds. In summary, this is an incredibly balanced 2010 CdP that is already hitting its prime. Personally, I felt it was really at its very best about two hours in which leaves me to believe it should be a great pop and pour for the next couple of years and potentially has the balance to be great for longer. That being said, there is no need to decant, just pull the cork, pour and enjoy the evolution in the glass. The hard part is allowing it to last for two hours and longer. It should be noted that this is dangerously quaffable wine and it wouldn't be hard to take the whole thing to the head. Might as well drink these sooner than later as I'm always a bit wary of CdP much beyond the 10 year mark, where I tend so find many of them fall apart on the palate. Perhaps others with more experience in the long-term ageing of CdP can chime in though. Absurd value at $30.

As a side note, this paired very nicely with pan fried pork savory bacon wrapped filet mignon. — 9 years ago

Allison Haas

9.0

Solid red blend — 10 years ago

Neal Dessouky

9.4

Friend brought a mag over and this was about the best burger wine anyone could pull from any cellar. Low acid but restrained fruit. I don't drink CA wines often enough, this was a hit. Chocolate, raspberry, very smooth and round mouthfeel. — 10 years ago

Olya S. Troxel

9.5

New project of Doug Shafer and Elias Fernandez. Beautiful Malbec - full body, lots of character, still young, probably needs more time, but definitely age worthy! Coffee beans, mocha, milk chocolate covered cherry, vanilla, sandalwood. Layers of complexity! Needs time to open up. Velvety finish. — 11 years ago

Chris Krueger

9.6

Wow - sweet tannins that pull together insanely pure fruit. — 11 years ago

Tom Higgins

Owner/Winemaker Heart & Hands Wine Company

9.2

Young and vibrant nose with notes of vanilla, currants, pomegranate and a whiff of violets. The vanilla and currants pull through on the palate with some coffee and underbrush lingering in the backdrop. The finish has some good heft and medium-heavy tannins - so this one can go at least another 8-10 without a problem (2023-2025). — 11 years ago

Kelly Karpenske

9.7

Cline cellars — 12 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Last night, a buddy of mine who’s a Disabled Veteran and Registered Architect, announced that he was assuming control of a SDVOSB Architecture firm. He had spent the better part of a year of trying to reach a purchase agreement. So it was an evening of celebration. He’s been a Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars fan for some time and he planned to pull the cork on a few bottles. We had a couple of rando bottles too but all were California Cabernet Sauvignon. I brought this bottle. It was part of my most recent delivery from Seavey and I was curious to try it out. Well...it was clearly infanticide. This was reductive at first and most of that blew off after about fifteen minutes. This was just so wound up. Delicious, fresh and almost crunchy fruit with a lot of structure. This was very bright compared to the Heart of Fay that preceded and just fell a touch short due to it being somewhat reticent. That being said, cellar time will be very kind to these and I would imagine this will show better down the road or with a lot of air, which this didn’t get. — 7 years ago

Aaron Hamrock

10

I decided to pull one out and see what it was about. Wow. Wotn. This is a perfect wine. Still a baby, this wine will only improve over the next 50+ years. — 8 years ago

Lisa Fried

9.3

Gorgeous deep blackish purple. The spice and leather and strong and perfect. A fantastic petite Syrah. — 8 years ago

Danielle Cooley

9.0

Food lion. River. Def buy again — 9 years ago

with Keith

Shay A

9.4

Another great Classic Wine Happy Hour in the books! Always a treat to have a designated day each month where guys can pull out some unique bottles!

This was courtesy of @Benjamin Keator and I freaking loved it. Felt like it was in a sweet spot. I believe it had been opened earlier in the day to give it some air, and by the time I had it, it was firing on all cylinders. Texture on the palate was excellent. Tannins were well integrated. Vanilla, blueberries, black licorice, cedar. — 9 years ago

with Mark, Benjamin and 1 other

Jenks

9.2

Whew! Big forward blast of richness, exotic fruits, flowers both in the nose and on the palate with the first few sips, and then enough acidity to pull together a pretty, citrusy, finish. At first like "Whoa" then like "Ahhh." Really interesting. Perfectly unbalanced if that makes any sense. — 10 years ago

David Brodrick

9.3

Iris and I love this wine - it somehow has both a really nice acidity, with a gorgeous richness - very few whites can pull that off. As Raff says, a Pinot Noir made white. We'll be drinking more of this. — 11 years ago

Julia Eklund

9.3

Working for this brand now so I might biased but I am enjoying this. Rich flavor and well balanced blend — 11 years ago

Christian Pages

9.8

Grenache. Carignan. Mourvedre. Excellent !! — 12 years ago

Jeremy Giesbrecht

9.0

Interesting wine... Tasted blind, certainly did not call Washington Sangiovese! The structural elements were light, medium tannin and acidity at best and high alcohol... The fruit was charming however and seemed to pull the wine together. All in all a tasty little treat! — 12 years ago

Craig Camp

General Manager Troon Vineyards

9.0

Wait! Stop! Do not pull cork for at least 2 years #delectable #syrah #wine — 13 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Happy Father’s Day! Wonderful pull by my father in law.

I’m a big fan of this winery as you don’t see them around very much. Such high quality with impeccable wine making. Slow ox for 1-2hrs. 95 merlot/5 CabFranc. Espresso and dark cocoa dusted black cherry, ripe blackberry and currant aromatics...intoxicating. So soft, yet ripe fruit, on the palate. Cherry swisher sweets, baked mixed berry figs, and still tart red and black fruit. Can’t believe how tart and ripe the fruit is even at 13yrs. Outstanding. — 7 years ago

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9.6

The 1983 Cristal is fabulous. Rich, ample and generous, the 1983 is incredibly inviting, with tons of class and personality. A wine of real volume and textural breadth, the 1983 has enough pedigree to drink well for many years. None of the elements stand out in the 1983, the whole is far greater than the sum of the parts. “Nineteen eighty-three is a different animal from some of the other wines of the decade,” Lécaillon explains. “It was a heavy crop, with a lot of fruit. There was so much wine in the cellar that the team could not get to everything in a timely fashion, and so there were some lots that started to oxidize a bit, and that, naturally, made the wine bigger.” In tasting, though, there are no off aromas or mushroomy flavors that suggest the wine is fading. If anything, the 1983 is spectacularly beautiful right now, even in the presence of other wines from more highly reputed vintages. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 8 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.7

Always a superb rockstar pull!!! Lush, vibrant and dense with a finish which goes on forever.
winner, winner......chicken dinner! — 9 years ago

with Christine

Gil Krakowsky

9.4

bloody, deep dark yet somehow light on its feet. Heavy upfront sanguine notes from incredibly iron rich soils. Black licorice, dark plum, deep dark cherry, a bit of blue fruit, hint of sage, eucalyptus. Soften the palate yet with good tannic pull and that vibrating Etna acidity. A baby. — 9 years ago

Alex Wishkoski

9.1

2010. Huge, buttery and luscious but still tight. This blew my mind a bit, very fun. — 10 years ago

Gae Saccoccio - NdC

9.8

Vintage 1949 in Burgundy according to Broadbent: “..most perfect end of a decade - elegant, well-balanced wines”; Clive Coates in his book Cote D'Or: "best vintage of 40's all-perfect beauty and purity”; Robert M. Parker Jr.: “it was the best of post world war II vintages before 1959”
Henri Leroy at that time was négociant based in Auxey-Duresses, his mythical daughter Lalou Bize-Leroy in 1949 was only seventeen.
Les Cazetiers is amongst the most elevated of Premier Cru site in Gevrey-Chambertin - and indeed the whole of Burgundy.
I drank this precious bottle on Mount Etna with #FrankCornelissen and other dear friends. Uncork this bottle lead to a surgical operation. Just begun to pull it out, a light breath of wine molecule with air bubbles magically have emerged on the surface of the cork. It's been like witness the passing away of a dying old man (or Pinot Noir must be a woman?) That humanized wine had held "élan vital", hope and breath inside him for the last 66 years! A miracle of a wine still so tasty, robust, citrusy, vibrant, earthy, incredibly alive and well-preserved despite color and neck level did not bode so well.. that's what I thought and I'll remember until I die: "the wine was waiting for us to drink it up, he gave off his mortal blow to offer us life, joy and smile!" — 11 years ago

with Alberto

Brad Whitcomb

9.0

Plum, blackberry, candy apple, fig newtons, and insects on the nose, very soft tannins, nicely balanced heat and acidity. Lingering finish. Nice. — 11 years ago

Karen Bergquist

9.4

Full fruit forward. Smokey and medium dry. Nice with Prime Rib. — 12 years ago

Joseph McDonald

9.4

Pardon the stains, had to pull it out of the trash can to delectable it:) — 13 years ago