J. Kim

9.1

Tastes good, but does not show the tension, transparency, lively magic and uniqueness that separate the greats from merely good ones. — 4 years ago

Denise Villarreal

9.5

Smelled liked a Merlot, but shocked me with its flavor. Sweet and dry at the same time with a lovely full mouth feel and complex flavor. — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

BSR don’t come to the African bush without it. Just like American Express, don’t leave home without it. Missed it!

All my previous notes apply.

Photos of, the nearly 20 Lions we found on our afternoon game drive. Three Males (one of them featured with the big yawn) four Lionesses and 12 or 13 Cubs, the completion of seeing the “Big Five” experience with this Buffalo on our morning game drive and most of the Lion pride laying in the sand awaiting the evening hunt.

9.3 on the BSR and a perfect 10 on our game drives.

@Severn Goodwin This ones for you! 🤣 Cheers! — 5 years ago

Andy Christiansen

8.9

Joy to drink. Soft and juicy for SB but not the type of sweetness I associate with some California ones. — 6 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.2

Nice color of purple. Very interesting Syrah as she has characters very different from traditional ones. Cherry, berries, violets, saline, roses, a bit leather and saline. Aftertaste shows some more zest, a bit spicy, and a bit sweet note, quite high in alcohol. — 6 years ago

Kai Wright

8.9

House red. Most closed of the ones we've tasted here--much more grip and body, oak spice notes. Plum, cherry. — 7 years ago

with Jedd

Jeroen Koenen

9.2

A warm winter wine, orange peel, marzipan, roasted nuts, tropical flowers, vanilla. Very thick, unctuous, demanding attention. Always a very impressive wine, yet this one bottle seems more advanced compared to previous ones. — 7 years ago

Patricia Schnitzer

9.4

Oct 23, 2020. Celebrating champagne day. This ones a winner! 70% Pinot noir, 30% Chardonnay. Tart green apple. So good! — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

2002 is such a beautiful vintage IMHO. In many ways, I think even better than 07. We’ll see in five years from now as I lack a time machine.

I’ve said this a couple of times over my nearly 4,200 Delectable notes. There is no amount of decanting a young wine that can reproduce the beauty, elegance, florals, integration, balance and finish as long bottle age. If you are buying expensive Cabernets and drinking them young, you are simply short changing yourself out of your deep investment.

This largely under known Napa producer is a shining example of that tonight. Proof in the pudding so to speak.

The nose reveals, sweet, ripe, lush, ruby, slightly baked/liqueured fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black cherries, black plum, understated blueberries and baked strawberries haunt the backend. Dark Asian & Indian spices, black licorice to anise, sweet tarriness, black tea, dark expresso, crushed dry rocks, limestone minerals, herbal notes, mint, incense, graphite, dark chocolate, caramel & mocha, dry top soil, moist clay, dark rich, turn earth with fresh & withering; dark, red, purple, blue flowers & just a touch of violets.

The body is; round, rich & luxurious. The tannins still have baby teeth and show chewy tarriness. The tension, structure, length and balance have hit their peak. It’s not going to improve, it will simply show you descending changes which, can be quite enjoyable but, not necessarily for the ones that appreciate wines young. Interesting, none the less, for the ones that enjoy all sides/aspects of wine evolution. Sweet, ripe, lush, ruby, slightly baked/liqueured fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black cherries, black plum, mulberries, boysenberries, more blue fruits than the nose, cherries and baked strawberries haunt the backend. Dark Asian & Indian spices with just the right amount of heat, black licorice to anise, sweet tarriness, black tea, dark expresso, crushed dry rocks, limestone minerals, herbal notes, mint, graphite, dark chocolate, caramel & mocha, dry top soil, moist clay, dark rich, turn earth, fresh tobacco, suede style leather, saddle-wood with fresh & withering; dark, red, purple, blue flowers & just a touch of violets. The ABV on this wine is really nice given today’s hotter wines. Climate change, it’s a bitch. The round acidy is as good as it gets. The long, excellent, elegant, rich, ripe, ruby, gorgeous, sexy, floral, perfectly balanced finish falls into persistent heaven.

This is a gorgeous example of what Napa Valley is capable of in grand vintages, if you have good storage & can show patience.

Photos of; an arial view of Jones Family Winery, patio tasting area, beautiful Jones Family Cabernet fruit and their amazing vineyards. — 4 years ago

John Miller

9.1

Spicy, salty and bold. Grippy tannins, medium body, tight acidity. I get a blast of old flavor green sweetarts, the lime ones. Great flavor, but could be better with a longer, more robust finish — 6 years ago

Mark Rosse

9.5

One of many fantastic wines had at the TumTum charity auction last evening. Thanks to old friends and new ones for their generosity and making it such a great evening for the kids of Alabama! — 7 years ago

with Jasmine

John Rutherford

9.0

Best Malbec I've ever had... not like any jammy Argentinian ones and bold with fruit forward. — 7 years ago

with Tommy

"Odedi"

9.0

Light golden in color with a yellow hue.

Fruity and sweet nose of lemons, melons, tropical fruits, minerals, citrus, tangerine, ripe bananas, mangoes and white pepper.

Medium plus in body with some effervescent, crisp with small bubbles and high acidity.

Sweet on the palate with melons, red apples, peaches, mangoes and citrus.

Long finish with sweet mangoes.

A delicious sweet dessert wine from Italy. Crisp, engaging and not Cloying. Nicely balanced with enough acidity for the residual sugar it contains.

A Great sipping wine, and also good with desserts like cheesecakes, but not the very sweet ones.

7% alcohol by volume. — 8 years ago

John A

9.6

Truly a beautiful Syrah. — 4 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.2

On the Lawn at Tanglewood this afternoon with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our conductor Andris Nelsons is leading GERSHWIN (Piano Concerto in F), GERSHWIN (Variations on “I Got Rhythm,” for piano and orchestra) and STRAVINSKY (Petrushka) with the amazing Jean-Yves Thibaude as the piano soloist on the two first works presented today. Jean-Yves is by far among our favorite pianists to grace the Koussevitzky Shed stage, so graceful, yet poignant!

Hot days call for cool wines, today there are some fun ones planned for sharing.

Similar notes from our last bottle.
Savory herbs, beeswax, citrus pith. So wonderful! — 5 years ago

LM Segal

9.4

Promise in a bottle, full throttle and beautifully extracted juice loaded with fig, pepper and spice. Sharp, powerful tannins suggest a 20 year wine with dark blue fruit to match. Can’t wait to see how this sorts out but my kids may be the ones who find out.... — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Gorgeous earthy perfume, Forest Floor - could be Burgundian. A Tawny edge to the colour. My 2nd favourite Aussie Pinot after the Bass Phillip Reserve. Savoury cherry nuances on the palate but overall more savoury than fruit driven. Light to medium bodied. Very fine Tannins with natural acid still present. I expected more mid palate fruit for what Phillip Jones described as “one of our best vintages” to that point. They have had better ones since IMO. I would not normally taste a BP Premium under 10 years (this being the first of 4) but having tasted this I wish I had had one say four years ago. In the category of wines I buy every vintage - like the Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay. — 6 years ago

Paul J

9.2

Celebrating the birth of our twins, Drew and Emma!!! Can't go crazy while helping feed the little ones every 3 hours, but a glass of this is a great change to 4 nights in the hospital.

Classic Matthiasson Napa Red Blend. Definitely give it a little air, but it is somewhat passed its prime in my mind. The nose is the best part, then the finish, but it is starting to run thin and losing fruit and tannins. Still a great wine!

Back to burp cloths and bottles of a different type :) — 6 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.1

Last of the '14s while the '15s continue to rest. Always love the Sonoma Coast fruit and this chard is packed with it, but it feels like the bouquet will continue to expand with a little more time in bottle. It's still nervous with acidity and the oak influence, while not overdone, could still integrate a bit further. I wish I had another one to hold for improvement, but I'll have to let the single vineyard versions be the ones to rest while I move on to the next vintage. — 7 years ago

WineMascot

9.4

powerful, yet sleek. fruit coming from vines as old as ones that were planted in 1860. — 8 years ago