Manjiry Tamhane

9.1

Rich golden colour, nutty flavours as a result of ageing. Hint of fading tropical fruit on the nose with coconut on the palate. Honestly thought this would be well past its best but has surprised and delighted 19 years on! — 4 years ago

Clive McNish

9.2

Great Shiraz, imagine dropping your bag of blackcurrants, blackberries and dark cherries into a pot of tar. You get them out, squeeze the result into a glass, wait half an hour and drink it. Serious amount of tar on the nose of this wine, when I opened it I thought they were resurfacing the road and I live on the 18th floor. Good stuff. — 4 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.1

A bit on the quirky side. I really have no idea where this wine is in the spectrum of things. It definitely isn't done, but it has a big hole in the middle. The nose is fruitcake and cola. The entry is pretty big and rounded. Powerful fruit. At first the middle was dead, but after 30 minutes it really started to come around and showed some cinnamon, spice, nutmeg. The finish became a little more acidic. Slight toasted tannin finish. Really impressed. I have stayed away from opening these mainly because I thought they were all dead, but curiosity killed the fat cat and the result was MUCH better than expected. — 6 years ago

Ryan M

9.3

Yes 93. Extremely smooth and dark purple. Cherries, Blackberries, clove, wet moss, cedar, pine, and tobacco. Resembles an $80 bottle from the mountains.

Winemaker Notes
Dark and rich, the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offers aromas and flavors of blackberry and ripe plum, with hints of clove and earthiness. Notes of brown spice and vanilla enhance the palate for a lusciously full mouthfeel, culminating in a long finish. 7% Petit Verdot, 1.5% Petite Sirah, 1.5% Cabernet Franc.

Since 1978, William Hill Winery has produced wines from the cool southern regions of Napa Valley, including the Silverado Bench and the Carneros districts. The winery specializes in Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, producing Reserve and Napa Valley bottlings. Chardonnay grown in the cool climate and well-drained soils of Carneros typically offer brighter, more intense flavors and higher acidity than grapes grown in the richer soils and warmer temperatures at the upper end of the Napa Valley. The result are Chardonnays that are highly complex and multi-layered with crisp, bright flavors. — 7 years ago

with Larissa

Weijie Shi (Jay)

8.9

Red fruits dominate, with a lot of game, bacon component and a crush of black pepper. Very different from the Pegau one I've had before. This is very approachable, gentler than Gigondas. 2010 vintage — 7 years ago

Matt Trader

9.0

Yes, young but I wanted to see what 14 is all about in Pessac. Dark bramble fruits, vanilla, leather notes, and velvety tannins, even at young age like this, and a bit of crush rocks. Paired this with a Portuguese soft shell clam recipe with Coriço. Melded well with the spices. — 7 years ago

Jeffrey Lew

9.9

Picked this up off the shelf at Crush a few hours before dinner. Might of been the best bottle I have had yet. Wow. Amazing concentration, graphite, tobacco, and dark fruit. Great stuff @Jason Chang @Martin G Rivard wish you guys were here. Add this to the list of must have in the cellar. — 8 years ago

Sara Skar

8.9

Nice solid red blend. Easy to drink with a touch of sweetness — 4 years ago

Jeff Murray

9.0

Excellent blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Tempranillo instead of Syrah. Works very well. I saw this described as “dusty fruits” which I take to mean earthy, and just slightly subdued. Relatively smooth and opens up nicely with air time. Will keep the other bottles for a while to see how the evolve. Another good effort from ONX wines out of Pasa Robles. Cheers — 4 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.1

This Rosé wine begins with aromas of guava, bright strawberry and bubblegum. The weight and structure is outstanding, particularly considering the heat spikes during this warm vintage. Red cherry, guava puree and strawberry candy flavors persist throught the finish. Drink 2019-2025- 92 — 5 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.8

Bottled just a few months ago, the 2015 Continuum is shaping up to be a real gem. The flavors are dark, bold and incisive. In 2015, poor weather during flowering took with it 50% of the production in Continuum's prime Cabernet Sauvignon blocks. As a result, the 2015 has a high percentage (31%) of Cabernet Franc. Today, the Franc is keeping the wine a bit clenched, but that should be less of an issue as time passes. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, March 2018) — 6 years ago

Lawrence Asrikin

9.4

Asahi Shuzo is one of the very few breweries that offers Junmai Daiginjo in multiple seimaibuai and keeps everything else remains roughly the same. As a result, you can experience how seimaibuai affects the end result. At 39% seimaibuai, it's priced right between the 50 and 39. Interestingly, it has slightly darker colour and bigger body than its siblings. Similarly nose with different finish. A little more forward than the 50 and 23 and sharp pineappley finish. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Deep Crimson in colour. Closed to begin with as a result of the Wine Fridge set a little cold. Aromas of currant, blackberry, roast meats, tar and liquorice. As the wine warmed up a hint of violets came through. None of the ashtray notes I have had with previous Spanish Monastrels. Palate is ripe, full bodied and obviously from a warm climate. From near Alicante on the east coast of Spain and therefore very Mediterranean. Ultra savoury with robust tannins. Aged in 500 litres Oak Barrels so the Oak is not overdone. Overall a fairly masculine wine and not particularly liked by my better half! Tasted 2nd and last bottle 107 weeks later on 18th April 2019. Ultra savoury / so much so that the fruit is masked. Aromas of tar and violet with a certain rusticity. Medium to full bodied with fine grainy tannins. — 7 years ago

Paul Weil

9.0

White Barbera! This was one of the "fantasy" wines announced by "Superman's Pal' and crowdfunded by us Naked Angels. The result is well worth it. A deep straw color with a ring of orange, this is not overly sweet like a white Zinfandel or white Grenache, but has around the amount of residual sugar one might expect from a Pinot Grigio or dry Riesling. The mouthfeel is slightly creamy with a pleasant orange-pomelo flavor, conveying just enough tartness to balance the sugar. While I enjoyed my first bottle as an afternoon cocktail wine, I am reserving my second
to pair with spicy Asian cuisine. Cheers to Mr. Olsen's "Super" fantasy! — 7 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.1

The only wine made from Montepeloso in 2017, all the top fruit was used for the level A Quo and with a triumphing result and plenty of revenue for a modest investment. Ripe yet fresh red and black fruit with an underlying freshness, floral aromas and a dimensional complexity brought by toast, spice, warm rocks and a savory meatiness. Expanding fruit on the palate in casing of fresh acidity and a solid yet soft grip from the ripe tannins. Offensive yet integrated alcohol and balanced act throughout the finish. Quite unusual blend 30% Montepulciano, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 %Sangiovese, 10% Marselan, 10% Alicante — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Whenever I have a really older bottle of wine, I think, what was I doing in this case 1989?

About this time of year, I was walking into Candlestick Park for the Bay Bridge World Series while this wine was fermenting. I was walking through the parking lot when the 89 earthquake hit. It was like Godzilla was a Gopher tunneling under my feet. The stadium erupted with a resounding cheer. Earthquake during the World Series...yeah! It wasn’t until an hour later that hard reality set in.

This Chateau Lynch-Moussas is a recent direct purchase from the Negotiant. 89 was a pretty good Bordeaux year. So, why not see how a 5th Growth producer wine evolved over 30 years. It’s a treat to enjoy wine with this much age.

While Lynch-Mousses has improved vastly in more recent vintages, back in the day, they made some nice wines but, not great. This wine shows beauty & elegance but, it lacks fundamental elements of high quality. However, its fruit and structure have held up nicely over the years.

The nose reveals a fair amount of; barnyard, mushrooms, ripe; blackberries dark currants, dark cherries, black raspberries & strawberries on the edges of the glass. Black plum skin, dark chocolate, raspberry cola, mocha, caramel, clove, nutmeg, burnt cinnamon, tarriness, graphite, leather, old tobacco, dark spice, dry herbs, dark, rich, black earth, stones, dry brush, steeped tea with withering red & dark florals.

The body is still full and round. The fruits are still ripe & slightly candied. The wine is still holding an interesting drinking window, it’s on the decline. While that sounds not good, I find them in this phase infinitely more interesting. Ripe; blackberries dark currants, dark cherries, black raspberries & some strawberries. Black plum with skin, dark chocolate, raspberry cola, mocha, caramel, clove, nutmeg, burnt cinnamon, vanillin, tarriness, graphite, leather, old tobacco, dark spice, dry herbs, dark, rich, forest floor, mushrooms, stones, touch of limestone minerals & crush rocks, dry brush, steeped tea with withering red & dark florals with violets. The acidity is round & excellent. The long finish is; rich, ripe, well balanced & intergraded with long drier but, very floral persistence.

Excellent with our steaks. Still has another 5-7 years of good drinking ahead with excellent storage. I also miss the 12-13% ABV of the 80’s Bordeaux’s.

Photos of; the entrance view of Chateau Lynch-Moussas, Count Jean-Baptiste Lynch of Ireland and Chateau founded in the 1800’s, the owner/operator since 1961 - Emile Casteja and their barrel room.
— 5 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.2

Pleasure to drink. Wish it wasn't so expensive. For a 16 yo drop, this was showing good energy. Reductive when open, then it was all that soy and mushroom on the nose, some delicate fruit - almost somewhat ripe - on the palate. Solid finish, with a still present acid. Can't say I could taste the Vosne terrior though, perhaps a result of age. — 7 years ago

Robert Sherman

9.0

Excellent. Smooth. Nice nose, of rich red berries. A bit dry. Medium to full bodied. Complex and well structured. Decanter for an hour before for best result. Nice blend' — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

The Backus Vineyard is on a steep hillside in the low end of the Vaca mountains...across from Rudd Vineyards and Screaming Eagle. It's a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot & 1% Malbec. Tonight, it's showing elegant evolution. The tannins are about at the halfway point in their evolution. It has a slightly jammy character. The fruits are; ripe to dry blackberries, spiced plum, dark cherries, touch of blueberries, black raspberries & raspberries come on late, coffee grounds, spice-box, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, mocha chocolate, a nice woody barrel toast comes through mid palate, black licorice anise, dry stems, black tea, dry florals & fresh violets, dry hay, rich semi-sweet black earth, dry crush brown volcanic rocks and the acidity is perfect. The wine is in a good place tonight with a 3 hour decant. The structure, balance, length and finish are outstanding. The finish goes on and on. It's; ruby, lush, thick, round, elegant with just the right amount of spice and earth. The first bottle in a set of three. I would have the next bottle in 5-8 years. Guessing, the last bottle in another 3-7 years depending on the showing of the second bottle. Sweet dark cassis nectar. — 7 years ago

Carly Shepherd

9.2

Got to meet the winemaker and take a tour of their crush pad. This is a big, full bodied Cabernet. A little extracted, but very nice! — 8 years ago

with Brandon