Aaron Tan

9.5

Exceptional balance. Rich, but so fresh. Pears, orange, flowers, lemon curd, cream, brioche, nut. Long, powerful palate, underlined by a driving acidity.

Some thoughts: In my eyes, RMs tend to fall into "extreme" categories e.g. Laherte - austere, Egly - rich (lees), Agrapart - rich (oak), Selosse - oxidative; but this wine doesn't fit here. NM-like, but not (I think of Chartogne-Taillet when I say this). Compare to Krug's Grand Cuvee, the Grands Vintages is definitely richer and broader (fair comparison, given how both wines are constructed).

From Chain Bridge Cellars:
As the name suggests, Eric Rodez’s Grand Vintages is a rich, powerful and very much “grand” wine in the tradition of Krug (where Eric learned his craft). This year's release is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from seven great vintages going back to vintage 2000. Eric ages all of these base wines in used oak and blocks malolactic fermentation to maximize freshness and vibrancy. Then the carefully crafted blend spends 8 full years on the lees before being disgorged this October. The dosage is ultra-low - 2 or 3 g/l - so this could be labeled "Extra Brut," but there's so much richness and depth here that "Brut" seems more appropriate to Eric.

Past releases have earned plenty of critical praise, including 17.5/20 points from Jancis Robinson, 93 from Vinous, and 92 from Wine Advocate. This year’s release is explosive on the nose and palate, pumping out big notes of lemon curd, caramel, toasted nuts, baking bread, crushed chalk, and more. The flavors just balloon out to fill your entire palate and finish with layer upon layer of mouthwatering pie crust, lemon curd, hazelnut, crushed stone and salty caramel flavor. Try holding some for even more richness! — 7 years ago

Mary Alice Smith

9.3

Thanks to Jay and Kate😊 — 8 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.1

Very highly rated by Jancis Robinson so I am biased! Ripe Honey melon on the nose. Cucumber? Relative yellow already. Good acidity. Obviously great stuff - ambitious. On the palate complex. Rich. Hard to describe. Creamy rich texture. A big wine. Long and persistent. Wood Notes. Kumquat skins, honey faint bitterness. To big for me but an excellent wine. Expensive! — 8 years ago

Jusden Aumand

9.2

One of my Napa secrets which now shall not be. It's too good not to share. — 9 years ago

Brian Casey

9.4

This wine slams, not a fan of peachy viogniers, this wine shows what can be done with viognier if treated properly, dont know his secret but wish more domestic producers would follow his lead, great job... — 9 years ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

10

Best wine so far this year. Unfortunately it's not Spanish :( nor Californian, but it is epic. Jancis Robinson said it's only good until 2010. It's totally alive and kicking. New world meets old world. Fing Auzzies have done it again. — 9 years ago

Keith Crump

8.9

Having read Clive Coates and Jancis Robinson comments on Clos de Vouget my expectations had been adjusted a light Pinot which opened up with good fruit raspberry and strawberry with mint notes a good Otago NZ could equal this, went well with baked Salmon — 10 years ago

Peter Bowers

10

Simply delicious, balanced, lively red fruits, soft finish. Not a complicated wine but high on the delicious factor — 10 years ago

Julia Weinberg

9.9

Tasting with Jancis Robinson, Christie's pulling out the treasures. — 11 years ago

Richard Portes

9.2

18. Preparing for Jancis Robinson 'sherry night' next Sunday, when we'll taste 38, including a Navazos. This is brilliant. Lovely amber, very deep and complex nose. Not much alcohol on nose, and they say only 15%. Deep on palate, v long. Very dry but lots of fruit. — 7 years ago

Willem Boshoff

9.5

Last of my 08, 09 and 10 vertical. The entire series was heck of a pleasant surprise. Who would have thought Barossa can make Pinot (fruit from Mornington). Excellent nose, perfect balance, lingering flavours of fruit and forest. Definite buy if you can still find some. — 8 years ago

Laura Anderson

9.3

So good for pool side drinking. Lots of fruit but not too sweet — 8 years ago

Laura Anderson

9.7

Favorite wine of the Napa trip! Brought the bottle with us. — 8 years ago

Ryan Perry

9.2

Great local family tasting experience! Hidden cave door, FART HISTORY. AWESOME — 8 years ago

Grace R.

9.1

Jancis Robinson event at the Smithsonian — 9 years ago

Tiffany Olson

9.2

Yum! @Jon Robinson — 9 years ago

with Jon

Jonathan Carlton

9.4

Nice red fruit flavours, but alongside a good background of wood and spice. Summer evening, perfect time — 9 years ago

Charles Antin

Senior Wine Specialist/Auctioneer Zachys

9.3

Sometimes that shark, he looks right into you. Right into your eyes. You know the thing about a shark, he's got...lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eye. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be livin'. Until he bites ya and those black eyes roll over white. And then, ah then you hear that terrible high pitch screamin' and the ocean turns red and spite of all the poundin' and the hollerin' they all come in and rip you to pieces.
Y'know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men! I don't know how many sharks, maybe a thousand! I don't know how many men, they averaged six an hour. On Thursday mornin' chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player, boson's mate. I thought he was asleep, reached over to wake him up. Bobbed up and down in the water, just like a kinda top. Up ended. Well... he'd been bitten in half below the waist. Noon the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us, he swung in low and he saw us. He's a young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper, anyway he saw us and come in low. And three hours later a big fat PBY comes down and start to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened? Waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went in the water, three hundred and sixteen men come out, the sharks took the rest, June the 29, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb. — 10 years ago

Aaron Vanderbeek

9.7

Danger Will Robinson! — 11 years ago

Joe Loughran

9.4

Contender for WOTN for me at 2012 Barolo tasting with Jancis Robinson. This was straight killing it, very well balanced with crazy potential. Hope I get the chance to meet this one again when it grows up a bit. — 8 years ago

with Jesse

Bob McDonald

9.6

Jancis Robinson MW once said that mature Hunter Valley Semillon was Australia's gift to the World of Wine. This wine demonstrates that statement. Notes of wet straw Bees wax Lanolin Grassy nuances. Acid diminishing from the searing levels in its youth. "Less is More". Pale Gold in colour. Marvellous wine at 16 years still with a future. — 8 years ago

Brandon T

9.1

Really nice 5 minutes in, 2 hours later, excellent. Don't think it's quite as good as the 06, but still very good. — 8 years ago

Maria Pepe

9.6

Met Kieran at our final Philadelphia Eagles tailgate if the season. Really enjoyed this Bennett Valley Syrah. — 8 years ago

Max Kelly

9.0

This delivers a heckuva a lot of Barolo character for a $30 wine. Beautiful high-toned cherries, roses, and gaminess on the nose. I can't stop smelling it. Only showing some of that on the palate with tons of grip on the backend. Very more-ish as Jancis Robinson would say. Serious value here - can't remember the last time something at this price point delivered this kind of magic. Post script - after about an hour, this sadly settles down into a smoother, but much less intriguing wine. Gaminess is almost gone. Still a good Nebbiolo, but not the specialness that was there before. Will it re-emerge with time? — 9 years ago

Michael Fischer

9.0

Tastes as it did eight years ago. Loads of fruit. Silky tannins. — 9 years ago

with Shirley and Jorge

John A

9.3

2005. Still a baby — 9 years ago

Joshua Blissett

9.8

Poured from a miner's bucket and all the better for it - Jancis Robinson — 10 years ago

Anthony Ianni

9.6

On to red. #wine @kieranrwines
— 10 years ago

Russell Day

9.5

Wonderful recommendation from Jancis Robinson we had it with bolognese. It disappeared very quickly... — 10 years ago

Brian Reams

9.0

Tasted at the Janis Robinson event. Nice with a Little spice, not a huge finish but very solid overall. Very surprising. Maybe the best VA wine I've had. Janis also highly recommended. — 11 years ago