M Gause

9.2

Sheboygan find…well balanced, great finish — 2 years ago

Leo Gentile

9.4

Deep purple without a hint of any other suggesting improper storage. Classic if a bit understated Napa nose. Soft yet appropriately firm tannins. Ripe black fruits. Luscious wine. Suggest drinking sooner rather than later owing to fruit ripeness. — 5 years ago

Brett Francis

9.1

Had a nice crispness you’d expect from SavBlanc and a more interesting barnyard flavor, paired with vanilla and a hint of straw. Enjoyable and a good wine to start the evening with. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Four day weekend. Gotta get it off to a good start. Been awhile since we had our 375ml of Ruinart.

The nose shows, ripe, slightly candied; black cherries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals.

The palate is full & touch gummy/candied. Fruits are well extracted, deep, ruby; black cherries, blackberries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Ghostly, not quite fruit brandy or fruit liqueur character, sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, not quite medium, white spice with hints of palate heat, grainy, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals. The acidity lively and crisp. The round, well balanced & polish finish is always consistently satisfying and lingers for minutes.

Photos of; the House of Ruinart, Dom Thierry Ruinart, nicely light caves and rolling, hillside, Grand Cru Vineyard.

Not quite sure where “D” gets $83 when you can buy this all day at just under $65. — 6 years ago

Olga Liamkina

9.1

Affordable (at bottle king), with distinct flavor profile: fruit, flower notes, leather — 7 years ago

Daniel Porter

9.3

Very young. Needs 3-5 years to round the tannins. High acidity. Fruit is very nice. Lots if bing cherries. Will be very good in a few years or with a long decant. — 8 years ago

Jordan Kaufman

9.0

Good anise, forest floor, spices to round out the dark fruit. Love the rose petal notes. Tannins are elegant but would love to taste this again in a few years. — 8 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.2

Stone fruit, chalk, nice acidity, mint, gravel. Very nice. — 8 years ago

Raul Puga

9.1

Very good. — 2 years ago

Brett Francis

9.2

This was excellent and had both a spicy set of flavors, white pepper, bell pepper and hints of barn floor, as well as a nice fruit set of flavors in boysenberry, and black cherry. Beautiful deep red and violet colors. Definitely seems like it could also benefit from more years in bottle. — 4 years ago

Brett Francis

9.1

This was quite flavorful and interesting. It had some jam, blackberry, hints of leather and smoke. It had a nice mouthfeel and a medium finish. All in all this was the standout of the night, but still young. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Merry Christmas Eve-Eve everyone! 🎄🎅🤶⛄️❄️🎁🍷

On the nose, leap dark currants & cassis with bright red, dark, blue & purple florals at pop & pour. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherry kirsch, plum, mulberries, blueberries, poached & strawberries, black raspberries & raspberries. Black licorice, star anise, dark chocolate bar, volcanic & limestone, steeped fruit teas, dark cola, sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned earth, mid, dark spices, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, barrel shavings with char, dry brush, leather, fresh tobacco, granite, some eucalyptus, mint notes, light, dry herbs with fresh & some withering red, dark, purple and blue, fresh and slightly candied florals.

The body is; round, ripe, & rich. The tension, structure, length and balance are just beginning their sweet spot. The tannins are; rounding, tarry & still chewy. Plenty of life left in the 09...8-10 years. Dark currants & cassis. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherry kirsch, plum, mulberries, blueberries, poached & strawberries, cherries, black raspberries & raspberries. Black licorice, star anise, dark chocolate bar, volcanic & limestone, dry, crushed rocks, dry stems, steeped fruit teas, dark cola, sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned earth, mid, dark spices, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, milk chocolate, mocha, caramel, barrel shavings with char, dry brush, leather, fresh tobacco, granite, some eucalyptus, mint notes, light, dry herbs with fresh & some withering red, dark, purple and blue, fresh and slightly candied florals. The acidity is round & spot on. The ripe, rich, ruby, elegant, balanced & polished finish is splendid and persists nicely on the palate with mid, dark spice on the long set. So much better with this much age. Really delicious tonight!

A steal now at under $35 upon release at Costco.

This wine is close to its peak and will hover there 3-4 years.

Photos of; the Estate, old large oak vats and David Heitz.
— 6 years ago

Scorewine

Wine writer http://www.israelwines.co.il

9.2

Visiting again this splendid Paulliac from the 2011 vintage. 2011 vintage was labeled as mediocre in Bordeaux and this lovely wine showed that it is actually a classic vintage with some great wines, so trust the chateau not only the vintage. The nose is tempting with notes if coffee, earth, oak, cassis, black fruits and hints of chocolate, the body is full with round tannins, acidity is splendid and finish is long. My score 92, drink to 2026, perhaps longer — 7 years ago

Rick Jordan

9.0

VINTAGE: 2004
BOTTLE: 375ml
APPEARANCE: Deep red, garnet meniscus, viscous legs.
NOSE: Allspice, white pepper, bell pepper, dark fruits.
MOUTHFEEL: Round, medium - acidity, medium + tannins.
PALATE: Cinnamon, tomato leaf, leather, hints of vanilla.
FINISH: Long with sandalwood throughout and some cocoa at the very end.
NOTES: Picked this up in December of 2017, thinking the 375 bottle will have made this ready to drink immediately. Was not wrong, it is drinking well, but there is sufficient backbone left in this wine to age for many more years to come, even in a 375. Nice layers of complexity that were fun to tease out, but still many notes that I don’t yet have the ability to properly identify. I look forward to trying again with more years under its belt. — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.6

#AgedWineTuesday

Here is a fabulous 99 point wine by Robert Parker.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Great nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, figs, cedar, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, light earth, cola and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Showing nice balance and a great mouthfeel. Round and rich. Elegant and smooth.

This 22 year old still has a lot of power in it, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

So soft and powerful, with a great nose. This is a gorgeous wine right now.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$250. — 3 years ago

LM Segal

9.5

I’ve long held that these basic Beauca’s are, with some age and in great years, among the best value priced cellar gems around. This bottle proved it. Tasted like it was bottled yesterday, on pop alcohol and plum compote. After 1.5 hrs a completely different animal, concentrated black and blue fruit, tar, charcuterie smoke and old leather. Seamless and round. More Burgundy vibe than ever expected. Long as the night. Wow. Good for at least another 10 years in the cellar. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Time for dessert!!!

The nose shows; white peach, apricots, dry pineapple, Bosc pear, dry tropical melons, marmalade, honey, orange citrus and blossoms, nuts, toffee, banana peel, burnt caramel, brown raw sugar, baguette crust, soft limestone minerals and floral spring flowers.

The body is thick, gluey and rich and has lots of residual sugar. White peach, apricots, dry pineapple, Bosc pear, dry tropical melons, marmalade, honey, orange citrus and blossoms, nuts, toffee, banana peel, burnt caramel, brown raw sugar, baguette crust, soft limestone minerals and spring flowers. The acidity is beautiful, thick and round. The finish is well balanced and elegant with polish on the finish for days.

Photos of; Chateau d’ Yquem, their tasting room, 1917 bottle of d’ Yquem and botrytis grapes and their barrel room. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.

The fruits are dark & muted. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, blue fruits, plums with strawberries come on late. Lots of moist clay, dry soils, deep dark spice, crushed, rock powder, graphite, black, dry soils, hints of green bell pepper, dry herbs with blue, dark withering flowers. The acidity is round but could be better. The long finish is balanced but, for me, comes up short and a little flat.

Photos of; our dinner group, The K&L Bordeaux Buyer-Ralph Sands and Alfred talking about the wines, Clyde Beffa Jr. -Owner of K&L Wine Merchants and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 7 years ago

Matt Duncan

9.4

Lemon curd, a bit lactic but round with good weight. — 8 years ago

Lisa Robinson Schoeller

9.5

Amazing Pinot! — 8 years ago