Austin Hohnke

9.4

Last bottle of this vintage. Heavenly. Rum raisin, cranberry, old strawberries, carob, fig, earth, tobacco leaf. Silky, delicate, and resolved. Loads of sediment, not out of life but on its decline. — 3 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This had lots of currant, plum fruits with notes of earth, graphite, underbrush, mineral, spice & tobacco leaf. — 5 years ago

Shane Tse

9.3

Wow. Unique but approachable. Acidity well balanced by sweet in the finish. Melons, peach, tangerine, hint of funk/yeast you would taste from a Belgian blonde. And very drinkable. — 7 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.9

Can’t get better than this. Intense red color and earthy aroma. Dominant tannins, with a firm grip drenched in deep dark dry fruit with hints of burned earth, fall leaves and earthy compost. Intense, complex, deep but narrow on the pallet. Grippy finish that kept lingering for minutes. Set the bar very high for our old versus new country Bordeaux wine comparison with the Jacksons. — 7 years ago

with Tammy

Ken Z

9.2

Tasted 1/20/2017 At UGCB 2014 Vintage tasting in Miami. At the Biltmore.

Mixed black and red fruits on the nose, with a firm palate of cassis, earth, and and some wood. Nose a little more subdued, and lacking some of the richness of the Beychevelle at this stage, but this seems built to age and will likeley develop with time.

3/22-23/9/4/4 + 50= 92-93 pts — 8 years ago

Peter Wassam

9.8

A softened ruby color. Beautiful balance, everything in harmony. Wet earth, raspberry, cinnamon, a whiff of truffle, intoxicating nose. So much ripe, fresh red fruit on the palate. Such soft tannins, damson plum, a mineral streak running through. Drinking a 15 year old wine for 15th anniversary of diabetes. This is splendid in the moment — 9 years ago

Matt Duncan

9.2

Faded fig compote, dusted cherry. Round mid palate with shallow inflection. Lovely herbaceous quality with hints of earth and black tar. — 10 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This btl was typical of the slogan that great producers make good wine in off vintages. Showing black fruits, earth, leather, menthol, savory spice & tobacco notes. Enjoyable now with many years ahead. — 3 years ago

Kevin Lee

9.4

Wow. Delicious. Dark plum, blackberry and a bit of earth and clove. Long finish with silky tannins. — 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

Jeff Orlowski

9.0

Earth and tobacco smoke on the nose. Full body, dry, nicely balanced. Lots of bold dark fruits. Nice wine. — 7 years ago

with Michael and Joe

Pooneet K

9.1

Really nice, and showing quite well with 7 years of age. Medium color, extremely well balanced. Dark earth, black olive, savory notes for sure. Long finish with great acid. Excellent food wine. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

The nose on this wine is stunning baring the alcohol heat. Perfumed red florals and candied dark and lighter red fruits. While the wine is truly elegant, the alcohol is seriously burning the back of my throat. The bottle reads 14.1 but I think over 15 degrees. Maybe, they wanted to save on the higher alcohol tax. The wine starts so beautifully only to burn the back of my throat. The fruits are ripe, elegant and beautifully soft. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, faint back palate of strawberries, sweet/soft leather, black licorice, violets & roses, rich delicate & sweet wet black earth, soft light baking spices, caramel, milk chocolate, figs & dates, amazingly sweet dark minerals, touch of black tar, touch of spice and a rich long elegant dark fruit liqueur finish. I would score this wine higher if it didn't punish my palate and throat with the burning alcohol finish. — 9 years ago

Michael Stowe

10

Dark fruit, leather, and earth lead the way in this beautiful wine. Firm tannins provide a nice balance for the big fruit. Pairing her with a grilled rib eye highlighted juicy notes with hints of licorice and tobacco in a truly exceptional experience. — 10 years ago

with Megan

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.4

Dark, bright-hued ruby. An expansive, complex bouquet evokes ripe cherry and black raspberry, along with pungent floral, exotic spice and earth notes. Stains the palate with sweet red and dark berry, lavender pastille and fruitcake flavors that spread out steadily and become livelier on the back half. Conveys a suave blend of richness and energy and finishes impressively long and juicy, with harmonious tannins and resonating florality. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, August 2021)
— 4 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

Jennie Mass

9.4

1999. Beautifully showing. Nice balance of fruit, earth, and freshness. Pretty finish. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.1

Light reddish amber, translucent color. Beautiful bouquet in the nose with notes of cherries and earth. In the mouth the fruit is less present and the finish is short. Great old rioja nose, but fruit is past it's prime. Drink up. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Let's start with classic Haut Brion elegance. So soft, beautiful and understated. Black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries, cooked strawberries, even a touch of cooked rhubarb, suede leather, cedar, spice box, dried red roses, elegant wet black earth and a finish one never forgets. Perfect pair with the lamb chops. Out of 375ml. — 10 years ago

Guy Davies

8.9

1999. Slightly underwhelming. Nice stuff, earth and meat on the nose, relatively light body, bit of a smoky finish, but not that long. If blind I would have had this as something more humble. — 10 years ago