Kyle Groombridge

9.3

Mmm.. single vineyard Syrah named after Charles Smith's cat.. and for good reason - this thing purrrrrs. The nose is awesome and screams old world Syrah - roasted herbs, jalapeño, black licorice, mushroom, brambly black fruit and mint, all enveloped by waves of hickory smoke and charcoal. Seductively smooth and inviting on the palate. Not overtly heavy, but packs just the right amount of punch with some soft minerality and refreshing acidity. Great wine, well worth the money. — 8 years ago

Joel Stevens

9.1

Switching things up here on a Sunday – delicious! — 8 years ago

Rob Petrone

9.2

Good substitute for Lindeman's lambic — 10 years ago

R. Addison Wehrfritz

9.0

Crisp acidity, modest residual sugar, & mellow baking spices impart this cider with an unpretentious drinkability. #fall #cider — 10 years ago

with Melissa

Juan Falcon

9.9

Brakefast in a beer. I wont dare to describe not to offend conosieurs? Just that I like dark beers just as much and this is the best Ive ever had. — 11 years ago

August Deimel

8.9

Lovely (though not $100 lovely) the tannins on this are still pretty burly for a 9 year old wine. It's got some guts, no doubt about that. I will say there is a remarkable consistency in the mouthfeel of the Winesmith wines. They have heft but are never harsh. The tannins range from "melty" (using Clark's terminology here - I would put the Planet Pluto posted earlier in this category) to "firm" (this wine). Yet there is a family resemblance. They're certainly well made. — 11 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.4

From the old country- real IPA, not hot hop juice. — 12 years ago

Sean Lowry

9.2

2002v. Ringing in the new year with this lovely 15 year old bottle. Deep yellow/gold color. On the nose, there's ripe yellow fruit (apples, pineapple) with a whiff of petrol (that becomes less pronounced with just a few minutes of air. On the palette, the fruit is intense: the ripest pineapple, followed by yellow apple, with a finish of Granny Smith tanginess. Finishes pretty clean w a hint of that ripe yellow apple. Not cloying. This is my first old Riesling! It's basically everything you love about a fresh clean young Mosel, but dial back the crispness of the acidity and turn up the fruit to 11. — 8 years ago

Anthony Pro

9.1

2002... terrible year for the Spanish (All South Korea's fault) ... this was the exception. Big wine. Smith. Complex. 15 years old. Jeeze. — 9 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.5

A proper pint 🍻! A return to organic production without running away from stability and tastiness! — 9 years ago

Brennan McNally

9.1

Nice bit of spice! Accidentally left it in the freezer too long and now it's a bit of a slushie, though. Dammit. — 10 years ago

Steve Holl

9.4

A nice dry port. — 11 years ago

Mike Fifer

Writer The Wine Monologues

9.0

Peaches followed by Granny Smith apples. Plenty of acid to go around! #michigan #ompwine #brysestate #riesling — 11 years ago

Mitchell Mulder

8.9

Another very good seasonal brew from Sam, I like the hops and notes of spice, not over the top, not their best, but still very good — 12 years ago

Beau Carufel

Winemaker/Owner Random Wine Company

9.1

Yum yum yum. 30 year old Port drinking nicely. — 13 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

3000th post. 🎉 On the nose; sweet, lush; black cassis, liqueur notes, sweet tarry notes, rich, lush; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, caramel, mocha, caramel, baking spices, warm, moist, rich, dark soils and fresh dark florals. The body is M and the tannins are round and soft. She is a beauty. Ripe, rich; blackberries, black plum, plum, dark cherries, black raspberries & poached strawberries. liqueur notes, sweet tarry notes, dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, baking spices, menthol, warm, moist dark earth, soft leather, dry rock powder, sweet black tea, fresh violets, dark, red florals, perfect round acidity and a rich, round, elegant fruit driven finish that last and lasts. Photos of; Clos E'Lgise and estate vines, signage, Helen Garcin-Leveque and her husband Patrice Leveque and their barrel cellar. Producer history and notes...Clos L’Eglise is one of the older chateaux in Pomerol dating back to the 18th century. The same time the farmhouse that is still in use was constructed. At the time, Chateau Clos L’Eglise was a larger estate. It once had been apart of the Gombaude Guillot. Eventually the estate was split in half. On one side of the street, you had Chateau Clos l’Eglise; which was owned by the Rouchut family. Across the street sat Chateau Clos l’Eglise-Clinet, which was owned by the Mauleon family. After awhile, Clos l’Eglise Clinet eventually changed its name to Chateau l’Eglise Clinet which also simultaneously gave birth to what we know today as Clos L’Eglise. While the wines are now produced by Helene Garcin that was not always the case with Clos L’Eglise. At one point, the estate produced wines under a leasing arrangement held by the Rouchut family. The modern era of Clos L’Eglise began in 1975, when the property facilities were all redesigned and modernized by the Moreau family. The Moreau’s also owned Chateau Plince. The old, non temperature controlled wood tanks were replaced by stainless steel. The vineyards were also expanded. Instead of buying more vines, the owners simply planted land that was being used as a pasture. Imagine now, Pomerol land being used to feed cattle. In the past, the property was planted with a much larger percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, near 20%. All the Cabernet Sauvignon vines were eventually ripped out and replaced by Merlot. The next step of it's evolution took place in 1997 when the Right Bank estate was sold to Sylvaine Garcin Cathiard by the Moreau family. If the Cathiard name sounds family, she is the sister of Daniel Cathiard, the owner of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte. The sale set a new benchmark price for Pomerol when it sold for 12 million Euros! Today that price would be laughable! Prior to 2000, that was considered a huge price for Pomerol. Further investment was needed to replace the aging concrete vats and again modernize the facilities. In fact, the first vintage of Clos L’Eglise made by Helene Garcin was produced at Haut Bergey in Pessac Leognan. Helene Garcin also manages two estates in St. Emilion, Chateau Barde Haut, Chateau Poesia (Mendoza, Argentina) and Branon, which is situated in Pessac Leognan. Helene Garcin was put in charge of the property. She hired Michel Rolland as a consultant and a complete renovation of the facilities took place. Michel Rolland was eventually replaced by Alain Raynaud. Starting with the 2015 vintage, Thomas Duclos recently replaced Alain as the consultant. Their property is nearly 6 hectares. L’Eglise soils are rich clay, gravel and iron. It's located on a sloping hill near Chateau Clinet, Chateau L’Eglise Clinet and Chateau Trotanoy. Clos L’Eglise is planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. On average, the vines are 35 years of age. There is one old parcel of Cabernet Franc that was planted in the 1940’s. Vinification of Clos L’Eglise takes place in 55 hectoliter, insulated, stainless steel tanks. The new steel tanks replaced the oak vats in 2012. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. Clos L’Eglise is aged in 100% new French oak for between 16 and 18 months. The property also has a second wine, Esprit de L’Eglise. On average, about 1,200 cases of Clos L’Eglise are produced every year. — 8 years ago

John Vilotti

9.3

Smooth delicious chocolate nuttiness — 11 years ago

Andrew Qi

9.2

Rich, smooth porter — 11 years ago

The Schwartz

10

Birthday business — 12 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.8

Still powerful and sanguine after all of these years! It was great to pour an old, good Zin for the Coutelas' and show them a Cali original. — 12 years ago