Turd Ferguson

8.9

Considerably better with a few years on it. Spatlese level sugar with nice acid and decent complexity. Green apples. — 5 years ago

Allison Lyzenga

9.2

Medium pink; medium plus intensity aromas of ripe strawberries, raspberry, red currant, mushroom, forest floor, limestone mineral; dry, medium acid, high alcohol, full body, medium plus intensity flavors consistent with aromas; long finish, ripe red fruit and funky earthy perfume fills palate, big wine but well balanced, outstanding — 5 years ago

Frank Heinz

9.4

Linda Rudolph brought this to us from South Africa — 5 years ago

Philip Faure

9.2

Really gorgeous wine. Apple pie. — 5 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.4

A powerhouse - always delivers. Open/decant well in advance. — 6 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.4

Medium ruby red core with bricking at the rim. Complex aromas of dark berries, flowers, tobacco, truffles, and earth. Round and elegant in the mouth with soft tannins and good persistence. Has definitely entered its mature phase but with plenty of pleasurable drinking ahead. A second wine from one of Bordeaux’s “super seconds”. 13% ABV. — 7 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.5

Dark ruby red in the glass. Very aromatic with black cherry, crème de cassis, licorice, vanilla extract, and hints of graphite. Dense, concentrated fruit on the palate with a bit of the Rutherford dust on the back end. A blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, this is the second wine produced from the J.J. Cohn estate after Scarecrow. Although still in its infancy, it was a pleasure with Wagyu Steak Frites. 14.9% alcohol. $190. — 7 years ago

with Lisa and Kelly

Bill Bender

9.7

WOTN vs a blockbuster line-up at Cafe Baloud in West Palm Beach on 4/28. Loads of power and concentration but it's a standout for it's plush balance, sexy freshness and astounding vibrancy. This is a 27 year old wine but the fruit is still a centerpiece of this wine and it makes you take notice. Elegant tannic structure with warming fig, expresso and cassis flavors that fill your mouth with hedonistic pleasure. The second '90 Latour @Martin G Rivard pulled out that weekend. — 8 years ago

with Joe, Mike and 4 others

Clark Beaty

9.0

Second bottle of 78 I've had this year. The fruit is still present but soft, this wine has surprisingly held up beautifully and is drinking very well. — 9 years ago

Michael Herzog

9.0

Dense. Great with a ribeye. Fruit explosion... — 10 years ago

Eric Naslund

9.1

No surprise to see a Herman Story review from me but this Grenache was real nice. It had a very rich mouthfeel and coated your entire mouth in a satisfying blanket of goodness. The flavors waited a minute and came rushing in. It was a bit of a strip tease frankly. This is a richer and more fulsome Grenache with complex stories to tell. Very much enjoyed this! — 5 years ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.0

Good but not in any way amazing. It goes to show what improvements have been made since around 2005-2009. Green harvest in the vineyards and Selections for the grand vin have become so rigorous that the second wines of 2009 and 2010 are probably than the grand Vins of 2000 in many cases.
This particular wine was a bit green. Still has life but why wait any longer. It’s definitely a good wine — 5 years ago

Deborah M

9.3

Beautiful Napa Cab presents as a classic Bordeaux. Understated elegance. Silky smooth mouthfeel with smooth tannins. Lengthy finish. Second label - no way! This is a beautiful wine with a great QPR. I decanted 3 hours. Opened up slowly. Has potential to age 10 to 15 years. I love Phillip Togni wines. — 5 years ago

Kevin Cartoski

9.2

Great Bordeaux. Very smooth second growth. This was the 2014 vintage. — 6 years ago

with Kayla

Ben Edwards

9.2

A replacement for the Pairing as a Marry Edwards regular bottle. Definitely sharper and less pronounced stone fruit, but nicely balanced and went well with all dinner courses. Bottles went too fast to see how they opened, so questionable still as a stand-alone (probably great); high marks for elevating the usual crisp white wine dishes. — 6 years ago

Marvin Liu

9.2

First Ornellaia, gotta try the regular one next time. Good bottle for a second wine. — 7 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.0

Excellent tasting with Chris!

Ruby red core with medium garnet edges. Layered nose with violets, woody, roses, and dark red berries. Solid acidity, medium tannins (6/10), medium bodied and complex palate. Tons of spices, floral, dark red cherries, almost candied, dark spices, and a stoney finish. Long finish Made of 100% Grenache. Aged for 36 months in 30% new French oak and the rest in neutral oak. Majority of the fruit is from a warmer climate, more specifically Paso Robles. Goes for $60.00 at Vienna Vintners. Drink till 2024. — 8 years ago

with India

Joe Corsini

9.1

Dopeness. — 9 years ago

with Elizabeth

Adam Foster

Beverage Director Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop, Blue Coop Restaurant

9.3

Yum. Defines super second growth. — 10 years ago

Marco Lavazza

9.1

Excellent to be a second wine by the Chateaux — 10 years ago

with Vavi

Jeff Hasmann

8.9

Fourth wine of the week. Very good second wine - 60 Cabernet / 40 Merlot from younger vines. Brambly blackberry, cranberry, olives with tobacco notes and a smidge of graphite. Tannins are ripe and smooth. Lacks the concentration and layered complexity of the grand vin, but still very good. 2016 vintage on April 19, 2020 — 5 years ago

Eric

9.5

Prefer this second label to the Seavey Cab bottlings. — 5 years ago

Mike Beltran

9.1

The second wine of Pichon LaLande and it was showing quite well. Classic Bordeaux nose with Cabernet filling the glass. Very good vintage and this wine is quite young . It matched up with the many dishes at the table. Years of life left.👀🍷🍷 — 5 years ago

with Joe and Ray

Kirk F

9.2

A richly textured wine aging gracefully. A slathering of almond, honeysuckle and tropical flavors coat the palate entirely. Still so delicious! — 6 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.0

Oh my give it 5 more years y’all — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Ali Story, of Smith-Story Wines, was in town and did a nice tasting at Classic today. A pleasure to meet and very unique and enjoyable wines.

This is an elegant style Pinot...lots of brambly notes, kirsch, and cedar bark. All red and black fruits here. Ali said that the barrels this pinot is done in comes from Russell Bevan. Quite the opposite style! — 7 years ago

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

8.9

Nice wine. Drank it on the second day. Still had a lot of character to it. — 8 years ago

Sarah Stierch

Food & Wine Editor Sonoma Valley Sun

9.6

Best rose of the year — 9 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.0

At $30, this is good value... but probably not at $50. A second from an average vintage is rarely something I would bother with, but turned out to be quite enjoyable. Cured meats, olives, tobacco, scorched earth, and toasted oak, with some dark plum at its core. — 9 years ago

Mike Davila

9.4

I initially had this rated lower trying to handicap it for being a 2013, served blind this would be hard to pick out as a second wine. Did Claud mix up the barrels? That's a joke by the way. Firing on all cylinders, restrained fruit, rich tannins and an acid balance, delivers from the bouquet on the nose to the finish. — 9 years ago