90% Tempranillo; 10% Graciano. Red fruited perfume, earthy with medium plus intensity. Palate at 21 years is developed, balanced and soft with fully integrated tannins. Medium weight with declining strength to its inner core. Not near as good on the 2nd night. This aged overnight and finishes a little sour. I was going to give it 94 points but will now give 90 points. — 2 months ago
Särä enjoyed it
Cafe Monarch — 2 months ago
Tasting notes during visit to the winery where absolutely everything is done in-house by hand; preserving centuries old winemaking traditions. In the Tondonia offering one can really appreciate the time and patience dedicated to crafting this wine. The wine evolves to a rustic yet graceful profile with strong notes of dark berries with slight oak and dark chocolate. On the palate the wine is bliss, medium bodied, fully integrated, with balanced acidity and a long finish.
The juice is fermented in old large wooden “tinas,” then transferred to American oak barrels (made in house to medium toast specifications), stored underground in their +100 year old cellars for at least a year. After that it is bottled and stored in the same underground cellars and finally released about ten years later. Learning about their curated winemaking process was inspiring. — 2 months ago
I asked for a jammy red and that’s what this is !! Not super into these “commercialized” wines, but it does the job for easy drinking. Yum — 2 months ago
Obviously a great wine but also very hyped and maybe too highly regarded. Tasted at a 2022 Bordeaux Fair and it surely was delicous and quite mesmerising for what it was. But it just lacked that extra panache. — 3 months ago
Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (91.3%) and Merlot (8.7%). A bit tight and unexpressive right out of the bottle. After a 45 minute decant, this wine was awake and very alive. Dark ruby color. Aromas of graphite, forest floor, wet gravel and dark black fruit. Flavors of black currant/cherry/berry/plum, tobacco, baking spices, dark chocolate and minerals. Distinct notes of smoky oak and wet earth on the long and lingering finish. Tannins were a bit lighter than expected at first but developed with aeration. Quite savory, rich, full bodied and powerful. Beautiful texture. Exceptional (once it opened up) but not the bottle of near perfection that I had heard so much about. Thanks for sharing, Petey and Happy Birthday, Kase! — a month ago
About as good as it gets — 2 months ago
An exceptional wine that shows its age ability to endure and improve over time. The 2009 vintage has 76% Cab Sauv, 18% Merlot, 4% Cab Fran and 2% Petit Verdot and was aged for 15 months in French Oak barrels. Extremely opulent and luscious, though tannins were already falling, but its elegance and finesse was compelling. All ripe red fruits with a persistent perfumed aromas. Elongated finish with some fig notes as a bit of baked raisins. It can continue aging for another 15 years without compromising its elegance and complexity. This is a show stopper!! — 2 months ago
(Two previous 1983 wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from my CT).
Continuing a run of ‘83s over the last 3-6 months, this not only showed quite well, but it was at its best after almost two hours in the bottle. Whereas the ‘83 Pichon was clean and elegant, this was a bit more dense and powerful. Beautifully expressive aromatics of potpourri, espresso, fig and leather with a flavor profile mostly on the red/black fruit side of the spectrum. The mid-palate showed good weight and continued to bulk-up during the evening. Old cherry-tobacco note at the finish. Honestly, this drank like it was more early ‘90s than it was early ‘80s. Good. — 3 months ago
Cork fell in at some point, but can it drink any better than this still? I don’t think — a month ago
Big lush, dark fruit that has not reached its peak window yet. But she ain’t far away. I was able to obtain a vertical of 01,02,03,& 04. My first foray into that vertical. No rush on this one but very impressed. Leather, pepper, if not cigar leaf here . Suffice it to say, there is a lot going on here and my lack of Cali knowledge has new intrigue — 2 months ago
Been sitting on it for a decade and boy was it worth the wait. It’s everything I’d want in a St. Julien Bordeaux. Silky tannins, elegant mouthfeel, great balance of red fruit and earthy undertones. Sadly, that was my last one. — 3 months ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
2005 vintage. From magnum. Tasted after 3 hours open. Light-medium body. Drought earth. Coffee grounds. Espresso crema. Dark plum skins. Drinking excellent but like a Napa cab a decade older. And from a magnum!?!? Was expecting a bit more of a delicate fruit presence. Oh well. It was a full moon. 04.11.25. — a month ago