Mike Saviage

9.7

From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 5 years ago

Bill Bender

9.5

It was a slow build but this reached impressive heights. A classic being classic. — 7 years ago

Steve Williams

9.3

“When a lovely flame dies, smoke gets in your wine...”apologies to the Platters. My goodness, the smoke is up front, setting up for warm plum, and dried cherry. A long, slow, dry finish. An enjoyable wine from beginning to end. “When your heart’s on fire, you must realize, smoke gets in your wine.” Shared by Mayor Bob. With Hall, Joanna. After a visit to Moose & Virginia Mack’s. — 7 years ago

Justin Wittkopf

9.5

Slow O for 6 hr prior to drinking. This really great. Seems perfectly proportioned to my tastes. Not too sweet. Great frame. Not hot. Seems a bit more open than previous Greer bottlings I have had. Likely from the blend of the two clones previously split for the Pott Arsenal and Greer, but maybe vintage, too. Whatever the case, I like it. — 8 years ago

Conrad Green

9.6

A lovely enveloping feminine nose. Raspberry and real fresh, soft rose-inflected fruit. Generous and very pure. From mag, so pretty slow-evolved. Really classy and focused. This is a pristine bottle and it is beautifully mature yet fresh- generous and delicate but with real depth.
— 8 years ago

The Wine-Know Jim Stephens

9.1

The fantastic texture and mouthfeel that I have come to love from Carbonnieux was very much intact. Complimented with flavor of dried apricot and apricot pits, it truly was still shining bright and accented with the nutty notes of its slow oxidation over the years in bottle. Truly a legendary Estate by any measure and they never disappoint! — 8 years ago

Dani Jensen-DeNofa

9.7

Medium yellow color. Tropical and vanilla on nose. Oak With something I can’t distinguish.. maybe some salinity? Bright pineapple. Then rich buttery creaminess. Slight vanilla into an oak finish. Slightly dry — 6 years ago

Lindsay Corrigan

8.9

Full Strawberry nose with white pepper. Taste juicy red berry front settles down to a wash blueberry. Then at back of mouth intensity starts with flavour of roasted red peppers done over oak coals and finish cleanse of eucalyptus.🍷 — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Beautiful, dark red, perfume fruits. Black currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, boysenberries, lots of blue fruits, expresso, anise, leather, some graphite, sweet dark moist soils, medium intensity volcanic minerals, limestone with blue and dark red floral bouquet.

The body is full. The tannins are round and nicely soften. The structure, length, tension and balance have hit harmony with plenty of life left ahead. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, boysenberries, loads of blue fruits, expresso roast, anise, dark chocolate, a little caramel, leather, some graphite, leather, dry tobacco, touch of dry herbs, sweet dark moist soils, medium intensity volcanic minerals, limestone and blue and dark red floral bouquet. The acidity is round and beautiful. The finish is long, very well balanced, elegant, polished and lasts minutes.

Photos of; The barn used for winemaking and to host tastings. The first harvested Cabernet grapes of the season, an old school basket press that decorates their grounds, Estate vines and a giant fan to dry the vines if needed amongst the hilltop mountains that surround the Estate. — 7 years ago

Michał Ptaszek

9.5

Slow post-18.4 Saturday. First day without K (Utah spring break) — 8 years ago

Justin Wittkopf

9.0

Slow O for 10 hrs. Pretty Cabernet nose and delicate, elegant palate. Nice balance but feels really light. Almost no tannin. Not what I expect in a Kap GV. Vintage specific, I suppose, but the 2011 Roberta’s from last night had much more tannin. Very food friendly wine. — 8 years ago

Nicole

8.9

I snuck aboard the space station and made my way to the holding cell where I was told the princess was being held. Upon breaking down the door, I was confronted by a short person in a diaper and odd headdress who said "I'm sorry, but the princess is in another death star".

About that time all the alarms in the space station started going off.

After some brief firefights I found myself cornered, my only escape to done down a shoot into a garbage compactor. So I did. Once in the trash compactor I met a friendly monster called a Dianoga. We shared a lovely bottle of Slow Press while the walls of the compactor slowly closed in on us.

Fortunately for me, I'm the hero of this tale and, as such, made a timely escape, rescued the princess (eventually), and managed to do it all without realizing I had spilled wine on myself. — 8 years ago

Mike Leapley Jr.

8.9

Legs for days. I let it breathe for two hours very nice drinking wine.
— 9 years ago

Ceenic

9.0

Super smooth — 6 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.1

So this ChMont doesn't hold the line with the prior cab. It's solid, as always, but lacks complexity, depth, and frankly even body. This is medium. A nice smoked wood note makes its somewhat different. But otherwise, it feels underripe, and thin. It's worth laying down for a while (ask @Shay A how long) to look for you improvement. I really wanted to press to 9.2 here but couldn't.

91+ points — 6 years ago

Matti Jokelainen

9.0

Great Torre in the making. Still very primary and upon opening shy nose with acidity and tannins dominating. After 30min slow-ox and getting up to temp the nose opens revealing hints of whats coming with florals, red berries, some forest floor. Similarly fruit picks up in intensity, tannins soften and wine turns to nice young nebbiolo balance. This is very much red fruited with gread mid palate intensity and additional depth still lurking in need of bit more bottle age. After 2h the wine begins to shut down confirming it's still work in progress. If you like excellent young barbaresco and empty your bottle withing 2h feel free and pop. However I'll store my remaining ones for 2-3 more years to get bit more complexity and developed notes I adore in Produttoris bottlings — 7 years ago

Jeff Thornhill

9.2

Very good. Great bouquet, flavor and finish. Worth the $16. Definitely a repeat purchase. — 7 years ago

Michael Mathews

9.6

Holy smokes. This is the best of Australian Barossa valley wine. This Shiraz was gifted to me 13 years ago by a good friend, Ron Candy - a gentleman of gentleman. A true Ozzie with a heart of gold. It was on this date too, while I was living in Sydney, 13 years ago that I lost my friend, my golf buddy, my business partner and father-in-law Herb Schimeneck to the wicked complications and consequences of cancer. If you’re drinking tonight, and so moved, raise a glass to Ron, and especially to Herb - two great men that helped me became a better version of myself than I could have imagined or hoped for. Cheers to you all.....my friends today and of tomorrow. — 8 years ago

with PJ, Sonia and 5 others

Jason Jones

9.2

Obviously too young but relatively open knit and in a pretty decent place now with a little air (1 hr slow ox). Rich without being over the top. — 8 years ago

with Erin

Cara Fleck Plewinski

10

Light and crisp! Bought at Wine Cellars of Annapolis — 9 years ago