Smugglers' Notch

Fulldraw Vineyard

Chopping Block Paso Robles Syrah Blend 2017

Really terrific, top-notch Syrah blend. Concentrated, but executed with perfect balance. I’m not always a big Paso fan, but Fulldraw is always great. — 5 years ago

Eric, Severn and 34 others liked this
Joshua Fisher

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Have you been to the winery?
Eric L.

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@Joshua Fisher , yes indeed! @Connor McMahon and @Rebecca McMahon are great hosts!!

G.D. Vajra

Albe Barolo Nebbiolo 2016

Very succulent Nebbiolo with the tell tale crushed violets and leather notes. Beautiful and restrained fruit balanced with great acidity. This is top notch stuff that sells for a song. Probably the best Barolo bang for the buck I know. This very drinkable now but will take many years on the cellar and benefit from it. Grab what you can ! — 6 years ago

Adriana Pagliano
with Adriana
Ron, Anthony and 2 others liked this

Château Pontet-Canet

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

Alex Lallos
9.5

Absolutely awesome in every way. Youthful and dark with a lot of fruit. Starting to show some secondary flavors and aromatics but still so young. 00, 03 and 05 Pontet canet are amazing right now but heck 04, 06 and pretty much every vintage since 2000 are amazing. What a top notch producer. This is showing beautifully. My favorite Bordeaux of the night — 7 years ago

Ben Edwards
with Ben
Alex, Somm and 28 others liked this
Somm David T

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Fifth Growth, right? 🙄

Flowers Vineyard & Winery

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

A notch or two below the Kistler. Harmless but uninspiring. — 8 years ago

Stanley, Vijay and 19 others liked this
Jody Scharf

Jody Scharf Premium Badge

Love Flowers. Big fan

Long Shadows Vintners

Nine Hats Columbia Valley Syrah 2013

This is a solid Syrah that reaches above its price point by a notch. Big fruit and leather on the nose, juicy blackberries and bacon fat notes on the pallet. Lingers well, and great grip on the tongue. Yum! — 10 years ago

Cherish Hart
with Cherish
Tami liked this

Domaine Caillot

"Les Herbeux" Bourgogne Chardonnay 2011

top notch bourgogne blanc from a vineyard that, if not for some technicality, may have been Meursault. scintillating play between incisive, citrusy acidity and subtly toasted hazelnut. lots of lime fruit on the palate. #bourgogneblanc #burgundy #meursault — 11 years ago

Uinta Brewing Company

Hop Notch IPA

Delicious and well balanced with pleasantly fruity aromas and flavors. Finish is long but not overpowering. Balance is the watchword here. — 11 years ago

Schramsberg Vineyards

Napa Valley Brut Blanc de Blancs

K Lee
9.0

Top notch traditional method Cali bubbly, paired w plain potato chips, perfect! — 12 years ago

Marcassin

Marcassin Vineyard Chardonnay 2007

Very good! Toasted oak. Strong, vibrant nose representative of top notch CA chard. Rich palette of butter, popcorn and flowered honey. — 13 years ago

Talisker

Talisker Storm Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Enjoyed this, though it does comes off a little harsh, which can perhaps be attributed to its youth. A NAS, but as I understand, the blend is at least as old as the standard 10 year old. It definitely has a pretty similar profile - pepper, brine, peat smoke, and citrus. Would be good to taste them side-by-side given the general consensus that the Storm's essentially the 10 taken up a notch. There's a really "sweet" inner core that pushes through to peaty, somewhat-medicinal finish. Medium length. Really liking this profile (particularly the saline character) so I'm definitely going to be checking out the rest of the range. — 5 years ago

Ceccherini, Keith and 6 others liked this
Aaron Tan

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@Severn Goodwin Haha. I can see that. The older bottlings not worth the premium?
Severn G

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@Aaron Tan They certainly are, but this particular bottle (Storm) does showcase their style with much greater affordability.
Aaron Tan

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@Severn Goodwin Great to know. Very keen to try more bottlings and when possible, aged examples... Particular the precursor to the 10.

Domaine Jean Dauvissat Pere & Fils

Montmains Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2014

This is very good but not as good as the 14 lechet or the 15 montmains from the critically hated vintage. Go figure. It’s very good and perfectly balanced. But it lacks the density of the 14 Lechet. Still a eellnmade wine and a lovely drink with scallops.

After an hour this has this almost sweet tartness. Lovely. And the internal aromatics are very good. Lingering acidity. Still a notch below the other two wines but very good and Fabian worthy.

Bought from fass selections
— 7 years ago

Andrew, Aravind and 5 others liked this

Clos de la Vieille Eglise

Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2014

Just a beautiful #pomerol with elegant black currant aromas, velvety tannins and a faint echo of spice. This 2014 is a great representation of the region taken up a notch above very good.
— 8 years ago

Sandhi Wines

Bent Rock Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2014

THE. BEST. DOMESTIC. CHARD!!!!!! Yes, yes, yes. I'm blown away. This is the best domestic chard I've ever drank. This particular vintage is killer. I could poor this in a lineup of top notch Meursault and none would be the wiser, that's how good this is. Intense smoke/funk brought on by minerality that most domestic producers could only dream of. A legendary wine in my book. @June's All Day, Austin TX — 9 years ago

Shay, Ron and 2 others liked this

Domaine Brusset

Les Hauts de Montmirail Gigondas Red Rhone Blend 2012

Very enjoyable. We decided to step up a notch and were handsomely rewarded. Great complexity and drinkability. We will definitely have this wine again. — 10 years ago

Figgins

Estate Red Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2008

Top notch. Spicy. Brambly. Nifty undertones of pine and cocoa. — 11 years ago

Marcus Maroney
with Marcus

The Infinite Monkey Theorem

Grand Valley Malbec 2013

Top notch Malbec...from Colorado! Structured and properly spicy. — 11 years ago

Château La Conseillante

Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

2005 vintage. Medium ruby. Pronounced aroma profile of wet leaves, earth, red fruits. Tannins are gorgeous and grippy. Powerful, full on wine in a silk glove. Cedar / oak profile, high concentration. Medium acidity. Lots of character. 85% merlot and 15% cab franc. Top notch '05. — 11 years ago

Claude Dugat

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2005

Great but a slight notch below 05 lavaux from Dugat — 12 years ago

Jason OatesJason PressmanMatt Keiser
with Jason, Jason and 1 other
Glen and Jim liked this

Meinklang

Burgenland Grüner Veltliner

Fun, almost bubbly, a refreshing wine in a sea of so many! A notch above the rest with its interesting depth. — 6 years ago

Turnbull Wine Cellars

Estate Grown Oakville Cabernet Franc 2015

Just a top notch Napa CF. — 6 years ago

Tom, Shay and 24 others liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2014

Too notch! The 2014 was soft & silky smooth while the 2016 was darker & more flavorful. — 6 years ago

Trixie and Mike liked this
Trixie

Trixie

Another good one!🍷

Badet Clément & Co.

Pontificis Grenache Blend 2016

The 2016 is out. It’s real and it’s spectacular. The past couple vintages have been enjoyable but a notch below. This one knocks it out of the park but it has to be your thing. Shows TONS of leather, mushroom, bacon fat. Lingering finish of iron. There quite simply is no better value out there than Pontificis - even in down years. Period. $7 at Trader Joe’s. Stock up! — 8 years ago

Mark, Andrew and 1 other liked this

Fair Oaks Ranch

California Zinfandel

Not big on Zins but this one really changed my mind! Top notch! — 9 years ago

Jean Foillard

Côte du Py Morgon Gamay 2012

From magnum. One notch above all other Bojos — 11 years ago

Marc, Marcio and 7 others liked this
Evandro Pereira

Evandro Pereira

Mas até onde fui, o Pepe, o Keller e o Dagueneau estavam liderando minha votação
Victor Mauad

Victor Mauad Premium Badge

@Evandro Pereira nem vi o Pepe e não provei o Keller, portanto minha noite foi mais longa, mas mais estreita que a sua kkkk
Victor Mauad

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Tomei 35 ml do Sílex

Tabarrini

Campo Alla Cerqua Sagrantino di Montefalco 2010

A notch less powerful than Macchie from Tabarrini. A bit more minerality and complexity. — 11 years ago

Azienda Agricola La Torre

Rosso di Montalcino Sangiovese 2012

Top notch Sangiovese. The perfect match for chicken parmesan. — 12 years ago