JJ Lumia

9.3

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! — 5 years ago

Aaron Means

9.7

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 — 7 years ago

David Clark

9.2

Big yet restrained, as much earth and mineral as dark fruit, long finish. Well structured wine that will age with grace for next decade. Top notch. — 7 years ago

with Lee

Justin Hart

9.1

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! — 7 years ago

with Cherish

Olivier Schutte

9.1

Top notch languedoc, with true elegance — 8 years ago

K. Kasper

9.1

Top notch Sauvignon blanc. Has complexity beyond the citrus flavors expected of the varietal. 2009 vintage is still in great shape. Perfect with sushi. — 9 years ago

Ryan Mullins

9.4

2013 foillard morgon cote du py in 3liter. Top notch with some air. It also serves as a great tee-ball set up if your 2yr old is baseball obessed — 9 years ago

Adrien Hobbs

9.5

Top notch and never disappointing. — 9 years ago

K Lee

9.0

Top notch traditional method Cali bubbly, paired w plain potato chips, perfect! — 9 years ago

Rob Okonak

9.8

Top notch!!! Wonderfully full. — 10 years ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.3

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.
— 5 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

This is absolutely one of my top three favorite producers from Barossa. Dan Standish marches to his own drum when it comes to his Winemaking. He doesn’t follow trends or fashion in winemaking. Before he started his own Winery, he was the Winemaker for Torbreck and also traveled to other world wine regions before settling back in Barossa. I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours last April with him. What a joy to listen, learn and laugh with him. This wine comes from 100 year old vines. While it is excellent, keeps getting better and puts on weight in the glass, its just a notch under his “Relic.” He has no US importer as he sells out to his mailing list. He’ll ship it to you, but shipping charges from Australia are simply stupid. You’ll find some of his wines on the secondary market. On the nose; smoldering ambers, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries, olallieberries, huckleberries, blueberries, loamy dry soils, crushed rocks, spice, sour dark liqueur notes, dry stones, light baking spices, dark turned earth, well done toast, dry lavender, lilacs and fresh violets. The body is rich, lush and beautiful. The tannins are about a year or two farther along than I’m used to tasting, 80% resolved. The palate is simply and flat out amazing. The fruits are; juicy, ruby, ripe and stun the senses. Black plum, plum, black raspberries, raspberries, dark cherries, olallieberries, huckleberries, boysenberries, blueberries with a mid red fruit mix haunting the background of the palate here & there. The dark medium spices are more refined than the “Relic” and have a perfect heat lifting intensifying quality off the palate. Loamy soils, black licorice, anise, cracked pepper, crushed rocks, dark turned earth, tarry notes, dry stems, an amazing blend of baking spices-clove, nutmeg & a whiff of vanilla, dry herbaceous quality, dry lavender & lilacs and fresh violets for days. Perfect round acidity, excellent; structure, length, tension and balance. Long beautiful finish that doesn’t end. This is First Growth Shiraz! Photos of his Winery and those 100 year old vines. @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher — 6 years ago

Neal Dessouky

9.5

Awesome. Fleshy texture all about the white pepper right now, some violet popping through. Will be top notch Jamet in time. — 7 years ago

Michael Marceline

9.0

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 — 8 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.0

Delicious and well balanced with pleasantly fruity aromas and flavors. Finish is long but not overpowering. Balance is the watchword here. — 9 years ago

Jim Clarke

9.0

Top notch Malbec...from Colorado! Structured and properly spicy. — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.6

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. — 9 years ago

Aaron Harman

9.2

Top notch Sangiovese. The perfect match for chicken parmesan. — 9 years ago

Edward Zimmerman

9.0

Great but a slight notch below 05 lavaux from Dugat — 10 years ago

with Jason, Jason and 1 other

Bill Bender

9.0

A notch or two below the Kistler. Harmless but uninspiring. — 6 years ago

Bruce Walker

9.0

Not big on Zins but this one really changed my mind! Top notch! — 7 years ago

Richard Haynes

9.3

Year after year top notch #columbiavalley #Riesling — 7 years ago

Dean

9.3

Top- notch - my palate was lifted to breath-taking heights — 7 years ago

with Nancy

Heath Stockton

9.3

Very enjoyable. We decided to step up a notch and were handsomely rewarded. Great complexity and drinkability. We will definitely have this wine again. — 8 years ago

Cory Declusin

9.4

A wonderful distinctive cab loaded with black fruit character, blueberry most noteworthy. 2011 was a weaker year for the winery but even an off vintage shows wonderfully from this top notch producer. — 9 years ago

Shane Grennan

9.2

This Fanti is welcome, denser, more opaque in the glass, fuller bodied that any of the others. I had one class and then it sat for 18 hours and didn't fade a notch and the time added an extra dimension.

It has the characteristic herb nose of 2010, it's like standing in a garden, a fresh wind is carrying herbs and strawberry, growing nearby are cherries.

The fuller palate also has cherries and red fruit, perfect tannin led integration, great balance, superb mouth feel.

Damn these 2010's are good!
— 9 years ago

Matt Young

9.4

My favorite of the night...top notch. — 9 years ago

with Tom and Michele

Uncle Bill, FWS, IWP

9.3

A notch less powerful than Macchie from Tabarrini. A bit more minerality and complexity. — 9 years ago

Jeremy Hyatt

9.5

Very smooth Italian wine, top notch — 10 years ago

Lars Hansen

9.8

What can I say? Even the cheapest DRC is a notch above everything else. Velvet texture, good acid, century long aftertaste. 1996 was a great vintage in Bourgogne, and this was a great 96! . 96/100 — 11 years ago