Ki Punwar

Owner, California Wine Republic

9.3

Wonderful example of an aged California Cabernet; Spottswoode is so good year in and year out. 32 years old and still going strong. Tasted at California Winemasters Cystic Fibrosis benefit — 5 years ago

with Stanley, Kevin and 1 other

Susan Sangiacomo

9.2

Big Opus One fan. So far I find most ‘07’s to not be as great as the wine reviewers predicted. Still very good though. — 5 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.6

Happy place. All the Burgundy and Nebbiolo comparisons are apt, but this has a feral quality, a sense of animalistic earthiness that walks the line between elegance and wildness like nothing else I've experienced. I drink one of these almost every year for my birthday and lucky enough so far not to have experienced the bottle variation others have. (This one had a 2012 cork). Eventually they will run out of these library releases and I will be 🙁 — 7 years ago

with Steven

Mark Grammer

9.3

Nose had some funk with leather, mineral and a hint of red liquorice. Evolved nicely with fruit coming out after an hour or so. Blackberry, blueberry were present after the earthy start. — 7 years ago

Jason Somerville

8.9

So far, one of the season's best. A clean, fresh rose featuring raspberry and a hint of peach and orange peel. — 7 years ago

Jacynda Lavanture

9.4

Couldn't remember the name. So glad I figured it out so I can try it again. — 7 years ago

with Holli

Daragh Hoey

9.5

Flat out incredible. Supposedly an "off year" - or so I heard some say. But that doesn't seem right. The normale (not cru) is a delicious acidic, sour, gamey perfect expression of Barbaresco. From Magnum. — 8 years ago

James Moore

8.9

Another brand I enjoy so far — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.5

1958 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino: from Jay. This was the Ying to the Mascarello's Yang. Lovely rich ruby colour with virtually no bricking on the edge. The nose developed over the course of 15 to 20 mins in the glass. Unlike the Mascarello that was shedding perfume from the moment it hit the glass, the Monfortino needed more air before becoming less brooding. Dark fruits on the nose. Purple plums, black cherries, some forest floor, light tobacco as well as some floral elements prevailed. The palette was a reflection of the nose so no surprises. The fruit was far from dried out and this particular bottle still had plenty of life left in it but from my recent experience this is the exception rather than the rule. I have had around 10 bottles of old Monfortino ('55 / '58 / and '61) over the last year and the bottle variation, as you would expect, is tremendous with the majority of them past their prime. The finish was strong and in keeping with the rest of the package with reasonable length and quality. Drink now. 95/100.

— 9 years ago

Bill Bender

9.4

Italian tasting-Loma Portal 11/23. Co-wine of flight #3. My favorite Tignanello so far. Reminded me of the '02 Araujo Eisele Cab. Velvet deliciousness. — 10 years ago

Patrick Knöfler

9.7

We poured the wine into a decanter and followed its development over a couple of hours. It was dark ruby in colour and offered violet, dark berries, cherry, ripe plum, cabbage, chocolate, cocoa, espresso, spices and vanilla on the nose. On the palate the wine showed red and dark berries, cherry, blueberry, blackberry, plum, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, spices and vanilla, paired with medium to medium-plus acidity, medium-plus fine tannin and incredible length. I really loved the intriguing cocoa note that lingered for quite some time. The plush, medium-bodied wine seemed restrained and elegant despite of its ripeness. It was smooth, and balanced except for the creamy oak that became more and more pronounced as time passed. The wine was very young and might well turn into something special with mid-term cellaring, the main issue being that it already is so delicious that it might turn out to be difficult to keep one’s hands off the bottles… A great wine; 93 points for the time being. — 10 years ago

Paul T HB

9.7

I’ll stick with my last score, it’s mellowed since my last bottle. So this might not be a long distance runner just as @David L said — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.2

BBQ & Zin night!

This was served too warm for my liking, especially alongside the hot TX BBQ, so it was tough to get everything out of it, but it was still youthful and powerful. Mainly red and black fruits here, with some sweet oak. Not quite jammy but not quite peppery. Good balance. — 5 years ago

with Dan, Weston and 1 other

Shay A

9.4

Our monthly 4th Friday event at the storage facility. No requirements, just wine you want to share with others! Always an enjoyable time.

Special place in my heart for this winery. A few months ago, I had an '88 go celebrate my birth year. It was STELLAR. This is pushing forward easily...after an hour of air, the fruit and secondary earth and funk notes came out. So good! Thanks Walter! — 7 years ago

with Mark

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

On the nose, warm, leaner, stewed fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, spiced plum, poached strawberries, black raspberries, cherries, black licorice anise, spice-box, cigar, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, rich dark loamy soils & fresh/dry dark florals. The palate is lean, well resolved tannins, heated, darker spice-box, blackberries, dark cherries, spiced plum, poached strawberries, black raspberries, cherries, black licorice anise, cola, spice-box, cigar, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, caramel, dark chocolate, mocha, rich dark loamy soils & fresh/dry dark florals. Acidity pours over the palate. The finish is smooth, lean, pure elegant fruit with spice. It's lasts over a minute. The 94 is just starting to trend down but still the best vintage of Caymus Special Select I can remember. So if you own, time to enjoy it over the next two years. Enjoyed this at a private dinner/tasting at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay a number of years ago with Chuck and his son Joseph who makes the Bella Clos. Brings me right back to the fire pit closing out the night with this wine & the great group of clients we entertained. First time tasting this vintage with my wife Sofia. Photos of; the Special Select vineyard, estate grounds, beautiful Caymus fruit and the legendary Chuck Wagner-Owner & Winemaker. Another recent pristine bottle from my friend Alex @ "No Limit Wines." — 7 years ago

Paul T HB

9.1

Had a coupon, so might as well try something out of my norm. Its ok, — 7 years ago

Michael Cammarata

9.7

Great wine. Beautiful dark red color. Ripe berry taste with a hint of vanilla. One of my favorites so far. — 8 years ago

with Anthony

Ruth Alexander

10

This was a fantastic experience, opened and decanted an hour before drinking, retained its character, fruit through out dinner. So glad I opened this for my Birthday — 8 years ago

with Joseph and peter

Kara Rose Kalivoda

10

Outstanding! Intense berries and a hint of chocolate. So smooth with amazing legs! — 9 years ago

Claudia Garza

10

2005 Dunn Howell Mountain Cab! Funky and delicious! My all time fav Cab so far. Full bodied. — 9 years ago

Will Harahan

9.3

Contrary to other wines, D'yquem is in a class of it's own in terms of Sauternes. There is rarely, if ever, a bad year, although some years, like the 2001, stand out more than others. The disparity in quality from a GREAT d'yquem to a mediocre one & so on isn't as drastic as one might imagine. While the older vintages seem to age VERY well, it isn't as discernible from a recent vintage as other wines. Sauternes, in general are consistent, & none more than d'yquem. — 10 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

8.9

Single vineyard pinot noir from Coastal California. Very deep purple for the grape. Viscous. Medium plus bodied. Perfume, floral nose notes but to me they are a bit overrun by oak. Belle Glos website says that this wine boasts bright acidity, but I would disagree. In the palate there is a ton of red fruit, almost candy, and very little acidity. Some residual sugar, and low to medium tannins. This is a good wine, but an odd Pinot. To me, it's almost like someone delivered Pinot Noir grapes to Ravenswood for processing as a Zinfandel.

PS it's giving me a headache.

DAY2 UPDATE: So I don't throw out wine, I'm giving it another whirl tonight. Done with dinner. If I wasn't on the Keto diet I'd slam this with a big 2 slices of cheesecake and I bet it would be perfect. The point is-- besides the fact that I miss cheesecake--this is a way over the top Pinot Noir, residual sugar and it's still at 14.6% abv!!! I'm adding the plus because I believe this was made with purpose, just not what I'm looking for.

89+ points — 5 years ago

Dawn E.

9.3

Color of dark purple...medium tannins...smooth silky..blackberries..blueberries..cinnamon...other baking spices..cassis...another wine that I do not want to take my nose out of the glass!
No decant on this! Oh my this is really great!!

Revisiting this after vacuum pump and several days in fridge...So Good!! Why did I not purchase more of this wine! — 6 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.5

Renegade Wine dinner series at Rebelle NYC presented by sommelier Patrick Cappiello. Focus was on Cab Franc: 15 wines paired with 5 courses. Posting a few favorites.

This was WOTN for me. First thing I noticed - and could hardly believe - was how bright red the wine still was being 38 years old. There was some funk on the nose but a ton of fruit as well. The fruit stood out on the palate - and the wine had a brightness to it I couldn't believe. Flavors of raspberries and gravel and still had a great acidity. The somm did note that there is a lot of bottle variation. He opened the same vintage recently and it was all mushrooms and little fruit - so he felt his bottle was a little atypical. But that worked for me. Paired well with Comte. — 7 years ago

Martin G Rivard

10

What a beautiful person inside and out! I'm blessed beyond measure to be able to call him "Dad". Words can't adequately express how much I Love him. We opened a few bottles last night that I will hold near and dear to my heart forever. We are celebrating his completion of 6 rounds of chemo therapy in his battle against Prostate cancer. This is his 3rd time in the ring against this opponent and it appears that he's won with a unanimous decision by knockout at this time!!!!!! Love you dad!!!!! So proud of your strength through this process. My Father was born in 1940. A difficult year to say the least:
Germans entered Bordeaux in June of 1940. As dictated by Hitler himself, it was the sworn duty of each and every commander to search and seize whatever could be used for the advancement of the German cause. Bedlam broke out. Chateaux' were ransacked, wine cellars were looted if not used for target practice. The Chateauxs were forced to continue producing wines. It's poetic justice that Mother Nature provided the Germans with the worst growing season from 1940 to 1944!!!! The Germans left Bordeaux in 1944 to the cheers of the residents "Au Revoir Les Allemands"!!!! The 1940 bottle that we enjoyed this evening survived World War II. It Survived the ransacking, pillaging & plunder of countless German soldiers. It's outer capsule showed evident signs of its struggle but it's inner beauty was unblemished and glorious. I've had many, many vintages of Latour from 1928 and on but none have ever tasted as perfect as the one we enjoyed tonight. This 1940 was perfect. It was a fighter, it never gave up, it never relinquished in the face of adversity. That's my Father, that my role model. He's a beautiful person inside & out. I think 1940 is the best vintage that I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. Special thanks to my good friends Michael Troise whom provided me with much of the insights in regards to the incredibly difficult vintage and David Page whom gifted this bottle to me for our celebration this evening. I will never forget your generosity. It was a glorious evening to say the least!!! Wine has a way of bringing people together and encapsulating an evening and event. I couldn't think of a better way to rejoice in his victory than to open a Father & Son birth year wine. — 7 years ago

with Ryan, Christine and 1 other

Darren Guillaume

9.7

Much more powerful aromatics. By far the best Meursault I've ever had. Which only means I need to drink so much more Meursault. — 8 years ago

with Tim and Uncle

Gyzylgul Soyunova

10

My favorite one so far❤️ — 8 years ago

Steve Jette

9.9

Amazing. Best Cab I've had so far. Very full body. — 9 years ago

Bryan Garcia

Sales Grand Cru Selections

9.2

So much 🐴🍂✏️🚬 ! Nice to have an "off vintage" in pristine condition. Far from a blockbuster but delicious, soft, and very easy to drink. #birthyear — 9 years ago

Jason Horger

9.2

Excellent even out if the bottle; better I imagine if decanted for an hour or so. Had it with a flatiron with bone marrow and a rosemary butter sauce. Stellar, chocolately, nice tannins. Better still in a few years, I imagine.
— 10 years ago