Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

‘Las Alturas' Spanish for 'the heights', a fitting name, this vineyard located on one of the highest grape-growing benches in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. 4th gen Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner from family with farming & winemaking roots in Napa since 1906. Met Joe on a trip to CT, my last autographed bottle! Deep Ruby (darkest Pinot I have come across). Nice berry, floral and sweet spice aromas. Rich cherry/plum flavors with oak, spice and vanilla. Long ending with sweet oak notes. Nice! A Fav! — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

See 2 previous notes. This has shown progressively better at each tasting. An interesting series, the VSV Series (Very Special Vineyard) from Peter Lehmann. In this case the 1885 is planted on its own roots by the Schrapel family in the Ebenezer district since...1885. The 6th generation Ralph Schrapel tends the vines - his signature on the label. A tradition in the Barossa that many are purely grape growers, many of German descent, and not necessarily vignerons. This vineyard is a low yielding 4 acre block. I made brief notes in any event - deep dark Ruby in colour. A classic Barossa palate - black cherry, earthy, dark chocolate flavours with a touch of liquorice. Luscious and mouth filling with softening tannins. Very easy to like and drinking at its peak. A good example of the saying that good wine is made in the vineyard. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

The community of Saint-Estèphe has it roots in the Gallo-Roman origins of this chateau. A blend of 78% Cab Sauv, 20% Merlot & 2% Petit Verdot. Deep Ruby with aromas of dense sweet black fruits with herb and earthy spice. On the palate flavors of black cherry and blackberry, currant like, with tobacco, tar and hints of vanilla exposing mushroom notes. Well balanced, ripe textured tannins, long finish ending with earthy character. Nice, has plenty of room to develop. — 6 years ago

cea sol

8.9

Floral and peppery, oak and vanilla, low tanning, long finish. — 7 years ago

Emil Eskång

9.2

When: 17/01-18
Price: 169 swe kr.
Served: With fallow deer stew served with assorted roots.
Colour: Deep red and almost black in the middle.
Smell: Big smell of forest blackberries and cherries. Tones of bay leaf, perfume. Needs more time to open up.
Taste: Dry, a very nice balance between tannins and fruit with long lasting tannins that gives a nice black pepper flavour.
Rich with dark berries and spices.
A beautiful and tasty syrah!
Let it air for a few hours first to wake up more. — 7 years ago

David Kline

9.4

Mushroom and roots of river scrub poking out from muddy banks while skewering the corner-baked brownie with a thin, nearly burnt, crispy collar. A papyrus envelope lies open, filled with sandalwood soaked clay, and a blackberry, blueberry, gooseberry reduction with cassis just to tease. Lean mouthfeel that turns sharply mid-palate to a gravelly mineshaft of nutmeg, black sesame, burnt brownie bits, and soft cranberry jellies wraps up herbaceously with cedar chips, Provençal herbs, hazelnut, Brazil nut skin, hot saw blades salivating old cherrywood and belching pipe tobacco. Kept me nose deep in the funk. Brilliant wine with a surly personality. #LaFleurdeBoüard #Pomerol #rightbank #frenchred #lalande #lalandelicious #rivermonster — 8 years ago

with Courtney

Shawn Thompson

8.9

A lighter nose with a palate of cranberry, strawberry and a light zesting of orange. A darker, deeper rosé with a long fruity finish. — 9 years ago

Mike Wolf

9.0

Only one bottle if this in the cellar. Menthol, brooding fruits on the nose. Lingering dark cherry on the palate that opened up after an hour or so. Good stuff! — 9 years ago

with Jennifer

Eric Hwang

8.9

Showing its Bordeaux roots, this Malbec dominated blend has a deep purple color and, after decanting, offers brambly black fruit and graphite aromas. Nicely balanced and somewhat chewy with black currant and cedar notes. Lingering, brooding and evolving over time. A lovely pairing with another Argentinian specialty: beef. — 10 years ago

Joey Schraepfer

9.3

Drank while under the influence but pretty good. A little tart/strong after primal roots. Deep and dry. — 12 years ago

Juha Hautanen

9.5

Anjan 80-vuotisjuhlan viini. Lohelle mutta menee muutenkin — 5 years ago

Katri Tuominen

9.0

Ei ihme, että kultamitali tuli Vuoden viinit 2020. Sitruksinen, hyvä Riesling. Sopii mm. sushien kanssa. — 5 years ago

DelectableWino

9.6

Excellent cab. Chocolate nose and finish, dark cherries on the palate. 2014 — 5 years ago

Eric Peterson

10

It’s almost velvety with a fruit notes — 5 years ago

AgeyFixey

9.2

I had never tried anything from these guys before, but this is a winner. Literally. It cleaned up at a number of blind tasting this year and did not disappoint. Dark cherry, blackberry, floral a bit of smoke. Long finish with smooth feel, but detectable tannins. — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Named after 'cappellaccio' or gossan, the hard layer about 30-40 cm down in tufaceous soils formed over the centuries by water erosion of limestone. Planting vineyards on such virgin soils required deep-ripping so that vine roots could penetrate it and reach water. Aged for 12 months in French oak. Deep red with ripe fruit aromas and subtle spice. Flavors of dark berry, leather and pepper. Lingering finish ending with a mineral character. — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner is a 4th generation winemaker from a family with farming and winemaking roots in the Napa Valley since 1906. Deep Ruby (darkest Pinot almost looks like a Cab) with aromas of ripe berries and spice notes. The palate shows rich black fruits, blackberries, plums and black cherries, vanilla spice, cedar and cacao. Rich soft tannins, firm acidity on lingering finish ending with mineral tones. Nice! — 8 years ago

Ashley Kelsch

9.0

A little sweet but delicious with halibut. — 9 years ago

Steven Beishuizen

9.1

Outstanding. Austere and fruity all at the same time. Nice length here. Very, very nice. — 9 years ago

with marlon and Anita

Eunah Han

9.0

Incredibly full bodied, rich in black cherry, jewel tone, mineral, dark, tremendously fruity, almost sweet but Betty much raisin flavour, closer to Barbaresco or Barolo. If you're in a mood for rich, deep, Italian roots, you should go for this. — 9 years ago

Adam Martin

9.1

Very dry, mild tannins, hints of caramel/umami in the body, crisp finish. No coarseness — 11 years ago

with Shi

Adam Shaylor

9.9

Pretty much the gold standard in Pinot. Bought a half case of this from Vinopolis in Portland and wished I’d bought a full one. The Deep Roots Coalition back label reminds me of the way Cayuse vines have to grow deep roots. Somehow the best wines come from grapes that vines that have to struggle. Burgundy, eat your heart out! — 5 years ago

Janette Johanna Välimäki

9.8

Keltaluumuisen makuinen, puolikuiva tai jopa vähän makeahko. Oikein maukas!! — 5 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.3

You definitely has to be decanted this.
I reckon this doesn't need much introduction, it is "The" wine inspiring the Kurni boys generation.
Extremely low yield, vines are planted at a super high density in the vineyard that the roots, due to the competition, are gone very deep in the soil.
The wine is a bomb, very concentrated, silky, fruity and it does explode just after touches your tongue.
Far too early to be enjoyed IMO.
100% Montepulciano grapes.
Potentially more than 9.5, but not yet. — 5 years ago

Matt

9.4

Deep garnet hue, tertiary, sweet/sour, energetic acid for its aged character, lingering dusty tannin and amaro spice. Old leather, dried and stewed cherry/plum fruit, dust, porcini, animal hide, hung meat, cigar wrapper, bitter roots, bitter cocoa powder, wet earth, mulch, rotting leaves. Love its chewy and upfront impact on the palate. Very complex and very drinkable — 6 years ago

George

9.0

for the price fantastic. Deep red, earthy, and full flavored. — 7 years ago

Nathaniel Shanklin

8.9

An overall favorite. This is an easy drinking bottel and a fine representation of a pino noir. While it lacks some of the deep cherry notes that we look for in these bottles, it is a nice bottle of wine and frankly not every bottle of pino should be a showpiece nor carry their pricetag. — 8 years ago

Anthony Kluska

9.1

Tonight I'm drinking something very special I'm drinking a 2006 Salvatore Molettiere Taurusi. It has deep rich elements of smoke tobacco tar with a brilliant peppery finish and a strong subtle middle of cherry and plum. Not only is this one of the most delicious wines that I've ever tasted but it has certain significance.

Most of the people who know me today have only known me for a few years. However what most people don't know is shortly after high school my life i was in complete disarray. I was living on my own I had no money I didn't eat every day and I had really no clue what I was doing as an adult. I made stupid mistakes for which I'm still upset at myself. And I've been climing myself out of this hole that I dug ever since.

However, today marks a great day for me. I just got approved for a new apartment in Center City. I'm moving out of the ghetto in Kensington and for the first time since high school I really feel like my life is coming together on steady trajectory toward self-actualization.

This wine is highly significant because the Vintage of 2006 was the same year that I graduated high school. That means that the grapes made for this wine were harvested just a few months after my high school graduation. These grapes were on the vine being grown when I was still struggling through high school. These grapes were fermenting at a time that I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. These grapes were being bottled at a time that I was lucky if I ate everyday. And now because of the amount of money I'm making because of the new job that I have, because of the new opportunities that I've created for myself, I'm able to spend the exorbitant amount of money every once in awhile to treat myself to a delicious, delicious Taurasi.

This wine followed the same life that I had. The grapes were being crushed at a time that I was being crushed. They were being ravaged by bacteria called yeast at a time that I was also going through similar changes. This wine was being bottled at a time that I couldn't fill my stomach. This wine took 10 years to get to my palate and now that it's here it's significance is not only moral but incredibly delicious. — 9 years ago

Zachary Price

9.0

A previously reviewed Columbia Valley winery, Novelty Hill leverages winemaker Mike Januik's expertise in crafting this label, (independent of Januik's own winery, which shares a tasting room space with Novelty Hill in Woodinville, WA). The Woodinville area is a compact hub of Washington wine makers, ~30 minutes outside of Seattle (depending on traffic...), that is home to over 130 distinct winery tasting rooms that showcase the potential of the wines sourced from the Pacific Northwest AVAs. The area owes it's existence to the prodigious Chateau Ste. Michelle's decision to lay roots in Woodinville. This bottle was picked up at a Total Wine and paired with a red sauce linguine. Delish! ~$20 | #noveltyhill #columbiavalley #cabernetsauvignon

On the eyes: Deep, opaque, mocha garnet, med stain, med+ tears, no gas/floc.

On the nose: Violets, plum, black cherry, hint of menthol and oak, med alcohol.

On the tongue: med+ tannins, med+ acid, med+ alcohol, full round body. Jammy black plums and cherries, tobacco, slightly herbaceous, ending with a long cigar box finish. Decant! — 9 years ago

Briana Mullan

10

Wonderful. Deep & sweet — 10 years ago

with Jennie