Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Time for dessert!!!

The nose shows; white peach, apricots, dry pineapple, Bosc pear, dry tropical melons, marmalade, honey, orange citrus and blossoms, nuts, toffee, banana peel, burnt caramel, brown raw sugar, baguette crust, soft limestone minerals and floral spring flowers.

The body is thick, gluey and rich and has lots of residual sugar. White peach, apricots, dry pineapple, Bosc pear, dry tropical melons, marmalade, honey, orange citrus and blossoms, nuts, toffee, banana peel, burnt caramel, brown raw sugar, baguette crust, soft limestone minerals and spring flowers. The acidity is beautiful, thick and round. The finish is well balanced and elegant with polish on the finish for days.

Photos of; Chateau d’ Yquem, their tasting room, 1917 bottle of d’ Yquem and botrytis grapes and their barrel room. — 6 years ago

Ken Z

9.5

Drank 1/18/19 at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux event in Miami.  All wines from the 2016 Vintage.

Tasting pour, no formal notes taken.  Most of these wines are very tight, and will require 5-15 years to really come together.  Many will likely improve a few points with time.

Delicious black fruit. More complexity and depth than the Grand Puy Ducasse. — 7 years ago

with JT

Martin G Rivard

10

Quick funny story:
Christine & I are LUCKY to have Kelly work in our office but we are BLESSED to be able to consider her and Darryl as dear friends.
We recommended to Kelly, prior to her going on vacation in Charleston SC, that they should stop by the Belmont hotel. They have a bar and restaurant that is 2nd to none in that area. Christine & I LOVE it!!!! Kelly sent me a quick text to say “hey, we’re at the Belmont! And about to have dinner!”
Being the goof ball that I am..... .....I called the Somm and said “I don’t care what they ordered, bring them a Shafer Hillside Select with some age on it!!!”. 10 minutes later he was decanting a 2003 Hillside Select table side! I love that hotel! Incredible service, incredible food and always a phenomenal experience! The only thing better are-our friends that are there right now!!!!

I didn’t Have a drop of this wine but I am scoring it a 10 based on experience alone!! It must have been “Badass in a Glass” as I always say!
I’ll let Kelly and Darryl fill in the official tasting notes!
by the way Kelly: don’t love SC tooooooo much, Christine & I can’t operate that place without you! See you next week! 👍👏👏👏👏👍
— 8 years ago

with Christine

Tom Wildenhaus

9.5

First time tasting and what a treat. We balanced, subtle with flavors that keep evolving. — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.6

2010 vintage. Tasting at Magill Estate with Peter Gago. The star of the show. Blockbuster that has everything. Complex and balanced nose of a great Grange. Black fruited, some leather and spice. Savoury. On the palate, great concentration while not being too big. Medium plus body and alcohol. Medium acidity. Long finish. Exceptional. I enjoyed it now. But best to wait for another decade and enjoy for a further 20 years plus. — 9 years ago

Ron R

9.3

Full bottle which was re-corked after the tasting 8 days ago.
This has barely moved since I tried to save it. Coffee and black cherries on the nose. Soft round tannins coupled with blue fruits and a hint of nutmeg represent the classic Mouton profile. — 9 years ago

with Anne-marie

Nate Redner

9.5

Crushable. Great summertime wine. — 10 years ago

with Michael

Marty Winters

9.2

Pleasantly surprised everyone seemed to really feel like these wines were never going to age, but here we are and they are tasting great. Wonder what another 10-15 will show. — 10 years ago

The Savory

10

Oh my gawd dawg! I tried this at the California Wine Festival and loved it so much that I took it away from the crowd and had a quiet moment and a wee whisper with it. It's really wonderful when you drink some average to decent wines and suddenly throw an absolute stoater in there for perspective.

I can't really do it justice with my ham-fisted tasting notes, but believe me when I say that this is a delightful wine that reminds you how wonderful Napa can be. - Ross Gardiner — 11 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

It is really not fair to have their 06 after their 09. It’s good but, all you can think about is the 09.

The nose reveals, slightly stewed to cooked fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and bright cherries. Steeped tea, limestone, licorice, dry crushed rocks, cedar, dry tobacco, soft, used leather, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, underbrush, dry stems, dry top soil, understated baking spices, light graphite, dry herbs, light, dark spice and withering red & dark florals.

The body is lean, not quite full. The structure, tension, length and and balance are just ok to good and reveal the shortcomings of the 06 vintage. slightly stewed to cooked fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and bright cherries. Steeped tea, limestone, licorice, dry crushed rocks, cedar, dry tobacco, soft, used leather, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, underbrush, dry stems, dry top soil, understated baking spices, some v/a or bandaid, light graphite, dry herbs, light, dark spice with some heat across the palate and withering red & dark florals. The finish is nice and elegant but, lack the fullness and beauty of most really good vintage Palmer’s. It finishes with nice persistent dark spice on the long set. Just give me another taste of the 09. 😜

Photos of; Chateau Palmer, their barrel room, a photo of their vineyard soil structure-if you didn’t know where all that earthiness comes from, a picture is worth a thousand words and their tasting room. — 6 years ago

Jack Petras

9.8

Fortunate enough to have tasted this along with 6 other stunning wines last night during a cellar tasting. This 36 year old 2nd growth was nearly perfect, unusual but very pleasant mint, camphor, crushed sage and rosemary aromas with the same cooling delicate herbal initial palate. Dried but expressive red fruits mid- palate with a great structural graphite element throughout. Whiff of new leather. Changed in the glass showing different mellow facets. Pretty much intercepted at the exact right time. A real privilege to taste such a renowned vintage with folks who appreciates what was in front of them. — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Located on the outskirts of the medieval town of Saint-Emilion, at the southern foot of the slope. A blend of 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, & 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, a lower Merlot blend (normally 70% in Saint-Emilion) allowing more for Cab Franc, enhanced by the warm soil. Wonderful, complex a Gem! Perfect now! Subtle fruit aromas accompanied by cedar & spice. The palate shows fresh ripe berry fruits, cacao and espresso notes. Well balanced, perfect tannins, a joy to drink. Tasting Sample. — 8 years ago

leon egozi

9.4

NY wine spectator grand tasting — 8 years ago

John Van Trijp

9.8

En Primeur Tasting 2016 Vintage in Bordeaux — 9 years ago

Sean K McNeely

Viticulture and Viniculture Assistant at Viña Vik Vineyard, Winery and Hotel

9.9

Profound. Still powerful, yet with elegance and grace that belies its ancient wisdom. Supremely balanced between dried plums and blackberries smeared across a weathered leather saddle with a cigar box in the corner of the room and Coltrane wafting through the clouds of sandalwood. — 9 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

Color was a dense deep red with aromas of ripe dark fruits and forward spice. The flavors were fresh and concentrated with blackberries and cherries, complex palate, showing a nice mouthfeel. The tannins were a approachable but needs decanting. The ending had spice, ceda, leather and minerality on the lingering finish. An elegant wine that needs time to develop, try in another 3-5 years, although should last for a decade. Tasting Sample. — 9 years ago

Claire Voorhees

9.9

Tasted 2005 - photo is of different tasting. Tasting notes 2005: Absolutely to die for. Perfect tannic structure, ripe and round
Could age 20 more years but still wonderful
North of medoc and you'd expect deep and dark, but actually the most feminine and elegant and beautiful of poulliac wines
Black currants
Balanced finish
Not overpowering at all — 9 years ago

Adam Jesberger

9.8

Fantastic, more towards a peak age than i thought it would be. This is drinking spectacularly right now, tasting like a vinous bordeaux. Extremely lengthy finish. — 10 years ago

Russell Killgo

9.8

Got to try the '95 and '98 side by side. Incredible tasting. — 11 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 1989 Pichon-Baron repeats its performance from the vertical tasting in May 2018. It storms from the glass, bearing copious blackberry, cedar and perhaps a little more mint than I noticed on the previous bottle. There is so much youthful zeal to this harmonious, refined Pauillac that you would barely guess it is 30 years old. Long and tender with a graphite-infused finish, this bottle might be even better than the ex-château example. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched in London. (Neal Martin, Vinous, September 2019) — 6 years ago

Lee Sanders

9.2

1983 vintage. Smooth w/a lot of life still in it! Happy we still have a few more bottles in our wine room! — 7 years ago

Jeff Loo

9.4

Tasting the new 2015 today, while very brooding and quiet at first pour, you can see the huge potential. I am a big fan of Dominus with age and given the makings of this 2015, I can see this joining the ranks of some of the greatest vintages of Dominus...in time, lots and lots of time. — 7 years ago

Yianni Stone

9.3

UGC Tasting - San Francisco. Lovely Pichon Comtesse — 8 years ago

Zack Hall

9.5

Horizontal tasting veritas nyc — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

On the nose, dark sour cherries, dates, burnt figs, grilled meats, burnt ambers, liquid smoke & dark dry florals. The core color is dark with garnet edges. The palate is; slightly sour but mostly sweet dark cherries, stewed plum, cooked strawberries, rhubarb, dates, figs, tomatoes, smoke, grilled meats, brewed coffee, light tarry notes, dry crushed rock powder, volcanic minerals, dark rich earth, dusty tannins, dry dark florals, soft chewy leather, nice round acidity with a decent, soft, elegant finish...50-50 fruit & earth. This is the largest co-op producer in Europe with 50 members. They collectively have 250 acres; which is about 1/6 of the total under vine. Photos of; the town of Barbaresco (their tasting room near the tower), Produttori cellar and their tasting bar. No appointment necessary. Close to Gaja and the town has one of the best one star Michelin lunches as well as the best service we've experienced. Just right of Gaja. Good with our Veal Bolognese. — 9 years ago

Courtney B

9.7

CA winery tastings — 9 years ago

Thomas Brenner

9.3

From the legends that have a west coast marthas vineyard, japanese comic books about Heitz, and a tasting room that accommodates their visitors very well. Amazing throughout. Strawberry notes, mellow. Let it open for 5 hours and enjoyed this great wine w peppered rib eye and sauteed mushrooms. — 9 years ago

Chris Bensick

9.2

Its always a surprise to open one of these old Montebellos and encounter what seems to be a much younger tasting wine. This one was about mid-shoulder and the cork although intact was pretty spongy. Nevertheless -- no browning, no hint of oxidation, just a very robust and savory mouthful from first to last. Very heavy sediment but the color in the upper glass was still intense. Getting a bit dry but by no means over the hill. 12.8% abv. — 10 years ago

Albert Camilleri

9.1

The other wine of note from Spanish Tasting line up. Drinking very well atm but will get better too I think. Medium bodied with dusty tannins, cherries, oak and liquorice. — 11 years ago

Mitchell Bennett

9.5

The Prisoner from Napa Valley is excellent--second time tasting, but first time with the bottle. Delicious both times. — 12 years ago