Jay Kline

9.3

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2015 “Caravina”pours a deep garnet with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of mostly ripe, dark fruits: cassis, blackberries, tobacco, poblano pepper, a mix of red and purple flowers and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+.

At ten years young, the 2015 is showing brilliantly; squarely in its prime. Drink now through 2035. — 9 months ago

John W

9.4

Dark ruby coloration. Some translucency- classic Pinot appearance. On the nose, cherry, dark berry, plum, forest floor, earth, and minerals. On the palate, cherry, plum, dark berry, cola, fruit forward. Jammy. Nice medium to full body with velvety mouthfeel. Nicely balanced tannins and longish finish. — 3 years ago

J S

9.4

Gift from Rob. Delicious, easy to drink. — 4 years ago

Will Stanley

9.2

A fabulous wine from an average vintage, the 2014 Saintayme, the late Denis Durantou’s Saint Emilion Grand Cru bottling from rented vines, provides plenty of enjoyment with enough AOC character to offer interest.

Not far off the 2016 in quality, the wine sports a rich and decadent nose with a classic profile of dark red fruits, along with subtle wafts of cedar, liquorice, vanilla and a touch of five spice. Very expressive.

The palate is medium to full bodied, and follows on with a gorgeous mouthfeel of supple ripe fruits - the sweetness of which is quite well matched by cherry acidity and lingering tannins.

All in all, this is really knockout stuff from 2014. Though immensely likeable now, I could actually see this going strong in another five to ten years. — 5 years ago

Will Stanley

9.5

Good God, what a sensational wine is this 2016 Geyserville field blend from Ridge Vineyards, a predominant Zinfandel cuvée with 17% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, and 3% Alicante Bouschet.

Totally hedonistic, with perfectly ripe blackberry, cassis, rich dark chocolate and steeped plum, intertwined with crunchy gravel, toasted spices and a delightful sweet tobacco note. The palate is full bodied but elegant, powerful yet perfectly poised, replete with youthful vigour, with a lingering - and totally unapologetic - sweet vanilla perfume that completes what is an exceptionally harmonious mouthfeel. It’s the sort of wine you can’t stop sipping.

Ridge’s Geyserville holds a very special place in my heart. The 2000 was one of the first experiences that really sparked my love for wine as a young waiter around a decade ago. At ten or eleven years of age, that wine was truly memorable. I’ve been hooked on Zinfandel since, though I don’t drink nearly enough of it. This 2016 is the first Geyserville I’ve had for many years, and it has exceeded my high expectations. I cannot wait to try this in ten or fifteen years’ time. — 5 years ago

Mike R

9.7

Oh baby and I don’t mean maybe - winner winner chicken dinner - with the WNH gang on a Sunday night Italian IGT tasting via super Tuscan - this wine became commercially available wine in 1968 and since then it has risen quickly in fame - the 2015 as well as the 2016 are getting ridiculous scores from critics - like Bordeaux first growth scores - 97 plus from all - yes it a baby and as such I double decanted - i have more and I have much older vintages so this was my attempt to see what the hype was

Well the hype is real - patience is rewarded - 4 hour decant and every glass got better - in hour six this was incredible and went from a 9.5 to the 9.7 I gave it - 85% cab with 15% CF - reminds me of a great Bordeaux or great Napa blend like Continuum maybe a 2010 vintage as far as taste but leaves there and goes further - chiseled tannins integrated in a rich supple deep ruby color pushing red blue and black fruits elegantly- this could easily go another 30-40 years - and it will get better - in ten years this is 9.8 or higher - my face is broken from smiling so much! — 6 years ago

with Shawn, Joe and 3 others

Ericsson

9.3

Ten year old Albariño, I wanted to give it a shot. The wine certainly retains is freshness, salinity, the essence is there. The peach and stone fruit flavor gets a bit more savory. Cheers. — a year ago

Gor

9.3

Wonderfully balanced but mature. Wine from our wedding ten years ago. Getting close to its peak now. Strawberries, black cherries; Provence herbs, hint of leather on the nose. Fruit is starting to reach peak expression. Long finish. — 3 years ago

Christian Fischer

9.3

Smooth. Black berries and well-rounded tannins. A really nice wine and lovely to drink, not sure I see the more exuberant reviews, but it might still evolve in the coming years. Definitely don’t regret purchasing this — 3 years ago

Kim Tobin

9.5

Love this! Can’t wait to visit Portugal again. Yes, fruity, floral, crisp- great summer white — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

One of the few producers that I purchase each and every vintage. I find that Laurence Feraud’s wines are consistently some of the more interesting and enjoyable wines made in all of Chateauneuf du Pape; particularly when value comes into play. This bottle is my first experience with her 2018 vintage and the first bottle of a small tranche that I swooped up upon release. Popped and poured; consumed over 5 hours. The color is deep ruby with a near opaque core; glossy and gorgeous to behold. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, this is classic Pegaü with loads of dark cherry and bramble fruit, a veritable hillside full of garrigue, lavender, black pepper, and something that reminds me of old books. On that palate, the fruit is equally generous, brambles and cherries, exotic spices, Herbs de Provence and a somewhat sanguine-like character to it. Substantial structure, though it seems to be a notch lower than the previous three vintages at this point in its young life. The tannins are very sneaky. Almost imperceptible for the first hour and yet, by hour four, they were very much making themselves known (in the Medium+ range). Acid is also Medium+ indicating these have an exciting life ahead. The finish lasts for well over a minute. All in all, another lovely Pegaü that will likely live in the shadow of some of the more heralded vintages in the last ten years however, that doesn’t mean this isn’t a stunner. Absolutely lovely stuff and I very much look forward to enjoying these well into the 2030’s. — 5 years ago

Will Stanley

9.3

Easily one of the finest aromas I’ve experienced in a Rioja, and indeed any wine, in the past year, truly a beguiling and complex experience that begs your nose to remain in the glass. I must note for my own posterity that on the palate I was initially a little underwhelmed. I’m not sure why. I think because this is such a subtle and elegant Rioja, and that I’m so out of the habit of drinking wines from this region and perhaps even, by extension, subtle and elegant wines as a whole. But the more I tasted it, the more I enjoyed it. I had a similar experience with the Viña Ardanza 2010 (which at the moment I prefer to this). But this 904 Gran Reserva is a beautiful, medium to light-bodied Rioja, very fruit-forward with Burgundian delicacy and a charm so typical of the finest wines of this region. A melange of coconut, vanilla, dried cherry and Mediterranean herbs are followed by an impressively saturated palate with medium orange peel acidity and very fine, resolved tannins. I must admit I cannot yet calibrate this wine with the notes of prominent critics, who talk about power, acidity and tannin, but maybe time will tell. This should be a terrific wine to follow over the next ten to twenty (plus) years. — 6 years ago

Jay Quarantello

9.1

About ten years ago when I was in South Dakota, I asked my server for a white wine recommendation and was given a bottle of Vouvray, a part of the Loire Valley that I have never forgotten since that moment. Now as I felt then, the Chenin blanc grape is one of my favorites. It’s the reason I constantly return to wine from this part of France. This bottle of Les Aumones lived up to my expectations. It is a great, inexpensive choice from Vouvray. It tastes of apple pie and honey, has a refreshing but not overbearing acidity, and is easy - perhaps too easy to drink. It’s a sweet wine but in harmony with its other notes. This 2018 bottle from Domaine Le Capitaine is one I highly recommend (and affordable). — 6 years ago

Ericsson

9.2

Tasting notes during visit to the winery where absolutely everything is done in-house by hand; preserving centuries old winemaking traditions. Bosconia is a delicate wine highlighted by persistent tones of red berries and bright acidity with integrated tannins closing with medium but lingering finish.

No stainless steel here. The juice is fermented in old large wooden “tinas,” then transferred to American oak barrels (made in house to lighter toast specifications), underground in their +100 year old cellars for at least a year. After that it is bottled and stored in the same underground cellars and finally released about ten years later. Learning about their curated winemaking process was inspiring. — a year ago

Colleen

9.0

Easy to drink. Not too dry. — 3 years ago

Michael Hung

9.4

Nose has cherry, leather, herbaceous and spice notes. Medium plus acidity, smooth tannins, full bodied Pinot Noir. Tons of red fruit, with notes of black cherry, young strawberry. Secondary notes of oak and vanilla. Short finish, but works well as a package. Great with food cause it is after all, a Pinot Noir. High 14.5% ABV for a Pinot as well, but it opens up nicely and is not closed off. Very pleasant wine to drink! — 4 years ago

Joe Weinberger

9.0

I should have read the back of the bottle before I started drinking this—which recommended opening at least 3-4 hours before consuming. Last glass was the most complete but this wine is still very young and green. Would love to try again in ten years time. Potential is there! — 5 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.0

My first Ardberg and it left quite an impression. Gosh! This was like eating bacon and smoking cigars. Ron Swanson should be drinking this instead of Lagavulin 😂 Truly, it feels like someone decided to bottle up that campfire by the sea that's been drenched in bacon fat from dinner the night before. With water, the marine quality becomes more apparent, but that smoke just remains. Only with great concentration can one discern some fruit notes (citrus). The finish is just all about that endless peat. Surprisingly, this whisky was quite "smooth" despite all the extremities it brought. Definitely need to taste more Ardbegs to understand what's going on - not displeasing, but for now, Talisker's more up my alley in the category of peated whiskies. — 5 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

A clean and clear garnet in the glass with light purple undertones. Floral and fruity notes collide on the palate with fresh violets, wild strawberries, and cherries. What’s most interesting about this one is that it presents as a bit more mature than it is. A six year old Brunello that’s drinking as if it were closer to eight to ten years of age. What that says about the future, I’m not sure. There’s the requisite austerity and elegance in abundance here, though it does feel like something left out. A touch of character. More red fruits on the palate, along with tobacco, vanilla, and dry earth. Plenty of leather on the medium length finish. This is a very good, standard Brunello. Very precise and stoic, there’s not a hair out of place here. In both good and bad ways. — 6 years ago

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9.4

The dark and brooding 2014 Taurasi Riserva Radici is geared for the cellar, yet already thrilling to taste. Here I’m finding a mix of crushed tart cherries, blackberry, and plums, offset by savory herbs, orange rind, and a hint of mocha. On the palate, velvety textures coat the senses, slowly giving way to a complex blend of citrus-tinged dark fruits and saline-minerals, as fine tannin saturates the senses. The finish is long and classically structured, clenching the palate, yet leaving a pretty display of spiced orange and inner florals. There are many years of evolution in store for the 2014 Riserva. The patient consumer will benefit from losing a few bottles in their cellar for at least five to ten years. (Eric Guido, Vinous, May 2020)
— 6 years ago