Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.5

I had to open one last bottle of Colares before I left Portugal. These are very rare wines made of the ramisco grape, grown on the sandy soil without trellising. Dried cherry fruit on the nose with a hint of cinnamon. At a decade old, you would never guess. The level of tannin and acidity is at a level here that makes Barolo look like baby stuff. #portugalwine #colares — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Last Friday was our normal 4th Friday happy hour at the storage facility, but since this month had 5 Fridays, why not keep the party going?!

One of the best white wines I've had to date. For those of you who have contributed to the 8.7 overall score on Delectable, shame on you. This is mind blowing stuff. Herbal and grassy like on the nose, but the palate is so freaking rich and pure. @Benjamin Keator mentioned he got some cotton candy on it and I could most definitely see that. Lush on the palate. My wife's exact words were "why do we not have this?" 😕💸 — 9 years ago

with Mark

Aaron Tan

9.1

Rich and mature. Hmmm. Makes me second guess the sponti talk on Mosel rieslings - I reckon it's probably to do with SO2. Quite a bit younger than the german rieslings in our little study the other day, but so much more advanced. Or maybe it's the sugar that helps with longevity in the german stuff.

Waxy, honeyed, floral, petrol notes, with the green apple and pear fruit playing second fiddle. Hint of aldehydes. Mineral and weighty. It was delicious! — 9 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.1

I think this is my first Oregon Chardonnay, and it definitely makes me want to seek out some more because this is very nice. Showing some development; I'd drink now if you've got one because I think from this point on it's going to start getting tired rather than much better but this was very pleasing nonetheless. Stylistically, this one is drinking somewhere between the leaner styles of oaked California stuff and Côte de Beaune white Burgs. Pours gold of moderate concentration of color. Nose has moderate concentration of aroma, and consists of salted lemon, chalky, crushed oyster shell minerality, baked yellow apple, hard aged cheese rind, baking spices, white chocolate, and a touch of hazelnut and savory truffled character. Palate is more focused and linear than the nose might suggest with more emphasis on the citrus and saline mineral characteristics. Nice complexity. Brisk high acidity, body is medium/borderline medium (-); the only issue i have with this wine is that I wish it had a bit more weight and concentration in the mouth. Really enjoyable stuff. Very alive, aromas keep shifting as the wine gets more exposure to air and warms up. After a while the nose developed a kind of cinnamon buttered toast character that was super nostalgic for me, reminded me of childhood. — 9 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.0

Pretty neat, with a real blood orange steak running through the middle. Doesn't have much of the leesy/funky stuff often associated with pet nat - what it lacks in that additional complexity it makes up for in very clean and precise flavors. — 10 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.3

Old reliable, never fails to provide pleasure. Though they have a Gran Reserva, almost every wine LdH makes could be considered a Gran Reserva if you care about that stuff. — 10 years ago

Jay Traver

9.7

It pays to socialize with the sales reps from time to time, never know what they might leave you with.
This has a big nose with milk chocolate, some mint and cocoa wiffs, as well as airline cabin and chalk (?!). Keep in mind I have been tasting this on and off since about 2:45pm and it was opened around 11 am I think.
Im told 07 was awesome for Brunello and Amarone, this proves that it is. It matches flavor and feel perfectly. I could drink this forever.
It's rich, semi-dense. So powerful. This stuff makes me very happy. All I need now is a pot roast to go along with it.

(End of rant) — 11 years ago

Jeffrey Lew

9.5

Amazing concentration and depth. Smoke, tar and dark fruit that makes your mouth sing. Awesome stuff. Give this a long decant. — 11 years ago

John O'Hara

9.0

Calera makes really distinctive stuff, similar to Hanzell not in taste but in that they have their own style which I just really respect and enjoy. — 11 years ago

TC Frazier

9.2

This wine will put the lead in your pencil! If you like the stuff that stains the teeth and makes the lips purple, look for no further than this. — 12 years ago

Bill Bender

9.6

Opened and decanted last Wednesday night and it was very clenched and unyielding. Disappointed, I re-corked and then audozed for a couple hours before Thursday night dinner. What a difference a day and some air makes! This is just mind blowing stuff from @Fraser McKinley when it’s given the proper treatment. Impossibly concentrated dark fruits, a creamy textured core, creosote, blood, iodine and mahogany mix and mesh and tantalize the palate. Get some of his stuff. When you do give it ample time and if you can’t do that give it the air it needs. You will reap the benefits. — 9 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.2

Drinking some awesome red Burgundy and watching the world (Montana, to be more specific) go by. Nice stuff; potentially starting to enter a slightly awkward, muted phase but very good nonetheless, it has that ethereal elegance that makes good red Burgundy so special. Pours a pale to medium (-) intensity ruby hue. Nose of sour red cherries, wild raspberries, dirty, freshly harvested rhubarb, roses, a mossy, humid forest floor character, some delightfully funky mushroom and savory olive notes, and just a touch of clove character from partial new oak. Palate is soft and elegant, showing more sour cherry, wild raspberry, dirty rhubarb, roses, damp forest soil, and clove, with that funky mushroom and olive character still present but definitely not as evident as it is on the nose as well as an additional subtle licorice root note. Acid is medium (+), body is medium (-) with great, silky texture and hyper fine-grained tannins of medium (-) intensity. Would be interested to stash one of these away for a few more years to see if it would unfurl a little bit more. — 9 years ago

with Cassie

Josh Orr

9.0

One of the few and the proud that makes this wine. Very aromatic stuff — 9 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.4

Greg Brewer and Diatom are back with a vengence with the 2013 Santa Rita Hills chardonnay. After a pause, shall we say, in 2012, this new vintage has that crisp acidity and incredible balance that makes this wine unique. Easily has a decade of development ahead of it, it's remarkable what Greg can do with this stuff. Fantastic. — 10 years ago

with Vanessa

Anthony Lombardi

9.3

Is it vineyard or varietals that makes it so good? With these guys & their commitment to terroir & history, the answer is both. Certainly new world Syrah with round edges & delicious ripe fruit. Balanced with black pepper & briny notes. This needs some time in the decanter, but the aromatics soar immediately. Great stuff. @Morgan Twain-Peterson, @Chris Cottrell — 10 years ago

Keith Levenberg

9.2

Lost this bottle in a corner of the cellar for a few years, and I'm glad I did, as this is much more interesting now than it was a few years ago. This is pinot meunier, and tastes pretty much exactly how you'd think it would taste, like pinot noir with more funk. Starts out a little gamey with a leathery sheen and then turns into a total spice bazaar with some clearly oak-derived woodspice along with more exotic cumin- and coriander-type flavors, which combine to give it the scent of an old wooden spice box. The berry fruit and feminine proportions are very pinot noir-like but it's the other stuff that makes this interesting and more wild. — 11 years ago

Mike Evans

9.3

Grapefruit, rocks, black pepper, great acidity, and an addictive chemical that makes ya crave it fortnightly, smartass! Lord, this is great stuff. — 11 years ago

Amanda C

9.0

Light, fruity, sweet, easy drinker. — 12 years ago

with Vince

Beau Carufel

Winemaker/Owner Random Wine Company

8.9

Wild stuff! A very, very fun/interesting/groovy wine that makes you think. — 13 years ago

Alan Weinberg

9.4

almost wine of the night, super wine that makes me reevaluate Clos Vougeot, excellent stuff. — 9 years ago

Rick K

9.4

Fun stuff. Changes every five minutes. Wasn't a leaker, but the label makes it look like that infamous Moscow hotel bed allegedly violated at the behest of he who shall not be named. Settling into a brambly, tart cherry, kirschy thing. Thankfully no ammonia... — 9 years ago

erto l

8.9

peaches dirt. hint of sugar on nose and not a drop of RS on the tongue. geek level stuff. legend has it that "accordo a due vini" means the agreement of donkey and vine. since the donkey's name is dorthy it all makes sense!
more air more better. room temp, please. — 9 years ago

with George

Alexander Brock

9.0

A fantastic chalky mineral backbone gives way to aromas of brioche, honey, vanilla, hints of dark fruits and citrus peel. As you sip your way through the fine bubbles, these lovely aromas transform into flavors much the same. Excellent champagne for the money that offers complex flavors and irresistible, racy acidity that makes you want to grab another bottle of this great stuff. — 9 years ago

boyd

9.1

If you find yourself dining alone at herbsaint in NOLA, this bottle makes for pretty good company. Wish you were here g. And @Ryan Mullins know you'd dig this. All the right stuff - peony flower, raspberry and potting soil. Everything I used to hate about Gamay that I now love thanks to @Sebastien Telford-Rake — 10 years ago

Casey Curbow

Sales Associate Windsor Wine Merchants

9.2

Finessed barnyard, if that even makes sense, leads to booming fresh flowers and bright fruit. Focused rhubarb and raspberry. Dried earth. Structure to go for several years. Well-crafted stuff. — 10 years ago

with Gerald

Sybaritewino C.Lawrence

9.5

So tasty that it doesn't bring a pheasant to tears. Ha ha. Couldn't resist. Love the purity of this stuff as it goes to show that other #wines masquerading as #natural, ancient #kvevri produced wines aren't really much but slick marketing. Iago makes tiny amounts of this #nectar — 10 years ago

Collin Moody

9.5

Lina is so on board! Sherry makes her giggle. Salim thinks that oxidized wine is despicable. Either way I'm thrilled ! This stuff is delicious. — 11 years ago

Simon Burke-Kennedy

9.6

This is a fine Welsh whisky. It's smooth with a lovely sweetness that makes for a very moreish dram. Great stuff. — 11 years ago

Nicolas Rezzouk

9.1

Vert interesting stuff considering the value for money.

Crunchy ripe red cherries on the nose with the unmistakable warmth of cracked black pepper and subtle violet notes. Good freshness too.

On the palate it's vibrant, crunchy, fruity. Good lingering acidity throughout, some ripe tannins but not much. Good balance between fruit and acidity.

Not very complex but very drinkable with a decent length and juicy fruit that makes you pour another glass only to find out the bottle is empty. — 12 years ago

Jaime kowan

9.5

Love this stuff...fresh burst of acidity with the. Aromatics of pear, peach and honey.... Graham crackers... No I haven't gone crackers . This Godello is growing at 600 to 650 meters on really steep slopes, eastern side. Rocky quartz soils with loads of red clay a spectacular place that takes quite a while to get to by way of a windy steep narrow road. It really makes you appreciate it — 13 years ago