Bob McDonald

9.3

Another Torbreck brought to the Toowoomba Wine Show Judges Dinner at the Downs Club by winemaker Greg McGill. Earthy perfume - a solid full bodied palate 15% ABV. Given 100 points by Joe Czerwinski of Wine Advocate. Never seen the value in Run Rig for the plus $200 price tag. A certain mystique here and one of the Barossa icons but don’t get the hype to be honest. — 6 years ago

kim gottas

10

Rich, full bodied, similar to Decoy with a stronger finish. — 7 years ago

Michael B

9.2

Serendipity is located on the Naramata bench in BC, producing several high quality lines. This one is no exception, absolutely delicious! Dark burgundy colour, almost black. Medium bodied. Tasteful dark fruit, plums, and cassis. Well blended and structured as you would expect. — 8 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.5

Exceptional balance. Rich, but so fresh. Pears, orange, flowers, lemon curd, cream, brioche, nut. Long, powerful palate, underlined by a driving acidity.

Some thoughts: In my eyes, RMs tend to fall into "extreme" categories e.g. Laherte - austere, Egly - rich (lees), Agrapart - rich (oak), Selosse - oxidative; but this wine doesn't fit here. NM-like, but not (I think of Chartogne-Taillet when I say this). Compare to Krug's Grand Cuvee, the Grands Vintages is definitely richer and broader (fair comparison, given how both wines are constructed).

From Chain Bridge Cellars:
As the name suggests, Eric Rodez’s Grand Vintages is a rich, powerful and very much “grand” wine in the tradition of Krug (where Eric learned his craft). This year's release is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from seven great vintages going back to vintage 2000. Eric ages all of these base wines in used oak and blocks malolactic fermentation to maximize freshness and vibrancy. Then the carefully crafted blend spends 8 full years on the lees before being disgorged this October. The dosage is ultra-low - 2 or 3 g/l - so this could be labeled "Extra Brut," but there's so much richness and depth here that "Brut" seems more appropriate to Eric.

Past releases have earned plenty of critical praise, including 17.5/20 points from Jancis Robinson, 93 from Vinous, and 92 from Wine Advocate. This year’s release is explosive on the nose and palate, pumping out big notes of lemon curd, caramel, toasted nuts, baking bread, crushed chalk, and more. The flavors just balloon out to fill your entire palate and finish with layer upon layer of mouthwatering pie crust, lemon curd, hazelnut, crushed stone and salty caramel flavor. Try holding some for even more richness! — 8 years ago

Jim George

9.0

Dark amber color. Aromas and flavors of ripe grapes, cherries, pomegranates, cinnamon, and sweet vanilla. The underlying earthy character is present, and a silky texture in the mouth flows into a long vanilla and oak spice finish. Notes of spice, underbrush, some sappy flowers, hints of sappy herbs, and darker raspberry fruit. Medium bodied, supple, beautifully polished, elegant and seamless. 7 months in French oak. (Wine Makers Tasting Notes and Wine Advocate.)
— 9 years ago

Ian Abraham

10

Love it as much as Kathryn Hall 2010 cab. Gently sweet with subtle tannin, rich complex layered with a floral scent sensational nose, and incredibly smooth. Slight bit of tart cherry on the flavor. 97-100
Points by Robert Parker
More approachable, but no less impressive, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) looks gorgeous, and is probably the most complete wine in the lineup. Layered and rich, yet ultra-pure and elegant, it gives up classic creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, licorice and liquid flower-like qualities to go with full-bodied richness and depth on the palate. Relatively civilized, yet with building tannin and richness, it should benefit from short-term cellaring and have two decades of longevity."- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue #213, June 2014), 97 - 100 pt — 10 years ago

Sue Shay

9.1

Recently rated 92 points by Wine Advocate this Pinot lives up to the hype. Small production (100 cases), the fruit comes from 30 to 40 year old self rooted vines on the family's Century Farm. Winemaker/Vineyard Manager Merrilee Buchanan Benson hits a home run with this delicious Pinot from the great 2012 Willamette Valley vintage. — 10 years ago

Brett Banfield

8.9

Pa...teet....ver....DOT! Meets Malbec — 11 years ago

Dock Hooks

9.3

Too toasted to offer a proper comment, but buy this 2012 LG Pomerol and, of course, drink it (if u have read any of my previous comments re wines, then you know that I am a serious advocate here..😎 — 11 years ago

Ben Descoteau

9.7

50 % cab sav 30% merlot 20% petit Verdot. Big blackberry, black currant and hints of licorice. Only a 2009 from the much talked about recent release. 91 pts from wine advocate. Bought a few bottles so thought we would sample one. It was great. Can't wait to try another and see how it shows in a couple years. — 13 years ago

with Andrea

Billy L.

9.4

PNP > I liked it more in its youth 2008/09
Timeframe for my Fruit Forward pallet. Dr. Jay Miller -Wine Advocate Staffer rated 98 points
in 2007. Cheers 🍇🍷 Dr. Jay Miller Review:
“Any aspiring collectors should add a case of this to their stash. The 2004 Numanthia comes from a different terroir with a different clone of Tinta de Toro. The vines for this cuvee range from 70-100 years of age with tiny yields of 1 ton of fruit per acre. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrel followed by 19 months in new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wine is a glass-coating opaque purple with a killer nose of mineral, pencil lead, wild blueberry, and blackberry liqueur that roars from the glass. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, dense, and already beginning to show complexity within its layers of spicy black fruits. There is immense power, well-concealed ripe tannin, and the well-delineated finish lasts for over one minute. This is a sensational effort which in a perfect world should be cellared for a decade and enjoyed over the following 25+ years. However, the elderly among us should not feel guilty about opening a bottle now. (JM) (2/2007)” — 6 years ago

Billy L.

9.5

PNP
Tastes Great! All P/N should be this deep &
concentrated! No green stem or weak fruit profile here. Big time wine from Gary Pisoni’s
Santa Lucia Highlands Vineyard. If California had Grand Cru designations, the Pisoni Vineyard would be tagged! This 2011 Roar Pisoni is still a Baby 👶; with a long finish and great depth. Color “Cherry Cola” Nose intense!
If you haven’t had a Pisoni P/N, time to start!
“Bob Jr.” -Jeb Dunnuck Review here from his Wine Advocate stint: Cheers 🍇🍷👍🏻👏🏻
“The most sweetly fruited and approachable, the 2011 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard has sweet strawberry, kirsch, underbrush, spice box and licorice aromas and flavors all soaring from the glass.” (JD) (8/2013) — 7 years ago

Lucia Campos

9.4

90 pts The Wine Advocate — 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

9.2

Loved it - 11.99 on 2/17
Domaine Lafage
"Tessellae - Vieilles Vignes" Carignan 2014
92/100 - Wine Advocate
(3/26/2016) "A crazy value, the 2014 IGP Cotes Catalanes Tessellae Carignan Vieilles Vignes is one of the best examples of this variety from the Roussillon, and the fact that it sells for a song is just icing on the cake for the consumer. Coming all from schist soils and 70-year-old vines, raised 12 months in a mix of concrete tanks and demi-muids, it offers tons of black raspberry and black cherry fruit, licorice and dried spices to go with a super sexy, heady, seamless style on the palate that keeps you coming back to the glass. Drink this blockbuster over the coming 2-3 years."
— 9 years ago

Matt Trader

9.3

I know I know, it's young but Wine Advocate thought it was a 97 so I thought I'd take it home and see what this vintage is all about in the Sauternes department. Nice perfume to the nose - orange zest, papaya, and Asian pear, and honeysuckle. The pallet shows zippy but appropriate acidity, and light color of its youth - pineapple, apricot preserves, Meyer lemon, and a very faint hint of white pepper spice mixed with a soft mineral note. I definitely think this was a great vintage, but not quite a 97. I will say that I'd love to see this at its plateau. For 2nd Cru, this is outstanding in its value ($19.99 for the 375ml). Buy and lay away for a little while. — 9 years ago

Michael Horkay

9.0

Ever heard the saying they don't make it like they used too. Well it's true with only a handful of California wines that recap poured the hype of Parker but clearly that turned out to be for our benefit. This wine was not Sunni Jung but out dud not did disappoint either. More Bordeaux like that fruity this had classic cedar noted with leathery almost plum like fruit with a good mid palate. Remarkable wines like Selene Forman Scherrer and laurel Glen are too overlooked and I for one am a fan and advocate. Blind I fool most of the people who buy Parker wines. These products make things with soul. — 10 years ago

Tom Wood

9.3

Solid booze. Not the biggest advocate for SA shiraz but this is an absolute gem!! — 10 years ago

Sam Peter

9.0

Did its job. I'm not necessarily an advocate but I'd hit it again if it was $20 or under ✌️ — 11 years ago

Raul Garcia

9.7

Great sour favors, nice hop backend and very good tart flavor of the wood. Sour flavors of sour plums a slight cheese rind flavor a very low bitter back tone. A great dry beer to end my day. — 11 years ago

Daniela Caniglia

9.9

Cab franc , very peppery, violets, 91 wine advocate 17 front line — 12 years ago

Paul T HB

9.3

Trying out all the highly rated $10.00-$20.00 whites to guzzle during the summer heat & Beach bike rides. This is a wine advocate 91 for $15.00
1. Novellum,ridiculous for $10.00
2. Substance
3. This one
4. Matias Santa Lucia Highlands
But basically splitting hairs on all of them,
Matias is the most complex. — 6 years ago

Joe Gillies

9.5

Dense dark fruit aromas. Plum, black currant, boysenberry, and baking spices on the palate.
This really has lived up to the hype of the 96pt rating by wine advocate. Great value at $35. And shows tremendous potential with some aging. — 7 years ago

Matt Trader

9.3

40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot. Drinks incredibly similar to Smith Haut Laffite.. toasty cedar and rock dust followed by baked plums, vanilla, and mocha. Pallet with well integrated tannins, Pauillac in feel, exhibiting notes of casis, bell pepper, dark dried cherries, mocha, and a delicious lingering finish. This is seriously over performing for $60. 94 points Wine Advocate - 2500 cases production winery between all of their wines, which is pretty small and totally worth it. — 8 years ago

Tony Bartos

9.3

Drank this with a 2007 Gary's Lucia , and this was better. I think Wine Advocate once gave this a 96, not on this bottle. Sorry folks...don't recall much more. — 9 years ago

with Leslie

Curtis Osborn

9.5

Curtis had this 9 years ago

Danielle L. Woods

10

This might literally be my favorite red. Had to remind myself it was wine and that I needed to sip and savor it. Notes of berries, dark chocolate...no oaky taste....just the right amount of sweet- and tartness. — 9 years ago

with Greg

Matt Trader

9.2

I see why this 2010 vintage received a 95 point rating on wine advocate for ONLY $35. Incredibly rich, with sweet tobacco and french press espresso roast, anise, oak spice, dark cherry, vanilla and casis, and a lingering finish. This is a big ol' wine! Rich enough to exquisitely pair with a baklava cheese cake, as well as lamb shank, veal, and heavy Mediterranean cuisine. Keeping in mind, it is quite young so it needed about an hour and a half to really open up, but when it did, it was fantastic and has the potential to age for quite a while! Worth every penny. — 10 years ago

Ivan London

9.0

My first #marsanne! A nice, rich wine. #rhonerangers!

Critical Acclaim (prior vintage)
The 2012 Vin Blanc is 55% Viognier and 45% Marsanne. An outstanding white that has both richness and freshness, it offers up pure stone fruits, sappy spring flowers and Asian pear aromas and flavors to go with a medium-bodied, rounded and supple feel on the palate. Silky and elegant...

90 Points
The Wine Advocate — 10 years ago

with Matthew

Joseph Hernandez

Associate Digital Editor Wine Enthusiast Magazine

9.0

Always surprising freshness and weight, like slightly unripe Bosc pears commingling with dandelion greens. — 11 years ago

with Fiona and Ian

Maureen Peterson

9.8

92 points in wine advocate... Best pinot in a long time. Nice mint nose — 12 years ago