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

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

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 — 11 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

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

Daniela Caniglia

9.9

Cab franc , very peppery, violets, 91 wine advocate 17 front line — 13 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! — 9 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

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. — 11 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

Maureen Peterson

9.8

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

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

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

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. — 11 years ago

Brett Banfield

8.9

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

Ivan London

10

So, this is an eye-opening wine for me. Here are some reviews:

A bright, almost chiseled style, offering fresh-cut pineapple, quince and candied Meyer lemon flavors, with a long, floral-filled finish. Seriously long, with lovely lacy detail already showing on the finish. Should be long-lived.—J.M. Score: 94-97.

97 Points
Wine Enthusiast
Pure, with piercing persimmon, pineapple, white peach and quince flavors. Gorgeous floral notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom form the backdrop, while a heather accent caresses the finish. Overwhelmingly pure in the end, with a finish that sails on and on. Best from 2016 through 2035.

95 Points
Wine Spectator
Deep yellow-gold. Sexy, perfumed nose offers pineapple, honey, nutmeg, marzipan and spicy oak. Big, rich and voluminous as Doisy-Vedrines tends to be, but more refined than usual in 2011, offering enticing, sweet flavors of exotic fruits, spices and honey. Finishes long and sweet, with sexy oak notes of spice and coconut and plenty of spicy botrytis.
Range: 90-93

93 Points
International Wine Cellar
The 2011 Doisy-Vedrines has a far more taciturn bouquet than the Doisy-Daene, offering its trademark tropical, peachy aromas that will hopefully develop more delineation throughout its maturation. The palate is medium-bodied with a viscous entry. There are attractive spicy notes and a satisfying build in the mouth towards its botrytis-rich, tropical finish, although on this occasion I find it needing more tension to merit a higher score. Drink 2014-2030.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 Points

92 Points
The Wine Advocate — 11 years ago