Bob McDonald

9.4

Gorgeous earthy perfume, Forest Floor - could be Burgundian. A Tawny edge to the colour. My 2nd favourite Aussie Pinot after the Bass Phillip Reserve. Savoury cherry nuances on the palate but overall more savoury than fruit driven. Light to medium bodied. Very fine Tannins with natural acid still present. I expected more mid palate fruit for what Phillip Jones described as “one of our best vintages” to that point. They have had better ones since IMO. I would not normally taste a BP Premium under 10 years (this being the first of 4) but having tasted this I wish I had had one say four years ago. In the category of wines I buy every vintage - like the Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay. — 6 years ago

Mike K

8.9

Easy drinking and smooth. Fairly light grape flavor, but not water. Hyatt exclusive by Michael Mondavi. Canvas Pinot Noir - 2015 vintage. — 6 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.2

Last of the single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings we tasted at Aperture Cellars with Lauren. Dark purplish ruby red. Ripe red berries on the nose with some spices, perfume and a touch earthy. Medium tannins (7/10) and full bodied. A bit of heat on the palate with some cassis, black cherries and spices. Not as vast as the Del Rio with a touch of dark cocoa. Needs some time to pull itself together. Dry and gravelly long finish. Drink from 2019 till 2030. (92+)

This is made up of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc from the Oliver Ranch Vineyard and cultivated by Phil Freese. Who actually does another one of our favorites - Vilafonté in South Africa.


First stop on our very first trip to Sonoma, and we were not dissappointed. The wines made by Jesse Katz have a ton of finesse, power and character. Definitely a winery for any wine lover or collector to have on their radar. Stay tuned for some exciting new wines coming out in the 2017 vintage, possibly an old vine Zinfandel. Also a must visit for art and photography lovers. — 6 years ago

with India

Kyle Groombridge

9.3

I'll be the first to admit - Pessac-Leognan, with its pompous little history, gets overlooked and passed by in my drinking rotation way too easily. Perhaps not on purpose, but ultimately being deemed "not as exciting" as other left bank names like Margaux, Pauillac, and St. Julien.. but it's bottles like this that remind me why good Pessac is worth the time and effort to track down too.

After a couple hours of decanting, the nose is dark and haunting, with notes of sweet, smoky oak, blackberries, blueberries, violet, and black licorice. The tannins are present but not too astringent at all. Smooth and inviting, dark and perfectly balanced, this drinks beautifully right now but will have the stuffing to age at least 10-20 more years.. This is easily a standout of the oft-disparaged 2012 vintage and well deserving of Parker's 96-point rating. — 7 years ago

Michael Meagher MS

Chairman/Founder Boston Sommelier Society, Beverage Director Cafe Escadrille

9.3

Tight, sinewy and packed in tight. Would love to see this wine with a few years of bottle age. Really not fair to show it after just a year and a half past vintage, but I'm not complaining! — 8 years ago

Katharine Neville

9.5

Easy to drink, lot of flavor; 2012 vintage — 8 years ago

Rich

9.2

Well-knit and balanced, with vibrant acidity framing hints of blackberry, white cherry, biscuit, honey and candied lemon zest. Offers a lightly smoky finish.

A Champagne House is eventually judged on the quality of its Brut Non Vintage. It is in the making of such a wine that the true Art of Champagne blending reveals itself.
This is an art in which the House of Veuve Clicquot excels. Our Brut Yellow Label reflects the superb vineyards we own and the consistent nature of our House style.

The predominance of Pinot Noir provides the structure that is so typically Clicquot, while a touch of Pinot Meunier rounds out the blend. Chardonnay adds the elegance and finesse essential in a perfectly balanced wine. — 9 years ago

Cary Palmer

9.0

Anise, leather, menthol, tar, red fruits. Great structure. Acidity was singing. Tons of life left. 1999 vintage tasted June 16, 2015. — 9 years ago

Monica Gifford

9.1

2012 vintage. Spice, berry, and mineral driven flavors come together to create a juicy, full bodied wine with well integrated notes of oak. Bright nose with perfumed aromas of blackberry and cherry. Great balance of fruit, oak and tannins. I'll be adding this wine to my rotation. This wine is a real gem for the price and is comparable to pricier Spanish wines in my opinion. Cheers! — 9 years ago

David Beaton

9.4

Leeuwin Estate Shiraz getting better & better each vintage! Great grapes in 2012 that went into both Art Series. & Siblings Shiraz- smooth, easy drinking, medium bodied Shiraz wonderful smells of ripe red plums Excellent value-for-money Shiraz - share a bottle today with friends , family, siblings!! — 9 years ago

Jordan Moore

9.1

Now this was very impressive coming from a great vintage. Candied orange peel and dried rose pedals. Tight as a tiger and such a long lasting finish! Opened up tremendously over the course of the night. A bit of tar and cranberry at the beginning and just softened into a work of art. — 9 years ago

Nick Apone

9.4

2012 vintage. Beautiful nose smells of cherry blossom, and spice box, Volnay like. The mid palate is strikingly fresh, and pure offering tart cherry, candied orange peel, and cranberry. The wine has power and finesse in perfect unison. The fruit tones are very fine tune on the long finish. This is the art of balance. — 9 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.7

On the nose, deep, dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dry cranberries, some blue fruits with baked strawberries on the edges. Black licorice, cinnamon, vanilla, clove, dark spices, smoke, softer leather, dry stems, dry rich soil and fresh & withering flowers.

The body is much fuller than the 14. The fruits are also darker. The tannins are big, firm but nice rounded. dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dry cranberries, creamy raspberries come on as it opens open and coats the palate, some blue fruits with baked strawberries on the palate edges. Black licorice, cinnamon, vanilla, clove, caramel, dark & milk chocolate dark spices, mint, expresso roast, tobacco, cedar, smoke, softer leather, dry stems, dry rich soil, tarry notes, crushed rocks and fresh & withering flowers. The structure, tension are more like 13 vintage. The length & balance is beautiful but, will take time to flush out. The finish is big, rich, elegant, glorious and lasts minutes.

Their Winemaker is Aaron Potts. Small production wine, under 500 cases.

Photos of; the several ton Artwork stones that they use as their logo & brand. The seven stone pieces are held together by gravity. Human relaxing art piece on the grounds, painting in the winery and the view from the Estate. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Their inaugural vintage was in 1999, Provenance means "origin" or "source." In the art world, a provenance is the record of a work’s ownership, from its creation to the present day. Nice ripe dark fruit aromas. Plum and ripe blackberry flavors with bits of cacao and black tea. Soft tannins, good acidity balance, a joy to drink. Should continue to age nicely over next 5+ years. — 6 years ago

James Forsyth

9.2

I've always liked Vietti's labels and the Barbera d'Asti Tre Vigne is a delightful departure from their usual illustrations from nature. Unlike the label art of a mask, and indeed of the mask from the El Gato Chimney painting behind, nothing is being hidden here. Overt and plummy and floral too, this 2010 reminds me why I love the vintage and how Barbera with a bit of age can be an utter delight. — 6 years ago

with Cara

Emily Kresie-Harrington

9.2

2006 vintage. Look at what I found buried at the bottom of a wine rack at another store with no facing! Very smoky, but in a clean and un-obnoxious sort of way. Lime, dried lemon, birch, blanched almonds, black rocks, dried white flowers. What a great find and good example of dry Riesling! — 7 years ago

Richard Macleod

President MacLeod Family Vineyard

9.7

This vintage still going strong. Plenty of berry fruit and exceptional balance. Delicate mouth feel. Not over the top jammy. My last bottle. This would have held up for another 10 years. Makes me think we have lost the art of balanced cabs in recent years. — 8 years ago

Courtney Cochran

Sommelier/Host hiptastes.com

8.9

Note: for v13 Brut ***
Champagne-lively bubbles, white peach cobbler character (topped with marzipan crust, natch), pear skin, pastry and beauty.
Classy Champagne-Method style aligns with prettiness of label (Art Nouveau awesome, *nice*). Lingering finish, mellow, fabulous and closing with biscuit notes and a soupçon of clementine. Serve with a smile 💋 — 9 years ago

with Ronald and Jayme

Bob McDonald

9.2

New release of the Prelude. 2nd wine to the famous Art Series. The 2014 Prelude is in excellent form striking the right balance between lush fruit and struck match leanness. Oak a little prominent at this point. Yet another good vintage in Marg River. — 9 years ago

Lincoln Shurtz

9.4

Really fruit forward, jammy, truly unfiltered wine. Excellent vintage. Fun vineyard with plenty of collectables and art — 9 years ago

Jonathan Steeves

9.0

The 2009 vintage of Quinta Ferreira estate winery Obra-Prima is garnet colored and packed with dense aromatics and flavors. This wine yields from the BC VQA Okanagan Valley. Tasted in early 2015, on first impression, it is packed with Cocoa, ripe plum, ripe blackberry, vanilla bean, and a hint of Black sage, slight anise and umami. On the palate, this wine mirrors it's aromatics. With a mouth feel which is smooth and velvety, it has medium tenants, medium acidity, dry, only slightly grippy, medium fruit and is well-balanced. This wine comes from a Portuguese wine maker and the name of this blend "obra – prima" is Portuguese for "masterpiece" or "work of art". Well integrated and medium plus bodied, this wine pairs well with grilled, barbecued or roasted chicken, mildly spiced Italian barbecued sausage, or fig infused goats cheese on garlic crustinis. This wine is ready for consumption presently and recommend drink 2015-2018. — 9 years ago

Jonathan Steeves

9.1

The 2010 vintage shows well. It's ruby red and well balanced. Medium high acidity, medium red fruit, full bodied and voluptuous with tangy and well rounded, well integrated mouthfeel. Just enough oak to complement the structured presence of fruit, tannins, and acidity without taking away from any of the components. Chewy cherry, tart red berries, dark chocolate and ripe plums on the nose and palate. Enjoyed with a California salad of baby spinach, fresh strawberries, fig-infused goats cheese, balsamic reduction and slightly toasted almonds or with your favourite cheese plate. Also enjoyed a red pepper and wild rice stuffed Tuscan chicken main which paired well. A wonderful expression of amarone at 15% alc without feeling heavy or excessive. — 9 years ago

Christine Havens

9.9

Appreciating a great estate like Leoville-Las Cases is like appreciating a great work of art. It's done slowly, thoughtfully and with profound pleasure. While 1997 wasn't a profound vintage in and of itself, Cab-dominant Leoville sings. It's still fresh and elegant with notes of steeped blackberry, black currant, graphite and violets. Medium-bodied with well-integrated, caressing tannins, notes of iodine and forest floor. The finish is lengthy, stately and graceful. — 10 years ago

Joe Kaiser

9.4

Thanks Lawrence what a great tasting today! Glad I shipped my 1st bottle of 2010 George-III. Classic vintage but this wine is balanced, expressive, bold, ART in. Glass! — 6 years ago

with Debbie and bill

Julie Pewe

10

Really enjoyed this wine! Will easily become a part of my regular rotation. — 6 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.2

@Delectable Wine this is the Aperture Cellars Unlikely Native Pinot Noir.

First stop on our very first trip to Sonoma, and we were not dissappointed. The wines made by Jesse Katz have a ton of finesse, power and character. Definitely a winery for any wine lover or collector to have on their radar. Stay tuned for some exciting new wines coming out in the 2017 vintage, possibly an old vine Zinfandel. Also a must visit for art and photography lovers.

Sneak peak at this small production Pinot Noir from Jesse Katz and Aperture Cellars made for a restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. Thanks Lauren for cracking this for us! Medium ruby red. Powerful nose with roses, raspberries, jasmine, twigs and some deeper floral notes. Quite a bit of tannins in the front of the palate (7/10) and medium bodied. Balanced acidity with jasmine and raspberries on the palate followed up by light strawberries and a touch of leather underneath. Lingering finish. Drink till 2025. $$

This is the inaugural vintage for this Pinot Noir from the Dry Stack Vineyard in Bennett Valley. It is made exclusively for the Jax Fish House in Boulder, Colorado where Jesse was born. — 6 years ago

with India

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

On the nose, it's pure elegance. Kirsch cherries, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, plums, poached strawberries, raspberries haunt the background, vanilla, very light and soft spice, candied moist black earth, fresh violets and liquid, fresh, slightly perfumed red/dark florals. The full body is smooth, sexy and silky elegance. The tannins are round, beautiful and 65-70% resolved. The dark cherries and cherries roll the eyes back in the head. OMG! The fruits are simply garden of Eden beautiful. Poached strawberries, creamy black and regular raspberries, ripe black plum, overly extracted pomegranate, dry cranberries, soft, delicate top soil/dry clay, limestone, crushed dry rock powder, dry stones, black cherry cola/licorice, hint of anise, light notes of dry herbs, fresh tobacco leaf, sweet, dark, moist, turned earth, lead pencil shavings, rich, round mouthwatering acidity and a rich, elegant cherry driven finish that doesn't stop and I will not forget. Cheval Blanc is not a classified First Growth but on my palate it qualifies as such. Glorious bottle! I've had the 05 & 10 early. It will certainly out do this 2001 but not today. Photos of; the historical Cheval Blanc; which I prefer. I love the Bordeaux history. The new and modern 20 Million dollar addition. Shots of the cellar...the new concrete and stainless state of the art fermentation tanks. Producer notes and history...The name Cheval Blanc translates into white horse. The Chateau's history in St. Emilion traces back to 1832. It was the year the Ducasse family purchased land from Chateau Figeac. Prior to it being know as Cheval Blanc, the vineyard was better known as Le Barrail de Cailloux, which loosely translates into "barrel of tiny stones." Of course, the inspiration from the terroir's unique gravely soils. The original vines purchased from Figeac became what many people think is the best wine of St. Emilion, Chateau Cheval Blanc. For the most part, I agree with that. Back in 1832, Chateau Figeac was owned by Countess Felicité de Carle-Trajet. At that time, Chateau Figeac had grown to a massive 200 hectare estate; which is huge by St. Emilion standards. It was the Countess who decided to sell portions of their holdings. The breakup of the larger Figeac estate helped create a myriad of new St. Emilion wine making estates; which explains why so many Chateauxs include the word Figeac as part of their name. However, the owners of what was to become Cheval Blanc wanted to establish their own identity that was separate from Figeac. In 1838, the Ducasse family purchased what was to became the majority of Cheval Blanc. Some of the vines were previously part of Figeac. They began buying more St. Emilion vineyard land to create Chateau Cheval Blanc. In 1852, Mille Ducasse married Jean Laussac-Fourcaud, she came with a dowry that included their recently acquired Bordeaux vineyards that included 2 of the 5 gravel mounds running through the vineyards of Cheval Blanc and Figeac. Pretty amazing dowry! The Laussac-Fourcaud family built the chateau that is still in use today. The Laussac-Fourcaud continued to add holdings and increasing the size of the Cheval Blanc vineyards. By 1871, they accumulated a total of 41 hectares of vineyards in Saint Emilion. Chateau Cheval Blanc remains that same size to this day. A number of years ago, Cheval Blanc spent a boat load of money on updating and renovating to a modern facility in a true modern fashion that drastically departed from its original existing historical structure. Cheval Blanc has always tried to be innovative. Around 1860, when the chateau for Cheval Blanc was being built, extensive work was also being done in the vineyards. In fact, even then, Chateau Cheval Blanc was at the forefront of vineyard management techniques when they added a vast network of drains in their vineyards. Chateau Cheval Blanc was probably the first estate in the Right Bank to install this type of drainage system. At first, Chateau Cheval Blanc sold their wine under the Figeac label. Once Chateau Cheval Blanc began winning medals for the quality in their wine, they changed their label. That change included placing pictures of their medals on the label, which is still featured on their label today. More importantly, the wines were now sold under the name of Chateau Cheval Blanc. Cheval Blanc continued gaining in popularity by producing some of the best wines in all of Bordeaux during the 1920’s, 1940’s and 1950’s. In 1998 Cheval Blanc was purchased by Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frere for a 135 million Euros. They asked Pierre Lurton to manage the property for them. Today, Pierre Lurton also manages their other estates, Chateau d’Yquem, Chateau La Tour du Pin and Quinault l’Enclos. 1991 was one of the most difficult vintages in Bordeaux history, Cheval Blanc did not produce a wine. #RESPECT! In 2009, LVMH purchased the shares owned by Bernard Arnault in a private transaction. There was no official announcement of the price. However, rumors placed the price at close to 15 Million Euros per hectare (€615,000,000), making this the most expensive transaction yet, on a per hectare purchase price in the history of Bordeaux. 2000, 2005, 2009 & 2010 were near perfect or perfect vintages for Cheval Blanc and again in 2015, they produced candidates for wine of the vintage. In that same year at an auction held by Christie’s, a scarce, six-liter bottle of the legendary 1947 Cheval Blanc, (Probably the only real bottle in existence) sold for a record setting price of $304,375 dollars! In 2011, with the help of famed architect and Pritzker Architecture Prize winner, Christian de Portzamparc, Chateau Cheval Blanc completed a major construction and renovation project. This remodeling included; building a new winery, barrel cellars, vinification room, tasting area and efforts with the landscaped gardens. Even though the structure is modern in design (sigh), this new cellar cost over $20,000,000. The 39 hectare vineyard of Cheval Blanc has a complex terroir that consists of 3 different soils. Even though the vineyards are in one large parcel, this can be divided up as follows: 40% of their soils are gravel over multiple types of clay, including blue clay. Another 40% of their terroir has deep gravel soils, while the remaining 20% of their soils consists of sandy clay in the soil. The vineyard of Chateau Cheval Blanc is planted to 49% Cabernet Franc, 47% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon today, but the goal is to return to the original mix of 55% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines at Cheval Blanc are old, averaging 45 years of age. They have 8 hectares of Cabernet Franc planted in the 1950’s. However, some of the older parcels of Cabernet Franc are close to 100 years of age, as they were planted in 1920. Cheval Blanc vinification takes place in 52 different temperature controlled, cement vats that vary in size, due to the needs of specific parcels to allow for each parcel being vinified in its own tank. Malolactic Fermentation takes place in tank. The wines are aged in 100% new, French oak barrels for close to 18 months before bottling. @ FL Yountville — 7 years ago

Spinning_spins

9.6

This wine just never ceases to amaze me. The 2012 vintage, which I've had before and loved, continues to evolve. The nose is tighter now, but is opening as I write. Brooding black fruit wrapped in rosemary and sage cocoon. Similar flavors backed by acidity and tannin deliver a work of art, with a lingering, contemplative finish. Yes. — 9 years ago

MaJ CappS

9.3

A long deep inhale of adult nose candy opens up to a fresh bunch of Thai mint. A little "wineado" and you have got yourself dark cherry wood lightly smoked-aerating in mouth, leads way to medium tannins, structured like a work of art.
Truly great for the price.
Vintage 09'
Bought a case. — 9 years ago

Fabien Lainé

Blogger VinDeling.com

10

Niepoort 1952 Garrafeira - It could be Van Gogh, Rembrandt or Michelangelo - it is Niepoort Vinhos & Adegga that made my weekend an epic experience of art and senses #winelover - Garrafeira wines are a Niepoort speciality, a signature. They are ports from a single harvest that has then been aged for in special glass containers rather than wood. These demijons were made in the 18th century and Niepoort uses these ‘estate heirlooms’ to create a special wine that sets Niepoort apart. This 1952 was set in demijon in 1955 and then decanted in 1974. - Cheers :) — 11 years ago