Connor Smith

9.2

Sanlúcar de Barrameda was the port that Christopher Columbus set off from in 1492. Just 1 year earlier, duties on wine exports from Sanlúcar had been abolished to take advantage of English merchants desperate for new supply after the loss of Bordeaux.

It began a centuries-long romance between Sherry and English wine lovers, as immortalized in Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 2, when Falstaff glorifies sturdy Spanish 'sack' over thin Bordeaux 'claret' and Rhine 'hock'.

But the honeymoon, quite literally, was not to last. Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon drove a wedge between England and Catholic Europe, and left English wine lovers in need of a new source once again. But Sherry fanatics wouldn't have to go entirely without. When Sir Francis Drake sailed into Cádiz and burned the Spanish fleet in 1587, he carried away 2,900 butts of Sherry - enough to supply London for years - as his most famous prize.

(This is adapted from notes for Le Dû’s Wines ‘History of Wine 1453AD-Present’ seminar, where this wine was poured) — 6 years ago

GabWine

9.1

Color : Red
Wine estate : Zinfandelic
Designation : Zinfandel
Name : Sierra foothills Zinfandel
Country : USA
Vivino : 4.5/5
Note : The famous Zinfandel with its multicolored label and atypical like this wine. A red robe, a nose of strawberry and flowers. A very greedy taste, intense and delicious. Red fruit flavors refreshing and unctuous. To drink without moderation! — 7 years ago

Sanjay Sadhu

9.0

Thick inky sweet with oily flow. Worked well with lamb shank that this restaurant is famous for. And worked with Spanish rice pudding too! — 8 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Gold Reserve, a blend crafted from malt and grain whiskies including the Macallan and Highland Park. My night cap during Prinsengracht concert. #happiness #whisky #digestivo — 8 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

I love this overlooked vintage of LB always a stunner & in my opinion better than the more famous 82 & 85. Perfectly stored btls are drinking much younger than its 34 yrs displaying black fruits , damp earth, leather, cigar box, spices of fruit cake with a delicate floral perfume. Could smell & taste this all night! — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

This Friday, my Cabernet fix is from the very famous Château Montelena.

Dark ruby in color and cloudy with a wide purplish rim.

Nice nose of black currants, sweet raspberries, bell peppers, earth, sage, peppermint, chocolates, oak, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, spices and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity, smooth with long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, oak, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, earth, spices and peppercorn.

Long finish with firm tannins and tangy raspberries.

A very enjoyable Napa Cabernet. Soft and smooth, with nice complexity and balance. Still young and needs at least 3 years to blossom, however it is very approachable now.

Delivers nice acidity, to make the finish interesting. Already shows a smooth mouthfeel at this young age.

Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels.

14.2% alcohol by volume. — 8 years ago

Gigi Pan

8.9

Always good with a Beaujolais nouveau paring with famous burger from burger joint. — 9 years ago

with Alan

Bob McDonald

9.4

A brilliant $30 Chardonnay- one of the best ever. The younger sibling of the famous Art Series. Stone fruit and grilled nuts. A delicious mouth filling Chardonnay. — 9 years ago

David L

9.7

06' Barnard Magrez Cabernet. 83% CB 12% CF 5%PV. WOW... A rare bottle indeed. This was sourced from the famous Vineyard Thorevilos (Abreu). Aaron Pott was its winemaker in 2006.

A 2 hour + on the decanting. All the elegant black fruit you can imagine in this glass. A 30+ finish. It's certainly in the discussion of one of the finest 2006's I've had out of Napa. Drinking well now & has another 20+ great years in it.

Barnard Magrez is now sourcing there fruit from Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyards. If you didn't get enough Realm Dr. Crane 12/13's. Hell… just want to add another great wine! This certainly could be a viable option(wish list). Benoit Touquette is "NOW" the winemaker😉👍!!

I'm not saying the 12 & 13's are another Realm Dr. Crane. They're the same winemaker & sourcing🤔. Just a thought... — 9 years ago

Moreno Luis

9.6

The most famous wine of the enfant terrible of spanish winemakers. Enjoy this great mencia. — 11 years ago

Jordan Kretchmer

9.4

Great Pinot, profile like the Famous Gate Pinot, but without the complex finish. — 12 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

@Plate & Bottle Summer Dinner.

Main Course, Beef Skirt Steak, Roasted Tomato, Artichoke, Potato Mousseline. Steak has mash potato, roasted tomato relish, lemony artichoke purée with a smokey component.

Hedy is an amazingly, creative Chef.

Superb food & the wine pairing doesn’t suck as a friend of mine is famous for saying.

Photos of the evening at our friends Jeff & Hedy.

— 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

History of Chapoutier family dates back to early 19th century when current owner Michel Chapoutier’s great-, great-, great-grandfather Marius purchased estate & famous l’Hermitage vineyards. Deep Purple (with a little smoke on the water), 100% Grenache with aromas of dark fruit and complex exotic spice. Plum, berry & current flavors with nutty tobacco develops into sweet licorice. Tannins a bit grippy but will soften, lingering, balance ending with fruit and spice. Nice!
— 6 years ago

Peg Hanssen

9.8

Preparing for our adventure to Portugal Surdyks’ Recommendation:
(Douro) Portugal is a prolific wine country, best known for its sweet dessert wine - Port. World famous in its many styles, Port is sweet and fortified, prized for its rich flavors and lush texture. Portugal also has fabulous dry red wine. Dow’s “Vale do Bomfim” is made with the same grapes and sourced from the same historic Douro Valley that produces Dow’s great Ports. Portugal’s indigenous grapes – Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinto Cão – are names that should pique your interest and draw you to this imported discovery. Picked by hand and manually sorted with great care, the grapes are fermented in small vats. The resulting wine has complexity and style. Portugal’s Douro Valley has consistently good climate and growing conditions almost every year. The flavors are dynamic and the tannic structure is soft and silky. This is a really good wine for all occasions, with an affordable price and value.
$8.49 Spring 2017 ($14.49) — 7 years ago

Alok Sharma

9.0

Right up there with my fav scotches! Smooooth! — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Feather is 100% Cabernet. This is made in coordination with Randy Dunn. On the nose, dark, lightly spiced currants. Black oil, loamy soils, black licorice and fresh floral bouquet. On the palate, the mouthfeel is thick & rich. There's a good presence of wood shaving. Rich, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, candied black plum, plum, black raspberries, loamy soils, dark rich moist earth, leather, tobacco, spice-box, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, black licorice, violets and fresh red florals. Acidity is round and mouthwatering. The structure is big. The tension perfect as is the balance of fruit and earth. This is definitely a Parker wine. It's so easy to drink young, yet will cellar 10-15 years nicely. Photos of the tasting rooms hand blown glass lighting...lit up. The Feather artwork and the famous Boushey vineyard in Yakima Valley — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Located on a beautiful 300 hectare estate, the Giscours vineyard is located in the famous Margaux appellation and eventually included as a Third Growth in the 1855 classification. The young palate on this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon: 70%; Merlot: 20%; and Petit Verdot: 10%; shows ripe berry fruits with pronounced toasty oak notes. The tannins are smooth but needs development. The lingering complex finish shows potential over the next decade. Drink the 2012 if you want something now. — 8 years ago

Steve Gerths

9.2

Great old vine Zin from famous mountain top vineyard in Sonoma. Deep cherry berry flavor. Smooth. — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Located in the communes of Macau and Ludon, Chateau Cantemerle, designated a great growth in the famous 1855 classification, has deep fine gravel soil. A blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Black fruit aromas with spicy notes. On the palate dark berry flavors, a touch of pepper on smooth fine tannins. Long finish, well structured on a fresh ending. Needs decanting or a few more years in the cellar. Tasting Sample. — 9 years ago

Daniel March

9.4

Here is a grand daddy Bordeaux, both in size and stature that just never fails to disappoint. Black currant, dark fruits, tobacco, vanilla, all rolled seamlessly with the classic minerality of this famous terroir. More impressive than expected for a 2006, age has treated this wine well as the nose was opulent and delicious and tannins well integrated and smooth. Sadly, this double magnum was simply not sufficient to satisfy our thirst... — 9 years ago

Chris Sebastiani

9.2

A true gem embodying a rare combination of two famous houses. — 10 years ago

Craig Engelson

9.1

Quite peaty with smoky notes and some caramel. I added a couple drops of water and found that it opened up quite nicely. Great blend for the price point — 10 years ago

George Chen

10

The 70's for Napa-CA were phenomenal. These top vintners made wines with low alcohol and natural techniques no wonder they kicked the Bordeaux top wines in 1976 the famous Tastings of Paris! — 12 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Sorry, short notes on this one. I had to get to Cape Point Vineyards.

This might be their most famous wine. Here is some history of this wine over the centuries. Napoleon Bonaparte had as much as 1,126 liters (297 gallons) of Constantia wine shipped in wooden casks each year to Longwood House, his home in exile on St Helena from 1815 until his death in 1821. The Count de las Cases reported that, on his deathbed, Napoleon refused everything offered to him but a glass of Constantia wine.

In Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen's character Mrs Jennings recommends a little Constantia for "its healing powers on a disappointed heart"

In Charles Dickens' last (and unfinished) novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Constantia wine is served to the reverend Septimus by his mother.

My quick notes. They make several passes through the vineyard waiting for the perfect raisinated grapes. The body is, thick, sticky and sweet. Marmalade, both peach types, apricot, nut skins, dried pineapple, lots of residual sugar, great acidity and a rich, sweet, well balanced polished finish. Not entirely different than Sauternes. Thick D’Yquem of South Africa.

Photos of; the Klien Constantia Estate vines with the mountains painting the background, the door to Duggies Dungeon, horizontal stainless settling tanks and the fruit of this wine in its raisinated picking state. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

This wine was corked in the winter of 2014. There are 45 wines in the blend ranging from 2002-2007.

The color is near blood orange. The nose shows, orange citrus, blood orange, apricots, overripe strawberries, marmalade, papaya, sea spray, sea shells, soft, powdery chalkiness, hint of volcanic minerals with withering pink & red roses and spring flowers.

The body is round, rich and full. The flavors are similar to the nose, Orange citrus, blood orange, apricots, overripe strawberries, marmalade, papaya, sea spray, sea shells, soft, powdery chalkiness, light spice, more pronounced & grippy volcanic minerals with withering pink & red roses and spring flowers.

Photos of, the house of Krug, their Salon Lounge, Krug dinning room and Krug’s wildly famous Clos du Mesnil Vineyard. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Is there any meal better than steak (Ribeye) and well aged Claret? This is another 1991 Bordeaux experiment of mine. 1991 was a vintage with horrible frosts and a less than favorable growing season, right? A vintage critically panned. This is my 3rd recent 91 from a good producer. And again, it didn’t disappoint. Like 97 and 07, it’s better with the right bottle age than young. Magic evolution happened in the bottle way down the road. This 91 is in great form with a fair amount of life ahead of it. On the nose; a little ripe fruit funk, wonderful dark & lighter red cassis, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries, vanilla, light cinnamon, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs and fresh & dry red flowers. The body/palate is medium, round, ripe & still fresh. The tannins nearly completely resolved. Ripe, floral fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries & half cooked rhubarb. Vanilla, light cinnamon, touch of clove & nutmeg, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs, a little band-aid and fresh & dry red flowers. The acidity drips over the palate and the long, well balanced, still structured, nice tension, good length finish lasts over a minute. Again, love & appreciate the 12.5% alcohol. What a beauty with and without the steak. Next time you’re in your fine wine retail shop and see a quality producers 91 that’s been well stored, buy it and have it with a Ribeye. Photos of; their exotic Estate, Chateau interior, newer barrel room and their vines as viewed from the front of the Chateau that are across the road. Producer notes and history...Cos d’Estournel has a long distinguished history in the St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding in 1811. It did not take long before Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In those early days, Cos d’Estournel did not sell through Negociants. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Bordeaux Chateaux’s to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. If you’re at the property, the statue on the bench in the front courtyard is of the founder, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel. The Estate was then purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux using the negociant system. If the Chateau was not selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification. Imagine that! So, it turned out to be a fortuitous decision. Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family owners of the neighboring Estate of Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. This purchase was the beginning of the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. Decades later, the grandchildren of Fernand Ginestet, Jean-Marie Prats, Yves Prats and Bruno Prats took over ownership and management of Cos d’Estournel. In 1995, Bruno Prats sold the property to the Merlaut family, owners of the Taillan Group. The next era in the development of Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Cos d’Estournel was bought by the industrious and wealthy Michel Reybier, who earned his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things further improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making at that time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in not only the wine making facilities and cellars, but in parts of the Chateau as well. While the wine making facilities are completely modern with their 100% gravity design, the outward appearance retained the original design and feeling that has always been a part of Cos d’Estournel. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH (Pichon Baron). Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the Estate. What makes the remodel special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity and allow for the expression of their terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. Perhaps, the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and the racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a “pumpless pump over.” The 91 hectare vineyard of Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located extremely close to the border between Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe. The Estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. They also make a second wine called Pagodes de Cos. This is a great wine to buy in very good vintages. Especially, if your budget prohibits you from purchasing their first wine. — 8 years ago

Michael Genn

9.7

The famous '02 100pt Parker and wine spectator wine of the year. Lucky enough to have it twice this month, both from 1.5L. Incredible! — 9 years ago

Loren Loftesnes

9.0

I'm drinking wine at a famous whiskey saloon/distillery. Is that wrong? Wait....... I've got a whiskey too so I think I'm in the clear! — 9 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.3

Famous for his Sylvaner but the Riesling is wonderful and distinctive. Rich and unctuous with minerality that balances it out and prevents it from brim overbearing. Lovely fruit. Just a great drink. — 10 years ago

with Cheryl

Keiichiro Nagashima

9.7

Famous champaign — 12 years ago